the witches. Thane of Glamis' he was; that is the 'present grace;' but Thane of Cawdor' was only predicted; this is the noble having;' the prospect of royalty is only hope, of royal hope'" (Hunter). 56. Having. Possession, estate. Cf. M. W. iii. 2. 73: "The gentleman

is of no having;" T. of A. ii. 2. 153:

"The greatest of your having lacks a half
To pay your present debts."

See also Hen. VIII. ii. 3. 23 and iii. 2. 159.

57. That.

On the omission of so, see Gr. 283, and cf. i. 2. 58 above. 60. Who neither beg, etc. Who neither beg your favours nor fear your hate. Cf. ii. 3. 45 below. The C. P. ed. quotes W. T. iii. 2. 164:

"Though I with death and with

Reward did threaten and encourage him."

65. Lesser. Still sometimes used as an adjective, but never adverbially, as in T. and C. ii. 2. 8: "Though no man lesser fears the Greeks than I." See also v. 2. 13 below.

66. Happy. Fortunate; like the Latin felix. Cf. Lear, iv. 6. 230. 67. Get. Beget; but not a contraction of that word. See Wb. and note on i. 2. 25 above.

71. Sinel. The father of Macbeth, according to Holinshed. Ritson says his true name was Finleg (Finley); Dr. Beattie conjectured that it was Sinane, and that Dunsinane (the hill of Sinane) was derived from it.

72. Johnson asks: "How can Macbeth be ignorant of the state of the thane whom he has just defeated and taken prisoner (see i. 2. 50 fol.), or call him a prosperous gentleman who has forfeited his title and life by open rebellion? He cannot be supposed to dissemble, because nobody is present but Banquo, who was equally acquainted with Cawdor's treason?"

76. Owe. Own, have. Cf. Rich. II. iv. 1. 184: "That owes two buckets;" and see note in our ed.

80. Of them. Cf. A. W. ii. 5. 50: 'I have kept of them tame;" W. T. iv. 4. 217: "You have of these pedlars," etc.

81. Corporal. Corporeal. S. never uses corporeal or incorporeal. He has incorporal in Ham. iii. 4. 118: "the incorporal air."

Elwin (quoted by Furness) says: "The emphasis should be laid on 'seem'd,' and the division of ideas is at corporal,' and there the rest should be made by the speaker; for the mind dwells first on the seeming immateriality, and then turns to the antithesis of invisibility. Melted' consequently belongs to the second line, which is uttered in accents of wonder, and with a rapidity illustrative of the act it describes."

84. On. Cf. J. C. i. 2. 71 : “jealous on me;" M. of V. ii. 6. 67 : "glad on't;" and see note, Mer. p. 143, or Gr. 138, 181.

The insane root is an example of "prolepsis ;" insane=making insane. Steevens thinks that hemlock is meant, and quotes Greene, Never too Late (1616): "you have eaten of the roots of hemlock, that makes men's eyes conceit unseen objects.' "Root of hemlock" is one of the ingredients of the witches' cauldron, iv. I. 25. Douce cites Batman, Uppon Bartholome de Prop. Rerum: "Henbane. . . is called insana, mad, for

the use thereof is perillous, for if it be eate or dronke, it breedeth madnesse, or slow lyknesse of sleepe." The C. P. editors suggest that it may be the deadly nightshade (Solatrum amentiale), of which Gerard, in his Herball, says: This kinde of Nightshade causeth sleepe, troubleth 'the minde, bringeth madnes, if a few of the berries be inwardly taken." Beisley (Shakespeare's Garden) says: "It is difficult to decide what plant S. meant. John Bauhin, in his Historia Plantarum, says: Hyoscyamus was called herba insana.""

89. Ross. Some editors print the name Rosse; but as French (Shakespeareana Genealogica) points out, that is "an Irish dignity," and should not be confounded with this Scottish title, which "really belonged to Macbeth, who, long before the action of the play begins, was Thane, or more properly, Maormor of Ross by the death of his father, Finley.'

91. Rebels'. The folios have "rebels." Delius and some other editors print “rebel's,” taking “personal venture" to refer to Macbeth's single combat with Macdonald.

92, 93. "Thine refers to praises, his to wonders, and the meaning is: There is a conflict in the king's mind between his astonishment at the achievement and his admiration of the achiever; he knows not how sufficiently to express his own wonder and to praise Macbeth, so that he is reduced to silence. That refers to the mental conflict just described" (C. P. ed.).

"His wonder, which is his own, contends with his praise, which is yours" (Moberly).

Silenc'd with that is explained by Malone, "wrapped in silent wonder at the deeds performed by Macbeth;" by Moberly, "when he had done speaking of that ;" by J. Hunter, "leaving that unsettled."

