I trouble thee too much, but thou art willing. BRU. I fhould not urge thy duty paft thy might; I know, young bloods look for a time of rest. Luc. I have flept, my lord, already. BRU. It is well done; and thou fhalt fleep again; I will not hold thee long: if I do live, I will be good to thee. [Mufick, and a fong. This is a fleepy tune:-O murd'rous flumber! Lay'st thou thy leaden mace' upon my boy, That plays thee mufick?-Gentle knave, good night; I will not do thee fo much wrong to wake thee. 7 thy leaden mace-] A mace is the ancient term for a fceptre. So, in The Arraignment of Paris, 1584: Again: look upon my ftately grace, "Because the pomp that 'longs to Juno's mace," &c. because he knew no more "Fair Venus' Cefton, than dame Juno's mace." Again, in Marius and Sylla, 1594: proud Tarquinius "Rooted from Rome the fway of kingly mace." Again, in Spenfer's Faery Queen, B. I. c. x: "Who mightily upheld that royal mace." STEEVENS. Shakspeare probably remembered Spenfer in his Faery Queen, B. I. cant. iv. st. 44: "When as Morpheus had with leaden mafe "Arrested all that courtly company." HOLT WHITE. 8 Let me fee, let me fee;] As these words are wholly unmetrical, we may fuppofe our author meant to avail himself of the common colloquial phrafe.-Let's fee, let's fee. STEEVENS, Where I left reading? Here it is, I think. [He fits down. Enter the Ghost of CÆSAR. How ill this taper burns!-Ha! who comes here? That shapes this monstrous apparition. It comes upon me:-Art thou any thing? Art thou fome god, fome angel, or fome devil, GHOST. Thy evil fpirit, Brutus. BRU. Why com'ft thou? GHOST. To tell thee, thou shalt see me at Philippi. BRU. Well; Then I fhall fee thee again?" 8 Then I fall fee thee again?] Shakspeare has on this occafion deferted his original. It does not appear from Plutarch that the Ghost of Cæfar appeared to Brutus, but "a wonderful ftraunge and monftruous fhape of a body." This apparition could not be at once the shade of Cefar, and the evil genius of Brutus. "Brutus boldly afked what he was, a god, or a man, and what caufe brought him thither. The fpirit answered him, I am thy euill fpirit, Brutus; and thou fhalt fee me by the citie of Philippes. Brutus beeing no otherwife affrayd, replyed againe vnto it: well, then I fhall fee thee agayne. The fpirit presently vanished away; and Brutus called his men vnto him, who tolde him that they heard no noyfe, nor fawe any thing at all.” See the ftory of Caffius Parmenfis in Valerius Maximus, Lib. I. c. vii. STEEVENS. The words which Mr. Steevens has quoted, are from Plutarch's life of Brutus. Shakspeare had alfo certainly read Plutarch's account of this vision in the life of Cæfar: "Above all, the ghost that appeared unto Brutus, fhowed plainly that the goddes were offended with the murther of Cæfar. The vifion was thus. Brutus being ready to pafs over his army from the citie of Abydos to the other coaft lying directly against it, flept every night (as his manner 1 GHOST. Ay, at Philippi. BRU. Why, I will fee thee at Philippi then.Now I have taken heart, thou vanishest: Ill fpirit, I would hold more talk with thee.- Luc. The strings, my lord, are false. BRU. He thinks, he still is at his inftrument.Lucius, awake. Luc. My lord! BRU. Didft thou dream, Lucius, that thou fo cry'dft out? Luc. My lord, I do not know that I did cry. BRU. Yes, that thou didft: Didft thou see any thing? Luc. Nothing, my lord. BRU. Sleep again, Lucius.-Sirrah, Claudius! was,) in his tent; and being yet awake, thinking of his affaires,he thought he heard a noyfe at his tent-dore, and looking towards the light of the lampe that waxed very dimme, he faw a horrible vifion of a man, of a wonderfull greatnes and dreadful looke, which at the first made him marvelously afraid. But when he fawe that it did him no hurt, but ftoode by his bedde-fide, and faid nothing, at length he asked him what he was. The image aunfwered him, I am thy ill angel, Brutus, and thou fhalt fee me by the citie of Philippes. Then Brutus replyed agayne, and faid, Well, I fhall fee thee then. Therewithall the fpirit presently vanished from him." It is manifeft from the words above printed in Italicks, that Shakspeare had this paffage in his thoughts as well as the other. MALONE. That lights grew dim, or burned blue, at the approach of spectres, was a belief which our author might have found examples of in almost every book of his age that treats of fupernatural appearances. See King Richard III, Vol. X. p. 680. n. 6. STEEVENS, VAR. No, my lord, I faw nothing. BRU. Go, and commend me to my brother Caf fius; Bid him set on his powers betimes before, And we will follow. Ay; Saw you any thing? Nor I, my lord. Enter OCTAVIUS, ANTONY, and their Army. Ocr. Now, Antony, our hopes are answered: It proves not fo: their battles are at hand; 2 warn us-] To warn is to fummon. So, in K, John : "Who is it that hath warn'd us to the walls?" Shakspeare uses the word yet more intelligibly in King Richard III. "And fent to warn them to his royal prefence." Throughout the books of the Stationers Company, the word is Anfwering before we do demand of them. ANT. Tut, I am in their bosoms, and I know Wherefore they do it: they could be content To vifit other places; and come down With fearful bravery,' thinking, by this face, To faften in our thoughts that they have courage; But 'tis not fo. MES. Enter a Meffenger. Prepare you, generals: The enemy comes on in gallant show; Their bloody fign of battle is hung out, And fomething to be done immediately. ANT. Octavius, lead your battle foftly on, Upon the left hand of the even field. Ocr. Upon the right hand I, keep thou the left. ANT. Why do you cross me in this exigent? Ocr. I do not cross you; but I will do fo. [March. Drum. Enter BRUTUS, CASSIUS, and their Army; LUCILIUS, TITINIUS, MESSALA, and Others. BRU. They ftand, and would have parley. always used in this fenfe. "Receyved of Raufe Newbery for his fyne, that he came not to the hall when he was warned, according to the orders of this house." STEEVENS. 3 With fearful bravery,] That is, with a gallant show of courage, carrying with it terror and difmay. Fearful is ufed here, as in many other places, in an active fenfe-producing fear-intimidating. MALONE. So, in Churchyard's Siege of Leeth, 1575: "They were a feare unto the enmyes eye.' STEEVENS. keep thou] The tenour of the converfation evidently requires us to read-you. RITSON. |