PERSONS REPRESENTED. Duncan, King of Scotland: Malcolm, Donalbain, } his Sons. Macbeth, } Generals of the King's Army. Banquo, Macduff, Lenox, Roffe, Menteth, Angus, Fleance, Son to Banquo. Siward, Earl of Northumberland, General of the English Forces : Young Siward, his Son. Seyton, an Officer attending on Macbeth. An English Doctor. A Scotch Doctor. A Soldier. A Porter. An old Man. Lady Macbeth. Lady Macduff. Gentlewoman attending on Lady Macbeth. Lords, Gentlemen, Officers, Soldiers, Murderers, Attendants, and Mefssengers. The Ghost of Banquo, and feveral other Apparitions. SCENE, in the End of the fourth Act, lies in England; through the rest of the Play, in Scotland; and, chiefly, at Macbeth's Castle. Lady Macbeth.] Her name was Gruach, filia Bodhe. See Lord Hailes's Annals of Scotland, II. 332. RITSON. Androw of Wyntown, in his Cronykil, informs us that this personage was the widow of Duncan; a circumstance with which Shakspeare must have been wholly unacquainted : "-Dame Grwok, hys Emys wyf, "Tuk, and led wyth hyr his lyf, " And held hyr bathe hys Wyf and Qweyne, "Quhen he was Kyng wyth Crowne rygnand: "The greys of affynyte." B. VI. 35. From the incidents, however, with which Hector Boece has diversified the legend of Macbeth, our poet derived greater advantages than he could have found in the original story, as related by Wyntown. The 18th Chapter of his Cronykil, Book VI. together with observations by its accurate and learned editor, will be subjoined to this tragedy, for the fatisfaction of inquifitive readers. 2 STEEVENS. -three Witches.) As the play now stands, in Act IV. sc. i. three other witches make their appearance. See note thereon. STEEVENS. МАСВЕТН. ACT I. SCENE I. An open Place. Thunder and Lightning. Enter three Witches. 1 WITCH. When shall we three meet again In thunder, lightning, or in rain? 2 WITCH. When the hurlyburly's done,1 When the battle's loft and won : 2 I -hurlyburly's-] However mean this word may seem to modern ears, it came recommended to Shakspeare by the authority of Henry Peacham, who, in the year 1577, published a book profeffing to treat of the ornaments of language. It is called The Garden of Eloquence, and has this passage: "Onomatopeia, when we invent, devise, fayne, and make a name intimating the sownd of that it fignifyeth, as hurliburly, for an uprore and tumultuous stirre." HENDERSON. So, in a tranflation of Herodian, 12mo. 1635, р. 26: - there was a mighty hurlyburly in the campe," &c. Again, p. 324: great hurliburlies being in all parts of the empire," &c. REED. * When the battle's loft and won:] i. e. the battle, in which Macbeth was then engaged. WARBURTON. So, in King Richard III: while we reason here, "A royal battle might be won and loft." So alfo Speed, speaking of the battle of Towton: "-by which only stratagem, as it was conftantly averred, the battle. and day was lost and won." Chronicle, 1611. MALONE. 3 WITCH. That will be ere set of fun.3 1 WITCH. Where the place ? 2 WITCH. Upon the heath : 3 WITCH. There to meet with Macbeth.4 3 ere set of fun.] The old copy unneceffarily and harshly reads ere the fet of fun. STEEVENS. * There to meet with Macbeth.] Thus the old copy. Mr. Pope, and, after him, other editors: There I go to meet Macbeth. ( The infertion, however, seems to be injudicious. To meet with Macbeth was the final drift of all the Witches in going tơ the heath, and not the particular business or motive of any one of them in diftinction from the rest; as the interpolated words, I go, in the mouth of the third Witch, would moft certains imply. thread Somewhat, however, (as the verse is evidently imperfect,) praeber must have been left out by the tranfcriber or printer. Mr. Capell has therefore proposed to remedy this defect, by reading There to meet with brave Macbeth. But furely, to beings intent only on mischief, a foldier's bravery, in an honest cause, would have been no fubject of encomium. Mr. Malone (omitting all previous remarks, &c. on this paffage) affures us, that" There is here used as a dissyllable." I wish he had supported his affertion by some example. Thofe, however, who can speak the line thus regulated, and suppose they are reciting a verse, may profit by the direction they have received. The pronoun " their," having two vowels together, may be split into two fyllables; but the adverb "there" can only be used as a monosyllable, unless pronounced as if it were written "the-re," a licence in which even Chaucer has not indulged himfelf. It was convenient for Shakspeare's introductory scene, that his first Witch should appear uninftructed in her miffion. Had she not required information, the audience must have remained ignorant of what it was necessary for them to know. Her speeches, therefore, proceed in the form of interrogatories; but, all on a sudden, an answer is given to a question which had not been asked. Here seems to be a chasm, which I shall attempt |