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Came poft 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 fent,

as a tale can travel with the post. Or we may read, perhaps, yet

better:

As thick as tale,

Came poft with poft;

That is, pofts arrived as faft as they could be counted.

So, in King Henry VI. P. III. A& II. sc. i :

Tidings, as fwiftly as the poft could run, "Were brought," &c.

Mr. Rowe reads-as thick as hail.

STEEVENS.

JOHNSON.

The old copy reads-Can poft. The emendation is Mr. Rowe's. Dr. Johnfon's explanation would be lefs exceptionable, if the old copy had-As quick as tale. Thick applies but ill to tale, and feems rather to favour Mr. Rowe's emendation.

"As thick as hail," as an anonymous correfpondent observes to me, is an expreffion in the old play of King John, 1591:

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breathe out damned orifons,

"As thick as hail-ftones 'fore the fpring's approach."

The emendation of the word can is fupported by a paffage in K. Henry IV. P. II :

"And there are twenty weak and wearied posts

"Come from the north." MALONE.

Dr. Johnson's explanation is perfedly juftifiable. As thick, in ancient language, fignified as faft. To speak thick, in our author, does not therefore mean, to have a cloudy indiftin& utterance, but to deliver words with rapidity. So, in Cymbeline: A& HI. fc. ii:

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fay, and speak thick,

(Love's counsellor fhould fill the bores of hearing. "To the fmothering of the fenfe) how far it is

"To this fame bleffed Milford."

Again, in K. Henry IV. P. II. A& II. fc. iii:

"And speaking thick, which nature made his blemish,

Became the accents of the valiant;

"For those that could fpeak low and tardily,
"Would turn &c.-To feem like him."

Thick therefore is not lefs applicable to tale, the old reading,

than to hail, the alteration of Mr. Rowe.

STEEVENS.

To give thee, from our royal master, thanks;
To herald thee into his fight, not pay thee.

2

ROSSE. And, for an earnest of a greater honour, He bade me, from him, call thee thane of Cawdor: . In which addition, hail, moft worthy thane!

For it is thine..

BAN.

What, can the devil speak true? MACB. The thane of Cawdor lives; Why do you dress me

In borrow'd robes?

ANG.

Who was the thane, lives yet;

But under heavy judgement bears that life
Which he deferves to lofe. Whether he was
Combin'd with Norway; or did line the rebel
With hidden help and vantage; or that with both
He labour'd in his country's wreck, I know not;
But treafons capital, confefs'd, and prov'd,
Have overthrown him.

MACB.

Glamis, and thane of Cawdor:

To herald thee &c.] The old copy redundantly reads. to herald thee &c. STEEVENS.

Only

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The players not underftanding that by Norway" our author meant the king of Norway, as in Hamlet

"Whereon old Norway, overcome with joy," &c. foifted in the words at prefent omitted. STEEVENs.

There is, I think, no need of change. The word combin'd be longs to the preceding line:

Which he deferves to lofe. Whe'r he was combin'd "With those of Norway, or did line the rebel," &c. Whether was in our author's time fometimes pronounced and written as one fyllable,--whe'r.

So, in King John:

"Now thame upon you, whe'r fhe does or no."

MALONE.

The greatest is behind. —Thanks for your pains.. Do you not hope your children fhall be kings, When those that gave the thane of Cawdor to me," Promis'd no lefs to them?

That, trufted home,

BAN.
Might yet enkindle you unto the crown,

5

Befides the thane of Cawdor.

But 'tis ftrange:

trufted home,] i. e. entirely, thoroughly relied on. So,

in All's well that ends well:

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- lack'd the fenfe to know

"Her eftimation home." STEEVENS.

The added word home fhows clearly, in my apprehenfion, that our author wrote-That thrufted home. So, in a fubfequent scene: That every minute of his being thrusts

Against my nearest of life.”

Thrufted is the regular participle from the verb to thrust, and though now not often used, was, I believe, common in the time of Shakspeare. So, in King Henry V :

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With cafted flough and fresh legerity."

Home means to the uttermoft.

So, in The Winter's Tale:

all my forrows

"You have paid home."

It may be obferved, that " thrufted home" is an expreffion ufed at this day; but trusted home," I believe, was never ufed at any period whatfoever. I have had frequent occafion to remark that many of the errors in the old copies of our author's plays arose from the tranfcriber's ear having deceived him. In Ireland where much of the pronunciation of the age of Queen Elizabeth is yet retained, the vulgar conftantly pronounce the word thrust as if it were written truft; and hence probably the error in the text.

