This tongue had not offended so to-day, If Caffius might have rul'd. Oa. Come, come, the caufe: If arguing make us fweat, The proof of it will turn to redder drops. Look, I draw a fword against confpirators; When think you that the fword goes up again? Never, till Cæfar's three and twenty wounds + Have added laughter to the fword of traitors. Bru. Cæfar, thou can'ft not die by traitors' hands, Unless thou bring'ft them with thee. Oct. So I hope ; I was not born to die on Brutus' fword. Bru. O, if thou wert the nobleft of thy ftrain, Young man, thou could'ft not die more honourable. Caf. A peevish fchool-boy, worthless of such honour, Join'd with a mafker and a reveller. Ant. Old Caffius ftill! Oct. Come, Antony; away.- [Exeunt OCTAVIUS, ANTONY, and their Army. Caf. Why now, blow, wind; fwell, billow; and fwim, bark! The ftorm is up, and all is on the hazard. Bru. Ho, Lucilius; hark, a word with you. Luc. My lord. [Brutus and Lucilius converse apart. Caf. Meffala, Mel. What fays my general? Caf. Meffala, This is my birth-day; as this very day Was three and twenty wounds-] Old Copy-three and thirty. Corrected from Plutarch, by Mr. Theobald. MALONE. 5 Mejala, &c.] Almost every circumstance in this fpeech is taken from fir Thomas North's Tranflation of Plutarch. "But touching Caffius, Meffala reporteth that he supped by himfelfe in his tent with a few of his friendes, and that all fupper tyme he looked Was Caffius born. Give me thy hand, Meffala: 6 This morning are they fled away, and gone; Our army lies, ready to give up the ghost. Caf. I but believe it partly; looked very fadly, and was full of thoughts, although it was against his nature and that after fupper he tooke him by the hande, and holding him faft (in token of kindnes as his manner was) told him in Greeke, Meffala, I proteft vnto thee, and make thee my witnes, that I am compelled against my minde and will (as Pompey the Great was) to ieopard the libertie of our contry, to the hazard of a battel. And yet we must be liuely, and of good corage, confidering our good fortune, whom we should wronge too muche to mistrust her, although we followe euill counfell. Meffala writeth, that Caffius hauing spoken these laft wordes vnto him, he bad him farewell, and willed him to come to fupper to him the next night following, bicause it was his birth-day." STEEVENS. 6 our former enfign-] The old copy reads former, which may be right, as Shakspeare fometimes ufes the comparative instead of the pofitive and fuperlative. See K. Lear, A&t IV. fc. ii. Either word [former and foremoft] has the fame origin; nor do I perceive why former should be lefs applicable to place than time. STEEVENS. I once thought that for the fake of distinction the word should be spelt foremer, but as it is derived from the Saxon oɲma, firft, I have adhered to the common fpelling. MALONE. D dz Caf. Caf. Now, moft noble Brutus, The gods to-day ftand friendly; that we may, Bru. Even by the rule of that philosophy, 7 The very last time we shall speak together: But What are you then determined to do?] i. e. I am refolved in such a cafe to kill myself. What are you determined of? WARBURTON. 8 of that pbilofopby,] There is an apparent contradiction between the fentiments contained in this and the following speech which Shakf peare has put into the mouth of Brutus. In this, Brutus declares his refolution to wait patiently for the determinations of Providence; and in the next, he intimates, that though he should furvive the battle, he would never fubmit to be led in chains to Rome. This fentence in fir Thomas North's Tranflation, is perplexed, and might be eafily misunderstood. Shakspeare, in the firft fpeech, makes that to be the present opinion of Brutus, which in Plutarch, is mentioned only as one he formerly entertained, though now he condemned it. So, in fir Thomas North: There Caffius beganne to speake first, and fayd: the gods graunt vs, O Brutus, that this day we may winne the field, and euer after to liue all the reft of our life quietly, one with another. But fith the gods haue fo ordeyned it, that the greatest & chiefeft things amongeft men are most vncertayne, and that if the battell fall out otherwife to daye then we wifhe or looke for, we shall hardely meete againe, what art thou then determined to doe? to fly, or dye ? Brutus aunfwered him, being yet but a young man, and not ouer greatly experienced in the world: I truft (I know not how) a certaine rule of philofophie, by the which I did greatly blame and reproue Cato for killing of him felfe, as being no lawfull nor godly acte, touching the gods, nor concerning men, valiant; not to giue place and yeld to diuine prouidence, and not conftantly and paciently to take whatfoever it pleafeth him to fend vs, but to drawe backe, and flie: but being nowe in the middeft of the daunger, I am of a contrarie mind. For if it be not the will of God, that this battell fall out fortunate for vs, I will look no more for hope, neither fecke to make any new fupply for war againe, but will rid me of this miferable world, and content me with my fortune. For, I gaue vp my life for my contry in the ides of Marche, for the which I fhall liue in another more glorious worlde." STEEVENS. But I do find it cowardly and vile, For fear of what might fall, fo to prevent The time of life:-arming myself with patience, That govern us below. Cal. Then, if we lofe this battle, You are contented to be led in triumph Thorough the streets of Rome? Bru. No, Caffius, no: think not, thou noble Roman, That ever Brutus will go bound to Rome; He bears too great a mind. But this fame day Bru. Why then, lead on.-O, that a man might know The end of this day's business, ere it come! But it fufficeth, that the day will end, And then the end is known.-Come, ho! away! [Exeunt. I fee no contradiction in the fentiments of Brutus. He would not determine to kill himself merely for the lofs of one battle; but as he expreffes himself, (page 410,) would try his fortune in a fecond fight. Yet he would not fubmit to be a captive. BLACKSTONE. I concur with Mr. Steevens. The words of the text by no means justify Sir W. Blackstone's folution. The question of Caflius relates Lolely to the event of this battle. MALONE. 9-fo to prevent The time of life:] To prevent is here ufed in a French fenfe-to anticipate. By time is meant the full and complete time; the period. MALONE. 1-arming myself with patience, &c.] Dr. Warburton thinks, that in this speech fomething is loft; but there needed only a parenthesis to clear it. The conftruction is this: I am determined to act according to that philofophy which directed me to blame the suicide of Cato; arming myself with patience, &c. JOHNSON. -the ides of March begun;] Our authour ought to have written began. For this error, I have no doubt, he is himself answerable. MALONE. SCENE Dd 3 SCENE II. The fame. The field of battle. Alarum. Enter BRUTUS, and MESSALA. Bru. Ride, ride, Meffala, ride, and give these bills Unto the legions on the other fide: Let them fet on at once; for I perceive But cold demeanour in Octavius' wing, And fudden pufh gives them the overthrow. [Loud alarum, Ride, ride, Meffala; let them all come down. [Exeunt. The fame. Another part of the field. Enter PINDARUS. Pin. Fly further off, my lord, fly further off; Caf. This hill is far enough3.-Look, look, Titinius; give these bills] So, in the old tranflation of Plutarch: " In the meane tyme Brutus that led the right winge, fent litle billes to the collonels and captaines of private bandes, in which he wrote the worde of the battell," &c. STEEVENS. 3 This bill is far enough, &c.] Thus, in the old translation of Pla tarch: "So, Caflius him felfe was at length compelled to flie, with a few about him, vnto a little hill, from whence they might eafely fee what was done in all the plaine: how beit Caffius him felf fawe nothing, for his fight was verie bad, fauing that he faw (and yet with much a doe) how the enemies fpoiled his campe before his eyes. He fawe also a great |