It seems to me moft ftrange that men fhould fear;
Seeing that death, a neceffary end,
Will come, when it will come.

Re-enter a Servant.

What say the augurers?

Serv. They would not have you to ftir forth to-day. Plucking the entrails of an offering forth, They could not find a heart within the beast. Caf. The gods do this in fhame of cowardice: Cæfar fhould be a beast without a heart, If he fhould stay at home to-day for fear. No, Cæfar fhall not: Danger knows full well, That Cæfar is more dangerous than he. We were two lions litter'd in one day,

7

"Sure 'tis an art; I know not how to fear:
"'Tis one of the few things beyond my power;
"And if death must be fear'd before 'tis felt,
"Thy mafter is immortal."

STEEVENS.

death, a neceffary end, &c.] This is a fentence derived from the stoical doctrine of predeftination, and is therefore improper in the mouth of Cæfar. JOHNSON.

8

in fhame of cowardice:] The ancients did not place ⚫ourage but wisdom in the heart. JOHNSON.

9 We were &c.] In old editions:

We heard two lions

We beare

The first folio:

The copies have been all corrupt, and the paffage, of course, unintelligible. But the flight alteration, I have made, restores fense to the whole; and the fentiment will neither be unworthy of Shakespeare, nor the boast too extravagant for Cæfar in a vein of vanity to utter that he and Danger were two twin-whelps of a lion, and he the elder, and more terrible of the two.

:

Upton would read:

We are

This refembles the boast of Otho :

THEOBALD.

Experti invicem fumus, Ego et Fortuna. Tacitus.

STEEVENS.

And

And I the elder and more terrible;

And Cæfar fhall go

forth.

Cal. Alas, my lord,

Your wifdom is confum'd in confidence.

Do not go forth to-day: Call it my fear,
That keeps you in the house, and not your own,
We'll fend Mark Antony to the fenate-house;
And he shall fay, you are not well to-day :
Let me, upon my knee, prevail in this.
Caf. Mark Antony fhall fay, I am not well;
And, for thy humour, I will stay at home.

Enter Decius.

Here's Decius Brutus, he fhall tell them fo.
Dec. Cæfar, all hail! Good morrow, worthy
Cæfar :

I come to fetch you to the fenate-house.

Caf. And you are come in very happy time,
To bear my greeting to the fenators,

And tell them, that I will not come to-day :
Cannot, is false; and that I dare not, falfer;
I will not come to day: Tell them fo, Decius.
Cal. Say, he is fick.

Caf. Shall Cæfar send a lye ?

Have I in conqueft ftretch'd mine arm so far,
To be afeard to tell grey-beards the truth ?—
Decius, go tell them, Cæfar will not come.

Dec. Moft mighty Cæfar, let me know fome cause, Left I be laugh'd at, when I tell them fo.

Caf. The caufe is in my will, I will not come; That is enough to fatisfy the fenate.

But, for your private fatisfaction,

Because I love you, I will let you know.
Calphurnia here, my wife, ftays me at home:
She dreamt to-night fhe faw my ftatue,
Which, like a fountain, with a hundred fpouts,
Did run pure blood; and many lufty Romans
VOL. VIII.

E

Came

Came fmiling, and did bathe their hands in it.
And thefe does the apply for warnings, and portents,
And evils imminent; and on her knee
Hath begg'd, that I will stay at home to-day.
Dec. This dream is all amifs interpreted;
It was a vifion, fair and fortunate :

Your ftatue fpouting blood in many pipes,
In which fo many fmiling Romans bath'd,
Signifies, that from you great Rome fhall fuck
Reviving blood; 2 and that
2 and that great men fhall prefs

And thefe he does apply for warnings and portents,

And evils imminent.

The late Mr. Edwards was of opinion that we should read: warnings and portents

2

Of evils imminent. STEEVENS.

and that great men fhall prefs

For tinctures, ftains, relicks, and cognizance.]

