Or have we eaten of the infane root,
That takes the reason prisoner?

llacb. Your children thall be Kings.
Ban, You shall be King:
Macb. And Thane of Cawdor too; went it not fo?
Ban. To th’felf fame tune and words; who's here?

Enter ROSS-E and ANGUS. Rose. The King hath happily received, Macbeth, derstood, as i would have every part of Shakespeare be, by his audience and readers, So soon as the Witches vanith. from the fight of Macbeth and Banquo, and leave them in doubt whether they had really seen fuch apparitions, or whether their eyes were not deceived by some illusion, Banquo immediately starts the question,

Were such things here, &c. I was fure, from a long observation of Shakefpeare's accus. sacy that he alluded here to fome particular circumstance in the history, which I hoped I llould find explained in Holingihead. But I found inyfelf deceived in this expectation. This furnishes a proper occafion therefore to remark our Author's signal diligence, and happiness at applying whain ever he met with that could have any relation to his fube ject. Hector Boerhius, who gives us an account of Sueno's ariny being intoxicated by a preparation put upon them ky their fubile enemy, informs us, ikat there is a plant which. grows in a great quantity in Scotland, called Solátrum Amentiale; that its berries are purple, or rather black, when full ripe ; and have a quality of laying to lep, or of driving in madness, if a more iban ordinary quantity of them be taken. This paffage of Boethiu., daré fay, our Poet had an eye to; and I think it fairly accousts for his mention of the insane root. Diofcorides, lib. iv. c. 74. Hepi Etpuyvo pavixs, attributes the faine properties to it. It's claflical name I observe is solanum; but the shopmen agree to call it folatrum, This prepared in medicine, (as Theophrastus tells us, and Pliny from bim) has a peculiar effect of filling the patient's head with odd images and fancies, and particularly that of seeing spirits; an effect which, I am persuaded, was no se cret to our Author. Bochart and salmalius have both been 'copious upon the description and qualities of this plant.

The news of thy success; and when he reads:
Thy personał venture in the rebels fight,
His wonders and his praifes 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 stout Norweyan ranks,
Nothing afraid of what thyself didît make,
Strange images of death. As thick as hail,
Came post on post; and every one did bear
Thy praises in his kingdom's great defence, s.
And poured them down before him,

Ang. We are fent,
To give thee, from our royal master, thanks;
Only to herald thee into his fight,
Not pay thee,

Rose. And for an earnest of a greater honour,
He bade me, fromhim, call thee Thane of Cawdor-
In which addition, hail, most worthy Tháne !
For it is thine.

Ban.. What, can the devil speak true?

Macb. The Thane of Cawdor lives;
Wliy do you dress me in his borrowed robes?

Ang. Who was the Thane, lives yet;
But under heavy judgment bears that life,
Which he deserves to lote. Whether he was
Combined with Norway, or did line the rebel
With hidden help and vantage, or that with botla
He laboured in his country's wraek, I know not;
But treasons capital; confess'd, and proved,
Have overthrown him.

Macb. Glamis, and Thane of Cawdor: 1.1 fide. The greatest is behind. Thanks for your pains.

[To Angus Do you not hope your children shall be Kings,

[To Banquo, When those, that gave the Thane of Cawdor to me I'romited no leis to thein?

Bai That trusted home, Might yet enkindle you unto the crown; Befides the Thane of Cawder. But 'tis strange : And oftentimes, to win HS. to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us truths, Win us with honeft trifles, to betray us Ja deepest consequence. Cousins, a word, I pray you. [TO.Rofle and Angus. Mach. Two truths are told,

[ Afides. As happy prologues to the swelling act: Of the imperial theme.. I thank you, gentlemen This fupernatural foliciting Cannot be ill; cannot be goed.--If ill, Why hath it given me earnest of success, Commencing in a truth? I'm Thane of Cawdor. .. If good, why do I yield to that fuggeftion, Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair, And make my seated heart knock at my

ribs, Against the use of nature? Present feats (9)

-preferit 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 reasons on the nature of his disorder. But imaginings are so far from being more or lefs than present fears, that they are the fame things under differcot words. Shakespeare certainly wrute;:

prefent feats Are lefs than horrible imaginings. i. En When I come to execute this murder, I Mal find it much less dreadful than my frighted imagination now prem fepts it to me. A confideration drawn from he nature of the imagination.

Mr Warburton. Macbeth fpeaking again of this murder in a fubsequent scene, uses the very fame term;

-I'm fettled, and bend up
Each corporal agent to ibis terrible feat.
And it is a word, cliewhere, very familiar with oor Poet.
l'Hvaly add, in aid of my friend's confection, that we meel

Are less than horrible imaginings.:
My thought, whole murder yet is but fantastical,
Shakes so my single state of man, that function -
Is fmothered in surmise; 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,

[.Aide. Without my ftir.

Ban. New honours, come upon him, Like our strange garments cleave not to their But with the aid of use,

[mould, Macb. Come what come may, Time and the hour runs thro' the roughest day.

Ban. Worthy Macbeth, we stay upon your leisure. Mach 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 time,

[To Banquo (The interim having weigh'd it,j let us speak Our free hearts each to other.

Ban Very gladly.
Macb. 'Till then enough. Come, friends.

[Exeunt.

with the very fame sentiment, which our Poet here advances, in Ovid's Epistles ; Terror in his ipfo m.ijor Jolet ele pericla,

Paris Helenæ. ver. 349. And it is a maxim with Machiavel, that many things are more feared afar off, than near at hand. Ejono molte cose che di alto paiono terribili, in; opportabili, firani; et quando tu ti apo preßi loro, le riescono humane, sopportabili

, domestice. Et pero si dics , che fona maggiori li fpaventi che i mali

. Mandragola. Atto. 3. Sr!

S'CE-N E changes to the Palace.
Flourish. Enter King, MALCOLM, DONALBAIN,,

LENOX, and Attendants.
King. Is execution done on Cawder yet?
Or not those in commillion

yet

returned ?
Mal. My Liege,
They are not yet come back. But I have spoke,
With one that saw him die, who did report,
That very. frankly he confefs'd his treasons,
Implored your Highness' 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 dearest thing he owed,
As 'twere a careless trifle.

King. There's no art
To find the mind's construction in the face ::
He was a gentleman on whom I built
An absolute trust.
Enter MACBETH, BANQUO, ROS SE, and ANGUS
O worthiest cousin !
The fin of my ingratitude even now
Was heavy on me. Thou’rt fo far before, (10)
That swiftest wing of recompence is flow
To overtake thee. Would thou dit less deferved,
That the proportion both of thanks and payment!
Might have been mine! only I've left to say,
More is thy due than more than all-crin pay...

Macb. The service and the loyalty I oweg.
In doing it pays itself. Your Highness part

(10) Tho!! ar fi far before; Tatfvifteji wirid of recompence is flow I over tike thre. Thus the editions by Mr Rorre and Mi fope ; whether for atiy realon, or purely by chance, I cannor