96. Nothing afeard. On nothing used adverbially, see Gr. 55. S. uses afeara 32 times and afraid 44 times (including the poems as well as the plays).

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97. As thick as tale. The folio reading is "as thick as Tale Can post with post," etc. Rowe changed this to "as thick as hail Came post,' etc. Johnson restored "tale," retaining Came," and explained the passage, posts arrived as fast as they could be counted." Sr., Coll., W., St., and H. follow Johnson; most of the other editors adopt Rowe's emendation in full. W. remarks: "To say that men arrived as thick as tale, i. e. as fast as they could be told, is an admissible hyperbole; to say that men arrived as thick as hail, i. e. as close together as hailstones in a storm, is equally absurd and extravagant. The expression, 'as thick as hail,' is never applied, either in common talk or in literature, I believe, except to inanimate objects which fall or fly, or have fallen or flown, with unsuccessive multitudinous rapidity." This latter point seems to have been overlooked by those who dwell on the fact that "thick as hail" is often used by the old writers. It must be admitted, on the other hand, that no parallel instance of "thick as tale" is to be found. The question is a very close one. If both readings were conjectural we should be inclined to adopt "hail;" but as tale is in the folio, and may possibly be right, we allow it to stand in the text.

100. Sent. Hunter conjectured "not sent;" but the sense is quite

clear as the text stands, for thanks are not payment, and Angus's speech thus suits much better with the one which follows (C. P. ed.).

106. Addition. Title. The C. P. ed. quotes Cowel, who says (Law Dict. s. v.) that it signifies "a title given to a man besides his Christian and surname, shewing his estate, degree, mystery, trade, place of dwelling," etc. Cf. Cor. i. 9. 66; Hen. V. v. 2. 467; Ham. i. 4. 20; M. W. ii. 2. 312, etc.

107. Devil. Metrically a monosyllable, like the Scotch de'il. Gr. 466. So whether in III just below.

108. See on line 72 above. Hunter (New Illus., ii. 153, quoted by Furness) finds here an additional reason for fixing the date of the play in 1606. He says: "This passage has hitherto been taken as merely metaphorical; but it seems to me that Shakespeare really intended that the robes pertaining to the dignity of Thane of Cawdor, to which Macbeth was just elevated, should be produced on the stage by Ross and Angus; that in fact the ceremony of investiture should take place on the stage. It is at least more in accordance with the turn of the expression than to suppose that Macbeth spoke thus in mere metaphor.

"Now, it happened that this ancient ceremony of investiture had been lately gone through by Sir David Murray on his being created Lord Scone. We are told that he was with the greatest solemnity invested in that honour on the 7th of April, 1605, by a special commission, directed to the Earl Dumfermling, the Lord Chancellor, to that effect. The ceremony was in presence of the earls Angus, Sutherland, Marischal, Linlithgow; the lords Fleming, Drummond, and Thirlestane.' This particular investiture in a Scottish dignity probably suggested to Shakespeare the idea of introducing the investiture of Macbeth as Thane of Cawdor. The Earl of Angus, we see, appears both in the play and in the actual performance of the ceremony; and Sir David Murray, it may also be observed, received the dignity under circumstances not very unlike those under which Macbeth acquired the thanedom of Cawdor. He had a large share in saving the life of the king at the time of the Gowrie conspiracy, and the king gave him for his reward, first, the barony of Ruthven, which had belonged to the Earl of Gowrie, and next the lands of Scone, of which the Earl of Gowrie had been commendator, and had lost them by treason. 'What he hath lost noble Macbeth hath won.' 999

109. Who. He who. See Gr. 251.

86:

112. Line. Strengthen, fortify (Schmidt). Cf. 1 Hen. IV. ii. 3. "To line his enterprise;" Hen. V. ii. 4. 7: "To line and new repair our towns of war."

113. Vantage. See on i. 2. 31.

114. Wrack. The spelling wreck is never found in the early eds. - See Rich. II. p. 177.

120. Trusted home. Trusted completely. See Gr. 45. Cf. the expression still in use, "to strike home."

121. Enkindle you unto. A. Y. L. i. I. 179: "nothing (that is, incite him to it).

"Incite you to hope for " (C. P. ed.). Cf. remains but that I kindle the boy thither"

123. And oftentimes, etc. Flathe (Shaks. in seiner Wirklichkeit, quoted by Furness), who considers that Banquo is a silent accomplice in Macbeth's murderous designs, believing that these must be carried out in order to ensure the fulfilment of the prophecy with regard to his own posterity, remarks here: "This warning comes oddly enough from the lips of a man who has just questioned the witches himself with such haste and eagerness. Here we have the first glimpse of the deceit and falsehood practised by Banquo upon himself. . .

