Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown,
And put a barren fceptre in my gripe,
Thence to be wrenched with an unlineal hand,.
No fon of mine fucceeding. If 'tis fo,
For Banquo's iifuc have I 'filed my mind:
For them, the gracious Duncan have I murdered:
Put rancours in the veffel of my peace
Only for them: and mine eternal jewel.
Given to the common enemy of man,

To make them Kings: the feed of Banquo Kings :
Rather than fo, come fate into the lift,

And champion me to th' utterance !-who's there?

Enter Servant, and two Murderers.

Go to the door, and ftay there 'till we call.

[Exit Ser..

Was it not yefterday we spoke together?
Mur. It was, fo please your Highnefs.
Mach. Well then, now.

You have confidered of my fpeeches? know
That it was he, in the tiraes paft, which held you
So under fortune; which, you thought, had been
Our innocent felf; this I made good to you
In our laft conference, paft in probation with you:
How you were borne in hand, how croft; the in
ftruments,

Who wrought with them; and all things elfe that
To half a foul, and to a notion crazed,

Say, thus did Banquo.

1 Mur. True, you made it known.

[might

Macb. I did fo; and went further, which is now Our point of fecond meeting. Do you find Your patience fo predominant in your nature, That you can let this go? are you fo gofpelled, To pray for this good man and for his illue, Whofe heavy hand hath bowed you to the grave, And beggared yours for ever?

Mur. We are men, my Liege. Macb. Ay, in the catalogue you go

for men,

As hounds, and greyhounds, mungrels, fpaniels, curs,
Showghes, water-rugs, and demy-wolves are clepod
All by the name of dogs: the valued file
Diftinguishes the fwift, the flow, the subtle,
The house-keeper, the hunter, every one
According to the gift which bounteous nature
Hath in him closed; whereby he does receive
Particular addition, from the bill

That writes them all alike: and fo of men.
Now, if you have a station in the file,

And not in the worst rank of manhood, fay it
And I will put that business in your bofoms,
Whofe execution takes your enemy off;
Grapples you to the heart and love of us,
Who wear our health but fickly in his life,
Which in his death were perfect.

2 Mur. I am one

Whom the vile blows and buffets of the world
Have fo incenfed, that I am reckless what
I do, to fpite the world.

1 Mur. And I another,

So weary with difafters, tugged with fortune,
That I would fet my life on any chance,

To mend it, or be rid on't.

Macb. Both of you

Know, Banquo was your enemy.

Mur. True, my Lord.

Macb. So he is mine: and in fuch bloody distance, That every minute of his being thrufts

Against my neareft of life: and though I could
With bare-faced power fweep him from my fight,
And bid my will avouch it; yet I must not,
For certain friends that are both his and mine,
Whofe loves I may not drop; but wail his fall,

Whom I myself ftruck down; and thence it is,
That I to your affiñance do make love, d
Mafking the bufinefs from the common eye i,
For fundry weighty reafons.

2 Mur. We thall, my Lord, Perform what you command us. 1 Mur. Though our lives--

Mach. Your fpirits fhine through you. In this
hour at most,

I will advise you where to plant yourselves;
Acquaint you with the perfect fpy o' th' time,
The moment on't; (for't must be done to-night, (21)
And fomething from the pałace: always thought,
That I require a clearness:) and with him,
(To leave no rubs nor botches in the work)
Fleance his fon, that keeps him company,

(12) For't must be done to-night,

And fomething from the palace: always thought,

That I require a clearness :] The latter branch of this fentence Mr Pope has funk upon us in both his editions, tho' it is authorized by all the preceding copies. If I may venture to guefs at the reafon of his fuppreffing these words, it was because he did not understand them; but Macbeth means, that the murderers mult in every step remember, he requires not to be fufpected of the fact; to ftand clear from all imputation, which might affect him in the opinions of the people. I have frequently obferved how minutely Shakefpeare is used to follow his hiftory in little particular circumftances This is one fignal inftance. Let us hear honest Holingthead (from whom he has copied this whole tale) in his hiftory of Scotland, p. 172.—" He willed therefore the fame Banquho, with his fon named Fleance, to come to a fupper that he had prepared for them; which was, indeed, as he had devifed, prefent death at the hands of certain murderers whom he hired to execute that deed; appointing them to meet with the fame Banquho and his fon without the palace, as they returned to their lodgings, and there to flea them: fo that he would not have his houfe flandered; but that in time to come he might clear himfelf, if any thing were laid to his charge upon any fufpicion that might arife.”

(Whofe abfence is no lefs material to me,
Than is his father's) muft embrace the fate
Of that dark hour. Refolve yourselves apart,
I'll come to you anon.

Mur. We are refolved, my Lord.

Mach. I'll call upon you straight; abide within. [Exeunt Murderers, It is concluded;--Banquo, thy foul's flight,

If it find heaven, muft find it out to-night. [Exit.

SCENE, another Apartment in the Palace.
Enter Lady MACBETH and a Servant.

Lady. Is Banquo gone from court?

Ser. Ay, Madam, but returns again to-night. Lady. Say to the King, I would attend his leifure For a few words.

Ser. Madam, I will.

Lady. Nought's had, all's fpent,

Where our defire is got without content:

'Tis fafer to be that which we deftroy, Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy. Enter MACBETH.

[Exit.

How now, my Lord, why do you keep alone?
Of forrieft fancies your companions making,
Ufing those thoughts which fhould, indeed, have
died

With them they think on? Things without all remedy
Should be without regard; what's done, is done.
Mach. We have fcotched the fnake, not killed
it (22)

(22) We have fcorched the fuake, not killed it,

She'll clofe and be berfelf;] This is a paffage which has all along paffed current through the editions, and yet dare affirm is not our Author's reading. What has a snake, VOL. IX.

E

She'll close, and be herself; whilft our poor malice
Remains in danger of her former tooth.

But let both worlds disjoint, and all things fuffer,
Ere we will eat our meal in fear, and fleep
In the affliction of these terrible dreams,

That fhake us nightly. Better be with the dead,
(Whom we, to gain our place, have fent to peace),
Thar on the torture of the mind to ly'
In retlefs ecftafy.-Duncan is in his
After life's fitful fever he fleeps well;
Treafon has done his worft; nor fteel, nor poifon,

grave;

clofing again, to do with its being fearched? fcorching would never either feparate or dilate its parts, but rather make them inftantly contract and fhrivel. Shakespeare, I am very well perfuaded, had this notion in his head; that if you cut a ferpent or worm afunder, in feveral pièces, there is fuch an unctuous quality in their blood, that the dismembered parts, being only placed near enough to touch one another, will cement and become as whole as before the injury received. The application of this thought, is to Dun can, the murdered king, and his furviving fons. Macbeth confiders them fo much as members of the father, that though he has cut off the old man; he would say, he has not entirely killed him, but he'll revive again in the lives of his fons. Can we doubt therefore but that the Poet wrote, as I have reftored to the text;

We have fcotched the fnake, not killed it?"

To frotch, however the generality of our dictionaries happen to omit the word, fignifies to notch, flash, back, cut with twigs, fwords, &c. and fo our Poct more than once has ufed it in his works.

Coriolanus:

He was too hard for him directly, to fay the troth on't: before Corioli, he footched him, and notched him, like a carbonado.

Antony and Cleopatra ;

We'll beat 'em into beach holes : I have yet

Room for fix fcotches more.

I made this emendation, when I published my Shakespeare Restored; and Mr Pope has vouchlated to embrace it in his aft.edition.