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the chamber, and finding cakes of blood in the' bed and on the floor about the sides of it, he forthwith slew the chamberlains as guilty of that heinous murder. . . . For the space of six months together, after this heinous murder thus committed, there appeared no sun by day, nor moon by night, in any part of the realm, but still was the sky covered with continual clouds, and sometimes such outrageous winds arose, with lightnings and tempests, that the people were in great fear of present destruc tion."

MACBETH.

ACT I.

SCENE I.-An open Place. Thunder and Lightning.

Enter three Witches.

I Witch.

HEN shall we three meet again
In thunder, lightning, or in rain?
2 Witch. When the hurlyburly's
done,

When the battle's lost and won. 3 Witch. That will be ere the set of sun. I Witch. Where the place?

2 Witch.

Upon the heath:

3 Witch. There to meet with Macbeth.
I Witch. I come, Graymalkin !
All. Paddock calls :-anon.-

Fair is foul, and foul is fair:

Hover through the fog and filthy air.

[Witches vanish.

SCENE II.-A Camp near Forres. Alar um within.

Enter KING DUNCAN, MALCOLM, DONALBAIN, and LENOX, with Attendants, meeting a bleeding Sol dier.

Dun. What bloody man is that? He can report,

As seemeth by his plight, of the revolt
The newest state.

Mal.

This is the sergeant, Who, like a good and hardy soldier, fought 'Gainst my captivity.-Hail, brave friend! Say to the king the knowledge of the broil, As thou didst leave it.

Sold.

Doubtful it stood;

As two spent swimmers, that do cling togeth

er,

[wald And choke their art. The merciless Macdon(Worthy to be a rebel; for, to that, The multiplying villanies of nature Do swarm upon him) from the western isles Of kernes and gallowglasses is supplied; And Fortune, on his damned quarrel smil[weak: Show'd like a rebel's whore: but all's too For brave Macbeth, (well he deserves that

ing,

name,)

Disdaining Fortune, with his brandish'd steel,
Which smoked with bloody execution,
Like valor's minion, carved out his passage,
Till he faced the slave;

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And ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to

him,

[chaps,

Till he unseam'd him from the nave to the And fix'd his head upon our battlements. Dun. O, valiant cousin! worthy gentle-. man!

Sold. As whence the sun 'gins his reflection [break; Shipwrecking storms and direful thunders So from that spring, whence comfort seem'd [mark: Discomfort swells. Mark, king of Scotland, No sooner justice had, with valor arm'd, Compell'd these skipping kernes to trust their heels,

to come,

But the Norweyan lord, surveying vantage, With furbish'd arms, and new supplies of

men,

Began a fresh assault.

Dun.

Dismay'd not this Our captains, Macbeth and Banquo? Sold. Yes; As sparrows, eagles; or the hare, the lion. If I say sooth, I must report they were As cannons overcharged with double cracks ; So they doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe : [wounds, Except they meant to bathe in reeking Or memorise another Golgotha,

I cannot tell :

But I am faint, my gashes cry for help. Dun. So well thy words become thee as thy wounds;

They smack of honor both.-Go, get him

surgeons.

[Exit Soldier, attended.

Enter ROSSE.

Who comes here?

Mal.

The worthy thane of Rosse.

Len. What a haste looks through his eyes! So should he look that seems to speak strange things.

Rosse. God save the king!

Dun. Whence cam'st thou, worthy thane ? Rosse. From Fife, great king,

Where the Norweyan banners flout the sky,
And fan our people cold.

Norway himself, with terrible numbers,
Assisted by that most disloyal traitor

The thane of Cawdor, began a dismal conflict:

Till that Bellona's bridegroom, lapp'd in

proof,

Confronted him with self-comparisons,

Point against point, rebellious arm 'gainst

arm,

Curbing his lavish spirit: and, to conclude, The victory fell on us ;

Dun.

Rosse. That now

Great happiness!

Sweno, the Norways' king, craves com

position

Nor would we deign him burial of his men, Till he disbursèd, at Saint Colmes' inch, Ten thousand dollars to our general use.

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