funeral of Cæsar, in the second, his subsequent reverse of fortune is entirely attributable. Plutarch ascribes this forbearance on the part of Brutus to honourable motives, and a want of foresight and penetration.* The humanity of Brutus might probably have been unproductive of much evil if due precaution had been adopted; but still acting under the delusion that Antony wanted both inclination and power to prove a dangerous enemy, the fatal error was committed of permitting the funeral of Cæsar to be conducted agreeable to Antony's wishes. "When this was done, they came to talke of Cæsar's will and testament, and of his funerals and tombe. Then Antonius thinking good his testament should be read openly, and also that his bodie should be honourably buried, and not in hugger-mugger, lest the people might thereby take occasion to be worse offended if they did otherwise: Cassius stoutly spake against it. But Brutus went with the motion, and agreed unto it: wherein it seemeth he committed a second fault. For the first fault he did, was when he would not consent to his fellow-conspirators that Antonius should be slaine; and therefore he was justly * Life of Antonius, 917. Life of Brutus, 998. accused, that thereby he had saved and strengthened a strong and grievous enemie of their conspiracy. The second fault was, when he agreed that Cæsar's funerals should be as Antonius would have them, the which indeed marred all." * The superior penetration of Cassius, a circumstance extremely curious in itself, has not been overlooked by Shakspeare, who, in his judicious use of it, has reaped the twofold advantage of raising Cassius to something like an equality with Brutus, and of adhering strictly to historic truth. † The dramatist hazarded much of the respect so skilfully obtained for Cassius by touching upon so delicate a point as the rapacity of a man" that would oftentimes be carried away from justice for gaine.”‡ In the celebrated scene of Cassius' quarrel with Brutus, he has, however, risked its introduction. The fact of *Life of Brutus, p. 999. + " I think it is not meet, Mark Antony, so well belov'd of Cæsar, Act II. sc. 1. "I have a mind that fears him much." "Brutus, a word with you," &c. Act III. sc. 1. Act III. sc. 1. the angry encounter of the chieftains, with several particulars of their altercation, Shakspeare learned from Sir Thomas North, who relates the circumstance in his usual simple language. Now, as it commonly happeneth in great affaires between two persons, both of them having many friends, and so many captaines under them, there ranne tales and complaints betwixt them. Therefore, before they fell in hand with any other matter, they went into a little chamber together, and bade every man avoid, and did shut the dores to them. Then they began to poure out their complaints one to the other, and grew hot and loud, earnestly accusing one another, and at length fell both a weeping." The exalted eulogium pronounced by Brutus over the dead body of Cassius, though very difficult to reconcile with Plutarch's account of the man, is a testimony in his favour as imperishable as honourable. Some of Shakspeare's lines are almost literally from Plutarch. when he was come thither, after he had lamented the death of Cassius, calling him the last of the Romanes; being impossable that Rome should ever breed againe so noble and "So valiant a man as he, he caused his body to be buried."* But the pathos of the passage, the "Friends, I owe more tears To this dead man than you shall see me pay;" is Shakspeare's. Brutus speaks his love for Cassius, but he says that his private miseries shall not interfere with his public cares. Then, however, nature claims the heart, the whole man, as her own; and, as if the spirit of his friend reproached him, he cries "I shall find time, Cassius, I shall find time." What can be more touching than the repetition of this promise of grief to severed affection ? The succeeding play demands a full investigation of the character of Marc Antony, and precludes the necessity for any particular mention of him here, and we therefore pass at once to the minor personages of the present drama. To class Cæsar among them wears somewhat the air of absurdity. But when he is introduced for little other purpose than that of being killedt; to *Life of Brutus, 1010. + Neither the Latin exclamation put by Shakspeare into the mouth of Cæsar, "Et tu, Brute?" nor English words of the same import, being found in North's Plutarch, curiosity was naturally excited to enquire whence he had de what station can he be more properly assigned? And after all, what have we to say of him? In fact, the character is so faintly marked, that he "who kept the world in awe" is scarcely recognisable, except by Shakspeare's notice, with every appearance of unpremeditated carelessness of his natural infirmities: "I rather tell thee what is to be feared, Than what I fear; for always I am Cæsar. Plutarch says that Cæsar was "often subject to head-ache, and otherwhile to the falling-sicknesse," thus alluded to by Shakspeare: "What! did Cæsar swoon? Casca. He fell down in the market-place, and foamed at mouth, and was speechless. Brutus. 'Tis very like; he hath the falling sickness." rived them: Malone has shown the sources to have been numerous from which they might have been obtained. (in loc.) It is also a remark of Malone, that Shakspeare's making the capitol the scene of Cæsar's murder, contrary to the truth of history, is easily accounted for in Hamlet, where it afforded an opportunity for introducing a quibble; but it is difficult to conjecture why, in the present play, he should depart from Plutarch, who expressly says that Julius was slain in "one of the porches about the theatre, where was set up the image of Pompey." North's Plut. pages 740, 996. |
