Enter a Porter. (Knocking within. Porter. Here's a knocking, indeed! If a man were porter of hell-gate, he should have old turning the key. [Knocking.] there, i'the name of Belzebub! Here's a farmer, that

Knock, knock, knock:

Who

's

hanged himself on the expectation of plenty: Come

in time; have napkins enough about you: here you'll sweat for't. [Knocking.] Knock, knock: Who's there, i'the other devil's name? 'Faith, here's an equivocator, that could swear in both the scales against either scale; who committed treason enough for God's sake, yet could not equivocate to Heaven: 0, come in, equivocator. [Knocking.] Knock, knock, knock: Who's there? 'ho's there? 'Faith here's a an English tailor come hither, for stealing out of a French hose: Come in, tailor; here you may roast your goose. [Knocking.] Knock, knock: Never at quiet! What are you?-But this place is too cold for hell. I'll devilporter it no further: I had thought to have let in some of all professions, that go the primrose way to the everlasting bonfire. [Knocking.] Anon, anon; I pray you, remember the porter. [Opens the Gate.

Enter Macduff and Lenox.

Macd. Was it so late, friend, ere you went to bed, That you do lie so late?

Porter. 'Faith, sir, we were carousing till the second cock and drink, sir, is a great provoker of three things.

Macd. What three things does drink especially

provoke?

Port. Marry, sir, nose-painting, sleep, and urine. Lechery, sir, it provokes, and unprovokes: it provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance: Therefore, much drink may be said to be an equivocator with lechery: it makes him, and it mars him; it sets him on, and it takes him off; it persuades him, and disheartens him; makes him stand to, and not stand to: in conclusion, equivocates him in a sleep, and, giving him the lie, leaves him.

Macd. Confusion now hath made his master-piece!

Most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope
The Lord's anointed temple, and stole thence
The life o'the building.

Macb.

What is't you say? the life?
Len. Mean you his majesty?
[sight
Macd. Approach the chamber, and destroy your
With a new Gorgon:-Do not bid me speak;
See, and then speak yourselves. Awake! awake!-
[Exeunt Macbeth and Lenox.

Ring the alarum-bell:-Murder! and treason!
Banquo, and Donalbain! Malcolm! awake!
Shake off this downy sleep, death's counterfeit,
And look on death itself!-up, up, and see
The great doom's image! Malcolm! Banquo!
As from your graves rise up, and walk like sprights,
To countenance this horror!
[Bell rings.

Lady M.

Enter Lady Macbeth.

What's the business,

That such a hideous trumpet calls to parley
The sleepers of the house? speak, speak,

Macd.

O, gentle lady,

''Tis not for you to hear what I can speak:
The repetition, in a woman's ear,
Would murder as it fell. Banquo! Banquo!

Enter Banquo.

Our royal master's murder'd!

Lady M.

What, in our house?

Ban.

Woe, alas!

Too cruel, any where.

Dear Duff, I pr'ythee, contradict thyself,
And say, it is not so.

Re-enter Macbeth and Lenox.

Macb. Had I but died an hour before this chance
I had liv'd a blessed time; for, from this instant,
There's nothing serious in mortality:
All is but toys: renown, and grace, is dead;
The wine of life is drawn, and the mere lees
Is left this vauit to brag of.

Enter Malcolm and Donalbain.

Don. What is amiss?
Macb.

You are, and do not know it;

The spring, the head, the fountain of your blood
Is stopp'd; the very source of it is stopp'd.
Macd. Your royal father's murder'd.
Mal.

O, by whom?
Len. Those of his chamber, as it seem'd, had done't:
Their hands and faces were all badg'd with blood,

Macd. I believe, drink gave thee the lie last night. So were their daggers, which, unwip'd, we found

Port. That it did, sir, i'the very throat o'me: But I requited him for his lie; and, I think, being too strong for him, though he took up my legs sometime, yet I made a shift to cast him.

Mach. Who can be wise, amaz'd, temperate, and
Loyal and neutral, in a moment? Noman [furious,
The expedition of my violent love
Out-ran the pauser reason. Here lay Duncan,
His siver skin lac'd with his golden blood;

And his gash'd stabs look'd like a breach in nature,
For ruin's wasteful entrance: there the murderers,
Steep'd in the colours of their trade, their daggers
Unmannerly breech'd with gore: Who could refrain,

That had a heart to love, and in that heart
Courage, to make his love known?
Lady M.

Macd. Look to the lady.
Mal.

Help me hence, ho!

Why do we hold our tongues,

[Exit. That most may claim this argument for ours?
Don. What should be spoken here,
Where our fate, hid within an augre-hole,
May rush, and seize us? Let's away; our tears
Are not yet brew'd.

