Rufhing on us, fhould do your age fome mischief. Re-enter TREBONIUS, Caf. Where is Antony? Tre. Fled to his house amaz'd: Men, wives, and children, ftare, cry out, and run, Bru. Fates! we will know your pleasures:- Caf. Why, he that cuts off twenty years of life, Bru. Grant that, and then is death a benefit: Caf. Stoop then, and wash.-How many ages hence, Shall this our lofty scene be acted over, In ftate unborn and accents yet unknown? Bru. How many times fhall Cæfar bleed in sport, That now on Pompey's bafis lies along, No worthier than the duft? Caf. So oft as that shall be, So often fhall the knot of us be call'd 9 Stoop, Romans, floop, &c.] Plutarch, in the Life of Cæfar, lays, Brutus and his followers, being yet bot with the murder, march'd in a body from the fenate house to the Capitol, with their drawn fwords, with an air of confidence and affurance." And in the Life of Brutus, "Brutus and his party betook themfelves to the Capitol, and in their way, fhewing their bands all bloody, and their naked fwords, preclaim'd liberty to the people." THEOBALD. . in fate unborn,-] In theatrick pomp yet undisplayed. MALONE. Caf. Caf. Ay, every man away: Brutus fhall lead; and we will grace his heels Enter a Servant. Bru. Soft, who comes here? A friend of Antony's. Say, I fear'd Cæfar, honour'd him, and lov'd him. Tell him, so please him come unto this place, Depart untouch'd. Serv. I'll fetch him prefently. [Exit Servant. Bru. I know, that we shall have him well to friend. Caf. I wish, we may : but yet have I a mind, That fears him much; and my misgiving still Falls fhrewdly to the purpose. Re-enter ANTONY. Bru. But here comes Antony.-Welcome, Mark An tony. Ant. O mighty Cæfar! Doft thou lie fo low? Are all thy conquefts, glories, triumphs, fpoils, Shrunk to this little measure ?-Fare thee well.I know not, gentlemen, what you intend, Who Who else must be let blood, who else is rank': As Cæfar's death's hour; nor no inftrument 1 do befeech ye, if you bear me hard, Now, whilft your purpled hands do reek and fmoke, No place will please me fo, no mean of death, Bru. O Antony! beg not your death of us. Hath done this deed on Cæfar. For your part, To you our fwords have leaden points, Mark Antony: Our arms, in ftrength of malice, and our hearts, Of who elfe is rank;] Who elfe may be fuppofed to have overtepped his equals, and grown too bigh for the publick fafety. JOHNSON. I rather believe the meaning is, who elfe is too replete with blood? So, in our author's Venus aud Adonis : "Rain added to a river that is rank, "Perforce will force it overflow the bank." See alfo Vol. IV. p. 560, n. 4. MALONE. "One fire drives out one fire; one nail one nail." MALONE, 2 Our arms, in ftrength of, &c.] To you, (fays Brutus) our fwords bave leaden points: our arms, ftrong in the deed of malice they have juft perform'd, and our bearts united like thofe of brothers in the action, are yet open receive you with all poffible affection. The fuppofition that Brutus meant, their hearts were of brothers' temper in refpes of Antony, feems to have mifled those who have commented on this pafiage before. STEEVENS. One of the phrafes in this paffage, which Mr. Steevens has fo happily explained, occurs again in Antony and Cleopatra: "To make you brothers, and to knit your bearts, Of brothers' temper, do receive you in With all kind love, good thoughts, and reverence. In the difpofing of new dignities. Bru. Only be patient, till we have appeas'd Ant. I doubt not of your wisdom. Let each man render me his bloody hand: My credit now ftands on fuch flippery ground, Either a coward, or a flatterer. That I did love thee, Cæfar, O, 'tis true: Shall it not grieve thee, dearer than thy death, In terms of friendship with thine enemies. Pardon me, Julius!Here waft thou bay'd, brave hart; Here didst thou fall; and here thy hunters ftand, Again, ibid: "The beart of brothers governs in our love!" MALONE. 3 Though laft, not leaft in love,] So, in King Lear: "Although the laft, not leaft in our dear love." The fame expreffion occurs more than once in plays exhibited before the time of Shakspeare, MALONE. Sign'd Sign'd in thy fpoil, and crimson'd in thy lethe+. Caf. Mark Antony, Ant. Pardon me, Caius Caffius: The enemies of Cæfar fhall fay this; Then, in a friend, it is cold modesty. Caf. I blame you not for praifing Cæfar fo; But what compact mean you to have with us? Will you be prick'd in number of our friends; Or fhall we on, and not depend on you? Ant. Therefore I took your hands; but was, indeed, Sway'd from the point, by looking down on Cæfar. Friends am I with you all, and love you all; Upon this hope, that you shall give me reasons, Bru. Or else were this a favage fpectacle : Our reasons are fo full of good regard, Ant. That's all I feek: And am moreover fuitor, that I may You know not what you do; Do not confent, That Antony speak in his funeral: [Afide. Know you how much the people may be mov'd 4- crimson'd in thy lethe.] Lethe is ufed by many of the old tranflators of novels, for death; and in Heywood's Iron Age, Part II. 1632: "The proudeft nation that great Afia nurs'd, "Is now extin&t in lethe." Again, in Cupid's Whirligig, 1607: "For vengeance wings bring on thy letbal day." Dr. Farmer obferves that we meet with lethal for deadly in the information for Munge Campbell. STIEVINS. By |