Lady. I heard the owl fcream, and the crickets cry.

Did not you speak?

Mach. When?

Lady. Now.

Mach. As I defcended?

Lady. Ay.

Macb. Hark! who lies i' th' fecond chamber? Lady. Donalbain.

Macb. This is a forry fight.

[Looks on bis bands.

Lady. A foolish thought, to fay, a forry fight.

Macb. There's one did laugh in's fleep, and one cry'd, Murther!

They wak'd each other; and I ftood and heard them; But they did fay their prayers, and address them

Again to fleep.

Lady. There are two lodg'd together.

Macb. One cry'd,

"God bless us! and,

"Amen!

the other;

As they had feen me with thefe hangman's hands.
Liftening their fear, I could not fay, Amen,
When they did fay, God bless us.
Lady. Confider it not fo deeply.
Macb. But wherefore could not I
I had moft need of bleffing, and Amen
Stuck in my throat.

pronounce, Amen ?

Lady. Thefe deeds muft not be thought, After these ways; fo, it will make us mad.

Macb. Methought I heard a voice cry, "Sleep no more! Macbeth doth murther Sleep; the innocent fleep; Sleep, that knits up the ravell'd sleeve of care, The death of each day's life, fore labour's bath, Balm of hurt minds, great nature's fecond Course, Chief nourisher in life's fealt..

Lady. What do you mean?

Macb. Still it cry'd, fleep no more, to all the house; Glamis hath murther'd fleep, and therefore Cawdor,

Shall

Shall fleep no more; Macbeth fhall fleep no more!

Lady. Who was it, that thus cry'd? why, worthy Thane, You do unbend your noble ftrength, to think

So brain-fickly of things; go, get fome water,
And wash this filthy witnefs from your hand.
Why did you bring thefe daggers from the place?
They muft lye there. Go, carry them, and fmear
The fleepy grooms with blood.

Macb. I'll go no more;

I am afraid to think what I have done;

Look on't again, I dare not.

Lady. Infirm of purpose !

Give me the daggers; the fleeping and the dead
Are but as pictures; 'tis the eye of childhood,
That fears a painted devil. If he do bleed,
I'll gild the faces of the grooms withal,
For it must seem their guilt.

Knocks within.

Macb. Whence is that knocking!

[Exit.

[Starting

How is it with me, when every noise appals me?

What hands are here? hah! they pluck out mine eyes.

Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood

Clean from my hand? no, this my hand will rather
Thy multitudinous fea incarnardine,

Making the green one red

Enter Lady.

Lady. My hands are of your colour; but I fhame To wear a heart fo white; I hear a knocking [Knock. At the fouth entry. Retire we to our chamber; A little water clears us of this deed.

How eafie is it then? your conftancy

hark, more knocking!

Get on your night-gown, left occafion call us,
And fhew us to be Watchers; be not loft,
So poorly in your thoughts.

Macb. To know my deed, 'twere beft not know
N 2

[Knock

Wake, Duncan, with this knocking: 'would, thou couldft!

Enter a Porter.

[Exeunt.

[Knocking within] Port. Here's a knocking, indeed: if a man were porter of hell-gate, he should have old turning the key. [Knock] Knock, knock, knock. Who's there, i' th' name of Belzebub? here's a farmer, that hang'd himself on the expectation of plenty: come in time, have napkins enough about you, here you'll fweat for't. [Knock] Knock, knock. Who's there i' th' other devil's name? faith, here's an equivocator, that could fwear in both the scales against either fcale, who committed treafon enough for God's fake, yet could not equivocate to heav'n: oh, come in, equivocator. [Knock] Knock, knock, knock. Who's there? faith, here's an English taylor come hither for stealing out of a French hole: come in, taylor, here you may roaft your goofe. [Knock] Knock, knock. Never at quiet! what are you? but this place is too cold for hell. I'll devil-porter it no further: I had thought to have let in fome of all profeffions, that go the primrose way to th' everlafting bonfire. [Knock] Anon, anon, I pray you, remember the porter.

