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Lady Macduft.

Gentlewomen, attending on Lady Macbeth.

Hecate, and three other Witches.

Lords, Gentlemen, Officers, Soldiers and Attendants.

The Ghost of Banquo, and feveral other Apparitions.

SCENE, in the End of the fourth Act, lyes in England; through the reft of the Play, in Scotland; and, chiefly, at Macbeth's Caftle

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MACBETH

W

ACT I

SCENE, an open Place.

Thunder and Lightning. Enter three Witches.

I. WITCH.

HEN fhall we three meet again?
In thunder, lightning, or in rain?
2 Witch. When the hurly-burly's done,
When the Battel's loft and won.

3 Witch. That will be ere Set of Sun.

1 Witch. Where the place?

2 Witch. Upon the heath.

3 Witch. There I go to meet Macbeth.

I Witch. I come,

come, Grimalkin

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SCENE changes to the Palace at Foris.

Enter King, Malcolme, Donalbain, Lenox, with attendants, meeting a bleeding Captain.

King. W

HAT bloody man is that? he can report,
As feemeth by his plight, of the revolt

The newest state.

Mal. This is the Serjeant,

Who like a good and hardy foldier fought
Gainft my captivity. Hail, hail, brave friend!
Say to the King the knowledge of the broil,
As thou didst leave it.

Cap. Doubtful long it ftood:

As two spent fwimmers that do cling together,
And choak their Art: the mercilefs Macdonel
(Worthy to be a Rebel; for to That
The multiplying villanies of nature
Do fwarm upon him) from the western ifles.
Of Kernes and Gallow-glaffes was fupply'd ;
And fortune, on his damned quarry smiling,
Shew'd like a rebel's whore. But all too weak :
For brave Macbeth (well he deferves that name)
Difdaining fortune, with his brandifht steel
Which fmoak'd with bloody execution,

Like Valour's Minion carved out his paffage,
'Till he had fac'd the flave;

Who ne'er fhook hands nor bid farewel to him,
'Till he unfeam'd him from the nave to th' chops,
And fix'd his head upon our battlements.

King. Oh, valiant Coufin! worthy Gentleman!
Cap. As whence the fun 'gins his reflection,
Shipwracking ftorms and direful thunders break; (1)

Se

(1) As whence the Sun 'gins his Reflection, Shipwracking Storms, and direful Thunders break;] Mr. Pope has degraded this Word, 'gins, against the general Authority of the Copies, without any Reafon affign'd for fo doing; and fubftituted, gives, in the Room of it. But it will foon be obvious, how far our Author's

So from that Spring, whence Comfort feem'd to come, (2)
Discomfort fwell'd. Mark, King of Scotland, mark;
No fooner Juftice had, with valour arm'd,
Compell'd thefe fkipping Kernes to truft their heels;
But the Norweyan lord, furveying vantage,
With furbisht arms and new fupplies of men
Began a fresh affault.

King. Difmay'd not this

Our Captains, Macbeth and Banquo?

thor's good Obfervation and Knowledge of Nature goes to establish his own Reading, 'gins. For the fenfe is this; "As from the place, " from whence the Sun begins his Courfe, (viz. the Eaft,) Shipwrecking Storms proceed; &c."- And it is fo in Fact, that Storms generally come from the Eaft. And it must be fo in Reason, because the natural and conftant Motion of the Ocean is from East to Weft: and because the Motion of the Wind has the fame general Direction. Præcipua & generalis [Ventorum] caufa eft ipfe Sol, qui igneo fuo jubare aërem rarefacit & attenuats imprimis illum, in quem perpendiculares Radios mittit, five fuprà quem bæret. Aer enim rarefactus multo majorem locum poftulat. Inde fit, ut Aer a Sole impulfus alium vicinum aërem magno impetu protrudat; cumque Sol ab Oriente in Occidentem circumrotetur, præcipuus ab eo aëris Impulfus fiet verfus Occidentem. Quia plerumque ab aëris per Solem rarefac tione oritur, qui cùm continuè feratur ab Oriente in Occidentem, majori quoque impetu protruditur Aër ab Oriente in Occidentem. Varenii Geograph. .i. c. 14, &c. 20. prop. 10. and 15.- This being fo, it is no Wonder that Storms fhould come moft frequently from that Quarter; or that they should be most violent, because here is a Concurrence of the natural Motions of Wind and Wave. This proves clearly, that the true Reading is 'gins, i. e. begins: for the other Reading does not fix it to that Quarter: for the Sun may give its Reflection in any part of its Course above the Horizon; but it can begin it only in One. Mr. Warburton,

(2) So from that Spring, whence Comfort feem'd to come, Difcomfort fwell'd.] I have not difturb'd the Text here, as the Sense does not abfolutely require it; tho Dr. Thirlby prescribes a very ingenious and eafie Correction:

So from that Spring, whence Camfart feem'd to come,

Difcomforts well'd.

i. e. ftream'd, flow'd forth: a Word that peculiarly agrees with the Metaphor of a Spring. The Original is Anglo-Saxon peallian, fcaturire ; which very well expreffes the Diffufion and Scattering of Water from its Head. CHAUCER has ufed the Word in thefe Acceptations.

For whiché might She no lengir reftrain

Her Teris, thei ganin se up to well.

Troil. & Creff. 1. iv. v. 709. I can no more, but here out caft of all welfare abide the daie of my deth, or els to fe the fight that might all my wellynge Sorowes voide, and of the

flade make an Ebbe.

Bb 3

Teftament of Love.

Cap.

Cap. Yes.

As fparrows, eagles; or the hare, the lion.
If I fay footh, I must report, they were

As cannons overcharg'd; with double cracks, (3)
So they redoubled ftroaks upon the foe:

Except they meant to bathe in reeking wounds,
Or memorize another Golgotha,

I cannot tell

But I am faint, my gafhes cry for help.

King. So well thy words become thee, as thy wounds; They fmack of honour both. Go, get him furgeons, Enter Roffe and Angus.

But who comes here?

Mal. The worthy Thane of Roffe.

Len. What hafte looks through his eyes?

So fhould he look, that feems to fpeak things ftrange,
Roffe. God fave the King!

King. Whence cam'ft thou, worthy Thane?

Roffe. From Fife, great King,

Where the Norweyan Banners flout the sky,

And fan our people cold.

Norway, himfelf with numbers terrible, (4)
Affifted by that most difloyal traitor

The Thane of Cawdor, 'gan a difmal conflict;
*Till that Bellona's bridegroom, lapt in proof, (5)
Confronted him with felf-comparisons,

Point against point rebellious, arm 'gainst arm,

(3) I must report they were

Curbing

As Cannons overcharg'd with double cracks,] Cannons overcharg'd with Cracks I have no Idea of: My Pointing, I think, gives the eafie and natural Senfe. Macbeth and Banquo were like Cannons overcharg'd; why? because they redoubled Strokes on the Foe with twice the Fury, and Impetuofity, as before.

(4) Norway himself, with Numbers terrible,

Affifted by that, &c.] Norway himself affifted, &c. is a Reading we owe to the Editors, not to the Poet. That Energy and Contraft of Expreffion are loft, which my Pointing reftores. The Senfe is, Norway, who was in himself terrible by his own Numbers, when affifted by Cawdor, becarne yet more terrible.

(5) Till that Bellona's Bridegroom, lapt in Proof,

Confronted him with felf-Comparisons,

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