We'll burn his body in the holy place,

And with the brands fire all the traitors' houses.
Take up the body.

2 Pleb. Go, fetch fire.

3 Pleb. Pluck down benches.

4

Pleb. Pluck down forms, windows, any thing. [Exeunt Plebeians with the body. Ant. Now let it work: Mifchief, thou art afoot, Take thou what courfe thou wilt!-How now, fellow?

Enter a Servant.

Serv. Octavius is already come to Rome.
Ant. Where is he?

Serv. He and Lepidus are at Cæfar's houfe.
Ant. And thither will I ftraight, to vifit him:
He comes upon a wish. Fortune is merry,
And in this mood will give us any thing.

Serv. I heard him fay, Brutus and Caffius Are rid, like madmen, through the gates of Rome. Ant. Belike they had fome notice of the people, How I had mov'd them. Bring me to Octavius. [Exeunt.

Enter Cinna the Poet, and after him the Plebeians.

Cin. I dreamt to-night, that I did feast with Cæfar, And things unluckily charge my fantasy :

I have no will to wander forth of doors,

Yet fomething leads me forth.

1 Pleb. What is your name?

2 Pleb. Whither are you going?

3

Pleb. Where do you dwell?

4 Pleb. Are you a married man, or a bachelor?

6 The fubject of this scene is taken from Plutarch. STEEVENS.

2 Pleb.

2 Pleb. Answer every man directly.

1 Pleb. Ay, and briefly.

4 Pleb. Ay, and wifely.

3

Pleb. Ay, and truly, you were best.

Cin. What is my name? Whither am I going? Where do I dwell? Am I a married man, or a bachelor? Then to answer every man directly and briefly, wifely and truly. Wifely, I fay, I am a bachelor.

2 Pleb. That's as much as to fay, they are fools that marry you'll bear me a bang for that, I fear. Proceed: Directly.

Cin Directly, I am going to Cæfar's funeral. 1 Pleb. As a friend, or an enemy?

Cin. As a friend.

2 Pleb. That matter is anfwer'd directly.
4 Pleb. For your dwelling :-Briefly.
Cin Briefly, I dwell by the Capitol.
3 Pleb. Your name, fir. Truly.
Cin. Truly, my name is Cinna.

1 Pleb. Tear him to pieces, he's a confpirator. Cin. I am Cinna the poet, I am Cinna the poet. 4 Pleb. Tear him for his bad verses, tear him for his bad verfes.

Cin. I am not Cinna the confpirator.

4 Pleb. It is no matter, his name's Cinna; pluck out his name out of his heart, and turn him going. 3 Pleb. Tear him, tear him. Come, brands, hod firebrands.

To Brutus', to Caffius', burn all. Some to Decius house,

And fome to Cafca's; fome to Ligarius's: Away :

Go.

[Exeunt.

ACT

ACT IV.

SCENE I.

On a small Island near Mutina.

Enter Antony, Otavius, and Lepidus.

ANTONY.

HESE many then fhall die. Their names are

THESE prick'd.

Oda. Your brother too muft die; consent you,
Lepidus?

Lep. I do confent.

Ola. Prick him down, Antony.

Lep. Upon condition, Publius fhall not live, Who is your fifter's fon, Mark Antony.

Ant. He fhall not live. Look, with a spot I damn

him.

But, Lepidus, go you to Cæfar's house;

Fetch the will hither, and we fhall determine
How to cut off fome charge in legacies.
Lep. What, fhall I find you here?
Oña. Or here, or at the Capitol. [Exit Lepidus.
Ant. This is a flight, unmeritable man,

A fmall Island] Mr. Rowe, and Mr. Pope after him, have mark'd the scene here to be at Rome. The old copies fay nothing of the place. Shakespeare, 1 dare fay, knew from Plutarch, that thefe Triumvirs met, upon the profcription, in a little island; which Appian, who is more particular, fays, lay near Mutina, upon the river Lavinius. THEOB.

8

A fmall island in the little river Rhenus near Bononia. HANMER. Upon condition, Publius shall not love] Mr. Upton has fufficiently proved that the poet has made a mistake as to this character mentioned by Lepidus. Lucius, not Publius, was the perfon meant, who was uncle by the mother's fide to Mark Antony: and in confequence of this, he concludes, that Shakespeare wrote,

You are his filler's fon, Mark Antony.

This mistake, however, is more like the mistake of the author, (who has already fubftituted Decius in the room of Decimus) than of his transcriber or printer.

STEEVENS.
Meet

Meet to be fent on errands: Is it fit,

The three-fold world divided, he should ftand
One of the three to fhare it ?

Octa. So you thought him;

And took his voice who fhould be prick'd to die,
In our black fentence and profcription.

Ant. Octavius, I have feen more days than you:
And though we lay thefe honours on this man,
To ease ourselves of divers flanderous loads,
He shall but bear them, as the afs bears gold,
To groan and sweat under the bufinefs,
Either led or driven, as we point the way;
And, having brought our treafure where we will,
Then take we down his load, and turn him off,
Like to the empty afs, to fhake his ears,
And graze in commons.

Oña. You may do your will;

But he's a try'd and valiant foldier.

Ant. So is my horse, Octavius: and, for that,
I do appoint him ftore of provender.
It is a creature that I teach to fight,
To wind, to stop, to run directly on;
His corporal motion govern'd by my fpirit.
And, in fome tafte, is Lepidus but fo;
He must be taught, and train'd, and bid
A barren-fpirited fellow, one that feeds

In the old editions,

A barren-fpirited fellow, one that feeds

On objects, arts, and imitations, &c.

go

forth:

On

'Tis hard to conceive, why he fhould be call'd a barren Spirited fellow that could feed either on objects or arts: that is, as I prefume, form his ideas and judgment upon them: ftale and obfolete imitation, indeed, fixes fuch a character. I am perfuaded, to make the port confonant to himself, we must read, as I have restoredthe text,

On abject orts,

i. e. on the fcraps and fragments of things rejected and despised by

others.

THEOBALD.

On objects, arts, and imitations;

Which, out of ufe, and ftal'd by other men,
Begin his fashion. Do not talk of him,
But as a property. And now, Octavius,
Liften great things.-Brutus and Caffius
Are levying powers: we must strait make head.
Therefore let our alliance be combin'd;

Our best friends made, our best means ftretcht;
And let us presently go fit in council,

How covert matters may be best disclos'd,
And open perils fureft answer'd.

Octa. Let us do fo: for we are at the stake,
And bay'd about with many enemies;

And fome, that smile, have, in their hearts, I fear, Millions of mifchiefs.

SCENE II.

[Exeunt.

Before Brutus's tent, in the camp, near Sardis.

Drum. Enter Brutus, Lucilius, and Soldiers: Titinius and Pindarus meeting them.

Bru. Stand, ho!

Luc. Give the word, ho! and stand!

Bru. What now, Lucilius? is Caffius near?
Luc. He is at hand, and Pindarus is come

To do you falutation from his master.

It is furely easy to find a reafon why that devotee to pleasure and ambition, Antony, fhould call him barren-spirited who could be content to feed his mind with objects, i. e. fpeculative knowledge, or arts, i. e. mechanic operations. I have therefore taken the liberty of bringing back the old reading to its place, tho' Mr. Theobald's emendation is still left before the reader. Lepidus, in the Tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra, is reprefented as inquifitive about the ftructures of Egypt, and that too when he is almost in a state of intoxication. Antony, as at present, makes a jeft of him, and returns him unintelligible anfwers to very reasonable queftions.

STEEVENS.

Bru.