Mer. Besides, I will be sworn, these ears of mine Heard you confess, you had the chain of him, After you first forswore it on the mart, And, thereupon I drew my sword on you; And then you fled into this abbey here, From whence, I think, you are come by miracle.

Ant. E. I never came within these abbey walls,

Nor ever didst thou draw thy sword on me;
I never saw the chain, so help me heaven!
And this is false, you burden me withal.

Duke. What an intricate impeach is this!
I think, you all have drank of Circe's cup.
If here you hous'd him, here he would have been :
If he were mad, he would not plead so coldly: -
You say, he dined at home; the goldsmith here
Denies that saying: - Sirrah, what say you?

Dro. E. Sir, he dined with her there, at the Porcupine.

Cour. He did; and from my finger snatch'd that ring.

Ant. E. 'Tis true, my liege, this ring I had of

her.

Duke. Saw'st thou him enter at the abbey here? Cour. As sure, my liege, as I do see your grace. Duke. Why, this is strange: - Go call the abbess hither;

I think, you are all mated, or stark mad.

[Erit an Attendant.

Æge. Most mighty duke, vouchsafe me speak a word, Haply, I see a friend will save my life, And pay the sum that may deliver me.

Duke. Speak freely, Syracusan, what thou wilt. Ege. Is not your name, sir, call'd Antipholus? And is not that your bondman Dromio?

Dro. E. Within this hour, I was his bondman, sir,

it he, I thank him, gnaw'd in two my cords : Now am I Dromio, and his man, unbound.

Æge. I am sure, you both of you remember me. Dro. E. Ourselves we do remember, sir, by you; For lately we were bound, as you are now. You are not Pinch's patient, are you, sir?

Æge. Why look you strange on me? you know me well.

Ant. E. I never saw you in my life, till now. Æge. Oh! grief hath chang'd me, since you saw me last;

And careful hours, with Time's deformed hand,
Have written strange defeatures in my face:

But tell me yet, dost thou not know my voice?

Ant. E. Neither.

Dro. E. No, trust me, sir, nor I. Æge.

I am sure, thou dost.

Dro. E. Ay, sir? but I am sure, I do not; and whatsoever a man denies, you are now bound to believe him.

Æge. Not know my voice! O, time's extremity! Hast thou so crack'd and splitted my poor tongue, In seven short years, that here my only son Knows not my feeble key of untun'd cares? Though now this grained face of mine be hid In sap-consuming winter's drizzled snow, And all the conduits of my blood froze up; Yet hath my night of life some memory, My wasting lamps some fading glimmer left, My dull deaf ears a little use to hear: All these old witnesses (I cannot err,) Tell me, thou art my son Antipholus.

Abb. Whoever bound him, I will loose his bonds, And gain a husband by his liberty : Speak, old Ægeon, if thou be'st the man That had'st a wife once called Æmilia, That bore thee at a burden two fair sons: O, if thou be'st the same Ægeon, speak, And speak unto the same Æmilia!

Æge. If I dream not, thou art Æmilia;
If thou art she, tell me, where is that son
That floated with thee on the fatal raft?

Abb. By men of Epidamnum, he, and I,
And the twin Dromio, all were taken up:
But, by and by, rude fishermen of Corinth
By force took Dromio, and my son from them,
And me they left with those of Epidamnum:
What then became of them, I cannot tell;
I, to this fortune that you see me in.

Duke. Why, here begins his morning story right
These two Antipholus's, these two so like,
And these two Dromio's, one in semblance, -
Besides her urging of her wreck at sea,
These are the parents to these children,
Which accidentally are met together.
Antipholus, thou cam'st from Corinth first.

Ant. S. I think it be, sir; I deny it not.
Ant. E. And you, sir, for this chain arrested me.
Ang. I think I did, sir; I deny it not.
Adr. I sent you money, sir, to be your bail.

By Dromio; but I think he brought it not.
Dro. E. No, none by me.

