The king had a giltie conscience. A voice heard by the king. [After hearing this voice the King passed a sleepless night.] ... Me thought I heard a voyce cry, "Sleep no more!" In order to obtain his son's succession Kenneth had secretly poisoned his nephew Malcolm,-son of the late King Duff,-who, by Scottish law, was the rightful heir to the throne. Kenneth ruled well; and his sole guilty deed remained undiscovered. [Hol. ii. H. S. 158/1/9.] Thus might he seeme happie to all man, hauing the loue both of his lords and commons: but yet to himselfe he seemed most vnhappie, as he that could not but still liue in continuall feare, least his wicked practise concerning the death of Malcolme Duffe should come to light and knowledge of the world. For so commeth it to passe, that such as are pricked in conscience for anie secret offense committed, haue euer an vnquiet mind. And (as the fame goeth) it chanced that a voice was heard as he was in bed in the night time to take his rest, vttering vnto him these or the like woords in effect: "Thinke "not Kenneth that the wicked slaughter of Malcolme Duffe by "thee contriued, is kept secret from the knowledge of the eternall "God: thou art he that didst conspire the innocents death, enter"prising by traitorous meanes to doo that to thy neighbour, which "thou wouldest haue reuenged by cruell punishment in anie of "thy subiects, if it had beene offered to thy selfe. It shall there"fore come to passe, that both thou thy selfe, and thy issue, "through the iust vengeance of almightie God, shall suffer "woorthie punishment, to the infamie of thy house and familie "for euermore. For euen at this present are there in hand secret "practises to dispatch both thee and thy issue out of the waie, "that other maie inioy this kingdome which thou doost indeuour "to assure vnto thine issue.” The king with this voice being striken into great dread and terror, passed that night without anie sleepe comming in his eies. All now leave the stage except Duncan's sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, who, after a brief colloquy, resolve to fly from Scotland (II. iii. 141-152). Holinshed says that [Hol. ii. H. S. 171/1/73.] Malcolme Cammore and Donald Cammore Bane flee into received by Edward king Bane the sons of king Duncane, for feare of their liues (which Malcolme they might well know that Mackbeth would seeke to bring to and Donald end for his more sure confirmation in the estate) fled into Cumber- Cumberland. land, where Malcolme remained, till time that saint Edward the sonne of Ethelred recouered the dominion of England from the Danish power, the which Edward receiued Malcolme by way of most friendlie enterteinment: but Donald passed ouer into Ireland, where he was tenderlie cherished by the king of that land.1 Act II. sc. iv.-Ross and an old man enter and talk of certain portents connected with Duncan's murder (1-20). Similar occurrences attended the murder of Duff, as my next excerpt shows. of England. weather. moon seen for six great winds, [Hol. ii. H. S. 151/1/12.] For the space of six moneths Prodigious togither, after this heinous murther thus committed, there [No sun or appeered no sunne by day, nor moone by night in anie part of months, the realme, but still was the skie couered with continuall clouds, &c.] and sometimes such outragious winds 2 arose, with lightenings and tempests, that the people were in great feare of present destruction. Horsses eate their owne flesh. [Hol. ii. H. S. 152/1/9.] Monstrous sights also that were seene within the Scotish kingdome that yeere were these: horsses in Louthian, being of singular beautie and swiftnesse, did eate their owne flesh, and would in no wise taste anie other meate. There was a sparhawke also strangled by an strangled by owle. Neither was it anie lesse woonder that the sunne, as before is said, was continuallie couered with clouds for six moneths 1 Malcolm says: "Ile to England." Donalbain determines otherwise : "To Ireland, I; our seperated fortune Shall keepe vs both the safer: where we are, There's daggers in men's Smiles: the neere in blood, The neerer bloody." II. iii. 143-147. By "England" and "Ireland” the kings of those countries are, I suppose, meant. Shakspere several times uses "England" in this sense: see, for example, Macbeth, IV. iii. 43, and John, III. iv. 8. 2 Compare what Lennox says (II. iii. 59, 60), just before Duncan's murder is discovered: "The Night ha's been vnruly: where we lay, ... A sparhawke an owle. Mackbeths liberalitie. Mackbeth studieth to aduance justice. A kinglie endeuour. [If Macbeth had been a space. But all men vnderstood that the abhominable murther of king Duffe was the cause heereof. . . .1 Two months-the utmost dramatic time, including intervals,2 which can fairly be assigned to this play-left Shakspere no room to set forth Duncan's murderer as other than a graceless tyrant, led rapidly on from crime to crime. But the following passages witness that ten of the seventeen years of Macbeth's reign were distinguished by a just though rigorous government, harmful to none save lawbreakers and oppressors of the weak. [Hol. ii. H. S. 171/2/9.] Mackbeth, after the departure thus of Duncanes sonnes, vsed great liberalitie towards the nobles of the realme, thereby to win their fauour, and when he saw that no man went about to trouble him, he set his whole intention to mainteine iustice, and to punish all enormities and abuses, which had chanced through the feeble and slouthfull administration of Duncane. . . . Mackbeth shewing himselfe thus a most diligent punisher of all iniuries and wrongs attempted by anie disordered persons within his realme, was accounted the sure defense and buckler of innocent people; and hereto he also applied his whole indeuor, to cause yoong men to exercise themselues in vertuous maners, and men of the church to attend their diuine seruice according to their vocations. . . . To be briefe, such were the woorthie dooings and princelie acts lawful king, of this Mackbeth in the administration of the realme, that if he not proved a had atteined therevnto by rightfull means, and continued in and if he had tyrant at last, he been ac of the best might have vprightnesse of iustice as he began, till the end of his reigne, counted one he might well haue beene numbred amongest the most noble princes that anie where had reigned. He made manie holesome laws and statutes for the publike weale of his subiects. of princes.] Makbeths counterfeit zeale and equitie. These and the like commendable lawes 3 Makbeth caused to be put as then in vse, gouerning the realme for the space of ten yeares in equall iustice. 