Don. What should be spoken here, Where our fate, hid within an augre-hole, May rush, and seize us? Let 's away; our tears And when we have our naked frailties hid, here, Where our fate, bid within an augre-bole,] The oldest copy reads only " in an augre-hole." I have adopted the correction of the second folio-within. Mr. Malone reads "Here, where our fate, hid in an augre-hole." Steevens. In the old copy the word here is printed in the preceding line. The lines are disposed so irregularly in the original edition of this play, that the modern editors have been obliged to take many liberties similar to mine in the regulation of the metre. In this very speech the words our tears do not make part of the following line, but are printed in that subsequent to it. Perhaps, however, the regulation now offered is unnecessary; for the word where may have been used by our author as a dissyllable. The editor of the second folio, to complete the measure, reads-within an augre-hole. A word having been accidentally omitted in King Henry V: " --- Let us die in [fight]," Mr. Theobald, with equal impropriety, reads there-"Let us die instant" but I believe neither transcriber or compositor ever believe, even they will not deny their having occasionally furomitted balf a word. Malone More skilful and accurate compositors than those employed in our present republication, cannot easily be found; and yet, I nished examples of the omission of balf a word. within an augre-hole,] So, in Coriolanus: confin'd "Into an augre's bore." Steevens. on] The old copy-upon. Steevens. 1 And when we have our naked frailties bid, That suffer in exposure,] i e. when we have clothed our halfdrest bodies, which may take cold from being exposed to the air. It is possible that, in such a cloud of words, the meaning might escape the reader. Steevens. The Porter, in his short speech, had observed, that "this place [i. e. the court in which Banquo and the rest now are,] is too cold for hell" Mr Steevens's explanation is likewise sup ported by the following passage in Timon of Athens & And question this most bloody piece of work, Of treasonous malice.2 Macb. And so do I So all. Macb. Let's briefly put on manly readiness. And meet i' the hall together. All. Well contented. [Exeunt all but MAL. and Don. Mal. What will you do? Let's not consort with them: To show an unfelt sorrow, is an office Which the false man does easy: I'll to England. Shall keep us both the safer: where we are, Call the creatures, "Whose naked natures live in all the spight 2 In the great band of God I stand; and, thence, Of treasonous malice.] Pretence is intention, design, a sense in which the word is often used by Shakspeare. So, in The Winter's Tale: " conspiring with Camillo to take away the life of our sovereign lord the king, thy royal husband, the pretence whereof being by circumstance partly laid open.' Again, in this tragedy of Macbeth: "What good could they pretend ?” 99 i. e. intend to themselves. Banquo's meaning is,-in our present state of doubt and uncertainty about this murder, I have nothing to do but to put myself under the direction of God; and, relying on his support, I here declare myself an eternal enemy to this treason, and to all its further designs that have not yet come to light Steevens. Hand, as Mr. Upton has observed, is here used for power, or providence. So, in Psalm xxii: "Deliver my soul from the sword, my darling from the power [Heb. from the band] of the dog." In King Henry V, we have again the same expression: 66 Let us deliver "Our puissance into the band of God." Malone. the near in blood, The nearer bloody.] Meaning, that he suspected Macbeth Mal. This murderous shaft that 's shot, Hath not yet lighted; Is, to avoid the aim. And let us not be dainty of leave-taking, But shift away: There's warrant in that theft SCENE IV. Without the Castle. Enter Rosse, and an old Man. [Exeunt, Old M. Threescore and ten I can remember well: Within the volume of which time, I have seen Hours dreadful, and things strange; but this sore night Hath trifled former knowings. Rosse. Ah, good father, Thou see'st, the heavens, as troubled with man's act, Threaten his bloody stage: by the clock, 'tis day, And yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp: Is it night's predominance, or the day's shame, That darkness does the face of earth intomb, When living light should kiss it?" to be the murderer; for he was the nearest in blood to the two princes, being the cousin-german of Duncan. 