of Duncan, Thane of the Isles, and western parts of Scotland; and on the death of Malcolm, without male issue, Duncan succeeded to the throne. Malcolm's second daughter was married to Sinel, Thane of Glamis, the father of Macbeth. Duncan, who married the daughter of Siward, Earl of Northumberland, was murdered by his cousin german, Macbeth, in the castle of Inverness, according to Buchanan, in the year 1040; according to Hector Boethius, in 1045. Boethius, whose history of Scotland was first printed in seventeen books, at Paris, in 1526, thus describes the event which forms the basis of this tragedy: "Macbeth, be persuasion of his wyfe, gaderit his friends to ane counsall at Invernes, quhare kyng Duncane happennit to be for ye tyme, Aud because he fand sufficient opportunitie, be support of Banquho and otheris his friendis, he slew kyng' Duncane, the vii zeir of his regne," After the murder of Duncan, Macbeth "come with ane gret power to Scone, and tuk the crowne. "Chroniclis of Scotland, translated by John Bellenden, folio, 1541. Macbeth was himself slain by Macduff in the year 1061, according to Boethius; according to Buchanan, in 1057; at which time King Edward the Coufessor possessed the throne of England. Holinshed copied the history of Boethius, and on Holinshed's relation Shakspeare formed his play.

In the reign of Dunkan, Banquo having been plundered by the people of Lochaber of some of the King's revenues, which he had collected, and being dangerously wounded in the affray, the persons concerned in this outrage were summoned to appear at a certain day. But they slew the serjeant at arms who summoned them, and chose one MACDOWALD as their captain. Macdowald

speedily collected a considerable body of forces from Ireland and the Western Isles, and in one action gained a victory over the King's army. In this battle Malcolm, a Scottish nobleman, who was (says Boethius) "Lieutenant to Duncan in Lochaber," was slain. Afterwards Macbeth and Banquo were appointed to the command of the army; and Macdowald being obliged to take refuge in a castle in Lochaber, first slew his wife and chil dren, and then himself. Macbeth on entering the castle finding his dead body, ordered his head to be cut off, and carried to the King, at the castle of Bertha, and his body to be hung on a high tree.

At a subsequent period, in the last year of

Duncan's reign, Sueno King of Norway, landed a powerful army in Fife, for the purpose of invading Scotland. Duncan immediately assembled an army to oppose him, and gave the command of two divisions of it to Macbeth and Banquo, putting himself at the head of a third. Sueno was successful in one battle, but in a second was routed; and after a great slaughter of his troops he escaped with ten persons only, and fled back to Norway. Though there was an interval of time between the rebellion of Macdowald and the inva¬ sion of Sueno, our author has woven these two actions together, and immediately after Sueno's " defeat the present play commences.

It is remarkable that Buchanan has pointed out Macbeth's history as a subject for the stage. "Multa hie fabulose quidam nostrorum affingunt; sed, quia theatris aut Milesiis fabulis sunt aptiora quam historiae, ea omitto. RERUM SCOT. HIST. L. VII. But there was no translation 'of Buchanan's work till after our author's death.

This tragedy was written, I believe, in the year 1606. See the notes at the end; and An attempt to ascertain the order of Shakspeare's plays. MALONE.

Page 2, line 23. Lady Macbeth.] Her name was Gruach. See Lord Haile's Annals of Scotland. II. 332. RITSON,

P. 3, I. 8. hurlyburly-] However mean this word may seem to modern ears, it came recommeaded to Shakspeare by the authority of Henry Peacham, who in the year 1577 published a book professing to treat of the ornaments of language. It is called the Garden of Eloquence, and has this passage. "Onomatopeia, when we invent, devise, fayne and make a name imitating the sownd of that it signifyeth, as hurliburly, for an uprore and tumultuous stirre." HENDERSON. So, in a translation of Herodian, 12mo. 1635. P. 324:

great hurliburlies being in all parts of the empire, "" etc. REED. P. 3, 1. 9. When the battle's lost and won:] i. e. the battle, in which Macbeth was then engaged. WARBURTON.

So, in King Richard III:

while we reason here,

"A royal battle might be won and lost."

MALONE. P. 3, 1. 13. There to meet with Macbeth.] Thus the old copy. Mr. Pope, and, after him, other editors:

There I go to meet Macbeth.

The insertion, however, seems to be injudicious. To meet with Macbeth was the final drift

of all the witches in going to the heath, and nof the particular business or motive of any one ot them in distinction from the rest; as the inter-" polated words, I go, in the mouth of the third witch, would most certainly imply.

Somewhat, however (as the verse is evidently imperfect) must have been left out by the transcriber or printer. Mr. Capell has therefore proposed to remedy this defect, by reading

There to meet with brave Macbeth.

But surely, to beings intent only on mischief, a soldier's bravery in an honest cause, would have been no subject of encomium.

Mr. Malone (omitting all previous remarks, &c. on this passage) assures us that "There is here used as a dissyllable." I wish he had supported his assertion by some example. Those, however, who can speak the line thus regulated, and suppose they are reciting a verse, may profit the direction they have received.

The pronoun "their," having two vowels together, may be split into two syllables; but the adverb "there" can only be used as a monosyllable, unless pronounced as if it were written" the-re," a licence in which even Chaucer has not indulged himself.

It was convenient for Shakspeare's introductory scene, that his first witch should appear uninstructed in her mission. Had she not required information, the audience must have remained ignorant of what it was necessary for them to know, Her speeches therefore proceed in the form of interrogatories; but, all on a sudden, an answer is given to a question which had not been asked. Here seems to be a chasm which I shall attempt to supply by the introduction of a single

pronoun, and by distributing the hitherto mutilated line, among the three speakers :

3. Witch. There to meet with

Distinct replies have now been afforded to the three necessary enquiries When Where-and Whom the witches were to meet. Their conference receives no injury from my insertion and arran→ gement. On the contrary, the dialogue becomes more regular and consistent, as each of the hags will now have spoken thrice, (a magical number) hefore they join in utterance of the concluding words which relate only to themselves. - . I should add, that, in the two prior instances, it is also the second witch who furnishes decisive and material answers; and that I would give the words - "E come, Graymalkin!" to the third. By assistance from such of our author's plays as had been published in quarto, we have often detected more important errors in the folio 1623, which, unluckily, supplies the most ancient copy of Macbeth. STEEVENS.

P. 3, L. 14. 1. Witch, I come, Graymalkin!] From a little black-letter book, entitled, Beware the Cat, 1584. I find it was permitted to a Witch to take on her a cattes body nine times. Mr. Upton observes, that, to understand this passage, we should suppose one familiar calling with the voice of a cat, and another with the croaking of a toad.

Again, in Newes from Scotland, &c. (a pamphlet of which the reader will find the entire title in a future note on this play): "Moreover she confessed, that at the time when his majestie was in Denmarke, shee beeing accompanied with the