deliver thee (my dearest partner of greatness) that thou might'ft not lose the dues of rejoycing, by being ignorant of what greatness is promifed thee. Lay it to thy heart, and farewel.

Glamis thou art, and Cawdor-and fhalt be
What thou art promis'd.
It is too full o'th' milk of
To catch the nearest way.
Art not without ambition;
The illness fhould attend it.

Yet do I fear thy nature ;
human kindness,
Thou wouldst be great;
but without

What thou wouldst highly, That wouldst thou holily; wouldft not play false,

And yet wouldst wrongly win. Thou'dft have, great Glamis,
That which cries, "thus thou must do, if thou have it ;
"And that which rather thou doft fear to do,
"Than wifheft should be undone." Hie thee hither,
That I may pour my fpirits in thine ear,
And chaftife with the valour of my tongue
All that impedes thee from the golden round,
Which fate and metaphyfical aid doth feem
To have thee crown'd withal.

Enter Meffenger.

What is your tidings?

Mef. The King comes here to-night.
Lady. Thou'rt mad to say it.

Is not thy mafter with him? who, wer't so,

Would have inform'd for preparation.

Mef. So please you, it is true: our Thane is coming.

One of my fellows had the fpeed of him;

Who, almoft dead for breath, had fcarcely more

Than would make up his meffage.

Lady. Give him tending;

He brings great news. The raven himself is hoarfe,

[Exit Mef

That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan
Under my battlements. Come, all you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, unfex me here;
And fill me, from the crown to th' toe, top-full
Of direct cruelty; make thick my blood,
Stop up th' accefs and paffage to remorse,
N 6

That

That no compunctious vifitings of nature

Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
Th' effect, and it. Come to my woman's breafts,
And take my milk for gall, you murd'ring minifters!
Where-ever in your fightless fubftances

You wait on nature's mifchief.-Come, thick night!
And pall thee in the dunnelt fmoak of hell,
That my keen knife fee not the wound it makes;
Nor heav'n peep through the blanket of the dark,
To cry, hold, hold!

Enter Macbeth..

Great Glamis! worthy Cawdor!

[Embracing him.

Greater than both, by the all-hail hereafter!

Thy letters have tranfported me beyond

This ign'rant prefent time, and I feel now
The future in the inftant.

Macb. Dearest love,`

Duncan comes here to-night.

Lady. And when goes hence?

Macb. To-morrow, as he purposes.

Lady. Oh, never

Shall fun that morrow fee!

Your face, my Thane, is as a book, where men (12) May read ftrange matters. To beguile the time, Look like the time; bear welcome in your eye,

Your hand, your tongue; look like the innocent flower, (12) Your face, my Thane, is as a book, where men May read frange matters to beguile the Time.

Look like the Time,] I have ventur'd against the Authority of all the copies, to alter the pointing of this paffage: and, I hope, with fome certainty. The Lady certainly means, that Macbeth looks fo full of thought and folemn reflection upon the purpos'd act, that, the fears, people may comment upon the reafon of his gloom and therefore defires him, in order to take off and prevent fuch comments, to wear a face of pleafure and entertainment; and look like the time, the better to deceive the time. So Macbeth fays, in a fubfequent scene;

Away and mock the time with faireft Shew,

So Macduff fays to Malcolm,

-the time you may fo boodwink.

:

i.e. blind the eye of obfervation, and fo deceive people's thoughts..

But:

But be the ferpent under't. He, that's coming,
Must be provided for; and you fhall put
This night's great bufinefs into my dispatch,
Which hall to all our nights and days to come
Give folely fovereign fway and mafterdom.
Mach. We will speak further.
Lady. Only look up clear:

To alter favour, ever, is to fear.
Leave all the reft to me.

[Exeunt

SCENE, before Macbeth's Castle Gate.

Hautboys and Torches. Enter King, Malcolm, Donal bain, Banquo, Lenox, Macduff, Roffe, Angus, and Attendants.

King. Nimbly and fweetly recommends itself HIS caftle hath a pleasant feat; the air

Unto our gentle fenfes.

