Old Man.

SCENE VI.

The Outfide of Macbeth's Caftle.

Enter Roffe, with an old Man.

Man.T

Hreefcore and ten I can remember well,
Within the volume of which time,
I've seen

Hours dreadful, and things strange, but this fore night
Hath trifled former knowings.

Roffe. Ah, good father,

Thou feeft, the heav'ns, as troubled with man's act,!
Threaten this bloody ftage. By th' clock, 'tis day;
And yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp.
Is't night's predominance, or the day's fhame,
That darkness does the face of earth intomb,
When living light should kiss it?

Old M. 'Tis unnatural,

Even like the Deed that's done. On Tuesday laft,
A faulcon, towring in her pride of place,
Was by a moufing owl hawk'd at, and kill'd.

Roffe. And Duncan's horfes, a thing most strange and certain!

Beauteous and fwift, the minions of their Race,
Turn'd wild in nature, broke their ftalls, flung out,
Contending 'gainft obedience, as they would
Make war with man.

Old M. 'Tis faid, they eat each other.

Roffe. They did fo; to the amazement of mine eyes,

That look'd upon't. Here comes the good Macduff.

8 in her pride of place,] Finely expreffed, for confidence in its quality. WARBURTON,

9 Theobald reads, -minions of the race, very probably, and very poeti cally.

8

Enter

Enter Macduff.

-How goes the world, Sir, now?

Macd. Why, fee you not?

Roffe. Is't known, who did this more than bloody Deed?

Macd. Thofe, that Macbeth hath flain.

Roffe. Alas, the day!

*What good could they pretend?

Macd. They were fuborn'd;

Malcolm and Donalbain, the King's two Sons,
Are ftoln away and fled; which puts upon them
Sufpicion of the Deed.

Roffe. 'Gainft nature ftill;

Thriftless ambition; that wilt ravin up

Thine own life's means.-Then 'tis most like the fos vereignty

Will fall upon Macbeth?

Macd. He is already nam'd, and gone to Scone

To be invefted.

Roffe. Where is Duncan's body?

Macd. Carried to Colmes-kill,

The facred ftorehouse of his Predeceffors,

And guardian of their bones.

Roffe. Will you to Scone?

Macd. No, Coufin, I'll to Fife.

Roffe. Well, I will thither.

Macd. Well, may you fee things well done there, adieu,

Left our old robes fit easier than our new!

Roffe. Farewel, Father.

Old M. God's benifon go with you, and with those That would make good of bad, and friends of foes. [Exeunt

What good could they pretend?] themfelves, to fet before themfelves To pretend is here to propofe to as a motive of action.

Ee 3

ACT

АСТ III.

TH

SCENE I

An Apartment in the Palace.

Enter BANQUQ,

HOU haft it now. King, Cawdor, Glamis, all,
The weyward women promis'd; and, I fear,
Thou plaid'ft moft foully for't. Yet it was faid,
It should not stand in thy Pofterity;

But that myself fhould be the root and father
Of many Kings. If there come truth from them,
'As upon thee, Macbeth, their speeches fhine,
Why, by the verities on thee made good,
May they not be my Oracles as well,

And fet me up in hope. But, hush, no more.

Trumpets found Enter Macbeth as King, Lady Maebeth, Lenox, Roffe, Lords and Attendants.

Mech. Here's our chief guest.

Lady. If he had been forgotten,

It had been as a gap in our great feast,

And all things unbecoming.

Mach. To night we hold a folemn fupper, Sir,

And I'll request your prefence.,

Ban. Lay your Highness'

Command upon me; to the which, my Duties

Are with a moft indiffoluble tye

For ever knit.

Mach. Ride you this afternoon?

Ban, Ay, my good lord.

Mach. We fhould have elfe defir'd

Your good advice, which still hath been both grave

Shine, for appear with all the Speeches thine, Shine, for luftre of conspicuous truth.

I

As upon thee, Macbeth, their

profper.

WARBURTON.

And

And profperous, in this day's council; but
We'll take to morrow. Is it far you ride?

Ban. As far, my lord, as will fill up the time 'Twixt this and fupper. Go not my horfe the better, I must become a borrower of the night

For a dark hour or twain.

Macb. Fail not our feast.

Ban. My lord, I will not.

Mach. We hear, our bloody Coufins are bestowed In England, and in Ireland; not confeffing Their cruel Parricide, filling their hearers With strange invention; but of That to morrow, When therewithal we fhall have caufe of State, Craving us jointly. Hie to horfe. Adieu, Till you return at night. Goes Fleance with you? Ban. Ay, my good lord. Our time does call upon us, Mach. I with your horfes fwift, and fure of foot; And fo I do commend you to their backs. Farewel.

Let every man be mafter of his time.

'Till feven at night; to make fociety

[Exit Banquo.

The fweeter welcome, we will keep ourself

"Till fupper-time alone; till then, God be with you.

[Exeunt Lady Macbeth, and Lords,

Ser. They are, my lord,

without the Palace gate,

Mach. Bring them before us-To be thus, is

nothing;

[Exit Servant,

But to be fafely thus.

-Our fears in Banquo

Stick deep; and in his Royalty of Nature
Reigns That, which would be fear'd. 'Tis much he

dares,

And

And to that dauntless temper of his mind,
He hath a wifdom that doth guide his valour
To act in fafety. There is none but he,
Whofe Being I do fear: and, under him,
My Genius is rebuk'd; as, it is faid,
Anthony's was by Cæfar. He chid the Sisters,
When firft they put the name of King upon me,
And bade them fpeak to him; then, Prophet-like,
They hail'd him father to a line of Kings.
Upon my head they plac'd a fruitless Crown,
And put a barren fcepter in my gripe
Thence to be wrench'd with an unlineal hand,
No fon of mine fucceeding. If 'tis fo,

3 For Banquo's iffue have I fil'd my mind;
For them, the gracious Duncan have I murther'd;
Put rancours in the veffel of my Peace
Only for them; and mine eternal jewel
Giv'n to the common enemy of man,

2

-as, it is faid, Anthony's was by Cæfar.-] Though I would not often affume the critick's privilege of being confident where certainty cannot be obtained, nor indulge myfelf too far in departing from the established reading; yet I cannot but propofe the rejection of this paffage, which I believe was an infertion of fome player, that having fo much learning as to difcover to what Shakespeare alluded, was not willing that his audience fhould be lefs knowing than himself, and has therefore weakened the authour's fenfe by the intrufion of a remote and ufelefs image into a fpeech burfting from a man wholly poffefs'd with his own prefent condition, and therefore not at leifure to explain his own allufions to him

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