And to that dauntlefs temper of his mind,
He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour
To act in fafety. There is none but he,
Whofe Being I do fear: and, under him,
My Genius is rebuk'd; as, it is faid,

2

Anthony's was by Cafar. He chid the Sisters,
When first they put the name of King upon me,
And bade them fpeak to him; then, Prophet-like,
They hail'd him father to a line of Kings.
Upon my head they plac'd a fruitless Crown,
And put a barren Scepter in my gripe
Thence to be wrench'd with an unlineal hand,
No fon of mine fucceeding. If 'tis fo,

3 For Banquo's iffue have I fil'd my mind;
For them, the gracious Duncan have I murther'd;
Put rancours in the veffel of my Peace
Only for them; and mine eternal jewel
Giv'n to the common enemy of man,

2

-as, it is faid,

Anthony's as by Cæfar.-] Though I would not often af fume the critick's privilege of being confident where certainty cannot be obtained, nor indulge myfelf too far in departing from the established reading; yet I cannot but propofe the rejection of this paflage, which I believe was an infertion of fome player, that having fo much learning as to discover to what Shakespeare alluded, was not willing that his audience fhould be lefs knowing than himfelf, and has therefore weakened the authour's fenfe by the intrufion of a remote and ufelefs image into a fpeech burfting from a man wholly poffefs'd with his own prefent condition, and therefore not at leifure to explain his own allufions to him

-'FILED my mind: i. e. defiled. WARBURTON, This mark of contraction is not neceffary. To file is in the Bishops Bible.

4 --the common enemy of mon,] It is always an entertainment to an inquifitive reader, to trace a fentiment to its original fource, and therefore though the term enemy of man, applied to the de

To make them Kings, the Seed of Banquo Kings.
Rather than fo, come Fate into the lift,
And champion me to th' utterance !-Who's there?

vil, is in itself natural and obyious, yet fome may be pleafed with being informed, that Shake Speare probably borrowed it from the first lines of the destruction of Troy, a book which he is known to have read.

That this remark may not appear too trivial, I fhall take occafion from it to point out a beautiful paffage of Milton evidently copied from a book of no greater authority, in defcribing the gates of hell. Book 2. v. 879. he fays,

On a fadden open fix, With impetuous re oil and jarring fund,

Th'in ernal doors, and on their

binges grate Harsh thunder.

rance

In the history of Don BelliaHi, when one of the knights approaches, as I remember, the cattle of Brandezar, the gates are faid to open grating harsh thunder upon their brafen hinges. 5 come Fate into the lift, And champion me to th' uttence!] This paffage will be best explained by tranflating it into the language from whence the only word of difficulty in it is borrowed. Que la destinie fe rende en lice, et qu'elle me donne un defi a l'outrance. A challenge or a combat a l'outrance, to extremity, was a fix'd term in the law of arms, ufed when the combatants engaged with an adi

um internecinum, an intention to
defroy each other, in oppofition
to trials of skill at feftivals, or
on other occasions, where the
contest was only for reputation
or a prize. The fenfe therefore
is, Let Fate, that has fore-doom'd
the exaltation of the fons of Ban-
quo, enter the lifts against me,
with the utmost animofity, in de-
fence of its own decrees, which Į
will endeavour to invalidate,
whatever be the danger.

Rather than fo, come Fate into
the lift,

And champion me to th' utte-
rance!- ] This is ex-
preffed with great nobleness and
fublimity. The metaphor is
taken from the ancient combat
en champ clos: in which there was
a marshal, who prefided over,
and directed all the punctilios of
the ceremonial. Fate is called
upon to difcharge this office, and
champion him to th' utterance;
that is, to fight it out to the extre-
mity, which they called combatre
à cultrance. But he ufes the
Scotch word, Lutterance from oul-
trance, extremity.
WARB.

After the former explication, Dr. Warburton was defirous to feem to do fomething; and he has therefore made fate the marhal, whom I had made the champion, and has left Macbeth to enter the lifts without an opponent.

*The Passage in Bon Bellian's, here

Enter

alluded to, is in the Id Part, Chap. 12. pag. 31. (Edit 1683. ) Where two Knights approaching a Castle" with Brazen Guber, find a little horn hanging. "The Horn was no sooner Sounded, but open flew the Brazem Folding doors, grateing harsh Thunder on their turnina Hinass.”

=

*not of Brands=

: Zariwhi in 1st Part Ch

Lg. 193. G

Enter Servant, and two Murderers.

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

[Exit Servam.

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

You have confider'd of my fpeeches, know,
That it was he, in the times paft, which held you
So under fortune, which, you thought, had been
Our innocent felf; this I made good to you

In our laft conf'rence, paft in probation with you,
How you were borne in hand; how croft; the inftru-

ments;

Who wrought with them; and all things elfe that might

To half a foul, and to a notion craz'd,

Say, thus did Banquo.

1 Mur. True, you made it known.

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 golpell'd, To pray for this good man and for his iffue, Whofe heavy hand hath bow'd you to the Grave, And beggar'd yours for ever.

1 Mur. We are men, my liege.

Macb. Ay, in the catalogue ye go for men, As hounds, and greyhounds, mungrels, fpaniels, curs, Showghes, water rugs, and demy-wolves are cleped All by the name of dogs; the valued file Diftinguishes the fwift, the flow, the fubtle, The houfe-keeper, the hunter; every one

are you so gospell'd,] Are you of that degree of precife virtue? Gofpeller was a name of contempt given by the Papifts

to the Lillards, the Puritans of early times, and precurfors of Proteftantifm.

According to the gift which bounteous Nature
Hath in him clos'd; 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 incens'd, that I am reckless what
I do, to fpite the world.

1 Mur. And I another,

7 So weary with difafters, tugg'd with fortune, That I would fet my life on any chance,

To mend it, or be rid on't.

Mach. Both of you

Know, Banquo was your enemy.

Mur. True, my Lord.

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

Against my near'ft of life; and though I could

7 So weary with DISASTERS, TUGGD with farture,] We fee the speaker means to fay that he is weary with ftruggling with adverfe fortune. But this reading expreffes but half the idea; viz. of a man tugg'd and haled by fortune without making refitance. To give the compleat thought, we should read,

So weary with DISASTROUS
TUGGS with fortune.
This is well expreffed, and gives
the reafon of his being weary,

With bare fac'd 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 affistance do make love,
Masking the bufinefs from the common eye
For fundry weighty reasons.

2 Mur. We fhall, my lord, Perform what you command us. 1 Mur. Though our lives

Mach. Your Ipirits 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,
And fomething from the Palace: always thought,
That I require a clearnefs: and with him,
To leave no rubs nor botches in the work,
Fleance his fon, that keeps him company,
Whofe abfence is no lefs material to me
Than is his father's, muft embrace the fate
Of that dark hour. Refolve your felves a part,
I'll come to you anon.
Mur. We are refolv'd, my lord.