The flighty purpose never is o'ertook, To crown my thoughts with acts, be it thought and done: The castle of Macduff I will surprise; men ? Enter Lady MACDUFF, her SON, and ROSSE. L. Maed. What bad he done, to make him fly the land? Rosse. You must have patience, madam. His flight was madness: When our actions do not, Our fears do make us traitors. + Rosse. You know not, Whether it was his wisdom, or his fear. L. Macd. Wisdom! to leave his wife, to leave his babes, His mansion, and his titles, in a place not; He wants the natural touch for the poor wren The most diminutive of birds, will fight, Her young ones in her nest, against the owl. All is the fear, and nothing is the love; As little is the wisdom, where the flight So runs against all reason. Rosse. My dearest coz, Son Then you'll buy 'em to sell again. L. Macd. Thou speak'st with all thy wit; and yet i'faith, With wit enough for thee. Son. Was my father a traitor, mother? L. Macd. Why, one that swears and lies. L. Macd. Every one that does so, is a traitor, and must be hanged. Son. And must they all be hanged, that swear and lie? L. Macd. Every one. Son. Who must hang them? L. Macd. Why, the honest men. Son. Then the liars and swearers are fools: for there are liars and swearers enough to beat the honest men, and hang up them. I pray you, school yourself: But, for your hus-I He is noble, wise, judicions, and best knows further: But cruel are the times, when we are traitors, And do not know ourselves; when we hold rumour From what we fear, yet know not what we fear; But float upon a wild and violent sea, Each way, and move.-1 take my leave of you: To what they were before.-My pretty cousin, L. Macd. Father'd he is, and yet he's father less. Rosse. I am so much a fool, should I stay longer, It would be my disgrace, and your discomfort : I take my leave at once. [Exit Rosse. L. Maed. Sirral, || your father's dead; And what will you do now? How will you live? Son. As birds do, mother. L. Mucd. What, with worms and flies? Son. With what I get, I mean; and so do they. L. Macd. Poor bird! thoud'st never fear the net, nor lime, The pit-fall nor the gin. Son. Why should I, mother? Poor birds they are not set for. My father is not dead, for all your saying. L. Macd. Now, God help thee, poor monkey! But how wilt thou do for a father ? Son. If he were dead, you'd weep for him : if you would not, it were a good sign that I should quickly have a new father. L. Macd. Poor prattler! how thou talk'st. Enter a MESSENGER. Mess. Bless you, fair dame! I am not to you known, Though in your state of honour I am perfect. + ones. To fright you thus, methinks, I am too savage; dare abide no longer. [Exit MESSENGER. L. Macd. Whither should I fly ? I have done no barm. But I remember now am in this earthy world; where, to do harm, Is often laudable; to do good, sometime, Accounted dangerous folly: Why then, alas! Do I put up that womanly defence, To say I have done no harm ?What are these faces ? L. Macd. Yes, he is dead; how wilt thou do Strike heaven on the face, that it resounds I speak not as in an absolute fear of you. Macb. What should he be ? Mal. It is myself I mean: in whom I know All the particulars of vice so grafted, That, when they shall be open'd, black Macbeth Will seem as pure as snow; and the poor state Esteem him as a lamb, being compar'd With my confineless harms. Macd. Not in the legions Of horrid hell, can come a devil more damn'd In evils to top Macbeth. Mal. I grant him bloody, Luxurious, avaricious, false, deceitful, Sudden, malicious, smacking of every sin That has a name: But there's no bottom, none, In my voluptuousness: your wives, your daugh ters, Your matrous, and your maids, could not fill up Macd. Boundless intemperance In nature is a tyranny; it hath been wink. We have willing dames enough; there cannot be Mal. With this, there grows, In my most ill-compos'd affection, such Macd. This avarice Sticks deeper; grows with more pernicions root Mul. But I have none: The king-becoming graces, As justice, verity, temperance, stableness, should Mal. Macduff, this noble passion, By many of these trains bathg sought to win me No less in truth thau life: my first false speaking Was this upon myself: What I am truly, Now we'll together: And the chance of good- | dwband to Why are you 'Tis hard to reconcile. For that I saw the tyrant's power a-foot: Mal. Be it their comfort, We are coming thither; gracious England hath That stay his cure: their malady convinces⚫[ Mal. I thank you, doctor. Macd. What is the disease he means ? A most miraculous work in this good king;202 I have seen him do. How he solicits heaven, but strangely-visited Himself best knows : All swoln and ulcerous, pitiful to the eye, The healing benediction. With this strange vir- He hath a heavenly gift of prophecy; Enter RossEest Macd. See, who comes here ? Must rem When I came hither to transport the tidings, Which I have heavily borne, there ran a rumour of many worthy fellows that were out; Which was to my belief witness'd the rather, Overpowers, subdues. A compliment to the Stuarts, who touched for the 1 Commen distress of mind. Macd. He has no children.