more

Than would make up his message. Lady M.

He brings great news.

40

Give him tending: Exit Messenger. The raven himself is hoarse That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan Under my battlements. Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts! unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top full Of direst cruelty; make thick my blood, Stop up the access and passage to remorse, That no compunctious visitings of nature. Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between The effect and it! Come to my woman's breasts, And take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers,

Wherever in your sightless substances You wait on nature's mischief! Come, thick night,

50

And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, That my keen knife see not the wound it makes, Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark, To cry Hold, hold!'

And when goes hence? Macb. To-morrow, as he purposes. Lady M.

Shall sun that morrow see.

O! never

61

Your face, my thane, is as a book where men
May read strange 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 serpent under 't. He that's coming
Must be provided for; and you shall put
This night's great business into my dispatch;
Which shall to all our nights and days to come
Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom. 70
Macb. We will speak further.
Lady M.

Only look up clear;

Enter DUNCAN, MAL

SCENE VI.-The Same. Before the Castle. Hautboys and torches. COLM, DONALBAIN, BANQUO, LENNOX, MACDUFF, ROSS, ANGUS, and Attendants. Dun. This castle hath a pleasant seat; the air Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself Unto our gentle senses. Ban.

This guest of summer, The temple-haunting martlet, does approve By his lov'd mansionry that the heaven's breath Smells wooingly here: no jutty, frieze, Buttress, nor coign of vantage, but this bird Hath made his pendent bed and procreant cradle:

observ'd The air is delicate.

Dun.

Enter Lady MACBETH,

9

See, see, our honour'd hostess ! The love that follows us sometime is our trouble, Which still we thank as love. Herein I teach you How you shall bid God 'ild us for your pains. And thank us for your trouble. Lady M. All our service, In every point twice done, and then done double, Were poor and single business, to contend Against those honours deep and broad, wherewith Your majesty loads our house: for those of old, And the late dignities heap'd up to them, We rest your hermits.

20

Dun. Where's the Thane of Cawdor?
We cours'd him at the heels, and had a purpose
To be his purveyor; but he rides well,
And his great love, sharp as his spur, hath holp
him

To his home before us. Fair and noble hostess,
We are your guest to-night.
Lady M.

Your servants ever Have theirs, themselves, and what is theirs, in compt,

To make their audit at your highness' pleasure, Still to return your own.

Dun. Give me your hand; Conduct me to mine host: we love him highly, And shall continue our graces towards him. By your leave, hostess.

30

Exeunt.

SCENE VII.-The Same. A Room in the Castle. Hautboys and torches. Enter, and pass over the stage, a Sewer, and divers Servants with dishes and service. Then enter MACBETH.

Macb. If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well

It were done quickly; if the assassination
Could trammel up the consequence, and catch
With his surcease success; that but this blow
Might be the be-all and the end-all here,
But here, upon this bank and shoal of time,
We'd jump the life to come. But in these cases
We still have judgment here; that we but teach
Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return
To plague the inventor; this even-handed justice
Commends the ingredients of our poison'dchalice
To our own lips. He's here in double trust: 12
First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,
Strong both against the deed; then, as his
host,

Who should against his murderer shut the door,
Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan
Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been

20

So clear in his great office, that his virtues
Will plead like angels trumpet-tongued against
The deep damnation of his taking-off;
And pity, like a naked new-born babe,
Striding the blast, or heaven's cherubin, hors'd
Upon the sightless couriers of the air,
Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye,
That tears shall drown the wind. I have no spur
To prick the sides of my intent, but only
Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself
And falls on the other-

Does unmake you. I have given suck, and know
How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me:
I would, while it was smiling in my face,
Have pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums,
And dash'd the brains out, had I so sworn as you
Have done to this.
Mucb.
Lady M.

If we should fail,—

We fail. But screw your courage to the sticking-place, 60 And we'll not fail. When Duncan is asleep, Whereto the rather shall his day's hard journey Soundly invite him, his two chamberlains Will I with wine and wassail so convince That memory, the warder of the brain, Shall be a fume, and the receipt of reason A limbeck only; when in swinish sleep Their drenched natures lie as in a death, What cannot you and I perform upon The unguarded Duncan? what not put upon 70 His spongy officers, who shall bear the guilt Of our great quell?

Macb. Bring forth men-children only; For thy undaunted mettle should compose Nothing but males. Will it not be receiv'd, When we have mark'd with blood those sleepy

two

I dreamt last night of the three weird sisters: 20
To you they have show'd some truth.
Mach.
I think not of them:
Yet, when we can entreat an hour to serve,
We would spend it in some words upon that
business,

If you would grant the time.
Ban.
At your kind'st leisure.
Mach. If you shall cleave to my consent,
when 'tis,

It shall make honour for you.

Ban.

So I lose none In seeking to augment it, but still keep My bosom franchis'd and allegiance clear, I shall be counsell'd. Macb. Good repose the while! Ban. Thanks, sir: the like to you.

Exeunt BANQUO and FLEANCE. Macb. Go bid thy mistress, when my drink is ready

She strike upon the bell. Get thee to bed.
Exit Servant.

Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand! Come, let me
clutch thee :

I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible
To feeling as to sight? or art thou but
A dagger of the mind, a false creation,
Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?
I see thee yet, in form as palpable

SCENE III.-The Same. Knocking within. Enter a Porter. Porter. Here's a knocking indeed! If a man were porter of hell-gate he should have old turning the key. Knocking within. Knock, knock, knock! Who's there, i' the name of Beelzebub? Here's a farmer that hanged himself on the expectation of plenty : come in time; have napkins enough about you; here you'll sweat for 't. Knocking within. Knock, knock! Who's there, i' the other devil's name? Faith, here's an equivocator, that could swear in both the scales against either scale; who committed treason enough for God's sake, yet could not equivocate to heaven: O! come in, equivocator. Knocking within. Knock, knock, knock! Who's there? Faith, here's an English tailor come hither for stealing out of a French hose: come in, tailor; here you may roast your goose. Knocking within. Knock, knock! never at quiet! What are you? But this place is too cold for hell. I'll devilporter it no further: I had thought to have let in some of all professions, that go the primrose way to the everlasting bonfire. Knocking within. Anon, anon! I pray you, remember the porter. Opens the gate.

Enter MACDUFF and LENNOX. Macd. Was it so late, friend, ere you went to bed,

That you do lie so late?

Port. Faith, sir, we were carousing till the second cock; and drink, sir, is a great provoker of three things.

Macd. What three things does drink especially provoke ?

31

Port. Marry, sir, nose-painting, sleep, and urine. Lechery, sir, it provokes, and unprovokes; it provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance. Therefore, much drink may be said to be an equivocator with lechery; it makes him, and it mars him; it sets him on, and it takes him off; it persuades him, and disheartens him; makes him stand to, and not stand to; in conclusion, equivocates him in a sleep, and, giving him the lie, leaves him.

41

Macd. I believe drink gave thee the lie last night.

Port. That it did, sir, i' the 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 sometime, yet I made a shift to cast him. Macd. Is thy master stirring?

Enter MACBETH.

He does he did appoint so. Len. The night has been unruly: where we lay, Our chimneys were blown down; and, as they say, Lamentings heard i' the air; strange screams of death,

And prophesying with accents terrible
Of dire combustion and confus'd events
New hatch'd to the woeful time. The obscure
bird

Clamour'd the livelong night: some say the earth
Was feverous and did shake.
Macb.
'Twas a rough night.
Len. My young remembrance cannot parallel
A fellow to it.

Macb.

What is 't you say the life!
Len. Mean you his majesty?
Macd. Approach the chamber, and destroy
your sight

With a new Gorgon: do not bid me speak;
See, and then speak yourselves.

Exeunt MACBETH and LENNOX
Awake! awake!
Ring the alarum-bell. Murder and treason!
Banquo and Donalbain! Malcolm! awake!
Shake off this downy sleep, death's counterfeit,
And look on death itself up, up, and see
The great doom's image! Malcolm! Banquo!
As from your graves rise up, and walk like sprites,
To countenance this horror! Ring the bell.
Bell rings.

Our knocking has awak'd him; here he comes.
Len. Good morrow, noble sir.
Macb.
Good morrow, both. so
Macd. Is the king stirring, worthy thane?
Macb.
Not yet.

They star'd, and were distracted; no man's life Was to be trusted with them.

Macb. O yet I do repent me of my fury,
That I did kill them.

Macd.
Wherefore did you so?
Macb. Who can be wise, amaz'd, temperate
and furious,

Loyal and neutral, in a moment? No man :
The expedition of my violent love
Outrun the pauser, reason. Here lay Duncan,
His silver skin lac'd with his golden blood;
And his gash'd stabs look'd like a breach in

nature

120

To show an unfelt sorrow is an office
Which the false man does easy. I'll to England.
Don. To Ireland, I; our separated fortune
Shall keep us both the safer where we are,
There's daggers in men's smiles: the near in
blood,

The nearer bloody.

Mal.

150

This murderous shaft that's shot Hath not yet lighted, and our safest way Is to avoid the aim: therefore, to horse; And let us not be dainty of leave-taking, But shift away: there's warrant in that theft Which steals itself when there's no mercy left. Exeunt.

SCENE IV.-Without the Castle.
Enter Ross and an old Man.

Old Man. Threescore and ten I can remember well;

Within the volume of which time I have seen
Hours dreadful and things strange, but this sore
Hath trifled former knowings.
night
Ross.

Ah! good father, Thou seest, the heavens, as troubled with man's act,

Threaten his bloody stage: by the clock 'tis day, And yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp. Is 't night's predominance, or the day's shame, That darkness does the face of earth entomb, When living light should kiss it?

Old Man.

'Tis unnatural,

Even like the deed that's done. On Tuesday last,

A falcon, towering in her pride of place,
Was by a mousing owl hawk'd at and kill'd.

11

Ross. And Duncan's horses, a thing most strange and certain,

Beauteous and swift, the minions of their race, Turn'd wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out,

Contending 'gainst obedience, as they would make

War with mankind.

| Thriftless ambition, that wilt ravin up