Leave all the rest to me. Is not thy master with him? who, wer't so, Mes. So please you, it is true: our thane is Lady. Give him tending, He brings great news. The raven himself is hoarse, [Exit Mes. That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan 10 15 20 Wherever in your sightless substances [night, Enter Macbeth. 30 35 40 SCENE VI. [Exeunt. Hautboys and Torches. Enter King, Malcolm, King. This castle hath a pleasant seat; the air Ban. This guest of summer, The temple-haunting martlet, does approve Buttress, nor coigue of vantage, but this bird Enter Lady Macbeth. King. See, see! our honour'd hostess !-- In Lady. All our service every point twice done, and then done double, Were poor and single business, to contend Against those honours deep and broad, wherewith Your majesty loads our house: for those of old, And the late dignities heap'd up to them, We rest your hermits12. King. Where's the thane of Cawdor? [him We cours'd him at the heels, and had a purpose Lady. Your servants ever [compt, Have theirs, themselves, and what is theirs, in King. Give me your hand: Conduct me to mine host: we love him highly, And shall continue our graces towards him. 45By your leave, hostess. 150 [Exeunt. That is, murtherous, or deadly designs. i. e. nor delay the execution of my purpose. Take away my milk, and put gall into the place. * Nature's mischief is mischief done to Nature. 'i. e. wrap thyself in a pall, which was a robe of state, as well as a covering thrown over the dead. word knife was anciently used to express a sword. Mr. Tollet explains this passage thus: The thought is taken from the old military laws, which inflicted capital punishment upon "whosoever shall strike stroke at his adversary, either in the heat or otherwise, if a third do cry hold, to the intent to part them; except that they did fight in a combat in a place inclosed; and then no man shall be so hardy as to bid hold, but the general." i. e. unknowing. i. e. our calm composed senses. Meaning i. e. God reward; or, perhaps, as Dr. Johnson suggests, protect us. mits, for beadsinen i. e. subject to account. 1 The office of a setter was to place the dishes in order at a feast. His chief mark of distinctio was a towel round his arm. Could convenient corner. 10 12 Her Could trammel up the consequence, and catch Lady. He has almost supp'd; Why have you left the chamber? Macb. Hath he ask'd for me? Mach.We will proceed no farther in this business: Lady. Was the hope drunk, Wherein you drest yourself? hath it slept since? Which thou esteem'st the ornament of life, 5 Macb. Pr'ythee, peace: I dare do all that may become a man: Lady. What beast was it then, That made you break the enterprise to me? When you durst do it, then you were a man ; And, to be more than what you were, you would Be so much more the man. "Nor time, nor place, Did then adhere, and yet you would make both: 10 They have made themselves, and that their fitness 15 25 Macb. If we should fail,- 20 But screw your courage to the sticking place, Macb. Bring forth men-children only! 40 Will it not be receiv'd, When we have mark'd with blood those sleepy two Of his own chamber, and us'd their very daggers Ludy. Who dares receive it other, As we shall make our griefs and clamour roar Macb. I am settled, and bend up Each corporal agent to this terrible feat. 45 Away, and mock the time with fairest show: False face must hide what the false heart doth know. [Exeunt. This obscure soliloquy, about the meaning of which none of the readers of Shakspeare agree, Dr. Johnson explains thus: "If that which I am about to do, when it is once done and executed, were done and ended without any following effects, it would then be best to do it quickly; if the murder could terminate in itself, and restrain the regular course of consequences, if its success could secure its surcease, if being once done successfully, without detection, it could fix a period to all vengeance and enquiry, so that this blow might be all that I have to do, and this anxiety all that I have to suffer; if this could be my condition, even here in this world, in this contracted period of temporal existence, on this narrow bank in the ocean of eternity, I would jump the life to come, I would venture upon the deed without care of any future state. But this is one of these cases in which judgment is pronounced and vengeance inflicted upon us here in our present life. We teach others to do as we have done, and are punished by our example. Couriers of air mean winds, air in motion. Sightless is invisible. The proverb alluded to is, The cat loves fish, but dares not wet her feet." Wassel or Wassail is a word still used in Staffordshire, and the adjoining counties, and signifies at present what is called Lamb's wool, i. e. roasted apples in strong beer, with sugar and spice. Wassel, however, may be put here for riot or intemperance, i. e. overpower or subdue. Or, the centinel. i. e. the re❤eptacle. Meaning, it shall be only a vessel to emit fumes or vapours. ? Quell is murder. 66 4 ACT SCENE АСТ I.. Enter Banquo, and Fleance with a torch before him. Ban. HOW goes the night, boy? II. [Thou marshal'st me the way that I was going; Fle. The moon is down; I have not 5 And on thy blade, and dudgeon, gouts heard the clock. I dreamt last night of the three weird sisters: Macb. I think not of them: Yet, when we can intreat an hour to serve, [ness, Ban. At your kind'st leisure. + of Whose howl's his watch,thus with his stealthy pace, 25 I go, and it is done; the bell invites me. [Exit. 30 What hath quench'd them, hath given me fire:Hark! Peace! ['tis, 35 Macb. If you shail cleave to my consent, when It shall make honour for you. Ban. So I lose none In seeking to augment it, but still keep Macb. Good repose, the while! Ban. Thanks, sir; The like to you! [Exit Ban. ready, She strike upon the bell. Get thee to bed. [Ex. Ser. clutch thee: It was the owl that shriek'd, the fatal bell-man, [it: That death and nature do contend about them, Macb. [Within.] Who's there?