Mach. Sweet remembrancer! Now good digeftion wait on appetite, And health on both! Len. May't please your highness fit? Macb. Here had we now our country's Honour Were the grac'd perfon of our Banquo prefent, Rofe. His abfence, Sir, Lays blame upon his promife. Pleas't your Highness To grace us with your royal company? Mach. The table's full. Len. Here is a place referv'd, Sir. Len. Here, my good lord: What is't that moves your Highness? Mach. Which of you have done this? Lords. What, my good Lord?. [Starting. Mach: Thou canst not fay, I did it. Never fhake Thy goary locks at me. Roffe. Gentlemen, rife; his Highness is not well. Lady. Sit worthy friends. My Lord is often thus, And hath been from his youth. Pray you, keep feat. The fit is momentary, on a thought i He will again be well. If much you note him, [To Macbeth afide. Mach. Ay, and a bold one, that dare look on That, Which might appal the Devil. Lady. proper ftuff! This is the very painting of your fear; This is the air-drawn-dagger, which you said, extend his paffion.] Prolong his fuffering; make his fit longer. O proper Auff!] This fpeech [Afide. is rather too long for the circumftances in which it is spoken. It had begun better at, Shame itself ! Led 2 Led you to Duncan. Oh, these flaws and starts, Authoriz'd by her grandam. Shame itself! Mach. Pr'ythee, see there! Behold! look; lo! how fay you? [Pointing to the Ghaft. Why, what care I? if thou can't nod, fpeak too.Hf Charnel-houses and our Graves muft fend Thofe, that we bury, back; our Monuments [The Ghoft vanishes. Lady? What? quite unmann'd in folly? Lady. Fie, for fhame! Macb. Blood hath been fhed ere now, i' th' olden time, 3 Ere human Statute purg'd the gentle weal 2 -Oh, these flaws and starts, Impostors to true fear, would would well become Thofe flaws and farts, Thefe fymptoms of terror and amazement might better become impoftures true only to fear, might become a corward at the recital of Juch falfeboods as no man could credit, whofe understanding was not whalen'd by his terrors; tales Ay, told by a woman over a fire on the authority of her grandam. Oh, thefe flaws and farts, Impostors to trut› ftor,] i, e. thefe flaws and farts, as they are indications of your needlefs fears, are the imitators or impoftors only of thofe which arife from a WARB. fear well grounded. 3 Ere human Statute purg'd the GENTLE weal;] Thus all the editions I have reform'd the text, GEN'RAL weal: And it is a very fine Periphrafis to fignify, ere civil Societies were inftituted. For the early murders recorded in Scripture, are here alluded to: and Macbeth's apologizing for murder from the antiquity of the ex Ay, and fince too, Murthers hath been perform'd That, when the brains were out, the man would die, With twenty mortal Murthers on their crowns, Lady. My worthy Lord, Your noble friends do lack you. Do not mufe at me, my moft worthy friends, To those that know me. Come, Love and Health Then I'll fit down: give me fome wine, fill full- Lords. Our Duties, and the Pledge. [The Gheft rifes again. Mach. Avaunt, and quit my fight! Let the earth hide thee! Thy bones are marrowlefs, thy blood is cold Which thou doft glare with. Lady. Think of this, good Peers. Mach. What man, dare I dare. Approach thou like the rugged Ruffian bear, With most admir'd diorder. And overcome us, like a Summer's cloud, 5 If trembling Finhabit.] This is the original reading, which Mr. Pope changed to inhibit, which inhibit Dr. Warburton interprets refufe. The old reading may ftand, at least as well as the emendation. Suppofe we read, If trembling I evade it. Macb. CAN juch things be, And overcome us, like a fummer's cloud, Without our special wonder?] Why not? if they be only like a fummer's cloud? The fpeech is given wrong; it is part of the Lady's foregoing fpeech; and, befides that, is a little corrupt. We fhould read it thus, -CAN'T fuch things be, And overcome us like a fummer's cloud, Without our fpecial wonder? i. e. cannot thefe vifions, without fo much wonder and amaze ment, be prefented to the dif You make me ftrange turbed imagination in the manner that air vifions, in fummerclouds, are prefented to a wanton one which fometimes fhew a lion, a caftle, or a promontory ? The thought is fine, and in character. Overcome is used for deWARBURTON, ceive. The alteration is introduced by a mifinterpretation. The meaning is not that these things are like a fummer-cloud, but can fuch wonders as thefe pafs over us without wonder, as a cafual fummer-cloud paffes over us. 7 You make me ftrange Ev'n to the difpofition that I owe,] Which in plain Englifh is only, You make me just mad. WARBURTON. You produce in me an alienation of mind, which is probably the expreffion which our authour intended to paraphrafe. Ev'n Ev'n to the difpofition that I owe, When now I think, you can behold fuch fights; Roffe. What fights, my Lord? Lady. I pray you fpeak not; he grows worse and. worfe; Question enrages him. At once good night. But go at once. Len. Good night, and better health Attend his Majefty! 3 Lady Good night to all. [Exeunt Lords. Mach. It will have blood.-They fay, blood will have blood. Stones have been known to move, and trees to fpeak ; Augurs, that understand relations, have By mag-pies, and by coughs, and rooks brought forth The fecret'ft man of blood.-What is the night? Lady. Almoft at odds with morning, which is which. Mach. How fay't thou, that Macduff denies his perfon, At our great bidding? Augurs, that understand relations,-] By the word relation is understood the connection of effects with caufes; to understand relations as an Augur, is to know how thofe things relate to each other, which have no vifible combination or dependance. Augurs, that underland relations, By relations is meant the relation one thing is fuppofed to bear to another. The ancient foothfayers of all denominations practifed their art upon the principle of Analogy. Which analogies were founded in a fuperftitious philofophy arif ing out of the nature of ancient idolatry; which would require a volume to explain. If Shake pear meant what I fuppofe he did by relations, this fhews a very profound knowledge of antiquíty. But, after all, in his licentious way, by relations, he might only mean languages, i. e. the languages of birds. Ff 4 WARBURTON. |