In feeking to augment it, but fill keep МАСВ. Good repofe, the while! BAN. Thanks, fir; The like to you! [Exit BANQUO. The meaning then of the prefent difficult paffage, thus corre&ed, will be,-If you will clofely adhere to my caufe, if you will promote, as far as you can, what is likely to contribute to my fatisfaction and content, when 'tis, when the prophecy of the weird fifters is fulfilled, when I am feated on the throne, the event shall make honour for your V The word content admits of this interpretation, and is fupported by feveral other paffages in our author's plays; the word confent, in my apprehenfion, affords here no meaning whatsoever. 1 Confent or concent may certainly fignify harmony, and in a metaphorical fenfe that union which binds to each other a party or number of men, leagued together for a particular purpofe; but it can no more fignify, as I conceive, the party, or body of inen fo com. bined together, or the cause for which they are united, than the harmony produced by a number of musical instruments can fignify the inftruments themfelves or the musicians that play upon them. When Fairfax, in his tranflation of Taffo, fays- 66 Birds, winds and waters fing with fweet concent," we muft furely understand by the word concent, not a party, or a caufe, but harmony, or union; and in the latter fenfe, I apprehend, Juftice Shallow's fervants are faid to flock together in concent, in the fecond part of K. Henry IV. If this correction be just, "In feeking to augment it," in Ban quo's reply, may perhaps relate not to his own honour, but to Macbeth's content." "On condition that I lofe no honour, in feeking to increase your fatisfaction, or content, to gratify your wishes," &c. The words however may be equally commodiously interpreted,- Provided that in feeking an increase of honour, I lofe none," &c. Sir William D'Avenant's paraphrafe on this obfcure paffage is as follows: If when the prophecy begins to look like, you will "Adhere to me, it fhall make honour for you." MALONE. MACB. Go, bid thy miftrefs, when my drink is ready, 4 She ftrike upon the bell. Get thee to bed. [ Exit Servant. Is this a dagger which I fee before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee: I have thee not; and yet I fee thee ftill. To feeling, as to fight? or art thou but As this which now I draw. Thou marthal'ft me the way that I was going; Mine eyes are made the fools o'the other fenfes, 4 when my drink is ready, ] See note on "their poffets," in the next fcene P. 96. STEEVENS. 5 clutch This word, though reprobated by Ben Jonson, who fneers at Decker for using it, was used by other writers beside Decker and our author. So, in Antonio's Revenge, by Marfion, 1602: "In the dull leaden hand of snoring sleep.", MALONE. And on thy blade, and dudgeon, gouts of blood, † Though dudgeon, fometimes fignifies a dagger, it more properly means the haft or handle of a dagger, and is ufed for that particular fort of handle which has fome ornament carved on the top of it. Junius explains the dudgeon, i. e. haft, by the Latin expreffion, manubrium apiatum, which means a handle of wood, with a grain rough as if the feeds of parfly were frown over it. then So, in Lyly's comedy of Mother Bombie, 1594: have at the bag with the dudgeon hafte, that is, at the dudgeon dagger that hangs by his tantony pouch." Soliman and Perfeda is the following paffage: Which was not fo before.-There's no fuch thing: It is the bloody bufinefs, which informs Thus to mine eyes. Now o'er the one half world Nature feems dead,' and wicked dreams abuse '' -Typhon me no Typhons, "But fwear upon my dudgeon dagger." Again, in Decker's Satiromaftix: "I am too well rank'd, Afinius, to be ftabb'd with his dudgeon wit." Again, in Skialetheia, a collection of Epigrams, Satires, &c. 1598: A dudgin dagger that's new fcowr'd and glaft," STEEVENS, Gascoigne confirms this: "The moft knottie piece of box may be wrought to a fayre doogen hafte." Gouts for drops is frequent in old English. FARMER. gouts of blood,] Or drops, French. POPE. Gouts is the technical term for the Spots on fome part of the plumage of a hawk: or perhaps Shakspeare used the word in allufion to a phrafe in