Their heads to their foundations; though the treasure Of nature's germins3 tumble all together, Even till destruction sicken, answer me 1 Witch. Say, if thou'd'st rather hear it from our mouths, Or from our masters'? Macb. Call them, let me see them. 1 Witch. Pour in sow's blood, that hath eaten Her nine farrow; grease, that's sweaten From the murderer's gibbet, throw Into the flame. All. Come, high, or low; 4 Thyself, and office, deftly show. Thunder. An Apparition of an armed Head rises.5 Macb. Tell me, thou unknown power, 1 Witch. He knows thy thought; Hear his speech, but say thou nought. App. Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! beware Mac duff; Beware the thane of Fife. Dismiss me:— Enough. Macb. What-e'er thou art, for thy good caution, thanks; 3 Of nature's germins-] Germins are seeds which have begun to germinate or sprout. Germen, Lat. Germe, Fr. 4 deftly] i. e. with adroitness, dexterously. Deft is a North country word. 5 An Apparition of an armed Head rises.] The armed head represents symbolically Macbeth's head cut off and brought to Malcolm by Macduff. The bloody child is Macduff untimely ripped from his mother's womb. The child with a crown on his head, and a bough in his hand, is the royal Malcolm, who ordered his soldiers to hew them down a bough, and bear it before them to Dunsinane. Thou hast harp'd my fear aright: But one word more: 1 Witch. He will not be commanded: Here's an other, More potent than the first. Thunder. An Apparition of a bloody Child rises. App. Macb. Had I three ears, I'd hear thee. App. Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Be bloody, bold, [Descends. And resolute; laugh to scorn the power of man, Macb. Then live, Macduff; What need I fear of thee? But yet I'll make assurance double sure, And take a bond of fate: thou shalt not live; That I may tell pale-hearted fear, it lies, And sleep in spite of thunder. - What is this, Thunder. An Apparition of a Child crowned, with a Tree in his Hand, rises. That rises like the issue of a king; And wears upon his baby brow the round All. Listen, but speak not.† App. Be lion-mettled, proud; and take no care Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are: Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be, until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill Shall come against him. [Descends. 6 Thou hast harp'd-] To harp, is to touch on a passion as a harper touches a string. Macb. That will never be; Who can impress the forest; bid the tree Unfix his earth-bound root? sweet bodements! good! Of Birnam rise, and our high-plac'd Macbeth To time, and mortal custom. Yet my heart Throbs to know one thing; Tell me, (if your art Reign in this kingdom? All. Seek to know no more. Macb. I will be satisfied: deny me this, And an eternal curse fall on you! Let me know: 8 [Hautboys. 1 Witch. Show! 2 Witch. Show! 3 Witch. Show! All. Show his eyes, and grieve his heart; Come like shadows, so depart. Eight Kings appear, and pass over the Stage in order; the last with a Glass in his Hand; BANQUO following. Macb. Thou art too like the spirit of Banquo; down! Thy crown does sear mine eye-balls:- And thy hair,† Thou other gold-bound brow, is like the first: A third is like the former: - Filthy hags! Why do show me this? A fourth?· do you Start, eyes! What! will the line stretch out to the crack of doom?? Another yet? A seventh? I'll see no more: 7 Who can impress the forest;] i. e. who can command the forest to serve him like a soldier impressed. 8 what noise-] Noise, in our ancient poets, is often literally synonymous for musick. + 9 "And thy air," MALONE. to the crack of doom?] i. e. the dissolution of nature. Crack has now a mean signification. It was anciently employed in a more exalted sense. 1 And yet the eighth appears, who bears a glass, I'll charm the air to give a sound, Our duties did his welcome pay. [Musick. The Witches dance, and vanish. Macb. Where are they? Gone? Let this perni cious hour Stand aye accursed in the calendar! — Come in, without there! - Macb. Infected be the air whereon they ride; And damn'd, all those that trust them! I did hear The galloping of horse: Who was❜t came by? 1 That two-fold balls and treble scepters carry:] This was intended as a compliment to King James the First, who first united the two islands and the three kingdoms under one head; whose house too was said to be descended from Banquo. + Mr. Malone omits Ay. 2 the blood-bolter'd Banquo-] To bolter, in Warwickshire, signifies to daub, dirty, or begrime. 3 cheer we up his sprights,] i. e. spirits. VOL. IV. L Len. 'Tis two or three, my lord, that bring you word, Macduff is fled to England. Macb. Len. Ay, my good lord. Fled to England? Macb. Time, thou anticipat'st my dread exploits: The flighty purpose never is o'ertook, Unless the deed go with it: From this moment, The very firstlings of my heart shall be The firstlings of my hand. And even now To crown my thoughts with acts, be it thought and done: Seize upon Fife; give to the edge o'the sword But no more sights! - Where are these gentlemen? Come, bring me where they are. SCENE II. Fife. A Room in Macduff's Castle. [Exeunt. Enter Lady MACDUFF, her Son, and Rosse. L. Macd. What had he done, to make him fly the land? Rosse. You must have patience, madam. L. Macd. He had none: His flight was madness: When our actions do not, 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 From whence himself does fly? He loves us not; 4 That trace his line.] i. e. follow, succeed in it. Mr. Malone reads "trace him in his line." |