Time on!........

He then comforts himself with the reflection that all his perplexity must have an end,

This conjecture is supported by the passage in the letter to his lady, in which he says, They referr'd me to the coming on of time with Hail King that shall be.

NOTE IX.

SCENE VI.

Malcolm.........NOTHING in his life

Became him like the leaving of it. He died,
As one that had been studied in his death,

To throw away the dearest thing he ow'd,

As 'twere a careless trifle.

As the word ow'd affords here no sense but such as is forced and unnatural, it cannot be doubted that it was originally written, The dearest thing he orn'd; a reading which needs neither defence nor explication.

NOTE X.

King....THERE's no art,

To find the mind's construction in the face.

The construction of the mind is, I believe, a phrase peculiar to Shakspeare; it implies the frame or disposi tion of the mind, by which it is determined to good or ill.

NOTE XI.

Macbeth. 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, in doing every thing
Safe tow'rds your love and honour.

Of the last line of this speech, which is certainly, as it is now read, unintelligible, an emendation has been attempted, which Mr. Warburton and Mr. Theobald have admitted as the true reading.

.........Our duties

Are to your throne and state, children and servants, Which do but what they should, in doing every thing, Fiefs to your love and honour.

My esteem of these critics, inclines me to believe, that they cannot be much pleased with the expressions Fiefs to love, or Fiefs to honour; and that they have proposed this alteration rather because no other occurred to them, than because they approved it. I shall therefore propose a bolder change, perhaps with no better success, but sua cuique placent. I read thus,

.........Our duties

Are to your throne and state, children and servants,
Which do but what they should, in doing nothing,
Save tow'rds your love and honour.

We but perform our duty when we contract all our views to your service, when we act with no other prin ciple than regard to your love and honour.

It is probable that this passage was first corrupted by writing safe for save, and the lines then stood thus,

.......Doing nothing

Safe tow'rd your love and honour.

Which the next transcriber observing to be wrong, and yet not being able to discover the real fault, altered to the present reading.

NOTE XII.

SCENE VII.

.......THOU’DST have, great Glamis,

That which cries, "thus thou must do if thou have it, And that," &c.

As the object of Macbeth's desire is here introduced speaking of itself, it is necessary to read,

.......Thoud'st have, great Glamis,

That which cries, "thus thou must do if thou have me."

NOTE XIII.

........HIE thee hither,

That I may pour my spirits in thine ear,
And chastise with the valor of my tongue

All that impedes thee from the golden round,
That fate and metaphysical aid do seem

To have thee crown'd withal.

For seem the sense evidently directs us to read seek. The crown to which fate destines thee, and which preternatural agents endeavour to bestow upon thee. The golden round is the diadem.

NOTE XIV.

Lady Macbeth...............COME all you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,
And fill me from the crown to th' toe, top full
Of direst cruelty; make thick my blood,
Stop up th' access and passage to remorse,
That no compunctious visitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between

Th' effect and it.

Mortal thoughts.

This expression signifies not the thoughts of mortais, but murtherous, deadly, or destructive designs. So in act 5th.

Hold fast the mortal sword.

And in another place,

With twenty mortal murthers.

........Nor keep pace between

Th' effect and it.

The intent of lady Macbeth, evidently is to wish that no womanish tenderness, or conscientious remorse may hinder her purpose from proceeding to effect, but neither this nor indeed any other sense is expressed by the

present reading, and therefore it cannot be doubted that Shakspeare wrote differently, perhaps thus ;

That no compunctious visitings of nature.
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep pace between
Th' effect and it.

To keep pace between, may signify to pass between, or intervene. Pace is on many occasions a favourite of Shakspeare. This phrase is indeed not usual in this sense, but was it not its novelty that gave occasion to the present corruption?

NOTE XV.

SCENE VIII.

King. THIS castle hath a pleasant seat; the air Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself

Unto our gentle senses.

Banquo. This guest of summer,

The temple haunting Martlet, does approve,
By his lov'd mansionary, that heaven's breath
Smells wooingly here. No jutting frieze,
Buttrice, nor coigne of vantage, but this bird

Hath made his pendent bed, and procreant cradle ;
Where they most breed and haunt, I have observ'd
The air is delicate.

In this short scene, I propose a slight alteration to be made, by substituting site for seat, as the ancient word for situation; and sense for senses, as more agreeable to the measure; for which reason likewise I have endeavoured to adjust this passage,