| The country near Dunsinane. |
| [Drum and colours. Enter MENTEITH, CAITHNESS, ANGUS, | ||
| LENNOX, and Soldiers] |
| MENTEITH | The English power is near, led on by Malcolm, | ||
| His uncle Siward and the good Macduff: | |||
| Revenges burn in them; for their dear causes | |||
| Would to the bleeding and the grim alarm | |||
| Excite the mortified man. | 5 |
| ANGUS | Near Birnam wood | ||
| Shall we well meet them; that way are they coming. |
| CAITHNESS | Who knows if Donalbain be with his brother? |
| LENNOX | For certain, sir, he is not: I have a file | ||
| Of all the gentry: there is Siward's son, | 10 | ||
| And many unrough youths that even now | |||
| Protest their first of manhood. |
| MENTEITH | What does the tyrant? |
| CAITHNESS | Great Dunsinane he strongly fortifies: | ||
| Some say he's mad; others that lesser hate him | 15 | ||
| Do call it valiant fury: but, for certain, | |||
| He cannot buckle his distemper'd cause | |||
| Within the belt of rule. |
| ANGUS | Now does he feel | ||
| His secret murders sticking on his hands; | 20 | ||
| Now minutely revolts upbraid his faith-breach; | |||
| Those he commands move only in command, | |||
| Nothing in love: now does he feel his title | |||
| Hang loose about him, like a giant's robe | |||
| Upon a dwarfish thief. | 25 |
| MENTEITH | Who then shall blame | ||
| His pester'd senses to recoil and start, | |||
| When all that is within him does condemn | |||
| Itself for being there? |
| CAITHNESS | Well, march we on, | 30 | |
| To give obedience where 'tis truly owed: | |||
| Meet we the medicine of the sickly weal, | |||
| And with him pour we in our country's purge | |||
| Each drop of us. |
| LENNOX | Or so much as it needs, | ||
| To dew the sovereign flower and drown the weeds. | 35 | ||
| Make we our march towards Birnam. | |||
| [Exeunt, marching] |