The Lord's anointed temple, and stole thence
The life o'the building.
Macb.

What is't you say? the life?
Len. Mean you his majesty?
Maed. Approach the chamber, and destroy your
sight

With a new Gorgon :-Do not bid me speak;
See, and then speak yourselves.-Awake! awake!
[Exeunt Macbeth and Lenox.
Ring the alarum-bell:-Murder! and treason!
Banquo, and Donalbain! Malcolm! awake!
Shake off this downy sleep, death's counterfeit,
And look on death itself!-up, up, and see
The great doom's image- Malcolm Banquo!
As from your graves rise up, and walk like sprights,
To countenance this horror!
[Bell rings.

Enter Lady Macbeth.

Lady M. What's the business, That such a hideous trumpet calls to parley The sleepers of the house? speak, speak,

Macd.

O, gentle lady, "Tis not for you to hear what I can speak : The repetition in a woman's ear, Would murder as it fell.O Banquo! Banquo! Enter Banquo.

Our royal master's murder'd!

Lady M.

What, in our house?

Ban.

Woe, alas! Too cruel, any where.. Dear Duff, I pr'ythee, contradict thyself, And say, it is not so.

Re-enter Macbeth and Lenox.

Mach. Had I but died an hour before this chance, I had liv'd a blessed time; for, from this instant, There's nothing serious in mortality: All is but toys: renown, and grace, is dead; The wine of life is drawn, and the mere lees Is left this vault to brag of.

Enter Malcolm and Donalbain.

Don. What is amiss ? Macb. You are, and do not know it: The spring, the head, the fountain of your blood Is stopp'd; the very source of it is stopp'd., Macd. Your royal father's murder'd. Mal.

O, by whom? Len. Those of his chamber, as it seem'd, had

done't:

Their hands and faces were all badg'd with blood,
So were their daggers, which, unwip'd, we found
Upon their pillows:

They star'd, and were distracted; no man's life
Was to be trusted with them,

Macb. O, yet I do repent me of my fury,
That I did kill them.

Macd.

Wherefore did you so?

Mach. Who can be wise, amaz'd, temperate, and

furious,

Loyal and neutral, in a moment? No man :
The expedition of my violent love

Out-ran the pauser reason. Here lay Duncan,
His silver skin lac'd with his golden blood;
And his gash'd stabs look'd like a breach in nature
For ruin's wasteful entrance: there, the mur-
derers,

Steep'd in the colours of their trade, their daggers Unmannerly breech'd with gore: Who could refrain,

That had a heart to love, and in that heart
Courage, to make his love known?
Lady M.

Macd. Look to the lady..
Mal.

Help me hence, ho!

Why do we hold our tongues, That most may claim this argument for ours? Don. What should be spoken here, Where our fate, hid within an augre-hole, May rush, and seize us? Let's away; our tears Are not yet brew'd.

Well contented. [Exeunt all but Mal. and Don.

Macb. Let's briefly put on manly readiness, And meet i'the hall together.

All.

Mal. What will you do? Let's not consort with them: To show an unfelt sorrow, is an office Which the false man does easy: I'll to England. Don. To Ireland, I; our separated fortune Shall keep us both the safer: where we are, There's daggers in men's smiles: the near in blood, The nearer bloody. Mal. This murderous shaft that's shot, Hath not yet lighted; and our safest way Is, to avoid the aim. Therefore, to horse; And let us not be dainty of leave-taking, But shift away: There's warrant in that theft Which steals itself, when there's no mercy left. [Exeunt.

SCENE IV.-Without the Castle.

Enter Rosse and an old Man.

Old M. Threescore and ten I can remember well: Within the volume of which time, I have seen Hours dreadful, and things strange; but this sore night

Hath trifled former knowings.
Rosse.

Ah, good father, Thou see'st, the heavens, as troubled with man's act,

Threaten his bloody stage: by the clock, 'tis day,
And yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp:
Is it night's predominance, or the day's shame,
That darkness does the face of earth intomb,
When living light should kiss it?
Old M.

'Tis unnatural,
Even like the deed that's done. On Tuesday last,
A falcon, tow'ring in her pride of place,
Was by a mousing owl hawk'd at, and kill'd.

Rosse. And Duncan's horses, (a thing most strange and certain,)

Beauteous and swift, the minions of their race, Turn'd wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out,

Contending 'gainst obedience, as they would make War with mankind.

As the weird women promis'd; and, I fear,
Thou play'dst most foully for't: yet it was said,
It should not stand in thy posterity;

But that myself should be the root, and father
Of many kings. If there come truth from them,
(As upon thee, Macbeth, their speeches shine,)
Why, by the verities on thee made good,
May they not be my oracles as well,

And set me up in hope? But, hush; no more.
Senet sounded. Enter Macbeth, as King; Lady
Macbeth, as Queen; Lenox, Rosse, Lords, Ladies,
and Attendants.

Macb. Here's our chief guest.
Lady M.

If he had been forgotten,
It had been as a gap in our great feast,
And all things unbecoming.

Macb. To-night we hold a solemn supper, sir, And I'll request your presence.

Ban.

Let your highness Command upon me; to the which, my duties Are with a most indissoluble tie

Macb. 1 wish your horses swift, and sure of foot; And so I do commend you to their backs. Farewell.

[Exit Banquo. Let every man be master of his time Till seven at night; to make society The sweeter welcome, we will keep ourself Till supper-time alone: while then, God be with you.

[Exeunt Lady Macbeth, Lords, Ladies, &c. Sirrah, a word: Attend those men our pleasure? Attend. They are, my lord, without the palace gate.

