Octa. So you thought him;

And took his voice who fhould be prick'd to die,
In our black fentence and profcription.

Ant. Octavius, I have feen more days than you
And though we lay these honours on this man,
To ease ourselves of divers fland'rous loads;
He shall but bear them, as the ass bears gold,
To groan and fweat under the business,
Or led or driven, as we point the way;
And, having brought our treasure where we will,
Then take we down his load, and turn him off,
Like to the empty afs, to shake his ears,
And graze in Commons.
Ota. You may do your

will ;

But he's a try'd and valiant foldier.

Ant. So is my horse, Octavius: and for that,
I do appoint him ftore of provender.
It is a creature that I teach to fight,
To wind, to stop, to run directly on;
His corporal motion govern'd by my fpirit.
And, in fome taste, is Lepidus but fo;

He must be taught, and train'd, and bid go forth;
7 A barren-spirited fellow, one that feeds
On abject Orts, and imitations;

Which, out of ufe, and ftal'd by other men,
Begin his fashion. Do not talk of him,
But as a property. And now, Octavius,
Liften great things-Brutus and Caffius

7 In the old editions,

A barren-fpirited fellow, one
one that feeds
On objects, arts, and imita-

tions, &c.] 'Tis hard to con· ceive, why he should be call'd a barren Spirited fellow, that could feed either on objects, or arts: that is, as I prefume, from his ideas and judgment upon them:

ftale and obfolete imitation, indeed, fixes fuch a character. I am perfuaded, to make the poet confonant to himself, we must read, as I have restored the text,

On abject Orts,i. e. on the fcraps and fragments of things rejected and defpifed by THEOBALD. others.

Are

Are levying powers; we must straight make head.

Therefore let our alliance be combin'd;
Our best friends made, our beft means ftretcht;
And let us presently go fit in council,
How covert matters may be beft difclos'd,
And open perils fureft answered.

Olla. Let us do fo; for we are at the ftake,
And bay'd about with many enemies;

And fome, that fmile, have in their hearts, I fear, Millions of mischiefs.

S CENE II.

[Exeunt.

Before Brutus's Tent, in the camp near Sardis.

Drum. Enter Brutus, Lucilius, and Soldiers: Titinius and Pindarus meeting them.

Bru. S

TAND, ho!

Luc. Give the word, ho! and stand!
Bru. What now, Lucilius? is Caffius near?
Luc. He is at hand, and Pindarus is come

To do you falutation from his mafter.

Bru. He greets me well. Your master, Pindarus, In his own change, or by ill officers,

Hath given me fome caufe to wish

Things done undone; but if he be at hand,

In his own change, or by ill officers,] The fenfe of which is this, Either your mafter, by the change of his virtuous nature, cr by bis officers abufing the power he had intrufted to them, hath done Some things I could wish undone. This implies a doubt which of the two was the cafe. Yet, immediately after, on Pindarus's faying, His mafter was full of re

I fhall

gard and bonour, he replies, he is not doubled. To reconcile this we should read,

In his own CHARGE, or by ill officers,

i. e. either by thofe under his immediate command, or under the command of his lieutenants who had abused their truft. Charge is fo ufual a word in Shakespeare, to fignify the forces committed to

F4

the

I fhall be fatisfied,

Pin. I do not doubt,

But that my noble mafter will appear,
Such as he is, full of regard and honour.
Bru. He is not doubted. A word, Lucilius-
How he receiv'd you, let me be refolv'd.

Luc. With courtefy, and with refpect enough;
But not with fuch familiar inftances,

Nor with fuch free and friendly conference,
As he hath us'd of old.

Bru. Thou haft defcrib'd

A hot friend cooling. Ever note, Lucilius,
When love begins to ficken and decay,
It ufeth an enforced ceremony.

There are no tricks in plain, and fimple faith;
But hollow men, like horfes hot at hand,
Make gallant fhew and promife of their mettle,
But when they fhould endure the bloody fpur,
They fall their creft, and, like deceitful jades,
Sink in the trial. Comes his army on?

Luc. They mean this night in Sardis to be quar

March gently on to meet him.

Caf. Stand, ho!

Bru. Stand, ho! Speak the word along.

Within. Stand!

Within. Stand!

Within. Stand!

Caf. Most noble brother, you have done me wrong. Bru. Judge me, you Gods! Wrong 1 mine enemies?

And, if not fo, how fhould I wrong a brother?
Caf. Brutus, this fober form of yours hides wrongs,
And when you do them-

Bru. Caffius, be content,

Speak your griefs foftly-I do know you well.-
Before the eyes of both our armies here,

Which fhould perceive nothing, but love, from us,
Let us not wrangle. Bid them move away;
Then in my Tent, Caffius, enlarge your griefs,
And I will give you audience.

Caf. Pindarus,

Bid our commanders lead their charges off

A little from this ground.

Bru. Lucilius, do the like; and let no man

Come to our tent, 'till we have done our conference.

Let Lucius and Titinius guard our door.

SCENE III.

Changes to the Infide of Brutus's Tent.

Re-enter Brutus and Caffius.

[Exeunt.

Caf. HAT you have wrong'd me, doth appear

Cas. THA

in this,

You have condemn'd and noted Lucius Pella,

For taking bribes here of the Sardians;

Wherein, my letter praying on his fide

Because

Because I knew the man, was flighted off.

Bru. You wrong'd yourself to write in such a case. Caf. In fuch a time as this, it is not meet That ev'ry nice offence should bear its comment. Bru. Let me tell you, Caffius, you yourself Are much condemn'd to have an itching palm; To fell, and mart your offices for gold, To undefervers.

Caf. I an itching palm ?

You know, that you are Brutus, that speak this;
Or, by the Gods, this fpeech were else your last.
Bru. The name of Caffius honours this corruption,
And chastisement doth therefore hide its head.
Caf. Chastisement!

Bru. Remember March, the Ides of March remember!

Did not great Julius bleed for justice fake?
What villain touch'd his body, that did ftab,
And not for justice; What, fhall one of us,
That ftruck the foremost man of all this world,
But for fupporting robbers; fhall we now
Contaminate our fingers with base bribes ?
And fell the mighty space of our large honours
For so much trash, as may be grafped thus ?
'I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon,
Than fuch a Roman.

Caf. Brutus, bait not me,

9 ev'ry nice offence-] i. e. fmall trifling offence. WARB. ■ I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon, Than Such a Roman.] The poets and common people, who generally think and fpeak alike, fuppofe the dog bays the moon, out of envy to its brightness; an allufion to this notion makes the beauty of the paffage in queftion:

Brutus hereby infinuates a covert accufation against his friend, that it was only envy at Cæfar's glory which fet Caffius on confpiring against him; and ancient hiftory feems to countenance fuch a charge. Caffius understood him in this fenfe, and with much confcious pride retorts the charge by a like infinuation.

-Brutus, bay not me. WARB.