He does he did appoint it so.

Len. The night has been unruly: Where we lay, Our chimneys were blown down: and, as they say, Lamentings heard i'the air; strange screams of death; And prophesying, with accents terrible,

Of dire combustion, and confus'd events,

New hatch'd to the woful time. The obscure bird
Clamour'd the livelong night: some say, the earth
Was feverous, and did shake.

Macb.

'Twas a rough night.

Len. My young remembrance cannot parallel A fellow to it.

Re-enter Macduff.

Macd. O horror! horror! horror! Tongue, nor Cannot conceive, nor name thee! [heart,

The foot of motion.

Mal.

Ban.

Nor our strong sorrow on

Look to the lady:

[Lady Macbeth is carried out.

And when we have our naked frailties hid,
That suffer in exposure, posure, let us meet,

And question this most bloody piece of work,
To know it further. Fears and scruples shake us:

In the great hand of God I stand; and, thence,
Against the undivulg'd pretence I fight
Of treasonous malice.

Macb.

All.

And so do I.

So all.

Thou seest the heavens, as troubled with man's act,
Threaten his bloody stage: by the clock, 'tis day,
And yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp:
Is't night's predominance, or the day's shame,

That darkness does the face of earth entomb,

When living light should kiss it?

Old M.

'Tis unnatural,

Even like the deed that's done. On Tuesday last,
A falcon, tow'ring in her pride of place,

Was by a mousing owl hawk'd at. and kill'd.

Ban. My lord, I will not.

Fail not our feast.

Mach. We hear, our bloody cousins are bestow'd

In England, and in Ireland; not confessing
Their cruel parricide, tilling their hearers

With strange invention: But of that to-morrow;
When, therewithal, we shall have cause of state,
Craving us jointly. Hie you to horse Adieu,
Till you return at night. Goes Fleance with you?
Ban. Ay, my good lord: our time does call upon us.
Mach. I wish your horses swift, and sure of foot;

Rosse. And Duncan's horses (a thing most strange And so I do commend you to their backs.

and certain),

Beauteous and swift, the minions of their race,
'Turn'd wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out,
Contending 'gainst obedience, as they would make
War with mankind.

Old M.

'Tis said, they eat each other.

Rosse. They did so; to the amazement of mine eyes, That look'd upon't. Here comes the good Macduff:

SCENE 1. Fores. A Room in the Palace.
Enter Banquo.

Bar. Thou hast it now, King, Cawdor, Glamis, all,
As the weird women en promis'd; and, I fear,
Thou play'dst most foully for't yet it was said,
It should not stand in thy posterity;
But that myself should be the root, and father
Of many kings. If there come truth from them,
(As upon thee, Macbeth, their speeches shine,)
Why, by the verities on thee made good,

Farewell.

[Exit Banquo.

Let every man be master of his time
Till seven at night; to make society
The sweeter welcome, we will keep ourself
Till supper-time alone: while then, God be with you.
[Exeunt Lady Macbeth, Lords, Ladies, &c.
Sirrah, a word: Attend those men our pleasure?
Atten. They are, my lord, without the palace gate.
Mach. Bring them before us.-[Exit Atten.] Το

be thus, is nothing:

roya

But to be safely thus: -Our fears in Banquo
Stick deep; and in his royalty of nature [dares;
Reigns that, which would be fear'd: "Tis much he
And, to that dauntless temper of his mind,
He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour
To act in safety. There is none, but he,
Whose being I do fear and, under him,
My genius is rebuk'd; as, it is said,

Mark Antony's was by Cæsar. He chid the sisters,
When first they put the name of king upon ine,
And bade them speak to him; then, prophet-like,
They hail'd him father to a line of kings:

Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown,
And put a barren sceptre in my gripe,
Thence to be wrench'd with an uulineal hand,
No son of mine succeeding. If it be so,
For Banquo's issue have I fil'd my mind:

For them the gracious Duncan have I murder'd;
Put rancours in the vessel of my peace

Only for them; and mine eternal jewel
Given to the common enemy of man,
To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings!
Rather than so, come, fate, into the list,
And champion me to the utterance!

Who'sthere?

Have you consider'd of my speeches? Know,
That it was he, in the times past, which held you
So under fortune; which, you thought, had been
Our innocent self: this I made good to you
In our last conference; pass'd in probation with you,
How you were borne in hand; how cross'd; the in-
[might,
Who wrought with them; and all things else, that
To half a soul, and a notion craz'd,
Say, Thus did Banquo.

struments;

1 Mur.

You made it known to us.

