Ban. Were such things here, as we do speak about,

Or have we eaten on the insane root,

That takes the reason prisoner?

Macb. Your children shall be kings.

Ban.

You shall be king.

Macb. And thane of Cawdor too: went it not so?

Ban. To the self-same tune, and words.

Enter ROSSE and ANGUS.

Who's here?

Rosse. The king hath happily receiv'd, Macbeth,

The news of thy success; and when he reads
Thy personal venture in the rebels' fight,
His wonders and his praises do contend,
Which should be thine, or his. Silenc'd with that,
In viewing o'er the rest o' the self-same day,
He finds thee in the stout Norweyan ranks,
Nothing afeard of what thyself didst make,
Strange images of death. As thick as tale,
Came post with post; and every one did bear
Thy praises in his kingdom's great defence,
And pour'd them down before him.

Ang.

We are sent,

To give thee from our royal master thanks;
Only to herald thee into his sight,

Not pay thee.

Rosse. And, for an earnest of a greater honour,

He bade me from him call thee thane of Cawdor:
In which addition, hail, most worthy thane,

For it is thine.

Ban.

What! can the devil speak true?

Maco. The thane of Cawdor lives: why do you dress me

In borrow'd robes?

Ang.

Who was the thane, lives yet;

But under heavy judgment bears that life
Which he deserves to lose. Whether he was combin'd

With those of Norway, or did line the rebel

With hidden help and vantage, or that with both

Like our strange garments, cleave not to their mould,

But with the aid of use.

Macb.

Come what come may, Time and the hour runs through the roughest day.

Ban. Worthy Macbeth, we stay upon your leisure.
Macb. Give your favour: my dull brain was wrought
With things forgotten. - Kind gentlemen, your pains
Are register'd where every day I turn

The leaf to read them. - Let us toward the king.
Think upon what hath chanc'd; and at more time,
The interim having weigh'd it, let us speak

Our free hearts each to other.

Macb. Till then, enough. - Come, friends.

SCENE IV.

Fores. A Room in the Palace.

[Exeunt.

Flourish. Enter DUNCAN, MALCOLM, DONALBAIN, LENOX,

and Attendants.

Dun. Is execution done on Cawdor; or not

Those in commission yet return'd?

Mal.

My liege,

They are not yet come back; but I have spoke
With one that saw him die, who did report,
That very frankly he confess'd his treasons,
Implor'd your highness' pardon, and set forth
A deep repentance. Nothing in his life
Became him like the leaving it: he died
As one that had been studied in his death,
To throw away the dearest thing he ow'd,
As 't were a careless trifle.

Enter MACBETH, BANQUO, ROSSE, and ANGUS.

O worthiest cousin!

The sin of my ingratitude even now

Was heavy on me. Thou art so far before,

That swiftest wing of recompense is slow

To overtake thee: would thou hadst less deserv'd,
That the proportion both of thanks and payment
Might have been mine! only I have left to say,
More is thy due than more than all can pay.

Macb. The service and the loyalty I owe,
In doing it, pays itself. Your highness' part
Is to receive our duties: and our duties

Are to your throne and state, children, and servants;
Which do but what they should, by doing every thing
Safe toward your love and honour.

Dun.

Welcome hither:

I have begun to plant thee, and will labour
To make thee full of growing. - Noble Banquo,

That hast no less deserv'd, nor must be known
No less to have done so; let me infold thee,

And hold thee to my heart.

Ban.

The harvest is your own.

There if I grow,

Dun.
My plenteous joys,
Wanton in fulness, seek to hide themselves
In drops of sorrow. - Sons, kinsmen, thanes,
And you whose places are the nearest, know,
We will establish our estate upon

Our eldest, Malcolm; whom we name hereafter,
The prince of Cumberland: which honour must
Not, unaccompanied, invest him only,
But signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine
On all deservers. - From hence to Inverness,
And bind us farther to you.

Macb. The rest is labour, which is not us'd for you: I 'll be myself the harbinger, and make joyful

The hearing of my wife with your approach;

So, humbly take my leave.

Dun.

My worthy Cawdor!

Macb. The prince of Cumberland!

That is a step,

On which I must fall down, or else o'er-leap,

[Aside.

For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires!

Let not light see my black and deep desires;
The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be,

Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.

[Exit.

And in his commendations I am fed;

Dun. True, worthy Banquo: he is full so valiant,

It is a banquet to me. Let us after him,
Whose care is gone before to bid us welcome:
It is a peerless kinsman

[Flourish. Exeunt.

SCENE V.

Inverness.

A Room in MACBETH's Castle.
Enter Lady MACBETH, reading a letter.

Lady M. "They met me in the day of success; and I have learned by the perfectest report, they have more in them than mortal knowledge. When I burned in desire to question them farther, they made themselves air, into which they vanished. Whiles I stood rapt in the wonder of it, came missives from the king, who all-hailed me, 'Thane of Cawdor;' by which title, before, these weird sisters saluted me, and referred me to the coming on of time, with, 'Hail, king that shalt be!' This have I thought good to deliver thee, my dearest partner of greatness, that thou mightest not lose the dues of rejoicing, by being ignorant of what greatness is promised thee. Lay it to thy heart, and farewell."

Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be

What thou art promis'd.

Yet do I fear thy nature:

It is too full o' the milk of human kindness,

To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great;
Art not without ambition; but without

The illness should attend it: what thou wouldst highly,