Imatges de pàgina
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Enter ANTONY.

Brutus is ta'en, Brutus is ta'en, my lord.
Ant. Where is he?

Luc. Safe, Antony; Brutus is fafe enough:
I dare affure thee, that no enemy

Shall ever take alive the noble Brutus:

The gods defend him from fo great a fhame!
When you do find him, or alive, or dead,
He will be found like Brutus, like himself.

Ant. This is not Brutus, friend; but, I affure you,
A prize no less in worth: keep this man fafe,
Give him all kindness: I had rather have
Such men my friends, than enemies. Go on,
And fee whe'r Brutus be alive, or dead:
And bring us word, unto Octavius' tent,
How every thing is chanc'd.

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[Exeunt.

Enter BRUTUS, DARDANIUS, CLITUS, STRATO, and

VOLUMNIUS.

Bru. Come, poor remains of friends, reft on this rock. Cli. Statilius fhew'd the torch-light; but, my lord,

He

Safe, Antony ;] So in the old tranflation of Plutarch: "In the mean time Lucilius was brought to him, who ftowtly with a bold countenaunce fayd, Antonius, I dare affure thee, that no enemie hath taken, nor fhall take Marcus Brutus aliue: and I befeech God keepe him from that fortune. For wherefoeuer he be found, aliue or dead, he will be founde like himselfe. And now for my felfe, I am come vnto thee, hauing deceiued these men of armes here, bearing them downe that I was Brutus and doe not refuse to suffer any torment thou wilt put me to. Lucilius wordes made them all amazed that heard him. Antonius on the other fide, looking vpon all them that had brought him, fayd vnto them my companions, I thinke ye are forie you have failed of your purpofe, & that you thinke this man hath done great wrong: but I doe aflure you, you have taken a better bootie, then that you followed. For, instead of an enemie, you have brought me a friend," &c.

STEEVENS. 7 Statilius fhew'd the torch-light, &c.] So, in the old tranflation of Plutarch:

He came not back, he is or ta'en, or flain.

Bru. Sit thee down, Clitus: Slaying is the word;
Hark thee, Clitus.-

It is a deed in fashion.

413

[whispering.

Cli. What, I, my lord? No, not for all the world.

Bru. Peace then, no words.

Cli. I'll rather kill myself.
Bru. Hark thee, Dardanius!
Dar. Shall I do fuch a deed?
Cli. O, Dardanius!

Dar. O, Clitus !

[whispers him.

Cli. What ill requeft did Brutus make to thee?

Plutarch: "Furthermore, Brutus thought that there was no great number of men flaine in battell, and to know the trueth of it, there was one called Statilius, that promised to goe through his enemies (for otherwise it was impoffible to goe fee their campe,) and from thence if all were well, that he woulde lift vp a torch-light in the ayer, and then returne againe with speed to him. he had promised, for Statilius went thither. Nowe Brutus feeing StaThe torche-light was lift vp as tilius tarie long after that, and that he came not again, he fay'd: if Statilius be aliue, he will come againe. But his euill fortune was fuche, that as he came backe, he lighted in his enemies hands, and was flaine. Now, the night being farre spent, Brutus as he fate, bowed towards Clitus one of his men, and told him fomewhat in his eare; the other aunfwered him not, but fell a weeping. Thereupon he proued Dardanus, and fayd fomewhat alfo to him: at length he came to Volumnius him felfe, and fpeaking to him in Græke, prayed him for the ftudies fake which brought them acquainted together, that he woulde helpe him to put his hande to his fword, to thrust it in him to kill him. Volumnius denied his request, and fo did many others: and amongeft the reft, one of them fayd, there was no tarrying for them there, but that they muft needes flie. Then Brutus rifing vp, we muft flie in deede, fayd he, but it must be with our hands, not with our feete. Then taking euery man by the hand, he fayd thefe words vnto them with a chearfull countenance. my frends hath failed me at my neede, and I do not complaine of my It rejoyceth my hart that not one of fortune, but only for my contries fake: for, as for me, I thinke my felfe happier than they that haue ouercome, confidering that I leaue a perpetuall fame of our corage and manhoode, the which our enemies the conquerors hall neuer attaine vnto by force nor money, neither can let their pofteritie to fay, that they being naughtie and unjust men, haue flaine good men, to vfurpe tyrannical power not pertaining to them. Hauing fayd fo, he prayed euery man to fhift for them felues, and then he went a litle afide," &c. STEEVENS.

Dar.

Dar. To kill him, Clitus: Look, he meditates.
Cli. Now is that noble veffel full of grief,
That it runs over even at his eyes.

Bru. Come hither, good Volumnius; lift a word.
Vol. What fays my lord?

Bru. Why, this, Volumnius:

The ghoft of Cæfar hath appear'd to me
Two feveral times by night: at Sardis, once;
And, this last night, here in Philippi' fields.
I know, my hour is come.

Vol. Not fo, my lord.

Bru. Nay, I am fure it is, Volumnius.

Thou fee'ft the world, Volumnius, how it goes;
Our enemies have beat us to the pit:

It is more worthy, to leap in ourselves,

Than tarry till they push us.

Good Volumnius,

[Alarum.

