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

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

Luc. They mean this night in Sardis to be quarter'd; The greater part, the horse in general,

Are come with Caffius.

BRU. Hark, he is arriv'd :

March gently on to meet him.

Enter CASSIUS and Soldiers.

CAS. Stand, ho!

BRU. Stand, ho! Speak the word along.

WITHIN. Stand.

WITHIN. Stand.

WITHIN. Stand.

[March within.

CAS. Most noble brother, you have done me wrong. BRU. Judge me, you gods! Wrong I mine enemies? And, if not fo, how should I wrong a brother?

CAS. 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.

CAS. 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.

[Exeunt.

SCENE III. Within the tent of BRUTUS.
LUCIUS and TITINIUS at fome diftance from it.

Enter BRUTUS and CASSIUS.

CAS. That appear in this: You have condemn'd and noted Lucius Pella, For taking bribes here of the Sardians; Wherein, my letters, praying on his fide, Because I knew the man, were flighted off. BRU. You wrong'd yourself, to write in fuch a cafe. CAS. In fuch a time as this, it is not meet

you have wrong'd me, doth

That

every nice offence fhould bear his 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.

CAS. I an itching palm ?

You know, that you are Brutus that fpeak this,
Or, by the gods, this speech were elfe your laft.
BRU. The name of Caffius honours this corruption,
And chastisement doth therefore hide his head.

CAS. Chaftifement!

BRU. Remember March, the ides of March remember! Did not great Julius bleed for juftice' fake? What villain touch'd his body, that did ftab, And not for juftice? 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 fo much trash, as may be grasped thus?—
I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon,
Than fuch a Roman.

CAS. Brutus, bay not me,

I'll not endure it: you forget yourself,
To hedge me in; I am a foldier, I,
Older in practice, abler than yourself
To make conditions.

BRU. Go to; you're not, Caffius.

CAS. I am.

BRU. I fay, you are not.

CAS. Urge me no more, I fhall forget myself;

Have mind upon your health, tempt me no further.

BRU. Away, flight man!

CAS. Is't poffible?

BRU. Hear me, for I will speak.

Must I give way and room to your rash choler?

Shall I be frighted, when a madman stares?

CAS. O ye gods! ye gods! Muft I endure all this?
BRU. All this? ay, more: Fret, till your proud heart
Go, fhow
your flaves how choleric you are, [break;
And make your bondmen tremble. Muft I budge?
Muft I observe you? Muft I ftand and crouch
Under your tefty humour? By the gods,
You shall digeft the venom of your fpleen,

Though it do split you: for, from this day forth,
I'll ufe you for my mirth, yea, for

When you are waspish.

CAS. Is it come to this?

my laughter,

BRU. You fay, you are a better foldier:

Let it appear fo; make your vaunting true,

And it fhall please me well: For mine own part,

I fhall be glad to learn of noble men.

CAS. You wrong me every way, you wrong me, Brutus; I said, an elder foldier, not a better:

Did I fay, better?

BRU. If you did, I care not.

[me.

CAS. When Cæfar liv'd, he durft not thus have mov'd BRU. Peace, peace; you durft not so have tempted him. CAS. I durft not?

BRU. No.

CAS. What? durft not tempt him?

BRU. For

your life you

durft not.

CAS. Do not prefume too much upon my love, I may do that I fhall be forry for.

BRU. You have done that you should be forry for. There is no terror, Caffius, in your

For I am arm'd fo ftrong in honefty,

threats;

That they pass by me, as the idle wind,
Which I refpect not. I did fend to you

For certain fums of gold, which you deny'd me;—
For I can raise no money by vile means :

By heaven, I had rather coin my heart,

And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring
From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash,

By any

Το

indirection. I did fend

you for gold to pay my legions,

Which you deny'd me: Was that done like Caffius?
Should I have answer'd Caius Caffius fo?

When Marcus Brutus grows fo covetous,
To lock fuch rafcal counters from his friends,
Be ready, gods, with all your thunderbolts,
Dash him to pieces!

CAS. I deny'd you not.

VOL. V.

S

BRU. You did.

CAS. I did not

he was but a fool,

[heart:

That brought my answer back.-Brutus hath riv'd my
A friend fhould bear his friend's infirmities,
But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.
BRU. I do not, till you practise them on me.
CAS. You love me not.

BRU. I do not like your faults.

CAS. A friendly eye could never fee fuch faults.
BRU. A flatterer's would not, though they do appear
As huge as high Olympus,

CAS. Come, Antony, and young Octavius, come,
Revenge yourselves alone on Caffius,

For Caffius is aweary of the world:

Hated by one he loves; brav'd by his brother;
Check'd like a bondman; all his faults observ'd,
Set in a note-book, learn'd, and conn'd by rote,
To caft into my teeth. O, I could
weep
My fpirit from mine eyes! There is my dagger,
And here my naked breaft; within, a heart
Dearer than Plutus' mine, richer than gold:
If that thou be'ft a Roman, take it forth;
I, that deny'd thee gold, will give my heart:
Strike, as thou didst at Cæfar; for, I know,

When thou didst hate him worst, thou lov'dft him better
Than ever thou lov'dft Caffius.

BRU. Sheath your dagger :

Be angry when you will, it shall have scope;
Do what you will, difhonour shall be humour.
O Caffius, you are yoked with a lamb

That carries anger, as the flint bears fire;
Who, much enforced, fhows a hafty fpark,
And straight is cold again.