Affifted by that most disloyal traitor The Thane of Cawdor, 'gan a finall conflict: Point against point rebellious, arm 'gainst arm, The victory fell on us. King. Great happiness ! [pofition: Roffe. Now Sweno, Norway's King, craves comNor would we deign him burial of his men 'Till he difburfed, at Saint Colmes-kill isle, Ten thoufand dollars to our general use. [ceive King. No more that Thane of Cawdor fhall deOur bofom intereft. Go, pronounce his death; And with his former title greet Macbeth. Roffe. I'll fee it done. King. What he hath loft, noble Macbeth hath won. SCENE changes to the Heath. [Exeunt. Thunder. Enter the three Witches. 1 Witch. Where haft thou been, sister? and contraft of expreffion are loft, which my pointing reftores. The fenfe is, Norway, who was in himself terrible by his own numbers, when affifted by Cawdor became yet more terrible. (s) Till that Bellona's bridegroom, lapt in proof, Confronted him with felf-comparisons, Point against point, rebellious arm 'gainst arm, Curbing his lavish spirit.] Here again we are to quarrel with the tranfpofition of an innocent comma; which how ever becomes dangerous to fenfe, when in the hands either of a carelefs or ignorant editor. Let us fee who is it that brings this rebellious arm? Why, it is Bellona's bridegroom: and who is he, but Macbeth? We can never believe our Author meant any thing like this. My regulation of the pointing restores the true meaning; that the loyal Macbeth confronted the difloyal Cawdor, arın to arm. 2 Witch. Killing fwine. 3 Witch. Sifter, where thou? I Witch. A failor's wife had chefnuts in her lap, And mouncht, and mouncht, and mouncht. Give me, quoth i. Aroint thee, witch !-the rump-fed ronyon cries. Her husband's to Aleppo gone, master o' the Tyger: But in a fieve I'll thither fail, And like a rat without a tail, I'll do I'll do-and I'll do. 2 Witch. I'll give thee a wind. 1 Witch. Thou art kind. 3 Witch. And I another. I Witch. I myself have all the other, -- I will drain him dry as hay; Look, what I have. 2 Witch. Shew me, fhew me. I Witch. Here I have a pilot's thumb, Wreck'd as homeward he did come. [Drum within. 3 Witch. A drum, a drum! Macbeth doth come! (6) He fhall live a man forbid :] i. e. as under a curfe, an interdiction. So, afterwards, in this play; By his own interdiction stands accurfed. So, among the Romans, an outlaw's fentence was aquæ et ignis interdicio. i. e. He was forbid the ufe of water and fire which implied the neceffity of banishment. All. The weird fifters, hand in hand, (7) Pofters of the sea and land, (1) The wayward fifters, band in hand,] The witches are here fpeaking of themfelves; and it is worth an inquiry why they should ftyle themselves the weywar, or wayward lifter. This word in its general acceptation fignifies, perverse, fro ward, mordy, obftinate, untractable, &c. and is every where fo ufed by our Shakespeare. To content our felves with two or three inftances; Fy, fy, how way ward is this foolish love, That like a tefty baby, &c. Two Gentlemen of Verona. Love's Labour's Laf. And, which is worse, all you have done Is but for a wayward fon. Macbeth. It is improbable the witches would adopt this epithet to themselves, in any of thefe fenfes; and therefore we are to look a little farther for the Poet's word and meaning. When had the firft fufpicion of our Author being corrupt in this place, it brought to my mind the following paffage in Chaucer's Troilus and Creffeide, lib. iii v 618. But, O fortune, executrice of wierdes. Which word the gloffaries expound to us by fates or deftinies. I was foon confirmed in my fufpicion, upon happening to dip into Heylin's Cofinography, where he makes a fhort recital of the story of Macbeth and Banquo: Thefe two (fays he) travelling together through a forest, were met by three fairies, witches, wierds, the Scots call them, &c. 1 prefently recollected, that this ftory must be recorded at more length by Holing head; with whom thought it was very probable that our Author had traded for the materials of his tragedy: and therefore confirmation was to be fetch. ed from this fountain. Accordingly, looking into his hiftory of Scotland, I found the writer very prolix and exprefs, from Hector Boethius, in this remarkable story; and in p. 170. fpeaking of thefe witches, he ufes this expreflion: But afterwards the common opinion was, that these women were either the we're fifters, that is, as ye would fay, the goddeffes of deftiny, &c. Again, a little lower; The words of the three ueira fifters alfo, (of whom before ye have heard) greatly encouraged him thereunto. And, in several other paragraphs there, this word is reVOL. IX. B Thus do go about, about, Thrice to thine, and thrice to mine, Enter MACBETH and BANQUo, with Soldiers and other Attendants. Mach. So foul and fair a day I have not feen. Ban. How far is't call'd to Forris?what are [thefe, So wither'd, and so wild in their attire, Macb. Speak, if you can; what are you? 2 Witch. All-hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! 3 Witch. All-hail, Macbeth that shalt be King *hereafter. Ban. Good Sir, why do you start, and seem to fear Things that do found fo fair? I' the name of truth, Are ye fantastical, or that indeed [To the Witches. Which outwardly ye fhew? My noble partner You greet with prefent grace, and great prediction peared I believe, by this time, it is plain beyond a doubt, that the word wayward has obtained in Macbeth, where the witches are spoken of, from the ignorance of the copyifts, who were not acquainted with the Scotch term: and that in every paffage, where there is any relation to thefet witches or wizards, my emendation must be embraced, and We must read weird. Of noble having, and of royal hope, That he feems rapt withal; to me you speak not.. If you can look into the feeds of time, And say which grain will grow and which will not, Speak then to me, who neither beg, nor fear, Your favours, nor your hate. 1 Witch. Hail ! 2 Witch. Hail! 3 Witch. Hail! Witch. Leffer than Macbeth, and greater. 2 Witch. Not fo happy, yet much happier. 3 Witch. Thou fhalt get Kings, though thou be So, all hail, Macbeth and Banquo ! [none; 1 Witch. Banquo and Macbeth, all-hail ! Mach. Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more: No more than to be Cawdor. Say, from whence Ban. The earth hath bubbles, as the water has; And these are of them: whither are they vanished? Mach. Into the air: and what feemed corporal Melted, as breath, into the wind. Would they had staid !· Ban. Were fuch things here as we do speak about? (8) (8) Were fuch things here as we do speak abou;? Or have we eaten of the infane root, That takes the reafon prifoner?] The infine root, viz, the root which makes infane; as in Horace pallida mors; embe, gia facit pallidos.This fentence, I conceive, is not o well ua |