Bru. They are all welcome.

Cas. But what of Cicero ? shall we sound him ? What watchful cares do interpose themselves I think he will stand very strong with us. Betwixt your eyes and night ?

Casca. Let us not leave him out. Cas. Shall I entreat a word ?

Cin.

No, by no means. [BRUTUS and Cassius retire. MET. 0, let us have him ; for his silver hairs Dec. Here lies the east : doth not the day Will purchase us a good opinion, break here?

And buy men's voices to commend our deeds : Casca. No.

It shall be said, his judgment rul'd our hands ;
Cin. O, pardon, sir, it doth ; and yon grey lines, Our youths, and wildness, shall no whit appear,
That fret the clouds, are messengers of day. But all be buried in his gravity.
Casca. You shall confess that you are both BRU. O, name him not; let us not break with
deceiv'd.

him ; o
Here, as I point my sword, the sun arises ; For he will never follow anything
Which is a great way growing on the south, That other men begin.
Weighing the youthful season of the year.

Cas.

Then leave him out. Some two months hence, up higher toward the Casca. Indeed he is not fit. north

Dec. Shall no mon else be touch'd but only He first presents his fire ; and the high east

Cæsar ? Stands, as the Capitol, directly here.

Cas. Decius, well urg'd:-I think it is not meet, Bru. (Advancing.] Give me your hands all Mark Antony, so well belov’d of Cæsar, over, one by one.

Should outlive Cæsar: we shall find of him Cas. [Advancing.] And let us swear our re- A shrewd contriver; and, you know, his means, solution.

If he improve them, may well stretch so far Bru. No, not an oath : if not the face of men, As to annoy us all : which to prevent, The sufferance of our souls, the time's abuse,- Let Antony and Cæsar fall together. If these be motives weak, break off betimes, Bru. Our course will seem too bloody, Caius And every man hence to his idle bed ; b

Cassius, So let high-sighted tyranny range on,

To cut the head off, and then hack the limbs, Till each man drop by lottery. But if these, Like wrath in death, and envy' afterwards ; As I am sure they do, bear fire enough

For Antony is but a limb of Cæsar. To kindle cowards, and to steel with valour Let's be sacrificers, but not butchers, Caius. The melting spirits of women; then, countrymen, We all stand up against the spirit of Cæsar ; What need we any spur, but our own cause, And in the spirit of men there is no blood : To prick us to redress ? what other bond

O, that we, then, could come by Cæsar's spirit, Than secreto Romans, that have spoke the word, And not dismember Cæsar! But, alas, And will not palter ? and what other oath, Cæsar must bleed for it! And, gentle friends, Than honesty to honesty engag'd,

Let's kill him boldly, but not wrathfully ; That this shall be, or we will fall for it?

Let's carve him as a dish fit for the gods, Swear priests, and cowards, and men cautelous, Not hew him as a carcase fit for hounds : Old feeble carrions, and such suffering souls And let our hearts, as subtle masters do, That welcome wrongs ; unto bad causes swear Stir up their servants to an act of rage, Such creatures as men doubt: but do not stain And after seem to chide 'em. This shall make The evend virtue of our enterprise,

Our purpose necessary, and not envious : Nor the insuppressive mettle of our spirits, Which so appearing to the common eyes, To think that or our cause or our performance We shall be call'd purgers, not murderers. Did need an oath; when every drop of blood And for Mark Antony, think not of him; That every Roman bears, and nobly bears,

For he can do no more than Cæsar's arm, Is guilty of a several bastardy,

When Cæsar's head is off. If he do break the smallest particle

Cas.

Yet I fear him : Of

any promise that hath pass'd from him. For in the ingrafted love he bears to Cæsar,-

b

60

a – the face of men,-) If "face" be right, though it reads dubioasly, we are perhaps to understand the general gloom Observable on men's countenances : Warburton proposed fate, Mason fuith, and Malone fuiihs.

On the secret top of Oreb or of Sinai." d The even virtue-) The just, or equitable, quality. e - let us not break with him ;) Let us not open the matter to him.

b

you now?

