And be still billing? 'Tis the idlest fondness
That ever was invented; and 'tis pity
It's grown a fashion for poor gentlewomen;
There's many a disease kiss'd in a year by't,
And a French court'sy made to't. Alas, sir,
Think of the world, how we shall live, grow serious;
We have been married a whole fortnight now.

Lean. How? a whole fortnight! why, is that so long?
Bran. 'Tis time to leave off dalliance; 'tis a doctrine
Of your own teaching, if you be remember'd,

And I was bound to obey it.

Moth. (Aside.) Here's one fits him;

This was well catch'd i' faith, son, like a fellow
That rids another country of a plague,

And brings it home with him to his own house.

Who knocks?

[A messenger from the Duke knocks within.

[Exit Brancha."

Lean. Who's there now? Withdraw you, Brancha; Thou art a gem no stranger's eye must see, Howe'er thou'rt pleas'd now to look dull on me. The Witch of Middleton is his most remarkable performance; both on its own account, and from the use that Shakspeare has made of some of the characters and speeches in his 'Macbeth.' Though the employment which Middleton has given to Hecate and the rest, in thwarting the purposes and perplexing the business of familiar and domestic life, is not so grand or appalling as the more stupendous agency which Shakspeare has assigned them, yet it is not easy to deny the merit of the first invention to Middleton, who has embodied the existing superstitions of the time, respecting that anomalous class of beings, with a high spirit of poetry, of the most grotesque and fanciful kind. The songs and incantations made use of are very nearly the same. The other parts of this play are not so good; and the solution of the principal difficulty, by Antonio's falling down a trap-door, most lame and impotent. As a specimen of the similarity of the preternatural machinery, I shall here give one entire scene.

"The Witches' Habitation.

Enter HECCAT, Stadlin, Hoppo, and other Witches.

Hec. The moon's a gallant: see how brisk she rides.

Stad. Here's a rich evening, Heccat.

Hec. Aye, is 't not, wenches,

To take a journey of five thousand miles ?

Hop. Ours will be more to-night.

Hec. Oh, 't will be precious. Heard you the owl yet?

Stad. Briefly, in the copse,

As we came through now.

Hec. 'Tis high time for us then.

Stad. There was a bat hung at my lips three times As we came through the woods, and drank her fill: Old Puckle saw her.

Hec. You are fortunate still,

The very scritch-owl lights upon your shoulder,
And woos you like a pigeon. Are you furnish'd?
Have you your ointments?

Stad.

All.

Hec. Prepare to flight then I'll overtake you swiftly.

Stad. Hie then, Heccat!

We shall be up betimes.

Hec. I'll reach you quickly.

Enter FIRESTONE.

[They ascena.

Fire. They are all going a-birding to-night. They talk of fowls i' th' air, that fly by day, I'm sure ther'll be a company of foul sluts there to-night. If we have not mortality affeared, I'll be hang'd, for they are able to putrify it, to infect a whole region. She spies me now.

Hec. What, Firestone, our sweet son?

Fire. A little sweeter than some of you; or a dunghill were too good for me. Hec. How much hast there?

Fire. Nineteen, and all brave plump ones; besides six lizards, and three serpentine eggs.

Hec. Dear and sweet boy! What herbs hast thou?

Fire. I have some mar-martin and man-dragon.

Hec. Marmarittin, and mandragora, thou would'st say.

Fire. Here's pannax, too. I thank thee; my pan akes, I am sure, with

kneeling down to cut 'em.

Hec. And selago,

Hedge-hissop, too! How near he goes my cuttings!

Were they all cropt by moon-light?

Fire. Every blade of 'em, or I am a moon-calf, mother.

Hec.

Hie thee home with 'em.

Look well to th' house to-night: I'm for aloft.

Fire. Aloft, quoth you? I would you would break your neck once, that I might have all quickly (Aside.)—Hark, hark, mother! They are above the steeple already, flying over your head with a noise of musicians.

Hec. They are indeed. Help me! Help me! I'm too late else.

SONG (in the air above.)

Come away, come away!
Heccat, Heccat, come away!

Hec.

Fire.

Here:

And Hoppo too, and Hellwain too;
We lack but you, we lack but you.
Come away, make up the count
I will but 'noint, and then I mount.

(A Spirit descends in the shape of a cat.)
There's one come down to fetch his dues;
A kiss, a coll, a sip of blood;

And why thou stay'st so long, I muse, I muse,
Since th' air's so sweet and good?

Oh, art thou come,

What news, what news?

All goes still to our delight,
Either come, or else

Refuse, refuse.

Now I am furnish'd for the flight.

