And do you now ftrew flowers in his way,
That comes in triumph over Pompey's blood?
Be gone

Run to your houfes, fall upon your knees,
Pray to the Gods, to intermit the plague
That needs muft light on this ingratitude.
this ingratitude.

Flav. Go, go, good countrymen; and for that

fault

Affemble all the poor men of your

fort,

Draw them to Tyber's bank, and weep your tears
Into the channel, 'till the loweft ftream

Do kifs the most exalted fhores of all. 89 390

[Exeunt Commoners.

See, whe're their bafeit metal be not mov'd;
They vanith tongue-ty'd in their gailtinefs,
Go you down that way tow'rds the Capitol,
This way will I. Difrobe the images, and I
If you do find them (3) deck'd with ceremonies.
Mar. May we do fo de

You know, it is the feaft of Lupercal.

e ftreets;

Flav. It is no matter. Let no images
Be hung with Cafar's trophies. I'll about,
And drive away the vulgar from the ftreets;
So do you too, where you perceive them thick. A
Thefe growing feathers, pluckt from Cefar's wing,
Will make him fly an ordinary pitch;

Who elfe would foar above the view of men,
And keep us all in fervile fearfulness.

towndessestandola notte [Exeunt feverally.

SCENE II.

Enter Cæfar, Antony. For the course, Calphurnia, Porcia, Decius, Cicero, Brutus, Caffius, Cafca, a

Soothsayer

Caf. Calphurnia

Cafca. Peace, ho! Cafar fpeaks.

s

A

| (3) deck'd with ceremonies.] Ceremonies, for religious ornaments. Thus afterwards he explains them by Cafar's trophies a i.e. fuch as he had dedicated to the Gods.

WARBURTON.

Caf.

Caf. Calphurnia

Calp. Here, my Lord.

Caf. Stand you directly in Antonius way, When he doth run his Courfe

Ant. Cæfar. My Lord.

Antonius

Caf. Forget not in your speed, Antonius, To touch Calphurnia; for our Elders fay, The barren, touched in this holy chafe, Shake off their fteril curse.

Ant. I fhall remember.

When Cæfar fays, do this; it is perform'd.
Caf. Set on, and leave no ceremony out.
South. Cafar,-

Caf. Ha! who calls?

Cafea. Bid every noife be ftill. Peace! Yet again.
Caf. Who is it in the Prefs, that calls on me?

I hear a tongue, fhriller than all the mufick,
Cry, Cæfar. Speak; Cæfar is turn'd to hear.
Sooth. Beware the Ides of March.

Caf. What man is that?

60

Bru. A footh-fayer bids you beware the Ides of March.

Caf. Set him before me; let me fee his face.bak Caf. Fellow, come from the throng. Look upon

Cæfar

Caf. What fay'st thou to me now? Speak once again..

Sooth. Beware the Ides of March.

Caf. He is a dreamer; let us leave him. Pass. [Sennet (4). Exeunt Cæfar and Train.

SCENE III.

Manent Brutus and Caffius.

Caf. Will you go fee the order of the Courfe

Bru. Not I.

Caf. I pray you, do.

(4) I have here inferted the word Senner, from the original edition, that I may have an opportunity of retracting a hafty. conjecture in one of the marginal directions in Henry VIII. Sonnet appears to be a particular tune or mode of martial mufick.

Bru

Bru. I am not gamefome; I do lack fome part o Of that quick fpirit that is in Antony.

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 (5) ftrange a handy Over your friend that loves you.no

Bru. Caffius,

Be not deceiv'd if I have veil'd my look,

I turn the trouble of my countenance

Meerly upon myfelf. Vexed I am,

Of late, with (6) paffions of fome difference,
Conceptions only proper to myself,

Which give fome foil, perhaps, to my behaviour;
But let not therefore my good friends be griev'd,
Among which number, Caffius, be you one, hot
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 paffiony
By means whereof, this breaft 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 itfelf, A (8)

But by reflexion from 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 refpect in Rome,
Except immortal Cafar, fpeaking of Brutus,
And groaning underneath this age's yoke,
Have with'd, that noble Brutus had his eyes-
Bru. Into what dangers would you lead me, Caffius,
That you would have me feek into myself,

(5)-frange a hand-] Strange, is alien, unfamiliar, fuch as might become a ftranger.

(6)-paffions of fome difference,] With a fluctuation of difcor dant opinions and defires.

A 4

For

For that which is not in me?

Caf. Therefore, good Brutus, be prepar'd to hear; And fince you know, you cannot see yourself So well as by reflexion; I, your glass,

Will modeftly difcover to yourself

That of yourself, which yet you know not of.
And be not jealous of me, gentle Brutus :
Were I a common laugher, or did ufe
(7) To ftale with ordinary oaths my love
To every new proteftor; if you know,
That I do fawn on men, and hug them hard,
And after fcandal them; or if you know,
That I profess myself in banqueting

To all the rout; then hold me dangerous.

[Flourish and fhout. Bru. What means this fhouting? I do fear, the

People

Chufe Cafar for their King.

Caf. Ay, do you fear it;

Then muft I think, you would not have it fo.

33 10

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, (8) And I will look on both indifferently,

For

(7) To ftale with ordinary oaths my love, &c.] To invite every new proteftor to my affection by the ftale or allurement of customary oaths: Aivan

(8) And I will look on both indifferently,] This is a contradic tion to the lines immediately fucceeding. If he lov'd honour, more than be fear'd death, how could they be both indifferent to him? Honour thus is but in equal ballance to death, which is not fpeaking at all like Brutus: for, in a foldier of any ordinary pretenfions, honor fhould always preponderate. We must cer tainly read,

And I will look on death indifferently.

What occafion'd the corruption, I prefume, was, the tranfcribers imagining, the adverb indifferently must be applied to two things oppos'd. But the ufe of the word does not demand it; nor does Shakespeare always apply it fo. In the prefent paffage it fignifies neglectingly, without fear, or concern: And fo Cafca afterwards, again in this act, employs it.

And dangers are to me indifferent.

I weigh

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. Abn

Well, Honour is the fubject of my ftory. A I cannot tell, what you and other men

douse A

a

Think of this life, but for my fingle felf,
I had as lief not be, asilive to be leat
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.
For once upon a raw and gufty day, Hanna omne no ́Ã
The troubled Tyber chafing with his hores, NO
Cæfar fays to me, "dar't thou, Caffius, now UEI
"Leap in with me into this angry flood,csben 25,77
"And fwim to yonder point ?"Upon the word,107,
Accoutred as I was, I plunged in,

And bid him follow; fo, indeed, he did.
The torrent roar'd, and we did buffet it
With lufty finews; throwing it afide, da Olbar difest
And ftemming it with hearts of controversylundi ya vi
But ere we could arrive the point propos'd,reline
Cafar cry'd, "Help me, Caffius, or I fink," Label
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 Cafar; and this man isinisiw noqu
Is now become a God; and Caffiuris wors addT
A wretched creature, and muft bend his body,
If Cæfar carelefly but nod to him, et turvo da (6)
He had a fever when he was in Spain, bad and blow
And when the fit was on him, I did mark is
How he did hake; 'tis true, this God did fhake;

weigh them not norcam deterr'd on the fcore of danger. WARBEATON. balThis long note is very trifling.o. When Brutus first names shnour and drath, he calmly declares them indifferent; but as the image kindles in his mind, he fets honour above life is not this naturale stud and am burew on todi