Became him, like the leaving it: he died
As one that had been studied in his death,
To throw away the dearest thing he owed,
As 'twere a careless trifle.

Dun. There's no art,

To find the mind's construction in the face:
He was a gentleman on whom I built
An absolute trust.-O worthiest cousin!

Enter MACBETH, BANQUO, ROSSE, and ANGUS. The sin of my ingratitude even now

Was heavy on me: thou art so far before,
That swiftest wing of recompense is slow
To overtake thee. 'Would thou hadst less

served;

That the proportion both of thanks and payment Might have been mine! Only I have left to say, More is thy due than more than all can pay.

Macb. The service and the loyalty I owe, In doing it, pays itself. Your highness' part Is to receive our duties and our duties.

de

Are to your throne and state, children, and servants; Which do but what they should, by doing every thing

Safe toward your love and honour.

Dun. Welcome hither:

I have begun to plant thee, and will labour
To make thee full of growing t.-Noble Banquo,
That hast no less deserved, nor must be known,
No less to have done so, let me infold thee,!
And hold thee to my heart.

Ban. There if I grow,
he harvest is your own.
Dun. My plenteous joys,

Wanton in fulness, seek to hide themselves
In drops of sorrow.-Sons, kinsmen, thanes,
And you whose places are the nearest, know,
We will establish our estate upon

Our eldest, Malcolm; whom we name hereafter,
The prince of Cumberland: which honour must
Not, unaccompanied, invest him only,
But signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine
On all deservers.-From hence to Inverness,
And bind us further to you.

Macb. The rest labour, which is not used for you:

We cannot construe the disposition of the mind by the lineaments of the face.

+ Exuberant.

I'll be myself the harbinger, and make joyful
The hearing of my wife with your approach;
So, humbly take my leave.

Dun. My worthy Cawdor!

Macb. The prince of Cumberland!-That is a step,
On which I must fall down, or else o'er-leap, [Aside.
For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires!
Let not light see my black and deep desires:
The eye wink at the hand! Yet let that be,
Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see, [Exit.
Dun. True, worthy Banquo; he is full so valiant*;
And in his commendations I am fed ;

It is a banquet to me. Let us after him,
Whose care is gone before to bid us welcome:
It is a peerless kinsman. [Flourish.-Exeunt.

SCENE V-Inverness.-A Room in MACBETH'S

Castle.

Enter Lady MACBETH, reading a Letter.

Lady M.-They met me in the day of success; and I have learned by the perfectest report, they have more in them than mortal knowledge. When I burned in desire to question them further, they made themselves-air, into which they vanished. Whiles I stood rapt in the wonder of it, came missives from the king, who all-hail'd me, Thane of Cawdor; by which title, before, these weird sisters saluted me, and referred me to the coming on of time, with, Hail, king that shalt be! This have I thought good to deliver thee, my dearest partner of greatness; that thou might'st not lose the dues of rejoicing, by being ignorant of what greatness is promised thee. Lay it to thy heart, and farewell.

Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be

What thou art promised:-Yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o' the milk of human kindness,

To catch the nearest way: thou wouldst be great;" Art not without ambition; but without

The illness should attend it. What thou wouldst

highly,

That wouldst thou bodily; wouldst not play false, And yet wouldst wrongly win: thou'dst have great Glamis,

That which cries, Thus thou must do, if thou have it;
And that which rather thou dost fear to do,

Full as valiant as described.
The best intelligence.

Messengers.

Than wishest should be undone. Hie thee hither,
That I may pour my spirits in thine ear;
And chastise with the valour of my tongue
All that impedes thee from the golden round*,
Which fate and metaphysicalt aid doth seem
To have thee crown'd withal.-What is your tidings?
Enter an ATTENDANT.

Atten. The king comes here to-night.
Lady M. Thou'rt mad to say it:

Is not thy master with him? who, wer❜t so,
Would have inform'd for preparation.

Atten. So please you, it is true; our thane is coming:

One of my fellows had the speed of him;

Who, almost dead for breath, had scarcely more Than would make up his message.