4 This murderous shaft that 's shot, Steevens. Hath not yet lighted;] The design to fix the murder upon some innocent person has not yet taken effect. Jobson. The shaft is not yet lighted, and though it has done mischief in its flight, we have reason to apprehend still more before it has spent its force and falls to the ground. The end for which the murder was committed is not yet attained. The death of the king only, could neither insure the crown to Macbeth, nor accomplish any other purpose, while his sons were yet living, who had, therefore, just reason to apprehend they should be removed by the same means. Such another thought occurs in Bussy D'Ambois, 1607: 5 "The chain-shot of thy lust is yet aloft, "And it must murder," &c. Steevens. darkness does the face of earth intomb, When living light should kiss it?] After the murder of king Duffe, (says Holinshed) "for the space of six moneths togither Old M. 'Tis unnatural, Even like the deed that 's done. On Tuesday last, A falcon, tow'ring in her pride of place," Was by a mousing owl' hawk'd at, and kill'd. Rosse. And Duncan's horses, (a thing most strange and certain) Beauteous and swift, the minions of their race, Turn'd wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out, Contending 'gainst obedience, as they would make War with mankind. Old M. 'Tis said, they eat each other. Rosse. They did so; to the amazement of mine eyes, there appeared no sunne by day, nor moone by night, in anie part of the realme, but still was the sky covered with continual clouds; and sometimes such outrageous winds arose with lightenings and tempests, that the people were in great fear of present destruction."-It is evident that Shakspeare had this passage in his thoughts. Malone. See note at the end of the play, with a reference to p. 74. 6 Steevens. in her pride of place,] Finely expressed, for confidence in its quality. Warburton. In a place of which she seemed proud;—in an elevated situation. Malone. 7 by a mousing owl-] i. e. by an owl that was hunting for mice, as her proper prey. Whalley. This is also found among the prodigies consequent on king Duffe's murder: "There was a sparhawk strangled by an owl." Steevens. minions of the race, very probably, and very poetically. Johnson. Their is probably the true reading, the same expression being found in Romeus and Juliet, 1562, a poem which Shakspeare had certainly read: "There were two ancient stocks, which Fortune high did place "Above the rest, endew'd with wealth, the nobler of their race. "" Malone. I prefer "minions of the race," i. e. the favourite horses on the race-ground. Thus, in Henry IV, P. I, we have "minions of the moon." The horses of Duncan have just been celebrated for being swift. Most of the prodigies just before mentioned are related by Holinshed, as accompanying king Duffe's death; and it is in particular asserted, that horses of singular beauty aud swiftness did eat their own flesh. Steevens. That look'd upon 't. Here comes the good Macduff:- How goes the world, sir, now? Macd. - Why, see you not? Rosse. Is 't known, who did this more than bloody Malcolm, and Donalbain, the king's two sons, Rosse. 'Gainst nature still: Thriftless ambition, that wilt ravin up1 Thine own life's means!-Then 'tis most like, Macd. He is already nam'd; and gone to Scone, Rosse. Where is Duncan's body? Macd. Carried to Colmes-kill:4 • What good could they pretend?] To pretend is here to propose to themselves, to set before themselves as a motive of action. Johnson. To pretend, in this instance, as in many others, is simply to intend, to design. Steevens. So, in Goulart's Histories, 1607: "The carauell arriued safe at her pretended port." p. 575. Again, p. 586: "As for the Sclauonian captaine, he cast himselfe into the sea, meaning to swimme vnto the shelfes neere vnto the fort, where hee pretended to saue himselfe." Ritson. 1 that wilt ravin up - The old copy reads-will. Corrected by Sir Thomas Hanmer. Malone. 2 Then 'tis most like,] To complete the measure, I suppose, with Sir T. Hanmer, that our author wrote Why, then it is most like, 3 Then 'tis most like, -. Steevens. The sovereignty will fall upon Macbeth.] Macbeth, by his birth, stood next in the succession to the crown, immediately after the sons of Duncan. King Malcolm, Duncan's predecessor, had two daughters, the eldest of whom was the mother of Duncan, the youngest, the mother of Macbeth. Holinsbed. Steevens. |