Bru. Not I.

Caf. I pray you, do.

Bru. I am not gamefome: I do lack fome part Of that quick spirit that is in Antony.

Let me not hinder, Caffius, your desires;

I'll leave you.

Caf. Brutus, I do obferve you now of late:
I have not from your eyes that gentleness,

And fhew of love, as I was wont to have:
You bear too stubborn and too strange a hand[3]
Over your friend that loves you.

Bru. Caffius,

Be not deceiv'd: If I have veil'd my look,
I turn the trouble of my countenance

Merely upon myfelf. Vexed I am,

Of late, with paffions of fome difference,[4]
Conceptions only proper to myself,

Which give fome foil, perhaps, to my behaviours:
But let not therefore my good friends be griev'd
(Among which number, Caffius, be you one);
Nor conftrue any further my neglect,

Than that poor Brutus, with himself at war,
Forgets the fhews of love to other men.

Caf. Then, Brutus, I have much mistook your paffion;
By means whereof, this breast of mine hath bury'd
Thoughts of great value, worthy cogitations.
Tell me, good Brutus, can you fee your face?
Bru. No, Caffius: for the eye sees not itself,

But by reflection, by fome other things.

Caf. "Tis juft :

And it is very much lamented, Brutus,

That you have no fuch mirrors, as will turn
Your hidden worthinefs into your eye,

That you might fee your fhadow. I have heard,
Where many of the best respect in Rome
(Except immortal Cæfar), fpeaking of Brutus,
And groaning underneath this age's yoke,
Have wifh'd that noble Brutus had his eyes.

Bru. Into what dangers would you lead me Caffius,
That you would have me feek into myself
For that which is not in me?

Caf. Therefore, good Brutus, be prepar'd to hear: And, fince you know you cannot fee yourself

[3] Strange-is alien, unfamiliar, fuch as might become a stranger. JOH [4] With a fluctuation of discordant opinions and defires.

ib.

So well as by reflexion; I, your glass,
Will modeftly discover to yourself

That of yourself, which yet you know not of.
And be not jealous of me, gentle Brutus :
Were I a common laugher, or did use
To ftale with ordinary oaths my love
To every new proteftor ;[5] if you know
That I do fawn on men, and hug them hard,
And after fcandal them; or if you know,

That I profefs myfelf in banqueting

To all the rout, then hold me dangerous. [Flourish and shout. Bru. What means this fhouting? I do fear, the people Choose Cæfar for their king.

Caf. Ay, do you fear it?

Then must I think, you would not have it fo.
Bru. I would not, Caffius; yet I love him well
But wherefore do you hold me here fo long?
What is it that you would impart to me?
If it be ought toward the general good,
Set Honour in one eye, and Death i'the other,
And I will look on both indifferently:
For, let the Gods fo fpeed me, as I love
The name of honour more than I fear death.
Caf. I know that virtue to be in you, Brutus,
As well as I do know your outward favour.
Well, honour is the fubject of my story.-
I cannot tell, what you and other men
Think of this life; but, for my fingle self,
I had as lief not be, as live to be

In awe of fuch a thing as I myself.

I was born free as Cæfar; fo were you :TM*
We both have fed as well; and we can both
Endure the winter's cold, as well as he.
For once, upon a raw and gufty day,
The troubled Tyber chafing with his fhores,
Cæfar faid to me, Dar'ft thou, Caffius, now
Leap in avith me into this angry flood,
And fwim to yonder point ?-Upon the word,
Accoutred as I was, I plunged in,

And bade him follow: fo, indeed, he did.
The torrent roar'd; and we did buffet it

With lufty finews; throwing it aside,

[5] To invite every new proteftor to my affection by the ftale or allure. ment of cuftomary oaths. JOHNS.

VOL. VI. T

And ftemming it with hearts of controverfy:
But ere we could arrive the point propos'd,
Cæfar cry'd, Help me, Caffius, or I fink.

I, as Æneas, our great ancestor,

Did from the flames of Troy upon his fhoulder
The old Anchifes bear, fo, from the waves of Tyber,
Did I the tired Cæfar: And this man

Is now become a God; and Caffius is

A wretched creature, and muft bend his body,
If Cæfar carelessly but nod on him.

He had a fever when he was in Spain,

And, when the fit was on him, I did mark

How he did shake: 'tis true, this God did shake: His coward lips did from their colour fly;

And that fame eye, whose bend doth awe the world,
Did lofe his luftre. I did hear him groan :

Ay, and that tongue of his, that bade the Romans
Mark him, and write his fpeeches in their books,
Alas! it cry'd, Give me fome drink, Titinius,
As a fick girl. Ye Gods, it doth amaze me,
A man of fuch a feeble temper should
So get the ftart of the majestic world,[5]
And bear the palm alone.

