CAS. Hath Caffius liv'd

To be but mirth and laughter to his Brutus,
When grief, and blood ill-temper'd, vexeth him?
BRU. When I spoke that, I was ill-temper'd, too.
CAS. Do you confefs fo much? Give me your hand.
BRU. And my heart too.

CAS. O Brutus !

BRU. What's the matter?

CAS. Have you not love enough to bear with me, When that rash humour, which my mother gave me, Makes me forgetful?

BRU. Yes, Caffius; and, henceforth,

When you are over-earneft with your Brutus,
He'll think your mother chides, and leave you so.

[Noife within.

POET. [within.] Let me go in to see the generals;
There is fome grudge between them, 'tis not meet
They be alone.

Luc. [within.] You fhall not come to them.
POET. [within.] Nothing but death shall stay me.

Enter POET.

CAS. How now? What's the matter?

POET. For fhame, you generals; What do you Love, and be friends, as two fuch men fhould be; For I have seen more years, I am fure, than ye.

mean?

CAS. Ha, ha; how vilely doth this cynick rhime!
BRU. Get you hence, firrah; faucy fellow, hence.
CAS. Bear with him, Brutus; 'tis his fashion.

BRU. I'll know his humour, when he knows his time: What should the wars do with thefe jigging fools?

Companion, hence.

CAS. Away, away, be gone.

[Exit POET

Enter LUCILIUS and TITINIUS.

BRU. Lucilius and Titinius, bid the commanders

Prepare to lodge their companies to-night.

CAS. And come yourselves, and bring Meffala with you Immediately to us. [Exeunt LUCILIUS and TITINIUS.

If

BRU. Lucius, a bowl of wine.

CAS. I did not think, you could have been fo angry. BRU. O Caffius, I am fick of many griefs.

CAS. Of your philosophy you make no use,

you give place to accidental evils.

BRU. No man bears forrow better :-Portia is dead. CAS. Ha! Portia ?

BRU. She is dead.

CAS. How 'fcap'd I killing, when I crofs'd O infupportable and touching lofs !_

Upon what fickness ?

BRU. Impatient of my absence;

you fo?

And grief, that young Octavius with Mark Antony Have made themselves fo ftrong ;-for with her death That tidings came ;-With this fhe fell diftract,

And, her attendants abfent, fwallow'd fire.

CAS. And died fo?

BRU. Even fo.

CAS. O ye immortal gods!

Enter LUCIUS, with wine and tapers.

BRU. Speak no more of her.Give me a bowl of

wine :

In this I bury all unkindness, Caffius.

[Drinks.

GAS. My heart is thirsty for that noble pledge :

Fill, Lucius, till the wine o'er-fwell the cup;
I cannot drink too much of Brutus' love.

Re-enter TITINIUS, with MESSALA.

[Drinks.

BRU. Come in, Titinius :-Welcome, good Meffala.Now fit we clofe about this

taper here,

And call in question our neceffities.

CAS. Portia art thou gone?

BRU. No more, I pray you.Meffala, I have here received letters,

That

young Octavius, and Mark Antony, Come down upon us with a mighty power,、 Bending their expedition toward Philippi.

MES. Myfelf have letters of the felf-fame tenour.
BRU. With what addition?

MES. That by profcription, and bills of outlawry,
Octavius, Antony, and Lepidus,

Have put to death an hundred fenators.

BRU. Therein our letters do not well agree;
Mine speak of seventy fenators, that died

By their profcriptions, Cicero being one.
CAS. Cicero one?

MES. Ay, Cicero is dead,

And by that order of profcription.—

Had

you your letters from your wife, my lord? BRU. No, Meffala.

MES. Nor nothing in your letters writ of her?

BRU. Nothing, Messala.

MES. That, methinks, is ftrange.

BRU. Why ask you? Hear you aught of her in yours?

MES. No, my lord.

BRU. Now, as you are a Roman, tell me true.

MES. Then like a Roman bear the truth I tell :

For certain fhe is dead, and by strange manner.

BRU. Why, farewell, Portia.-We muft die, Meffala: With meditating that the muft die once,"

I have the patience to endure it now.

MES. Even so great men great losses should endure. CAS. I have as much of this in art as you,

But yet my nature could not bear it fo.

BRU. Well, to our work alive.
Of marching to Philippi presently?

CAS. I do not think it good.

BRU. Your reason?

CAS. This it is:

'Tis better that the enemy feek us:

What do you think

So fhall he waste his means, weary his foldiers,
Doing himself offence; whilft we, lying ftill,
Are full of reft, defence, and nimbleness.

BRU. Good reafons muft, of force, give place to better, The people, 'twixt Philippi and this ground,

Do stand but in a forc'd affection;
For they have grudg'd us contribution :
The enemy, marching along by them,
By them fhall make a fuller number up,
Come on refresh'd, new-added, and encourag'd;
From which advantage fhall we cut them off,
If at Philippi we do face him there,

These people at our back.

CAS. Hear me, good brother.

BRU. Under your pardon, you must note beside,
That we have tried the utmoft of our friends,

Our legions are brim-full, our cause is ripe:
The enemy increaseth every day,

We, at the height, are ready to decline.

There is a tide in the affairs of men,

Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows, and in miferies.
On fuch a full fea are we now afloat;

And we must take the current when it ferves,
Or lofe our ventures.

CAS. Then, with your will, go on;

We'll along ourselves, and meet them at Philippi.
BRU. The deep of night is crept upon our talk,
And nature muft obey neceffity;

Which we will niggard with a little rest.

There is no more to say?

CAS. No more. Good night;

Early to-morrow will we rife, and hence.

[Meffala ;

BRU. Lucius, my gown. [Exit LUCIUS.] Farewell, good

Good night, Titinius :-Noble, noble Caffius,

Good night, and good repofe.

CAS. O my dear brother!

This was an ill beginning of the night:

Never come fuch divifion 'tween our fouls!

BRU. Good night, good brother.

TIT. MES. Good night, lord Brutus.

BRU. Farewell, every one. [Exeunt CAS. TIT. and MES. Re-enter LUCIUS, with the gown.

Give me the gown. Where is thy inftrument?

Luc. Here in the tent.

BRU. What, thou speak'ft drowfily?

Poor knave, I blame thee not; thou art o'er-watch'd.

Call Claudius, and fome other of my men ;

I'll have them fleep on cushions in my tent.
Luc. Varro, and Claudius!

It

Enter VARRO and CLAUDIUS.

VAR. Calls my

lord?

BRU. I pray you, firs, lie in my tent, and fleep;

may be, I fhall raise you by and by

On business to my brother Caffius.