I'll come to you anon.

2 Mur.

We are resolv'd, my lord. Macb. I'll call upon you straight; abide within. It is concluded:-Banquo, thy soul's flight,

If it find heaven, must find it out to-night. [Exeunt.

SCENE II.-The same. Another Room. Enter La

dy Macbeth and a Servant.

Lady M. Is Banquo gone from court?
Ser. Ay, madam, but returns again to-night.

Lady M. Say to the king, I would attend his leisure For a few words.

But let

The frame of things disjoint, both the worlds suffer,

1 Mur. Stand to't.

Ere we will eat our meal in fear, and sleep

Ban. It will be rain to-night.

In the affliction of these terrible dreams,

1 Mur.

Let it come down.

[Assaults Banquo.

Thou may'st revenge. O slave!

In restless ecstacy. Duncan is in his grave;

Ban. O, treachery! Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly;

[Dies. Fleance and Servant escape.

Macb. Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, Till thou applaud the deed. Come, seeling night, Ska. f up the tender eye of pitiful day; And, with thy bloody and invisible hand, Cancel, and tear to pieces, that great bond W ich keeps me pale!-Light thickens; and the crow Makes wing to the rooky wood:

Good things of day begin to droop and drowse; Whiles night's black agents to their prey do rouse. Thou marvell'st at my words: but hold thee still;

1 Mur.

3 Mur. There's but one down; the son is filed. 2 Mur. We have lost best half of our affair. 1 Mur. Well, let's away, and say how much is done. [Exeunt.

SCENE 17.-A Room of State in the Palace. A Barquet prepared. Enter Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Rosse, Lenox, Lords, and Attendants.

Mach. You know your own degrees, sit down; st

first

And last, the hearty welcome. Lords.

Thanks to your majesty.

Mach. Ourself will mingle with society,
And play the humble host.
Our hostess keeps her state; but, in best time,
We will require her welcome.

Lady M. Pronounce it for me, sir, to all our friends; For my heart speaks, they are welcome.

Enter first Murderer, to the door.

Macb. See, they encounter thee with their hearts

His absence, sir,

But as a thing of eustom: 'tis no other;

Mach. The table's full.

Mach. Thou can'st not say, I did it: never shake Thy gory locks at me.

Rosse. Gentlemen, rise; his highness is not well. Lady M. Sit, worthy friends:-my lord is often thus,

And hath been from his youth: 'pray you, keep seat;
The fit is momentary; upon a thought

He will again be well: If much you note him,
You shall offend him, and extend his passion;
Feed, and regard him not. Are you a man?

Mach. Ay, and a bold one, that dare look on that Which might appal the devil.

Lady M.

O proper stuff!

This is the very painting of your fear:

This is the air-drawn dagger, which, you said,
Led you to Duncan. O, these flaws, and starts,
(Impostors to true fear,) would well become
A woman's story, at a winter's fire,

Authoriz'd by her grandam. Shame itself!
Why do you make such faces? When all's done,
You look but on a stool.

Macb. Pr'ythee, see there! behold! look! lo! how say you?

Why, what care I? If thou canst nod, speak too.
If charnel-houses, and our graves, must send
Those that we bury, back, our monuments
Shall be the maws of kites. [Ghost disappears.
Lady M. What! quite unmann'd in folly?

Mach. Waat mau dare, I dare:

Approach thou like the rugged Russian bear,
The arm'd rhinoceros, or the Hyrcan tiger,
Take any shape but that, and my firm nerves
Shall never tremble: Or, be alive again,
And dare me to the desert with thy sword:
If trembling I inhibit thee, protest me
The baby of a girl. Hence, horrible shadow!
[Ghost disappears.
Unreal mockery, hence!-Why, so;-being gone,
I am a man again. Pray you, sit still.

Lady M. You have displae'd the mirth, broke the good meeting,

With most admir'd disorder.
Macb.

Can such things be,

And overcome us like a summer's cloud,
Without our special wonder? You make me strange

Even to the disposition that I owe,

When now I think you can behold such sights,

And keep the natural ruby of your cheeks,

When mine are blanch'd with fear.

The secret'st man of blood.- What is the night? Lady M. Almost at odds with morning, which is which.

Macb. How say'st thou, that Macduff denies his person,

At our great bidding? Lady M.

Did you send to him, sir?
Mach. I hear it by the way; but I will send:

There's not a one of them, but in his house
I keep a servant feed. I will to-morrow,
(Betimes I will,) unto the weird sisters :

More shall they speak; for now I am bent to know,
By the worst means, the worst: for mine own good,
All causes shall give way; I am in blood
Stept in so far, that, should I wade no more,
Returning were as tedious as go o'er:

Strange things I have in head, that will to hand;
Which must be acted, ere they may be seann'd.

Lady M. You lack the season of all natures, sleep.
Mach. Come, we'll to sleep: My strange and self-

abuse

SCENE V.-The Heath. Thunder. Enter Hecate meeting the three Witches.

1 Witch. Why, how now, Hecate? you look angerly.
Hec. Have I not reason, beldams, as you are,
Saucy, and overbold? How did you dare
To trade and traffic with Macbeth,
In riddles and affairs of death;
And I, the mistress of your charms,
The close contriver of all harins,
Was never call'd to bear my part,
Or show the glory of our art?
And, which is worse, all you have done,
Hath been but for a wayward son,
Spiteful, and wrathful; who, as others do,
Loves for his own ends, not for you.
But make amends now: Get you gone,
And at the pit of Acheron
Meet me i' the morning; thither he
Will come to know his destiny.
Your vessels, and your spells, provide,
Your charms, and every thing beside :
I am for the air; this night I'll spend
Unto a dismal-fatal end.

