Plays and Poems

Mess. So please you, it is true: our thane is | Where they most breed and haunt, I have coming;

One of my fellows had the speed of him,
Who, almost dead for breath, had scarcely

SCENE VI.-The Same. Before the Castle.

Hautboys and torches. Enter DUNCAN, MAL-
COLM, DONALBAIN, BANQUO, LENNOX, MAC-
DUFF, ROSS, ANGUS, and Attendants.

observ'd

The air is delicate.

Dun.

Enter Lady MACBETH.

See, see, our honour'd hostess!
The love that follows us sometime is our trouble,
Which still we thank as love. Herein I teach you
How you shall bid God 'ild us for your pains.
And thank us for your trouble.
Lady M.

All our service,
In every point twice done, and then done double,
Were poor and single business, to contend
Against those honours deep and broad, wherewith
Your majesty loads our house: for those of old,
And the late dignities heap'd up to them,
We rest your hermits.

Dun.

Where's the Thane of Cawdor?
We cours'd him at the heels, and had a purpose
To be his purveyor; but he rides well,
And his great love, sharp as his spur, hath holp
him

Fair and noble hostess,

To his home before us.
We are your guest to-night.
Lady M.

Your servants ever Have theirs, themselves, and what is theirs, in compt,

To make their audit at your highness' pleasure,
Still to return your own.
Dun.
Give me your hand;
Conduct me to mine host: we love him highly,
And shall continue our graces towards him.
By your leave, hostess.

Excunt.

SCENE VII. - The Same. A Room in the Castle. Hautboys and torches. Enter, and pass over the stage, a Sewer, and divers Servants with dishes and service. Then enter MACBETH.

Macb. If it were done when 'tis done, then
'twere well

It were done quickly; if the assassination
Could trammel up the consequence, and catch
With his surcease success; that but this blow
Might be the be-all and the end-all here,
But here, upon this bank and shoal of time,
We'd jump the life to come. But in these cases
We still have judgment here; that we but teach
Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return
To plague the inventor; this even-handed justice
Commends the ingredients of our poison'dchalice
To our own lips. He's here in double trust: 12
First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,
Strong both against the deed; then, as his

host,

Who should against his murderer shut the door,
Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan
Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been
So clear in his great office, that his virtues
Will plead like angels trumpet-tongued against

Dun. This castle hath a pleasant seat; the air The deep damnation of his taking-off;
Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself

Unto our gentle senses.

Ban.

This guest of summer,

The temple-haunting martlet, does approve
By his lov'd mansionry that the heaven's breath
Smells wooingly here: no jutty, frieze,
Buttress, nor coign of vantage, but this bird
Hath made his pendent bed and procreant cradle:

And pity, like a naked new-born babe,
Striding the blast, or heaven's cherubin, hors'd
Upon the sightless couriers of the air,
Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye,
That tears shall drown the wind. I have no spur
To prick the sides of my intent, but only
Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself
And falls on the other-

Lady M.

Was the hope drunk Wherein you dress'd yourself? hath it slept since,

And wakes it now, to look so green and pale
At what it did so freely? From this time
Such I account thy love. Art thou afeard
To be the same in thine own act and valour
As thou art in desire? Would'st thou have
that

Which thou esteem'st the ornament of life,
And live a coward in thine own esteem,
Letting 'I dare not' wait upon 'I would,'

Like the poor cat i' the adage?

Mach.

[ACT II.

Each corporal agent to this terrible feat. Away, and mock the time with fairest show: False face must hide what the false heart doth know. Exeunt.

Their candles are all out. Take thee that too. A heavy summons lies like lead upon me, And yet I would not sleep: merciful powers! Restrain in me the cursed thoughts that nature Gives way to in repose.

Prithee, peace.

I dare do all that may become a man;

Who dares do more is none.

Macb.

Lady M.

If we should fail,

We fail. But screw your courage to the sticking-place, 60 And we'll not fail. When Duncan is asleep, Whereto the rather shall his day's hard journey Soundly invite him, his two chamberlains Will I with wine and wassail so convince That memory, the warder of the brain, Shall be a fume, and the receipt of reason A limbeck only; when in swinish sleep Their drenched natures lie as in a death, What cannot you and I perform upon The unguarded Duncan? what not put upon 70 His spongy officers, who shall bear the guilt Of our great quell?

