And to that dauntless temper of his mind,
He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour
To act in fafety. There is none but he,
Whofe being I do fear: and, under him,
My genius is rebuk'd; as it is faid,
Antony's was by Cafar. He chid the fifters,
When firft they put the name of King upon me,
And bade them fpeak to him; then, prophet-like,
They hail'd him father to a line of Kings.
Upon my head they plac'd a fruitless crown,
And put a barren fcepter in my gripe,

Thence to be wrench'd with an unlineal hand,,
No fon of mine fucceeding. If 'tis so,
For Banquo's iffue have I fil'd my find:
For them, the gracious Duncan have I murder'd:
Put rancours in the veffel of my peace
Only for them: and mine eternal jewel
Giv'n to the common enemy of man,

To make them Kings: the feed of Banquo Kings:
Rather than fo, come Fate into the lift,.

And champion, me to th' utterance

who's there?

Enter Servant, and two Murderers.

Go to the door, and fray there, 'till we call. [Exit Ser Was it not yesterday we spoke together?

Mur. It was, fo ieafe your Highnefs.

Macb. Well then, now

You have confider'd of my fpeeches ? know,

That it was he, in the times patt, which held you'
So under fortune; which, you thought, had been
Our innocent felf; this I made good to you

In cur laft conf'rence, paft in probation with you:
How you were borne in hand, how croft; the inftruments,
Who wrought with them and all things elfe, that might
To half a foul, and to a notion craz'd,

Say, thus did Banquo.

1 Mur. True, you made it known.

Mach. I did fo; and went further, which is now

Our point of fecond meeting. Do you find
Your patience fo predominant in your nature,

0 4

1

That

That you can let this go? are you fo gospell'd,
Το pray for this good man and for his iffue,
Whole heavy hand hath bow'd you to the grave,
And beggar'd yours for ever?

1 Mur. We are men, my Liege.

Macb. Ay, in the catalogue ye go for men,
As hounds, and greyhounds, mungrels, fpaniels, curs,
Showghes, water-rugs, and demy-wolves are cleped
All by the name of dogs: the valued file
Diftinguishes the fwift, the flow, the fubtle,
The house-keeper, the hunter, every one
According to the gift which bounteous nature
Hath in him clos'd; whereby he does receive
Particular addition, from the bill

That writes them all alike: and fo of men.
Now, if you have a station in the file,

And not in the worst rank of manhood, fay it;
And I will put that business in your bofoms,
Whose execution takes your enemy off;
Grapples you to the heart and love of us,
Who wear our health but fickly in his life,
Which in his death were perfect.

2 Mur. I am one,

Whom the vile blows and buffets of the world
Have fo incens'd, that I am reckless what

I do, to fpite the world.

1 Mur. And I another,

So weary with difafters, tugg'd with fortune,
That I would fet my life on any chance,

To mend it, or be rid on't.

Macb. Both of you

Know, Banque was your enemy.

Mur. True, my Lord.

Macb. So is he mine: and in fuch bloody distance, That every minute of his being thrufts

Against my near'ft of life; and though I could
With bare-fac'd power sweep him from my fight,
And bid my will avouch it; yet I muft not,
For certain friends that are both his and mine,
Whofe loves I may not drop; but wail his fall,

Whom

Whom I myself ftruck down: and thence it is,
That I to your affiftance do make love,

Making the bufinefs from the common eye
For fundry weighty reasons.

2 Mur. We fhall, my Lord, Perform what you command us.

1 Mur. Though our lives

[at most,

Mach. Your fpirits fhine through you. In this hour, I will advise you where to plant yourselves; Acquaint you with the perfect fpy o' th' time, The moment on't; (for't must be done to-night, (21) And fomething from the palace: always thought, That I require a clearness :) and with him, (To leave no rubs nor blotches in the work) Fleance his fon, that keeps him company, (Whose absence is no lefs material to me, Than is his father's) muft embrace the fate Of that dark hour. Refolve yourselves a-part,

I'll come to you anon.

Mur. We are refolv'd, my Lord.

Mach. I'll call upon you straight; abide within.

(21) for't must be done to night,

And fomething from the palace: always thought,

[Exeunt Murderers.

