Ban. You shall be king.
Macb. And thane of Cawdor too: went it not so?”
So surely is the guilt in its germ anterior to the supposed cause, and immediate temptation! Before he can cool, the confirmation of the tempting half of the prophecy arrives, and the concatenating tendency of the imagination is fostered by the sudden coincidence:—
“Glamis, and thane of Cawdor:
The greatest is behind.”
Oppose this to Banquo's simple surprise:—
“What, can the devil speak true?”
Ib. Banquo's speech:—
“That, trusted home,
Might yet enkindle you unto the crown,