Mach. I did so; and went further, which is now
Our point of second meeting. Do you find
Your patience so predominant in your nature,

U

That you can let this go? Are you so gospell'd,
To pray for that good man, and for his issue,
Whose heavy hand hath bow'd you to the grave,
And beggar'd yours for ever?

1 Mur.

We are men, my liege.

Mach. Ay, in the catalogue ye go for men;

As hounds, and greyhounds, mongrels, spaniels, curs,
Shoughs, water-rugs, and demi-wolves, are cleped
All by the name of dogs: the valued file
Distinguishes the swift, the slow, the subtle,
The house-keeper, the hunter, every one
According to the gift which bounteous nature
Hath in him clos'd; whereby he does receive
Particular addition, from the bill

That writes them all alike and so of men.
Now, if you have a station in the file,

And not in the worst rank of manhood, say it;
And I will put that business in your hosoms,
Whose execution takes your enemy off;
Grapples you to the heart and love of us,

Who wear our health but sickly in his life,
Which in his death were perfect.

2 Mur.

Lady M.

You must leave this.

Macb. O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!
Thou know'st, that Banquo, and his Fleance, live.
Lady M. But in them nature's copy's not eterne.
Mach. There's comfort yet; they are assailable;

I am one, my liege, Then be thou jocund: Ere the bat hath flown
Whom the vile blows and buffets of the world
Have so incens'd, that I am reekless what

I do, to spite the world.

1 Mur.

And I another,

So weary with disasters, tugg'd with fortune,
That I would set my life on any chance,

To mend it, or be rid on't.

2 Mur.

True, my lord.

Macb. So is he mine: and in such bloody distance,
That every minute of his being thrusts

Against my near'st of life: And though I could
With barefac'd power sweep him from my sight,
And bid my will avouch it; yet I must not,

For certain friends that are both his and mine,
Whose loves I may not drop, but wail his fall
Whom I myself struck down and thence it is,
That I to your assistance do make love;

Masking the business from the common eye,

For sundry weighty reasons.

2 Mur.

We shall, my lord,

Perform what you command us. 1 Mur.

Though our lives-
Within

Mach. Your spirits shine through you.

this hour, at most,

I will advise you where to plant yourselves.
Acquaint you with the perfect spy o'the time,
The moment on't: for't must be done to-night,
And something from the palace; always thought
That I require a clearness: And with him,
(To leave no rubs, nor botches, in the work,)
Fleance his son, that keeps him company,.
Whose absence is no less material to me
Than is his father's, must embrace the fate
Of that dark hour. Resolve yourselves apart;
I'll come to you anon.

How now, my lord? why do you keep alone,
Of sorriest fancies your companions making?
Using those thoughts, which should indeed have died
With them they think on? Things without remedy,
Should be without regard: what's done, is done.

Mach. We have scotch'd the snake, not kill'd it;
She'll close, and be herself; whilst our poor malice
Remains in danger of her former tooth.
But let

The frame of things disjoint, both the worlds suffer,
Ere we will eat our meal in fear, and sleep
In the affliction of these terrible dreams,

That shake us nightly: Better be with the dead,

His cloister'd flight; ere, to black Hecate's summons,
The shard-borne beetle, with his drowsy hums,

Hath rung night's yawning peal, there shall be done
A deed of dreadful note.

Lady M.

What's to be done?

Mach. Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck,
Till thou applaud the deed. 1. Come, seeling night,
Skarf up the tender eye of pitiful day;
And, with thy bloody and invisible hand,
Cancel, and tear to pieces, that great bond
Which keeps me pale!-Light thickens; and the crow
Makes wing to the rooky wood:

Good things of day begin to droop and drowse;
Whiles night's black agents to their prey do rouse.
Thou marvell'st at my words; but hold thee stiil;
Things, bad begun, make strong themselves by ill:
So, pr'ythee, go with me.

That are within the note of expectation,
Already are i'the court.

1 Mur.

His horses go about.

3 Mur. Almost a mile but he does usually, So all men do, from hence to the palace gate Make it their walk.

Enter Banquo and Fleance, a Servant with a Torch

2 Mur.

3 Mur.

preceding them.

1 Mur. Stand to't.

A light, a light!

"Tis he.

Ban. It will be rain to-night.
1 Mur.

Let it come down. [Assaults Banquo.

Ban. O, treachery! Fly, good Fleance, tly, fly, fly;

Thou mayst revenge. O slave!

[Dies. Fleance and Servant escape.

3 Mur. Who did strike out the light?

1 Mur.

Was't not the way?

3 Mur. There's but one down; the son is fled." 2 Mur. We have lost best half of our affair.

1 Mur. Well, let's away, and say how much is done.

[Exeunt.