Macb.

Bring forth men-children only;

For thy undaunted mettle should compose Nothing but males. Will it not be receiv'd, When we have mark'd with blood those sleepy Of his own chamber and us'd their very daggers, That they have done 't?

two

Lady M. Who dares receive it other, As we shall make our griefs and clamour roar Upon his death? Macb.

I am settled, and bend up

Our will became the servant to defect, Which else should free have wrought. Ban.

All's well.

I dreamt last night of the three weird sisters: >
To you they have show'd some truth.
I think not of them:
Mach.

Yet, when we can entreat an hour to serve,
We would spend it in some words upon that

business,

If you would grant the time. Ban.

At your kind'st leisure

Mach. If you shall cleave to my consent, when 'tis,

It shall make honour for you.
Ban.

So I lose none

In seeking to augment it, but still keep
My bosom franchis'd and allegiance clear,
I shall be counsell'd.
Macb.

Good repose the while!
Ban. Thanks, sir: the like to you.
Exeunt BANQUO and FLEANCE

Macb. Go bid thy mistress, when my drink is ready

She strike upon the bell. Get thee to bed.

Exit Servast

Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand? Come, let me

clutch thee:

I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible
To feeling as to sight? or art thou but
A dagger of the mind, a false creation,
Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain!
I see thee yet, in form as palpable

Whose howl's his watch, thus with his stealthy pace,

With Tarquin's ravishing strides, towards his
design

Moves like a ghost. Thou sure and firm-set earth,
Hear not my steps, which way they walk, for fear
Thy very stones prate of my whereabout,
And take the present horror from the time,
Which now suits with it. Whiles I threat he
lives:

Mach. One cried 'God bless us!' and 'Amen,'
the other;

As they had seen me with these hangman's hands.
Listening their fear, I could not say 'Amen'
When they did say 'God bless us!'
Lady M. Consider it not so deeply.
Macb. But wherefore could not I pronounce
'Amen'?

I had most need of blessing, and 'Amen'
Stuck in my throat.

Lady M. These deeds must not be thought After these ways; so, it will make us mad.

Mach. Methought I heard a voice cry Sleep

no more!

Macbeth does murder sleep,' the innocent sleep,
Sleep that knits up the ravell'd sleave of care,
The death of each day's life, sore labour's bath,
Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course,
Chief nourisher in life's feast,-

Lady M.
What do you mean? 40
Mach. Still it cried 'Sleep no more!' to all
the house:

'Glamis hath murder'd sleep, and therefore
Cawdor

Shall sleep no more, Macbeth shall sleep no more!'

Lady M. Who was it that thus cried? Why,
worthy thane,

You do unbend your noble strength to think
So brainsickly of things. Go get some water,
And wash this filthy witness from your hand.
Why did you bring these daggers from the place?
They must lie there: go carry them, and smear
The sleepy grooms with blood.

Infirm of purpose!
Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead
Are but as pictures; 'tis the eye of childhood
That fears a painted devil. If he do bleed,
I'll gild the faces of the grooms withal;
For it must seem their guilt.

Macb.

Exit. Knocking within.
Whence is that knocking?

How is 't with me, when every noise appals me?
What hands are here? Ha! they pluck out

mine eyes.

Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather

When?

The multitudinous seas incarnadine,
Making the green one red.

Now.

As I descended?

Who lies i' the second chamber?

Lady M.

Donalbain.

Mach. Looking on his hands. This is a sorry sight.

Lady M. A foolish thought to say a sorry sight.
Mach. There's one did laugh in 's sleep, and

one cried Murder!'

Re-enter Lady MACBETH.

Lady M. My hands are of your colour, but I
shame

To wear a heart so white. Knocking within
I hear a knocking

At the south entry; retire we to our chamber;
A little water clears us of this deed;
How easy is it then! Your constancy
Hath left you unattended. Knocking within.
Hark! more knocking.

