But wherefore do you hold me here so 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' the other,
And I will look on both indifferently:
For, let the gods so speed 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 subject 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 Cæfar; fo were you:
We both have fed as well; and we can both
Endure the winter's cold, as well as he.
For once, upon a raw and gufty day,
The troubled Tyber chafing with her fhores,
Cæfar faid to me, Dar'ft thou, Caffius, now
Leap in with me into this angry flood,
Aud fwim to yonder point?-Upon the word,
Accouter'd as I was, I plunged in,

And bade 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,
Cæfar cry'd, Help me, Caffius, or Î fink.

I, as Eneas, our great ancestor,

Did from the flames of Troy upon his fhoulder
The old Anchifes bear, fo, from the waves of Tyber
Did I the tired Cæfar: And this man

Is now become a god; and Caffius is

A wretched creature, and muft bend his body,

If

8 Dr. Warburton has a long note on this occafion, which is very trifling. When Brutus firft names bonour and death, he calmly declares them indifferent; but as the image kindles in his mind, he fets bonour above life. Is not his natural? JoHNSON.

If Cæfar 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 shake: 'tis true, this god did shake:
His coward lips did from their colour fly 9;

And that fame eye, whofe bend doth awe the world,
Did lose his luftre: I did hear him groan :

Ay, and that tongue of his, that bade the Romans
Mark him, and write his speeches 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 ftart of the majeftick world',
And bear the palm alone.

Bru. Another general shout!

I do believe, that thefe applaufes are

[Shout. Flourish.

For fome new honours that are heap'd on Cæfar.
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 ourfelves difhonourable 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 them,
Brutus will start a fpirit as foon as Cæfar.
Now in the names of all the gods at once,
Upon what meat doth this our Cæfar feed,
That he is grown fo great? Age, thou art fham'd:.
Rome, thou hast lost the breed of noble bloods!.

B 5

[Shout..

When

9 A plain man would have faid, the colour fled from his lips, and not his lips from their colour. But the falfe expreffon was for the fake of as falle a piece of wit: a poor quibble, alluding to a coward flying from his colours.

This image is extremely noble: it is taken from the Olympic. games.

When went there by an age, fince the great flood,
But it was fam'd with more than with one man?
When could they fay till now, that talk'd of Rome,
That her wide walks encompass'd but one man?
Now is it Rome indeed, and room enough,

When there is in it but one only man.

O! you

and I have heard our fathers fay,

3

There was a Brutus once, that would have brook'd
The eternal devil 3 to keep his state in Rome,
As eafily as a king.

Bru. That you do love me, I am nothing jealous
What you would work me to, I have fome aim:
How I have thought of this, and of these times,
I fhall recount hereafter; for this prefent,
I would not, fo with love I might entreat you,
Be
any further mov'd. What you have faid,
I will confider; what you have to fay,

I will with patience hear: and find a time
Both meet to hear, and anfwer, fuch high things,
Till then, my noble friend, chew upon this;
Brutus had rather be a villager,

Than to repute himself a son of Rome
Under these hard conditions as this time

Is like to lay upon us 5.

Caf. I am glad, that my weak words

Have ftruck but thus much shew of fire from Brutus.

Re-ente CESAR, and his Train.

Bru. The games are done, and Cæfar is returning.
Caf. As they pafs by, pluck Cafca by the fleeve
And he will, after his four fashion, tell you
What hath proceeded, worthy note, to-day.
Bru. I will do fo:- But, look you, Caffius,

The angry fpot doth glow on Cæfar's brow,

2

-There was a Brutus once,] i. e. Lucius Junius Brutus,

3 I should think that our authour wrote rather, infernal devil.

I would continue to read eternal devil. STEEVENS.

• Confider this at leifure; ruminate on this.

And

JOHNSON.

5 As, in our authour's age, was frequently used in the fense of that.

And all the reft look like a chidden train:
Calphurnia's cheek is pale; and Cicero
Looks with fuch ferret and fuch firy eyes,
As we have seen him in the Capitol,
Being crofs'd in conference by fome fenators..
Caf. Casca will tell us what the matter is.
Caf. Antonius.

Ant. Cæfar.

Caf. Let me have men about me, that are fat;
Sleek-headed men, and fuch as fleep o'nights:
Yond' Caffius has a lean and hungry look;
He thinks too much: fuch men are dangerous.
Ant. Fear him not, Cæfar, he's not dangerous;
He is a noble Roman, and well given.

Caf. 'Would he were fatter:-But I fear him not:
Yet if my name were liable to fear,

I do not know the man I should avoid
So foon as that fpare Caffius. He reads much';
He is a great obferver, and he looks

Quite through the deeds of men: he loves no plays,
As thou doft, Antony; he hears no mufick :
Seldom he fmiles; and fmiles in fuch a fort,
As if he mock'd himself, and fcorn'd his fpirit
That could be mov'd to smile at any thing..
Such men as he be never at heart's ease,
Whiles they behold a greater than themselves;.
And therefore are they very dangerous.
I rather tell thee what is to be fear'd,.
Than what I fear; for always I am Cæfar.
Come on my right hand, for this ear is deaf,
And tell me truly what thou think'st of him.

[Exeunt CESAR, and his train. CASCA ftays behind. Cafca. You pull'd me by the cloak; Would you fpeak with me?

Bru. Ay, Cafca; tell us what hath chanc'd to-day,
That Cæfar looks fo fad.

Cafca. Why you were with him, were you not?
Bru. I fhould not then afk Cafca what had chanc'd.

:

Cafca. Why, there was a crown offer'd him and being offer'd him, he put it by with the back of his hand, thus and then the people fell a' fhouting.

Bru. What was the fecond noise for?
Cafca. Why for that too.

Caf. They fhouted thrice; What was the laft cry for?
Cafca. Why for that too.

Bru. Was the crown offer'd him thrice?

Cafea. Ay, marry, was't, and he put it by thrice, every time gentler than other; and at every putting by, mine honeft neighbours fhouted.

Caf. Who offer'd him the crown?
Cafca. Why, Antony.

Bru. Tell us the manner of it, gentle Casca.

Cafca. I can as well be hang'd, as tell the manner of it it was mere foolery, I did not mark it. I faw Mark Antony offer him a crown ;-yet 'twas not a crown neither, 'twas one of these coronets; and, as I told you, he put it by once: but, for all that, to my thinking, he would fain have had it. Then he offer'd it to him again; then he put it by again: but, to my thinking, he was very loth to lay his fingers off it. And then he offer'd it the third time; he put it the third time by: and still as he refufed it, the rabblement hooted, and clapp'd their chopp'd hands, and threw up their fweaty nightcaps, and utter'd fuch a deal of ftinking breath because Cæfar refufed the crown, that it had almost choked Cæfar; for he fwoon'd, and fell down at it: And for mine own part, I durft not laugh, for fear of opening my lips, and receiving the bad air.

Caf. But, foft, I pray you: What? did Cæfar fwoon? Cafca. He fell down in the market-place, and foam'd at mouth, and was speechless.

Bru. 'Tis very like; he hath the falling-fickness.
Caf. No, Cæfar hath it not; but you, and I,
And honest Casca, we have the falling-fickness.

Cafca. I know not what you mean by that; but, I am fure, Cæfar fell down. If the tag-rag people did not clap him, and hifs him, according as he pleafed, and dif

5

pleased