Ant. S. This purse of ducats I receiv'd from you,

And Dromio my man did bring them me :
I see, we still did meet each other's man,
And I was ta'en for him, and he for me,
And thereupon these Errors are arose.

Ant. E. These ducats pawn I for my father here.
Duke. It shall not need, thy father hath his life.
Cour. Sir, I must have that diamond from you.
Ant. E. There, take it; and much thanks for

my good cheer.

Abb. Renowned duke, vouchsafe to take the pains,
To go with us into the abbey here,
And hear at large discoursed all our fortunes :
And all that are assembled in this place,
That by this sympathized one day's error
Have suffer'd wrong, go, keep us company,
And we shall make full satisfaction.

Twenty-five years have I but gone in travail
Of you, my sons; nor, till this present hour,
My heavy burdens are delivered : -
The duke, my husband, and my children both,
And you the calendars of their nativity,
Go to a gossip's feast, and go with me;
After so long grief, such nativity!

then, lead thou first.

Dro. E. Nay, then thus:

We came into the world like brother and brother : And now let's go hand in hand, not one before [Exeunt

English forces.

Young SIWARD, his son.
SEYTON, an officer attending on Macbeth.
Son to Macduff.

An English Doctor. A Scotch Doctor.
A Soldier. A Porter. An old Man.

Lady MACBETH.

Lady MACDUFF.

Gentlewoman attending on Lady Macbeth.

HECATE, and three Witches.

Lords, Gentlemen, Officers, Soldiers, Murderers, Attendants, and Messengers.

The Ghost of Banquo, and several other Apparitions.

SCENE I. - An open Place. Thunder and

Lightning.

Enter three Witches.

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.

Sol.

Doubtfully it stood;
As two spent swimmers, that do cling together,
And choke their art. The merciless Macdonwald

(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,
Show'd like a rebel's whore: But all's too weak:
For brave Macbeth, (well he deserves that name,)
Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel,
Which smok'd with bloody execution,
Like valour's minion,

Carv'd out his passage, till he fac'd the slave;
And ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,
Till he unseam'd him from the nave to the chaps,
And fix'd his head upon our battlements.

Dun. O, valiant cousin! worthy gentleman! Sold. As whence the sun 'gins his reflexion Shipwrecking storms and direful thunders break; So from that spring, whence comfort seem'd to come, Discomfort swells. Mark, king of Scotland, mark: No sooner justice had, with valour arm'd,

The worthy thane of Rosse.

S Witch. And I another.

1 Witch. I myself have all the other;

And the very ports they blow,
All the quarters that they know
I'the shipman's card.

I will drain him dry as hay:
Sleep shall, neither night nor day,
Hang upon his pent-house lid;
He shall live a man forbid :
Weary sev'n-nights, nine times nine,
Shall he dwindle, peak, and pine:
Though his bark cannot be lost,
Yet it shall be tempest-toss'd.
Look what I have.

2 Witch. Show me, show me.

1 Witch. Here I have a pilot's thumb,

Wreck'd, as homeward he did come. [Drum within. 3 Witch. A drum, a drum :

Macbeth doth come.

All. The weird sisters, hand in hand, Posters of the sea and land, Thus do go about, about; Thrice to thine, and thrice to mine, And thrice again, to make up nine:

God save the king!

Dun. Whence cam'st thou, worthy thane?

Rosse.

From Fife, great king,

Where the Norweyan banners flout the sky,
And fan our people cold.

Norway himself, with terrible numbers,
Assisted by that most disloyal traitor

The thane of Cawdor, 'gan a dismal conflict:
Till that Bellona's bridegroom, lapp'd in proof,
Confronted him with self-comparisons,

Point against point rebellious, arm 'gainst arm,
Curbing his lavish spirit: And, to conclude,

The victory fell on us; -
Dun.

Rosse. That now

Great happiness!

Sweno, the Norways' king, craves composition;

Nor would we deign him burial of his men,

Till he disbursed, at Saint Colmes' inch,

Ten thousand dollars to our general use.

Dun. No more that thane of Cawdor shall de ceive

Our bosom interest: - Go, pronounce his death, And with his former title greet Macbeth.

