τοις καὶ πετοκέες απελε ένας, και πάσι γοητείας ήκων mmediately arrive at its me increasing upon us, the g er in the twilight. late arkable trial of the wine ill commemorated in a 1 the reign of King James: nany circumstances conc n. The King, who we before his arrival in Fac woman accused of witches it of the practices and casin ches, the ceremonies i n, and the justice of p rmonologie, written ini dinburgh. This book wa London; and as the flatter his speculations ely adopted by all who t to lose it. Thus the dix y inculcated; and as reason for their o be doubted but this per anity and credulity reached the parliament. ade a law, by which on shall use any Spirit; 2. or shall c i or reward anvel ; 3. or take up rave, or the s employed or used or enchantment: lled, wasted, com dy; 6. That every such person being convicted shall suffer death." This law was re pealed in our own time. Thus, in the time of Shakspeare, was the doctrine of witchcraft at once established by law and by the fashion, and it became not only unpolite, but criminal, to doubt it; and as prodigies are always seen in proportion as they are expected, witches were every day discovered, and multiplied so fast in some places, that Bishop Hall mentions a village in Lancashire where their number was greater than that of the houses. The jesuits and sectaries took advantage of this universal error, and endeavoured to promote the interest of their parties by pretended cures of persons afflicted by evil spirits; but they were detected and exposed by the clergy of the established church. Upon this general infatuation Shakspeare might be easily allowed to found a play, especially since he has followed with great exactness such histories as were then thought true; nor can it be doubted that the scenes of enchantment, however they may now be ridiculed, were both by himself and his audience thought awful and affecting. JOHNSON. I In the concluding paragraph of Dr. Johnson's admirable introduction to this play, he seems apprehensive that the fame of Shakspeare's magic may be endangered by modern ridicule. shall not hesitate, however, to predict its security, till our national taste is wholly corrupted, and we no longer deserve the first of all dramatic enjoyments; for such, in my opinion at least, is the tragedy of Macbeth. STEEVENS. This tragedy was written, I believe, in the year 1606. MALONE. ! 1 Fleance, Son to Banquo. Siward, Earl of Northumberland, General o Lords, Gentlemen, Officers, Soldiers, Murderer The Ghost of Banquo, and several other Apparition SCENE, in the End of the fourth Act, lies England; through the rest of the Play, in Sco land; and, chiefly, at Macbeth's Castle. VS REPRESENTED. МАСВЕΤΗ. cotland: . Is of the King's Army. of Scotland. Imberland, General of on Macbeth. ch Doctor. d Man. Macbeth. diers, Murderers, ngers. Other Apparitions h Act, lies in Play, in ScotCastle. 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, When the battle's lost and won: 3 Witch. That will be ere set of sun. 1 Witch. Where the place? 2 Witch. Upon the heath: 3 Witch. There to meet with Macbeth. 1 Witch. I come, Graymalkin!' All. Paddock calls: - Anon. Fair is foul, and foul is fair:* 1 [Witches vanish. - Graymalkin!] To understand this passage, we should suppose one familiar calling with the voice of a cat, and another with the croaking of a toad, which in the north is called paddock. * Fair is foul, and foul is fair:] I believe the meaning is, that to us, perverse and malignant as we are, fair is foul, and foul is fair. JOHNSON. SCENE II. A Camp near Fores. Alarum within. Enter King DUNCAN, M DONALBAIN, LENOX, with Attendants, a bleeding Soldier. Dun. What bloody man is that? He can As seemeth by his plight, of the revolt The newest state. Mal. This is the sergeant, Who, like a good and hardy soldier, fought 'Gainst my captivity:-Hail, brave friend! Say to the king the knowledge of the broil, As thou didst leave it. Sold. Doubtfully it stood; As two spent swimmers, that do cling togeth And choke their art. The merciless Macdor (Worthy to be a rebel; for, to that, The multiplying villainies of nature Do swarm upon him,) from the western isles Of Kernes and Gallowglasses is supplied;* And fortune, on his damned quarrel smiling, 3- to that, &c.] i. e. in addition to that. + Of Kernes and Gallowglasses is supplied;] Kernes and glasses are light and heavy armed foot, "Hinc conjecturæ v etiam adjiciunt arma quædam Hibernica, Gallicis antiquis jacula nimirum peditum levis armaturæ quos Kernos vocar non secures & loricæ ferreæ peditum illorum gravioris arn quos Galloglassios appellant." Waræi Antiq. Hiber. cap. vi And fortune, on his damned quarrel - Quarrel was for used for cause, or for the occasion of a quarrel, and is to be in that sense in Holinshed's account of the story of Macbeth, upon the creation of the Prince of Cumberland, thought the historian, that he had a just quarrel to endeavour afte crown. The sense therefore is, Fortune smiling on his exec cause, &c. JOHNSON. to that. plied;] Kernes and Gl Hinc conjecture vige a, Gallicis antiquis quos Kernos vocant, orum gravioris amaz tiq. Hiber, cap. vi. - Quarrel was formed rel, and is to be found tory of Macbeth, who s Show'd like a rebel's whore: But all's too weak: Carv'd out his passage, till he fac'd the slave; Dun. O, valiant cousin! worthy gentleman! come, Discomfort swells. Mark, king of Scotland, mark: Dun. Dismay'd not this Our captains, Macbeth and Banquo? Yes; As sparrows, eagles; or the hare, the lion. Doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe: berland, thought, endeavour after the ling on his execrable • As whence the sun 'gins his reflexion-] The thought is expressed with some obscurity, but the plain meaning is this: As the same quarter, whence the blessing of day-light arises, sometimes sends us, by a dreadful reverse, the calamities of storms and tempests; so the glorious event of Macbeth's victory, which promised us the comforts of peace, was immediately succeeded by the alarming news of the Norweyan invasion. |