Dec. Here lies the eaft: Doth not the day break here?
Cafca. No.

Cin. O, pardon, fir, it doth; and yon grey lines,
That fret the clouds, are meffengers of day.

Cafca. You fhall confefs, that you are both deceiv'd.
Here, as I point my fword, the fun arises; '
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 presents his fire; and the high east
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 not the face of men 7,
The fufferance of our fouls, the time's abuse,-
If these be motives weak, break off betimes,
And every man hence to his idle bed;
So let high-fighted tyranny range on,
Till each man drop by lottery. But if these,
As I am fure they do, bear fire enough
To kindle cowards, and to steel with valour
The melting fpirits of women; then, countrymen,
What need we any fpur, but our own caufe,
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 honesty 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 fuch fuffering fouls
That welcome wrongs; unto bad caufes fwear
Such creatures as men doubt: but do not stain
The even virtue of our enterprize 9,
Nor the infuppreffive mettle of our spirits,

To

7 Dr. Warburton would read fate of men; but his elaborate emendation is, I think, erroneous. The face of men is the countenance, the regard, the esteem of the publick; in other terms, bonour and reputation; or the face of men may mean the dejected look of the people. JOHNSON. And will not fly from his engagements

9 The calm, equable, temperate fpirit that actuates us,

To think, that, or our caufe, or our performances
Did need an oath; when every drop of blood,
That every Roman bears, and nobly bears,
Is guilty of a feveral bastardy,

If he do break the fmalleft particle
Of any promise that hath past from him.

Caf. But what of Cicero? Shall we found him?
I think, he will ftand very strong with us.
Cafca. 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 men's voices to commend our deeds:
It fhall be faid, his judgment rul'd our hands;
Our youths, and wildness, shall no whit appear,
But all be bury'd 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.

Cafca. Indeed, he is not fit.

Dec. Shall no man elfe be touch'd, but only Cæfar?
Caf. Decius, well urg'd:-I think, it is not meet,
Mark Antony, fo well belov'd of Cæfar,

Should out-live Cæfar: We fhall find of him
A fhrewd contriver; and, you know, his means,
If he improve them, may well ftretch so far,

As to annoy us all which to prevent,

Let Antony, and Cæfar, fall together.

Bru. Our courfe 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, Caius.
We all ftand up against the spirit of Cæfar;
And in the fpirit of men there is no blood :
O, that we then could come by Cæfar's fpirit,
And not difmember Cæfar! But, alas,

Cæfar

Envy is here, as almost always in Shakspeare's plays, malice.

Cæfar muft bleed for it! And, gentle friends,
Let's kill him boldly, but not wrathfully;
Let's carve him as a dish fit for the gods,
Not hew him as a carcafe fit for hounds:
And let our hearts, as fubtle masters do,
Stir up their fervants to an act of rage,

And after seem to chide them. This shall make
Our purpofe neceffary, and not envious:
Which fo appearing to the common eyes,
We shall be call'd purgers, not murderers.
And for Mark Antony, think not of him ;
For he can do no more than Cæfar's arm,
When Cæfar's head is off.

Caf. Yet I fear him :

For in the ingrafted love he bears to Cæfar,-
Bru. Alas, good Caffius, do not think of him:
If he love Cæfar, all that he can do

Is to himself; take thought', and die for Cæfar:
And that were much he should; for he is given
To sports, to wildness, and much company.

Treb. There is no fear in him; let him not die;
For he will live, and laugh at this hereafter."

Bru. Peace, count the clock.

Caf. The clock hath stricken three.
Treb. 'Tis time to part.

Caf. But it is doubtful yet,

[Clock Atrikes.

Whe'r Cæfar will come forth to-day, or no:
For he is fuperftitious grown of late;
Quite from the main opinion he held once
Of fantafy, of dreams, and ceremonies":
It may be, these apparent prodigies,
'The unaccustom'd terrour of this night,
And the perfuafion of his augurers,
May hold him from the Capitol to-day.
Dec. Never fear that: If he be so resolv'd,
I can o'erfway him: for he loves to hear,
That unicorns may be betray'd with trees,
VOL. VI.
C

11 take thought,] That is, turn melancholy.

And

? Main opinion is leading fixed predominant opinion. JOHNSON.

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.
Let me 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 uttermost ?
Cin. Be that the uttermoft, and fail not then.
Met. Caius Ligarius doth bear Cæfar hard,
Who rated him for speaking well of Pompey;
I wonder, none of you have thought of him.

Bru. Now, good Metellus, go along by him 3:
He loves me well, and I have given him reasons ;
Send him but hither, and I'll fashion him.

Caf. The morning comes upon us: We'll leave you,

Brutus:

And, friends, difperfe yourselves: but all remember
What you have faid, and fhew yourselves true Romans.
Bru. Good gentlemen, look fresh and merrily;
Let not our locks put on our purposes + ;
But bear it as our Roman actors do,
With untir'd fpirits, and formal conftancy:
And fo, good-morrow to you every one.

[Exeunt all but Brutas.

Boy! Lucius-Faft afleep? It is no matter;
Enjoy the honey-heavy dew of flumber:
Thou haft no figures, nor no fantafies,
Which bufy care draws in the brains of men;
Therefore thou fleep'ft fo found.

Enter PORTIA.

Por. Brutus, my lord!

Bru. Portia, what mean you? Wherefore rife you now? It is not for your health, thus to commit

Your weak condition to the raw cold morning.

Por. Nor for yours neither. You have ungently, Brutus,

3- by bim:] That is, by his house. Make that your way home.
• Let not our faces put on, that is, wear or fbord our defigns, 1

Stole

Stole from my bed: And yefternight, at fupper,
You fuddenly arcfe, and walk'd about,
Mafing, and fighing, with your arms across :
And when I afk'd you what the matter was,
You ftar'd upon me with ungentle looks:
I urg'd you further; then you fcratch'd your head,
And too impatiently ftamp'd with your foot:
Yet I infifted, yet you answer'd not;

But, with an angry wafture of your hand,
Gave fign for me to leave you: So I did;
Fearing to ftrengthen that impatience,
Which feem'd too much enkindled; and, withal,
Hoping it was but an effect of humour,

Which fometime hath his hour with every man.
It will not let you eat, nor talk, nor fleep;
And, could it work fo much upon your fhape,
As it hath much prevail'd on your condition",
I should not know you, Brutus. Dear my lord,
Make me acquainted with your caufe of grief.

Bru. I am not well in health, and that is all.
Por. Brutus is wife, and, were he not in health,
He would embrace the means to come by it..

Bru. Why, fo I do :-Good Portia, go to bed.
Por. Is Brutus fick? and is it phyfical
To walk unbraced, and fuck up the humours
Of the dank morning? What, is Brutus fick ;
And will he steal out of his wholesome bed,
To dare the vile contagion of the night?
And tempt the rheumy and unpurged air
To add unto his fie nefs? No, my Brutus;
You have fome fick offence within your mind,
Which, by the right and virtue of my place,
I ought to know of: And, upon my knees,
I charm you, by my once commended beauty,
By all your vows of love, and that great vow
Which did incorporate and make us one,
That you unfold to me, yourfelf, your half,
Why you are heavy: and what men to-night

C 21

5 On your temper; the difpofition of your minde

Have