SCENE changes to the Palace at Foris. Enter King, Malcolm, Donalbain, Lenox, with Attendants, meeting a bleeding Captain. King WH 'Hat bloody man is that? he can report, As feemeth by his plight, of the revolt The newest state. Mal. This is the ferjeant, Who like a good and hardy foldier fought Cap. Doubtful long it flood: As two spent fwimmers that do cling together, Do fwarm upon him) from the western ifles Who ne'er fhook hands nor bid farewel to him, King. Oh, valiant Coufin! worthy gentleman! Dif 1) So from that Spring, whence Comfort feem'd to come, Difcomfort fwell' d.] I have not disturbed the Text here, as the Senfe does not abfolutely require it; tho' Dr. Thirlby prefcribes a very ingenious and eafy Correction: Discomfort fwell'd. Mark, King of Scotland, mark; Compell'd these skipping Kernes to truft their heels; With furbisht arms and new fupplies of men King. Difmay'd not this Our captains, Macbeth and Banquo? As fparrows, eagles; or the hare, the lion. As cannons overcharg'd; with double cracks, (2) I cannot tell But I am faint, my gafhes cry for help. King. So well thy words become thee, as thy wounds: They fmack of honour both. Go, get him furgeons. Enter Roffe and Angus. But who comes here? Mal. The worthy Thane of Roffe. Len. What hafte looks through his eyes ? So fhould he look, that feems to speak things ftrange. Roffe. God fave the King! King. Whence cam'ft thou, worthy Thane? So from the Spring, whence Comfort feem'd to come, Difcomforts well'd. i. e. ftream'd, flow'd forth: a Word that peculiarly agrees with the Metaphor of a Spring. The Original is Anglo-Saxon peallian, fcaturire; which very well expreffes the Diffufion and Scattering of Water from its Head, (2) I must report they were As Cannons overcharg'd with double Cracks.] Cannons overcharged with Cracks I have no Idea of: My Pointing, I think, gives the eafy and natural Senfe. Macbeth and Banquo were like Cannons overcharged; why? because they redoubled Strokes on the Foe with twice the Fury, and Impetuofity, as before. Roffe. From Fife, great King, Where the Norweyar Banners flout the sky, Norway, himself with numbers terrible, (3) The Thane of Cawdor, 'gan a difmal conflict: Point against point rebellious, arm 'gainft arm, King. Great happiness ! Rofe. Now Sweno, Norway's King, craves compofition: Nor would we deign him burial of his men, 'Till he difburfed, at Saint Colmes-kill-isle, Ten thousand dollars, to our gen'ral use. King. No more that Thane of Cawdor fhall deceive Our bofom int'reft. Go, pronounce his death; And with his former Title greet Macbeth. Roffe. I'll fee it done. King. What he hath loft, noble Macbeth hath won. [Exeunt. (3) Norway himself, with Numbers terrible, Afifted by that, &c.] Norway himself affifted, &c. is a Reading we owe to the Editors, not to the Poet. That Energy and Contraft of Expreffion are loft, which my Pointing reftores. The Senfe is, Norway, who was in himfelf terrible by his own Numbers, when affifted by Cawdor, became yet more terrible. (4) Till that Bellona's Bridegroom, lapt in Proof, Confronted him with felf-Comparisons, Point against point, rebellious arm 'gainst arm, Curbing his lavish Spirit.] Here again we are to quarrel with the Tranfpofition of an innocent Comma; which however becomes dangerous to Senfe, when in the Hands either of a careless or ignorant Editor. Let us fee who is it, that brings this rebellious Arm? Why, it is Bellona's Bridegroom: and who is he, but Macbeth. We can never believe our Author meant any thing like this. My Regulation of the Pointing reftores the true Meaning; that the loyal Macbeth confronted the difloyal Cardor, arm to arm. SCENE, SCENE changes to the Heath. Thunder. Enter the three Witches. Here haft thou been, fifter? Witch. WH 3 2 Witch. Killing fwine. Witch. Sifter, where thou? i Witch. A failor's wife had chefnuts in her lap, And mouncht, and mouncht, and mouncht. Give me, quoth I. Aroint thee, witch! -the rump-fed ronyon cries. Her husband's to Aleppo gone, mafter o'th' Tyger : But in a fieve I'll thither fail, 3 Witch. And I another. 1 Witch. I myself have all the other, I will drain him dry as hay; Look, what I have. 2 Witch. Shew me, fhew me. 1 Witch. Here I have a pilot's thumb, Wreckt as homeward he did come. 3 Witch. A drum, a drum! Macbeth doth come ! [Drum within. All. The Weird fifters, hand in hand, (5) Pofters (5) The wayward Sifters, hand in hand,] The Witches are here fpeaking of themfelves, and it is worth an Enquiry why they should M 3 ftile Posters of the fea and land, Thus do go about, about, Thrice to thine, and thrice to mine, Enter Macbeth and Banquo, with Soldiers and other Attendants. Mach. So foul and fair a day I have not seen. That look not like the inhabitants o'th' earth, Upon her skinny lips ; Mach. Speak, if you can; what are you? 1Witch. All-hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! 2Witch. All-hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! 3 Witch. All-hail, Macbeth! that fhalt be King hereafter. Ban. Good Sir, why do you ftart, and feem to fear 'Things that do found fo fair? I'th' name of truth, Are ye fantaftical, or that indeed [To the Witches. Which outwardly ye fhew? my noble partner You greet with prefent grace, and great prediction Of noble having, and of royal hope, That he seems rapt withal; to me you speak not. ftile themselves the weyward, or wayward Sifters. This Word in its general Acceptation fignifies, perverfe, froward, moody, obftinate, untractable, &c. and is every where fo ufed by our Shakepeare. It is improbable, the Witches would adopt this Epithet to themfelves, in any of thefe Senfes; and therefore we are to look a little farther for the Poet's Word and Meaning. Wierd, in the Scotch Language, fignifies a Witch, or Wizard: and therefore, in every Paffage, where there is any Relation to these Witches or Wizards, my Emendation must be embraced, and we must read Wierd, or Weird. |