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The king being tired with his journey, went early to bed, and in his state-room two grooms of his chamber (as was the custom) slept beside him.

Now was the middle of night, the time when lady Macbeth waked to plot the murder of the king. She would not have undertaken a deed so abhorrent to her sex, but that she feared her husband's nature, that it was too full of the milk of human kindness, to do a contrived murder. So with her own hands armed with a dagger, she approached the king's bed; having taken care to ply the grooms of his chamber so with wine, that they slept intoxicated, and careless of their charge. There lay King Duncan in a sound sleep after the fatigues of his journey, and there was something in his face as he slept, which

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resembled her own father, and she had not the courage to proceed.

She returned to confer with her husband, whose resolution had begun to stagger. He considered that there were strong reasons against the deed. In the first place, he was not only a subject, but a near kinsman to the king, and he had been his host and entertainer that day, whose duty, by the laws of hospitality, it was to shut the door against his murderers, not bear the knife himself. Besides, by the favours of the king, Macbeth stood high in the opinion of all sorts of men, and how would those honours be stained by the reputation of so foul a murder.

But she being a woman not easily shaken from her evil purpose, began to pour in at his ears words which infused a portion of her own spirit into his mind, assigning reason upon reason why he should not shrink from that he had undertaken! how easy the deed was; how soon it would be over; and how the action of one short night would give to all their nights and days to come sovereign sway and royalty! Then she added, how practicable it was to lay the guilt of the deed upon the drunken sleepy grooms. And she so chastised his sluggish resolutions that he summoned up courage to the bloody business which he had sworn to perform.

So, taking the dagger in his hand, he softly stole in the dark to the room where Duncan lay; and getting rid of his fear, he entered the king's room, whom he despatched with one stroke of his dagger.

Tortured with visions, in which a voice cried: " Sleep no more: Macbeth doth murder sleep," he returned to his listening wife in so distracted a state that she reproached him with his want of firmness, and sent him to wash his hands of the blood which stained them, while she took the dagger, with purpose to stain the cheeks of the grooms with blood, to make it seem their guilt.

Morning came, and with it the discovery of the mur'der; and though Macbeth and his lady made great show

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of grief, yet the entire suspicion fell upon Macbeth. Duncan's two sons fled. Malcolm to the English court; and the youngest, Donalbain, made his escape to Ireland.

The king's sons, who should have succeeded him, having thus vacated the throne, Macbeth as next heir was crowned king, and thus the prediction of the weird sisters was literally accomplished.

Now though placed so high, Macbeth and his queen could not forget the prophecy of the weird sisters, that, though Macbeth should be king, yet not his children, but the children of Banquo, should be kings after him. So they made a great supper, to which they invited all the chief thanes; and among the rest, with marks of particular respect, Banquo and his son Fleance were invited. But the way by which Banquo was to pass to the palace at night was beset by murderers appointed by Macbeth, who stabbed Banquo; but in the scuffle Fleance escaped, from whom descended a race of monarchs who afterwards filled the Scottish throne, and under whom the two crowns of England and Scotland were afterwards united.

At supper, the queen played the hostess with a gracefulness which conciliated every one present, and Macbeth discoursed freely with his thanes and nobles, saying, that all that was honourable in the country was under his roof, if he had but his friend Banquo present. Just at these words the ghost of Banquo entered the room and placed himself on the chair which Macbeth was about to occupy. At which horrible sight Macbeth's cheeks turned white with fear, and he stood quite unmanned with his eyes fixed upon the ghost. His queen and all the nobles, who saw nothing, but perceived him gazing (as they thought) upon an empty chair, took it for a fit of distraction. But Macbeth continued to see the ghost, and gave no heed to all they could say, while he addressed it with distracted words, yet so significant, that his queen, fearing the dread

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ful secret would be disclosed, in great haste dismissed the guests, excusing the infirmity of Macbeth as a disorder he was often troubled with.

With these miserable thoughts the guilty couple found no peace and Macbeth determined once more to seek out the weird sisters, and know from them the worst.

He sought them in a cave upon the heath; where they, who knew by foresight of his coming, were engaged in preparing their dreadful charms, by which they conjured up infernal spirits to reveal to them futurity. The first arose in the likeness of an armed head, and he called Macbeth by name, and bid him beware of the thane of Fife. The second spirit arose in the likeness of a bloody child, and he bid him laugh to scorn the power of man, for none of woman born should have power to hurt him; and he advised him to be bloody, bold, and resolute. Which spirit being dismissed, a third arose in the form of a child crowned, with a tree in his hand. He said that Macbeth should never be vanquished, until the wood of Birnam to Dunsinane Hill should come against him. " Sweet bodements ! good ! " cried Macbeth. " But my heart throbs to know one thing. Tell me, if your art can tell so much, if Banquo's issue shall ever reign in this kingdom? " Here the cauldron sank into the ground, and a noise of music was heard, and eight shadows, like kings, passed by Macbeth, and Banquo last, who bore a glass which showed the figures of many more, and Banquo all bloody smiled upon Macbeth, and pointed to them; by which Macbeth knew that these were the posterity of Banquo, who should reign after him in Scotland; and the witches, with a sound of soft music, and with dancing, making a show of duty and welcome to Macbeth, vanished.