That man may question? You seem to understand Macb. Into the air; and what seemed corporal, me,

melted By each at once her choppy finger laying As breath into the wind. 'Would they had stayed. Upon her skinny lips. You should be women, Ban. Were such things here as we do speak And yet your beards forbid me to interpret

about ? That you are so.

Or have we eaten of the insane root, Macb. Speak if you can: What are you? That takes the reason prisoner? 1st Witch. All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, Macb. Your children shall be kings. thane of Glamis !

Ban. You shall be king. 2nd Witch. All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, Macb. And thane of Cawdor too; went it not so ? thane of Cawdor!

Ban. To the self-same tune, and words. Who's 3rd Witch. All hail, Macbeth! that shalt be

here? king hereafter. Ban. Good sir, why do you start, and seem to

Enter Rosse and Angus. fear

Rosse. The King hath happily received, MacThings that do sound so fair ?—' the name of

beth, truth,

The news of thy success : and when he reads Are ye fantastical, or that indeed

Thy personal venture in the rebels' fight, Which outwardly ye shew? My noble partner His wonders and his praises do contend, Ye greet with present grace, and great prediction which should be thine or his : silenced with that, Of noble having and of royal hope,

In viewing o'er the rest o' the self-same day, That he seems rapt withal: to me you speak not: He finds thee in the stout Norweyan ranks, If you can look into the seeds of time,

Nothing afеard of what thyself didst make, And say which grain will grow and which will not, Strange images of death. As thick as hail, Speak then to me, who neither beg, nor fear, Came post with post; and every one did bear Your favors nor your hate.

Thy praises in his kingdom's great defense, 1st Witch. Hail !

And poured them down before him. 2nd Witch. Hail !

Ang. We are sent 3rd Witch. Hail !

To give thee, from our royal master, thanks; 1st Witch. Lesser than Macbeth, and greater. Only to herald thee into his sight, 2nd Witch. Not so happy, yet much happier. Not pay thee. 3rd Witch. Thou shalt get kings, though thou Rosse. And, for an earnest of a greater honor, be none :

He bade me, from him, call thee thane of Cawdor : So, all hail, Macbeth and Banquo!

In which addition, hail, most worthy thane ! 1st Witch. Banquo and Macbeth, all hail! For it is thine. Macb. Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me Ban. What, can the devil speak true ? more!

Macb. The thane of Cawdor lives : why do you By Sinel's death, I know I am thane of Glamis;

dress me But how of Cawdor ? the thane of Cawdor lives, In borrowed robes ? A prosperous gentleman; and to be king

Ang. Who was the thane, lives yet; Stands not within the prospect of belief, But under heavy judgment bears that life No more than to be Cawdor. Say from whence Which he deserves to lose. Whether he was You owe this strange intelligence; or why Combined with Norway, or did line the rebel Upon this blasted heath you stop our way With hidden help and vantage, or that with both With such prophetic greeting. - Speak, I charge He labored in his country's wreck, I know not; you.

[Witches vanish. But treasons capital, confessed and proved, Ban. The earth hath bubbles, as the water has, Have overthrown him. And these are of them. Whither are they vanished?! Macb. Glamis, and thane of Cawdor:

The greatest is behind.—Thanks for your pains.- Ban. Very gladly.
Do you not hope your children shall be kings, Macb. Till then enough.—Come, friends.
When those that gave the thane of Cawdor to me,

[Exeunt. Promised no less to them? Ban. That, trusted home,

SCENE IV.–Fores. A Room in the Palace. Might yet enkindle you unto the crown,

Flourish. Enter DUNCAN, MALCOLM, DONALBesides the thane of Cawdor. But 't is strange :

BAIN, LENOX, and Attendants.
And oftentimes, to win us to our harm,
The instruments of darkness tell us truths ;

Dun. Is execution done on Cawdor? Are not Win us with honest trifles, to betray us

Those in commission yet returned ? In deepest consequence.

Mal. My liege, Cousins, a word, I pray you.

They are not yet come back. But I have spoke Macb. Two truths are told,

With one that saw him die: who did report As happy prologues to the swelling act

That very frankly he confessed his treasons; Of the imperial theme. I thank you, gentlemen. Implored your highness' pardon; and set forth This supernatural soliciting

A deep repentance. Nothing in his life
Cannot be ill: cannot be good. If ill,

Became him like the leaving it: he died
Why hath it given me earnest of success, As one that had been studied in his death,
Commencing in a truth? I am thane of Cawdor : To throw away the dearest thing he owed,
If good, why do I yield to that suggestion As 't were a careless trifle.
Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair,

Dun. There's no art
And make my seated heart knock at my ribs, To find the mind's construction in the face :
Against the use of nature ? Present fears He was a gentleman on whom I built
Are less than horrible imaginings :

An absolute trust.-0 worthiest cousin !
My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical,
Shakes so my single state of man, that function Enter MACBETH, BANQUO, Rosse, and Angus.
Is smothered in surmise; and nothing is,
But what is not.

