And to that dauntless temper of his mind, Thence to be wrench'd with an unlineal hand,, To make them Kings: the feed of Banquo Kings: 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' In cur laft conf'rence, paft in probation with you: 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 0 4 1 That That you can let this go? are you fo gospell'd, 1 Mur. We are men, my Liege. Macb. Ay, in the catalogue ye go for men, That writes them all alike: and fo of men. And not in the worst rank of manhood, fay it; 2 Mur. I am one, Whom the vile blows and buffets of the world I do, to fpite the world. 1 Mur. And I another, So weary with difafters, tugg'd with fortune, 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 Whom Whom I myself ftruck down: and thence it is, Making the bufinefs from the common eye 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, [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 ♬ ́ [Exitė Ufing thofe thoughts, which fhould, indeed, have dy'd 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 But let both worlds disjoint, and all things fuffer,› In the affliction of thefe terrible dreams, Better be with the dead, In restless ecftafy.-Duncan is in his grave; Treafon has done his worft; nor steel, nor poifon,, Lady. Come on; you;i ;; Gentle my Lord, fleek o'er your rugged looks; 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. |