For

That this dream of the ftatue's spouting blood should fignify, the increase of power and empire to Rome from the influence of Cæfar's arts and arms, and wealth and honour to the noble Romans through his beneficence, expreffed by the words, from you great Rome hall fuck reviving blood, is intelligible enough. But how thefe great men fhould literally prefs for tinctures, flains, relicks, and cognisance, when the fpouting blood was only a fymbolical vifion, I am at a lofs to apprehend. Here the circumitances of the dream, and the interpretation of it, are confounded with one another. This line therefore,

For tinctures, ftains, relicks, and cognisance,

muft needs be in way of fimilitude only; and if fo, it appears that fome lines are wanting between this and the preceding; which want fhould, for the future, be marked with afterifks. The sense of them is not difficult to recover, and, with it, the propriety of the line in queftion. The speaker had faid, the ftatue fignified, that by Cæfar's influence Rome fhould flourish and increase in empire, and that great men fhould prefs to him to partake of his good fortune, juft as men run with handkerchiefs, &c. to dip them in the blood of martyrs, that they may partake of their me rit. It is true, the thought is from the Chriftian hiftory; but fo fmall an anachronifm is nothing with our poet. Besides, it is not my interpretation which introduces it, it was there before: for the line in queftion can bear no other fenfe than as an allufion to the blood of the martyrs, and the fuperftition of fome churches with regard to it. WARBURTON,

For tinctures, ftains, relicks, and cognisance.
This by Calphurnia's dream is fignify'd.

Caf. And this way have you well expounded it.
Dec. I have, when you have heard what I can fay:
And know it now; The fenate have concluded
To give, this day, a crown to mighty Cæfar.
If you fhall fend them word, you will not come,
Their minds may change. Besides, it were a mock
Apt to be render'd, for fome one to say,
Break up the fenate 'till another time,

When Cafar's wife fhall meet with better dreams 3.
If Cæfar hide himfelf, fhall they not whisper,
Lo, Cafar is afraid?

Pardon me, Cæfar; for my dear, dear love
To your proceeding bids me tell you this;

4 And reafon to my love is liable.

Caf. How foolish do your fears feem now, Calphurnia?

I am afhamed I did yield to them.
Give me my robe, for I will go :-

I am not of opinion that any thing is loft, and have therefore marked no omiffion. This fpeech, which is intentionally pompous, is somewhat confufed. There are two allufions; one to coats armorial, to which princes make additions, or give new tinctures, and new marks of cognisance; the other to martyrs, whofe reliques are preferved with veneration. The Romans, fays+ Decius, all come to you as to a faint, for reliques, as to a prince, for honours. JOHNSON.

3When Cafar's wife shall meet with better dreams.] So, in lord Sterline's Julius Cæfar:

"How can we fatisfy the world's conceit;

"Whose tongues ftill in all ears your praise proclaims? "Or fhall we bid them leave to deal in ftate,

"Till that Calphurnia firft have better dreams?"

MALONE.

And reafon, &c.] And reafon, or propriety of conduct and language, is fubordinate to my love. JOHNSON.

Enter Publius, Brutus, Ligarius, Metellus, Cafca, Trebonius, and Cinna.

And look where Publius is come to fetch me.
Pub. Good morrow, Cæfar.
Caf. Welcome, Publius.-

What, Brutus, are you stirr'd fo early too?—
Good-morrow, Cafca.-Caius Ligarius,
Cæfar was ne'er fo much your enemy,

As that fame ague which hath made you lean.-
What is't o'clock ?

Bru. Cæfar, 'tis ftrucken eight.

Caf. I thank you for your pains and courtesy.

Enter Antony.

See! Antony, that revels long o'nights,
Is notwithstanding up :-Good morrow, Antony.
Ant. So to moft noble Cæfar.

Caf. Bid them prepare within :

I am to blame to be thus waited for.

Now, Cinna :-Now, Metellus :-What, Trebonius!
I have an hour's talk in ftore for you;
Remember that you call on me to-day :
Be near me, that I may remember you.

Treb. Cæfar, I will and fo near will I be,

[Afide. That your best friends fhall wish I had been further. Caf. Good friends, go in, and tafte fome wine with

me;

And we, like friends, will ftraightway go together. Bru. That every like is not the fame, O Cæfar, The heart of Brutus yerns to think upon! [Exeunt.

SCENE