Hark, hark! The cat sings a brave treble in her own lan

guage.

Hec. (Ascending with the Spirit.)

(Above.)

Now I go, now I fly,

Malkin, my sweet spirit, and I.

Oh, what a dainty pleasure 'tis

To ride in the air

When the moon shines fair,

And sing, and dance, and toy, and kiss!
Over woods, high rocks, and mountains,
Over seas our mistress' fountains,
Over steep towers and turrets

We fly by night, 'mongst troops of spirits.
No ring of bells to our ears sounds,

No howls of wolves, no yelps of hounds;

No, not the noise of water's breach,

Or cannon's roar our height can reach.
No ring of bells, &c.

Fire. Well, mother, I thank your kindness. You must be gamboling i' the air, and leave me to walk here like a fool and a mortal.

[Exit.

The incantation scene at the cauldron is also the original of that in Macbeth, and is in like manner introduced by the Duchess's visiting the Witches' habitation.

"The Witches' Habitation.

Enter DUCHESS, HECCAT, FIRESTONE.

Hec. What death is 't you desire for Almachildes?
Duch. A sudden and a subtle.

Hec. Then I've fitted you.

Here lie the gifts of both; sudden and subtle;
His picture made in wax and gently molten
By a blue fire kindled with dead men's eyes,
Will waste him by degrees.

Duch. In what time, pr'ythee?

Hec. Perhaps in a month's progress.
Duch. What! A month?

Out upon pictures, if they be so tedious;

Give me things with some life.

Duch. This must be done with speed, dispatched this night, If it may possibly.

Hec. I have it for you:

Here's that will do't. Stay but perfection's time,

And that's not five hours hence.

Duch. Can'st thou do this?

Hec. Can I?

Duch. I mean, so closely.

Hec. So closely do you mean too?

Duch. So artfully, so cunningly.

Hec. Worse and worse; doubts and incredulities,
They make me mad. Let scrupulous creatures know,

Cum volui, ripis ipsis mirantibus, amnes
In fontes rediere suos: concussaque sisto,
Stantia concutio cantu freta; nubila pello,
Nubilaque induco: ventos abigoque vocoque.
Vipereas rumpo verbis et carmine fauces;
Et silvas moveo, jubeoque tremiscere montes,
Et mugire solum, manesque exire sepulchris.
Te quoque, Luna, traho.

Can you doubt me then, daughter?

That can make mountains tremble, miles of woods walk;

Whole earth's foundations bellow, and the spirits

Of the entomb'd to burst out from their marbles;

Nay, draw yon moon to my involv'd designs?

Fire. I know as well as can be when my mother's mad, and our great cat angry; for the one spits French then, and the other spits Latin.

Duch. I did not doubt you, mother.

Hec. No? what did you?

My power's so firm, it is not to be question'd.

Duch. Forgive what's past: and now I know th' offensiveness That vexes art, I'll shun the occasion ever.

Hec. Leave all to me and my five sisters, daughter.

It shall be conveyed in at howlet-time.

Take you no care. My spirits know their moments;
Raven or scritch-owl never fly by th' door,

But they call in (I thank 'em), and they lose not by 't.
I give 'em barley soak'd in infants' blood:
They shall have semina cum sanguine,

Their gorge cramm'd full, if they come once to our house:
We are no niggard.

[Exit DUCHESS. They ate up as

Fire. They fare but too well when they come hither. much t' other night as would have made me a good conscionable pudding. Hec. Give me some lizard's brain: quickly, Firestone! Where's grannam Stadlin, and all the rest o' th' sisters? Fire. All at hand, forsooth.

[The other Witches appear

Hec. Give me marmaritin; some bear-breech. When?
Fire. Here's bear-breech and lizard's brain, forsooth.

Hec. Into the vessel;

And fetch three ounces of the red-hair'd girl

{ kill'd last midnight

Fire.

Whereabout, sweet mother?

Hec. Hip; hip or flank. Where is the acopus?
Fire. You shall have acopus, forsooth.

Hec. Stir, stir about, whilst I begin the charm.

1st Witch.

Hec.

2nd Witch.

Hec.

1st Witch.

2nd Witch.

Hec.

Fire.

All.

Hec.

A CHARM SONG.

(The Witches going about the cauldron.)
Black spirits, and white; red spirits, and grey;
Mingle, mingle, mingle, you that mingle may.
Titty, Tiffin, keep it stiff in ;

Firedrake, Puckey, make it lucky;

Liard, Robin, you must bob in.

Round, around, around, about, about;

All ill come running in; all good keep out!

Here's the blood of a bat.

Put in that; oh, put in that.

Here's libbard's-bane.

Put in again.