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 start of the majestick world,
And bear the palm alone.

Bru. Another general fhout!

[Shout. Flourish.

I do believe, that these applaufes are

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 stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.
Brutus, and Cæfar: What should be in that Cæfar?
Why should that name be founded more than yours?
Write them together, yours is as fair a name;

His coward lips did from their colour fly ;] A plain man would have faid, 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 majeftick 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 asked, Whether he would run the courfe at the Olympic games, replied, res, if the racers were Kings. WARBURTON.

Sound

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.
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,
When there is in it but one only man.

2

O! you and I have heard our fathers fay,

3 There was a Brutus once, that would have brook'd The 4 eternal devil to keep his state 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 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

Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well.] A fimilar thought occurs in Heywood's Rape of Lucrece, 1614:

"What diapafon's more in Tarquin's name

"Than in a fubject's? or what's Tullia

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

2 That her wide wails] 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 fhould think that our author wrote rather, infernal devil. JOHNSON.

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

Both

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

6

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 Cafar, 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:

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

5 -chew upon this;] Confider this at leisure; ruminate on this.

JOHNSON.

• Under fuch hard-] The old copy reads, thefe hardSTEEVENS.

? ferret-] A ferret has red eyes. JOHNSON.

• Sleek-headed men, &c.] "So, in fir Thomas North's tranfla

tion of Plutarch, 1579.. "When Cæfar's friends complained unto him of Antonius and Dolabella, that they pretended fome mifchief towards him; he answered, as for thofe fat men and smoothcombed heads, (quoth he) I never reckon of them; but those

pale

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.

9

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 mufick :
Seldom he fmiles; and fmiles in fuch a fort,
As if he mock'd himself, and fcorn'd his fpirit
That could be mov'd to fmile 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'ft of him.

[Exeunt Cæfar, and his train.

Manent Brutus and Caffius: Cafca to them.

Cafea. 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.

pale-vifaged and carrion-lean people, I fear them moft, meaning Brutus and Caffius."

And again:

"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:-] Jonson 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.

Cafca.

Cafca. Why you were with him, were you not? Bru. I fhould not then afk Cafca what had chanc'd. Cafea. 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?

Cafea. Ay, marry, was't, and he put it by thrice, every time gentler than other; and at every putting by, mine honeft neighbours fhouted.

Caf. Who offer'd him the crown?
Cafca. Why, Antony.

Bru. Tell us the manner of it, gentle Cafca. Cafea. I can as well be hang'd, as tell the manner of it: it was meer foolery, I did not mark it. I faw 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 chopt hands, and threw up their fweaty night-caps, and utter'd such a deal of ftinking breath because Cæfar refus'd the crown, that it had almoft choak'd Cæfar; for he fwooned, and fell down at it: And for mine own part, I durft not laugh, for fear of opening my lips, and receiving the bad air.

one of thefe coronets;] So, in the old tranflation of Plutarch: " -he came to Cæfar, and prefented him a diadem wreathed about with laurel." STEEVENS,

VOL. VIII.

C

Caf.