But, never 'till to Night, never 'till now,
Did I go through a Tempest dropping Fire.
Either there is a Civil Strife in Heav'n,

Or else the World, too fawcy with the Gods,
Incenfes them to fend Diftruction.

Cic. Why, faw you any thing more wonderful?
Cask. A common Slave, you know him well by fight,
Held up his left Hand, which did flame and burn,
Like twenty Torches join'd; and yet his Hand,
Not fenfible of Fire, remain'd unfcorch'd..
Befides, I ha'not fince put up my Sword,
Against the Capitol I met a Lion,
Who glaz'd upon me, and went furly by,
Without annoying me. And there were drawn
Upon a heap, a hundred gaftly Women,
Transformed with their fear, who fwore, they faw
Men, all in fire, walk up and down the Streets.
And yesterday, the Bird of Night did fit,
Even at Noon-day, upon the Market place,
Houting and fhricking. When thefe Prodigies
Do fo conjointly meet, let not Men fay
These are their Reasons, 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?.

Cask. He doth: For he did bid Antonio

Send word to you, he would be there to morrow.
Cic. Good Night then, Caska; this disturbed Sky
Is not to walk in.

Caf. Caska, by your Voice.

Exit Cicero.

Cask. Your Ear is good, Caffius, what Night is this? Caf. A very pleafing Night to honeft Men.

Cask. Who ever knew the Heav'ns menace fo?

Caf.

Caf. Those that have known the Earth so full of Faults, For my part I have walk'd about the Streets, Submitting me unto the perillous Night; And thus unbraced, Caska, as you fee,

Have bar'd my Bofom to the Thunder-ftone:

And when the cross blue Lightning feem'd to open
The Breaft of Heav'n, I did prefent my felf,

Even in the aim and very flash of it.

Cask. But wherefore did you so 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 aftonith us.

gaze,

Caf. You are dull, Caska; and thofe sparks of Life
That fhould be in a Roman, you do want,
Or else you ufe not; You look pale, and
And put on fear, and caft your felf in wonder,
To see the strange impatience of the Heav'ns:
But if you would confider the true Cause,
Why all these Fires, why all these gliding Ghosts,
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 monstrous quality; why, you shall find,
That Heav'n bath infus'd them with these Spirits,
To make them inftruments of fear and warning,
Unto fome monftrous State.

Now could I, Caska, 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 thy felf, or me,
In perfonal Action; yet prodigious grown,
And fearful, as thefe ftrange Eruptions are.

Cask. 'Tis Cafar 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;
But woe the while, our Fathers Minds are dead,
And we are govern'd with our Mothers Spirits,
Our Yoke and Sufferance fhew us womanish.

Cask

Cask. Indeed, they, the Senators, to morrow, t
Mean to establish Cefar as a King:

And he fhall wear his Crown by Sea, 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 most strong;
Therein, ye Gods, you Tyrants do defeat:
Nor ftony Tower, nor Walls of beaten Brafs,
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 it self.
If I know this, know all the World befides,
That part of Tyranny, that I do bear,
I can fhake off at pleasure.

Cask. So can I:"

So every Bondman in his own Hand bears
The power to cancel his Captivity.

Caf. And why fhould Cafar 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 Straws. What trafh is Rome?
What Rubbish, and what Offal? when it ferves
For the bafe Matter, to illuminate

So vile a thing as Cafar. But, oh Grief!
Where haft thou led me? I, perhaps, (peak this
Before a willing Bondman: Then I know!
My answer must be made. But I am arm'd,
And Dangers are to me indifferent. :

Cask. You speak to Caska, and to fuch a Man,
That is no flearing Tell-tale. Hold, my Hand:
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, Caska, I have mov'd already
Some certain of the nobleft-minded Romans,

To under-go, with me, an Enterprize,
Of honourable dangerous Confequence;
And I do know, by this they ftay 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 Feav'rous, like the work we have in hand,
Moft bloody, fiery, and moft terrible.

Enter Cinna.

Cask Stand clofe a while, for here comes one in hafte.
Caf. 'Tis Cinna, I do know him by his Gate,
He is a Friend. Cinna, where hafte you fo?

Cin. To find our you: Who's that, Metellus Cimber?
Caf. No, it is Caska, one incorporate

To our Attempts. Am I not ftaid for, Cinna?
Cin. I am glad on't. What a fearful Night is this?
There's two or three of us have feen ftrange Sights.
Caf. Am I not ftaid for? tell me.

Cin. Yes, you are.

O Caffius! If you could but win the noble Brutus
To our Party-

Caf. Be you content. Good Cinna take this Paper,
And look you lay it in the Prætors Chair,
Where Brutus may but find it; and throw this
In at his Window; fet this up'with Wax
Upon old Brutus Statue: All this done,
Repair to Pompey's Porch, where you fhall find us.
Is Decius Brutus, and Trebonius there?

Cin. All, but Metellus Cimber, and he's gone
To seek you at your House. Well, I will hie,
And fo beftow thefe Papers as you bad me.

Caf. That done, repair to Pompey's Theater.

Come Caska, you and I will, yet, e'er Day,
See Brutus at his Houfe; three parts of him
Is ours already, and the Man entire,
Upon the next Encounter, yields him ours.

[Exit Cinna.

Cask.

Cask. O, he fits high in all the Peoples Hearts:
And that which would appear Offence in us,
His Countenance, like richeft 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 Mid-night, and e'er Day,
We will awake him, and be fure of him.

[Exeunt.

W

ACT II. SCENE I.

SCENE A Garden.

Enter Brutus.

HAT Lucius! ho!

I cannot, by the progress of the Stars,
Give guess how near to Day-Lucius, I fay!
I would it were my fault to fleep fo foundly.

When, Lucius, when? awake, I fay! what, Lucius!
Enter Lucius.

Luc. Call'd you, my Lord?

Bru. Get me a Taper in my Study, Lucius : When it is lighted, come and call me here.

Luc. I will, my Lord.

Bru. It must be by his Death: And for my part,

I know no perfonal Caufe to fpurn at him,"

But for the general. He would be crown'd

[Exit.

How that might change his Nature, there's the Question.
It is the bright Day that brings forth the Adder,
And that craves wary walking: Crown him-that-
And then I grant we put a Sting in him,
That at his will he may do danger with.
Th' abuse of Greatnefs, is; when it disjoins
Remorse from Power: And to fpeak truth of Cafar,
I have not known, when his Affections fway'd,
More than his Reafon. But 'tis a common Proof,
That Lowlinefs is young Ambition's Ladder,
Whereto the Climber upward turns his Face;
But when he once attains the upmoft Round,

He