I will advise you where to plant yourselves.
Acquaint you with the perfect spy o'the time,
The moment on't'; for't must be done to-night,
And something from the palace; always thought,
That I require a clearness: And with him
(To leave no rubs, nor botches, in the work,)
Fleance his son, that keeps him company,
Whose absence is no less material to me
Than is his father's, must embrace the fate
Of that dark hour. Resolve yourselves apart ;

I'll come to you anon.

2 Mur.

We are resolv'd, my lord.

Mach. I'll call upon you straight; abide within.
It is concluded:- Banquo, thy soul's flight,
If it find heaven, must find it out to night.

SCENE II.

The same. Another Room.

Enter Lady MACBETH and a Servant.

Lady M. Is Banquo gone from court?
Serv. Ay, madam, but returns again to-night.

[Exeunt.

Lady M. Say to the king, I would attend his leisure

Acquaint you with the perfect spy o'the time.

The moment on't;] i. e. in ancient language, "acquaint yourselves" with the exact time most favourable to your purposes; for such a moment must be spied out by you, be selected by your own attention and scrupulous observation. You is ungrammatically employed, instead of yourselves.

8

- always thought,

That I require a clearness :] i. e. you must manage matters so, that throughout the whole transaction I may stand clear of suspicion.

'Tis safer to be that which we destroy, Than by destruction, dwell in doubtful joy.

Enter MACВЕТН.

How now, my lord? why do you keep alone,
Of sorriest fancies your companions making?
Using those thoughts, which should indeed have died
With them they think on? Things without remedy†,
Should be without regard: what's done, is done.

Mach. We have scotch'd' the snake, not kill'd it ;
She'll close, and be herself; whilst our poor malice
Remains in danger of her former tooth.
But let

The frame of things disjoint, both the worlds suffer†,
Ere we will eat our meal in fear, and sleep

In the affliction of these terrible dreams,
That shake us nightly: Better be with the dead,
Whom we, to gain our place, have sent to peace,
Than on the torture of the mind to lie
In restless ecstasy2. Duncan is in his grave;
After life's fitful fever, he sleeps well;
Treason has done his worst: nor steel, nor poison,
Malice domestick, foreign levy, nothing,
Can touch him further!

Lady M. Come on ;

Gentle my lord, sleek o'er your rugged looks ;
Be bright and jovial 'mong your guests to-night.

Macb. So shall I, love; and so, I pray, be you :
Let your remembrance apply to Banquo;
Present him eminence, both with eye and tongue :

9

sorriest fancies -] i. e. worthless, ignoble, vile.

+ " without all remedy," - MALONE.

- scotch'd-] i. e. cut slightly.

‡ "But let the frame of things disjoint,

Unsafe the while, that we +

Must lave our honours in these flattering streams ;

And make our faces vizards to our hearts,

Disguising what they are.

Lady M.

You must leave this.

Macb. O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife ! Thou know'st that Banquo, and his Fleance, lives. Lady M. But in them nature's copy's not eterne “. Mach. There's comfort yet; they are assailable; Then be thou jocund: Ere the bat hath flown His cloister'd flight; ere, to black Hecate's summons, The shard-borne beetle', with his drowsy hums, Hath rung night's yawning peal, there shall be done

A deed of dreadful note.

Lady M.

What's to be done ?

Macb. Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, Till thou applaud the deed. Come, seeling night,

Skarf up the tender eye of pitiful day;

And, with thy bloody and invisible hand,

Cancel, and tear to pieces, that great bond

Which keeps me pale!-Light thickens; and the crow

Makes wing to the rooky wood:

Good things of day begin to droop and drowse;
Whiles night's black agents to their prey do rouse †.
Thou marvell'st at my words: but hold thee still ;
Things, bad begun, make strong themselves by ill :
So pr'ythee, go with me.

+

4

"unsafe the while, that we

Must lave," &c.-MALONE.

[Exeunt.

- nature's copy's not eterne.] The copy, the lease by which they hold their lives from nature, has its time of termination limited. JOHNSON.

The shard-borne beetle,] The shard-borne beetle is the beetle borne along the air by its shards or scaly wings.

6

--- Come, seeling night,] Seeling, i. e. blinding. It is a term SCENE III.

The same. A Park or Lawn, with a Gate leading to the

Palace.

Enter three Murderers.

1 Mur. But who did bid thee join with us?

3 Mur.

Macbeth.

2 Mur. He needs not our mistrust; since he delivers

Our offices, and what we have to do,

To the direction just.

1 Mur.

Then stand with us.

The west yet glimmers, with some streaks of day :

Now spurs the lated traveller apace,

To gain the timely inn; and near approaches

The subject of our watch.

3 Mur. Hark! I hear horses.

Ban. [within.] Give us a light there, ho! 2 Mur.

Then it is he; the rest

That are within the note of expectation,
Already are i'the court.

1 Mur.

His horses go about.

3 Mur. Almost a mile; but he does usually, So all men do, from hence to the palace gate Make it their walk.

7

8

Enter BANQUO and FLEANCE, a Servant with a torch

lated-] i. e. belated, benighted.

'Tis he.

the note of expectation,] i. e. they who are set down in the

Ban. It will be rain to-night.

1 Mur.

Let it come down.

[Assaults BANQUO.

Ban. O, treachery! Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly;

Thou may'st revenge. O slave !

[Dies. FLEANCE and Servant escapes.

3 Mur. Who did strike out the light?

1 Mur.

Was't not the way?

3 Mur. There's but one down; the son is fled.

2 Mur. We have lost best half of our affair.

1 Mur. Well, let's away, and say how much is done.

SCENE IV.

A Room of State in the Palace.

[Exeunt.

A Banquet prepared. Enter MACBETH, Lady MAСВЕТН, ROSSE, LENOX, Lords, and Attendants.

Mach. You know your own degrees, sit down: at first

And last, the hearty welcome.

Lords.

Thanks to your majesty.

Mach. Ourself will mingle with society,

And play the humble host.

Our hostess keeps her state'; but, in best time,

We will require her welcome.

• Fleance, &c. escape.] Fleance, after the assassination of his father, fled into Wales, where, by the daughter of the prince of that country, he had a son named Walter, who afterwards became Lord High Steward of Scotland, and from thence assumed the name of Walter Steward. From him, in a direct line King James I. was descended; in compliment to whom our author has chosen to describe Banquo, who was equally concerned with Macbeth in the murder of Duncan, as innocent of that crime.

9 Was't not the way?] i. e. the best means we could take to evade discovery; or, perhaps, to effect our purpose.

Our hostess keeps her state; &c.] i. e. continues in her chair of

state at the head of the table.

VOL. IV.

K