Why do you show me this?-A fourth?-Start, | (Music. The Witches dance, and vanish.) Macb. Where are they? Gone?-Let this pernicious hour Stand aye accursed in the calendar!- Macb. Time, thou anticipat'st my dread exploits : The flighty purpose never is o'ertook, Unless the deed go with it: From this moment, The very firstlings of my heart shall be The firstlings of my hand. And even now From what we fear, yet know not what we fear; L. Macd. Father'd he is, and yet he's fatherless. L. Macd. are not set for. My father is not dead, for all your saying. L. Macd. Yes, he is dead; how wilt thou do for Son. Nay, how will you do for a husband? market. Son. Then you'll buy 'em to sell again. Son. Was my father a traitor, mother? Son. What is a traitor? L. Macd. Why, one that swears and lies. and L. Macd. Every one that does so, is a traitor, and must be hanged. [and lie? Son. And must they all be hanged, that swear Son. Who must hang them? L. Macd. Why, the honest men. Son. Then the liars and swearers are fools: for To crown my thoughts with acts, be it thought and there are liars and swearers enough to beat the done: SCENE II.-Fife. A Room in Macduff's Castle. the land? Rosse. You must have patience, madam. He had none: honest men, and hang up them. L. Macd. Now God help thee, poor monkey! But how wilt thou do for a father? Son. If he were dead, you'd weep for him: if you would not, it were a good sign that I should quickly have a new father. If L. Macd. Poor prattler! how thou talk'st. Enter a Messenger. Mess. Bless you, fair dame! I am not to you I doubt, some danger does approach you nearly: His flight was madness: When our actions do not, To do worse to you, were fell cruelty, Our fears do make us traitors. Rosse. You know not, His mansion, and his titles, in a place 279 SCENE 3.] Son. Run away, I pray you. MACBETH. He has killed me, mother: SCENE III.-England. A Room in the King's Enter MALCOLM and MACDuff. What I believe, I'll wail; You may deserve of him through me; and wisdom Macd. I am not treacherous. But Macbeth is. A good and virtuous nature may recoil, Why in that rawness left you wife, and child, Macd. Bleed, bleed, poor country! wrongs, Thy title is affeer'd!-Fare thee well, lord: Mal. Be not offended: I speak not as in absolute fear of you. Maed. What should he be? I grant him bloody, Sudden, malicious, smacking of every sin Macd. In nature is a tyranny; it hath been Mal. With this, there grows, In my most ill-compos'd affection, such Macd. This avarice Mal. But I have none: The king-becoming graces, O Scotland! Scotland! Macd. No, not to live.-O nation miserable, By his own interdiction stands accurs'd, Mal. Macduff, this noble passion, Child of integrity, hath from my soul Wip'd the black scruples, reconcil'd my thoughts To thy good truth and honour. Devilish Macbeth By many of these trains hath sought to win me Into his power; and modest wisdom plucks me From over-credulous haste: But God above Deal between thee and me! for even now I put myself to thy direction, and Unspeak mine own detraction; here abjure myself, The taints and blames I laid am yet For strangers to my nature. Unknown to woman; never was forsworn; Scarcely have coveted what was mine own; At no time broke my faith; would not betray The devil to his fellow; and delight Is thine, and my poor country's, to command: Enter a Doctor. Mal. Well; more anon.-Comes the king forth, I pray you? Doct. Ay, sir: there are a crew of wretched souls, That stay his cure: their malady convinces The great assay of art; but, at his touch, Such sanctity hath heaven given his hand, They presently amend. Mal. I thank you, doctor, [Exit Doctor. Macd. What's the disease he means? Mal. 'Tis call'd the evil: A most miraculous work in this good king; Which often, since my here-remain in England, I have seen him do. How he solicits heaven, Himself best knows: but strangely-visited people, All swoln and ulcerous, pitiful to the eye, The mere despair of surgery, he cures; Hanging a golden stamp about their necks, Put on with holy prayers: and 'tis spoken, To the succeeding royalty he leaves The healing benediction. With this strange virtue, And sundry blessings hang about his throne, Well too. Macd. The tyrant has not batter'd at their peace? Rosse. No; they were well at peace, when I did leave them. Macd. Be not a niggard of your speech; How goes it? [tidings, Rosse. When I came hither to transport the Which I have heavily borne, there ran a rumour Of many worthy fellows that were out; Which was to my belief witness'd the rather, For that I saw the tyrant's power a-foot: Now is the time of help; your eye in Scotland Would create soldiers, make our women fight, To doff their dire distresses. Mal. Be it their comfort, We are coming thither: gracious England hath We Lent us good Siward, and ten thousand men ; Rosse. No mind, that's honest, But in it shares some woe; though the main part Pertains to you alone. Macd. If it be mine, Keep it not from me, quickly let me have it. Rosse. Let not your ears despise my tongue for ever, Which shall possess them with the heaviest sound, Humph! I guess at it. Rosse. Your castle is surpris'd; your wife, and babes, Savagely slaughter'd to relate the manner, Mal. That could be found. Macd. My wife kill'd too? Rosse. Mal. Wife, children, servants, all And I must be from thence! I have said. Be comforted: Let's make us med'cines of our great revenge, To cure this deadly grief. Macd. He has no children.