Hold fast the mortal sword; and, like good men, was a fox having a sore place on him overset with a swarme of flies, that continuallie sucked out hir bloud: and when one that came by and saw this manner, demanded whether she would have the flies driven beside hir, she answered no; for if these flies that are alreadie full, and by reason thereof sucke not verie eagerlie, should be chased awaie, other that are emptie and fellie an hungred, should light in their places, and sucke out the residue of my bloud farre more to my greevance than these, which now being satisfied doo not much annoie me. Therefore saith Malcolme, Suffer me to remaine where I am, lest if I atteine to the regiment of your realme, mine unquenchable avarice may proove such, that ye would thinke the displeasures which now grieve you, should seeme easie in respect of the unmeasurable outrage which might insue through my comming amongst you. "Makduffe to this made answer, how it was a far woorse fault than the other for avarice is the root of all mischiefe, and for that crime the most part of our kings have been slaine, and brought to their finall end. Yet notwithstanding follow my counsell, and take upon thee the crowne. There is gold and riches inough in Scotland to satisfie thy greedie desire. Then said Malcolme again, I am furthermore inclined to dissimulation, telling of leasings, and all other kinds of deceit, so that I naturallie rejoise in nothing so much, as to betraie and deceive such as put anie trust or confidence in my woords. Then sith there is nothing that more becommeth a prince than constancie, veritie, truth, and justice, with the other laudable fellowship of those faire and noble vertues which are comprehended onelie in soothfastnesse, and that lieng utterlie overthroweth the same, you see how unable I am to governe anie province or region: and therefore sith you have remedies to cloke and hide all the rest of my other vices, I praie you find shift to cloke this vice amongst the residue. "Then said Makduffe: "This is yet the woorst of all, and there I leave thee, and therefore saie; Oh ye unhappie and miserable Scotishmen, which are thus scourged with so manie and sundrie calamities ech one above other! Ye have one cursed and wicked tyrant that now reigneth over you, without anie right or title, oppressing you with his most bloudie crueltie. This other that hath the right to the crowne, is so replet with the inconstant behaviour and manifest vices of Englishmen, that he is nothing woorthie to injoy it: for by his owne confession he is not onlie avaritious and given to unsatiable lust, but so false a traitor withall, that no trust is to be had unto anie woord he speaketh. Adieu Scotland, for now I account my selfe a banished man for Bestride our down-fall'n birthdom': morn, Each new New widows howl; new orphans cry; new sorrows ever, without comfort or consolation: and with these woords the brackish tears trickled downe his cheekes verie abundantlie. "At the last, when he was readie to depart, Malcolme tooke him by the sleeve, and said: Be of good comfort Makduffe, for I have none of these vices before remembered, but have jested with thee in this manner, onlie to prove thy mind: for divers times heretofore Makbeth sought by this manner of means to bring me into his hand," &c. 9 Holinshed's History of Scotland, p. 175. the mortal sword;-] i. e. the deadly sword. Henry VI. Part III. : STEEVENS. "Or bide the mortal fortune of the field." * Bestride our DOWN-FALL'N BIRTHDOM:] The old copy hasdown-fall. Corrected by Dr. Johnson. MALONE. He who can discover what is meant by him that earnestly ex!rts him to bestride his downfall birthdom, is at liberty to adhere to the present text; but it is probable that Shakspeare wrote: 66 like good men, "Bestride our down-fall'n birthdom—." The allusion is to a mar from whom something valuable is about to be taken by violence, and who, that he may defend it without incumbrance, lays it on the ground, and stands over it with his weapon in his hand. Our birthdom, our birthright, says he, lies on the ground; let us, like men who are to fight for what is dearest to them, not abandon it, but stand over it and defend it. This is a strong picture of obstinate resolution. So, Falstaff says to Hal: "If thou see me down in the battle, and bestride me, so." Birthdom for birthright is formed by the same analogy with masterdom in this play, signifying the privileges or rights of a master. Perhaps it might be birth-dame for mother; let us stand over our mother that lies bleeding on the ground. JOHNSON. There is no need of change. In The Second Part of King Henry IV. Morton says: he doth bestride a bleeding land." STEEVENS. King Henry IV. Act V. Sc. I. MALONE. 2 and yell'd out Like syllable of dolour.] This presents a ridiculous image. But what is insinuated under it is noble; that the portents and MAL. What I believe, I'll wail; What know, believe; and, what I can redress, As I shall find the time to friend, I will. What you have spoke, it may be so, perchance. This tyrant, whose sole name blisters our tongues, Was once thought honest: you have lov'd him well; He hath not touch'd you yet. I am young; but something You may deserve of him through me'; and wis dom 5 To offer up a weak, poor, innocent lamb, To appease an angry god. prodigies in the skies, of which mention is made before, showed that heaven sympathised with Scotland. WARBURton. The ridicule, I believe, is only visible to the commentator. STEEVENS. 