1 An account of the execution of Duff's murderers is followed by these words: "This dreadfull end had Donwald and his wife, before he saw anie sunne after the murther was committed, and that by the appointment of the most righteous God, the creator of that heauenlie planet and all other things, who suffereth no crime to be vnreuenged.”—Hol. ii. H. S. 151/2/43. Cp. Macbeth, II. iv. 5-7. 2 T-A., 207, 208. 3 Given in Hol. ii. H. S. pp. 171, 172, under this heading: "Lawes made by king Makbeth set / foorth according to Hector / Boetius." Act III. sc. iii.-These words conclude all that is recorded in Macbeth's praise; and we then enter upon the second period of his reign, which is said to have begun "shortlie after" the close of his ten years of good rule. guiltie [He remembered also the words of the weird sisters.] [Hol. ii. H. S. 172/2/24.] But this was but a counterfet zeale of equitie shewed by him, partlie against his naturall inclination, to purchase thereby the fauour of the people. Shortlie after, he began to shew what he was, in stead of equitie practising crueltie. For the pricke of conscience (as it chanceth euer in tyrants, and Makbeths such as atteine to anie estate by vnrighteous means) caused him conscience. euer to feare, least he should be serued of the same cup, as he had ministred to his predecessor. The woords also of the three weird sisters would not out of his mind, which as they promised him the kingdome, so likewise did they promise it at the same time vnto the posteritie of Banquho. He willed therefore the same Banquho, with his sonne named Fleance, to come to a supper that he had prepared for them; which was in deed, as he had Makbeths deuised, present death at the hands of certeine murderers, whom he hired to execute that deed; appointing them to meete with the same Banquho and his sonne without the palace, as they returned to their lodgings, and there to slea them, so that he would not haue his house slandered, but that in time to come he might cleare himselfe, if anie thing were laid to his charge vpon anie suspicion that might arise.1 deuise to slea Banquho and his [, Fleance]. to be mur- the palace, so that might be held guiltless.] Banquho is slaine, but escapeth. his sonne It chanced yet, by the benefit of the darke night, that, though the father were slaine, the sonne yet, by the helpe of almightie God reseruing him to better fortune, escaped that danger; and afterwards hauing some inkeling (by the admonition of some friends which he had in the court) how his life was sought no lesse than his fathers, who was slaine not by chancemedlie (as by the handling of the matter Makbeth woould haue had it to appeare) but euen vpon a prepensed deuise: wherevpon to auoid further perill he Fleance fled into Wales. 1 Macbeth tells the men (III. i. 131-133), who had undertaken to slay Banquo and Fleance, that the murder "must be done to-Night, And something from the Pallace; alwayes thought, Banquhos sonne fleeth into Wales. D When the guests have retired from the supper to which Banquo had been invited, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth converse (III. iv. 128-130): Macb. How say'st thou, that Macduff denies his person Lady M. Did you send to him, Sir? Macb. I heare it by the way; but I will send : Act III. sc. vi.1 Lennox enquires the issue of Macbeth's summons (11. 40-43): "Sent he to Macduff?” And the Lord, with whom Lennox talks, replies: He did and with an absolute "Sir, not I," The clowdy Messenger turnes me his backe, And hums, as who should say, "You'l rue the time "That clogges me with this Answer." Macduff's refusal to personally superintend the building of Dunsinane Castle may be held to stand for the affront which the dramatic Macbeth receives from the answer brought him by his "clowdy Messenger." This is the sole point of comparison with the following excerpt. [Hol. ii. H. S. 174/1/26.] But to returne vnto Makbeth, in continuing the historie, and to begin where I left, ye shall vnderstand that, after the contriued slaughter of Banquho, nothing prospered with the foresaid Makbeth: for in maner euerie man began to doubt his owne life, and durst vnneth appeare in the kings presence; and euen as there were manie that stood in feare of him, so likewise stood he in feare of manie, in such sort that he began to make those awaie by one surmized cauillation or other, whome he thought most able to worke him anie displeasure. At length he found such sweetnesse by putting his nobles thus to death, that his earnest thirst after bloud in this behalfe might in no wise be satisfied: for ye must consider he wan double profit (as hee thought) hereby for first they were rid out of the way whome he feared, and then againe his coffers were inriched by their goods which were forfeited to his vse, whereby he might better mainteine a gard of armed men about him to defend his person from iniurie of them whom he had in anie suspicion. Further, to the end he might the more cruellie oppresse his subiects with all tyrantlike wrongs, he builded a strong castell 1 As to the impossibility of fixing the time of this scene, see T-A., 205. |