BRUTUS.

By Heav'n you shall hear all; then do your worst. Dare I not fay whatever you dare act?

Am I not equally concern'd with you

In this great war for freedom of our country?
Yet must not tell whatever hurts our caufe?
CASSIUS.

Tempt me no farther, Sir; you may repent it.

BRUTUS.

Tempt not you me with all your furious looks: I am above your threats, and can look down Both on yourself and them.

CASSIUS.

Were it not for the cause we have in hand,
I wou'd not bear this heap of injuries.
BRUTUS.

I injure! Where is that unlucky man
Who can with reafon make complaint of me?
If any, I'll acknowledge it with fhame.

The man who wrongs his meanest adversary,
Exalts his enemy above himself.

And can you think that I could injure CASSIUS,
My brother, and my friend?

CASSIUS.

If hearing lyes

With greedy ears, and foon believing them;
If mifinterpreting whate'er I do,

And representing things in fouleft colours,

Can be call'd wronging, who was e'er fo wrong'd?
BRUTUS,

If I have faid one word that founds unkindly,
My tongue has flipp'd, and quite deceiv'd my heart,

That melts like wax before your hottest anger.
Behold my tears for having fo much vex'd you.

CASSIUS.

What fays my BRUTUS? Speak that word again : Am I not then fo full, fo full of faults?

BRUTUS.

It was my frailty to presume fo much.
CASSIUS.

And mine to be fufpicious of my BRUTUS.
All fhall be mended.

BRUTUS.

But can you forgive

Too fharp expreffions, tho' with kind intent?
CASSIUS.

So kind intent, I own the obligation.

No man but BRUTUS durft have spoke so boldly; No man but BRUTUS would have spoke so kindly.

BRUTUS.

Oh! CASSIUS, nothing but the tender'st friendship,
And when I thought it for the publick good,
Could have embolden'd me to censure you.
CASSIUS.

Embrace me close, and witness how my heart
Leaps up transported with this fudden change.

BRUTUS.

It was an eager argument indeed,

But ends as it should do between fuch friends,
Refenting nothing but their country's wrongs.
Methinks good fpirits hov'ring all around us,
Should to the world proclaim our happy union,
Now, while our enemies combine in mifchief.
Thus firmly join'd, we'll firft be conquerors,
Then make all Rome contented as ourselves.

IV.

SCENE

Enter LUCILIUS and TITINIUS.

CASSIUS.

Come in, LUCILIUS; welcome, good TITINIUS.
Let us confult of our neceffities,

And manage well this laft important stake.
BRUTUS.

The ftate is thus at Rome: my letter mentions
Full fifty fenators, with thousands more,
Newly profcrib'd; and CICERO is one.

CASSIUS.

CICERO One! that talking friend of CAESAR! OCTAVIUS has well paid him for his pains; May ill men ever ufe each other fo.

BRUTUS.

Oh! gently cenfure ev'n a foe when dead.
See, CASSIUS, here the curfe of over-caution.
The wary walker, who mistrusts too much,
Treads not fo firm, but faintly, and fo ftumbles:
Thus TULLY fell, by too much fear of falling.
CASSIUS.

But ANTONY and young OCTAVIUS

Are marching hither with a mighty force:
The ufelefs LEPIDUS is left at Rome.

BRUTUS.

The question is, whether we had not best
Haste on, with anger bent againft our foes,
Rather than tamely wait their bold affault.
CASSIUS.

I am for staying here: my reafon this;

So long a march muft weary out our strength,
Which reft will give us here. Let them come on,
And, tir'd with toil, expose their bending bodies
Under our lufty arms, vigorous and fresh:
Besides, in this we take the ftoutest part;
For refolute expecting certain danger

Shews the most fettled courage; while the coward
Runs often fiercely on to fhun his fear,

And swallow down in hafte the bitter draught,
BRUTUS.

Some reasons have a strange fallacious force;
Juft as the pleafing colours us'd by artists
Delude the very fight. But, in my judgment,
It tires our army more to tarry here.
Opinion is the foul of ev'ry action;

Keep but that up, that keeps up all the reft:
And 'tis maintain'd by marks of resolution,
By rushing on the foe, forcing to fight,
Not ling'ring here behind with flacken'd vigour.
We must depend upon our zeal and cause,
And therefore in hot blood fhall do it beft.
If once we cool, their furer difcipline
Will foon prevail against our new-rais'd force.
The hearts of all our foldiers now are set
On fierce encountring, all their rage inflam'd;
There's nothing wanting but to draw their fwords,
And down goes tyranny, to rife no more.
Can we fit ftill, and paufe with fuch a thought?
So near a glorious deed there's no repose:
Impatience makes unquiet expectation,
And eager nature can allow no rest.

CASSIUS.

You fhall prevail; we'll let 'em but refresh,
And then we'll charge the foe.

BRUTUS.

Let us embrace; and, oh! my dearest brother, This quarrel fhall but make us better friends.

Ο

FOURTH CHORUS.

Of Roman Soldiers.

UR vows thus chearfully we fing, While martial mufick fires our blood: Let all the neighb'ring echoes ring

With clamours for our country's good: And, for reward, of the just Gods we claim A life with freedom, or a death with fame.

May Rome be freed from war's alarms,
And taxes heavy to be borne;

May the beware of foreign arms,

And fend them back with noble scorn.

And, for reward, &c.

May she no more confide in friends,
Who nothing farther understood,

Than only, for their private ends,

To wafte her wealth, and spill her blood. And, for reward, &c.