3-to FRIEND,] i. e. to befriend. STEEVENS. 4 You may DESERVE of him through me;] The old copy reads -discerne. The emendation was made by Mr. Theobald, w... supports it by Macduff's answer: 5- and wisdom-] That is, and 'tis wisdom. HEATH. The sense of this passage is obvious, but the construction difficult, as there is no verb to which wisdom can refer. Something is omitted, either through the negligence of the printer, or probably the inadvertence of the author. If we read 66 the sense will be supplied; but that would destroy the metre; and so indeed would the insertion of any word whatever. M. MASON. I suspect this line to have suffered by interpolation, as well as omission, and that it originally ran thus: 66 but something "You may deserve through me; and wisdom is it So, in King Henry VI. Part II. : “Now is it manhood, wisdom and defence.” Had the passage in question been first printed thus, would any reader have supposed the words "of him," were wanting to the sense? In this play I have already noted several instances of manifest interpolation and omission. See notes on Act I. Sc. III. p. 28, n. 9, and Act III. Sc. V p. 182, n. 1. STEEVENS. MACD. I am not treacherous. MAL. But Macbeth is. A good and virtuous nature may recoil, In an imperial charge. But I shall crave your pardon '; That which you are, my thoughts cannot transpose: Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell: Though all things foul would wear the brows of grace, 8 Yet grace must still look so. MACD. I have lost my hopes. MAL. Perchance, even there, where I did find my doubts. Why in that rawness' left you wife, and child, Without leave-taking ?—I pray you, 6 A good and virtuous nature may recoil, In an imperial charge.] A good mind may recede from goodness in the execution of a royal commission. JOHNSON. 7 But 'crave your pardon;] The old copy, without attention to measure, reads: 66 But I shall crave your pardon." STEEVENS. 8 Though all things foul, &c.] This is not very clear. The meaning, perhaps, is this:-"My suspicions cannot injure you, if you be virtuous, by supposing that a traitor may put on your virtuous appearance. I do not say that your virtuous appearance proves you a traitor; for virtue must wear its proper form, though that form be counterfeited by villainy." JOHNSON. An expression of a similar nature occurs in Measure for Measure: "Is good; without a name vileness is so." M. MASON. 9 Why in that RAWNESS] Without previous provision, without due preparation, without maturity of counsel. JOHNSON. I meet with this expression in Lyly's Euphues, 1580, and in the quarto, 1608, of King Henry V.: "Some their wives rawly left." STEEVENS. But mine own safeties:-You may be rightly just, Whatever I shall think. MACD. Bleed, bleed, poor country! Great tyranny, lay thou thy basis sure, For goodness dares not check thee'! wear thou thy wrongs 2, Thy title is affeer'd3!-Fare thee well, lord: 1 For goodness DARES not check thee!] The old copy readsdare. Corrected in the third folio. MAlone. 2 - wear thou thy wrongs,] That is, 'Poor country, wear thou thy wrongs.' JOHNSON. 3 Thy title is AFFEER'D!] Affeer'd, a law term for confirm'd. РОРЕ. What Mr. Pope says of the law term is undoubtedly true; but is there absolute reason why we should have recourse to it for the explanation of this passage? Macduff first apostrophises his country, and afterwards pointing to Malcolm, may say, that his title was afear'd, i. e. frighted from exerting itself. Throughout the ancient editions of Shakspeare, the word afraid is frequently written as it was formerly pronounced, afear'd. The old copy reads-"The title," &c. i. e. 'the regal title is afraid to assert itself.' I have, however, adopted Mr. Malone's emendation, as it varies, but in a single letter, from the reading of the old copy. See his subsequent note. STEEVENS. If we read-" The title is affeer'd," the meaning may be :'Poor country, wear thou thy wrongs, the title to them is legally settled by those who had the final judication of it.' Affeerers had the power of confirming, or moderating, fines and amercements. TOLLET. To affeer (for so it should be written) is to assess, or reduce to certainty. All amerciaments—that is, judgments of any court of justice, upon a presentment or other proceeding, that a party shall be amerced, or in mercy,—are by Magna Charta to be affeered by lawful men, sworn to be impartial. This is the ordinary practice of a Court Leet, with which Shakspeare seems to have been intimately acquainted, and where he might have occasionally acted as an affeerer. RITSON. For the emendation now made I am answerable. The was, I conceive, the transcriber's mistake, from the similar sounds of the and thy, which are frequently pronounced alike. Perhaps the meaning is," Poor country, wear thou thy wrongs! Thy title to them is now fully established by law." Or, perhaps, he addresses Malcolm. Continue to endure tamely the |