Like our ftrange garments cleave not to their mould, But with the aid of ufe.

Macb. Come what come may,

Time and the hour runs thro' the roughest day.

Ban. Worthy Macbeth, we ftay upon your leifure. Macb. Give me your favour: my dull brain was wrought With things forgot. Kind gentlemen, your pains Are regiftred where every day I turn

The leaf to read them-Let us tow'rd the King; Think, upon what hath chanc'd; and at more time, [To Banquo. (The Interim having weigh'd it,) let us speak

Our free hearts each to other.

Ban. Very gladly.

Macb. 'Till then enough: come, friends. [Exeunt.

SCENE changes to the Palace.

Flourish. Enter King, Malcolm, Donalbain, Lenox, and Attendants.

King. S execution done on Cawdor yet?

I

Or not those in commiffion yet return'd!
Mal. My liege,

They are not yet come back. But I have spoke
With one that faw him die; who did report,
That very frankly he confefs'd his treafons;
Implor'd your Highness' pardon, and fet forth
A deep repentance; nothing in his life
Became him like the leaving it. He dy'd,
As one, that had been ftudied in his death,
To throw away the dearest thing he ow'd,
As 'twere a careless trifle.

King. There's no art,

To find the mind's conftruction in the face;
He was a gentleman, on whom I built
An abfolute truft.

Enter Macbeth, Banquo, Roffe, and Angus.

O worthieft Coufin!

The fin of my ingratitude e'en now

Was

Was heavy on me. Thou'rt fo far before," (10)
That fwifteft wing of recompence is flow,
To overtake thee. Would thou'dft less deferv'd,
That the proportion both of thanks and payment
Might have been mine! only I've left to fay,
More is thy due, than more than all can pay.
Macb. The fervice and the loyalty I owe,
In doing it, pays itfelf. Your Highness' part
Is to receive our duties; and our duties (11)
Are to your throne, and ftate, children and fervants;
Which do but what they should, by doing every thing
Safe tow'rd your love and honour.

King. Welcome hither:

I have begun to plant thee, and will labour
To make thee full of growing.

Noble Banquo,
Thou haft no less deferv'd, and must be known
No lefs to have done so: let me enfold thee,
And hold thee to my heart.

Ban. There if I grow,

The harvest is your own.

King. My plenteous joys,

Wanton in fulnefs, feek to hide themfelves

(10) Thou art fo far before,

That fifteft wind of recompence is flow

To overtake thee] Thus the editions by Mr. Rowe and Mr. Pope :
whether for any reafon, or purely by chance, I cannot determine.
I have chofe the reading of the more authentick copies, Wing.
We meet with the fame metaphor again in Troilus and Creffida.
But his evafion, wing'd thus fwift with scorn,

Cannot outfly our apprehenfion.

(11)

and our duties

Are to your throne and flate, children and ferwants;
Which do but wb t they should, by doing every thing

fafe towards your love and honcur.] This may be fenfe; but, I own it gives me no very fatisfactory idea: And tho' I have not disturb'd the text, I cannot but embrace in my mind the conjecture of my ingenious friend Mr. Warburton, who would read;

by doing every thing,

Fiefs towards your love and honour.

i. e. We hold our duties to your throne, &c. under an obligation of doing every thing in our power: as we hold our Fiefs, (feuda) thole effates and tenures, which we have on the terms of bomage and ser

wiles.

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 muft,
Not unaccompanied, inveft him only;

But figns of Noblenefs, like ftars, fhall shine
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 myself the harbinger, and make joyful The hearing of my wife with your approach;

So humbly take my leave.

King. My worthy Cawdor!

Macb. The Prince of Cumberland!

that is a step,

On which I muft fall down, or elfe o'er-leap, [Afide.

For in my way it lies. 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 ;

It is a banquet to me.

Let us after him,

Whofe care is gone before to bid us welcome:

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 met me in the day of success; and I have learn'd by the perfecteft report, they have more in them than mortal knowledge. When I burnt in defire to queflion them further, they made themselves air, inta which they vanish'd. While I ftood rapt in the wonder of it, came Miives from the King, who all-bail'd me Thane of Cawdor; by which title, before, thefe aveird fifters Jaluted me, and referr'd me to the coming on of time, with hail, King that halt be! This have I thought good to

deliver

deliver thee (my dearest partner of greatness) that thou might'ft not lose the dues of rejoycing, by being ignorant of what greatness is promis'd thee. Lay it to thy heart, and farewel.

Glamis thou art, and Cawdor--and fhalt be
What thou art promis'd.
It is too full o'th' milk of
To catch the neareft way.
Art not without ambition;
The illness should attend it.

Yet do I fear thy nature;
human kindness,
Thou wouldst be great;
but without

What thou wouldst highly,
That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false,
And yet wouldft wronglywin. Thou'dft have, great Glamis,
That which cries, "thus thou must do, if thou have it;
"And that which rather thou doft fear to do,
"Than wishest should be undone." Hie thee hither,
That I may pour my spirits in thine ear,
And chaftife 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 Meffenger.

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 speed of him;

Who, almost dead for breath, had fcarcely more

Than would make up his meffage.

Lady. Give him tending;

He brings great news. The raven himself is hoarfe,

[Exit Mef.

That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan
Under my battlements. Come, all you fpirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, unfex me here;
And fill me, from the crown to th' toe, top-full
Of direct cruelty; make thick my blood,
Stop up th' access and paffage to remorse,

That

That no compunctious vifitings of nature

Shake my fell purpofe, nor keep peace between
Th' effect, and it. Come to my woman's breafts,
And take my milk for gall, you murd'ring minifters!
Where-ever in your fightless fubftances

You wait on nature's mifchief.-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 Cawdor!

[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.

Macb. Dearest love,

Duncan comes here to-night.

Lady. And when goes hence?

Mach. To-morrow, as he purposes.

Lady. Oh, never ·

Shall fun that morrow fee!

Your face, my Thane, is as a book, where men (12)
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,

(12) Your face, my Thane, is as a book, where men May read ftrange 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 certainly means, that Macbeth looks fo full of thought and folemn reflection upon the purpos'd act, that, the fears, people may comment upon the reafon of his gloom and therefore defires him, in order to take off and prevent fuch Comments, to wear a face of pleasure and entertainment; and look like the time, the better to deceive the time. So Macbeth says, in a fubfequent fcene;

Away and mock the time with faireft Sher.

So Macduff fays to Malcolm

-the time you may fo hoodwink.

i. e. blind the eye of obfervation, and fo deceive people's thoughts.

But