I am most glad to find I was mistaken.
That error made this breast of mine conceal
Thoughts of great value, worthy of your ear:
Tell me, good BRUTUS, can you see your face?
BRUTUS.
No, CASSIUS; for, the eye fees not itself,
But by reflection from fome other thing.
'Tis juft: then know, 'tis much lamented, BRUTUS, That you have no fuch mirror as might show (Spite of your modefty) your own hid worth; That you for once might fee the noble fhadow. I have heard fome, of the best rank in Rome, (Except immortal CAESAR) talk of BRUTUS; And groaning underneath this age's yoke, Have wish'd, that noble BRUTUS had his eyes.
Into what dangers wou'd you lead me, CASSIUS,
That you would have me look into myself
For that which is not in me?
And fince, you know, you cannot see yourself
So well as by reflection; I, your glafs,
Will without all disguise discover now
That of yourself, which yet you know not of.
And be not jealous of me, gentle BRUTUS.
Were I fome flight buffoon, or us'd to flatter,
To cloy each man I meet with proffer'd love,
And then betray him; did I use to fawn,
And hug men hard, then crush them with my scandal;
Or if you ever knew me riotous
To lofs of reafon; then you might fufpect me.
What shouts are these?
I hope, like those just now,
For joy that CAESAR has refus'd the crown.
CASSIUS.
If you hope that, you would not have him king.
I would not, CASSIUS; yet I love him well.
CASSIUS.
And do you think he would forgive that wish,
Or would accept your love, with that allay?
BRUTUS.
If juft, he will; and, if unjuft, I care not.
But wherefore do you hold me here fo long?
I fee you labour with fome weighty thing.
If it be tow'rds the general good, fpeak quickly;
I am in hafte to meet your noble thoughts.
Set virtue in my eye, and let grim death
Shake his unheeded dart, I'll still be fix'd.
For, may the Gods fo help me, as, for honour,
I look indiff'rently on life or death.
I know your virtue, BRUTUS, and dare trust it.
Well, honour is the fubject of my story.
I cannot tell what you and other men
Think of this life; but for my fingle felf,
I'll chufe much rather not to live at all,
Than live to be in awe of any thing.
I was born free as CAESAR; fo are you:
We both are bred as well; and we can both
Endure the Winter's cold as well as he.
For, once, upon a raw and gufty day,
The troubled Tiber turn'd into a foam,
CAESAR fays to me, CASSIUS, dar'st thou now
Leap in with me into this angry flood,
And fwim to yonder point? Upon the word,
Accoutred as I was, I plung'd me in,
And bade him follow; fo indeed he did :
The torrent roar'd, and we did buffet it
With lufty finews, throwing it aside;
But yet, ere we could reach the point propos'd,
CAESAR Cry'd, Help me, CASSIUS, or I fink!
Just as AENEAS, our great ancestor,
Did from the flames of Troy bear on his shoulders
The old ANCHISES, I from Tiber's waves
Bore the tir'd CAESAR: yet this feeble man
Is now become a God; and CASSIUS is
A wretched creature, and must bend his body,
If CAESAR give him but a careless nod.
A ftrange difeafe poffeffes him fometimes:
This day I faw him fall into his fit:
(That which delay'd the fports till afternoon.)
This God has fall'n to ground, and foam'd at mouth;
His limbs have trembled, and his eyes have roll'd;
Yet now his look must awe the trembling world.
Nay, I have heard him groan, like a fick girl;
And that smooth tongue which us'd to move fo much,
And make the Romans fet down all it faid,
Would faulter then, and stammer out ftrange things.
Gods! why should one of fuch a feeble temper
upon the top of all this world, To look down on mankind?
Another fhout! fure Rome is turn'd a revel!
I fear at least they crown him with applause.
Why, man, he now beftrides the narrow world,
Like a Coloffus; and we petty men
Walk under his huge legs, and peep about,
To find ourselves difhonourable graves.
Men, at fome times, are mafters of their fates;
The fault, dear BRUTUS, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.
BRUTUS and CAESAR! where's the difference?
Why fhould that name be founded more than yours?
Write them together, yours is as fair a name;
Shout BRUTUS, and the echo is as loud:
BRUTUS and CAESAR! Conjure with thofe names,
BRUTUS will start a fpirit, as soon as CAESAR.
Now in the name of all the Gods at once,
On what high fame does this our CAESAR feed,
That he is grown fo great? Age, thou art sham'd!
Rome, thou haft loft thy breed of noble blood!
When did there pafs an age, fince time first was,
That the whole world refounded but one man?
When could they fay, till now, who talk'd of Rome,
That her wide walls contain'd one fingle hero?
O, you and I have heard our fathers fay,
There was a BRUTUS once, who kill'd his fons,
And would have flain his dearest friend, nay father,
Rather than fuffer Rome to be enílav'd,
That CASSIUS loves me, I am nothing jealous;
What you would work me to, I have some aim;
How I have thought of this, and of these times,
I shall recount hereafter; for this present,
I would not (if with love I might intreat it)
Be any farther mov'd. What you have said,
I will confider; what you have to fay,
I will with patience bear, and find a time
Both fit to hear, and answer fuch high things.
Till then, my noble friend, remember this;
BRUTUS had rather be a villager,
A worthlefs ftranger, than a fon of Rome,
Under fuch hard conditions as this time
Is like to lay upon us.
That my weak words have drawn thus much from BRU
A fudden ftorm! I'll leave you, noble CASSIUS;
[Exceffive thunder and lightning on a fudden.
We are obferv'd. At midniglit, if you please,
We'll meet again, and talk of this more largely.
CASSIUS.
I will not fail to wait on worthy BRUTUS.
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