heraldry. When a field is charg'd or sprinkled with red drops, it is faid to be gutty of gules, or gutty de fang. 2--Now o'er the one half world STEEVENS. Nature feems dead,] That is, over our hemisphere all action and motion feem to have ceafed. This image, which is perhaps the moft ftriking that poetry can produce, has been adopted by Dryden in his Conqueft of Mexico: All things are hush'd as Nature's felf lay dead, "And fleeping flow'rs beneath the night dews sweat. Thefe lines, though fo well known, I have tranfcribed, that the contraft between them and this paffage of Shakspeare may be more accurately obferved. Night is defcribed by two great poets, but one defcribes a night of quiet, the other of perturbation. In the night of Dryden, all the difturbers of the world are laid fleep; in that of Shakspeare, nothing but forcery, luft, and murder, is awake. He that reads Dryden, finds himself lull'd with ferenity, and difpofed to folitude ) The curtain'd fleep; now witchcraft celebrates? Whofe howl's his watch, thus with his ftealthy Now o'er the one half world, &c.] So, in the fecond part of Marfton's Antonio and Mellida, 1602: "'Tis yet dead night; yet all the earth is clutch'd In the dull leaden hand of fnoring fleep : "No breath difturbs the quiet of the air, "No fpirit moves upon the breast of earth, "Save howling dogs, night-crows, and fcreeching-owls, --I am great in blood, "Unequal'd in revenge :-you horrid fcouts "That fentinel fwart night, give loud applaufe The curtain'd fleep; now witchcraft celebrates-] The word now has been added for the fake of metre. Probably Shakspeare wrote: The curtain'd fleeper. The folio fpells the word fleepe, and an addition of the letter r only, affords the proposed emendation. Milton has transplanted this image into his Mafque at Ludlow Caftle, v. 554: fteeds "That draw the litter of clofe-curtain'd fleep." STEEVENS. Mr. Steevens's emendation of "the curtain'd fleeper," is well intitled to a place in the text. It is clearly Shakspeare's own word. . So afterwards : "a hideous trumpet calls to parley "The fleepers of the houfe." RITSON. Now was added by Sir William D'Avenant in his alteration of this play, published in 1674. MALONE. Moves like a ghoft.--Thou fure and firm-fet 3 earth,4 thus with his fealthy pace, With Tarquin's ravishing ftrides, towards his defign Moves like a ghost.] The old copy-fides. STEEVENS. Mr. Pope changed fides to firides. MALONE. A ravishing fride is an action of violence, impetuofity, and tu, mult, like that of a savage rushing on his prey; whereas the poet is here attempting to exhibit an image of fecrecy aud caution, of anxious circumfpection and guilty timidity, the fealthy pace of a Tavither creeping into the chamber of a virgin, and of an affaffin approaching the bed of him whom he propofes to murder, without awaking him; thefe he defcribes as moving like ghofts, whofe progreffion is fo different from rides, that it has been in all ages reprefented to be as Milton expreffes it: "Smooth fliding without flep." This hemiftich will afford the true reading of this place, which is, I think, to be corrected thus: -and wither'd murder thus with his flealthy pace With Tarquin ravishing, fides tow'rds kis defign, Tarquin is in this place the general name of a ravifher, and the fenfe is Now is the time in which every one is a fleep, but those who are employed in wickedness; the witch who is facrificing to Hecate, and the ravifher, and the murderer, who, like me, are ftealing upon their prey. When the reading is thus adjufted, he wishes with great propriety, in the following lines, that the earth may not hear his steps. JOHNSON. I cannot agree with Dr. Johnson that a fride is always an action of violence, impetuofity, or tumult. Spenfer uses the word in his Faery Queen, B. IV. e. viii. and with no idea of violence annexed to it : "With easy steps so soft as foot could ftride." And as an additional proof that a tride is not always a tumultuous effort, the following inftance, from Harrington's Tranflation of Ariosto, [1591,] may be brought: He takes a long and leifurable stride, "And longeft on the hinder foot he flaid; Orlando Furiofo, 28th book, ftanza 63. |