-what, ho! I have thee not; and yet I see thee still. 1501 Macb. When? Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible Lady. Now. To feeling, as to sight? or art thou but Mucb. As I descended? A dagger of the mind: a false creation, Lady. Av. Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain? To shut up, is to conclude. As this which now I draw. 3 of a dagger, and is used for that particular sort of handle which has some ornament carved on the top of it. i. e. spots; the phrase is borrowed from heraldry, days to eat possets just before bed-time. Macb. This is a sorry sight. [Looking on his 2 Consent for will. Dudgeon properly means the haft or handle Lady. A foolish thought, to say a sorry sight. Macb. There's one did laugh in his sleep, and one cry'd, murder! [them Lady. There are two lodg'd together. [Knock. [Exeunt. As they had seen me, with these hangman's hands, 10 Wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would, thou [Amen? Macb. But wherefore could not I pronounce I had most need of blessing, and Amen Stuck in my throat. Lady. These deeds must not be thought "no more! "Macbeth does murder sleep, the innocent sleep: Lady. What do you mean? [house: 15 20 25 Macb. Still it cry'd, “Sleep no more!" to all the "Glamis hath murder'd sleep;and thereforeCawdor "Shall sleep no more,Macbethshallsleep nomore!" Lady. Who was it, that thus cry'd? Why, wor-30 thy thane, You do unbend your noble strength, to think Mach. I'll go no more: I am afraid to think what I have done; Lady. Infirm of purpose ! Give me the daggers: The sleeping, and the dead, [Knocking Within.] Por. Here's a knocking, indeed! If a man were porter of hell-gate, he should have old turning the key. [Knock.Knock, knock, knock: Who's there, the name of Belzebub? Here's a farmer, that hang'd himself on the expectation of plenty come in time; have napkins' enough about you; here you'll sweat for't. [Knock.] 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: oh, come in, equivocator. [Knock.] Knock, knock, knock: Who's there? 'Faith, here's an English taylor come hither, for stealing out of a French hose: come in, taylor; here you may roast your goose. [Knock.] Knock, knock: never at quiet! What are you? But this place is too cold for hell. I'll devil porter it no further: I had thought to have let in some of all professions, that go the primrose way, to the everlasting bonfire.[Knock.} Anon, anon; I pray you, remember the porter. Enter Macduff, and Lenox. Macd. Was't so late, friend, ere you went to bed, 40 That you do lie so late? 45 Por. 'Faith, sir, we were carousing 'till the second cock and drink, sir, is a great provoker of three things. Macd. What three things doth drink especially provoke? Por. 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 50 be an equivocator with lechery: it makes him, and it mags 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 55lie, leaves him. Macd. I believe, drink gave thee the lie last night.. Por. That it did, sir, i' the very throat o' me: but I requited him for his lie; and I think, being That is, listening to their fear. 2 A skein of silk is called a sleave of silk. To incarnardine, is to stain any thing of a flesh colour, or red. * i. e. while I have the thoughts of this deed, it were best not know, or be lost to, myself. 'i. e. handkerchiefs. "Meaning, a jesuit; an order so troublesome to the state in queen Elizabeth and king James the first's time; the inventors of the execrable doctrine of equivocation. 3 too too strong for him, though he took up my legs Our knocking has awak'd him; here he comes. Enter Macbeth. Mach. Good-morrow, both! Macd. Is the king stirring, worthy thane? Would murder as it fell.-O Banquo! Banquo! [him; 10 Our royal master's murder'd! Macd. He did command me to call timely on I have almost slipt the hour. Mach. 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, physicks pain. This is the door. Macd. I'll make so bold to call, For 'tis my limited service. [Exit Macduff Len. Goes the king hence to-day? Macb. He does: he did appoint so. Lady, Woe, alas! What, in our house? Ban. Too cruel, any where. Dear Duff, I pr'ythee, contradict thyself, 15 And say, it is not so. Re-enter Macbeth and Lenox. Macb. Had I but dy'd an hour before this chance 20 All is but toys: renown and grace is dead; Len. The night has been unruly: Where we lay, Mucb. 'Twas a rough night. Len. My young remembrance cannot parallel Afellow to it. [sight Macb. What is't you say? the life? 30 35 Enter Malcolm and Donalbain. Don. What is amiss? Macb. You are, and do not know it: [don't: Macd. Wherefore did you so? Macb. Who can be wise, amaz'd, temperate, and furious, 40 Loyal and neutral in a moment? No man: 50 That had a heart to love, and in that heart Mucd. Look to the lady. Mal. Why do we hold our tongues, That most may claim this argument for ours? To cast him up, to ease my stomach of him. 2i. e. appointed. 3 Upon this passage, which has been deemed the crux criticorum, almost every commentator has differed in opinion. Dr. Johnson proposes, instead of breeched, to read, drenched with gore. Dr. Warburton thinks reeched (i. e. soiled with a dark yellow) should be substituted for breeched, as well as unmanly for unmannerly. Mr. Steevens supposes, that the expression may mean, that the daggers were covered with blood quite to their breeches, i. e. their hilts or handles; the lower end of a cannon being called the breech of it. Warton pronounces, that whether the word which follows be reech'd, breech'd, hatch'd, or drench'd, he is at least of opinion, that unmannerly is the genuine reading, which he construes to mean unseemly. Dr. Farmer says, that the sense in plain language is, "Daggers filthily—in a foul manner-sheath'd with blood." Bb 2 Don. |