There was a Brutus once,' that would have brook'd
The eternal devil to keep his ftate in Rome,
As cafily as a king.

BRU. That you do love me, I am nothing jealous ;
What you would work me to, I have fome aim: "
How I have thought of this, and of these times,
I fhall recount hereafter; for this present,
I would not, fo with love I might entreat you,
Be any further mov'd. What
What you have faid,
I will confider; what you have to say,

I will with patience hear: and find a time
Both meet to hear, and answer, fuch high things.
Till then, my noble friend, chew upon this; "
Brutus had rather be a villager,

Than to repute himself a fon of Rome
Under these hard conditions as this time
Is like to lay upon us.7

CAS. I am glad, that my weak words

Have ftruck but thus much fhow of fire from Brutus.

3 There was a Brutus once,] i. e. Lucius Junius Brutus.

4

STEEVENS.

eternal devil- -] I should think that our author wrote rather, infernal devil. JOHNSON.

I would continue to read eternal devil. L. J. Brutus (fays Caffius) would as foon kave fubmitted to the perpetual dominion of a dæmon, as to the lafting government of a king. STEEVENS.

5

aim:] i. e. guefs. So, in The Two Gentlemen of Verona : But, fearing left my jealous aim might err,-." STEEVENS. -chew upon this;] Confider this at leisure; ruminate on this. JOHNSON.

6

Under these hard conditions as this time

Is like to lay upon us.] As, in our author's age, was frequently ufed in the fenfe of that. So, in North's Tranflation of Plutarch, 1579: - infomuch as they that faw it, thought he had been burnt." MALONE.

8 I am glad, that my weak words] For the fake of regular measure, Mr. Ritfon would read:

Caf.

Have fruck &c. STEEVENS.

I am glad, my words

Re-enter CESAR, and his Train.

BRU. The games are done, and Cæfar is returning.
CAS. As they pass by, pluck Casca by the sleeve;
And he will, after his four fashion, tell you
What hath proceeded, worthy note, to-day.

BRU. I will do fo:-But, look you, Caffius,
The angry spot doth glow on Cæfar's brow,
And all the reft look like a chidden train:
Calphurnia's cheek is pale; and Cicero
Looks with fuch ferret and fuch fiery eyes,
As we have seen him in the Capitol,
Being crofs'd in conference by fome fenators.
CAS. Cafca will tell us what the matter is.
CES. Antonius.

ANT. Cæfar.

8

CAS. Let me have men about me, that are fat; Sleek-headed men, and fuch as fleep o'nights: Yond' Caffius has a lean and hungry look; He thinks too much: fuch men are dangerous. ANT. Fear him not, Cæfar, he's not dangerous; He is a noble Roman, and well given.

"ferret] A ferret has red eyes. JOHNSON.

8 Sleek-headed men, &c.] So, in Sir Thomas North's translation of Plutarch, 1579; "When Cæfar's friends complained unto him of Antonius and Dolabella, that they pretended fome mischief towards him; he answered, as for those fat men and smooth-combed heads, (quoth he) I never reckon of them; but these pale-visaged and carrion-lean people, I fear them moft; meaning Brutus and Caffius."

And again:

"Cæfar had Caffius in great jealoufy, and fufpected him much; whereupon he faid on a time, to his friends, what will Caffius do, think you? I like not his pale looks." STEEVENS.

CES. 'Would he were fatter: 9-But I fear him

not:

Yet if my name were liable to fear,

I do not know the man I fhould avoid

So foon as that spare Caffius. He reads much;
He is a great obferver, and he looks

Quite through the deeds of men: he loves no plays,
As thou doft, Antony; he hears no mufick:"
Seldom he fmiles; and fmiles in fuch a fort,
As if he mock'd himself, and fcorn'd his fpirit
That could be mov'd to smile at any thing.
Such men as he be never at heart's ease,
Whiles they behold a greater than themselves;
And therefore are they very dangerous.
I rather tell thee what is to be fear'd,
Than what I fear; for always I am Cæfar.
Come on my right hand, for this ear is deaf,
And tell me truly what thou think'st of him.
[Exeunt CÆSAR, and his train. CASCA stays behind.
CASCA. You pull'd me by the cloak; Would you
fpeak with me?