Bru. Another general fhout!

I do believe, that these applaufes are

[Shout. Flourish.

For fome new honours that are heap'd on Cæfar.
Caf. Why, man, he doth beftride the narrow world
Like a Coloffus; and we petty men

Walk under his huge legs, and peep about
To find ourselves difhonourable graves.

Men at fome time are mafters of their fates:
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our ftars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.

Brutus, and Gefar! What should be in that Cæfar?
Why should that name be founded more than your's?
Write them together, yours is as fair a name ;
Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well;
Weigh them, it is as heavy; conjure with them,
Brutus will start a fpirit as foon as Cæfar.

[5] This image is extremely noble: it is taken from the Olympic games. "The majestic world' is a fine periphrafis for the Roman Empire: their citizens fet themselves on a footing with Kings, and they called their dominion Orbis Romanus. But the particular allufion feems to be to the known ftory of Cæfar's great pattern Alexander, who being asked, Whether he would rua the course at the Olympic games, replied, "Yes, if the racers were kings." WARBUR

Now, in the names of all the Gods at once,.
Upon what meat does this our Cæfar feed,
That he is grown fo great? Age, thou art fham'd!
Rome, thou haft loft the breed of noble bloods!
When went there by an age, fince the great flood,
But it was fam'd with more than with one man?
When could they fay, till now, that talk'd of Rome,
That her wide walls encompafs'd but one man?
Now is it Rome indeed, and room enough,
When there is in it but one only man.

Oh! you and I have heard our fathers fay,
There was a Brutus once,[6] that would have brook'd
The eternal devil to keep his ftate in Rome,
As eafily as a king.

Bru. That you do love me, I am nothing jealous;
What you would work me to, I have fome aim:
How I have thought of this, and of these times,
I fhall recount hereafter; for this prefent,
I would not, fo with love I might entreat you,
Be any further mov'd. What you have said,
I will confider; what you have to say,

I will with patience hear; and find a time
Both meet to hear, and anfwer, fuch high things.
Till then, my noble friend, chew upon this;
Brutus had rather be a villager,

Than to repute himself a fon of Rome

Under fuch hard conditions as this time

Is like to lay upon us.

Caf. I am glad that my weak words

Have ftruck but thus much fhew of fire from Brutus.

Re-enter CESAR and his Train.

Bru. The games are done, and Cæfar is returning.
Caf. As they pafs by, pluck Cafca by the fleeve:
And he will, after his four fashion, tell you
What hath proceeded, worthy note, to-day.

Bru. I will do fo :-But look you, Caffius,
The angry spot doth glow on Cæfar's brow,
And all the reft look like a chidden train :
Calp hurnia's cheek is pale; and Cicero
Looks with fuch ferret and fuch fiery eyes,[7]
As we have feen him in the Capitol,
Being crofs'd in conference by fome fenators.

[6] i. e. Lacius Junius Brutus. [7] A ferret has red eyes. JOHNS.

Caf. Cafca will tell us what the matter is.

Caf. Antonius,

Ant. Cæfar!

Caf. [To ANTONY apart.] Let me have men about me, that are fat;

Sleek-headed men, and fuch as fleep o'nights:
Yon Caffius has a lean and hungry look;
He thinks too much; fuch men are dangerous.
Ant. Fear him not, Cæfar, he's not dangerous;
He is a noble Roman, and well given.

Caf. Would he were fatter :-But I fear him not Yet if my name were liable to fear,

I do not know the man I fhould avoid

So foon as that fpare Caffius. He reads much;
He is a great obferver, and he looks
Quite through the deeds of men he loves no plays,
As thou doft, Antony he hears no mufic:
Seldom he fmiles; and fimiles in fuch a fort,
As if he mock'd himself, and fcorn'd his fpirit
That could be mov'd to smile at any thing.
Such men as he be never at heart's eafe,
Whilft they behold a greater than themselves;
And therefore are they very dangerous.
I rather tell thee what is to be fear'd,
Than what I fear; for always I am Cæfar.
Come on my right hand, for this ear is deaf,
And tell me truly what thou think'st of him.

[Exeunt CESAR, and his Train. Manent BRUTUS and CASSIUS: CASCA to them. Cafca. You pull'd me by the cloak; would you speak with me?

Bru. Ay, Cafca; tell us what hath chanc'd to-day, That Cæfar looks fo fad ?

Cafca. Why, you were with him, were you not? Bru. I fhould not then afk Cafca what had chanc'd. Cafca. Why, there was a crown offer'd him: and being offer'd him, he put it by with the back of his hand, thus and then the people fell a-fhouting.

:

Bru. What was the fecond noise for?

Cafca. Why, for that too.

Caf. They fhouted thrice; what was the laft cry for? Cafca. Why, for that too.

Bru. Was the crown offer'd him thrice ?