HISTORICAL NOTICE

OP

JULIUS CÆSAR.

The adventures of Julius Cæsar and his untimely death had occupied the pens of several of our early dramatic authors previous to the composition of this tragedy, which is conjectured by Malone to have made its appearance in 1607; about which period, William Alexander, afterwards earl of Sterline, published a tragedy on the same subject, in which the assassination of Cæsar, which is not exhibited, but related to the audience, forms the catastrophe of his piece. To none of these sources, however, so far as we are acquainted with them, does Shakspeare appear to have been at all indebted; whilst every scene of his play proclaims his obligations to Plutarch's Lives, then recently translated by Sir Thomas North. This drama was neither entered at Stationers' Hall, nor printed, before 1623; but a memorandum in the papers of the late Mr. George Vertue states that a play, called Cæsar's Tragedy, was acted at court before April 10, 1613, which is supposed to have been the present piece; it being a frequent practice at that time to alter the name of our author's plays.

The events contained in this drama commence with the festival of the Lupercalia, in February, A. U.C. 709, and conclude with the defeat of Brutus and Cassius, about the end of October, A. U. C. 711.

"Of this tragedy,' says Dr. Johnson, many particular passages deserve regard; and the contention and reconcilement of Brutus and Cassius is universally celebrated; but I have never been strongly agitated in perusing it, and think it somewhat cold and unaffecting, compared with some other of Shakspeare's plays: his adherence to the real story and to Roman manners seems to have impeded the natural vigor of bis genius.'

ARGUMENT.

The defeat of the two sons of Pompey in Spain having extinguished all opposition, Cæsar returns in triumph to the city, in order to prepare for his Parthian expedition, previous to which he is anxious to assume the crown, which is publicly presented to him by Mark Antony at the festival of the Lupercalia. Alarmed at this prospect of regal usurpation, a band of conspirators, with Brutus and Cassius at their head, resolve to emancipate their country from tyranny; and the conqueror is accordingly assassinated in the senate-house. The humane though mistaken policy of Brutus preserves the life of Antony, who soon finds means to excite the populace in his favor, and expel the conspirators from Rome. The endeavors of this profligate man to succeed to the despotism of his late master prove unsuccessful; and he is reluctantly compelled to admit Octavius Cæsar, and a powerful general named Lepidus, to a share of the government, with whom a triumvirate is at length formed. After issuing a sanguinary proscription, in which Cicero is included, and witnessing the destruction of their domestic enemies, Octavius and Antony embark for Macedonia, in pursuit of Brutus and Cassius, who risk a general engagement near Philippi, in which the republican army is totally routed; while their daring leaders are reduced to the melancholy necessity of resorting to a voluntary death to escape the vengeance of their victorious opponents.

CINNA, a poet. Another POET.

LUCILIUS, TITINIUS, MESSALA, YOUNG CATO, and VOLUMNIUS, friends to Brutus and Cassius.

VARRO, CLITUS, CLAUDIUS, STRATO, LUCIUS, DARDANIUS, servants to Brutus.

PINDARUS, servant to Cassius.

CALPHURNIA, wife to Cæsar.

PORTIA, wife to Brutus.

Senators, Citizens, Guards, Attendants, &c.

SCENE, during a great part of the play, at Rome; afterwards at Sardis; and near Philippi.