Or have we eaten of the infane root,
That takes the reafon prifoner?

Macb. Your children fhall be Kings.
Ban. You fhall be King.

Mach. And Thane of Cawdor too; went it not fo?
Ban. To th' felf fame tune and words; who's here?
Enter ROSSE and ANGUS.

Rafe. The King hath happily received, Macbeth,

derstood, as I would have every part of Shakespeare be, by his audience and readers So foon as the Witches vanifh from the fight of Macbeth and Banquo, and leave them in doubt whether they had really feen fuch apparitions, or whether their eyes were not deceived by fome illufion, Banquo immediately starts the question,

Were fuch things here, &c.

I was fure, from a long obfervation of Shakespeare's accuracy that he alluded here to fome particular circumftasce in the hiftory, which I hoped I fhould find explained in Holinghead. But I found myfelf deceived in this expectation. This furnishes a proper occafion therefore to remark our Author's fignal diligence, and happiness at applying whatever he met with that could have any relation to his fubjest. Hector Boethius, who gives us an account of Sueno's army being intoxicated by a preparation put upon them by their fibile enemy, informs us, that there is a plant which grows in a great quantity in Scotland, called Solatrum AmenVale; that its berries are purple, or rather black, when full ripe; and have a quality of laying to fleep, or of driving into madness, if a more than ordinary quantity of them be taken. This paffage of Boethius, I dare fay, our Poct had an eye to; and I think it fairly accounts for his mention of the infone root. Diofcorides, lib. iv. c. 74. Hip тpúxvý pavix, attributes the fame properties to it. Its claffical name L obferve is folanum; but the fhopmen agree to call it folatrum. This prepared in medicine, (as Theophraftus tells us and Pliny from him) has a peculiar effect of filling the patient's head with odd images and fancies, and particularly that of fecing fpirits; an effect which, I am perfuaded, was no fecret to our Author. Bochart and Salmafius have both heen copious upon the defeription and qualities of this plant.

The news of thy fuccefs; and when he reads
Thy perfonal venture in the rebels fight,
His wonders and his praises do contend,
Which should be thine, or his.

Silenced with that,

In viewing o'er the rest o' th' self-fame day,
He finds thee in the ftout Norweyan ranks,
Nothing afraid of what thyfelf didit make,
Strange images of death As thick as hail,

Came pot on poit; and every one did bear
Thy praifes in his kingdom's great defence,
And poured them down before him.
Ang. We are fent,

To give thee, from our roya' master, thanks;
Only to herald thee into his fight,,

Not pay thee.

Roffe. And for an earnest of a greater honour,, He bade me, from him, call thee Thane of Cawdor: In which addition, hail, moft worthy Thane! For it is thine.

Ban. What, can the devil speak true? Macb. The Thane of Cawdor lives; Why do you dress me in his borrowed robes? Ang. Who was the Thane, lives-yet; But under heavy judgment bears that life,, Which he deferves to lofe. Whether he was Combined with Norway, or did line the rebel With hidden help and vantage, or that with both He laboured in his country's wrack, I know Lut; But treasons capital, confeis d, and proved, Have overthrown him.

Mach. Glamis, and Thane of Cawdor [Afide. The greateft is behind. Thanks for your pains. [To-Angus.

Do you not hope your children fhall be Kings,

[To Banquo. When thofe, that gave the Thane of Cawdor to me Promised no tels to them?

Ban. That trufted home,

Might yet enkindle you unto the crown,
Befides the Thane of Cawdor. But 'tis ftrange
And oftentimes, to win us to our harm,
The inftruments of darknefs tell us truths,
Win us with honeft trifles, to betray us

In deepest confequence..

Coufins, a word, I pray you. [ToRoffe and Angus.