с

d

Bru. Alas, good Cassius, do not think of him: With untir'd spirits and formal constancy: If he love Cæsar, all that he can do

And so, good-morrow to you every one. Is to himself,—take thought," and die for Cæsar :

[Exeunt all except BRUTUS. And that were much he should ; for he is given Boy! Lucius !-Fast asleep? It is no matter ; To sports, to wildness, and much company: Enjoy the honey-heavy dew of slumber : TREB. There is no fear in him ; 5 let him not Thou hast no figures nor no fantasies, die;

Which busy care draws in the brains of men; For he will live, and laugh at this hereafter. Therefore thou sleep’st so sound.

[Clock strikes.
BRU. Peace ! count the clock.
Cas.
The clock hath stricken three.

Enter Portia.
TREB. ’T is time to part.
Cas.
But it is doubtful yet,
Por,

Brutus, my lord !
Whether Cæsar will come forth to-day, or no; Bru. Portia, what mean you ? wherefore rise
For he is superstitious grown of late;
Quite from the main opinion he held once

It is not for your health thus to commit Of fantasy, of dreams, and ceremonies ; o

Your weak condition to the raw cold morning. It may be, these apparent“ prodigies,

Por. Nor for yours neither. You've ungently, The unaccustom’d terror of this night,

Brutus, And the persuasion of his augurers,

Stole from my bed : and yesternight, at supper, May hold him from the Capitol to-day.

You suddenly arose, and walk'd about,
Dec. Never fear that: if he be so resolv'd Musiug and sighing, with your arms across :
I can o'ersway him : for he loves to hear

And when I ask'd you what the matter was,
That unicorns may be betray'd with trees,

You star'd upon me with ungentle looks : And bears with glasses, elephants with holes, o I urg'd you further; then you scratch'd your Lions with toils, and men with flatterers :

head, But when I tell him he hates flatterers,

And too impatiently stamp'd with your foot : He

says he does,—being then most flattered. Yet I insisted, yet you answer'd not ; Let me work ;

But, with an angry wafture of your hand, For I can give his humour the true bent,

Gave sign for me to leave you : so I did; And I will bring him to the Capitol.

Fearing to strengthen that impatience Cas. Nay, we will all of us be there to fetch Which seem’d too much enkindled; and withal him.

Hoping it was but an effect of humour, Bru. By the eighth hour : is that the utter- Which sometime hath his hour with every man. most?

It will not let you eat, nor talk, nor sleep; Cin. Be that the uttermost, and fail not then. And, could it work so much upon your shape,

Met. Caius Ligarius doth bear Cæsar hard, As it hath much prevail'd on your condition," Who rated him for speaking well of Pompey; I should not know you, Brutus. Dear my lord, I wonder none of you have thought of him. Make me acquainted with your cause of grief.

Bru. Now, good Metellus, go along by him : Bru. I am not well in health, and that is all. He loves me well, and I have given him reasons; Por. Brutus is wise, and were he not in Send him but hither, and I'll fashion him.

health, Cas. The morning comes upon 's: we'll leave

He would embrace the means to come by it.

Bru. Why, so I do :-good Portia, go to bed. And, friends, disperse yourselves : but all re- Por. Is Brutus sick,—and is it physical i member

To walk unbraced, and suck up the humours What you have said, and show yourselves true Of the dank morning? What, is Brutus sick,Romans.

And will he steal out of his wholesome bed,
Bru. Good gentlemen, look fresh and merrily; To dare the vile contagion of the night,
Let not our looks put on our purposes ;

And tempt the rheumy and unpurged air
But bear it as our Roman actors do,

To add unto his sickness ? No, my Brutus ;

you, Brutus :

:

ก

b

d

- take thought,- ) Abandon himself to grief.
- no fear in him ;) That is, no cause of fear in him.

ceremonies;] See note (C), p. 23, Vol. II,
apparent - ] Manifest, eridint.

That unicorns may be betray'd with trees,

And bears with glasses, elephants with holes,-] For an account of the manner in which unicorns are related to have been captured, see note (1), p. 507, Vol. II. Bears, Steevens

says, were surprised by means of a mirror, which they would
gaze on, affording their pursuers an opportunity of taking the
sures aim; and elephants were seduced into pitfalls, lightly
covered with hurdles and turf. See Pliny's Natural History,
Book VIII.

