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facts respecting the surrounding country, the peculiar fulfilment of the 

 witches' prophecy, &c. Unfortunately for all this, its falsehood is shown 

 both by internal and external evidence. We learn from the English 

 chroniclers that Siward entered Scotland with an army of horse and a 

 powerful fleet fequestri exercitu et classe validd) ; yet no allusion is 

 made by the dramatist to horses or ships — the army is one of foot 

 soldiers. They approach Dunsinnan by Birnam Wood, and before they 

 reach the outskirts of the latter, adopt a precaution to conceal their 

 numbers. Thd reader supposes that they advance along a plain, where 

 the front rank only would be visible ; but the precaution would have 

 been utterly ussless, as the entire host could be overlooked from the 

 castle or even from the hill. The reader also supposes that the 

 distance is a mile or two at most, for Macbeth 's messenger saw the 

 wood begin to move. Now, the distance is exactly twelve miles in a 

 straight line, and Siward was at the remote side of the wood. Farther, 

 to complete the absurdity, and to demonstrate that Shakspeare never 

 was there, the broad river Tay flows between ; . so that the assailants of 

 Macbeth would have required to be like the Macleans at the Deluge, 

 who " had a boat o' their ain." Even the name of the place the drama- 

 tist appears to have got from a book, for he mispronounces it throughout. 

 It is Dunsmnan hill, and he calls it T>xmsmane. Tradition, accom- 

 modating itself in part to the play, points out tbe "giant's grave," 

 where " Macbeth the Giant " was interred ; but it avers that he threw 

 himself from the top of a cliff, and did not fall by the sword of Macduflf. 

 True histoiy, from without, clears away all this rubbish. It tells us 

 that Macbeth was killed or murdered by Malcolm, the son of Duncan. 

 In the " Nomina Regum " we read, '* Interfectus in Lunfanen et sepultus 

 inlona;" Tigernach says, '' trucidatus est :'' the "Annals of Ulster" 

 say that he was killed in battle ; and the " Chronicon Elegiacum " has 

 the following couplet — 



Huiic tamen in Lufnant truncavit morte crudeli, 

 Dimcani natus nomine Malcolmus. 



Thus the place of his death is settled as Lufnanty the modern 

 Lumphanan, in Aberdeenshire, about twenty miles west of Aberdeen. 

 The name signifies " the bare little valley ; " and it is possible that 

 tradition is correct in saying that Macbeth fell in single combat. It is 

 wrong, however, in attributing a cairn to him, as we know that he was 

 buried in lona. 



After Macbeth, reigned Lulach the Foolish for four months — a silly 

 young man, who was remotely related to Lady Macbeth, and therefore 

 to the royal line. So that Malcolm did not succeed at once, and three 

 years had elapsed between the great battle by Siward and the death of 



