Authors: William Shakespeare
MALCOLM
But I have none. The
king-becoming
103
graces,
As justice,
verity
104
,
temp’rance
, stableness,
Bounty
105
, perseverance, mercy,
lowliness
,
Devotion, patience, courage, fortitude,
I have no
relish
107
of them, but
abound
In the
division
108
of each
several
crime,
Acting it many ways. Nay, had I power, I should
Pour the sweet milk of
concord
110
into hell,
Uproar
111
the universal peace, confound
All unity on earth.
MACDUFF
O Scotland, Scotland!
MALCOLM
If such a one be fit to govern, speak:
I am as I have spoken.
MACDUFF
Fit to govern?
No, not to live. O nation miserable,
With an
untitled
118
tyrant bloody-sceptred,
When shalt thou see thy
wholesome
119
days again,
Since that the truest issue of thy throne
By his own
interdiction
121
stands accused
And does
blaspheme
122
his
breed
?—Thy royal father
Was a most
sainted
123
king: the queen that bore thee,
Oft’ner
upon her knees
124
than on her feet,
Died every day she lived
125
. Fare thee well.
These evils thou
repeat’st upon
126
thyself
Hath banished me from Scotland
127
.—O my breast,
Thy hope ends here!
MALCOLM
Macduff, this noble passion,
Child of integrity, hath from my soul
Wiped the black
scruples
131
, reconciled my thoughts
To thy good truth and honour. Devilish Macbeth
By many of these
trains
133
hath sought to win me
Into his power, and modest wisdom
plucks
134
me
From
over-credulous
135
haste: but God above
Deal between thee and me! For even now
I put myself to thy
direction
137
and
Unspeak mine own detraction
138
: here
abjure
The
taints
139
and blames I laid upon myself
For
140
strangers to my nature. I am yet
Unknown to woman
141
, never was
forsworn
,
Scarcely have coveted what was mine own
142
,
At no time broke my faith, would not betray
The devil to his fellow, and delight
No less in truth than life. My first
false speaking
145
Was
this upon myself
146
. What I am truly
Is thine and my poor country’s to command:
Whither indeed, before thy
here-approach
148
,
Old Siward with ten thousand warlike men,
Already
at a point
150
, was setting forth.
Now
we’ll
151
toge
ther, and the chance of goodness
Be like our warranted quarrel
. Why are you silent?
MACDUFF
Such welcome and unwelcome things at once
’Tis hard to reconcile.
Enter a Doctor
MALCOLM
Well, more anon.—Comes the king forth, I pray
you?
DOCTOR
Ay, sir, there are a crew of wretched souls
That
stay
157
his
cure
: their malady
convinces
The great
assay of art
158
, but at his touch—
Such
sanctity
159
hath heaven given his hand—
They
presently amend
160
.
Exit
MALCOLM
I thank you, doctor.
MACDUFF
What’s the disease he means?
MALCOLM
’Tis called
the evil
163
:
A most miraculous work in this good king,
Which often, since my
here-remain
165
in England,
I have seen him do. How he
solicits
166
heaven
Himself best knows: but
strangely-visited
167
people,
All swoll’n and ulcerous, pitiful to the eye,
The
mere
169
despair of surgery, he cures,
Hanging a golden
stamp
170
about their necks
Put on with holy prayers: and
’tis spoken
171
,
To the
succeeding royalty
172
he leaves
The healing
benediction
173
. With this
strange
virtue
He hath a heavenly gift of prophecy,
And sundry blessings hang about his throne
That
speak him
176
full of grace.
Enter Ross
MACDUFF
See who comes here.
MALCOLM
My
countryman
178
, but yet I
know
him not.
MACDUFF
My
ever-gentle
179
cousin, welcome hither.
MALCOLM
I know him now. Good God
betimes
180
remove
The
means
181
that makes us strangers!
ROSS
Sir, amen.
MACDUFF
Stands Scotland where it did?
ROSS
Alas, poor country,
Almost afraid to know itself. It cannot
Be called our mother, but our grave; where
nothing
186
But who knows nothing is once seen to smile:
Where sighs and groans and shrieks that rend the air
Are made, not
marked
189
: where violent sorrow seems
A
modern ecstasy
190
.
The dead man’s knell
Is there scarce asked for who
, and good men’s lives
Expire before the flowers in their caps,
Dying
or ere they sicken
193
.
MACDUFF
O,
relation
194
too
nice
, and yet too true!
