Thou marvell'ft at my words: but hold thee ftill; Things, bad begun, make strong themselves by ill : So, pr'ythee, go with me. [Exeunt. SCENE III. The fame. A Park or lawn, with a gate leading to the Palace. Enter three Murderers. 1. MUR. But who did bid thee join with us?" 3. MUR. Macbeth. 2. MUR. He needs not our mistrust; fince he de livers Our offices, and what we have to do, To the direction just. 1. MUR. Then stand with us. The weft yet glimmers with some streaks of day: Now fpurs the lated traveller apace, "But who did bid thee join with us?] The meaning of this abrupt dialogue is this. The perfect py, mentioned by Macbeth in the foregoing fcene, has, before they enter upon the stage, given them the directions which were promifed at the time of their agreement; yet one of the murderers fuborned, fufpects him of intending to betray them; the other obferves, that, by his exact knowledge of what they were to do, he appears to be employed by Macbeth, and needs not to be miftrufted. JOHNSON. The third affaffin feems to have been fent to join the others, from Macbeth's fuperabundant caution. From the following dialogue it appears that fome converfation has paffed between them before their prefent entry on the ftage. MALONE. The third murderer enters only to tell them where they should place themselves. STEEVENS. 8lated] i. e. belated, benighted. So again, in Antony and Cleopatra: "I am fo lated in the world, that I "Have loft my way for ever." STEEVENS. To gain the timely inn; and near approaches 3. MUR. Hark! I hear horfes. Then it is he; the reft BAN. [within.] Give us a light there, ho! That are within the note of expectation," I. MUR. His horfes go about. 3. MUR. Almoft a mile: but he does ufually, 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. 7 the note of expectation,] i. e. they who are fet down in the lift of guefts, and expected to fupper. STEEVENS, Then it is be; the reft That are within the note of expectation, Already are i'the court.] Perhaps this paffage, before it fell into the hands of the players, flood thus: "Then it is he; The hafty recurrence of are in the last line, and the redundancy of the metre, feem to fupport my conjecture. Numberless are the inftances in which the player editors would not permit the neceflary fomething to be supplied by the reader. They appear to have been utterly unacquainted with an ellipfis. STEEVENS. BAN. O, treachery! Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly; Thou may'ft revenge.-O flave! [Dies. Fleance and Servant efcape." Was't not the way?2 3. MUR. Who did strike out the light? 1. MUR. 3. MUR. There's but one down; the fon is fled. 2. MUR. We have loft beft half of our affair. 1. MUR. Well, let's away, and fay how much is done. [Exeunt. SCENE IV. A Room of fate in the Palace. A banquet prepared. Enter MACBETH, Lady MACBETH, ROSSE, LENOX, Lords, and Attendants. MACB. You know your own degrees, fit down: at first, And last, the hearty welcome.3 Fleance &c. efcape.] Fleance, after the affaffination of his father, fled into Wales, where by the daughter of the Prince of that country he had a fon named Walter, who afterwards became Lord High Steward of Scotland, and from thence affumed the name of Walter Steward. From him in a direct line King James I. was defcended; in compliment to whom our author has chosen to defcribe Banquo, who was equally concerned with Macbeth in the murder of Duncan, as innocent of that crime. MALONE. 2 Was't not the way?] i. e. the best means we could take to evade discovery. STEEVENS. Rather, to effect our purpose. RITSON. 3 You know your own degrees, fit down: at firft, And laft, the hearty welcome.] I believe the true reading is: LORDS. Thanks to your majesty. MACB. Ourfelf will mingle with fociety, And play the humble host. 4 Our hoftefs keeps her ftate; but, in beft time, LADY M. Pronounce it for me, fir, to all our For my heart speaks, they are welcome. Enter firft Murderer, to the door. MACB. See, they encounter thee with their hearts' thanks: Both fides are even: Here I'll fit i'the midft: Be large in mirth; anon, we'll drink a measure The table round.-There's blood upon thy face. All of whatever degree, from the highest to the loweft, may be affured that their vifit is well received. JOHNSON. 4 Our hoftefs keeps her ftate; &c.] i. e. continues in her chair of ftate at the head of the table. This idea might have been borrowed from Holinfhed, p. 805: "The king (Henry VIII.) caufed the queene to keepe the estate, and then fat the ambassadours and ladies as they were marfhalled by the king, who would not fit, but walked from place to place, making cheer," &c. To keep fate is a phrafe perpetually occurring in our ancient dramas &c. So Ben Jonfon in his Cynthia's Revels: "Seated in thy filver chair "State in wonted manner keep." Again, in Beaumont and Fletcher's Wild Goofe Chafe: "What a fate he keeps! how far off they fit from her!" Many more inftances, to the fame purpose, might be given. STEEVENS. A ftate appears to have been a royal chair with a canopy over it. So, in K. Henry IV. P. I: "This chair fhall be my ftate." Again, in Sir T. Herbert's Memoirs of Charles I: "where being fet, the king under a ftate," &c. Again, in The View of France, 1598: "efpying the chayre not to fland well under the ftate, he mended it handfomely himfelf." MALONE. MUR. 'Tis Banquo's then. MACB. 'Tis better thee without, than he within.' Is he despatch'd? MUR. My lord, his throat is cut; that I did for him. MACB. Thou art the best o'the cut-throats: Yet he's good, That did the like for Fleance: if thou didst it, MUR. Fleance is 'fcap'd. Most royal fir, MACB. Then comes my fit again: I had elfe been perfect; Whole as the marble, founded as the rock; But now, I am cabin'd, cribb'd, confin'd, bound in 5 'Tis better thee without, than be within.] The fenfe requires that this paffage should be read thus: 'Tis better thee without, than him within. That is, I am better pleafed that the blood of Banquo should be on thy face than in his body. The author might mean, It is better that Banquo's blood were on thy face, than he in this room. Expreffions thus imperfect are common in his works. JOHNSON. I have no doubt that this last was the author's meaning. 6 MALONE. trenched gashes-] Trancher, to cut. Fr. So, in Arden of Feverfham, 1592: "Is deeply trenched on my blushing brow." Again, in The Two Gentlemen of Verona: 66 - like a figure "Trenched in ice." STEEVENS. |