THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH

Act 5 Scene 4

(Enter Malcolm, Siward, Macduff, Siward's Son, Menteith, Caithness, Angus, and soldiers, marching, with a drummer and colours)
l1l	Malcolm	 Cousins, I hope the days are near at hand
l2l		That chambers will be safe.
	Menteith	We doubt it nothing.
l3l	Siward	What wood is this before us?
	Menteith	The wood of Birnam.
l4l	Malcolm	Let every soldier hew him down a bough
l5l		And bear ’t before him. Thereby shall we shadow
l6l		The numbers of our host, and make discovery
l7l		Err in report of us.
	A Soldier	It shall be done.
l8l	Siward	We learn no other but the confident tyrant
l9l		Keeps still in Dunsinane, and will endure
l10l		Our setting down before ’t.
	Malcolm	’Tis his main hope,
l11l		For where there is advantage to be gone,
l12l		Both more and less have given him the revolt,
l13l		And none serve with him but constrainèd things,
l14l		Whose hearts are absent too.
	Macduff	Let our just censures
l15l		Attend the true event, and put we on
l16l		Industrious soldiership.
	Siward	The time approaches
l17l		That will with due decision make us know
l18l		What we shall say we have, and what we owe.
l19l		Thoughts speculative their unsure hopes relate,
l20l		But certain issue strokes must arbitrate#
l21l		Towards which, advance the war.
		(Exeunt, marching)