Two or three men, my lord, who brought the message
that Macduff has fled to England.
MACBETH
Fled to England?
MACBETH
Fled to England?
LENNOX
Ay, my good lord.
LENNOX
Yes, my good lord.
MACBETH
150
Time, thou anticipat'st my dread exploits.
The flighty purpose never is o'ertook
Unless the deed go with it. From this moment
The very firstlings of my heart shall be
The firstlings of my hand. And even now,
155
To crown my thoughts with acts, be it thought and done:
The castle of Macduff I will surprise,
Seize upon Fife, give to th' edge o'
th' sword
His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls
That trace him in his line. No boasting like a fool.
160
This deed I'll do before this purpose cool.
But no more sights!—Where are these gentlemen?
Come, bring me where they are.
MACBETH
Time, you thwart my dreadful plans. Unless a person does something
the second he thinks of it, he'll never get a chance to do
it. From now on, as soon as I decide to do something I'm
going to act immediately. In fact, I'll start following up
my thoughts with actions right now. I'll raid
Macduff's castle, seize the town of Fife, and kill his
wife, his children, and anyone else unfortunate enough to stand in
line for his inheritance. No more foolish talk. I will do this deed
before I lose my sense of purpose. But no more spooky
visions!—Where are the messengers? Come, bring me to
them.
