Let me not hinder, Caffius, your defires;
I'll leave you.

Caf. Brutus, I do obferve you now of late;
I have not from your eyes that gentleness
And fhew of love, as I was wont to have;
You bear too ftubborn and too ftrange a hand
m friend that loves you.

Over your
Bru. Caffius,

Be not deceiv'd: If I have veil'd my look,
I turn the trouble of my countenance
Meerly upon myself. Vexed I am
Of late with paffions of fome difference,
Conceptions only proper to myself,

Which give some foil perhaps to my behaviours:
But let not therefore my good friends be griev'd,
(Among which number, Caffius, be you one)
Nor conftrue any further my neglect,

Than that poor Brutus, with himself at war,
Forgets the fhews of love to other men.

Caf. Then, Brutus, I have much mistook your paffion, By means whereof this breast of mine hath buried Thoughts of great value, worthy cogitations. Tell me, good Brutus, can you fee your face? Bru. No, Caffius; for the eye fees not° itself, But by reflection, P by fome other things.

Caf. 'Tis juft:

And it is very much lamented, Brutus,

That you have no fuch mirrors, as will turn
Your hidden worthiness into your eye,

That you might fee your fhadow. I have heard
Where many of the best respect in Rome,
Except immortal Cafar, fpeaking of Brutus,
And groaning underneath this age's yoak,
Have wifh'd that noble Brutus had his eyes.

Bru. Into what dangers would you lead me, Caffius?
That you would have me seek into myself

For that which is not in me?

Caf. Therefore, good Brutus, be prepar'd to hear:
And fince you know you cannot fee yourself
So well as by reflection, I, your glass,
Will modeftly discover to yourself

That of yourself which 4 yet you know not of
And be not jealous on me, gentle Brutus;

S

r

Were I a common laugher, or did ufe

To ftale with ordinary oaths my love

To every new protefter; if you know

That I do fawn on men, and hug them hard,

you.

a The two first fo's, you yet for yet feems to have mifunderftood the drift of

So the fo's; the rest, of for on. s The fo's and R.'s octavo read laughter, which Mr. Seward, in his notes on Beaumont and Fletcher, (Note 10 of the Faithful Shepherdefs) thinks a ftronger word to exprefs a low buffoon than laugher. "But (fays Heath in loc.) he

the poet; a low buffoon, who is commonly laughed at, is not the idea he intended, but one who, without regard to friendship or any other confideration, abuses the indulgent confidence of his friends, in order to expofe them to the laughter of the first company he comes into."

And

And after scandal them; or if you know,

t

That I profefs myself in banqueting

To all the rout, then hold me dangerous.

[Shout within.

Bru. What means this fhouting? I do fear the people

Chufe Cafar for their king.

Caf. Ay, do you fear it?

Then must I think you would not have it fo.

Bru. I would not, Caffius; yet I love him well.

But wherefore do you hold me here fo long?
What is it that you would impart to me?
If it be aught toward the general good,
Set honour in one eye, and death i' th' other,
And I will look on both indifferently:
For let the gods fo fpeed me, as I love

The name of honour, more than I fear death.

Caf. I know that virtue to be in you, Brutus,
As well as I do know your outward favour.
Well, honour is the fubject of my story.
I cannot tell, what you and other men
Think of this life; but for my fingle felf,
I had as lief not be, as live to be
In awe of fuch a thing as I myself.

I was born free as Cafar, fo were you;
We both have fed as well; and we can both
Endure the winter's cold as well as he.

fhout.

The three laft fo's omit myself.
All but G. direct [Flourish and

w T. H. W. and 7. read death for beth. This is W's emendation. See

W. in loc. Upton's Critical Obfervations, 2d edit. p. 314; and Heath's Revifal in loc.

The three laft fo's omit for.

For

For once, upon a raw and gufty day,

Y

The troubled Tyber chafing with 2 his shores,
Cafara faid to me, Dar'ft thou, Caffius, now
Leap in with me into this

angry flood,
And swim to yonder point? Upon the word,
b Accoutred as I was, I plunged in,

And bad him follow: fo indeed he did.
The torrent roar'd; and we did buffet it
With lufty finews, throwing it afide,
And ftemming it with hearts of controverfy:
But ere we could arrive the point propos'd,
Cafar cry'd, Help me, Caffius, or I fink.
I, as Eneas, our great ancestor,

Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder

The old Anchifes bear, fo, from the waves of Tyber,

Did I the tired Cafar: And this man.

Is now become a god; and Caffius is

A wretched creature, and muft bend his body,
IfCafar carelessly but nod on him.

He had a fever when he was in Spain,

And when the fit was on him, I did mark

How he did fhake; 'tis true this god did flake.
His coward lips did from their colour fly;

And that fame eye, whofe bend doth awe the world,

The 2d and 3d fo's, chafing.

z The fo's read her for bis.

a All but first f. and C. fays for

faid.

c P.'s duodecimo, T. W. and J. bid

for bad.

d P.'s duodecimo, be for we.
eR.'s octavo reads, But e'er we could

b The three laft fo's, Accounted for we arrive, &c. Accoutred,

f Second f. feaber,

Did

Did lofe his luftre; I did hear him groan:
Ay, and that tongue of his, that bad the Romans

Mark him, and write his fpeeches in their books,
Alas! it cry'd, Give me fome drink, Titinius,

As a fick girl. Ye gods it doth amaze me,
A man of fuch a feeble temper fhould
So get the start of the majestic world,
And bear the palm alone.

Bru. Another general shout!

I do believe, that these applauses are

For fome new honours that are heap'd on Cafar.

[* Shout.

Caf. Why, man, he doth beftride the narrow world
Like a Coloffus; and we petty men

Walk under his huge legs, and peep about
To find ourselves dishonourable graves.

Men at fome time are mafters of their fates
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.
Brutus, and Cæfar :-What should be in that Cæfar?
Why should that name be founded more than yours ?
Write them together, yours is as fair a name;
Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well;
Weigh them, it is as heavy; conjure with 'em ",