—our duties
Are to your throne and state, children and servants,
Which do but what they should, in doing nothing,
Save tow'rd your love and honour.
We do but perform our duty, when we contract all our views to your service, when we act with no other principle than regard to your love and honour.
It is probable that this passage was first corrupted by writing safe for save, and the lines then stood thus:
—doing nothing
Safe tow'rd your love and honour.
Which the next transcriber observing to be wrong, and yet not being able to discover the real fault, altered to the present reading.
NOTE XII.
SCENE VII.
—Thou'dst have, great Glamis,
That which cries, "thus thou must do, if thou have it;
And that," &c.
As the object of Macbeth's desire is here introduced speaking of itself, it is necessary to read,
—thou'dst have, great Glamis,
That which cries, "thus thou must do, if thou have me."