himself flain by Macduff in the year 1061, according to Boethius; according to Buchanan, in 1057; at which time King Edward the Confeffor poffeffed the throne of England Holinfhed copied the hiftory of Boethius, and on Holinfhed's relation Shakspeare formed his play.

In the reign of Duncan, Banquo having been plundered by the people of Lochaber of some of the king's revenues, which he had collected, and being dangerously wounded in the affray, the perfons concerned in this outrage were fummoned to appear at a certain day. But they flew the fergeant at arms who fummoned them, and chofe one MACDOWALD as their captain. Macdowald fpeedily collected a confiderable body of forces from Ireland and the Weftern Illes, and in one action gained a victory over the king's army. In this battle Malcolm, a Scottish nobleman, who was (fays Boethius) "Lieutenant to Duncan in Lochaber, was flain. Afterwards Macbeth and Banquo were appointed to the command of the army; and Macdowald being obliged to take refuge in a caftle in Lochaber, first flew his wife and children, and then himself. Macbeth on entering the caftle finding his dead body, ordered his head to be cut off, and carried to the king, at the caftle of Bertha, and his body to be hung on a high tree.

At a subsequent period, in the last year of Duncan's reign, Sueno king of Norway, landed a powerful army in Fife, for the purpose of invading Scotland. Duncan immediately affembled an army to oppose him, and gave the command of two divifions of it to Macbeth and Banquo, putting himself at the head of a third. Sueno was fuccessful in one battle, but in a second was routed; and after a great slaughter of his troops he escaped with ten persons only, and fled back to Norway. Though there was an interval of time between the rebellion of Macdowald and the invafion of Sueno, our author has woven these two adions together, and immediately after Sueno's defeat the prefent play commences.

Macbeth's hiftory quidam noftrorum aptiora quam hif

It is remarkable that Buchanan has pointed out as a fubje& for the stage. "Multa hic fabulofe affingunt; fed, quia theatris aut Milefiis fabulis funt toria, ea omitto. RERUM SCOT. HIST. L. VII. But there was no tranflation of Buchanan's work till after our author's death. This tragedy was written, I believe, in the year 1606. See the notes at the end; and An attempt to afcertain the order of Shakspeare's plays, Vol. II.

MALONE.

Fleance, Son to Banquo.

Siward, Earl of Northumberland, General of the

English forces:

Young Siward, his Son.

Seyton, an Officer attending on Macbeth.

Son to Macduff.

An English Doctor.

A Scotch Doctor.

A Soldier. A Porter. An old Man.

Lady Macbeth.2

Lady Macduff.

Gentlewoman attending on Lady Macbeth.

Hecate, and three Witches.

Lords, Gentlemen, Officers, Soldiers, Murderers, Attendants, and Meffengers.

The Ghost of Banquo, and feveral other Apparitions.

SCENE, in the end of the fourth act, lies in England; through the rest of the play, in Scotland; and, chiefly, at Macbeth's castle.

2 Lady Macbeth.] Her name was Gruach. See Lord Hailes's Annals of Scotland, II. 332. RITSON.

MAC BE T H.

ACT I. SCENE I

An open place.

Thunder and Lightning. Enter three Witches.

1. WITCH.. When fhall we three meet again In thunder, lightning, or in rain ?

2. WITCH. When the hurlyburly's done,3 When the battle's loft and won:4

3 hurlyburly's However mean this word may feem to modern ears, it came recommended to Shakspeare by the authority of Henry Peacham, who in the year 1577 published a book profeffing to treat of the ornaments of language. It is called the Garden of Eloquence, and has this paffage. Onomatopeia, when we invent, devise, fayne, and make a name imitating the fownd of that it fignifyeth, as hurliburly, for an uprore and tumultuous flirre.” HENDERSON.

So, in a tranflation of Herodian, 12mo. 1635, p. 26:

there was a mighty hurlyburly in the campe," &c.

great hurliburlies being in all parts of the empire," &c.

REED.

When the battle's loft and won:] i. e. the battle, in which Macbeth was then engaged. WARBURTON.

A royal battle might be won and loft."

So alfo Speed, speaking of the battle of Towton: " by which only firatagem, as it was conftantly averred, the battle and day was loft and won." Chronicle, 1611. MALONE.