In the great hand of God I stand; and thence,
Against the undivulg'd pretence I fight
Of treasonous malice]
_Pretence_ is not act, but _simulation_, a _pretence_ of the traitor,
whoever he might be, to suspect some other of the murder. I here fly to
the protector of innocence from any charge which, yet _undivulg'd_, the
traitor may pretend to fix upon me.
II.iii.147 (454,7) This murtherous shaft that's shot,/Hath not yet
lighted] The design to fix the murder opon some innocent person, has not
yet taken effect.
II.iv.15 (456,9) minions of their race] Theobald reads,
--_minions of_ the _race_,
very probably, and very poetically.
II.iv.24 (456,1) What good could they pretend?] To _pretend_ is here to
_propose to themselves_, to _set before themselves_ as a motive of
action.
III.i.7 (457,2) As upon thee, Macbeth, their speeches shine] _Shine_,
for appear with all the _lustre_ of _conspicuous_ truth.
III.i.56 (459,4) as, it is said,/Mark Anthony's was by Caesar] Though I
would not often assume the critic's privilege of being confident where
certainty cannot be obtained, nor indulge myself too far in departing
from the established reading; yet I cannot but propose the rejection of
this passage, which I believe was an insertion of some player, that
having so much learning as to discover to what Shakespeare alluded, was
not willing that his audience should be less knowing than himself, and
has therefore weakened the authour's sense by the intrusion of a remote
and useless image into a speech bursting from a man wholly possess'd
with his own present condition, and therefore not at leisure to explain
his own allusions to himself. If these words are taken away, by which
not only the thought but the numbers are injured, the lines of
Shakespeare close together without any traces of a breach.
_My genius is rebuk'd. He chid the sisters._
This note was written before I was fully acquainted with Shakespeare's
manner, and I do not now think it of much weight; for though the words,
which I was once willing to eject, seem interpolated, I believe they may
still be genuine, and added by the authour in his revision. The authour
of the _Revisal_ cannot admit the measure to be faulty. There is only
one foot, he says, put for another. This is one of the effects of
literature in minds not naturally perspicacious. Every boy or girl finds
the metre imperfect, but the pedant comes to its defence with a
tribrachys or an anapaest, and sets it right at once by applying to one
language the rules of another. If we may be allowed to change feet, like
the old comic writers, it will not be easy to write a line not metrical.
To hint this once, is sufficient. (see 1765, VI, 424, 2)
III.i.65 (460,5) For Banquo's issue have I fil'd my mind] [W: 'filed]
This mark of contraction is not necessary. To _file_ is in the bishop's
_Bible_.
III.i.69 (460,6) the common enemy of man] It is always an entertainment
to an inquisitive reader, to trace a sentiment to its original source;
and therefore, though the term _enemy of man_, applied to the devil, is
in itself natural and obvious, yet some may be pleased with being
informed, that Shakespeare probably borrowed it from the first lines of
the Destruction of Troy, a book which he is known to have read. This
expression, however, he might have had in many other places. The word
_fiend_ signifies enemy.
III.i.71 (461,7) come, Fate, into the list,/And champion me to the
utterance!] This passage will be best explained by translating it into
the language from whence the only word of difficulty in it is borrowed,
"_Que la destinée se rende en lice, et qu'elle me donne un defi a
l'outrance_." A challenge or a combat _a l'outrance_, _to extremity_,
was a fix'd term in the law of arms, used when the combatants engaged
with an _odium internecinum, an intention to destroy each other_, in
opposition to trials of skill at festivals, or on other occasions, where
the contest was only for reputation or a prize. The sense therefore is,
_Let Fate, that has foredoom'd the exaltation of the sons of Banquo,
enter the lists against me, with the utmost animosity, in defence of its
own decrees, which I will endeavour to invalidate, whatever be the
danger_. [Johnson quotes Warburton's note] After the former explication,
Dr. Warburton was desirous to seem to do something; and he has therefore
made _Fate_ the _marshal_, whom I had made the _champion_, and has left
Macbeth to enter the lists without an opponent.
III.i.88 (462,9) Are you so gospell'd] Are you of that degree of precise
virtue? _Gospeller_ was a name of contempt given by the Papists to the
Lollards, the puritans of early times, and the precursors of
_protestantism_.
III.i.94 (463,1) Showghes] _Showghes_ are probably what we now call
_shocks_, demi-wolves, _lyciscae_; dogs bred between wolves and dogs.
(1773)
III.i.95 (463,2) the valued file] In this speech the word _file_ occurs
twice, and seems in both places to have a meaning different from its
present use. The expression, _valued file_, evidently means, a list or
catalogue of value. A station in the _file_, and not in the worst rank,
may mean, a place in the list of manhood, and not in the lowest place.
But _file_ seems rather to mean in this place, a post of honour; the
first rank, in opposition to the last; a meaning which I have not
observed in any other place. (1773)
III.i.112 (465,2) So weary with disasters, tug'd with fortune] _Tug'd
with fortune_ may be, _tug'd_ or _worried_ by fortune.
III.i.130 (465,4) Acquaint you with the perfect spy o' the time] What is
meant by _the spy of the time_, it will be found difficult to explain;
and therefore sense will be cheaply gained by a slight
alteration.--Macbeth is assuring the assassins that they shall not want
directions to find Banquo, and therefore says,
_I will_--
_Acquaint you with_ a perfect spy _o' the time_.
Accordingly a third murderer joins them afterwards at the place of
action.
_Perfect_ is _well instructed_, or _well informed_, as in this play,
_Though in your state of honour I am_ perfect.
though I am _well acquainted_ with your quality and rank. [Warburton
explained this as "the critical juncture"] How the _critical juncture_
is the _spy o' the time_ I know not, but I think my own conjecture
right.
III.ii.38 (467,1) nature's copy's not eternal] The _copy_, the _lease_,
by which they hold their lives from nature, has its time of termination
limited.
III.iii.1 (469,6) But who did bid thee join with us?] The meaning of
this abrupt dialogue is this. The _perfect spy_, mentioned by Macbeth in
the foregoing scene, has, before they enter upon the stage, given them
the directions which were promised at the time of their agreement; yet
one of the murderers suborned suspects him of intending to betray them;
the other observes, that, by his exact knowledge of _what they were to
do_, he appears to be employed by Macbeth, and needs not be mistrusted.
III.iv.1 (470,9) You know your own degrees, sit down: at first,/And last
the hearty welcome] As this passage stands [sit down:/At first and
last], not only the numbers are very imperfect, but the sense, if any
can be found, weak and contemptible. The numbers will be improved by
reading,
--_sit down at first,
And last a hearty welcome_.
But for _last_ should then be written _next_. I believe the true reading
is,
_You know your own degrees, sit down_.--_To first
And last the hearty welcome_.
All of whatever degree, from the highest to the lowest, may be assured
that their visit is well received.
III.iv.14 (471,1) 'Tis better thee without, than he within] The sense
requires that this passage should be read thus:
_'Tis better_ thee _without, than_ him _within_.
That is, _I am better pleased that the blood of Banquo should be on thy
face than in his body_.
The authour might mean, _It is better that Banquo's blood were on thy
face, than_ he _in this room_. Expressions thus imperfect are common in
his works.
III.iv.33 (472,2) the feast is sold] The meaning is,--That which ia not
_given cheerfully_, cannot be called a _gift_, it is something that must
be paid for. (1773)
III.iv.57 (473,3) extend his passion] Prolong his suffering; make his
fit longer.
III.iv.60 (473,4) O proper stuff!] This speech is rather too long for
the circumstances in which it is spoken. It had begun better at, _Shame
itself_!