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 fting in him,
That at his will he may do danger with.
The abuse of greatnefs is, when it disjoins
Remorfe from power: And, to speak truth of Cæfar,
I have not known when his affections sway'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 upmost round,
He then unto the ladder turns his back,
Looks in the clouds, fcorning the base degrees
By which he did afcend: So Cæfar may ;

Then, left he may, prevent. And, fince the quarrel
Will bear no colour for the thing he is,
Fashion it thus; that what he is, augmented,
Would run to these, and these extremities:
And therefore think him as a ferpent's egg,

Which, hatch'd, would, as his kind, grow mifchievous;
And kill him in the fhell.

Re-enter LUCIUS.

Luc. The taper burneth in your closet, fir.
Searching the window for a flint, I found
This paper, thus feal'd up; and, I am fure,
It did not lie there, when I went to bed.
BRU. Get you to bed again, it is not day.
Is not to-morrow, boy, the ides of March?
Luc. I know not, fir.

BRU. Look in the calendar, and bring me word.
Luc. I will, fir.

BRU. The exhalations, whizzing in the air,

Give fo much light, that I may read by them.

[Exit

[Opens the letter, and reads.

Brutus, thou fleep'ft; awake, and fee thyself.
Shall Rome &c. Speak, ftrike, redrefs!
Brutus, thou fleep'ft; awake,-

Such inftigations have been often dropp'd
Where I have took them up.

Shall Rome &c. Thus muft I piece it out;

Shall Rome ftand under one man's awe? What! Rome?

My ancestors did from the streets of Rome

The Tarquin drive, when he was call'd a king.
Speak, ftrike, redress!-Am I entreated then

To speak, and strike? O Rome! I make thee promise,
If the redrefs will follow, thou receivest

Thy full petition at the hand of Brutus!

Re-enter LUCIUS.

Luc. Sir, March is wafted fourteen days. [Knock within. BRU. 'Tis good. Go to the gate; fomebody knocks. [Exit LUCIUS. Since Caffius firft did whet me against Cæfar,

I have not flept.

Between the acting of a dreadful thing

And the firft motion, all the interim is
Like a phantafina, or a hideous dream:
The genius, and the mortal inftruments,
Are then in council; and the ftate of man,
Like to a little kingdom, fuffers then

The nature of an infurrection.

Re-enter LUCIUS.

Luc. Sir, 'tis your brother Caffius at the door,

Who doth defire to fee you.

BRU. Is he alone?

Luc. No, fir, there are more with him.

BRU. Do you know them?

Luc. No, fir; their hats are pluck'd about their ears, And half their faces buried in their cloaks,

That by no means I may difcover them

By any mark of favour.

BRU. Let them enter.

They are the faction. O confpiracy!

[Exit LUCIUS.

Sham'ft thou to fhow thy dangerous brow by night,
When evils are moft free? O, then, by day,

Where wilt thou find a cavern dark enough

To mask thy monftrous vifage? Seek none, confpiracy; Hide it in fmiles, and affability:

For if thou path, thy native femblance on,

Not Erebus itself were dim enough

To hide thee from prevention.

Enter CASSIUS, CASCA, DECIUS, CINNA, METELLUS CIMBER, and TREBONIUS.

CAS. I think, we are too bold upon your

rest:
Good morrow, Brutus ; Do we trouble you?
BRU. I have been up this hour; awake, all night.
Know I these men, that come along with you?

CAS. Yes, every man of them; and no man here,
But honours you and every one doth wish,
You had but that opinion of yourself,

Which every noble Roman bears of you.
This is Trebonius.

BRU. He is welcome hither.

CAS. This Decius Brutus.

BRU. He is welcome too.

CAS. This, Cafca; this, Cinna;

And this, Metellus Cimber.

BRU. They are all welcome.

What watchful cares do interpofe themselves
Betwixt your eyes and night?

CAS. Shall I entreat a word?

[They whisper.

DEC. Here lies the east: Doth not the day break here?

CASCA. NO.

GIN. O, pardon, fir, it doth; and yon grey lines, That fret the clouds, are meffengers of day.

CASCA. You shall confefs, that you are both deceiv'd. Here, as I point my fword, the fun arises

Which is a great way growing on the fouth,
Weighing the youthful feafon of the year.

Some two months hence, up higher toward the north
He first presents his fire; and the high east
Stands, as the Capitol, directly here.

BRU. Give me your hands all over, one by one.
CAS. And let us fwear our resolution.

BRU. No, not an oath: If not the face of men,
The fufferance of our fouls, the time's abufe,-
If these be motives weak, break off betimes,
And every man hence to his idle bed;
So let high-fighted tyranny range on,
Till each man drop by lottery. But if these,
As I am fure they do, bear fire enough
To kindle cowards, and to steel with valour
The melting fpirits of women; then, countrymen,
What need we any spur, but our own cause,
To prick us to redress? what other bond,
Than fecret Romans, that have spoke the word,
And will not palter? and what other oath,
Than honefty to honesty engag'd,
That this fhall be, or we will fall for it?
Swear priefts, and cowards, and men cautelous,
Old feeble carrions, and fuch fuffering fouls
That welcome wrongs; unto bad caufes fwear
Such creatures as men doubt: but do not stain

The even virtue of our enterprize,

Nor the infuppreffive mettle of our fpirits,

To think, that, or our caufe, or our performance,
Did need an oath; when every drop of blood,
That every Roman bears, and nobly bears,
Is guilty of a feveral bastardy,

If he do break the smallest particle

Of

any promise that hath pass'd from him.

CAS. But, what of Cicero? Shall we found him?

I think, he will ftand very ftrong with us.

CASCA. Let us not leave him out.

CIN. No, by no means.

MET. O, let us have him; for his filver hairs
Will purchase us a good opinion,

And buy men's voices to commend our deeds:
It shall be said, his judgement rul'd our hands;
Our youths, and wildnefs, fhall no whit appear,
But all be buried in his gravity.

BRU. O, name him not; let us not break with him; For he will never follow any thing

That other men begin.

CAS. Then leave him out.

CASCA. Indeed, he is not fit.

DEC. Shall no man else be touch'd, but only Cæfar? CAS. Decius, well urg'd:-I think, it is not meet, Mark Antony, fo well belov'd of Cæfar,

Should outlive Cæfar: We shall find of him

A fhrewd contriver; and, you know, his means,
If he improve them, may well ftretch so far,
As to annoy us all which to prevent,

Let Antony, and Cæfar, fall together.

BRU. Our courfe will feem too bloody, Caius Caffius, To cut the head off, and then hack the limbs }