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 single felf,
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 :
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 with 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 afide,
And stemming it with hearts of controversy.
But ere we could arrive the point propos'd",
Cæfar cry'd, Help me, Caffius, or I fink.
1, 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 must 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:

7 But ere we could arrive the point propos'd,] The verb arrive is used, without the prepofition at, by Milton in the fecond book of Paradife Loft, as well as by Shakspeare in the third part of K. Henry VI, act V. fc. iii. See Vol. VII. p. 412. STEEVENS.

*His coward lips did from their colour fly;
And that fame eye, whofe 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 start of the majestick world,
And bear the palm alone.

Bru. Another general shout!

[Shout.

I do believe, that thefe applauses are

Flourish.

For fome new honours that are heap'd on Cæfar.
Caf. Why, man, he doth bestride 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 stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.
Brutus, and Cæfar: What should be in that Cæfar?
Why fhould that name be founded 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 falfe expreffion was for the fake of as falfe a piece of wit: a poor quibble, alluding to a coward flying 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 majeftick 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 afked, Whether he would run the courfe at the Olympic games, replied, Yes, if the racers were kings.

I

WARBURTON.

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

"What

Weigh them, it is as heavy; conjure with them,
Brutus will start a fpirit 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 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 incompafs'd but one man?
Now is it Rome indeed, and room enough.

2

When there is in it but one only man.

O! you and I have heard our fathers fay,

3 There was a Brutus once, 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 shall recount hereafter; for this present, I would not, fo with love I might intreat you, Be any further mov'd. What you have faid, I will confider; what you have to say, I will with patience hear; and find a time Both meet to hear, and answer fuch high things.

"What diapafon's more in Tarquin's name,
"Than in a fubject's? or what's Tullia

"More in the found, than fhould, become the name
"Of a poor maid?" STEEVENS.

2 That her wide walls] The old copy reads walks, which

be right. STEEVENS.

3 There was a Brutus once,

i.e.

Lucius Junius Brutus.

may

STEEVENS.

-eternal devil- -] I should think that our author

wrote rather, infernal devil. JOHNSON.

I would continue to read eternal devil. L. J. Brutus (fays Caffius) would as foon have fubmitted to the perpetual dominion of a damon, as to the lafting government of a king. STEEVENS.

'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 Cæfar, and his train.

Bru. The games are done, and Cæfar is returning.
Caf. As they pass by, pluck Casca 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:
Calphurnia's cheek is pale; and Cicero
Looks with fuch 7 ferret and fuch fiery eyes,
As we have seen him in the Capitol,
Being crofs'd in conference by fome fenators.
Caf. Cafca 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 fuch as fleep o'nights:

Yon

3-chew upon this;] Confider this at leifure; ruminate on this. JOHNSON.

"Under fuch hard-] The old copy reads, thefe hard

7

STEEVENS.

? ferret] A ferret has red eyes. JOHNSON. 8 Sleek-headed men, &c.] So, in fir Thomas North's tranflation of Plutarch, 1579, " When Cæfar's friends complained unto him of Antonius and Dolabella, that they pretended fome mischief towards him; he answered, as for those fat men and fmooth-combed heads, (quoth he) I never reckon of them: but thofe pale-visaged and carrion-lean people, I fear them most, meaning Brutus and Caffius."

And again:

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 should avoid

So foon as that spare 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 mufick:
Seldom he finiles; and fmiles in fuch a fort,
As if he mock'd himself, and scorn'd his fpirit
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 Cafar, and his train.

Manent Brutus and Caffius: Cafca to them.

Cafca. You pull'd me by the cloak; Would you fpeak 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?

"Cæfar had Caffius in great jealoufy, and fufpected him much; whereupon he faid on a time, to his friends, what will Caffius do, think you? I like not his pale looks." STEEVENS.

'Would he were fatter:-] Jonfon in his Bartholomew-Fair, 1614, unjustly fneers at this paffage, in Knockham's speech to the Pig-woman." Come, there's no malice in fat folks; I never fear thee, an I can, fcape thy lean moon-calf there."

WARBURTON,

Bru