Lady Macbeth. You lack the season of all natures, sleep. Macbeth. Come, we'll to sleep. My strange and self-abuse Is the initiate fear that wants hard use:

We are yet but young in deed.

SCENE V. A heath.

[Exeunt.

Thunder. Enter the three Witches, meeting HECATE.

First Witch. Why, how now, Hecate! you look angel
Hecate. Have I not reason, beldams as you are,

Saucy and overbold? How did you dare

To trade and traffic with Macbeth
In riddles and affairs of death;
And I, the mistress of your charms,
The close contriver of all harms,
Was never call'd to bear my part,
Or show the glory of our art?
And, which is worse, all you have done
Hath been but for a wayward son,
Spiteful and wrathful; who, as others do,
Loves for his own ends, not for you.
But make amends now: get you gone,
And at the pit of Acheron

Meet me i' the morning: thither he
Will come to know his destiny:
Your vessels and your spells provide,
Your charms and every thing beside.

I am for the air; this night I'll spend
Unto a dismal and a fatal end:

ΙΟ

20

Great business must be wrought ere noon:
Upon the corner of the moon

There hangs a vaporous drop profound;
I'll catch it ere it come to ground:
And that, distill'd by magic sleights,
Shall raise such artificial sprites
As by the strength of their illusion
Shall draw him on to his confusion:

He shall spurn fate, scorn death, and bear
His hopes 'bove wisdom, grace and fear:
And you all know security

Is mortals' chiefest enemy.

30

[Music and a song within: 'Come away, come away,' &c. Hark! I am call'd; my little spirit, see,

[Exit.

Sits in a foggy cloud, and stays for me.
First Witch. Come, let's make haste; she'll soon be back

again.

SCENE VI. Forres. The palace.

[Exeunt.

Enter LENNOX and another Lord.

Lennox. My former speeches have but hit your thoughts, Which can interpret farther: only I say

Things have been strangely borne. The gracious Duncan
Was pitied of Macbeth: marry, he was dead :
And the right-valiant Banquo walk'd too late,
Whom, you may say, if 't please you, Fleance kill'd,
For Fleance fled: men must not walk too late.
Who cannot want the thought, how monstrous
It was for Malcolm and for Donalbain
To kill their gracious father? damned fact!
How it did grieve Macbeth! did he not straight
In pious rage the two delinquents tear,

That were the slaves of drink and thralls of sleep?
Was not that nobly done? Ay, and wisely too;
For 'twould have anger'd any heart alive
To hear the men deny 't. So that, I say,
He has borne all things well: and I do think
That had he Duncan's sons under his key—

As, an't please heaven, he shall not-they should find
What 'twere to kill a father; so should Fleance.
But, peace! for from broad words and 'cause he fail'd
His presence at the tyrant's feast, I hear
Macduff lives in disgrace: sir, can you tell
Where he bestows himself?

ΙΟ

20

Lord.

The son of Duncan,

From whom this tyrant holds the due of birth,
Lives in the English court, and is received

Of the most pious Edward with such grace
That the malevolence of fortune nothing
Takes from his high respect: thither Macduff
Is gone to pray the holy king, upon his aid
To wake Northumberland and warlike Siward;
That by help of these, with Him above
To ratify the work, we may again

Give to our tables meat, sleep to our nights,
Free from our feasts and banquets bloody knives,
Do faithful homage and receive free honours:
All which we pine for now: and this report
Hath so exasperate the king that he
Prepares for some attempt of war.

Lennox.

Sent he to Macduff?

Lord. He did: and with an absolute 'Sir, not I,'
The cloudy messenger turns me his back,
And hums, as who should say 'You'll rue the time
That clogs me with this answer.'

Lennox.

And that well might

Advise him to a caution, to hold what distance
His wisdom can provide. Some holy angel
Fly to the court of England and unfold
His message ere he come, that a swift blessing
May soon return to this our suffering country
Under a hand accursed!

Lord.

I'll send my prayers with him.

30

40

[Exeunt.

SCENE I. A cavern.

First Witch.

Thunder.

Second Witch.

Third Witch.

ACT IV.

In the middle, a boiling cauldron.
Enter the three Witches.

Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd.

Thrice and once the hedge-pig whined. Harpier cries "Tis time, 'tis time.'

First Witch. Round about the cauldron go;

In the poison'd entrails throw.

Toad, that under cold stone

Days and nights has thirty one
Swelter'd venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i' the charmed pot.

All. Double, double toil and trouble;

Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Second Witch. Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg and howlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

All. Double, double toil and trouble;

Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Third Witch. Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf, Witches' mummy, maw and gulf

Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark,

Root of hemlock digg'd i' the dark,

Liver of blaspheming Jew,

Gall of goat, and slips of yew
Sliver'd in the moon's eclipse,
Nose of Turk and Tartar's lips,
Finger of birth-strangled babe
Ditch-deliver'd by a drab,
Make the gruel thick and slab:

IO

20

30

Add thereto a tiger's chaudron,

For the ingredients of our cauldron.

All. Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Second Witch. Cool it with a baboon's blood, Then the charm is firm and good.

Enter HECATE to the other three Witches.

Hecate. O, well done! I commend your pains;

And every one shall share i' the gains:

And now about the cauldron sing,

Like elves and fairies in a ring,

Enchanting all that you put in.

40

[Music and a song: 'Black spirits,' &c. Hecate retires.

Second Witch. By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes.

Open, locks,

Whoever knocks!

Enter MACBETH.

Macbeth. How now, you secret, black, and midnight hags! What is't you do?

All.

A deed without a name.

Macbeth. I conjure you, by that which you profess, 50 Howe'er you come to know it, answer me:

Though you untie the winds and let them fight

Against the churches; though the yesty waves

Confound and swallow navigation up;

Though bladed corn be lodged and trees blown down;
Though castles topple on their warders' heads;

Though palaces and pyramids do slope

Their heads to their foundations; though the treasure

Of nature's germens tumble all together,

Even till destruction sicken; answer me

To what I ask you.

First Witch.

Second Witch.

Third Witch.

Speak.

Demand.

We'll answer.

60