130

2 Witch. All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of

Cawdor!

3 Witch. All hail, Macbeth! that shalt be king here

after!

Ban. Good sir, why do you start; and seem to fear Things that do sound so fair?

Are ye fantastical, or that in

I' the name of truth,

deed

Which outwardly ye show? My noble partner You greet with present grace, and great prediction 135 Of noble having, and of royal hope,

That he seems rapt withal; to me you speak not:
If you can look into the seeds of time,

And say which grain will grow, and which will not,
Speak then to me, who neither beg, nor fear,

140 Your favours, nor your hate.

1 Witch. Hail!

2 Witch. Hail!

3 Witch. Hail!

1 Witch. Lesser than Macbeth, and greater.
2 Witch. Not so happy, yet much happier.

3 Witch. Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none : 145 So all hail, Macbeth and Banquo!

1 Witch. Banquo and Macbeth, all hail!

Macb. Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more: By Sinel's death, I know I am thane of Glamis; But how of Cawdor? the thane of Cawdor lives, 150 A prosperous gentleman; and, to be king, Stands not within the prospect of belief,

No more than to be Cawdor. Say, from whence You owe this strange intelligence? or why Or why upon this blasted heath you stop our way 155 With such prophetic greeting?-Speak, I charge you. [Witches vanish.

160

Ban. The earth hath bubbles, as the water has,
And these are of them: Whither are they vanish'd?
Macb. Into the air: and what seem'd corporal, melted
As breath into the wind.-'Would they had stayed!
Ban. Were such things here as we do speak about?
Or have we eaten on the insane root

165

That takes the reason prisoner?

Macb. Your children shall be kings.

Ban.

You shall be king.
Macb. And thane of Cawdor too; went it not so?
Ban. To the self-same tune, and words.-Who's here?
Enter Rosse and ANGUS.

Rosse. The king hath happily received, Macbeth,
The news of thy success: and when he reads
Thy personal venture in the rebels' fight,
His wonders and his praises do contend,

170 Which should be thine, or his silenced with that,
In viewing o'er the rest o' the self-same day,
He finds thee in the stout Norweyan ranks,
Nothing afeard of what thyself didst make,
Strange images of death. As thick as hail
175 Came post with post; and every one did bear
Thy praises in his kingdom's great defence,
And pour'd them down before him.

Ang.

We are sent,
To give thee, from our royal master, thanks;
Only to herald thee into his sight,

180 Not pay thee.

Rosse. And, for an earnest of a greater honour,
He bade me, from him, call thee thane of Cawdor:
In which addition, hail, most worthy thane !

For it is thine.

Ban.
What, can the devil speak true?
Macb. The thane of Cawdor lives: Why do you

185 In borrow'd robes ?

Ang.

dress me

Who was the thane, lives yet;
But under heavy judgment bears that life

Which he deserves to lose. Whether he was combined
With those of Norway; or did line the rebel

With hidden help and vantage; or that with both

190 He labour'd in his country's wrack, I know not; But treasons capital, confess'd and proved,

Have overthrown him.

Macb.

Glamis, and thane of Cawdor:

The greatest is behind. [Aside.]—Thanks for your pains.—

Do you not hope your children shall be kings, [To BANQUO. 195 When those that gave the thane of Cawdor to me, Promised no less to them?

Ban.

That, trusted home,

Might yet enkindle you unto the crown,

Besides the thane of Cawdor. But 't is strange :
And oftentimes, to win us to our harm,

200 The instruments of darkness tell us truths;
Win us with honest trifles, to betray us

In deepest consequence.-
Cousins, a word, I pray you.

Macb.

[To ROSSE and Angus.

Two truths are told,

[Aside.

[Aside.

As happy prologues to the swelling act

205 Of the imperial theme.-I thank you, gentlemen.—

This supernatural soliciting

Cannot be ill; cannot be good :—If ill,

Why hath it given me earnest of success,

Commencing in a truth? I am thane of Cawdor:

210 If good, why do I yield to that suggestion

Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair,
And make my seated heart knock at my ribs,
Against the use of nature? Present fears
Are less than horrible imaginings:

215 My thought, whose murther yet is but fantastical,
Shakes so my single state of man, that function
Is smother'd in surmise; and nothing is

But what is not.

Ban.

Look, how our partner's rapt.

Macb. [Aside.]-If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me,

220 Without my stir.

Ban.

New honours come upon him,

Like our strange garments, cleave not to their mould,
But with the aid of use.

Macb. [Aside.]

Come what come may,

Time and the hour runs through the roughest day. Ban. Worthy Macbeth, we stay upon your leisure. 225 Macb. Give me your favour:-My dull brain was

wrought

With things forgotten. Kind gentlemen, your pains

Are register'd where every day I turn

The leaf to read them.-Let us toward the king.-
Think upon what hath chanced; and, at more time,

230 The interim having weigh'd it, let us speak

Our free hearts each to other.

Ban.

Very gladly.

Macb. Till then, enough.-Come, friends.

SCENE IV.-Forres.

[TO BANQUO.

A Room in the Palace.

[Exeunt.

Flourish. Enter DUNCAN, MALCOLM, DONALBAIN,
LENOX, and Attendants.

Dun. Is execution done on Cawdor? Are not
Those in commission yet return'd?

Mal.

My liege,

235 They are not yet come back. But I have spoke
With one that saw him die: who did report,
That very frankly he confess'd his treasons;
Implored your highness' pardon; and set forth
A deep repentance: nothing in his life
240 Became him like the leaving it; he died
As one that had been studied in his death,
To throw away the dearest thing he owed,
As 't were a careless trifle.

To find the mind's construction in the face:

245 He was a gentleman on whom I built

An absolute trust.

Enter MACBETH, BANQUO, ROSSE, and Angus.

O worthiest cousin!

The sin of my ingratitude even now

Was heavy on me: thou art so far before,
That swiftest wing of recompense is slow

250 To overtake thee. 'Would thou hadst less deserved;
That the proportion both of thanks and payment
Might have been mine! only I have left to say,
More is thy due than more than all can pay.

Macb. The service, and the loyalty I owe

255 In doing it, pays itself. Your highness' part

Is to receive our duties: and our duties

Are to your throne and state, children and servants;
Which do but what they should, by doing everything
Safe toward your love and honour.

Dun.
Welcome hither:
260 I have begun to plant thee, and will labour
To make thee full of growing.-Noble Banquo,
That hast no less deserved, nor must be known
No less to have done so; let me infold thee,
And hold thee to my heart.

Ban.

265 The harvest is your own.

Dun.

There if I grow,

My plenteous joys,
Wanton in fulness, seek to hide themselves
In drops of sorrow.-Sons, kinsmen, thanes,
And you whose places are the nearest, know,
We will establish our estate upon

270 Our eldest, Malcolm; whom we name hereafter
The Prince of Cumberland: which honour must
Not, unaccompanied, invest him only,

But signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine
On all deservers. From hence to Inverness,

275 And bind us further to you.

280

Macb. The rest is labour, which is not used for you ; I'll be myself the harbinger, and make joyful

The hearing of my wife with your approach;

So humbly take my leave.

Dun.

My worthy Cawdor!

Macb. [Aside.] The prince of Cumberland !-That is

a step

Or which I must fall down on, else o'erleap,
For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires!
Let not light see my black and deep desires:
The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be,

285 Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.

[Exit.

Dun. True, worthy Banquo; he is full so valiant; And in his commendations I am fed ;

It is a banquet to me. Let's after him,