Ban. This gueft of fummer,

The temple-haunting martlet, does approve
By his lov'd manfionry that heaven's breath
Smells wooingly here. No jutting frieze,
Buttrice, nor coigne of vantage, but this bird
Hath made his pendant bed, and procreant cradle
Where they most breed and haunt, I have obferv'd,,
The air is delicate..

Enter Lady,

King. See, fee! our honour'd Hoftefs!

The love that follows us, fometimes is our trouble,
Which still we thank as love. Herein I teach you,
How you fhall bid god-yeld us for your pains,
And thank us for your trouble..

Lady. All our fervice

(In every point twice done, and then done double,)
Were poor and fingle bufinefs to contend

Against thofe honours deep and broad, wherewith
Your Majefty loads our houfe. For thofe of old,

And

And the late dignities heap'd up to them,
We reft your hermits.

King. Where's the Thane of Cawdor?

We courft him at the heels, and had a purpose
To be his purveyor: but he rides well,

And his great love, (fharp as his fpur) hath holp him
To's home before us; fair and noble Hostess,

We are your guest to-night.

Lady. Your fervants ever

Have theirs, themselves, and what is theirs in compt, To make their audit at your Highness' pleasure,

Still to return your own.

King. Give me your hand;

Conduct me to mine Hoft, we love him highly;
And fhall continue our graces towards him.
By your leave, Hofess.

[Exeunt.

SCENE, changes to an Apartment in
Macbeth's Caftle.

Hautboys, Torches. Enter divers fervants with dishes and
Service over the Stage. Then Macbeth.

Macb. I

Fit were done, when 'tis done, then 'twere well
It were done quickly: if th' affaffination

Could trammel up the confequence, and catch
With its furceafe, fuccefs; that but this blow
Might be the be-all and the end-all-here, (13)
But here, upon this bank and shoal of time,
We'd jump the life to come.-- -But, in thefe cafes,
We ftill have judgment here, that we but teach
Bloody inftructions; which, being taught, return
To plague th' inventor. Even-handed juftice

(13) But here, upon this bank and school of Time.]

Bank and fchoolWhat a monstrous couplement, as Don Armada fays, is here of heterogeneous ideas! I have ventured to amend, which reftores a confonance of images,

on this bank and fhoal of time.

i. e. this hallow, this narrow ford of human life, oppofed to the great abyfs of eternity. This Word has occurr'd again, before, to us in the life of King Henry VIIIth.

And founded all the depths and heals of honour.

Returns

1

Returns th' ingredients of our poifon'd chalice
To our own lips. He's here in double trust:
First, as I am his kinfman and his subject,
Strong both against the deed: Then, as his Hoft,
Who fhould against his murd'rer shut the door,
Not bear the knife myself. Befides, this Duncan
Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been
So clear in his great office, that his virtues
Will plead, like angels, trumpet-tongu'd against
The deep damnation of his taking off:

And Pity, like a naked new-born babe,

Striding the blaft, or heav'n's cherubin hors'd (14)
Upon the fightless courfers of the air,

Shall blow the horrid deed in ev'ry eye;
That tears shall drown the wind.—I have no spur
To prick the fides of my intent, but only
Vaulting ambition, which o'er-leaps itself,
And falls on th' other-

Enter Lady Macbeth.

How now? what news?

Lady. He's almoft fupp'd; why have you left the
Macb. Hath he afk'd for me?

Lady. Know you not, he has?

[chamber?

Mach. We will proceed no further in this business.

He hath honour'd me of late; and I have bought
Golden opinions from all fort of people,

Which would be worn now in their newest glofs,
Not caft afide fo foon.

Lady. Was the hope drunk,

Wherein you dreft yourself? hath it flept fince?
And wakes it now, to look fo green and pale
At what it did fo freely? from this time,
Such I account thy love. Art thou afraid
To be the fame in thine own act and valour,
As thou art in defire? wouldst thou have that,

(14)- — or heav'n's cherubin bors'd upon the fightless couriers of the
air.] But the cherubin is the courier; fo that he can't be faid to be
bors'd upon another courier. We must read, therefore, courfers.
Mr. Warburton.