As huge as high Olympus. CAS. Come, Antony, and young Octavius, come, Revenge yourselves alone on Caffius, For Caffius is aweary of the world: Hated by one he loves; brav'd by his brother; better Than ever thou lov'dft Caffius. BRU. Sheath your dagger: Be angry when you will, it fhall have scope; Do what you will, dishonour shall be humour. O Caffius, you are yoked with a lamb That carries anger, as the flint bears fire; Who, much enforced, fhows a hafty spark, And straight is cold again. 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. 7 If that thou be'ft a Roman, take it forth; &c.] I think he means only, that he is fo far from avarice, when the caufe of his country requires liberality, that if any man fhould wish for his heart, he would not need enforce his defire any otherwise, than by fhowing that he was a Roman. JOHNSON. This feems only a form of adjuration like that of Brutus, p. 364: "Now, as you are a Roman, tell me true." BLACKSTONE CAS. Do you confefs fo much? Give me your CAS. Have you not love enough to bear with me, When that rafh 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.8 CAS. How now? What's the matter? POET. For fhame, you generals; What do you mean? —and, henceforth,] Old copy, redundantly in respect both of sense and measfure :-" and from henceforth." But the prefent omiffion is countenanced by many paffages in our author, befides the following in Macbeth: 7 Thanes and kinfmen, - chides,] i. e. is clamorous, fcolds. So, in Asy Enter Poet.] Shakspeare found the present incident in Plutarch. The intruder, however, was Marcus Phaonius, who had been a friend and follower of Cato; not a poet, but one who affumed the character of a cynick philofopher. STEEVENS. Love, and be friends, as two fuch men should be; For I have seen more years, I am fure, than ye." 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 these jigging fools? * 9 Love, and be friends, as two fuch men should be; For I have feen more years, I am fure, than ye.] This paffage is a translation from the following one in the first book of Homer: ̓Αλλὰ πίθεσθ'. ἄμφω δὲ νεωτέρω ἐσὸν εμεῖο. which is thus given in Sir Thomas North's Plutarch: My lords, I pray you hearken both to me, STEEVENS. What Should the wars do with thefe jigging fools?] i. e. with thefe filly poets. A jig fignified, in our author's time, a metrical compofition, as well as a dance. So, in the prologue to Fletcher's Fair Maid of the Inn: "A jig fhall be clapp'd at, and every rhyme "Prais'd and applauded by a clamorous chime." [See note on Hamlet, Act III. fc. ii.] A modern editor, (Mr. Capell,) who, after having devoted the greater part of his life to the ftudy of old books, appears to have been extremely ignorant of ancient English literature, not knowing this, for jigging, reads (after Mr. Pope,) jingling. His work exhibits above Nine Hundred alterations of the genuine text, equally capricious and unwarrantable. This editor, of whom it was juftly faid by the late Bishop of Glocefter, that he had hung himself in chains over our poet's grave," having boafted in his preface, that "his emendations of the text were at least equal in number to thofe of all the other editors and commentators put together," I fome years ago had the curiofity to look into his volumes with this particular view. On examination I then found, that, of three hundred and twenty-five emendations of the ancient copies, which, as I then thought, he had properly received into his text, two hundred and eighty-five were fuggefted by fome former editor or commentator, and forty only by himself. But on a fecond and more rigorous examination I now find, that of the emendations properly adopted, (the number of which ap Companion, hence.3 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. BRU. [Exeunt LUCILIUS and TITINIUS. 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, If 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 you fo? O infupportable and touching lofs !- pears to be much smaller than that above-mentioned,) he has a claim to not more than fifteen. The innovations and arbitrary alterations, either adopted from others, or firft introduced by this editor, from ignorance of our antient cuftoms and phrafeology, amount to no less a number than NINE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY Two!! It is highly probable that many yet have escaped my notice. MALONE. 3 Companion, hence.] Companion is used as a term of reproach in many of the old plays; as we fay at prefent-fellow. So, in King Henry IV. P. II. Dol Tearsheet says to Piftol: I fcorn you, fcurvy companion," &c. STEEVENS. BRU. Impatient of my absence; 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, swallow'd fire.* CAS. And died fo?' ▲ And, her attendants abfent, fwallow'd fire.] This circumstance is taken from Plutarch. It is alfo mentioned by Val. Maximus. It cannot, however, be amifs to remark, that the death of Portia may want that foundation which has hitherto entitled her to a place in poetry, as a pattern of Roman fortitude. She is reported, by Pliny, I think, to have died at Rome of a lingering illness while Brutus was abroad; but fome writers feem to look on a natural death as a derogation from a diftinguished character. STEEVENS. Valerius Maximus fays that Portia survived Brutus, and killed herself on hearing that her husband was defeated and flain at Philippi. Plutarch's account in The Life of Brutus is as follows: And for Portia, Brutus' wife, Nicolaus the philofopher, and Valerius Maximus, doe wryte, that the determining to kill her felfe, (her parents and friends carefullie looking to her to kepe her from it,) tooke hotte burning coles, and caft them into her mouth, and kept her mouth so close, that she choked her felfe.-There was a letter of Brutus found, wrytten to his frendes, complaining of their negligence; that his wife being ficke, they would not helpe her, but fuffered her to kill her felfe, choofing to dye rather than to languish in paine. Thus it appeareth that Nicolaus knew not well that time, fith the letter (at least if it were Brutus' letter,) doth plainly declare the difeafe and love of this lady, and the manner of her death." North's Translation. · See alfo Martial, 1. 1. ep. 42. Valerius Maximus, and Nicolaus, and Plutarch, all agree in faying that fhe put an end to her life; and the letter, if authentick, afcertains that fhe did fo in the life-time of Brutus. Our author therefore, we fee, had fufficient authority for his reprefentation. MALONE. 5 And died fo? &c.] I fuppofe, these three fhort fpeeches were meant to form a fingle verfe, and originally stood as follows: Caf. And died fo? Bru. Even fo. Caf. Immortal gods! |