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Bru. 'Tis good. Go to the gate, fome body knocks.

[Exit Lucius. Since Caffius firft did whet me against Cæfar, I have not flept.

Between the acting of a dreadful thing,
And the firft motion, all the interim is
Like a phantafma, or a hideous dream:
The Genius and the mortal inftruments
Are then in council; and the state of man,
Like to a little kingdom, fuffers then
The nature of an infurrection.

Enter Lucius.

Luc. Sir, 'tis your brother Caffius at the door, Who doth defire to fee you.

Bru. Is he alone?

Luc. No, Sir, there are more with him.

Bru. Do you know them?

Luc. No, Sir, their hats are pluckt about their ears,

And half their faces buried in their cloaks,

That by no means I may discover them

By any mark of favour.

Bru. Let them enter.

They are the faction. O Confpiracy!

[Exit Lucius.

Sham'st thou to fhew thy dang'rous brow by night,

When evils are most free? O then, by day

Where wilt thou find a cavern dark enough,

To mask thy monftrous vifage? feek none, Confpiracy,

Hide it in fmiles and affability:

For if thou march, thy native femblance on,

Not Erebus it felf were dim enough

To hide thee from prevention.

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Enter Caffius, Cafca, Decimus, Cinna, Metellus,

and Trebonius.

Caf. I think we are too bold upon your reft;

Good morrow, Brutus; do we trouble you?

Bru.

Bru. I have been up this hour, awake all night. Know I thefe men that come along with you?

[Afide.

Caf. Yes, every man of them; and no man here
But honours you: and every one doth wifh
You had but that opinion of your self,
Which every noble Roman bears of you.
This is Trebonius.

Bru. He is welcome hither.
Caf. This, Decimus Brutus.
Bru. He is welcome too.

Caf. This, Cafca; this, Cinna ;
And this Metellus Cimber.

Bru. They are all welcome.

What watchful cares do interpose themselves

Betwixt your eyes and night?

Caf. Shall I entreat a word?

[They whisper.

Dec. Here lyes the Eaft: doth not the day break here? Cafc. No.

Cin. O pardon, Sir, it doth, and yon grey lines,

That fret the clouds, are meffengers of day.

Cafe. You fhall confefs that you are both deceiv'd: Here, as I point my fword, the fun arifes,

Which is a great way growing on the South,
Weighing the youthful feafon of the year.

Some two months hence, up higher toward the North
He first prefents his fire, and the high Eaft
Stands as the Capitol, directly here.

Bru. Give me your hands all over, one by one.
Caf. And let us fwear our refolution.

Bru. No, not an oath: if that the face of men,
The fufferance of our fouls, the time's abufe,
If thefe be motives weak, break off betimes,
And ev'ry man hence to his idle bed:
So let high-fighted tyranny range on,
'Till each man drop by lottery. But if thefe,
As I am fure they do, bear fire enough
To kindle cowards, and to fteel with valour
The melting fpirits of women; then, countrymen,

What

What need we any fpur but our own cause,
To prick us to redrefs? what other bond,
Than fecret Romans, that have spoke the word,
And will not palter? and what other oath,
Than honefty to honefty engag'd,

That this fhall be, or we will fall for it?
Swear priefts, and cowards, and men cautelous,
Old feeble carrions, and such suffering fouls
That welcome wrongs: unto bad caufes, fwear
Such creatures as men doubt; but do not stain
The even virtue of our enterprize,

Nor th' infuppreffive mettle of our fpirits,
To think, that or our caufe, or our performance,
'Doth need an oath: when ev'ry drop of blood
That ev'ry Roman bears, and nobly bears,
Is guilty of a feveral bastardy,

If he doth break the smallest particle
Of any promise that hath paft from him.

Caf. But what of Cicero? fhall we found him?
I think he will stand very strong with us.
Cafe. Let us not leave him out.

Cin. No, by no means.

