fcales against either fcale, who committed treafon enough for God's fake, yet could not equivocate to Heaven: Oh, come in, equivocator. [Knock.] Knock, knock, knock. Who's there? faith (17) here's an English tailor come hither for ftealing out of a French hofe come in, tailor, here you may roaft your goofe. [Knock.] Knock, knock. Never at quiet! what are you? but this place is too cold for hell. ' devil-porter it no further: I had thought to have let in fome of all profeffions, that go the primrofe way to the everlasting bonfire. [Knock.] Anon, anon. I pray you, remember the porter. Enter MACDUFF and LENOX. Macd. Was it fo late, friend, ere you went to bed, that you do ly fo late? Port. Faith, Sir, we were carousing till the fecond cock and drink, Sir, is a great provoker of three things. Macd. What three things doth drink efpecially provoke? Port. Marry, Sir, nofe painting, fleep, and urine. Lechery, Sir, it provokes and unprovokes; it provokes the defire, but it takes away the performance. Therefore much drink may be faid to be an equivocator with lechery; it makes him and it mars him; it fets him on, and it takes him off; it perfuades him, and difheartens him; makes him ftand to, and not stand to; in conclufion, equivocates him into a fleep, and giving him the lie, leaves him. (17) Here's an English tailor come hither for stealing out of a French bofe:] The archnefs of this joke confifts in this; that a French hofe being to very fhort and ftrait, a tailor must be a perfect mafter of his art, who could steal any thing out of it. As to the nature of the French hofe, we have seen that in Hendy VIII.; our Poet calls them fort-bolstered breeches. Mr Warburton. 2 Macd. I believe drink gave thee the lie laft aight. Port. That it did, Sir, i' th' very throat on me; but I requited him for his lie; and, I think, being too strong for him, though he took up my legs femetime, yet I made a thift to caft him. Macd Is thy mafter firring? Our knocking has awaked him; here he comes. Len. Good-morrow, noble Sir. Enter MACBETH. Mach. Good-morrow, both. Macd. Is the King ftirring, worthy Thane? Macd. Not yet. Mach. He did command me to call timely on I've almoft flipt the hour. [him; Macb. I'll bring you to him. Macd. I know this is a joyful trouble to you: But yet 'tis one. Macb. The labour, we delight in, phyfics pain; This is the door. Macd. I'll make fo bold to call, for 'tis my limited fervice. [Et Macduff. Len. Goes the King hence to-day? Macb. He did appoint fo. Len. The night has been unruly: where we lay, Our chimneys were blown down: and as they say, Lamentings heard i' th' air, strange screams of death, And prophefying with accents terrible Of dire combuftion, and confused events, The obfcure bird clamoured the live-long night. Len. My young remembrance cannot parallel A fellow to it. VOL. IX. D Enter MACDUFF. Macd. O horror! horror! horror! [thee! Nor tongue, nor heart, cannot conceive, nor name Mach. and Len. What's the matter? Mach. Confufion now hath made his masterpiece; Mach. What is't you fay? the life?. [fight Macd. Approach the chamber, and destroy your With a new Gorgon.---Do not bid me speak; See, and then fpeak yourselves: awake! awake! [Exeunt Macbeth and Lenox. Ring the alarum-bell-murder! and treason! Banquo, and Donalbain! Malcolm ! awake! Shake off this downy fleep, death's counterfeit, And look on death itfelf-up, up, and fee The great doon's image-Malcolm! Banquo! As from your graves rise up, and walk like fprights, (18) To countenance this horror. Bell rings. Enter Lady MACBETH. Lady. What's the business, (18) To countenance this horror. Ring the hell.] I have ventured to throw out thefe laft words as no part of the text. Macduff had faid at the beginning of his fpeech, Ring out the alarum hell; but if the bell had rung out immediately, not a word of what he fays could have been dif tinguished. Ring the bell, I fay, was a marginal direction in the Prompter's book for him to order the hell to be rung, the minute that Macduff ceafes fpeaking. In proof of this, we may obferve that the hemiftich ending Macduf's speech, and that beginning Lady Macbeth's, makes up a compleat verfe. Now if ring the rell had been a part of the text, can we imagine the Poet would have begun, the Lady's fpeech with a broken line? That fuch an hideous trumpet calls to parley : Macd. Gentle Lady, 'Tis not for you to hear what I can speak. Would murder as it fell-O Banquo, Banquo! Our royal mafter's murdered. Lady. Woe, alas! What, in our house ?----- Ban. Too cruel, any where. Macduff, I pr'ythee, contradict thyself, Enter MACBETH, LENOX, and ROSSE. Macb. Had I but died an hour before this chance, I had lived a bleffed time: for, from this inftant, There's nothing ferious in mortality; All is but toys; renown and grace is dead; Enter MALCOLM and DONALBAIN. Don. What is amifs?. Mach. You are, and do not know't: The fpring, the head, the fountain of your blood Mal. Oh, by whom? Len. Thofe of his chamber, as it feemed,had done't; Their hands and faces were all badged with blood, So were their daggers, which, unwiped, we found Upon their pillows, they ftared, and were distracted;. No man's life was to be trusted with them. Mach. C, yet I do repent me of my fury, That I did kill them-- Macd. Wherefore did you fo? Macb. Who can be wife, amazed, temperate and Loyal and neutral in a moment? no man. [furious, The expedition of my violent love Out-run the paufer, reafon. Here lay Duncan, i His filver fkin laced with his golden blood, And his gafhed stabs looked like a breach in nature, For ruin's wafteful entrance: there, the murderers, Steeped in the colours of their trade, their daggers Unmannerly breeched with gore. Who couldrefrain, That had a heart to love, and in that heart Courage, to make's love known? Lady. Help me hence, ho !--- [Seeming to faint. Macd. Look to the Lady. Mal. Why do we hold our tongues, That moft may claim this argument for ours? Mal. Nor our strong forrow on The foot of motion. Ban. Look to the Lady; [Lady Macbeth is carried outs And when we have our naked frailties hid, That fuffer in expofure, let us meet, And question this moft bloody piece of work, Of treasonous malice. Macb. So do I. All. So, all. Macb. Let's briefly put on manly readiness, And meet i' th' hall together. |