Page:Macbeth (1918) Yale.djvu/20

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Ban. Were such things here as we do speak about?

Or have we eaten on the insane root

That takes the reason prisoner?

Macb. Your children shall be kings.

Ban. You shall be king.

Macb. And Thane of Cawdor too; went it not so?

Ban. To the self-same tune and words. Who's here?

Ross. The king hath happily receiv'd, Macbeth,

The news of thy success; and when he reads

Thy personal venture in the rebels' fight,

His wonders and his praises do contend

Which should be thine, or his. Silenc'd with that,

In viewing o'er the rest o' the self-same day,

He finds thee in the stout Norweyan ranks,

Nothing afeard of what thyself didst make

Strange images of death. As thick as tale

Came post 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 sent

To give thee from our royal master thanks;

Only to herald thee into his sight,

Not pay thee.

Ross. And, for an earnest of a greater honour,

He bade me, from him, call thee Thane of Cawdor:

In which addition, hail, most worthy thane!

For it is thine.

Ban. What! can the devil speak true?

 84 insane root: root supposed to produce insanity

92, 93 Cf. n.

97 images of death: corpses; cf. n.

As thick as tale: as fast as the telling; cf. n.

98 post: courier

104 earnest: pledge, part payment in advance

106 addition: title

