Enter HECATE and other three Witches. Hec. Oh, well done! I commend your pains, And every one fhall fhare i' th' gains. And now about the Cauldron fing, Like elves and fairies in a ring, Inchanting all that you put in. Mufic and a Song. Black fpirits and white, You that mingle may. 2 Witch. By the pricking of my thumbs Something wicked this way comes: Open locks, whoever knocks. Enter MACBETH. Macb. How now, you fecret, black, and midnight hags? All. A deed without a name. Macb. I conjure you, by that which you profefs, Howe'er you come to know it) answer me. Though you untie the winds, and let them fight Against the churches; though the yefty waves Confound and fwallow navigation up; Though bladed corn be lodged, and trees blown down, Though caftles topple on their warders heads; Their heads to their foundations; though the trea- f nature's germains tumble all together,] Thus all the printed copies; and Mr Pope has explained Even till destruction ficken: answer me To what I ask you. 1 Witch. Speak. 2 Witch. Demand. 3 Witch. We'l answer. 1 Witch. Say, if thou hadst rather hear it from our Or from our masters? Macb. Call 'em : let me fee 'em. [mouths, 1 Witch. Pour in fow's blood, that hath eaten Her nine farrow; grease, that's sweaten From the murderer's gibbet, throw Into the flame. All. Come high or low, Thyfelf and office deftly fhow. [Thunder. Apparition of an armed Head rifes. (33) Macb. Tell me, thou unknown power germains by kindred; but I have already proved in a note upon King Lear, that we must read germins, i. e. feeds. (33) Apparition of an armed head rifes.- Apparition of a bloody child.- -Apparition of a child crowned, with a tree in his hand.] I was at a lofs why this particular apparatus and furniture was employed to these three apparitions. I propofed the question to my ingenious friend Mr Warburton, and he grave me the following folution. Did our Aus thor only use it for fhow, we should not, I think, quarrel with him for it. But on examination you will find, that the infignia of these three ghofts exactly answer to their fpeeches. The first bids Macbeth beware of Macduff; this is therefore an armed head, the emblem of caution and circumfpection. The fecond ghost encourages him to perfift in his bloody courfe, for none of woman born fhall harm him. This ghost has therefore the figure of a bloody child; infinuating that the height of barbarity is the murder of children. The third ghoft tells him, he fhould never be vanquished till Birnam-wood removed from its fituation; and conformably to the fubject of its fpeech, it has a branch in its hand and is crowned; infinuating that he should wear the crown till Birnam-wood removed.. I Witch. He knows thy thought; Hear his fpeech, but fay thou nought. App. Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! beware Macduff! Beware the thane of Fife-difmifs me -enough. [Defcends. Macb. Whate'er thou art, for thy good caution, thanks. Thou'ft harped my fear aright. But one word more-- 1 Witch. He will not be commanded; here's ano ther More potent than the first. Apparition of a bloody Child rifes. App. Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! [Thunder. App. Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to fcorn The power of man; Shall harm Macbeth. for none of woman born [Defcends. Macb. Then live, Macduff: what need I fear of But yet I'll make affurance double fure, [thee? And take a bond of Fate; thou fhalt not live, That I may tell pale-hearted fear, it lies; And fleep in spight of thunder. [Thunders. Apparition of a dead Child crowned, with a tree in his band, rifes. What is this, That rifes like the iffue of a King, And wears upon his baby-brow the round All. Liften, but speak not. App. Be lion-mettled, proud, and take no care, Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are: Macbeth fhall never vanquished be, until Macb. That will never be: Who can imprefs the forest, bid the tree [Defcends. Unfix his earth-bound root? fweet boadments! good! Rebellious head rise never, till the wood (34) (34) Rebellious dead, rife never till the wood Of Birnam rife, &c.] Thus all the impreffions, from the very beginning, exhibit this passage; but I cannot imagine what notion the editors could have of the dead being rebellious. It looks to me as if they were content to believe the Poet genuine, wherever he was myfterious beyond being underftood. The emendation of one letter gives us clear fenfe, and the very thing which Macbeth fhould be supposed to fay here. We must restore, Rebellious head rife never. i. e. Let rebellion never make head against me, till a forest move, and I shall reign long enongh in fafety. Shakespeare very frequent ufes this term to this purpofe; of which I'll fubjoin a few examples. 1 Henry IV. -Douglas and the English rebels met, 2 Henry IV. For his divifions, as the times do brawl, Are in three beads; one power against the French, &c. Again, in the Henry IV. We were inforced for fafety's fake to fly Out of your fight, and raife this prefent head. My noble father, Henry of Buckingham, When Tarquía made a bead for Rome, he fought &c. &c. &c. Throbs to know one thing; tell me (if your art Can tell fo much) fhall Banquo's issue ever Reign in this kingdom? All. Seek to know no more. [The Cauldron finks into the ground. Macb. I will be fatisfied. Deny me this, And an eternal curfe fall on you! let me know Why finks that cauldron? and what noise is this? [Hautboys. I Witch. Shew! 2 Witch. Shew! 3 Witch. Shew! All. Shew his eyes, and grieve his heart; Come like thadows, fo depart. [Eight Kings appear and pass over in order, and (35) Banquo; the laft, with a glass in his hand. Mach. Thou art too like the spirit of Banquo; down! Thy crown does fear mine eye-balls.--And thy hair (Thou other gold-bound brow) is like the firit———— A third is like the former---filthy hags! Why do you fhew me this?--A fourth?--Start, eye! (35) Eight Kings appear, and pass over in order, and Banquo laft with a glafs in his hand.] The editors could not help blundering even in this stage-direction. For 'tis not Banquo who brings the glafs; as is evident from the following fpeech: And yet the eighth appears, who bears a glafs Which fhews me many more :- and fome I fee, That twofold balls, and treble fceptres carry. I have quoted the last line, because it will not be amifs to obferve, that this fine play, 'tis probable, was not writ till after Queen Elizabeth's death. Thefe apparitions, though very properly fhewn with regard to Macbeth, yet are more artfully fo. when we confider the addrefs of the Poet in complimenting King James I. here upon his uniting Scotland to England: and when we confider too, that the family of the Stuarts are faid to be the direct defcendants of Banquo. |