Apparition of a child crowned, with a tree in his band, rifes.

What is this,

That rises like the iffue of a King,

I

And wears upon his baby brow the round
And top of Sovereignty?

All. Liften, but speak not.

App. Be lion-mettled, proud, and take no care,
Who chafes, who frets, or where confpirers are:
Macbeth fhall never vanquish'd be, until

Great Birnam-wood to Dunfinane's high hill
Shall come against him.

Mach. That will never be:

Who can imprefs the foreft, bid the tree

[Defcends.

Unfix his earth-bound root? Sweet boadments! good! 2 Rebellious head rife never, 'till the wood Of Birnam rife, and our high-plac'd Macbeth Shall live the leafe of Nature, pay his breath To time and mortal cuftom.-Yet my heart Throbs to know one thing; tell me, if your Art Can tell fo much, fhall Banquo's iffue ever Reign in this Kingdom?

All. Seek to know no more.

[The Cauldron finks into the Ground. Macb. I will be fatisfy'd. Deny me this, And an eternal curfe fall on you! Let me know,

Why finks that cauldron, and what noife is this.

1 Witch. Shew!

2 Witch. Shew!

3 Witch. Shew!

All. Shew his eyes, and grieve his heart. Come like shadows, fo depart.

[Hautboys.

[Eight Kings appear and pass over in order, and Banquo; the laft, with a glass in his band.

Mach. Thou art too like the spirit of Banquo. Down!
3 Thy crown does fear mine eye-balls. And thy air,
Thou other gold-bound brow, is like the firft-
A third is like the former-Filthy hags!

Why do you fhew me this?-A fourth?-Start, eye!
What, will the line ftretch out to th' crack of doom?-
Another yet?-A feventh! I'll fee no more-
And yet the eighth appears, who bears a glafs,
Which fhews me many more; and some I fee,
5 That twofold balls and treble fcepters carry.
Horrible fight! nay, now, I fee, 'tis true;

3 Thy crown does fear mine eyeballs,-] The expreflon of Macbeth, that the crown fears bis eye-balls, is taken from the method formerly practifed of deftroying the fight of captives or competitors, by holding a burning bafon before the eye, which dried up its humidity. Whence the Italian, abacinare, to blind. 4 In former editions:

and thy hair, Thou other gold-bound brow, is like the firfiA third is like the former-] As Macbeth expected to fee a train of kings, and was only enquiring from what race they would proceed, he could not be fur

prifed that the hair of the fecond was bound with gold like that of the firft; he was offended only that the fecond resembled the first, as the first resembled Banquo, and therefore faid,

and thy air,

Thou other gold-bound brow, is like the firft. This Dr. Warburton has followed.

5 That twofold balls and treble

Jeepers carry.] This was intended as a compliment to King James the first, who first united the two islands and the three kingdoms under one head; whofe houfe too was faid to be defcendWARB. ed from Banquo.

For

For the blood-bolter'd Banquo fmiles upon me,
And points at them for his. What, is this fo?
1 Witch, Ay, Sir, all this is fo. But why
Stands Macbeth thus amazedly?
Come, fifters, chear we up his fprights,
And fhew the beft of our delights;
I'll charm the Air to give a Sound,
While you perform your antick round,
That this great King may kindly fay,
Our duties did his welcome pay.

{Mufick.

[The witches dance and vanish.

Mach. Where are they? gone?-Let this perni

cious hour

Stand ay accurfed in the kalendar,

Come in, without there!

Enter Lenox.

Len. What's your Grace's will?

Mach. Saw you the wey ward fifters ?

Len. No, my Lord.

Mach. Came they not by you?

Len. No, indeed, my Lord.

Mach. Infected be the air whereon they ride,

And damn'd all those that truft them! I did hear.

The galloping of horfe. Who was't came by? Len. 'Tis two or three, my Lord, that bring you word,

Macduff is fled to England.

Macb. Fled to England?
Len. Ay, my good Lord.

6-the blood-bolter'd Banquo] Gildon has ridiculously interpret ed blood-bolter'd, in a thing he calls a Gloffary, to fignify mear'd with dry blood; he might as well have faid with extreme unction. Blood-bolter'd means one whofe

blood hath iffued out at many wounds, as flour of corn paffes thro' the holes of a fieve. Shake Spear ufed it to infinuate the bar. barity of Banquo's murderers, who covered him with wounds.

WARBURTON.

Mach.

Mach. [Afide.] Time, thou anticipat'st my dread exploits.

The flighty purpose never is o'er-took,

Unless the deed go with it. From this moment,
The very firstlings of my heart fhall be

The firstlings of my hand. And even now

To crown my thoughts with acts, be't thought and done,

The Caftle of Macduff I will furprise,

Seize upon Fife, give to the edge o'th' fword
His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate fouls
That trace him in his line. No boafting like a fool,
This deed I'll do before this purpose cool.

But no more fights.-Where are thefe gentlemen?
Come bring me where they are.
[Exeunt.

SCENE III.

Changes to Macduff's Caftle at Fife,
Enter Lady Macduff, her Son, and Roffe.

L. Macd.

HAT had he done, to make him fly the Land?

WHA

Roffe. You must have patience, Madam.

L. Macd. He had none;

His flight was madness; when our actions do not,

Our fears do make us traitors.

Roffe. You know not,

Whether it was his wifdom, or his fear.

L. Macd. Wifdom? to leave his wife, to leave his babes,

His manfion, and his titles, in a place

From whence himself does fly. He loves us not,
He wants the nat'ral touch; for the poor wren,

8

7 Time, thou anticipat'ft my dread exploits.] To anticipate is here to prevent, by taking away the opportunity.

Gg

8 — natʼral touch; ] Na tural fenfibility. He is not touched with natural affection.

3

The

The moft diminutive of birds, will fight,
Her young ones in her neft, against the owl.
All is the fear, and nothing is the love;
As little is the wisdom, where the flight
So runs against all reafon.

Roffe. My dearest Coufin,

I pray you, fchool yourself; but for your husband,
He's noble, wife, judicious, and best knows

The fits o' th' featon. I dare not speak much further,
But cruel are the times, when we are traitors,
And do not know ourselves: when we hold rumour
From what we fear, yet know not what we fear;
But float upon a wild and violent fea

Each way, and move-I take my leave of you;
Shall not be long but I'll be here again:

Things at the worft will ceafe, or elfe climb upward
To what they were before. My pretty Coufin,
Bleffing upon you!

L. Macd. Father'd he is, and yet he's fatherlefs.
Roffe. I am fo much a fool, fhould I stay longer,
It would be my difgrace, and your discomfort.
I take my leave at once.
[Exit Roffe.

L. Macd. Sirrah, your father's dead,
And what will you do now? how will you live?
Son. As birds do, Mother.

L. Macd. What, on worms and flies?

Son. On what I get, I mean; and fo do they. L. Macd. Poor bird? Thou'dft never fear the net, nor lime,

The pit-fall, nor the gin.

9- when we are traitors, And do not know ourselves :-] i. e. We think ourselves innocent, the government thinks us traitors; therefore we are ignorant of ourfelves. This is the ironical argument. The Oxford Editor alters it to,

And do not know't ourselves :