CASCA, by your voice.
CASCA.
Your ear is good. The air is ftrangely chang'd!
A very harmless air to honest men.
Who ever knew the Heavens threaten fo?
Who ever knew the earth fo full of faults?
For my part, I'll walk still about the streets,
Submitting to the dangers of the ftorm;
Unbutton'd thus, and carelefs, as you fee,
Will bare my bofom to the thunderbolt,
Just as the fiery flash begins to dart.
But wherefore would you so much tempt the Gods,
Sure, 'tis our part rather to fear and tremble,
When they, for causes to poor men unknown,
Send dreadful heralds to denounce a war.
You are dull, CASCA; and those sparks of fire,
That should inflame a Roman breast, you want,
Or elfe diffemble: you look pale, and gaze,
And put on fear, and lose yourself in wonder,
To fee this strange diforder in the Heav'ns:
Think on the earth, good CASCA; think on Rome;
If fiery meteors, and fool-frighting ghosts,
If monstrous births, and strange portentous things,
As you believe, break nature's settled course;
'Tis to accompany this monstrous state.
I could now, CASCA, name to thee a man
Moft like this dreadful night, which thunders, lightens,
Tears open graves, and keeps us all in terror:
A man no mightier than thyself, or me,
In real might, in worth; yet grown a giant;
And ev'ry Roman elfe seems but a pigmy.
It is not hard to guess the man you mean.
CASSIUS.
No matter for his name; for Romans now
Have limbs and finews, like their ancestors;
But where the minds of all our famous fathers?
Dead, dead with them! we have our mothers spirits;
'Tis womanish to see, and suffer this.
Indeed, they fay, the fenators to-morrow
Mean to establish CAESAR for their king;
And he shall wear his crown by fea and land,
In ev'ry place, but here in Italy.
I know where I shall wear this dagger then.
CASSIUS from bondage will deliver CASSIUS.
Herein the poor are rich, the weak most strong;
By this, the wretched mock at base oppreffion;
The meanest are victorious o'er the mighty.
Not tow'rs of stone, nor walls of harden'd brass,
Nor airlefs dungeons, the poor ftrength of tyrants!
Not all their strongest guards, nor heaviest chains,
Can in the least controul the mighty spirit.
For, noble life, when weary of itself,
Has always pow'r to fhake it off, at pleasure.
Since I know this, know all the world befides,
That part of tyranny prepar'd for me,
Thus ev'ry bondman in his own hand bears
The pow'r to cancel his captivity.
CASSIUS.
And why fhould CAESAR be a tyrant then?
Poor man! I know he would not be a wolf,
But that he fees the Romans are but sheep:
He were no lion, if we were not lambs.
But oh, diforder'd grief! where haft thou led me!
I fpeak, perhaps, before a willing bondman,
One whom tame fools miscal a mod'rate man;
That is, a mean complyer with the times.
But I am arm'd within against all danger.
CASSIUS, you speak to CASCA, to a man [words;
Whofe thoughts have all this while out-gone your
Here, take my hand, and make what use of it
The times and our neceffities require;
Then, there's a bargain made.
Now know, good CASCA, I have mov'd already
Some of the boldeft nobleft-minded Romans
To undertake with me an enterprize
Of honourable, dangerous confequence.
They now all stay for me in POMPEY's porch,
And fuch a night as this requires a shelter;
A night, that's like the noble work in hand,
All black, and terrible! But foft; stand close.
TREBONIUS! now I know him by his gait.
CASSIUS.
He is a friend; pray hold; whither so fast?
To look out you. Who's that, ME TELLUS CIMBER?
CASSIUS.
No, 'tis our CASCA, one as bold and honest.
Am I not stay'd for?
TREBONIUS.
What a night is this!
There's two or three of us have seen strange fights!
Well, let 'em see them. Tell me, am I staid for?
TREBONIUS.
O CASSIUS, if you could prevail with BRUTUS; He, as a band, would tye our party strong.
Why, is not BRUTUS one? I thought him fure.
CASSIUS.
Be you content. TREBONIUS, take this scroll,
And look you lay it in the ready way,
Where BRUTUS needs must find it; then, throw this
In at his window; fet this up with wax
Upon old BRUTUS' ftatue: all this done,
Repair to POMPEY's porch, where you shall find us. IS DECIUS BRUTUS, and MAR ULLUS there?
All, all are there, except METELLUS CIMBER;
And he is gone
to feek you at your house.
Away then; lofe no time: come, my good CASCA,
We will go vifit BRUTUS yet ere day:
Three parts of that good man are ours already,
And, on the next affault, he yields entire.
Oh, he fits high in all the people's hearts.
CASSIUS.
So, that which would appear offence in us,
His countenance, like the great art of chymists,
Will change to virtue, and to noble deeds.
Him, and his worth, and our great need of him,
You have confider'd well. Come, let's make hafte.
CASSIUS.
The fun that fees him next, fhall find him ours.
Inftead of the mufick ufually play'd between the Acts, the following verfes are, after this Act, to be fung by a Chorus reprefenting the Roman people.
HITHER is Roman honour gone?
Where is our antient virtue now?
That valour, which fo bright has fhone,
And with the wings of conqueft flown,
Muft to a haughty mafter bow:
Who, with our toil, our blood, and all we have befide, Gorges his ill-got pow'r, his humour, and his pride.
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