In one of the folio editions the reading is anoint thee, in a fenfe very confiftent with the common accounts of witches, who are related to perform many fupernatural acts by the means of unguents, and particularly to fly through the air to the places where they meet at their hellish feftivals. In this fenfe anoint thee, witch, will mean, away, witch, to your infernal affembly. This reading I was inclined to favour, because I had met with the word aroint in no other place; till looking into Hearne's Collections, I found it in a very old drawing, that he has published, in which St.Patrick is represented visiting hell, and putting the devils into great confufion by his prefence, of whom one that is driving the damned before him with a prong, has a label iffuing out from his mouth with these words out out arangt, of which the laft is evidently the fame with aroint, and ufed in the fame fenfe as in this paffage. (2) And (2) And the very points they blow. As the word very is here of no other use than to fill up the verse, it is likely that Shakespeare wrote various, which might be eafily mistaken for very, being either negligently read, haftily pronounced, or imperfectly heard. (3) He fhall live a man forbid. Mr. Theobald has very juftly explained forbid by accurfed, but without giving any reafon of his interpretation. To bid is originally to pray, as in this Saxon frag As to forbid therefore implies to prohibit, in oppofition to the word bid in its prefent fenfe, it fignifies by the fame kind of oppofition to curfe, when it is derived from the fame word in its primitive meaning. THE HE incongruity of all the paffages in which the Thane of Cawdor is mentioned is very remarkable; in the second scene the Thanes of Roffe and Angus bring the king an account of the battle, and inform him that Norway Affifted Affifted by that most disloyal traytor The Thane of Cawdor, 'gan a dismal conflict. It appears that Cawdor was taken prifoner, for the king fays in the fame scene, Go, pronounce his death, And with his former title greet Macbeth, Yet though Cawdor was thus taken by Macbeth, in arms against his king, when Macbeth is faluted, in the fourth fcene, Thane of Cawdor, by the Weird Sifters, he asks, How of Cawdor? the Thane of Cawdor lives, And in the next line confiders the promises, that he fhould be Cawdor and King, as equally unlikely to be accomplished. How can Macbeth be ignorant of the ftate of the Thane of Cawdor, whom he has juft defeated and taken prisoner, or call him a profperous Gentleman who has forfeited his title and life by open rebellion? Or why should he wonder that the title of the rebel whom he has overthrown should be conferred upon him? He cannot be fuppofed to diffemble his knowledge of the condition of Cawdor, because he enquires with all the ardour of curiofity, and the vehemence of sudden astonishment; and because nobody is prefent but Banquo, who had an equal part in the battle, and was equally acquainted with Cawdor's treafon. However, in the next fcene, his ignorance ftill continues; and, when Roffe Roffe and Angus prefent him from the king with his new title, he cries out Why do you -The Thane of Cawdor lives. drefs me in his borrowed robes? Roffe and Angus, who were the meffengers that in the second scene informed the king of the affiftance given by Cawdor to the invader, having loft, as well as Macbeth, all memory of what they had fo lately feen and related, make this answer, Whether he was Combin'd with Norway, or did line the rebels Neither Roffe knew what he had juft reported, nor Macbeth what he had juft done. This feems not to be one of the faults that are to be imputed to the tranfcribers, fince, though the inconfiftency of Roffe and Angus might be removed, by fuppofing that their names are erroneoufly inferted, and that only Roffe brought the account of the battle, and only Angus was fent to compliment Macbeth, yet the forgetfulness of Macbeth cannot be palliated, fince what he fays could not have been fpoken by any other. NOTE VII. THE thought, whofe murder yet is but fantastical, Shakes fo my fingle ftate of man, -—------- The The fingle ftate of man feems to be used by Shakefpeare for an individual, in oppofition to a commonwealth, or conjunct body of men. Macbeth. NOTE VIII. COME what come may, Time and the hour runs thro' the roughest day. I fuppofe every reader is difgufted at the tautology in this paffage, time and the hour, and will therefore willingly believe that Shakespeare wrote it thus, Come what come may, Time! on!-the hour runs thro' the rougheft day. Macbeth is deliberating upon the events which are to befal him; but finding no fatisfaction from his own thoughts, he grows impatient of reflection, and refolves to wait the clofe without haraffing himself with conjectures, Come what come may. But to shorten the pain of fufpenfe, he calls upon time in the ufual flile of ardent defire, to quicken his motion, Time! on! He then comforts himself with the reflection that all his perplexity must have an end, -The hour runs thro' the roughest day. |