"Banquo would so gladly esteem himself an honourable man; therefore he warns Macbeth, although as briefly as possible, against the devil. He knows that a mere warning will avail nothing, but he ignores this, wishing to be able to say to himself, when Macbeth has attained his end, 'I am guiltless, I warned him against the devil.' Had Banquo been really true, how differently he would have borne himself."

126, 127. On the measure, see Gr. 454, 468, 513. On cousins, see Rich. II. p. 158, or Schmidt, s. v.

128. Swelling act. Cf. Hen. V. prol. 4:

"princes to act,

And monarchs to behold the swelling scene."

129. On the measure, see Gr. 461, 468.

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130. Soliciting. That is, incitement " (Johnson). 135. Cf. v. 5. 11-13.

136. Seated.

"Fixed, firmly placed" (Steevens). Cf. Milton, P. L. vi. 644: "the seated hills."

137. Present fears. Warb. substituted "feats," whereon Coleridge comments as follows: "Mercy on this most wilful ingenuity of blundering, which, nevertheless, was the very Warburton of Warburton-his inmost being! Fears here are present fear-striking objects, terribilia adstantia." For fear object of fear, cf. M. N. D. v. 1. 21 :

"Or in the night, imagining some fear,

How easy is a bush supposed a bear!"

139. Fantastical. See on i. 3. 53; and for the measure, Gr. 467. On murther, see Rich. II. p. 158.

140. My single state of man. St. remarks: "Single here bears the sense of weak; my feeble government (or body politic) of man. S.'s affluence of thought and language is so unbounded that he rarely repeats himself, but there is a remarkable affinity, both in idea and in expression, between the present passage and one in 7. C. ii. 1. 63-69:

'Between the acting of a dreadful thing
And the first motion, all the interim is
Like a phantasma, or a hideous dream:
The Genius and the moral instruments

Are then in council; and the state of man,
Like to a little kingdom, suffers then
The nature of an insurrection." "

Cf. also T. and C. ii. 3. 184:

"'twixt his mental and his active parts Kingdom'd Achilles in commotion rages, And batters down himself."

Schmidt explains single here as individual. For single weak, unsupported, cf. Temp. i. 2. 432: "A single thing, as I am now."

That function, etc. "All powers of action are oppressed and crushed by one overwhelming image in the mind, and nothing is present to me but that which is really future. Of things now about me I have no perception, being intent wholly on that which has yet no existence" (Johnson).

ed.

For surmise the C. P. ed. cites T. A. ii. 3. 219:

"Aaron is gone; and my compassionate heart
Will not permit mine eyes once to behold
The thing whereat it trembles by surmise."

144. Stir. Motion, action.

Come. Cf. R. of L. 1784: heart's aid." Gr. 295.

145. Our strange garments.

Cf. Rich. II. ii. 3. 51, and see note in our

"Weak words, so thick come in his poor

That is, new ones.

147. Time and the hour, etc. "That is, tempus et hora, time and occasion, will carry the thing through, and bring it to some determined point and end, let its nature be what it will" (Mrs. Montagu). "The hour signifies the appropriate hour" (Elwin). On runs, see Gr. 336. 149. Favour. "Indulgence, pardon" (Steevens). Cf. Hen. VIII. i. I. 168. Coleridge remarks here: "Lost in the prospective of his guilt, he turns round alarmed lest others may suspect what is passing in his own mind, and instantly invents the lie of ambition:

'my dull brain was wrought

With things forgotten;"

and immediately after pours forth the promising courtesies of a usurper in intention:

'Kind gentlemen, your pains

Are register'd where every day I turn
The leaf to read them."""

Wrought agitated. Cf. W. T. v. 3. 58:

"If I had thought the sight of my poor image
Would thus have wrought you.'

The C. P. ed. cites Oth. v. 2. 345.

151. Register'd. "That is, in the tablets of his memory, like the μvýμoves déλtoɩ ppɛvõv (Æschylus, Prom. 789). Cf. Ham. i. 5. 98” (C. P. ed.).

154. The interim. The C. P. editors, following Steevens, think that "the interim, or intervening time, is here personified." Abbott considers it a case of the omission of a preposition (Gr. 202)=in the interim. Cf. iv. 3. 48: [in] "more sundry ways."

SCENE IV.-I. Are. The reading of 2d folio; the 1st has "Or." 3. On are come, see Gr. 295; on spoke, Gr. 343.

8. The leaving. See Gr. 93.

9. Had been studied. "Had made it his study" (Schmidt). Cf. M. of V. ii. 2. 205:

"Like one well studied in a sad ostent

To please his grandam."