Met. O let us have him, for his filver hairs
Will purchase us a good opinion,

And buy mens voices to commend our deeds:
It fhall be faid, his judgment rul'd our hands
Our youths and wildness fhall no whit appear,
But all be buried in his gravity.

Bru. O name him not: let us not break with him, For he will never follow any thing

That other men begin.

Caf. Then leave him out.

s'Dec. Indeed, he is not fit.`

Shall no man else be touch'd, but only Cæfar?

Caf. Decimus, well urg'd: I think it is not meet, Mark Antony fo well belov'd of Cafar

Should out-live Cafar: we fhall find of him

4 Did

5

A

This line to Cafea in former editions.

A fhrewd contriver. And you know, his means,
If he improve them, may well stretch so far
As to annoy us all; which to prevent,

Let Antony and Cæfar fall together.

Bru. Our course will feem too bloody, Caius Caffius,
To cut the head off, and then hack the limbs ;
Like wrath in death, and envy afterwards:
For Antony is but a limb of Cæfar.

Let us be facrificers, but not butchers:
We all ftand up against the spirit of Cafar,
And in the fpirit of man there is no blood:
O that we then could come by Cafar's fpirit,
And not difmember Cæfar! but, alas!
Cæfar muft bleed for it. And, gentle friends,
Let's kill him boldly, but not wrathfully;
Let's carve him as a difh fit for the Gods,
Not hew him as a carcafs fit for hounds.
And let our hearts, as fubtle mafters do,
Stir up their fervants to an act of rage,
And after feem to chide them. This fhall make
Our purpose neceffary, and not envious:
Which fo appearing to the common eyes,
We fhall be call'd purgers, not murderers.
And for Mark Antony, think not of him;
For he can do no more than Cafar's arm,
When Cafar's head is off.

Caf. Yet I do fear him ;

For the ingrafted love he bears to Cæfar

Bru. Alas, good Caffius, do not think of him:
If he love Cafar, all that he can do

Is to himself, take thought, and die for Cæfar.
And that were much he fhould; for he is giv'n
To fports, to wildnefs, and much company.

Treb. There is no fear in him; let him not die,
For he will live, and laugh at this hereafter. [Clock ftrikes.
Bru. Peace, count the clock.

Caf. The clock hath ftricken three.

Treb. 'Tis time to part.

Caf.

Caf. But it is doubtful yet,

If Cafar will come forth to-day, or no:
For he is fuperftitious grown of late,
Quite from the main opinion he held once
Of fantafies, of dreams, and ceremonies:
It may be, these apparent prodigies,
The unaccustom'd terror of this night,
And the perfuafion of his augurers,
May hold him from the Capitol to-day.

Dec. Never fear that; if he be fo refolv'd,
I can o'er-sway him; for he loves to hear
That unicorns may be betray'd with trees,
And bears with glaffes, elephants with holes,
Lions with toils, and men with flatterers:
But when I tell him he hates flatterers,
He fays he does; being then most flattered.
Leave me to work;

For I can give his humour the true bent;
And I will bring him to the Capitol.

Caf. Nay, we will all of us be there to fetch him.
Bru. By the eighth hour, is that the uttermoft?
Cin. Be that the uttermoft, and fail not then.
Met. Caius Ligarius doth bear Cæfar hatred,
Who rated him for fpeaking well of Pompey;
I wonder none of you have thought of him.

Bru. Now, good Metellus, go along to him:
He loves me well; and I have giv'n him reasons ;
Send him but hither, and I'll fashion him.

Caf. The morning comes upon's; we'll leave you, Brutus ; And, friends! difperfe your felves; but all remember What you have faid, and fhew your felves true Romans. Bru. Good Gentlemen, look fresh and merrily; Let not our looks put on our purposes,

But bear it as our Roman actors do,

With untir'd spirits, and formal conftancy;
And fo good-morrow to you every one.

Exeunt.

Manet

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