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SCENE II.

Before BRUTUS' tent, in the camp near Sardis.

Drum. Enter BRUTUS, LUCILIUS, LUCIUS, and Soldiers:
TITINIUS and PINDARUS meet them.

Stand, ho!

BRUTUS.

LUCIUS.

Give the word, ho! and stand.

BRUTUS.

What now, Lucilius! is Cassius near?

LUCIUS.

He is at hand; and Pindarus is come
To do you salutation from his master.

BRUTUS.

He greets me well 1). Your master, Pindarus,
In his own change, or by ill officers 2)

Hath given me some worthy cause to wish
Things done undone; but, if he be at hand,
I shall be satisfied.

PINDARUS.

I do not doubt

But that my noble master will appear
Such as he is, full of regard and honour.

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BRUTUS.

He is not doubted. A word, Lucilius:
How he receiv'd you let me be resolv'd.

1) d. i. zijn groet is mij welkom.

2) d. i. hetzij dat hij werkelijk zelf veranderd is of dat het aan den invloed van slechte officieren is te wijten.

LUCIUS.

With courtesy, and with respect enough;
But not with such familiar instances 1),
Nor with such free and friendly conference,
As he hath used of old.

BRUTUS.

Thou hast describ'd

A hot friend cooling. Ever note, Lucilius,
When love begins to sicken and decay,
It useth an enforced ceremony.

There are no tricks in plain and simple faith;
But hollow men, like horses hot at hand,
Make gallant show and promise of their mettle,
But when they should endure the bloody spur,
They fall their crests 2), and, like deceitful jades,
Sink in the trial. Comes his army on?

LUCIUS.

They mean this night in Sardis to be quarter'd :
The greater part, the horse in general,

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3) The word is: het wachtwoord, het parool. Er is niet de minste reden, om te meenen, dat hier het parool het woord stand is geweest.

WITHIN.

Stand.

WITHIN.

Stand.

WITHIN.

Stand.

CASSIUS.

Most noble brother, you have done me wrong.

BRUTUS.

Judge me, you gods! Wrong I mine enemies?
And, if not so, how should I wrong a brother?

CASSIUS.

Brutus, this sober form of yours hides wrongs;
And when you do them

BRUTUS.

Cassius, be content 1),

Speak your griefs softly; I do know you well 2).
Before the eyes of both our armies here,
Which should perceive nothing but love from us,
Let us not wranglef: bid them move away;
Then in my tent, Cassius, enlarge your griefs,
And I will give you audience.

CASSIUS.

Pindarus,

1) Be content staat met de volgende bede in verband, zoodat de zin is: laat het u behagen, uw bezwaren niet zoo luid uit te spreken.

2) Die woorden: ik ken u wel, hebben eenvoudig deze beteekenis: ik weet zeer goed, hoe spoedig gij in toorn en drift ontsteekt; en zoo iets zou een zeer kwaad voorbeeld zijn voor onze soldaten, die ons nooit anders dan op een goeden voet met elkaar moeten zien.

Bid our commanders lead their charges off 1)

A little from this ground.

BRUTUS.

Lucius, do you the like; and let no man

Come to our tent, till we have done our conference.
Lucilius and Titinius guard our door.

[Exeunt.

SCENE III.

Within the tent of BRUTUS.

Enter BRUTUS and CASSIUS.

CASSIUS.

That you have wrong'd me doth appear in this:
You have condemn'd and noted 2) Lucius Pella
For taking bribes here of the Sardians;
Wherein my letters, praying on his side,
Because I knew the man, were slighted off.

BRUTUS.

You wrong'd yourself to write in such a case.

CASSIUS.

In such a time as this, it is not meet

That every nice 3) offence should bear his comment.

BRUTUS.

And let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself

Are much condemn'd to have an itching palm 4),

1) Their charges zijn de personen, aan hun opzicht toevertrouwd, de onder hun bevel staande troepen.

2) Noted is hier: met een zwarte kool aangeteekend, het Latijnsche infamia notatus.

3) Nice heeft hier den zin van trifling.

4) d. i. een hand die het jeukt naar geld.

To sell and mart your offices for gold 1)

To undeservers.

CASSIUS.

I an itching palm?

You know that you are Brutus that speak this,
Or, by the gods, this speech were else your last.

BRUTUS.

The name of Cassius honours this corruption,
And chastisement does therefore hide his head.

Chastisement!

CASSIUS.

BRUTUS.

Remember March, the ides of March remember.
Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake?
What villain touch'd his body, that did stab,
And not for justice 2)? What! shall one of us,
That struck the foremost man of all this world,
But for supporting robbers, shall we now
Contaminate our fingers with base bribes,
And sell the mighty space of our large honours
For so much trash as may be grasped thus?
I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon,
Than such a Roman.

CASSIUS.

Brutus, bay not me,

I'll not endure it: you forget yourself,
To hedge me in 3). I am a soldier, I,
Older in practice, abler than yourself

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1) Your offices beteekent: de betrekkingen die gij te vergeven hebt. 2) d. i. was er onder Cæsar's moordenaars wel één, die een zoo groote dat hij anders dan ter wille van het recht hem doorsto

schurk was,

ken had?

3) d. i. met mij zoo in de engte te drijven.

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