In drops of forrow. Sons, kinfmen, Thanes;
And you whofe Places are the nearest, know,
We will establish our eftate upon

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

But figns of Noblenefs, like ftars, fhall fhine
Hence to Inverness,

On all defervers.

And bind us further to you.

Macb. The Reft is Labour, which is not us'd for

you;

I'll be my felf the harbinger, and make joyful

The Hearing of my wife with your approach;
So humbly take my leave.

King. My worthy Cawdor!

Mach. The Prince of Cumberland!

a step,

that is

On which I must fall down, or elfe o'er-leap, [Afide For in my way it lyes. Stars,

hide your fires!

Let not light fee my black and deep defires;
The Eye wink at the hand yet let that be,
Which the eye fears, when it is done, to fee.

[Exit.

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

Let us after him,

Whofe care is gone before to bid us welcome:

It is a banquet to me.

It is a peerless Kinsman.

[Flourish. Exeunt.

SCENE changes to an Apartment in Macbeth's Caftle, at Inverness.

Enter Lady Macbeth alone, with a letter,

Lady. THEY

HEY met me in the day of fuccefs; and I have learn'd by the perfecteft report, they have more in them than mortal knowledge. When I burnt in defire to queftion them further, they made themselves air, into which they vanish'd. While I flood rapt in the wonder of it, came Miives from the King, who all hail'd me Thane of Cawdor; by which title, before, these weird fifters faluted

me

me, and r ferr'd me to the coming on of time, with hail, King that fhalt be! This have I thought good to deliver thee (my dearest Partner of Greatness) that thou might'ft not lofe the dues of rejoicing, by being ignorant of what Greatness is promis'd thee. Lay it to thy heart, and farewel

and fhalt be

Glamis thou art, and Cawdor
What thou art promis'd. Yet do I fear thy nature;
It is too full o'th' milk of human kindness,

To catch the nearest way.

Thou wouldst be great;

Art not without ambition; but without

The illness should attend it. What thou wouldst highly,
That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false,
And yet wouldst wrongly win. Thou'dft have, great
Glamis,

That which cries, "thus thou must do, if thou have it;
"And that which rather thou dost fear to do,
"Than wishest should be undone." Hie thee hither,
That I may pour my fpirits in thine ear,

And chastife with the valour of my tongue
All that impedes thee from the golden Round,
Which fate, and metaphyfical aid, doth feem
To have thee crown'd withal.

Enter Messenger

What is your tidings?

Mef. The King comes here to night.

Lady. Thou'rt mad to fay it.

Is not thy mafter with him? who, wer't fo,

Would have inform'd for preparation.

Mef. So please you, it is true: our Thane is coming.

One of my fellows had the fpeed of him;

Who, almost dead for breath, had scarcely more

Than would make up his message.

Lady. Give him tending;

The raven himself is hoarfe,

He brings great news.

That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan

[Exit Mef.

Under

Under my battlements. Come, all you Spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, unfex me here;
And fill me, from the crown to th' toe, top-full
Of direft cruelty; make thick
my blood,
Stop up th'accefs and paffage to Remorfe,
That no compunctious vifitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
Th effect, and it. Come to my woman's breafts,
And take my milk for gall, you murth'ring minifters!
Where-ever in your fightless fubftances

You wait on nature's mischief.

Come, thick night! And pall thee in the dunneft fmoak of hell,

That my keen knife fee not the wound it makes;
Nor heav'n peep through the blanket of the dark,
To cry, hold, hold!

Enter Macbeth.

Great Glamis! worthy Cardor!

[Embracing him.

Greater than both, by the all-hail hereafter!

Thy letters have tranfported me beyond

This ign'rant prefent time, and I feel now
The future in the inftant.

Mach. Dearest love,

Duncan comes here to night.

Lady. And when goes hence?

Mach. To morrow, as he purposes.

Lady. Oh, never

Shall Sun that morrow fee!

Your face, my Thane, is as a book, where men (8)

(8) Your Face, my Thane, is as a Book, where 'Men

May read Arange Matters to beguile the Time.

Look like the Time,] I have ventur'd against the Authority of all the Copies, to alter the Pointing of this Paffage : and, I hope, with fome Certainty. The Lady undoubtedly means, that Macbeth looks fo full of thought and folemn Reflection upon the purpos'd act, that, the fears, People may comment upon the Reason of his Gloom: and therefore defires him, in order to take off and prevent such Comments, to wear a Face of Pleafure and Entertainment; and look like the Time, the better to deceive the Time.

May

May read ftrange matters. To beguile the time,
Look like the time; bear welcome in your eye,
Your hand, your tongue; look like the innocent flower,
But be the ferpent under't. He, that's coming,
Muft be provided for; and you fhall put
This night's great bufinefs into my dispatch,
Which fhall to all our nights and days to come
Give folely fovereign fway and mafterdom.
Mach. We will speak further.

Lady. Only look up clear:

To alter favour, ever, is to fear.
Leave all the reft to me.

[Exeunt.

SCENE, before Macheth's Caffle-Gate.

Hautboys and Torches. Enter King, Malcolm, Donalbain, Banquo, Lenox, Macduff, Roffe, Angus, and Attendants.

King.HIS Caftle hath a pleafant feat; the air Nimbly and fweetly recommends it felf

Unto our gentle fenfes.

Ban. This gueft of fummer,

The temple-haunting martlet, does approve
By his lov'd Manfionry that heaven's breath
Smells wooingly here. No jutting frieze,
Buttrice, nor coigne of vantage, but this bird
cradle :
Hath made his pendant bed, and procreant
Where they moft breed and haunt, I have obferv'd,
The air is delicate.

Enter Lady.

King. See, fee! our honour'd Hoftefs!

The love that follows us, fometimes is our trouble,
Which still we thank as love. Herein I teach you,
How you fhould bid god-eyld us for your pains,
And thank us for trouble.
your

Lady. All our fervice

(In every point twice done, and then done double,) and fingle bufinefs to contend

Were poor

Agains

Against thofe honours deep and broad, wherewith
Your Majefty loads our House. For thofe of old,
And the late dignities heap'd up to them,

We reft your Hermits.

King. Where's the Thane of Cawdor?

We courft him at the heels, and had a purpose
To be his purveyor: but he rides well,

And his great love, (fharp as his fpur,) hath holp him
To's home before us; fair and noble Hostess,

We are your guest to night.

Lady. Your fervants ever

Have theirs, themfelves, and what is theirs in compt, To make their audit at your Highness' pleasure,

Still to return your own.

King. Give me your hand;

Conduct me to mine Hoft, we love him highly;
And fhall continue our graces towards him.
By your leave, Hoflefs.

[Exeunt.

SCENE changes to an Apartment in Macbeth's

Caftle.

Hautboys, Torches. Enter divers fervants with disher and fervice over the ftage. Then Macbeth.

Macb. T

F

If it were done, when 'tis done, then 'twere well It were done quickly: if th' affaffination Could trammel up the confequence, and catch With its furceafe, fuccefs; that but this blow Might be the Be all and the End-all

·Here, (9)

But here, upon this Bank and Shoal of time,
We'd jump the life to come But, in these cafes,
We still have judgment here, that we but teach

(9) But bere, upon this Bank and School of Time.] Bank and School- What a monftrous Couplement, as Don Armado fays, is here of heterogeneous Ideas! I have ventur❜d to amend, which restores a Confonance of Images,

on this Bank and Shoal of Time.

i. e. this Shallow, this narrow Ford of human Life, oppofed to the great Abyss of Eternity.

Bloody