- doth bear Cæsar hard,-) See note (b), p. 418.
& - go along by him ;) By his house, Malone says.
h - condition,-) Temper, disposition.
i - is it physical-) Is it medicinal.

To keep with you at meals, comfort your bed, Thou, like an exorcist, hast conjur’d up
And talk to you sometimes? Dwell I but in the My mortified spirit. Now bid me run,
suburbs

And I will strive with things impossible ;
Of your good pleasure? If it be no more, Yea, get the better of them. What's to do?
Portia is Brutus' harlot, not his wife.

Bru. A piece of work that will make sick men
Bru. You are my true and honourable wife:

whole.

(make sick ? As dear to me as are the ruddy drops

Lig. But are not some whole that we must That visit my sad heart.

Bru. That must we also.

What it is, my Por. If this were true, then should I know this

Caius, secret.

I shall unfold to thee, as we are going
I
grant

I
am a woman; but withal,

To whom it must be done.
A woman that lord Brutus took to wife:

Lig.

Set on your foot ; I grant I am a woman ; but withal,

And, with a heart new-fir’d, I follow you, A woman, well-reputed Cato's daughter.

To do I know not what: but it sufficeth
Think

you
I am no stronger than my sex,

That Brutus leads me on.
Being so father'd and so husbanded ?

Bru.

Follow me then.
Tell me your counsels, I will not disclose 'em :

[Exeunt.
I have made strong proof of my constancy,
Giving myself a voluntary wound
Here, in the thigh: can I bear that with patience,
And not my husband's secrets ? (2)

SCENE II.--The same. A Hall in Cæsar's
BRU.
O, ye gods,

Palace.
Render me worthy of this noble wife !-

[K’nocking without. Thunder and lightning. Enter CÆSAR. Hark, hark! one knocks : Portia, go in a while ; And by and by thy busom shall partake

Cæs. Nor heaven nor earth have been at peace The secrets of my heart :

to-night: All my engagements I will construe to thee, Thrice hath Calphurnia in her sleep cried out, All the charactery of my sad brows :

Help, ho! they murder Cæsar ! — Who's Leave me with haste.—Lucius, who's that knocks?

within ? [Exit PORTLA.

Enter a Servant.

с

1

Enter Lucius, followed by LIGARIUS.

Serv. My lord ?

Cæs. Go bid the priests do present sacrifice, Luc. Here is a sick man that would speak with And bring me their opinions of success. you.

Serv. I will, my lord.

[Exit.
Bru. Caius Ligarius, that Metellus spake of.-
Boy, stand aside.—Caius Ligarius ! how ?
LIG. Vouchsafe good morrow from a feeble

Enter CALPHURNIA.
tongue.
Bru. O, what a time have you chose out, Cal. What mean you, Cæsar ? think you to
brave Caius,

walk forth? To wear a kerchief! (3) Would you were not sick ! You shall not stir out of

your

house to-day. Lig. I am not sick, if Brutus bave in hand

CÆs. Cæsar shall forth: the things that Any exploit worthy the name of honour.

threaten'd me
Bru. Such an exploit have I in hand, Ligarius, Ne’er look'd but on my back; when they shall see
Had you a healthful ear to hear of it.

The face of Cæsar, they are vanished.
Lig. By all the gods that Romans bow before, Cal. Cæsar, I never stood on ceremonies,
I here discard my sickness ! Soul of Rome ! Yet now they fright me. There is one within,
Brave

son,
deriv'd from honourable loins !

Besides the things that we have heard and seen,

b

* To keep with you, &c.) To live with, to keep company with.

but withal, A woman, well-reputed Cato's daughter.] The customary pointing of this latter line is not satisfactory; it is usually printed,

"A woman well-reputed; Cato's daughter." But regarding what immediately precedes and follows, does she not mean,

“A woman, well-reputed Cato's daughter,"?
that is, A woman, daughter of the much-esteemed Cato? There
is a marked propriety, then, in her asking,-

“ Think you I am no stronger than my sex,

Being so father'd and so husbanded i”
© All the charactery of my sad brows :-) All that is written in
my melancholy aspect.