With twenty mortal murders on their crowns,

And push us from our stools: this is more strange
Than such a murder is.

Lady Macbeth.

Your noble friends do lack you.

Macbeth.

My worthy lord,

I do forget.

Do not muse at me, my most worthy friends;

I have a strange infirmity, which is nothing
To those that know me.

Come, love and health to all;
Then I'll sit down. Give me some wine, fill full.
I drink to the general joy o' the whole table,
And to our dear friend Banquo, whom we miss;
Would he were here! to all and him we thirst,
And all to all.

Lords.

Our duties, and the pledge.

Re-enter Ghost.

90

Macb. Avaunt! and quit my sight! let the earth hide thee! Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold;

Thou hast no speculation in those eyes

Which thou dost glare with.

Lady Macbeth.

Think of this, good peers,

But as a thing of custom: 'tis no other;
Only it spoils the pleasure of the time.

Macbeth. What man dare, I dare:
Approach thou like the rugged Russian bear,
The arm'd rhinoceros, or the Hyrcan tiger;
Take any shape but that, and my firm nerves
Shall never tremble: or be alive again,
And dare me to the desert with thy sword;
If trembling I inhabit then, protest me
The baby of a girl. Hence, horrible shadow!
Unreal mockery, hence!

100

[Ghost vanishes.

Why, so being gone,

I am a man again. Pray you, sit still.

Lady Macbeth. You have displaced the mirth, broke the

good meeting,

With most admired disorder.

Macbeth.

Can such things be,

ΙΙΟ

And overcome us like a summer's cloud,

Without our special wonder? You make me strange
Even to the disposition that I owe,

When now I think you can behold such sights,
And keep the natural ruby of your cheeks,

When mine is blanch'd with fear.

Ross.

What sights, my lord?

Lady M. I pray you, speak not; he grows worse and worse; Question enrages him. At once, good night:

Stand not upon the order of your going,

[Exeunt all but Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

Macbeth. It will have blood: they say blood will have blood: Stones have been known to move and trees to speak;

Augures and understood relations have

By maggot-pies and choughs and rooks brought forth
The secret'st man of blood. What is the night?

Lady M. Almost at odds with morning, which is which. Macbeth. How say'st thou, that Macduff denies his person At our great bidding?

Lady Macbeth.

Did you send to him, sir?

Macbeth. I hear it by the way, but I will send:
There's not a one of them but in his house

I keep a servant fee'd. I will to-morrow,
And betimes I will, to the weird sisters:

More shall they speak, for now I am bent to know,
By the worst means, the worst. For mine own good
All causes shall give way: I am in blood
Stepp'd in so far that, should I wade no more,
Returning were as tedious as go o'er:

Strange things I have in head that will to hand,

Which must be acted ere they may be scann'd.

130

140

Lady Macbeth. You lack the season of all natures, sleep. Macbeth. Come, we'll to sleep. My strange and self-abuse Is the initiate fear that wants hard use:

We are yet but young in deed.

SCENE V. A beath.

[Exeunt.

Thunder. Enter the three Witches, meeting HECATE.

First Witch. Why, how now, Hecate! you look angerly. Hecate. Have I not reason, beldams as you are,

Saucy and overbold? How did you dare

To trade and traffic with Macbeth

In riddles and affairs of death;
And I, the mistress of your charms,
The close contriver of all harms,
Was never call'd to bear my part,
Or show the glory of our art?
And, which is worse, all you have done
Hath been but for a wayward son,

Spiteful and wrathful; who, as others do,
Loves for his own ends, not for you.
But make amends now: get you gone,
And at the pit of Acheron

Meet me i' the morning: thither he
Will come to know his destiny:
Your vessels and your spells provide,
Your charms and every thing beside.

I am for the air; this night I'll spend
Unto a dismal and a fatal end:

ΙΟ

20

Great business must be wrought ere noon:
Upon the corner of the moon

There hangs a vaporous drop profound;

I'll catch it ere it come to ground:
And that, distill'd by magic sleights,
Shall raise such artificial sprites
As by the strength of their illusion
Shall draw him on to his confusion:

He shall spurn fate, scorn death, and bear
His hopes 'bove wisdom, grace and fear:
And you all know security

Is mortals' chiefest enemy.

30

[Music and a song within: 'Come away, come away,' &c. Hark! I am call'd; my little spirit, see,

[Exit.

Sits in a foggy cloud, and stays for me.
First Witch. Come, let's make haste; she'll soon be back

again.

SCENE VI. Forres. The palace.

[Exeunt.

Enter LENNOX and another Lord.

Lennox. My former speeches have but hit your thoughts, Which can interpret farther: only I say

Things have been strangely borne. The gracious Duncan
Was pitied of Macbeth: marry, he was dead:
And the right-valiant Banquo walk'd too late,
Whom, you may say, if 't please you, Fleance kill'd,
For Fleance fled: men must not walk too late.
Who cannot want the thought, how monstrous
It was for Malcolm and for Donalbain
To kill their gracious father? damned fact !
How it did grieve Macbeth! did he not straight
In pious rage the two delinquents tear,

That were the slaves of drink and thralls of sleep?
Was not that nobly done? Ay, and wisely too;
For 'twould have anger'd any heart alive
To hear the men deny 't. So that, I say,
He has borne all things well: and I do think
That had he Duncan's sons under his key-

As, an't please heaven, he shall not-they should find
What 'twere to kill a father; so should Fleance.
But, peace! for from broad words and 'cause he fail'd
His presence at the tyrant's feast, I hear
Macduff lives in disgrace: sir, can you tell
Where he bestows himself?

10

20

Lord.

The son of Duncan,

From whom this tyrant holds the due of birth,
Lives in the English court, and is received

Of the most pious Edward with such grace
That the malevolence of fortune nothing
Takes from his high respect: thither Macduff
Is gone to pray the holy king, upon his aid
To wake Northumberland and warlike Siward;
That by help of these, with Him above
To ratify the work, we may again

Give to our tables meat, sleep to our nights,
Free from our feasts and banquets bloody knives,
Do faithful homage and receive free honours:
All which we pine for now: and this report
Hath so exasperate the king that he

Prepares for some attempt of war.

Lennox.

Sent he to Macduff?

30

Lord. He did: and with an absolute 'Sir, not I,' 40 The cloudy messenger turns me his back,

And hums, as who should say 'You'll rue the time

That clogs me with this answer.'

Lennox.

And that well might

Advise him to a caution, to hold what distance
His wisdom can provide. Some holy angel

Fly to the court of England and unfold

His message ere he come, that a swift blessing
May soon return to this our suffering country
Under a hand accursed!

Lord.

I'll send my prayers with him.

[Exeunt.