Get on your night-gown, lest occasion call us, 70
And show us to be watchers. Be not lost
So poorly in your thoughts.

Mach. To know my deed 'twere best not know myself. Knocking within. Wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would thou could'st! Exeunt.

SCENE III.-The Same.

Knocking within. Enter a Porter.

Porter. Here's a knocking indeed! If a man were porter of hell-gate he should have old turning the key. Knocking within. Knock, knock, knock! Who's there, i' the name of Beelzebub? Here's a farmer that hanged himself on the expectation of plenty: come in time; have napkins enough about you; here you 'll sweat for 't. Knocking within.

[ACT IL

He does: he did appoint so,
Len. The night has been unruly: where we lay,
Our chimneys were blown down; and, as they say,
Lamentings heard i' the air; strange screams
of death,

And prophesying with accents terrible
Of dire combustion and confus'd events
New hatch'd to the woeful time. The obscure

bird

Clamour'd the livelong night: some say the earth
Was feverous and did shake.

Mach.

'Twas a rough night,

Len. My young remembrance cannot parallel

Knock, knock! Who's there, i' the other devil's
name? Faith, here's an equivocator, that could
swear in both the scales against either scale;
who committed treason enough for God's sake,
yet could not equivocate to heaven: O! come
in, equivocator.
Knock, knock, knock! Who's there? Faith,
here's an English tailor come hither for steal-
ing out of a French hose come in, tailor; here
you may roast your goose. Knocking within.
Knock, knock! never at quiet! What are you?
But this place is too cold for hell. I'll devil-
porter it no further: I had thought to have let in
some of all professions, that go the primrose way
to the everlasting bonfire. Knocking within.
Anon, anon! I pray you, remember the porter.
Opens the gate.

Knocking within. A fellow to it.

Enter MACDUFF and LENNOX.

Macd. Was it so late, friend, ere you went to bed,

That you do lie so late?

Port. Faith, sir, we were caronsing till the second cock; and drink, sir, is a great provoker of three things.

Maed. What three things does drink especially provoke?

Port. Marry, sir, nose-painting, sleep, and urine. Lechery, sir, it provokes, and unprovokes; it provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance. Therefore, much drink may be said to be an equivocator with lechery; it makes him, and it mars him; it sets him on, and it takes him off; it persuades him, and disheartens him; makes him stand to, and not stand to; in conclusion, equivocates him in a sleep, and, giving him the lie, leaves him.

Macd. I believe drink gave thee the lie last night.

Port. That it did, sir, i' the very throat o' me: but I requited him for his lie; and, I think, being too strong for him, though he took up my legs sometime, yet I made a shift to cast him. Macd. Is thy master stirring?

Enter MACВЕТН.

Re-enter MACDUFF.

Macd. O horror! horror! horror! Tongue nor heart

What's the matter)

Cannot conceive nor name thee!
Macb., Len.

Macd. Confusion now hath made his master.
piece!

Most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope
The Lord's anointed temple, and stole thence
The life o' the building.
Mach.

What is 't you say? the life!

Len. Mean you his majesty?
Macd. Approach the chamber, and destroy
your sight

With a new Gorgon: do not bid me speak;
See, and then speak yourselves.

Exeunt MACBETH and LENNOL
Awake! awake!

Ring the alarum-bell. Murder and treason!
Banquo and Donalbain! Malcolm! awake!
Shake off this downy sleep, death's counterfeit,
And look on death itself! up, up, and see
The great doom's image! Malcolm! Banquo!
As from your graves rise up, and walk likesprites,
To countenance this horror! Ring the bell,

Enter Lady MACBETH.

Bell rings.

Ste

Enter BANQUO.

Woe, alas!

Good morrow, both. 50

What! in our house?
Ban.

Not yet.

Dear Duff, I prithee, contradict thyself,
And say it is not so.

Our knocking has awak'd him; here he comes.
Len. Good morrow, noble sir.
Macb.

Macd. Is the king stirring, worthy thane?
Macb.

Macb. Let's briefly put on manly readiness, | Thriftless ambition, that wilt ravin up

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