Enter Macduff, and Lenox.

Macd. Was it fo late, friend, ere you went to bed, That you do lie fo late?

Port. Faith, Sir, we were carousing 'till the fecond cock :

And Drink, Sir, is a great provoker of three things. Macd. What three things doth Drink efpecially provoke ?

Port. Marry, Sir, nofe-painting, fleep, and urine. Lechery, Sir, it provokes, and unprovokes; it provokes the defire, but it takes away the performance. Therefore much Drink may be faid to be an equivocator with lechery; it makes him, and it mars him; it sets him on, and it takes him off; it perfuades him, and difheartens him; makes him ftand to, and not stand to; in conclu

fon, equivocates him into a fleep, and, giving him the lie, leaves him.

Macd. I believe, Drink gave thee the lie last night. Port. That it did, Sir, i' th' very throat o' me; but I requited him for his lie; and, I think, being too strong for him, though he took up my legs fome time, yet I made a fhift to caft him.

Macd. Is thy mafter stirring ?

Our knocking has awak'd him; here he comes.
Len. Good morrow, noble Sir.

Enter Macbeth.

Macb. Good morrow, Both.

Macd. Is the King ftirring, worthy Thane?

Mach. Not yet.

Macd. He did command me to call timely on him; I've almoft flipt the hour.

Mach. I'll bring you to him.

Macd. I know, this is a joyful trouble to you: But yet, 'tis one.

Mach. The labour, we delight in, phyficks pain; This is the door.

Macd. I'll make fo bold to call, for 'tis my fervice.

Len. Goes the King hence to day?

Macb. He did appoint fo.

limited

[Exit Macduff.

Len. The night has been unruly; where we lay, Our chimneys were blown down: And, as they fay, Lamentings heard i' th'air, ftrange fcreams of death, And prophefying with accents terrible

Of dire combuftion, and confus'd events,

New hatch'd to th' woeful time:

The obfcure bird clamour'd the live-long night.
Some fay, the earth was fev'rous, and did shake.
Macb. 'Twas a rough night.

Len. My young remembrance cannot parallel
A fellow to it.

Enter Macduff.

Macd. O horror! horror! horror!

Nor

N 3

Nor tongue, nor heart, cannot conceive, nor name

thee

Mach. and Len. What's the matter?

Macd. Confufion now hath made his mafter-piece; Moft facrilegious murther hath broke ope

The Lord's anointed temple, and stole thence
The life o' th' building.

Mach. What is't you fay? the life?

Len. Mean you his Majefty?

Macd. Approach the chamber, and deftroy your fight With a new Gorgon.Do not bid me speak;

See, and then fpeak your felves: awake! awake!

Ring the alarum-bell

[Exeunt Macbeth and Len. murther! and treason!

death's counterfeit,

Banque, and Donalbain! Malcolm! awake!
Shake off this downy fleep,
And look on death it felf.
The great Doom's image
As from your graves rile up,
(11) To countenance this horror.

up, up, and fee
Malcolm! Banquo!
and walk like sprights,

Bell rings. Enter Lady Macbeth.

Lady. What's the business.

That fuch an hideous trumpet calls to parley
The fleepers of the house ? fpeak.

Macd. Gentle lady,

'Tis not for you to hear what I can speak. The repetition in a woman's ear

(11) To countenance this horror. Ring the Bell.]

I have ventur'd to throw out thefe laft Words, as no part of the Text. Macduff had faid at the Beginning of his Speech, Ring out th' Alarum Bell; But if the Bell had rung out immediately, not a Word of what he fays could have been diftinguifh'd. Ring the Bell, I fay, was a Marginal Direction in the Prompter's Book for him to order the Bell to be rung, the Minute that Macduff ceases speaking.

In proof of this, we may obferve, that the Hemiftich 'end