The curtain'd sleep; now witchcraft celebrates
Pale Hecate's offerings; and wither'd murder,
Alarum'd by his sentinel, the wolf,

Whose howl's his watch, thus with his stealthy pace,
With Tarquin's ravishing strides, towards his design
Moves like a ghost. Thou sure and firm-fet earth,
Hear not my steps, which way they walk, for fear

Thy very stones prate of my where-about,
And take the present horror from the time,
Which now fuits with it. Whiles I threat, he lives;
Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives.

I go, and it is done; the bell invites me.
Hear it not, Duncan; for it is a knell
That summons thee to heaven, or to hell.

SCENE II.

The fame.

Enter Lady MAСВЕТН.

[A bell rings.

[Exit.

Lady M. That which hath made them drunk, hath made me bold :

What hath quench'd them, hath given me fire :-Hark!

-Peace!

It was the owl that shriek'd, the fatal bellman,

Which gives the stern'st good-night. He is about it : The doors are open; and the furfeited grooms

Do mock their charge with snores: I have drugg'd their

possets,

That death and nature do contend about them,
Whether they live, or die.

Macb. [Within.] Who's there?-what, ho!
Lady M. Alack! I am afraid they have awak'd,

And 'tis not done: -the attempt, and not the deed,
Confounds us :-Hark!-I laid their daggers ready,
He could not miss them. - Had he not resembled
My father as he slept, I had done't.--My husband?

Enter MACВЕТН.

Macb. I have done the deed:-Didst thou not hear a noise ?

Lady M. I heard the owl scream, and the crickets cry.

Lady M. A foolish thought, to say a forry fight.

Macb. There's one did laugh in his fleep, and one cried,

murder!

That they did wake each other; I stood and heard them: But they did fay their prayers, and address'd them

Again to fleep.

Lady M.

There are two lodg'd together.

Macb. One cried, God bless us! and, Amen, the other;

As they had feen me, with these hangman's hands,

Liftening their fear. I could not fay, amen,

When they did say, God bless us.

Lady M.

Confider it not so deeply.

Macb. But wherefore could not I pronounce, amen?

I had most need of blessing, and amen

Stuck in my throat.

Lady M. Lady M.

These deeds must not be thought

After these ways; so, it will make us mad.

Macb. Methought, I heard a voice cry, Sleep no more!

Macbeth does murder sleep, the innocent fleep;

Sleep, that knits up the ravell'd fleave of care,

The death of each days life, fore labour's bath,
Balm of burt minds, great nature's fecond course,

Chief nourisher in life's feast;

Lady M.

What do you mean?

Macb. Still it cried, Sleep no more! to all the house:

Glamis bath murder'd sleep; and therefore Cawdor

Shall sleep no more, Macbeth shall fleep no more!

Lady M. Who was it, that thus cried? Why, worthy

thane,

You do unbend your noble strength, to think
So brainfickly of things:-Go, get some water,
And wash this filthy witness from your hand.-
Why did you bring these daggers from the place?
They must lie there: Go, carry them; and smear
The fleepy grooms with blood.

Macb.

I'll go no more :

I am afraid to think what I have done;

Look on't again, I dare not.

Lady M.

Infirm of purpose!

Give me the daggers; The sleeping, and the dead,

Are but as pictures: 'tis the eye of childhood,

That fears a painted devil. If he do bleed,

I'll gild the faces of the grooms withal,

For it must seem their guilt. [Exit. Knocking within.

Macb.

Whence is that knocking!

How is't with me, when every noise appals me?
What hands are here? Ha! they pluck out mine eyes!

Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood

Clean from my hand? No; this my hand will rather

The multitudinous seas incarnardine,
Making the green-one red.

Re-enter Lady МАСВЕТН.

Lady M. My hands are of your colour; but I shame To wear a heart so white. [Knock.] I hear a knocking At the fouth entry:-retire we to our chamber:

A little water clears us of this deed:

How easy is it then? Your constancy

Hath left you unattended.-[Knocking.] Hark! more

knocking :

Get on your nightgown, lest occafion call us,

And show us to be watchers: - Be not lost

So poorly in your thoughts.

Macb. To know my deed,-'twere best not know my

felf.

[Knock.

Wake Duncan with thy knocking! Ay, 'would thou

could'st!

[Exeunt.

SCENE III.

The fame.

Enter a Porter.

[Knocking within.

Porter. Here's a knocking, indeed! If a man were porter of hell-gate, he should have old turning the key. [Knocking.] Knock, knock, knock: Who's there, i' the name of Belzebub? Here's a farmer, that hang'd himself on the expectation of plenty: Come in time; have napkins enough about you; here you'll sweat for't. [Knocking.] Knock, knock: Who's there, i' the other devil's name? 'Faith, here's an equivocator, that could swear in both the scales against either scale; who committed treafon enough for God's fake, yet could not equivocate to heaven:

1

heaven: O, come in, equivocator. [Knocking.] Knock, knock, knock: Who's there? 'Faith, here's an English tailor come hither, for stealing out of a French hose : Come in, tailor; here you may roaft your goose. [Knocking.] Knock, knock: Never at quiet! What are you ?But this place is too cold for hell. I'll devil-porter it no further: I had thought to have let in fome of all profefsions, that go the primrose way to the everlasting bonfire. [Knocking.] Anon, anon; I pray you, remember the por[Opens the gate.

ter.

Enter MACDUFF and LENOX.

Macd. Was it so late, friend, ere you went to bed, That you do lie so late?

Port. 'Faith, fir, we were carousing 'till the second cock: and drink, sir, is a great provoker of three things. Macd. What three things does drink especially pro

voke?

Port. Marry, fir, nose-painting, sleep, and urine. Lechery, fir, it provokes, and unprovokes: it provokes the defire, but it takes away the performance: Therefore, much drink may be said to be an equivocator with lechery: it makes him, and it mars him; it sets him on, and it takes him off; it perfuades him, and disheartens him; makes him stand to, and not stand to: in conclusion, equivocates him in a fleep, and, giving him the lie, leaves him.

Macd. I believe, drink gave thee the lie last night.

Port. That it did, sir, i' the very throat o' me: But I requited him for his lie; and, I think, being too ftrong for him, though he took up my legs sometime, yet I made a shift to cast him.

Macd. Is thy master stirring ?

Our knocking has awak'd him; here he comes.

Enter