Brú. Lucilius, do you the like; and let no man Come to our tent, till we have done our conference. Let Lucius and Titinius guard our door.

[Exeunts

* Within the Tent:

Enter Brutus and Caffius.

Caf. That you have wrong'd me, doth appear in this,
You have condemn'd and noted Lucius Pella,

For taking bribes here of the Sardians;
Wherein, my letter, praying on his fide,
Because I knew the man, was flighted

Bru. You wrong'd yourself to write in fuch a cafe,
Caf. In fuch a time as this, it is not meet
That every nice offence fhould bear his comment.
Bru. Let me tell you, Caffius, you yourself,

f P. and all after, except C. omit do.

z After man, C. adde Lucilius,

h The fecond f. dove for done.
i R. P. T. H. and W, the for our.
* In the fo's, R. and P. the scene

does not change, but the direction, Ma-
nens Brutus and Caffius, is given; which
is contrary to what we read in the fore-
going feene, Then in my tent, 86.

1 In T. H. W. and F. it is Re-enter, which is improper where the scene changes; to re-chter fignifies to come again into the fame place, which they do not, but go from the outfide to the infide of the tent.

m So the fo's, R.'s octavo, T. and F;
the rest, of for off.

n P. and all after but C. its for bit.
• Before let P.T. H, and W. infert
Te ; C. And,

Are

2

Are much condemn'd to have an itching palm,
To fell and mart your offices for gold

To undefervers.

Caf. I an itching palm?

You know that you are Brutus that fpeak this,
Or, by the gods, this fpeech were else your laft.
Bru. The name of Caffius honours this corruption,
And chaftifement doth therefore hide his head.

Caf. Chaftifement?

T

Bru. Remember March, the ides of March remember: Did not great Julius bleed for juftice' fake?

What villain touch'd his body, that did ftab,
And not for juftice? What, fhall one of us,
That ftruck the foremoft man of all this world,
But for fupporting robbers; fhall we now
Contaminate our fingers with base bribes ?
And fell the mighty space of our large honours
For fo much trafh, as may be grasped thus ?
I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon,
Than fuch a Roman.

Caf. Brutus, bay not me,

I'll not endure it: you forget yourself

Caf. Urge me no more, I fhall forget myself; Have mind upon your health, tempt me no farther. Bru. Away, flight man!

Caf. Is 't poffible?

Bru. Hear me, for I will speak.

Muft I give way and room to your rafh choler?.

Shall I be frighted, when a madman ftares?

x

Caf. O ye gods, ye gods! must I endure all this?

Bru. All this? Ay, more; Fret till your proud heart break; Go, fhew your flaves how cholerick you are,

And make your bondmen tremble. Muft I budge?
Muft I obferve you? Muft I ftand and crouch
Under your testy humour? By the gods,

u Qu. Whether we fhould not read ay for I? The old editions make no difference in these two words, always, as far as I remember, reading I for ay; it is therefore the fenfe only which muft direct us to the word the author meant In any paffage; and in this, to me it feems doubtful.

w The fo's and all after, except H. put no comma between not and Caffius, making it the nominative cafe after the verb, which method of pointing Wdefends, and explains the paffage thus, You

are no longer that brave, difinteresfied, philofophic Caffius, whose chara&er was made up of bonour and patriotism; but are funk down to the impotency and corruption of the times. But, if this be the meaning, Caffius does not understand it, for he replies I am; i. e. I am Caffius; if he had understood it, and meant to deny Brutus's charge, he fhould have faid, I am what I was, or fomething like it.

x P. and all after, except C, omit ye. y The 1ft f. bouge the 2d and 3d, boudge.

You

You fhall digeft the venom of your fpleen,

Though it do split you: for, from this day forth, I'll ufe you for my mirth, yea, for my laughter, When you are waspish.

Caf. Is it come to this?

Bru. You fay, you are a better foldier:

Let it appear fo; inake your vaunting true,

And it fhall pleafe me well: For mine own part,

I fhall be glad to learn of noble men.

Caf. You wrong me, every way you wrong me, Brutus; I said, an elder foldier, not a better:

Did I fay, better?

Bru. If you did, I care not.

Caf. When Cæfar liv'd, he durft not thus have mov'd me. Bru. Peace, peace; you durft not fo have tempted him. Caf. I durft not?

Bru. No.

Caf. What, durft not tempt him?

Bru. For your life you durft not.

Caf. Do not prefume too much upon my love,

I may do that I fhall be forry for.

Bru. You have done that you should be forry for.

There is no terror, Caffius, in your threats;

For I am arm'd fo ftrong in honefty,

That they pafs by me, as the idle wind,

Which I refpect not. I did fend to you

For certain fums of gold, which you deny'd me;
For I can raise no money by vile means:
By heaven, I had rather coin my heart,
And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring

2 R. and all after, except C. Tho' for Though.

H

From

From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash,

By any indirection. I did fend

To you for gold to pay my legions,

Which you deny'd me: was that done like Caffius?
Should I have anfwer'd Caius Caffius fo?
When Marcus Brutus grows fo covetous,

To lock fuch rascal counters from his friends,
Be ready, gods, with all your thunder-bolts,
Dash him to pieces!

Caf. I deny'd you not.

Bru. You did.

Caf. I did not: he was but a fool,

That brought my answer back. Brutus hatli riv'd irry
A friend fhould bear his friend's infirmities,

But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.

Bru. I do not.

Still you practise them on me.

Caf. You love me not.

Bru. I do not like your faults.

Caf. A friendly eye could never fee fuch faults.

bheart.

Bru. A flattérer's would not, though they do appear As huge as high Olympus.