Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 4

Cousins, I hope the days are near at hand That chambers will be safe.

Cousins, I hope the days are close at hand when bedrooms will be safe.

We doubt it nothing.

We have no doubt about it at all.

What wood is this before us?

What wood is this in front of us?

The wood of Birnam.

The wood of Birnam.

Let every soldier hew him down a bough, And bear’t before him. Thereby shall we shadow The numbers of our host, and make discovery Err in report of us.

Let every soldier cut down a branch for himself and carry it in front of him. That way we will hide how many men are in our army, and make anyone scouting us report us wrongly.

It shall be done.

It will be done.

We learn no other but the confident tyrant Keeps still in Dunsinane, and will endure Our setting down before’t.

All we hear is that the over-confident tyrant is still holding out in Dunsinane, and will put up with our laying siege to it.

’Tis his main hope; For where there is advantage to be given, Both more and less have given him the revolt, And none serve with him but constrained things, Whose hearts are absent too.

That is his chief hope; for wherever there has been a chance to slip away, people both great and small have deserted him, and nobody serves with him but men who are forced to, and whose hearts are not in it either.

Let our just censures Attend the true event, and put we on Industrious soldiership.

Let us hold back our fair judgements until we see the real outcome, and let us get on with hard soldiering.

The time approaches, That will with due decision make us know What we shall say we have, and what we owe. Thoughts speculative their unsure hopes relate, But certain issue strokes must arbitrate; Towards which advance the war.

The time is coming that will settle the matter properly and let us know what we can claim as ours and what we still owe. Guesswork only tells us its uncertain hopes, but blows must decide the sure result; so march the army on towards it.