MALCOLM
What’s the newest grief?
ROSS
That of an hour’s age doth
hiss the speaker
196
:
Each minute
teems
197
a new one.
MACDUFF
How does my wife?
ROSS
Why, well.
MACDUFF
And all my children?
ROSS
Well, too.
MACDUFF
The tyrant has not battered at their peace?
ROSS
No, they were well
at peace
203
when I did leave ’em.
MACDUFF
Be not a
niggard of
204
your speech: how goes’t?
ROSS
When I came hither to transport the tidings
Which I have
heavily
206
borne, there ran a rumour
Of many worthy fellows that were
out
207
,
Which was to my belief
witnessed the rather
208
,
For that I saw the tyrant’s
power
209
afoot
.
Now is the time of help.—Your
eye
210
in Scotland
To Malcolm
Would create soldiers, make our women fight,
To
doff
212
their dire distresses.
MALCOLM
Be’t
213
their comfort
We are coming thither. Gracious England hath
Lent us good Siward and ten thousand men:
An older and a better soldier none
That Christendom
gives out
217
216
.
ROSS
Would I could answer
This comfort with
the like
219
. But I have words
That
would
220
be howled out in the
desert
air,
Where hearing should not
latch
221
them.
MACDUFF
What concern they?
The
general cause
223
? Or is it a
fee-grief
Due to some single breast?
ROSS
No mind that’s honest
But in it shares some woe, though the main part
Pertains to you alone.
MACDUFF
If it be mine,
Keep it not from me, quickly let me have it.
ROSS
Let not your ears despise my tongue for ever,
Which shall
possess them with
231
the
heaviest
sound
That ever yet they heard.
MACDUFF
Hum! I guess at it.
ROSS
Your castle is
surprised
234
, your wife and babes
Savagely slaughtered: to relate the
manner
235
Were, on the
quarry
236
of these murdered
deer
,
To add the death of you.
MALCOLM
Merciful heaven!
What, man, ne’er
pull your hat upon your brows
239
:
Give sorrow words. The grief that does not speak
Whispers
241
the
o’er-fraught
heart and bids it break.
MACDUFF
My children too?
ROSS
Wife, children, servants, all that could be found.
MACDUFF
And I
must be from thence
244
! My wife killed too?
ROSS
I have said.
MALCOLM
Be comforted:
Let’s make us med’cines of our great revenge,
To cure this deadly grief.
MACDUFF
He
249
has no children.—All my pretty ones?
Did you say all? O
hell-kite
250
! All?
What, all my pretty chickens and their
dam
251
At one
fell swoop
252
?
MALCOLM
Dispute
253
it like a man.
MACDUFF
I shall do so,
But I must also feel it as a man:
I cannot but remember such things were
That were most precious to me. Did heaven look on
And would not take their part? Sinful Macduff,
They were all
struck
259
for thee!
Naught
that I am,
Not for their own
demerits
260
, but for mine,
Fell
261
slaughter on their souls. Heaven rest them now!
MALCOLM
Be this the
whetstone
262
of your sword. Let grief
Convert to anger: blunt not the heart, enrage it.
MACDUFF
O, I could
play the woman with mine eyes
264
And
braggart
265
with my tongue! But, gentle heavens,
Cut short all
intermission
266
.
Front to front
Bring thou this fiend of Scotland and myself:
Within my sword’s length set him. If he
scape
268
,
Heaven forgive him too!
MALCOLM
This
tune
270
goes manly.
Come, go we to the king. Our
power
271
is ready:
Our lack is nothing but our leave
272
. Macbeth
Is
ripe for shaking
273
, and the
powers above
Put on their instruments
274
. Receive what cheer you may:
The night is long that never finds the day.
Exeunt
Location: Macbeth’s castle at Dunsinane
Enter a Doctor of
Physic
and a Waiting-Gentlewoman
DOCTOR
I have two nights
watched
1
with you, but can
perceive no truth in your report. When was it she last
walked
3
?
GENTLEWOMAN
Since his majesty went into the
field
4
, I have seen
her rise from her bed, throw her nightgown upon her,
unlock her
closet
6
, take forth paper, fold it, write upon’t, read
it, afterwards seal it, and again return to bed; yet all this
while in a most fast sleep.
DOCTOR
A great
perturbation
9
in nature, to receive at once
the benefit of sleep and do the
effects of watching
10
. In this
slumbery
agitation
11
, besides her walking and other actual
performances, what—at any time—have you heard her
say?