Lady M. Give him tending,

He brings great news. The raven himself is hoarse,
[Exit Attendant.
That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan
Under my battlements. Come, come, you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here;
And fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full
Of direst cruelty! Make thick my blood,
Stop up the access and passage to remorse §;
That no compunctious visitings of nature

Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
The effect, and it! Come to my woman's breasts,
And take my milk for gall, you murd'ring ministers,
Wherever in your sightless substances

You wait on nature's mischief! Come, thick night,
And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell!
That my keen knife ¶ see not the wound it makes;
Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark,
To cry, Hold, hold!-Great Glamis! Worthy Cawdor!

Enter MACBETH.""

Greater than both, by the all-hail hereafter !
Thy letters have transported me beyond
This ignorant present, and I feel now

The future in the instant.

Diadem.

Murderous.

Wrap as in a mantle.

+ Supernatural.

Pity.

Knife anciently meant a sword or dagger.

* i. e. Beyond the present time, which is, according to the process of nature, ignorant of the future.

Macb. My dearest love,

Duncan comes here to-night.

Lady M. And when goes hence?

Macb. To-morrow,-as he purposes.
Lady M. O, never

Shall sun that morrow see!

Your face, my thane, is as a book, where men
May read strange matters:-To beguile the time,
Look like the time; bear welcome in your eye,
Your hand, your tongue: look like the innocent
flower,

But be the serpent under it. He that's coming
Must be provided for: and you shall put

This night's great business into my despatch;
Which shall to all our nights and days to come
Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom.
Macb. We will speak further.
Lady M. Only look up clear;

To alter favour ever is to fear:
Leave all the rest to me.

[Exeunt.

SCENE VI.-The same.-Before the Castle.

Hautboys.-Servants of MACBETH attending.

Enter DUNCAN, MALCOLM, DONALBAIN, BANQUO,
LENOX, MACDUFF, ROSSE, ANGUS, and Attendants.
Dun. This castle hath a pleasant seat; the air.
Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself
Unto our gentle senses.

Ban. This guest of summer,

The temple-haunting martlet, does approve,
By his loved mansionry, that the heaven's breath,
Smells wooingly here: no jutty, frieze, buttress,
Nor coigne of 'vantage, but this bird hath made
His pendent bed, and procreant cradle: where
they

Most breed and haunt, I have observed, the air
Is delicate.

Enter Lady MACBETH.

Dun. See, see! our honour'd hostess!

The love that follows us, sometime is our trouble, Which still we thank as love. Herein I teach you, How you shall bid God yield + us for your pains, And thank us for your trouble.

Lady M. All our service

* Convenient corner.

+ Reward.

In every point twice done, and then done double,
Were poor and single business, to contend
Against those honours deep and broad, wherewith
Your majesty loads our house: for those of old,
And the late dignities heap'd up to them,

We rest your hermits..

Dun. Where's the thane of Cawdor?

We coursed him at the heels, and had a purpose
To be his purveyor: but he rides well;

And his great love, sharp as his spur, hath holp

him

To his home before us: fair and noble hostess,
We are your guest to-night.

Lady M. Your servants ever

Have theirs, themselves, and what is theirs, in compt +,

To make their audit at your highness' pleasure,
Still to return your own.

Dun. Give me your hand:

Conduct me to mine host; we love him highly,
And shall continue our graces towards him.
By your leave, hostess.

[Exeunt.

SCENE VII.-The same.-A Room in the Castle.

Hautboys and Torches.-Enter, and pass over the Stage, a Sewert, and divers Servants with Dishes and Service.-Then enter MACBETH.

Macb. If it were done, when 'tis done, then 'twere well

It were done quickly: if the assassination
Could trammel up the consequence, and catch,
With his surcease, success; that but this blow
Might be the be-all and the end-all here,
But here, upon this bank and shoal of time,-
We'd jump the life to come.-But, in these cases,"
We still have judgment here; that we but teach
Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return
To plague the inventor: this even-handed justice
Commends the ingredients of our poison'd chalice
To our own lips. He's here in double trust:
First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,
Strong both against the deed; then, as his host,
Who should against his murderer shut the door,

i. e. We as hermits shall ever pray for you.' + Subject to accompt.

An officer so called from his placing the dishes on the table.