BRU. Ay, Cafca; tell us what hath chanc'd today,

That Cæfar looks fo fad.

9 'Would he were fatter:] Ben Jonfon in his Bartholomew-Fair, 1614, unjustly fneers at this paffage, in Knockham's speech to the Pig-woman. "Come, there's no malice in fat folks; I never fear. thee, an I can fcape thy lean moon-calf there."

WARBURTON.

he hears no mufick:] Our author confidered the having no delight in mufick as fo certain a mark of an auftere difpofition, that in The Merchant of Venice he has pronounced, that

"The man that hath no mufick in himself,

"Is fit for treafons, ftratagems, and fpoils." MALONE. See Vol. V. p. 530, n. 8. STEEVENS.

CASCA. Why you were with him, were you not? BRU. I fhould not then afk Cafca what hath chanc'd.

CASCA. Why, there was a crown offer'd him: and being offer'd him, he put it by with the back of his hand, thus; and then the people fell a' fhouting.

BRU. What was the fecond noife for?

CASCA. Why, for that too.

CAS. They fhouted thrice; What was the last cry for?

CASCA. Why, for that too.

BRU. Was the crown offer'd him thrice?

CASCA. Ay, marry, was't, and he put it by thrice, every time gentler than other; and at every putting by, mine honeft neighbours fhouted.

CAS. Who offer'd him the crown?

CASCA. Why, Antony.

BRU. Tell us the manner of it, gentle Cafca. CASCA. I can as well be hang'd, as tell the manner of it: it was mere foolery, I did not mark it. I faw Mark Antony offer him a crown ;-yet 'twas not a crown neither, 'twas one of these coronets; ' —and, as I told you, he put it by once: but, for all that, to my thinking, he would fain have had it. Then he offer'd it to him again; then he put it by again but, to my thinking, he was very loath to lay his fingers off it. And then he offer'd it the third time; he put it the third time by and ftill as he refused it, the rabblement hooted, and clapp'd

3

one of thefe coronets;] So, in the old tranflation of Platarch: " -he came to Cæfar, and prefented him a diadem wreathed about with laurel." STEEVENS.

their chopp'd hands, and threw up their fweaty night-caps, and utter'd such a deal of ftinking breath because Cæfar refused the crown, that it had almost choked Cæfar; for he fwoon'd, and fell down at it: And for mine own part, I durft not laugh, for fear of opening my lips, and receiving the bad air.

CAS. But, foft, I pray you: What? did Cæfar fwoon?

CASCA. He fell down in the market-place, and foam'd at mouth, and was fpeechlefs.

BRU. 'Tis very like; he hath the falling-ficknefs. CAS. No, Cæfar hath it not; but you, and I, And honeft Cafca, we have the falling-fickness.

CASCA. I know not what you mean by that; but, I am fure, Cæfar fell down. If the tag-rag people did not clap him, and hifs him, according as he pleafed, and difpleased them, as they ufe to do the players in the theatre, I am no true man.4

BRU. What faid he, when he came unto himself?

CASCA. Marry, before he fell down, when he perceiv'd the common herd was glad he refufed the crown, he pluck'd me ope his doublet, and offer'd them his throat to cut.-An I had been a man of any occupation,' if I would not have taken him at a word, I would I might go to hell among the rogues:—and fo he fell. When he came to

-no true man.
MALONE.

.] No honeft man.

See Vol. IV. p. 325,

a man of any occupation,] Had I been a mechanick, one of the Plebeians to whom he offer'd his throat. JOHNSON. So, in Coriolanus, A&t IV. fc. vi:

66

Upon the voice of occupation." MALONE.

You that flood fo much