But be the serpent under it. He that's coming To alter favour ever is to fear. Leave all the rest to me. Only look up clear: [Exeunt. SCENE VI. The Same. Before the Castle. Hautboys and Torches. Enter DUNCAN, MALCOLM, DONALBAIN, BANQUO, LENOX, MACDUFF, ROSSE, ANGUS, and Attendants. Dun. This castle hath a pleasant seat: the air 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 Buttress, nor coigne of vantage, but this bird Hath made his pendent bed, and procreant cradle ; Where they most breed 10 and haunt, I have observ'd, The air is delicate. 10 Where they мOST breed-] All the folios have "must breed ;" and there the passage is thus pointed : "Where they must breed, and haunt: I have observ'd The air is delicate." Rowe changed must to "most," and there is little doubt that it was a misprint in the first folio, which the others implicitly followed. Nevertheless, sense might be made out of the passage as it stands in the old copies, supposing Banquo to mean only, that the swallows must breed in their procreant cradles; adding, in the words, "the air is delicate," his accordance with Duncan's previous remark. In the same speech there is a misprint of barlet for "martlet," which error is also repeated in the folios, 1632, 1664, and 1685. Enter Lady МАСВЕТН. Dun. Which still we thank as love: herein I teach you, And thank us for Lady M. your trouble'. All our service, In every point twice done, and then done double, 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 To his home before us. Fair and noble hostess, Your servants ever We are your guest to-night. Lady M. 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, 1 How you shall bid God yield us for your pains, [Exeunt. And thank us for your trouble.] Malone had "no distinct conception" of what was meant by this passage, and Steevens was equally at fault. To us the whole speech seems sufficiently clear: Duncan says, that even love sometimes occasions him trouble, but that he thanks it as love notwithstanding; and that thus he teaches Lady Macbeth, while she takes trouble on his account, to "bid God yield," or reward, him for giving that trouble. 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. Mach. If it were done, when 'tis done, then 'twere well It were done quickly: if the assassination Could trammel up the consequence, and catch But here, upon this bank and shoal of time1,- 2 Enter a SEWER,] A" sewer" (says Steevens) was an officer, so called from his placing the dishes upon the table. Asseour, French; from asseoir, to place. 3 and catch With his SURCEASE success ;] To "surcease" is to finish or conclude, and the meaning, of course, is," and catch success with its conclusion." 4 - and SHOAL of time,] The old reading is schoole, which Theobald altered to "shoal;" and perhaps no better suggestion, to cure an obvious error, could be made. "We'd JUMP the life to come" is, We would take the chance of, or risk, the life to come. See Vol. vi. p. 203. And pity, like a naked new-born babe, Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye, That tears shall drown the wind.—I have no spur Enter Lady MACBETH. How now! what news? Lady M. He has almost supp'd. Why have you left the chamber? Macb. Hath he ask'd for me? Lady M. Know you not, he has? Mach. We will proceed no farther in this business: He hath honour'd me of late; and I have bought Golden opinions from all sorts of people, Which would be worn now in their newest gloss, Lady M. Was the hope drunk, Wherein you dress'd yourself? hath it slept since, At what it did so freely? Such I account thy love. From this time, Art thou afeard To be the same in thine own act and valour, And live a coward in thine own esteem, Letting I dare not wait upon I would, Pr'ythee, peace. 5 Like the poor cat i' the adage ?] The adage is, "The cat loves fish, but dares not wet her feet." It is found in the following form in " Adagia Scotica," &c. collected by R. B. 12mo, 1668, “Ye breed of the cat : ye would fain have fish, but ye have na will to wet your feet." See "Bridgewater Catalogue," 1837, p. 2. I dare do all that may become a man; Lady M. What beast was't, then, That made you break this enterprize to me? Mach. Lady M. If we should fail, We fail'? But screw your courage to the sticking-place, 6 Who dares Do more is none.] The old folios, instead of "do more," read "no more." The correction was made by Southern, in his folio, 1685. 7 We fail?] This is the punctuation of the folios, 1623, 1632, 1664, and 1685, and in this case, perhaps, we may take it as some evidence of the ancient mode of delivering the two words, "We fail?" interrogatively. Malone substituted a mark of admiration, "We fail!" and Steevens pursued the same course; but it may be doubted by some whether both these modes are not wrong, and that Lady Macbeth means merely to follow up what her husband says, by stating the result of failure, which, however, in the next line, she supposes impossible, if Macbeth be but resolute in his purpose. 8 Will I with wine and wassel so CONVINCE,] i. e. so overcome. The word is again used in the same sense, A. iv. sc. 3; and we have already had it so applied in "Love's Labour's Lost," Vol. ii. p. 377. |