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 fhall 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 Caftle Gate.

Hautboys and Torches. Enter King, Malcolm, Donalbain, Banquo, Lenox, Macduff, Roffe, Angus,

King

and Attendants.

HIS caftle hath a pleasant feat; the air Nimbly and fweetly recommends itself 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 moft 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 ftill we thank as love. Herein I teach you,
How you fhall bid god-eyld 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 those of old,

And

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

King. Where's the Thane of Cawdor?

We court 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 gueft 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 shall continue our graces towards him.
By your leave, Hoftefs."

[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

:

F it 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 bark and fhoal of time, We'd jump the life to come.-— -But, in these cases, We ftill have judgment here, that we but teach Bloody inftructions; which, being taught, return To plague th' inventor. Even-handed juftice

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

Bank and fchoulWhat a monftrous couplement, as Don Armado fays, is here of heterogeneous ideas! I have ventured to amend, which reftores a confonance of images,

on this bank and fheal of time.

i. e. this fhallow, 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

Returns th' ingredients of our poifon'd chalice
To our own lips. He's here in double truft:
First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,
Strong both against the deed: Then, as his Hoft,
Who fhould against his murd'rer fhut the door,
Not bear the knife myself. Befides, this Duncan
Hath borne his faculties fo 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'ns cherubin hors'd (14)
Upon the fightless courfers of the air,

Shall blow the horrid deed in ev'ry eye;
That tears fhall drown the wind.-I have no fpur
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 almost 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 slept 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? wouldft 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.

Which thou efteem'ft the ornament of life,
And live a coward in thine own efteem?
Letting I dare not wait upon I would,
Like the poor cat i' th' Adage.
Mach. Pr'ythee, peace:

I dare do all that may become a man;
Who dares do mòre, is none.

Lady. What beast was't then,

That made you break this enterprize to me?
When you durft do it, then you were a man;
And (to be more than what you were) you would
Be fo much more the man. Nor time, nor place
Did then co-here, and yet you would make both:
They've made themselves; and that their fitness now
Does unmake you. I have given fuck, and know
How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me-
I would, while it was fmiling in my face,
Have pluckt my nipple from his boneless gums,
And dafht the brains out, had I but fo fworn
As you have done to this.

Mach. If we should fail ?.
Lady. We fail!

But fcrew your courage to the sticking place,
And we'll not fail. When Duncan is afleep,
(Whereto the rather fhall his day's hard journey
Soundly invite him) his two chamberlains
Will I with wine and waffel fo convince,
That memory (the warder of the brain)
Shall be a fume; and the receipt of reafon
A limbeck only; when in fwinish fleep
Their drenched natures lie as in a death,
What cannot you and I perform upon
Th' unguarded Duncan? what not put upon
His fpungy officers, who fhall bear the guilt
Of our great quell?

Macb. Bring forth men-children only!
For thy undaunted metal fhould compofe
Nothing but males. Will it not be receiv'd,
When we have mark'd with blood thofe fleepy two
Of his own chamber, and us'd their very daggers,

That

That they have don't?

Lady. Who dares receive it other,

As we shall make our griefs and clamour roar,
Upon his death?

Mach. I'm fettled, and bend up

Each corporal agent to this terrible feat.
Away, and mock the time with faireft show:

Falfe face must hide what the false heart doth know.

[Exeunt.

ACT II.

SCENE, A Hall in Macbeth's Caftle.

Enter Banquo, and Fleance with a torch before him.

H

OW goes the night, boy?

Fle. The moon is down: I have not heard the clock. Ban. And fhe goes down at twelve.

Fle. I take't, 'tis later, Sir.

Ban.Hold, take my fword. There's husbandry in heav'n, Their candles are all out.-Take thee that too.

A heavy fummons lies like lead upon me,
And yet I would not fleep: Merciful powr's!
Restrain in me the curfed thoughts, that nature
Gives way to in repose.

Enter Macbeth, and a Servant with a torch.

Give me my fword: who's there?

Macb. A friend.

Ban. What, Sir, not yet at reft? the King's a-bed.

He hath to-night been in unufual pleasure,

And fent great largess to your officers;

This diamond he greets your wife withal,

By the name of moft kind Hoftefs, and fhut up
In measurelefs content.

Macb. Being unprepar'd,

Our