L. MACD. Whither should I fly? I have done no harm. But I remember now To fay, I have done no harm?What are these faces? Enter Murderers. MUR. Where is your husband? L. MACD. I hope, in no place fo unfanctified, Where fuch as thou may'ft find him. MUR. He's a traitor. SON. Thou ly'ft, thou shag-ear'd villain.* fhag-ear'd villain.] Perhaps we should read shag-hair'd, for it is an abufive epithet very often used in our ancient plays, &c. So, in Decker's Honeft Whore, P. II. 1630: "a bag-haired cur." Again, in our author's K. Henry VI. P. II : 66 -like a bag-haired crafty Kern." Again, in fir Arthur Gorges' tranflation of Lucan, 1614: "That bag-haired Caicos tam'd with forts." And Chapman in his tranflation of the 7th book of Homer, 1598, applies the fame epithet to the Greeks. Again, in the spurious play of K. Leir, 1605: "There fhe had fet a fhaghayr'd murdering wretch." Again, in Barnaby Googe's verfion of Palingenius, 1561: "But fore afraid was I to meete "The bagheard horfon's horne." STEEVENS. This emendation appears to me extremely probable. In King John, A&t V. we find "unhear'd faucinefs for unhair'd faucinefs:" and we have had in this play hair instead of air. These two words, and the word ear, were all, I believe, in the time of our author, pronounced alike. See a note on VENUS AND ADONIS, p. 456, n. 5. edit. 1780, octavo. Hair was formerly written beare. Hence perhaps the mistake. So, in Ives's SELECT PAPERS, chiefly relating to English Antiquities, N°. 3, p. 133: “and in her beare a circlet of gold richely MUR. Young fry of treachery? SON. What, you egg? [stabbing him. He has kill'd me, mother: Run away, I pray you. [Dies. Exit L. Macduff, crying murder, and pursued by the murderers. SCENE III. England. A Room in the King's Palace. Enter MALCOLM and MACDUFF." MAL. Let us feek out fome defolate fhade, and there garnished." In Lodge's Incarnate Devils of the Age, 4to. 1596, we find in p. 37, "fhag-heard flave," which ftill more strongly fupports Mr. Steevens's emendation. However, as flap-ear'd is ufed as an epithet of contempt in The Taming of the Shrew, the old copy may be right. MALONE. Mr. Steevens's emendation will be further confirmed by a reference to one of our Law Reporters. In 23 Car. I. Ch. Justice Rolle faid it had been determined that the fe'words, "Where is that longlock'd, fhag-hair'd, murdering rogue," were actionable. Aleyn's Reports, p. 61. REED. 5 Enter Malcolm and Macduff.] The part of Holinfhed's Chronicle which relates to this play, is no more than an abridgement of John Bellenden's tranflation of The Noble Clerk, Hector Boece, imprinted at Edinburgh, 1541. For the fatisfaction of the reader, I have inferted the words of the first mentioned hiftorian, from whom this scene is almoft literally taken :-" Though Malcolme was verie forrowful for the oppreffion of his countriemen the Scots, in manner as Makduffe had declared, yet doubting whe ther he was come as one that ment unfeinedlie as he spake, or elfe as fent from Makbeth to betraie him, he thought to have fome further triall, and thereupon diffembling his mind at the firft, he anfwered as followeth : "I am trulie verie forie for the miferie chanced to my countrie of Scotland, but though I have never fo great affection to relieve the fame, yet by reafon of certaine incurable vices, which reign Weep our fad bofoms empty. in me, I am nothing meet thereto. Firft, fuch immoderate luft and voluptuous fenfualitie (the abhominable fountain of all vices) followeth me, that if I were made king of Scots, I should seek to defloure your maids and matrones, in fuch wife that my intemperancie fhould be more importable unto you than the bloudie tyrannie of Makbeth now is. Hereunto Makduffe anfwered: This furelie is a very euil fault, for manie noble princes and kings have loft both lives and kingdomes for the fame; neverthelesse there are women enow in Scotland, and therefore follow my counsell. Make thy felfe king, and I fhall conveie the matter fo wiselie, that thou fhalt be fatisfied at thy pleasure in such secret wife, that no man fhall be aware thereof. "Then faid Malcolme, I am also the most avaritious creature in the earth, fo that if I were king, I fhould feeke so manie waies to get lands and goods, that I would flea the moft part of all the nobles of Scotland by furmized accufations, to the end I might injoy their lands, goods and poffeffions; and therefore to fhew you what mischiefe may infue on you through mine unfatiable covetousnes, I will rehearse unto you a fable. There was a fox having a fore place on him overfet with a swarme of flies, that continuallie fucked out hir bloud: and when one that came by and faw this manner, demanded whether the would have the flies driven befide hir, fhe anfwered no; for if thefe flies that are alreadie full, and by reason thereof fucke not verie eagerlie, fhould be chafed awaie, other that are emptie and fellie an hungred, fhould light in their places, and fucke out the refidue of my bloud farre more to my greevance