Rosse. I'll see it done.

Dun. What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won.

[Exeunt.

SCENE III. - A Heath. Thunder.

Enter the three Witches.

1 Witch. Where hast thou been, sister?

Enter MACBETH and BANQUO.

Macb. So foul and fair a day I have not seen. Ban. How far is't call'd to Fores? What are

these,

So wither'd, and so wild in their attire;
That look not like the inhabitants o'the earth,
And yet are on't? Live you? or are you aught

That man may question? You seem to understand

me,

By each at once her choppy finger laying
Upon her skinny lips: - You should be women,
And yet your beards forbid me to interpret
That you are so.

Macb. Speak, if you can; - What are you? 1 Witch. All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane

of Glamis!

2 Witch. All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!

3 Witch. All hail, Macbeth! that shalt be king

hereafter.

Ban. Good sir, why do you start; and scem to

fear

Things that do sound so fair?--I'the name of truth,
Are ye fantastical, or that indeed
Which outwardly ye show? My noble partner
You greet with present grace, and great prediction
Of noble having, and of royal hope,

That he seems rapt withal; to me you speak not:
If you can look into the seeds of time,

And say, which grain will grow, and which will not; Speak then to me, who neither beg, nor fear,

Your favours, nor your hate.

1 Witch. Hail!

2 Witch. Hail!

none:

So all hail, Macheth and Banquo!

1 Witch. Banquo, and Macbeth, all hail!

Macb. Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me

more:

By Sinel's death, I know, I am thane of Glamis;

Y

Rosse. The king hath happily receiv'd, Macbeth, The news of thy success and when he reads Thy personal venture in the rebels' fight, His wonders and his praises do contend, Which should be thine, or his: Silenc'd with that, In viewing o'er the rest o'the self-same day, He finds thee in the stout Norweyan ranks, Nothing afeard of what thyself didst make, Strange images of death. As thick as stale, Came post with post; and every one did bear Thy praises in his kingdom's great defence, And pour'd them down before him.

Of the imperial theme. - I thank you, gentlemen.-
This supernatural soliciting

Cannot be ill; cannot be good: - If ill,
Why hath it given me carnest of success,
Commencing in a truth? I am thane of Cawdor:
If good, why do I yield to that suggestion
Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair,
And make my seated heart knock at my ribs,
Against the use of nature? Present fears
Are less than horrible imaginings:
My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical,
Shakes so my single state of man, that function
Is smother'd in surmise; and nothing is,
But what is not.

Ban.

Look, how our partner's rapt.

Macb. If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me,

Without my stir.

Ban.

New honour's come upon him Like our strange garments; cleave not to their mould,

But with the aid of use. Macb.

Come what come may; Time and the hour runs through the roughest day. Ban. Worthy Macbeth, we stay upon your leisure.

Macb. Give me your favour: - my dull brain was wrought With things forgotten. pains

Kind gentlemen, your

Are register'd where every day I turn

The leaf to read them. - Let us toward the king.

Think upon what hath chane'd; and, at more time,

The interim having weigh'd it, let us speak

Our free hearts each to other.

Ban.

Mach. Till then, enough,

Very gladly.

Coine, friends.

[Exeunt.

SCENE IV. - Fores. A Room in the Palace.

Flourish. Enter DUNCAN, MALCOLM, DONALBAIN LENOX, and Attendants.

Dun. Is execution done on Cawdor? Are not

Those in commission yet return'd?

Mal.

My liege, They are not yet come back. But I have spoke With one that saw him die: 'who did report. That very frankly he confess'd his treasons; Implor'd your highness' pardon; and set forth A deep repentance: nothing in his life Became him, like the leaving it; he died As one that had been studied in his death, To throw away the dearest thing he ow'd, 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 desers'd;
That the proportion both of thanks and payment
Might have been mine! only I nave left to say,
More is thy due than more than all can pay.
Mach. The service and the loyalty I owe,
In doing it, pays itself. Your highness' part