Mach. Two truths are told,

As happy prologues to the fwelling act

[Afide

Of the imperial theme. I thank you, gentlemen→→
This fupernatural foliciting

Cannot be ill; cannot be good.-If ill,
Why I ath it given me earnest of fuceefs,
Commencing in a truth? I'm Thane of Cawdor.
If good, why do I yield to that suggestion,
Whofe horrid image doth unfix my hair,
And make my feated heart knock at my ribs.
Against the use of nature? Prefent feats (9)

(9)

-prefent fears Are lefs than horrible imaginings] Macbeth, while he is projecting the murder which he afterwards puts in execution,. is thrown into the most agonizing affright at the prospect of it; which foon recovering from, thus he reafons on the nature of his diforder. But imaginings are fo far from being more or less than prefent fears, that they are the fame things under different words. Shakespeare certainly wrote;

prefent feats

Are lefs than horrible imaginings.

i. e. When I come to execute this murder, I fall find it much lefs dreadful than my frighted imagination now prefents it to me. A confideration diawn from the nature of the imagination. Mr Warburton. Macbeth speaking again of this murder in a fubfequent fcene, utes the very fame term;

Em fettled, and bend up.

Each corporal agent to this terrible feat.

And it is a word, elfewhere, very familiar with our Poet. I'll only add, in aid of my friend's correction, that we meet

Are less than horrible imaginings.

My thought, whofe murder yet is but fantastical, Shakes fo my fingle ftate of man, that function. Is fmothered in furmife; and nothing is,

But what is not.

Ban. Look, how our partner's rapt!

Macb. If chance will have me King, why, chance

may crown me,

Without my itir.

Ban. New honours, come upon him,

Like our ftrange garments cleave not to their But with the aid of ufe.

Macb. Come what come may,

[mould,

Time and the hour runs thro' the roughest day. Ban. Worthy Macbeth, we stay upon your leifure. Macb Give me your favour: my dull brain was wrought

With things forgot. Kind gentlemen, your pains Are registred where every day I turn

The leaf to read them--Let us toward the King; Think upon what hath chanced; and at more [To Banquo. (The interim having weigh'd it, let us ipak Our free hearts each to other.

time,

Ban Very gladly.

Macb. 'Till then enough. Come, friends.

[Exeunt.

with the very fame fentiment, which our Poet here advances, in Ovid's Epifl'es;

Te ror in his ipfo m. jor folet effe pericle.

Paris Heleneæ. ver 349. And it is a maxim with Machiavel, that many things are more feared afar off, than near at hand. Efono molte ofe che difcolto paiono terri ili, inopportabil, jiran; et quando tu ti appreffi loro, le riescono humine, opportabili, domeftice. Et pero fi dica, che fono maggiori li spaventi che i mali.

Mandragola. Atto. 3. Sc.

SCENE changes to the Palace.

Flourish. Enter King, MALCOLM, DONALBAIN, LENOX, and Attendants.

King. Is execution done on Cawder yet?
Or not thofe in commiffion yet returned?
Mal. My Liege,

They are not yet come back. But I have (poke
With one that faw him die, who did report,
That very frankly he confefs'd his treasons,
Implored your Highnefs' pardon, and set forth
A deep repentance, nothing in his life
Became him like the leaving it. He died
As one that had been studied in his death,
To throw away the dearelt thing he owed,
As 'twere a careless trifle.

King. There's no art

To find the mind's conftruction in the face:
He was a gentleman on whom I built

An abfolute trust.

Enter MACBETH, BANQUO, ROSSE, and ANGUS.

O worthieft coufin !

The fin of my ingratitude even now

Was heavy on me. Thou'rt fo far before, (10),
That fwifteft wing of recompence is flow

To overtake thee. Would thou'dit lefs deserved,
That the proportion both of thanks and payment
Might have been mine! only I ve left to fay,
More is thy due than more than all can pay.
Macb. The fervice and the loyalty'I owe,.
In doing it pays itfelf. Your Highness' part
(10) Thou art fo for before,

T`t faiftest wind of recompence is flow

T over toke thee.] Thus the editions by Mr Rove and MrPope; whether for any reafon, or purely by chance, I cannot