Macb. Bring them before us.-[Exit Atten.] To be thus, is nothing;

But to be safely thus:-Our fears in Banquo
Stick deep; and in his royalty of nature
Reigns that, which would be fear'd: 'Tis much he
dares;

And, to that dauntless temper of his mind,
He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour
To act in safety. There is none, but he
Whose being I do fear: and, under him,
My genius is rebuk'd; as, it is said,
Mark Antony's was by Cæsar. He chid the
sisters,

When first they put the name of king upon me,
And bade them speak 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 sceptre in my gripe,
Thence to be wrench'd with an unlineal hand,
No son of mine succeeding. If it be so,
For Banquo's issue have I fill'd my mind;
For them the gracious Duncan have I murder'd;
Put rancours in the vessel of my peace
Only for them; and mine eternal jewel
Given to the common enemy of man,

To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings!
Rather than so, come, fate, into the list,
And champion me to the utterance !Who's
there?-

Re-enter Attendant, with two Murderers. Now to the door, and stay there till we call. [Exit Attendant. Was it not yesterday we spoke together? 1 Mur. It was, so please your highness. Macb. Well then, now Have you consider'd of my speeches? Know, That it was he, in the times past, which held you So under fortune; which, you thought, had been Our innocent self: this I made good to you

In our last conference; pass'd in probation with

you,

How you were borne in hand; how cross'd; the instruments;

Who wrought with them; and all things else, that
might,
To half a soul, and to a notion craz❜d,
Say, Thus did Banquo.
1 Mur.
You made it known to us.
Macb. I did so; and went further, which is now
Our point of second meeting. Do you find
Your patience so predominant in your nature,
That you can let this go? Are you so gospell'd,
To pray for this good man, and for his issue,
Whose 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, mongrels, spaniels,
curs,

Shoughs, water-rugs, and demi-wolves, are cleped
All by the name of dogs: the valued file
Distinguishes the swift, the slow, the subtle,
The house-keeper, the hunter, every one
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 so of men.
Now, if you have a station in the file,
And not in the worst rank of manhood, say it;
And I will put, that business in your bosoms,
Whose execution takes your enemy off;
Grapples you to the heart and love of us,
Who wear our health but sickly in his life,
Which in his death were perfect.
2 Mur..
I am one, my liege,
Whom the vile blows and buffets of the world
Have so incens'd, that I am reckless what
I do, to spite the world.
1 Mur.

And I another,
So weary with disasters, tugg'd with fortune,

That I would set my life on any chance, To mend it, or be rid on't.

Mach.

Know, Banquo was your enemy.

2 Mur.

Both of you

True, my lord. Macb. So is he mine; and in such bloody distance,

That every minute of his being thrusts
Against my near'st of life: And though I could
With bare-fac'd power sweep him from my sight,
And bid my will avouch it; yet I must not,
For certain friends that are both his and mine,
Whose loves I may not drop, but wail his fall
Whom I myself struck down and thence it is,
That I to your assistance do make love;
Masking the business from the common eye,
For sundry weighty reasons.

2 Mur.

We shall, my lord, Perform what you command us.

1 Mur.

Though our lives

Macb. Your spirits shine through you. Within this hour, at most,

I will advise you where to plant yourselves.
Acquaint you with the perfect spy o'the time,
The moment on't; for't must be done to-night,
And something from the palace; always thought,
That I require a clearness: And with him,
(To leave no rubs, nor botchers, in the work,)
Fleance his son, that keeps him company,
Whose absence is no less material to me
Than is his father's, must embrace the fate
Of that dark hour. Resolve yourselves apart;
I'll come to you anon.
2 Mur.

We are resolv'd, my lord.
Macb. I'll call upon you straight; abide within.
It is concluded: Banquo, thy soul's flight,
If it find heaven, must find it out to-night.

[Exeunt,

The frame of things disjoint, both the worlds suffer,
Ere we will eat our meal in fear, and sleep
In the affliction of these terrible dreams.
That shake us nightly: Better be with the dead,
Whom we, to gain our place, have sent to peace,
Than on the torture of the mind to lie

In restless ecstacy. Duncan is in his grave;
After life's fitful fever, he sleeps well;
Treason has done his worst: nor steel, nor poison,
Malice domestick, foreign levy, nothing,
Can touch him further!

Lady M. Come on ;

Gentle my lord, sleek o'er your rugged looks;
Be bright and jovial 'mong your guests to-night,
Mach. So shall I, love; and so, I pray, be you :
Let your remembrance apply to Banquo;

Present him eminence, both with eye and tongue :
Unsafe the while, that we

Must lave our honours in these flattering streams;

1 Mur.

Then stand with us.

The west yet glimmers with some streaks of day:
Now spurs the lated traveller apace,

To gain the timely inn; and near approaches
The subject of our watch.

3 Mur.

2 Mur.

Hark! I hear horses.

Ban. [Within.]. Give us a light there, ho! Then it is he; the rest That are within the note of expectation," Already are i'the court.

1 Mur. His horses go about. 3 Mur. Almost a mile; but he does usually, So all men do, from hence to the palace gate Make it their walk.

Enter Banquo and Fleance, a Servant with a torch preceding them. A light, a light!

2 Mur.

3 Mur.

1 Mur. Stand to't. Ban. It will be rain to-night. 1 Mur.

'Tis he.

Let it come down. [Assaults Banquo. Ban. O, treachery! Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly; Thou may'st revenge:-O slave!

[Dies. Fleance and Servant escape. 3 Mur. Who did strike out the light?

1 Mur.

Was't not the way?

3 Mur. There's but one down; the son is fled. 2 Mur. We have lost best half of our affair. 1 Mur. Well, let's away, and say how much is [Exeunt.

done.