grace, whereas in their present disposition they make fuch a wretched figure, that we can scarce forget it, when Malcolm appears to affert his right at the head of an army. The continuation of omens between Roffe and the old man seems to have little meaning unless to keep reflection in an unremitted state of terror; and unusual events are carried to a very strange pitch indeed, when Rosse asserts that he was eye-witness of Duncan's horses eating one another. Macduff's account that Macbeth is already named and gone to Scone to be invested with royalty, is a great trespass on time, their being but twenty lines, or thereabouts, from the stealing away of the princes, as it is properly phrased, and his account of every thing being thus settled in confequence of their supposed criminal escape. Introducing the witches at the end of the second act is a very seasonable relief to a feeling mind, from the painful weight of horror which some preceding scenes must have laid upon it; and, in suitable music, they continue the story predictively as a kind of chorus; their rejoicing in the mischief already done, and that which yet lies in the womb of time, shews a disposition worthy such agents as the fubordinate fiends of darkness. Banquo's reflections, with which the third act begins, are well adapted to the circumstances; and and his doubts of Macbeth's elevation by honourable means, natural; as is also his adverting to the prophecy in favour of his own pofterity; the new king's fresh professions of friendship to, and hospitable 2 1 table invitation of his former colleague and friend, fix, if possible, a deeper stamp of baseness on his character; but at the same time exhibit strength of policy; and the succeding foliloquy points out, nervously, motives for a fresh instance of barbarity; the firm untainted dignity of Banquo's nature, joined to the prediction of his childrens fucceffion to the throne, are strong motives of jealousy to rouse the blood-stained ufurper's unrelenting disposition, which takes the sure, though meanest method of removing his fears, by assassination. In respect of Macbeth's scene with the murderers, I apprehend he ufes too much circumlocution, especially as we perceive, by what he says at their entrance, that those ruffians have been made acquainted with a main part of the affair, Banquo's oppression of them; being possessed of this, does it not seem more natural, that the tyrant would after this line, "We are men, my " liege," immediately come to, "Both of you "know, Banquo is your enemy;" than run into the unessential, digreffive, though just comparifon of men and dogs? I know it may be urged, that murtherous intentions are communicated with flow and jealous caution; this is undoubtedly the cafe in particular characters and circumstances. It is masterly to make king John wind about the difpofition of Hubert gradually, he being a person of some confideration and doubtful principles; but for Macbeth to expatiate so much at large, with such fellows as he seems to pick out, appears a waste of words; words; had there been any passage to indulge the author's fancy, or to favour the performer's action and utterance, then a little superfluity would stand particularly excuseable with an audience; and find fome indulgence even from a critical reader; as the scene stands, I have ever observed it to pall in representation. What succeeds between Macbeth and his lady is well adapted to their unavoidable perturbation; but would have fallen in better as a continuation, than making two distinct scenes; Macbeth's exit, after the murtherers have left him is superfluous; every thing he advances, in this short conference, shews a striking, poetical, yet natural picture of mental gloom and heart-felt agony; his invocation of night, and defcription of its folemn approach, are pleasing effusions of genius. The scene of the murtherers, Banquo's fall, and Fleance's escape, is partly trifling, partly shock ing, and seidom fails of proving laughable; I wish something better had been substituted, and the circumstance referred to a relation of it by the murtherer, I could also wish, that decorum had not fuffered by such a ragamuffin's entrance into a room of state, amidst the whole court; I apprehend no neceffity for this, and am therefore induced to blame it. Confidering the place, hurry of spirits, &c. I am bold to cenfure all the following speech, except the first hemistich, and the last, marked in Italics; they are much certainly as any man, so situated, would would have faid, therefore what comes between is furperflous. Then comes my fit again (I had else been perfect, Had the affair been communicated in a proper place, the disappointed ufurper might have thrown out much more extended, spirited remarks on the ill-boding failure of his foremost with; reproaches on the murtherer for executing his charge imperfectly; execrations against fortune, for throwing any painful rubs in his way; with other matters which might have been fuggested, would have ad. ded much, at least to the acting merit of his cha racter. Banquo's ghost, which, without being too ludicrous, we may call the raw-head-and-bloody-bones of tragedy, is nevertheless well introduced to throw Macbeth into those violent agitations which nature muft feel, and fuch as furnish extensive powers an almost unlimited scope to shew themselves; the words of both Macbeth and his lady are beautifully applicable through the whole scene, which concludes, fo far as the ghost is concerned, with as forceable a climax of impaffioned terror as ever any author penned; the reflections which follow, in the conclusive part of the fcene, are such as naturally arife from the fubject, and are nervously expressed; Macbeth's determination to confult the witches, plainly indicates the agitation and weaknefs ness of a guilty heart and a fuperftitious head; I should be glad to know how he is so well acquainted with their places of rendezvous, as to know exactly the spot of consultation. The witches receive, in the following scene, a sharp rebuke from their superior, Hecate, for dealing in any mischief which did not originally spring from her; she delivers herself in a fanciful stile, and opens with propriety their business at the pit of Acheron. That remarkable incantation, which begins the fourth act; the mysterious ceremony practisfed; the emblematic ingredients collected for enchantment, and the arrangement of them, shew a more peculiar luxuriance of fancy than any other author ever compacted into such narrow bounds; the mufic also, as in two former scenes, has a very just and pleasing effect. Macbeth's mode of addressing the witches seems too much of the compulsive; influenced by, and giving credit to fuch beings, we may naturally enough suppose his approach would have been in a milder strain; however, he brings to view a number of striking images respecting their power. A number of strange, indeed very strange apparitions, or fucking ghosts, present themselves, and deliver flattering, dubitable predictions, well calculated to mislead credulity; and Macbeth's eagerly catching at the most favourable interpretation, shews coward confcience, like a drowning man, catching at every broken reed for fupport; the long train of shades, representing the fucceffion of royalty, |