Thou know'ft, that we two went to school together;
Even for that our love of old, I pray thee,

Hold thou my fword-hilts, whilst I run on it.
Vol. That's not an office for a friend,

my lord.

[Alarum ftill. Cli. Fly, fly, my lord; there is no tarrying here. Bru. Farewel to you ;—and you ;—and you, Volum

nius.

Strato, thou hast been all this while asleep;
Farewel to thee too, Strato 9.—Countrymen,
My heart doth joy, that yet, in all my life,

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P. 408.

my fword-bilts-] So the old copy, and rightly. So before,

661- with this good favord,

"That ran through Cæfar's bowels, fearch this bofom.
"Stand not to anfwer; here take thou the bilts."

Again, in the Mirrour for Magiftrates, 1587:

"a naked fword he had,

"That to the bilts was all with blood imbrued."

Mr. Rowe and the other modern editors read, agreeably to the lan

guage of the prefent time,-my fword's bilt.

MALONE.

9 Farewel to thee too, Strato.] Thus the modern editions: I think, rightly. The old folio reads:

Farewell to bee, to Strato, countrymen. JOHNSON. The correction was made by Mr. Theobald. MALONE.

I found

I found no man, but he was true to me.
I shall have glory by this lofing day,
More than Octavius, and Mark Antony,
By this vile conqueft fhall attain unto.

So, fare you well at once; for Brutus' tongue
Hath almost ended his life's history:

Night hangs upon mine eyes; my bones would reft,
That have but labour'd to attain this hour.

[Alarum. Cry within; Fly, fly, fly.

Cli. Fly, my lord, fly.

Bru. Hence; I will follow.

[Exeunt CLITUS, DARDANIUS, and VOLUMNIUS.

I pr'ythee, Strato, stay thou by thy lord:

Thou art a fellow of a good refpect;

Thy life hath had some smatch of honour in it:
Hold then my fword, and turn away thy face,
While I do run upon it. Wilt thou, Strato?
Stra. Give me your hand firft: Fare
you
well, my lord.
Bru. Farewel, good Strato.-Cæfar, now be ftill;
I kill'd not thee with half fo good a will.

[He runs on his fword, and dies.

Alarum. Retreat. Enter OCTAVIUS, ANTONY, MESSALA, LUCILIUS, and their Army.

O. What man is that?

Mef. My mafter's man.-Strato, where is thy master? Stra. Free from the bondage you are in, Meffala; The conquerors can but make a fire of him;

For Brutus only overcame himself,

And no man elfe hath honour by his death.

Luc. So Brutus fhould be found.-I thank thee Brutus,

That thou haft prov'd Lucilius' faying true.

O&. All that ferv'd Brutus, I will entertain them.

Fellow, wilt thou bestow thy time with me?
Stra. Ay, if Meffala will prefer me to you.
Oct. Do fo, good Meffala.

Mef. How died my mafter, Strato?

Stra. I held the fword, and he did run on it.
Mef. Octavius, then take him to follow thee,

That

That did the latest service to my master.

Ant. This was the nobleft Roman of them all:
All the confpirators, fave only he',

Did that they did in envy of great Cæfar;
He, only, in a general honeft thought,
And common good to all, made one of them.
His life was gentle; and the elements
So mix'd in him, that Nature might stand up,
And fay to all the world, This was a man2 !

08.

• — fave only be, &c.] So, in the old translation of Plutareb: "For it was fayd that Antonius (pake it openly diuers tymes, that he thought, that all of them that had flayne Cæfar, there was none but Brutus only that was moued to do it, as thinking the acte commendable of it felfe but that all the other confpirators did confpire his death, for fome priuate malice or enuy, that they otherwife did beare vnto him." STEEVS. the elements

2

So mix'd in him, that Nature might ftand up,

And fay to all the world, This was a man.] So, in the Barons' Wars, by Drayton, Canto III:

"He was a man (then boldly dare to fay)

"In whofe rich foul the virtues well did fuit;

"In whom fo mix'd the elements all lay,

"That none to one could fov'reignty impute;
"As all did govern, fo did all obey:

"He of a temper was fo abfolute,

"As that it feem'd, when nature him began,
"She meant to fhew all that might be in man."

This poem was published in the year 1598. The play of our author did not appear before 1623. STEEVENS.

Drayton originally published his poem on the fubject of the Barons" Wars, under the title of MORTIMERIADOS, the lamentable civill warres of Edward the Second and the Barrons: Printed by J. R. for Humfry Lownes, and are to be folde at his fhop at the weft end of Paules Church. It is in feven-line ftanzas, and was, I believe, publifhed before 1598. The quarto copy before me has no date. But he afterwards new-modelled the piece entirely, and threw it into stanzas of eight lines, making fome retrenchments and many additions and alterations throughout. An edition of his poems was published in 8vo in 1602; but it did not contain the Barons' Wars in any form. They firft appeared with that name in the edition of 1608, in the preface to which he fpeaks of the change of his title, and of his having new-modelled his poem. There, the ftanza quoted by Mr. Steevens appears thus: "Such one he was, (of him we boldly fay,)

"In whofe rich foule all foveraigne powres did fute,
"In whom in peace the elements all lay

So mixt, as none could foveraigntie impute;

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