Great business must be wrought ere ngon:
Upon the corner of the moon
There hangs a vaporous drop profound;
I'll catch it ere it come to ground:
And that, distill'd by magic slights,
Shall raise such artificial sprights,
As, by the strength of their illusion,
Shall draw him on to his confusion:

He shall spurn fate, scorn death, and bear
His hopes 'bove wisdom, grace, and fear:

And you all know, security

Is mortals' chiefest enemy.

Song. [Within.]

Come away, come away, &c.

Things have been strangely borne: The gracious Dân

can

Was pitied of Macbeth:-marry, he was dead:
And the right-valiant Banquo walk'd too late;
Whom, you may say, if it please you, Fleance kill',
For Fleance fled. Men must not walk too late.
Who cannot want the thought, how monstrous
It was for Malcolm, and for Donalbain,
To kill their gracious father? damned fact!
How it did grieve Macbeth! did he not straight,
In pious rage, the two delinquents tear,
That were the slaves of drink, and thralls of sleep?
Was not that nobly done? Ay, and wisely too;
For 'twould have anger'd any heart alive,
To hear the men deny it. So that, I say,
He has borne all things well: and I do think,
That, had he Duncan's sons under his key,
(As, an't please heaven, he shall not,) they should find
What 'twere to kill a father; so should Fleance.
But, peace!-for from broad words, and 'cause he fail'd
His presence at the tyrant's feast, I Hear,
Macduff lives in disgrace: Sir, can you tell
Where he bestows himself?

Lord.

The son of Duncan, From whom this tyrant holds the due of birth, Lives in the English court; and is receiv'd Of the most pious Edward with such grace, That the malevolence of fortune nothing Takes from his high respect: Thither Macduff'is gone To pray the holy king, on his aid To wake Northumberland, and warlike Siward: That, by the help of these, (with Him above To ratify the work.) we may again Give to our tables meat, sleep to our nights; Free from our feasts and banquets bloody knives; Do faithful homage, and receive free honours, All which we pine for now: And this report Hath so exasperate the king, that he Prepares for some attempt of war. Len.

Sent he to Macduff?

Lord. He did: and with an absolute, Sir not 1,

'The cloudy messenger turns me his back,

And hums; as who should say, You'll ruc the time That clogs me with this answer.

Len.

And that well might

Advise him to a caution, to hold what distance
His wisdoın can provide. Some holy angel
Fly to the court of England, and unfold
His message ere he come; that a swift blessing
May soon return to this our suffering country
Under a hand accurs'd!"
Lord.

My prayers with him. (Exeun

THRICE the brinded cat hath mew'd. 2 Witch.. Thrice; and once the hedge-pig whin'd.

3 Witch. Harper cries:-'Tis time, 'tis time.
1 Witch. Round about the cauldron go

In the poison'd entrails throw.
Toad, that under coldest stone,
Days and nights hast thirty-one
Swelter'd venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i' the charmed pot!
All. Double, double toil and trouble;

Fire, burn; and, cauldron, bubble.
2 Witch. Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake:
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing.
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
All. Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire, burn; and, cauldron, bubble.
3 Witch. Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf;
Witches mummy; maw, and gulf,
Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark;
Root of hemlock, digg'd i' the dark;
Liver of blaspheming Jew:
Gall of goat, and slips of yew,
Sliver'd in the moon's eclipse;
Nose of Turk, and Tartar's lips;
Finger of birth-strangled babe,
Ditch-deliver'd by a drab,
Make the gruel thick and slab:
Add thereto a tiger's chaudron,
For the ingredients of our cauldron.
All. Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire, burn; and, cauldron, bubble.

2 Witch. Cool it with a baboon's blood,
Then the charm is firm and good.

Enter Hecate, and the other three Witches. Her. O, well done! I commend your pains; And every one shall share i' the gains. And now about the cauldron sing, Like elves and fairies in a ring, Enchanting all that you put in.

SONG.

Black spirits and white,
Red spirits and grey;
Mingle, mingle, mingle,
You that mingle may.

2 Witch. By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes:

Open, locks, whoever knocks.

Enter Macbeth.

All.

317

Come, high, or low;

1 Witch.

He knows thy thought;

Мась.

[Descends.

That will never be;

hags? What is't you do?

All.

A deed without a name.

Mard. I conjure you, by that which you profess, (Howe'er you come to know it,) answer me: Though you untie the winds, and let them fight Against the churches; though the yesty waves Confound and swallow navigation up;

Though bladed corn be lodg'd, and trees blown down; Though castles topple on their warders' heads ;

Though palaces, and pyramids, do slope

Their heads to their foundations; though the treasure

Of nature's germins tumble all together,

Even till destruction sicken, answer me

To what I ask you.

Speak.

Demand.

We'll answer.

1 Witch.

2 Witch.

3 Witch.

All. Show his eyes, and grieve his heart;

Come like shadows, so depart.

Eight Kings appear, and pass over the stage in order; the last with a glass in his hand; Banquo following.

Maeb. Thou art too like the spirit of Banquo; down!

Thy crown does sear mine eye-balls:-And thy hair,