Is to receive our duties; and our duties (11)
Are to your throne and state, children and fervants;
Which do but what they fhould, by doing every
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.

[thing,

Noble Banquo,
Thou haft no less deserved, and must be known
No lefs to have done fo: 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 fulness, feek to hide themfelves
In drops of forrow. Sons, kinfmen, thanes,
And you whofe places are the nearest, know,
We will establish our estate upon

Our eldest Malcolm, whom we name hereafter
The Prince of Cumberland: which honour must,

determine. I have chose the reading of the more authentic copies, wing.

We meet with the fame metaphor again in Troilus and Creffida:

But his evafion, winged thus fwift with fcorn,
Cannot outfly our apprehenfion.

-And our duties

(11) Are to your throne and ftate, children and fervants; Which do but what they should, by doing every thing

Safe towards your love and honour.] This may be fenfe; but I own it gives me no very fatisfactory idea: and though I have not difturbed the text, I cannot but embrace in my mind the conjecture of my ingenious friend Mr Warburton, who would read;

1

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) thofe eftates and tenures which we have on the terms of homage and fervices.

Not unaccompanied, inveft him only,

But figns of noblenefs, like stars, fhall fhine
On all defervers. ----Hence to Inverness,
And bind us further to you.

Macb. The rest is labour, which is not ufed for
I'll be myfelf the harbinger, and make joyful [you.
The hearing of my wife with your approach;
So humbly take my leave.

King. My worthy Cawdor!

Macb. The Prince of Cumberland !----this is a

step

[Afide

On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap,
For in my way it lyes. 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. [Ex.
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 peerlefs kinfman.

[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 fuccefs; " and I have learned by the perfectest report, they "have more in them than mortal knowledge. When "I burnt in defire to question them further, they "made themfelves air, into which they vanished. "While I ftood rap'd in the wonder of it, came "miffives from the King, who all-hailed me Thane of Cawdor; by which title, before, thefe weird fifters faluted me, and referred me to the coming on of time, with Hail, King that fhalt be! This

have I thought good to deliver thee, (my deareft partner of greatnefs), that thou mightest not "Îofe the dues of rejoicing, by being ignorant "of what greatness is promised thee. Lay it to thy heart, and farewel."

Glamis thou art, and Cawdor

and fhalt be

What thou art promifed. Yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness

To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great;' Art not without ambition; but without

The illness thould attend it. What thou wouldst

highly,

That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false, And yet wouldft wrongly win. Thou'dit 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 fhould be undone." Hie thee hither, That I may pour my fpirits in thine ear, And chastife with the valour of my tongue All that impedes thee from the golden round, Which Fate and metaphyfical aid doth feem To have thee crowned 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, were't fo,
Would have informed for preparation.

Mef. So pleafe you, it is true: our Thane is One of my fellows had the speed of him; [coming. Who almoft dead for breath, had scarcely more Than would make up his meffage.

Lady. Give him tending,

He brings great news. The raven himself is hoarse,

[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' accefs and paffage to remorse,
That no compunctious vifitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
Th' effect, and it. Come to my woman's breasts,
And take my milk for gall, you murd'ring ministers!
Where-ever in your fightless fubftances

You wait on Nature's mifchief.-Come, thick night!
And pall thee in the dunneft smoke of hell,
That my keen knife fee not the wound it makes;
Nor Heaven 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)

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

May read ftrange matters to beguite the time.

Lock like the time ;] I have ventured, against the authority of

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,

But be the ferpent under't. He that's coming
Must be provided for; and you fhall put

This night's great business into my dispatch,
Which fhall to all our nights and days to come
Give folely fovereign fway and masterdom.
Macb. We will speak further.
Lady. Only look up clear:

To alter favour, ever, is to fear.

Leave all the rest to me.

[Exeunt.

SCENE, before Macbeth's Cafle Gate. Hautboys and Torches. Enter King, MALCOLM,

DONALBAIN, BANQUO, LENOX, MACDUFF,
ROSSE, ANGUS, and Attendants.

King. This caftle hath a pleafant feat; the air
Nimbly and fweetly recommends itself
Unto our gentle fenfes.

Ban. This gueft of fummer,

The temple-haunting martlet, does approve

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 purposed act, that he 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 fays, in a fubfequent fcene;

Away, and mock the time with faireft fhew.

So Macduff fays to Malcolm;

-the time you may fo hoodwink.

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