--All my pretty Did you say, all ?-O hell-kite.!-All? Mal. Dispute it like a man. ed) sem blo I cannot but remember such things were, And would not take their part? Sinful Macduff, Mal. Be this the whetstone of your sword: And braggart with my tongue!--But, gentle Cut short all intermission; § front to front, Mal. This tune goes manly. Come, go we to the king; our power is ready; [Exeunt. • Put off. ACT V. the gate. Come, come, come, come, give me your band; What's done, cannot be undone : To SCENE I.-Dunsinane.—A Room in the Cas-bed, to bed, to bed. [Exit Lady MACBETH. tle. Enter a DOCTOR of Physic, and a waiting Doct. I have two nights watched with you, but can perceive no truth in your report. When was it she last walked ? Gent. Since his majesty went into the field, I bave seen her rise from her bed, throw her night-gown upon her, unlock her closet, take forth paper, fold it, write upon it, read it, afterwards seal it, and again return to bed; yet all this while iu a most fast sleep. Doct. A great perturbation in nature! to receive at once the benefit of sleep, and do the I effects of watching. In this slumbry agitation, besides her walking, and other actual performances, what, at any time, bave you heard her say? Gent. That, Sir, which I will not report after her. Doct. You may, to me; and 'tis most meet you should. Gent. Neither to you, nor any one; having no witness to confirm my speech. Enter Lady MACBETH, with a Taper. Lo you, here she comes! This is her very guise ; and, upon my life, fast asleep. Observe her; stand close. Doct. How came she by that light? Gent. Why, it stood by her she has light by her continually; 'tis her command. Doct. You see, her eyes are open. Doct. What is it she does now? Look, how she rubs her hands. Gent. It is an accustomed action with ber, to seem thus washing her hands; I have known ber continue in this a quarter of an hour. Lady M. Yet here's a spot. Doct. Hark, she speaks: I will set down what comes from her, to satisfy my remembrance the more strongly. Lady M. Out, damned spot! out, I say!— One; Two; Why, then 'tis time to do't:Hell is murky!-Fie, my lord, fie! a soldier, and afear'd? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account!-Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him? Doct. Do you mark that? Lady M. The thane of Fife had a wife; Where is she now What, will these hands ne'er be clean ?-No more o'that, my lord, no more o'that: you mar all with this starting. Doct. Go to, go to; you have known what you should not. Gent. She has spoke what she should not, I am sure of that: Heaven knows what she has known. Lady M. Here's the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh! oh! oh! Doct. What a sight is there! The heart is sorely charged. Gent. I would not have such a heart in my bosom, for the dignity of the whole body. Doct. Well, well, well, Gent. 'Pray God, it be, Sir. Doct. This disease is beyond my practice: Yet I have known those which have walked in their sleep, who have died holily in their beds. Lady M. Wash your hands, put on your night-gown; look not so pale :-I tell you yet again Banquo's buried; he cannot come out of his grave. Doct. Even so? Lady M. To bed, to bed; there's knocking at • Dark. Doct. Will she go now to bed ? Doct. Foul whisperings are abroad: Unna- Do breed unnatural troubles: Infected minds crets. cian. God, God, forgive us all! Look after her; think, but dare not speak. Gent. Good night, good doctor. [Exeunt. His uncle Siward, and the good Macduff. Ang. Near Birnam wood Cath. Who knows, if Donalbain be with his brother? Len. For certain, Sir, he is not: I have a file Of all the gentry; there is Siward's son, Ment. What does the tyrant? Cath. Great Dunsinane he strongly fortifies : Some say, he's mad; others, that lesser bat him, Do call it valiant fury: but, for certain, Ang. Now does he feel Ment. Who then shall blame Cath. Well, march we on, To give obedience where 'tis truly ow'd: Len. Or so much as it needs, To dew the sovereign flower, and drown the [Exeunt, marching. SCENE III.-Dunsinane.--A Room in the Castle. Enter MACBETH, DOCTOR, and ATTENDANTS. I cannot taint with fear. What's the boy Mal- The devil damn thee black, thou cream-fac'd | SCENE IV.-Country near Dunsinane: A Give me my armour. Seg. 'Tis not needed yet. Send out more horses, skirr the country Hang those that talk of fear.-Give me mine armour. How does your patient, doctor? Dect. Not so sick, my lord, As she is troubled with thick-coming fancies, Macb. Cure ber of that: Canst thou not minister to a mind diseas'd; Wood in view. [Exeunt, marching. Within the SCENE V.-Dunsinane. Enter, with Drums and Colours, MACBETH, Macb. Hang out our banners on the outward The cry is still, They come: Our castle's strength Will laugh a siege to scorn: here let them lie, Cleanse the stuff'd bosom of that perilous stuff,Till famine and the ague eat them up : Which weighs upon the heart? Doct. Therein the patient Must minister to himself. Macb. Throw physic to the dogs, I'll none of it. Come, put mine armour on; give me my staff: Were they not forc'd with those that should be |