peep about

* His coward lips did from their colour fly;
And that fame eye, whose bend doth awe the world,
Did lose his lustre: I did hear him groan :
Ay, and that tongue of his, that bade the Romans
Mark him, and write his speeches in their books,
Alas! it cry'd, Give me some drink, Titinius,
As a sick girl. Ye gods, it doth amaze me,
A man of such a feeble temper should
So get the start of the majestick world,
And bear the palm alone. [Shout, Flourish.

Bru. Another general shout!
I do believe, that chese applauses are
For some new honours that are heap'd on Cæsar.

Caf. Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world,
Like a Colossus; and we petty men
Walk under his huge legs, and
To find ourselves dishonourable graves.
Men at some time are masters of their fates :
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.
Brutus, and Cæfar: What should be in that Cæsar?
Why should that name be sounded more than yours?
Write them together, yours is as fair a name;
Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well';

Weigh 8 His coward lips did from their colour fly;] A plain man would have said, the colour fled from his lips, and not his lips from their colour. But the false expression was for the sake of as false a piece of wit: a poor quibble, alluding to a coward Aying from his colours. WARBURTON.

9 — get the start of the majestick world, &c.] This image is extremely noble: it is taken from the Olympic games. The majestick world is a fine periphrasis for the Roman empire : their citizens set themselves on a footing with kings, and they called their dominion Orbis Romanus. But the particular allusion seems to be to the known story of Cæsar's great pattern Alexander, who being asked, Whether he would run the course at the Olympic games, replied, Yes, if the racers were kings.

WARBURTON. ! Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well.] A similar thought occurs in Heywood's Rape of Lucrece, 1638:

great flood,

Weigh them, it is as heavy ; conjure with them,
Brutus will start a spirit as foon as Cæfar.
Now in the names of all the gods at once,
Upon what meat doth this our Cæfar feed,
That he is grown fo great? Age, thou art sham'd:
Rome, thou hast lost the breed of noble bloods !
When went there by an age, since the
But it was fam'd with more than with one man ?
When could they say, 'till now, that talk'd of Rome,
That her wide walls a incompass”d but one man?
Now is it Rome indeed, and room enough.
When there is in it but one only man.
O! you and I have heard our fathers say,
3 There was a Brutus once, that would have brook'd
The 4 eternal devil to keep his state in Rome,
As easily as a king:

Bru. That you do love me, I am nothing jealous;
What you would work me to, I have some aim:
How I have thought of this, and of these times,
I shall recount hereafter ; for this present,
I would not, so with love I might intreat you,
Be any further mov'd. What you have said,
I will consider ; what you have to say,
I will with patience hear; and find a time
Both meet to hear, and answer such high things.

« Of a

“ What diapafon's more in Tarquin's name,
“ Than in a subject's? or what's Tullia
“ More in the found, than should become the name

poor

maid ;” STEEVENS. ? That ber wide walls] The old copy reads walks, which may be right. Steevens. 3 There was a Brutus once, i.e. Lucius Junius Brutus.

STEEVENS. -eternal devil] I should think that our author wrote rather, infernal devil. JOHNSON.

I would continue to read eternal devil. L. 7. Brutus (says Caffius) would as foon have submitted to the perpetual dominion of a damon, as to the lasting government of a king. 'STEEVENS.

'Till then, my noble friend,' chew upon this;
Brutus had rather be a villager,
Than to repute himself a son of Rome
Under such hard conditions as this time
Is like to lay upon us.

Caf. I am glad, that my weak words
Have struck but thus much fhew of fire from Brutus.

Re-enter Cæfar, and his train.

Bru. The games are done, and Cæsar is returning.

Caf. As they pass by, pluck Casca by the Neeve;
And he will, after his four fashion, tell you
What hath proceeded, worthy note, to-day.