-All my pretty ones? Did you say, all ?-O, hell-kite!--All? What, all my pretty chickens, and their dam, At one fell swoop? Mal. Dispute it like a man. Macd. I shall do so; [on, But I must also feel it as a man: eyes, Mal. Be this the whetstone of your sword: let Convert to anger; blunt not the heart, enrage it. Macd. O, I could play the woman with mine [heaven, And braggart with my tongue! -But, gentle Cut short all intermission; front to front, Bring thou this fiend of Scotland, and myself; Within my sword's length set him; if he 'scape, Heaven forgive him too! Mal. This tune goes manly. Come, go we to the king; our power is ready; Our lack is nothing but our leave: Macbeth Is ripe for shaking, and the powers above Put on their instruments. Receive what cheer you The night is long, that never finds the day. have seen her rise from her bed, throw her nightgown upon her, unlock her closet, take forth paper, fold it, write upon it, read it, afterwards seal it, and again return to bed; yet all this while in a most fast sleep. Doct. A great perturbation in nature! to receive at once the benefit of sleep, and do the effects of watching. In this slumbry agitation, besides her walking, and other actual performances, what, at any time, have you heard her say? Gent. That, sir, which I will not report after her. Doct. You may, to me; and 'tis most meet you should. Gent. Neither to you, nor any one; having no witness to confirm my speech. Enter Lady MACBETH, with a taper. Lo you, here she comes! This is her very guise; and, upon my life, fast asleep. Observe her; stand Doct. How came she by that light? [close. Gent. Why, it stood by her: she has light by her continually; 'tis her command. Doct. You see, her eyes are open. Gent. Ay, but their sense is shut. Doct. What is it she does now? Look, how she rubs her hands. Gent. It is an accustomed action with her, to seem thus washing her hands; I have known her continue in this a quarter of an hour. Lady M. Yet here's a spot. Doct. Hark, she speaks: I will set down what comes from her, to satisfy my remembrance the more strongly. Lady M. Önt, damned spot! out, I say!-One; Two, Why, then 'tis time to do't:- -Hell is murky!-Fy, my lord, fy! a soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account?-Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in Doct. Do you mark that? [him? Lady M. The thane of Fife had a wife; Where is she now?-What, will these hands ne'er be clean?-No more o'that, my lord, no more o'that: you mar all with this starting. [should not. Doct. Go to, go to; you have known what you Gent. She has spoke what she should not, I am sure of that: Heaven knows what she has known. Lady M. Here's the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little band. Oh! oh! oh! [charged. Doct. What a sigh is there! The heart is sorely Gent. I would not have such a heart in my bosom, for the dignity of the whole body. Doct. Well, well, well, Gent. 'Pray God, it be, sir. Doct. This disease is beyond my practice: Yet I have known those which have walked in their sleep, who have died holily in their beds. Lady M. Wash your hands, put on your nightgown; look not so pale:-I tell you yet again, Banquo's buried; he cannot come out of his grave. Doct. Even so? Lady M. To bed, to bed; there's knocking at the gate. Come, come, come, come, give me your hand; What's done, cannot be undone: To bed, to bed, to bed. Doct. Will she go now to bed? [Exit. [deeds Doct. Foul whisperings are abroad: Unnatural Do breed unnatural troubles: Infected minds To their deaf pillows will discharge their secrets. More needs she the divine, than the physician.— God, God, forgive us all! Look after her; Remove from her the means of all annoyance, And still keep eyes upon her :-So, good night: My mind she has mated, and amaz'd my sight: I think, but dare not speak. Gent, Good night, good doctor. [Exeunt. SCENE II.