The sin of my ingratitude even now
Ban. Look how our partner's rapt. Was heavy on me : Thou art so far before,
Macb. If chance will have me king, why chance That swiftest wing of recompense is slow
may crown me,

To overtake thee. Would thou hadst less deserved; Without my stir.

That the proportion both of thanks and payment Ban. New honors come upon him Might have been mine! only I have left to say, Like our strange garments; cleave not to their More is thy due than more than all can pay. mould

Macb. The service and the loyalty I owe, But with the aid of use.

In doing it, pays itself. Your highness' part Macb. Come what come may;

Is to receive our duties : and our duties Time and the hour runs through the roughest day. Are, to your throne and state, children and Ban. Worthy Macbeth, we stay upon your

servants; leisure.

Which do but what they should, by doing everyMacb. Give me your favor: my dull brain was

thing wrought

Safe toward your love and honor. With things forgotten. Kind gentlemen, your pains Dun. Welcome hither : Are registered where every day I turn

I have begun to plant thee, and will labor The leaf to read them. Let us toward the King. To make thee full of growing. Noble Banquo, Think upon what hath chanced; and at more time, That hast no less deserved, nor must be known The interim having weighed it, let us speak No less to have done so, let me infold thee, Our free hearts each to other.

| And hold thee to my heart.

Ban. There if I grow,

partner of greatness; that thou mightest not lose the The harvest is your own.

dues of rejoicing, by being ignorant of what greatness

is promised thee. Lay it to thy heart, and farewell.”, Dun. My plenteous joys, Wanton in fulness, seek to hide themselves

Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be In drops of sorrow.-Sons, kinsmen, thanes,

What thou art promised. Yet do I fear thy naAnd you whose places are the nearest, know,

ture; We will establish our estate upon

It is too full o’the milk of human kindness, Our eldest, Malcolm; whom we name hereafter,

To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great; The Prince of Cumberland : which honor must

Art not without ambition; but without Not, unaccompanied, invest him only,

The illness should attend it. What thou wouldst But signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine

highly, On all deservers.—From hence to Inverness,

That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false, And bind us further to you.

And yet wouldst wrongly win : thou ’dst have, Macb. The rest is labor which is not used for

great Glamis, you:

That which cries, “Thus thou must do, if thou I'll be myself the harbinger, and make joyful

have it; The hearing of my wife with your approach;

And that which rather thou dost fear to do, So, humbly take my leave.

Than wishest should be undone.” Hie thee hither, Dun. My worthy Cawdor!

That I may pour my spirits in thine ear; Macb. The Prince of Cumberland! That is a

And chastise with the valor of my tongue step

All that impedes thee from the golden round
On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap,

Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem
LAside. To have thee crowned withal. — What is your

[Aside. T he For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires !

tidings ? Let not light see my black and deep desires : The eye wink at the hand ! yet let that be

Enter an Attendant. Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.

[Exit. Atten. The King comes here to-night. Dun. True, worthy Banquo; he is full so valiant, Lady M. Thou’rt mad to say it: And in his commendations I am fed ;

Is not thy master with him ? who, wer't so,
It is a banquet to me. Let us after him, Would have informed, for preparation.
Whose care is gone before to bid us welcome : Atten. So please you, it is true: our thane is
It is a peerless kinsman. [Flourish. Exeunt.

coming :
One of my fellows had the speed of him;

Who, almost dead for breath, had scarcely more
SCENE V.-Inverness. A Room in MACBETH'S Than would make up his message.
Castle.

Lady M. Give bim tending;

He brings great news. The raven himself is hoarse Enter LADY MACBETH, reading a letter.

[Exit Attendant. "They met me in the day of success; and I have That er

That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan learned, by the perfectest report, they have more in | Under my battlements. Come, you spirits them than mortal knowledge. When I burned in desire That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here; to question them further, they made themselves - air, And fill me, from the crown to the toe, topfull into which they vanished. Whiles I stood rapt in the Of direst cruelty! make thick my blood. wonder of it, came missives from the king, who all-st

Stop up the access and passage to remorse; hailed me • Thane of Cawdor;' by which title, before,

That no compunctious visitings of nature these weird sisters saluted me, and referred me to the coming on of time, with, Hail, king that shalt be!' — | Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between This have I thought good to deliver thee, my dearest The effect and it! Come to my woman's breasts,

And take my milk for gall, you murdering min. By his loved mansionry, that the heaven's breath isters,

Smells wooingly here : no jutty, frieze, Wherever in your sightless substances

Buttress, nor coigne of vantage, but this bird
You wait on nature's mischief ! Come, thick night, Hath made his pendent bed and procreant cradle :
And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell! Where they most breed and haunt, I have observed
That my keen knife see not the wound it makes; The air is delicate.
Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark,
To cry, “ Hold, hold !” – Great Glamis ! worthy

Enter LADY MACBETH.
Cawdor!

Dun. See, see! our honored hostess !

The love that follows us sometime is our trouble, Enter MACBETH.

Which still we thank as love. Herein I teach you, Greater than both, by the all-bail hereafter! How you shall bid God yield us for your pains, Thy letters have transported me beyond

And thank us for your trouble. This ignorant present, and I feel now

Lady M. All our service The future in the instant.