Bru. I will do so : But, look you, Cassius,
The angry spot doth glow on Cæsar's brow,
And all the rest look like a chidden train:
Calphurnia's cheek is pale; and Cicero
Looks with such ? ferret and such fiery eyes,
As we have seen him in the Capitol,
Being cross'd in conference by some senators,

Caf. Casca will tell us what the matter is.
Caf. Antonius.
Ant. Cæfar.

Caf. Let me have men about me, that are fat;
Sleek-headed men, and such as Neep o’nights 8 :

Yon

8

$ -chew upon this;] Consider this at leisure ; ruminate on this. JOHNSON. Under such hard] The old copy reads, these hard

STEEVENS. ?-ferretm] A ferret has red eyes. Johnson.

Sleek-headed men, &c.] So, in fir Thomas North's tranflation of Plutarcb, 1579, “ When Cæfar's friends complained unto him of Antonius and Dolabella, that they pretended some mischief towards him ; he answered, as for those fat men and smooth-combed heads, (quoth he) I never reckon of them : but those pale-visaged and carrion-lean people, I fear them moft, meaning Brutus and Caffius,". And again :

Çæla

Yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look;
He thinks too much : such men are dangerous.

Ant. Fear him not, Cæfar, he's not dangerous;
He is a noble Roman, and well given.

Caf. 9'Would he were fatter : But I fear him not:
Yet if my name were liable to fear,
I do not know the man I should avoid
So soon as that spare Cassius. He reads much;
He is a great observer, and he looks
Quite through the deeds of men : he loves no plays,
As thou doft, Antony; he hears no musick:
Seldom he smiles ; and smiles-in such a sort,
As if he mock'd himself, and scorn'd his spirit
That could be mov'd to smile at any thing.
Such men as he be never at heart's ease,
Whiles 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 Cæfar, and his train.

Manent Brutus and Cafus : Casca to them.
Casca. You pull'd me by the cloak; Would you

speak with me?
Bru. Ay, Casca: tell us what hath chanc'd to-day,
That Cæsar looks so sad.

Casca. Why you were with him, were you not?

“ Cæsar had Cassius in great jealousy, and suspected him much ; whereupon he said on a time, to his friends, what will Caffius do, think you? I like not his pale looks." STEÊVENS.

'Would be were fatter :-) Jonson in his Bartholomew-Fair, 1614, unjustly sneers at this passage, in Knockham's speech to the Pig-woman. " Come, there's no malice in fat folks ; I never fear thee, an I can, Scape thy lean moon-calf there."

WARBURTON,

Bru.

Brú. I should not then ask Casca what had chanc'd.

Casca. 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' shouting.

Bru. What was the second noise før ?
Casca. Why for that too.

Cas. They shouted thrice; What was the last cry for ?

Casca. Why for that too.
Bru. Was the crown offer'd him thrice?

Casca. Ay, marry, was't, and he put it by thrice, every time gentler than other; and at every putting by, mine honest neighbours shouted.

Caf. Who offer'd him the crown ?
Casca. Why, Antony.
Bru. Tell us the manner of it, gentle Casca.

Casca. I can as well be hang'd, as tell the manner of it: it was meer foolery, I did not mark it. I saw Mark Antony offer him a crown ;-yet 'twas not a crown neither, 'twas one of these coronets' ; ---and, as I told you, he put it by once: but, for all that, to my thinking, he would fain have had it. Then he offer'd it to him again; then he put it by again : but, to my thinking, he was very loth to lay his fingers off it. And then he offer'd it the third time; he put it the third time by: and still as he refus'd it, the rabblement hooted, and clapp'd their chopo hands; and threw up their sweaty night-caps, and uta ter'd such a deal of stinking breath because Cæsar refus'd the crown, that it had almost choak'd Cæfar ; for he swooned, and fell down at it. And for mine own part, I durst not laugh, for fear of opening my lips, and receiving the bad air. Caf. But, foft, I pray you : What? did Cæsar

fwoon?

-one of these coronets;] So, in the old translation of Plutarch: "6

-he came to Cæsar, and presented him a diadem wreathed about with laurel." STEEVENS. Vol. VIII,

C

Casca.