than thefe, which now being fatisfied doo not much annoie me. Therefore faith Malcolme, fuffer me to remaine where I am, left if I atteine to the regiment of your realme, mine unquenchable avarice may proove fuch, that ye would thinke the difpleafures which now grieve you, fhould feeme eafie in respect of the unmeasurable outrage which might infue through my comming amongst you. : "Makduffe to this made anfwer, how it was a far woorfe fault than the other for avarice is the root of all mischiefe, and for that crime the most part of our kings have been flaine, and brought to their finall end. Yet notwithstanding follow my counfell, and take upon thee the crowne. There is gold and riches inough in Scotland to fatisfie thy greedie defire. Then faid Malcolme again, I am furthermore inclined to diffimulation, telling of leafings, and all other kinds of deceit, fo that I naturallie rejoife in nothing fo much, as to betraie and deceive fuch as put anie truft or confidence in my woords. Then fith there is nothing that more becommeth a prince thau conftancie, veritie, truth, and juftice, with the other MACD. Let us rather Hold fast the mortal fword; and, like good men, Beftride our down-fall'n birthdom: Each new morn, laudable fellowship of thofe faire and noble vertues which are comprehended onelie in foothfaftneffe, and that lieng utterlie overthroweth the fame, you fee how unable I am to governe anie province or region: and therefore fith 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 refidue. "Then faid Makduffe: This is yet the woorst of all, and there I leave thee, and therefore faie; Oh ye unhappie and miferable Scotifhmen, which are thus fcourged with fo manie and fundrie calamities ech one above other! Ye have one curfed and wicked tyrant that now reigneth over you, without anie right or title, oppreffing you with his moft bloudie crueltie. This other that hath the right to the crowne, is fo replet with the inconftant behaviour and manifeft vices of Englishmen, that he is nothing woorthie to injoy it for by his owne confeffion he is not onlie avaritious and given to unfatiable luft, but so false a traitor withall, that no truft is to be had unto anie woord he fpeaketh. Adieu Scotland, for now I account my felfe a banished man for ever, without comfort or confolation and with thefe woords the brackish tears trickled downe his cheekes verie abundantlie. "At the laft, when he was readie to depart, Malcolme tooke him by the fleeve, and faid: Be of good comfort Makduffe, for I have none of thefe vices before remembered, but have jefted with thee in this manner, onlie to prove thy mind: for divers times heretofore Makbeth fought by this manner of means to bring me into his hand," &c. Holinfhed's Hiftory of Scotland, p. 175. STEEVENS. • Beftride our down-fall'n birthdom:] The old copy has-downfall. Corrected by Dr. Johnfon. MALONE. He who can difcover what is meant by him that earnestly exhorts him to beftride his downfall birthdom, is at liberty to adhere to the prefent text; but it is probable that Shakspeare wrote: like good men, Beftride our down-fall'n birthdom The allufion is to a man from whom fomething valuable is about to be taken by violence, and who, that he may defend it without incumbrance, lays it on the ground, and ftands over it with his weapon in his hand. Our birthdom, or birthright, fays he, lies New widows howl; new orphans cry; new forrows As if it felt with Scotland, and yell'd out MAL. What you have spoke, it may be fo, perchance. This tyrant, whofe fole name blifters our tongues, Was once thought honeft: you have lov'd him well; He hath not touch'd you yet. I am young; but fomething You may deferve of him through me; and wisdom* This is on the ground; let us, like men who are to fight for what is deareft to them, not abandon it, but stand over it and defend it. a strong picture of obftinate refolution. So Falftaff fays to Hal: "If thou fee me down in the battle, and beftride me, so.” Birthdem for birthright is formed by the fame analogy with mafterdom in this play, fignifying the privileges or rights of a mafier. 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 fecond part of K. Henry IV. Morton fays: he doth beftride a bleeding land." STEEVENS. See Vol. VIII. King Henry IV. A&t V. fc. i. MALONE. and yell'd out Like fyllable of dolour.] This prefents a ridiculous image. But what is infinuated under it is noble; that the portents and prodigies in the fkies, of which mention is made before, fhowed that heaven fympathifed with Scotland. WARBURTON. The ridicule,, I believe is only vifible to the commentator. STEEVENS 8 to friend,] i. e. to befriend. STEEVENS. 9 You may deferve of him through me;] The old copy reads-dif cerne. The emendation was made by Mr. Theobald, who fupports it by Macduff's answer "I am not treacherous." MALONE. - and wisdom-] That is, and 'tis wifdom. HEATH, The fenfe of this paffage is obvious, but the conftruction difficult, as there is no verb to which wifdom can refer. Something is |