-The Country near Dunsinane. Enter, with drum and colours, MENTETH, CATHNESS, ANGUS, LENOX, and Soldiers. Ment. The English power is near, led on by His uncle Siward, and the good Macduff. brother? Len. For certain, sir, he is not: I have a file Of all the gentry; there is Siward's son, And many unrough youths, that even now Protest their first of manhood. What does the tyrant? Ment. Cath. Great Dunsinane he strongly fortifies: Some say, he's mad; others, that lesser hate him, Do call it valiant fury: but, for certain, He cannot buckle his distemper'd cause Within the belt of rule. Ang. Now does he feel His secret murders sticking on his hands; Now minutely revolts upbraid his faith-breach; Those he commands, move only in command, Nothing in love: now does he feel his title Hang loose about him, like a giant's robe Upon a dwarfish thief. Ment. Cath. Who then shall blame His pester'd senses to recoil, and start, [Exeunt, marching. SCENE III.-Dunsinane. A Room in the Castle. Enter MACBETH, Doctor, and Attendants. The devil damn thee black, thou cream-fac'd loon! Serv. Geese, villain? When I behold-Seyton, I say!-This push Macb. I'll put it on. "Tis not needed yet. Send out more horses, skirr the country round; Hang those that talk of fear.-Give me mine arHow does your patient, doctor? [mour.Doct. Not so sick, my lord, As she is troubled with thick-coming fancies, That keep her from her rest. Macb. Cure her of that: Canst thou not minister to a mind diseas'd; Pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow; Raze out the written troubles of the brain; And, with some sweet oblivious antidote, Cleanse the stuff''d bosom of that perilous stuff, Which weighs upon the heart? Doct. Must minister to himself. Therein the patient Macb. Throw physic to the dogs, I'll none of it. Come, put mine armour on; give me my staff:Seyton, send out.-Doctor, the thanes fly from me: Come, sir, despatch:-If thou could'st, doctor, cast Doct. Ay, my good lord; your royal preparation Makes us hear something. Macb. [Exit. Bring it after me.—— I will not be afraid of death and bane, Till Birnam forest come to Dunsinane. Doct. Were I from Dunsinane away and clear, Profit again should hardly draw me here. [Exit. SCENE IV.-Country near Dunsinane: A Wood in view. Enter, with drum and colours, MALCOLM, old SIWARD and his Son, MACDUFF, MENTETH, CATHNESS, ANGUS, LENOX, ROSSE, and Soldiers, marching. Mal. Cousins, I hope, the days are near at hand, That chambers will be safe. Ment. We doubt it nothing. Siw. What wood is this before us? The wood of Birnam. It shall be done. Sold. Siw. We learn no other, but the confident tyrant, Keeps still in Dunsinane, and will endure Our setting down before't. Mal. "Tis his main hope: For where there is advantage to be given, Both more and less hath given him the revolt; And none serve with him but constrained things, Whose hearts are absent too. Macd. Let our just censures Attend the true event, and put we on Industrious soldiership. Siw. The time approaches, That will with due decision make us know What we shall say we have, and what we owe. Thoughts speculative their unsure hopes relate; But certain issue strokes must arbitrate: Towards which, advance the war. [Exeunt, marching. SCENE V.-Dunsinane. Within the Castle. Enter, with drums and colours, MACBETH, SEYTON, and Soldiers. noise? Macb. Hang out our banners on the outward walls; The cry is still, They come: Our castle's strength Will laugh a siege to scorn: here let them lie, Till famine, and the ague, eat them up: Were they not forc'd with those that should be ours, We might have met them dareful, beard to beard, And beat them backward home. What is that (A cry within, of women.) Sey. It is the cry of women, my good lord. Macb. I have almost forgot the taste of fears: The time has been, my senses would have cool'd To hear a night-shriek; and my fell of hair Would at a dismal treatise rouse, and stir As life were in't: I have supp'd full with horrors; Direness, familiar to my slaught'rous thoughts, Cannot once start me.-Wherefore was that cry? Sey. The queen, my lord, is dead. Macb. She should have died hereafter; There would have been a time for such a word.To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time; The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! And all our yesterdays have lighted fools Life's but a walking shadow; a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more: it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing. (Striking him.) Mess. Let me endure your wrath, if't be not so I say, a moving grove. Within this three mile may you see it coming; Mach. Upon the next tree shalt thou hang alive, To doubt the equivocation of the fiend, And wish the estate o'the world were now undone.- [Exeunt. SCENE VI.-The same. A Plain before the Castle. Enter, with drums and colours, MALCOLM, old SIWARD, MACDUFF, &c. and their Army, with boughs. Mal. Now near enough; your leavy screens throw down, And show like those you are :— -You, worthy uncle, |