But what is not.

Ban. Look how our partner's rapt!

Macb, If chance will have ane king, why, chance

may crown me,

Without my flir.

Ban, New honours come upon him,

Like our ftrange garments, cleave not to their mould, But with the aid of use.

Mach. Come what come may,

Time and the hour runs through the roughest day. Ban. Worthy Macbeth, we stay upon your leifure. Mach. Give me your favour-my dull brain was wrought

With things forgotten. Kind gentlemen, your pains
Are register'd where every day I turn

The leaf to read them.-Let us toward the king.-
Think upon what hath chanc'd; and, at more time,
The interim having weigh'd it, let us fpeak
Our free hearts each to other.

Ban. Very gladly.

Macb. Till then, enough--Come, friends.

SCENE IV. Flourish.

[Exeunt.

Enter KING, MALCOLM, DONALBAIN, LENOX, and

Attendants.

King. Is execution done on Cawdor? Are not Thofe in commiffion yet return'd?

Mal. My liege

They are not yet come back. But I have spoke
With one that faw him die; who did report,
That very frankly he confefs'd his treafons;
Implor'd your highnefs' pardon; and set forth
A deep repentance; nothing in his life

Beca

Became him like the leaving it; he dy'd
As one that had been ftudied in his death,
To throw away the dearest thing he ow'd,
As 'twere a careless trifle.

King. There's no art

To find the mind's conftruction in the face :
He was a gentleman on whom I built
An abfolute truft.-O worthieft coufin !

Enter MACBETH, BANQUO, ROSSE, and ANGUS. The fin of my ingratitude ev'n now

Was heavy on me: Thou art fo far before,
That swifteft wing of recompence is flow

To overtake thee. 'Would thou hadft lefs deferv'd;
That the proportion both of thanks and payment
Might have been mine! only I've left to fay,
More is thy due than more than all can pay.
Macb. The fervice and the loyalty I owe,
In doing it, pays itfelf. Your highness' part
Is to receive our duties: and our duties

Are to your throne and state, children, and fervants;
Which do but what they should, by doing ev'ry thing
Safe toward your love and honour.

King. Welcome hither:

I have begun to plant thee, and will labour
To make thee full of growing.-Noble Banquo,
That haft no lefs deferv'd, nor must be known
No lefs to have done fo, let me enfold thee,
And hold thee to my heart.

Ban. There if I grow,
The harvest is your own.

King. My plenteous joys,

Wanton in fulness, seek to hide themselves
In drops of forrow.-Sons, kinfmen, thanes,

And

And you whofe places are the nearest, know,
We will establish our eftate upon

Our eldest, Malcolm; whom we name hereafter,
The prince of Cumberland: which honour muit
Not, unaccompanied, inveft him only;

But figns of nobleness, like ftar's, fhall fhine
On all defervers-From hence to Inverness,
And bind us further to you.

Macb. The reft is labour, which is not us'd for you: I'll be myfelf the harbinger, and make joyful The hearing of my wife with your approach; So, humbly take my leave.

King. My worthy Cawdor!

Macb. The prince of Cumberland!-That is a step On which I must fall down, or elfe o'erleap, Afide. For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires! Let not light fee my black and deep defires: The eye wink at the hand! yet let that be, Which the eye fears, when it is done, to fee. [Exit. King. True, worthy Banquo; he is full fo valiant; And, in his commendations I am fed;

It is a banquet to me.

Let us after him,

Whofe care is gone before to bid us welcome:

It is a peerless kinfman.

[Flourish. Exeunt.

SCENE V.

Enter LADY MACBETH, with a letter.

66

Lady. They met me in the day of fuccefs; "and i have learned by the perfe&teft report, they "have more in them than mortal knowledge. When "I burnt in defire toquestion them further, they made “themselves—air, into which they vanished. Whiles "I ftood rapt in the wonder of it, came miffives from B

"the

"the king, who all-hail'd me, thane of Cawdor; by "which title, before thefe weird fifters faluted me, "and referred me to the coming on of time, with, "Hail, king that halt be! This have I thought "good to deliver thee, my deareft partner of great"nefs; that thou might'it not lose the dues of rejoicing, by being ignorant of what greatnefs is pro"mifed thee. Lay it to thy heart, and farewel."

66

Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be
What thou art promis'd:-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 fhould attend it. What thou wouldst highly, That wouldst thou holily; wouldft not play false, And yet wouldft wrongly win: thou'dft have, great

Glamis,

'That which cries, Thus thou must do, if thou have it;
And that which rather thou dost fear to do,
Than wifheft should be undone. Hie thee hither,
That I may pour my fpirits in thine ear,
And chaflife with the valour of my tongue
All that impedes thee from the golden round
Which fate and metaphyfical aid doth feem
To have thee crown'd withal.

Enter Mejenger.

-What is your tidings?

--

Mef. The king comes here to-night.
Lady. Thou'rt mad to fay it.

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

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

One

One of my fellows had the fpeed of him;

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

Lady. Give him tending,

He brings great news.

The raven himself is hoarfe,

[Exit Melenger. That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan Under my battlements. Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unfex me here, And fill me, from the crown to th' toe, top-full Of direft cruelty! make thick my blood; Stop up th' accefs and paffage to remorse; That no compunctious vifitings of nature Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between The effect and it! Come to my woman's breafts, And take my milk for gall, you murd'ring minifters, Wherever, in your fightless fubftances,

You wait on nature's mifchief! Come, thick night, And pall thee in the dunneft smoke of hell!

That

my

keen knife fee 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 tranfported me beyond
This ignorant present time, and I feel now
The future in the inftant.

Macb. My dearest love,

Duncan comes here to-night.

Lady. And when goes hence?

Macb. To-morrow, as he purposes.

Lady. Oh, never

B 2

Shall