In every point twice done, and then done double, Macb. My dearest love,

Were poor and single business, to contend Duncan comes here to-night.

Against those honors deep and broad, wherewith Lady M. And when goes hence ? Your majesty loads our house. For those of old, Vacb. To-morrow, — as he purposes.

And the late dignities heaped up to them, Lady M. O, never

We rest your hermits. Shall sun that morrow see!

Dun. Where's the thane of Cawdor? Your face, my thane, is as a book, where men We coursed him at the heels, and had a purpose May read strange matters. To beguile the time, To be his purveyor: but he rides well; Look like the time; bear welcome in your eye, And his great love, sharp as his spur, hath holp him Your hand, your tongue : look like the innocent To his home before us. Fair and noble hostess, flower,

We are your guest to-night. But be the serpent under it. He that's coming Lady M. Your servants ever Must be provided for : and you shall put Have theirs, themselves, and what is theirs, in This night's great business into my despatch ;

compt, Which shall to all our nights and days to come To make their audit at your highness' pleasure, Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom. Still to return your own. Macb. We will speak further.

Dun. Give me your hand; Lady M. Only look up clear;

Conduct me to mine host : we love him highly, To alter favor ever is to fear :

And shall continue our graces towards him. Leave all the rest to me. [Exeunt. By your leave, hostess.

: [Exeunt.

SCENE VI. — The same. Before the Castle.

SCENE VII.—The same.

A Room in the Castle.

Hautboys. Servants of MACBETH attending.

Hautboys and torches. Enter and pass over the

stage, a Sewer, and divers Servants with dishes Enter DUNCAN, MALCOLM, DONALBAIN, BANQUO, and service. Then enter MACBETH. LENOX, MACDUFF, Rosse, ANGUS, & Attendants.

Macb. If it were done when 't is done, then Dun. This castle hath a pleasant seat; the air 't were well Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself

It were done quickly. If the assasination Unto our gentle senses.

Could trammel up the consequence, and catch Ban. This guest of summer,

With his surcease success; that but this blow The temple-haunting martlet, does approve, | Might be the be-all and the end-all here,

lues

But here, upon this bank and shoal of time, - | Macb. Pr’y thee, peace :
We'd jump the life to come. But in these cases I dare do all that may become a man;
We still have judgment here; that we but teach Who dares do more, is none.
Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return Lady M. What boast was it, then,
To plague the inventor: Thus even-handed justice That made you break this enterprise to me?
Commends the ingredients of our poisoned chalice When you durst do it, then you were a man;
To our own lips. He's here in double trust : And to be more than what you were, you would
First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, Be so much more the man. Nor time nor place
Strong both against the deed : then, as his host, Did then adhere, and yet you would make both :
Who should against his murderer shut the door, They have made themselves, and that their fitness
Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan

now
Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been Does unmake you. I have given suck; and know
So clear in his great office, that his virtues How tender 't is to love the babe that milks me:
Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against I would, while it was smiling in my face,
The deep damnation of his taking-off:

Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums, And pity, like a naked new-born babe,

And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn
Striding the blast, or heaven's cherubim, horsed | As you have done to this.
Upon the sightless couriers of the air,

Macb. If we should fail, -
Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye,

Lady M.

We fail !
That tears shall drown the wind. I have no spur But screw your courage to the sticking-place,
To prick the sides of my intent, but only And we'll not fail! When Duncan is asleep
Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself, (Whereto the rather shall his day's hard journey
And falls on the other—How now, what news? Soundly invite him), his two chamberlains

Will I with wine and wassel so convince,
Enter LADY MACBETH.

That memory, the warder of the brain, Lady M. He has almost supped: Why have Shall be a fume, and the receipt of reason you left the chamber?

A limbeck only. When in swinish sleep Macb. Hath he asked for me?

Their drenchéd natures lie, as in a death, Lady M. Know you not he has ? What cannot you and I perform upon Macb. We will proceed no further in this The unguarded Duncan? what not put upon business :

His spongy officers ? who shall bear the guilt He hath honored me of late; and I have bought Of our great quell. Golden opinions from all sorts of people,

Macb. Bring forth men-children only! Which would be worn now in their newest gloss, For thy undaunted metal should compose Not cast aside so soon.

Nothing but males. Will it not be received, Lady M. Was the hope drunk

When we have marked with blood those sleepy two Wherein you dressed yourself? hath it slept since ? Of his own chamber, and used their very daggers, And wakes it now, to look so green and pale That they have don't? At what it did so freely? From this time,

Lady M. Who dares receive it other, Such I account thy love. Art thou afeard As we shall make our griefs and clamor roar To be the same in thine own act and valor, Upon his death? As thou art in desire ? Wouldst thou have that | Macb. I am settled, and bend up Which thou esteem'st the ornament of life, Each corporal agent to this terrible feat. And live a coward in thine own esteem;

Away, and mock the time with fairest show : Letting “I dare not” wait upon “I would,” False face must hide what the false heart doth Like the poor cat i' the adage ?

[Exeunt.