The change is fo very flight, and I am fo thoroughly perfuaded that the reading propofed is the true one, that had it been fuggefted by any former editor, I fhould without hesitation have given it a place in the text. MALONE.

5 Might yet enkindle you- -] Enkindle, for to ftimulate you to feek. WARBURTON.

A fimilar expreffion occurs in As you like it, A&I. fc. i: "nothing remains but that I kindle the boy thither."

Might fire you with the hope of obtaining the crown.

STEEVENS.

HENLEY.

And oftentimes, to win us to our harm,
The inflruments of darkness tell us truth;
Win us with honeft trifles, to betray us.
In deepen confequence..
Coufins, a word, I pray you.
MACB.

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Two truths are told,'

7 Two truths are told, &c.] How the former of these truths has been fulfilled, we are yet to learn. Macbeth could not become Thane of Glamis, till after his father's decease, of which there is no mention throughout the play. If the Hag only announced what Macbeth already underfood to have happened, her words could fcarcely claim rank as a prediction. STEEVENs.

From the Scottish tranflation of Boethius it fhould feem that Sinel, the father of Macbeth, died after Macbeth's having been met by the weird fifters. "Makbeth (fays the hiftorian) revolvyng all thingis, as they wer faid be the weird fifteris, began to covat ye croun. And zit he concludit to abide, quhil he faw ye tyme ganand thereto; fermelie belevyng yt ye thrid weird fuld cum as the first two did afore." This indeed is inconfiftent with our author's words, By Sinel's death, I know, I am thane of Glamis ;"but Holinfhed, who was his guide, iu bis abridgment of the hiftory of Boethius, has particularly mentioned that Sinel died before Macbeth met the weird fifters: we may therefore be fure that Shakspeare meant it to be underflood that Macbeth had already acceded to his paternal title. Bellenden only fays, "The firit of thaim faid to Macbeth, Hale thane of Glammis. The fecound ́ faid," &c. But in Holinfhed the relation runs thus, conformably to the Latin original: "The firft of them fpake and faid, All haile Mackbeth, thane of Glammis (for he had latelie entered into that dignitie and office by the death of his father Sinell). The fecond of them faid," &c.

Still however the objection made by Mr. Steevens remains in its full force; for fince he knew that by Sinel's death he was thane of Glamis," how can this falutation be confidered as prophetick? Or why should he afterwards fay, with admiration, "GLAMIS, and thane of Cawdor;" &c? Perhaps we may fuppofe that the father of Macbeth died fo recently before his interview with the weirds, that the news of it had not yet got abroad; in which cafe, though Macbeth himself knew it, he might confider their giving him the title of Thane of Glamis as a proof of fupernatural intelligence.

I fufpect our author was led to ufe the expreffions which have occafioned the prefent note, by the following words of Holiníhed :

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As happy prologues to the fwelling act
Of the imperial theme.-I thank you, gentlemen.-
This fupernatural foliciting

2

Cannot be ill; cannot be good:-If ill,
Why hath it given me earnest of success,
Commencing in a truth? I am thane of Cawdor:
If good, why do I yield to that fuggeftion
Whofe horrid image doth unfix my hair, 3
And make my feated heart knock at my ribs,
Against the ufe of nature? Prefent fears
Are lefs than horrible imaginings: 5

The fame night after, at fupper, Banquo jefted with him, and faid, Now Mackbeth, thou haft obteined thofe things which the Two former fifters PROPHESIED: there remaineth onelie. for thee to purchase that which the third faid fhould come to paffe." MALONE

8

fwelling act-] Swelling is used in the fame fense in the prologue to King Henry V:

pinces to act,

"And monarchs to behold the Swelling scene.".

STEEVENS.

9 This fupernatural foliciting] Soliciting for information.

T

WARBURTON.

Soliciting is rather, in my opinion, incitement, than information.

2

-fuggeftion] i. e. temptation.

JOHNSON.

So, in All's well that

ends well: A filthy officer he is in those fuggeftions for the young carl. STEEVENS.

3 Whofe horrid image doth unfix my hair,] So Macbeth fays, in the latter part of this play:

4

And my fell of hair

"Would, at a difinal treatife, rouse and ftir,

29

As life were in it. M. MASON.

-feated ] i. e. fixed, firmly placed. So, in Milton's Paradife Loft, B. VI. 643:

5

"From their foundations loos'ning to and fro

''

They pluck'd the feated hills."

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STEEVENS.

Prefent fears are fears of

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