Have riv'd the knotty oaks; and I have seen Th' ambitious ocean fwell, and rage, and foam, To be exalted with the threatning clouds: But never till to-night, never till now, Did I go through a tempeft dropping fire. Either there is civil ftrife in heav'n ;
Or elfe the world, too faucy with the Gods, Incenfes them to fend deftruction.
Cic. Why, faw you any thing more wonderful? Cafca. A common flave, you know him well by fight, Help up his left hand, which did flame and burn, Like twenty torches join'd; and yet his hand, Not fenfible of fire, remain’d unscorch'd. Befides, (I ha' not fince put up my fword) Against the Capitol I met a lion,
Who glar'd upon me, and went furly by, Without annoying me. And there were drawn Upon a heap a hundred ghaftly women, Transformed with their fear; who fiore, they faw Men, all in fire, walk up and down the streets. And yesterday, the bird of night did fit, Ev'n at noon-day, upon the market-place, Hooting and fhrieking. When thefe prodigies Do fo conjointly meet, let not men fay, "These are their reafons, they are natural :" For, I believe, they are portentous things Unto the climate, that they point upon.
Cic. Indeed, it is a ftrange-difpofed time: But men may conftrue things after their fashion, Clean from the purpose of the things themselves. Comes Cafar to the Capitol to-morrow?
Cafca. He doth; for he did bid Antonius Send word to you, he would be there to-morrow. Cic. Good-night then, Cafca; this disturbed sky Is not to walk in.
Caf. Who's there? Cafca. A Roman.
af. Cafca, by your voice.
Cafea. Your ear is good. Caffius, what night is this! Caf. A very pleafing night to honeft men.
Cafca. Who ever knew the heavens menace fo? Caf. Thofe, that have known the earth fo full of faults. For my part, I have walk'd about the streets, Submitting me unto the perilous night;
And thus unbraced, Cafca, as you fee, Have bar'd my bofom to the thunder-ftone: And when the crofs blue lightning feem'd to open The breaft of heav'n, I did present myself
Ev'n in the aim and very flash of it.
Cafca. But wherefore did you fo much tempt the heav'ns ?
It is the part of men to fear and tremble, When the most mighty Gods, by tokens, fend Such dreadful heralds to aftonish us.
Caf. You are dull, Cafca; and thofe fparks of life, That should be in a Roman, you do want, Or elfe you use not; you look pale, and gaze, And put on fear, and caft yourfelf in wonder, To fee the ftrange impatience of the heav'ns : But if you would confider the true caufe, Why all thefe fires, why all thefe gliding ghofts, Why birds and beafts, from quality and kind, Why old men, fools, and children calculate; Why all these things change, from their ordinance, Their natures and pre-formed faculties To monftrous quality; why, you shall find, That heaven has infus'd them with these fpirits, To make them inftruments of fear and warning Unto fome monftrous ftate.
Now could I, Cafca, name to thee a man Moft like this dreadful night;
That thunders, lightens, opens graves, and roars As doth the lion in the Capitol;
A man no mightier than thyself, or me, In perfonal action; yet prodigious grown, And fearful, as thefe ftrange eruptions are.
Cafca. 'Tis Cæfar that you mean; is it not, Caffius? Caf. Let it be who it is: for Romans now Have thewes and limbs like to their ancestors; (4) But, woe the while! our father's minds are dead, And we are govern'd with our mothers' spirits: Our yoke and fuff'rance fhew us womanish.
Cafea. Indeed, they fay, the Senators to-morrow Mean to establish Cæfar as a King:
And he shall wear his crown by fea and land, In every place, fave here in Italy.
Caf. I know, where I will wear this dagger then. Caffius from bondage will deliver Caffius.
Therein, ye Gods, you make the weak moft ftrong; Therein, ye Gods, you tyrants do defeat ; Nor ftony tower, nor walls of beaten brass, Nor airless dungeon, nor ftrong links of iron, Can be retentive to the ftrength of spirit: But life, being weary of thefe worldly bars, Never lacks power to difmifs itself.
If I know this; know all the world befides, That part of tyranny, that I do bear, I can fhake off at pleasure.
So every bondman in his own hand bears The power to cancel his captivity.
Caf. And why fhould Cefar be a tyrant then? Poor man! I know, he would not be a wolf, But that he fees, the Romans are but sheep: He were no lion, were not Romans hinds. Those that with hafte will make a mighty fire, Begin it with weak ftraws. What trash is Rome? What rubbish, and what offal? when it ferves For the base matter to illuminate
(4) Have thews and Limbs- -] Mr. Pope has fubjoined, to both his Editions, an Explanation of Thews, as if it fignified, Manners or Capacities. "Tis certain, it fometimes has thefe Significations; but he's mistaken ftrangely to imagine it has any fuch Senfe here: Nor, indeed, do I ever remember its being ufed by our Author in thofe Acceptations. With him, I think, it always fignifies, Muscles, Sineres, bodily Strength.
So vile a thing as Cefar? But, oh grief! Where haft thou led me? I, perhaps, fpeak this Before a willing bondman: then I know, My answer must be made. But I am arm'd, And dangers are to me indifferent.
Cafca. You fpeak to Cafca, and to fuch a man, That is no flearing tell-tale. Hold my hand: (5) Be factious for redrefs of all these griefs,
And I will fet this foot of mine as far, As who goes fartheft.
Caf. There's a bargain made.
Now know you, Cafea, I have vow'd already Some certain of the nobleft-minded Romans, To undergo, with me, an enterprize Of honourable dang'rous confequence; And I do know, by this they stay for me In Pompey's Porch. For now, this fearful night, There is no ftir, or walking in the streets; And the complexion of the element
Is fev'rous, like the work we have in hand; Moft bloody, fiery, and most terrible.
Cafca. Stand clofe a while, for here comes one in hafte. Caf. 'Tis Cinna, I do know him by his gait; He is a friend. Cinna, where hafte you so?
Cin. To find out you: who's that, Metellus Cimber? Caf. No, it is Cafea, one incorporate
To our attempts. Am I not ftaid for, Cinna? Cin. I'm glad on't. What a fearful night is this? There's two or three of us have feen ftrange fights. Caf: Am I not ftaid for? tell me.
O Caffius! could you win the noble Brutus To our party
-Hold, my Hand.] This Comma muft certainly
be removed. Cafca bids Caffias take his Hand, as it were to bind their League and Amity. So afterwards, in this Play;
Caf. Be you content. Good Cinna, take this And look you lay it in the Prætor's chair, Where Brutus may but find it; and throw this In at his window; fet this up with wax Upon old Brutus' ftatue: all this done, Repair to Pompey's porch, where you fhall find us, Is Decius Brutus, and Trebonius there?
Cin. All, but Metellus Gimber, and he's gone To feek you at your house. Well, I will hie, And fo bestow these papers, as you bade me. Caf. That done, repair to Pompey's Threatre.
Come, Cafea, you and I will, yet, ere day, See Brutus at his houfe; three parts of him Is ours already, and the man entire
Upon the next encounter yields him ours.
Cafca. O, he fits high in all the people's hearts: And that, which would appear offence in us, His countenance, like richest alchymy,
Will change to virtue and to worthiness.
Caf. Him, and his worth, and our great need of him, You have right well conceited; let us go, For it is after midnight; and, ere day, We will awakę him, and be sure of him.
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