That I require a clearness :] The latter branch of this fentence Mr. Pope has funk upon us, in both his editions, tho' it is authoriz'd by all the preceeding copies. If I may venture to guefs at the reafon of his fuppreffing these words, it was because he did not understand them: but Macbeth means, that the murderers muft in every step remember, he requires not to be fufpected of the fact; to ftand clear from all imputations, which might affect him in the opinions of people. I have frequently obferv'd, how minutely Shakespeare is used to follow his hiftory in little particular circumftances. This is one fignal inftance. Let us hear honest Holingshead (from whom he has copied this whole tale) in his hiftory of Scotland, p. 172.-He willed therefore the fame Banqubo with his fon named Fleance to come to a fupper that he had prepared for them; which was, indeed, as he had devifed, prefent death at the hands of certain Murderers whom he hired to execute that deed; appointed them to meet with the fame Banqubo and his fon without the palace, as they returned to their lodgings, and there to flea them, fo that he would not have his house flandered; but that in time to come he might clear himself, if any thing were laid to his charge upon any fufpicion that might arife.

It is concluded;-Banquo, thy foul's flight,
If it find heav'n, must find it out to-night.

[Exite

SCENE, another Apartment in the Palace. Enter Lady Macbeth, and a Servant.

Lady

S Banquo gone from court?

Ser. Ay,. madam, but returns again to night. Lady. Say to the King, I would attend his leifure

For a few words.

Ser. Madam, I will.

Lady. Nought's had, all's spent,

Where our defire is got without content: "Tis fafer to be that which we destroy,

Than by deftruction dwell in doubtful joy.

Enter Macbeth.

How now, my Lord, why do you keep alone ♬ ́
Of forrieft fancies your companions making,

[Exitė

Ufing thofe thoughts, which fhould, indeed, have dy'd
With them they think on? things without all remedy
Should be without regard; what's done, is done.
Macb. We have fcotch'd the fnake, not kill'd it--(22)

She'll

(22) We bave fcorch'd the fnake, not kill'd it, She'll clofe, and be berfelf;] This is a paffage, which has all along paffed current thro' the editions, and yet 1 dare affirm, is not our author's reading. What has a fnake, clog again, to do with its being fearch'd? fcorching would never either feparate or dilate, its parts; but rather make them inftantly contract and frivel. SHAKE SPEARE, I am very well perfuaded, had this notion in his head; that if you cut a ferpent or worm afunder, in feveral pieces, there: is fuch an unctuous quality in their blood, that the dismember'd parts, being only placed near enough to touch one another, will cement and become as whole as before the injury receiv'd. The application of this thought is to Duncan, the murder'd King, and his furviving fons. Macbeth confiders them fo much as members of the father, that tho' he has cut off the old man, he would fay, he has not en-. tirely kill'd him, but he'll revive again in the lives of his fons. Can we doubt therefore but that the poet wrote, as I have reftor'd to the

text,

We have fcotch'd the fnake, not kill'd it.

To fcotch, however the generality of our Dictionaries happen to omit

the

She'll close, and be herself; whilft our poor malice
Remains in danger of her former tooth.

But let both worlds disjoint, and all things fuffer,›
Ere we will eat our meal in fear, and fleep

In the affliction of thefe terrible dreams,
That shake us nightly.

Better be with the dead,
(Whom we, to gain our place, have fent to peace,)}
Than on the torture of the mind to lie

In restless ecftafy.-Duncan is in his grave;
After life's fitful fever, he fleeps well;

Treafon has done his worft; nor steel, nor poifon,,
Malice domeftick, foreign levy, nothing
Can touch him further!

Lady. Come on;

you;i

;;

Gentle my Lord, fleek o'er your rugged looks;
Be bright, and jovial, 'mong your guests to-night..
Macb. So fhall I, love; and fo, I pray, be
Let your remembrance ftill apply to Banquo.
Prefent him eminence, both with eye and tongue:
Unfafe the while, that we muft lave our honours
In these fo flatt'ring ftreams, and make our faces
Vizors t' our hearts, difguifing what they are!→→
Lady. You must leave this.

Macb. O, full of fcorpions is my mind, dear wife!! Thou know'ft, that Banquo, and his Fleance, live. Lady. But in them, nature's copy's not eternal. Macb. There's comfort yet, they are affailable; Then, be thoù jocund. Ere the bat hath flown His cloyfter'd flight, ere to black Hecate's fummons' The fhard-born beetle with his drowsy hums

Hath rung night's yawning peal, there shall be done

the word, fignifies, to notch, flash, back, cut, with twigs, fwords, &c. and fo our poet more than once has ufed it in his works.

CORIOLAN US.

He was too hard for him directly, to fay the truth on't: Before Corioli, he fetch'd him, and notch'd him, like a Carbonado. ANTONY and CLEOPATRA.

We'll beat 'em into bench-holes: I have yet

Room for fix fcotches more.

I made this emendation, when I publifh'd'my SHAKESPEARE refor'd; and Mr. Pope has vouchfafed to embrace it in his last edition.