Mes. Cicero 34 is dead,

And by that order of proscription.

Had you your letters from your wife, my lord?
Bru. No, Messala.

Mes. Nor nothing in your letters writ of her?
Bru. Nothing, Messala.

Mes.

That, methinks, is strange.

Bru. Why ask you? Hear you aught of her in yours?
Mes. No, my lord.

Bru. Now, as you are a Roman, 35 tell me true.

Mes. Then like a Roman bear the truth I tell:

For certain she is dead, and by strange manner.

Bru. Why, farewell, Portia. We must die, Messala: With meditating that she must die once, 36

I have the patience to endure it now.

Mes. Even so great men great losses should endure.
Cas. I have as much of this in art 37 as you,

But yet my nature could not bear it so.

Bru. Well, to our work alive. 38
Of marching to Philippi presently?
Cas. I do not think it good.

Bru.

Cas.

What do you think

Your reason?

This it is.

'T is better that the enemy seek us:

So shall he waste his means, weary his soldiers,

Doing himself offence; whilst we, lying still,

Are full of rest, defence, 39 and nimbleness.

Bru. Good reasons must, of force, give place to better.

The people, 'twixt Philippi and this ground,

Do stand but in a forc'd affection; 40

For they have grudg'd us contribution:

The enemy, marching along by them,
By them shall make a fuller number up,
Come on refresh'd, new-added, 41 and encourag'd:

3) Steevens vervollständigt den Vers in seiner Art, indem er ein Ay vor Cicero setzt.

35) Vgl. Anm. 18 dieser Sc.

36) Indem ich erwog, dass sie einmal, zu irgend einer Zeit, sterben würde, habe ich jetzt

die Fassung, ihren Tod zu ertragen.

37) art ist hier als das durch Studium Angeeignete dem Angebornen (nature) gegenübergestellt. So in K. Lear (A. 4, Sc. 6) nature's above art in that respect.

98) alive ist ein ermunternder Zuruf: Wohlan! munter an unser Werk!

39) defence

40) scil. to us.

41) new-added

Wehrtüchtigkeit.

Sie sind uns nur in äusserlichem erzwungenem Anschein zugethan.

Dyce liest new-aided dafür.

Etwas vermehren.

Hear me, good brother.

You must note beside,

Bru. Under your pardon.

That we have tried the utmost of our friends.

Our legions are brim-full, our cause is ripe:
The enemy increaseth every day;

We, at the height, are ready to decline.
There is a tide in the affairs of men,

Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, 42 all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat;

And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures. 43

Cas.

Then, with your will, go on: We will along ourselves, and meet them at Philippi. Bru. The deep of night is crept upon our talk,

And nature must obey necessity;

Which we will niggard 44 with a little rest.

There is no more to say?

Cas.

No more.

Good night:

Early to-morrow will we rise, and hence.

Bru. Lucius, my gown. 45 [Exit LUCIUS.] Farewell, good Messala: Good night, and good repose.

Cas.

O, my dear brother! .

This was an ill beginning of the night.

Never come such division 46 'tween our souls!

Let it not, Brutus.

[Exeunt CAS., TIT., and MES.

42) omitted bezieht sich auf tide und ist der Gegensatz zu taken at the flood: Wenn diese Strömung des Meeres, die zur Fluthzeit benutzt werden muss, unbenutzt vorübergeht. 43) Wir müssen entweder mit der günstigen Strömung fahren oder aber das, was wir auf's Spiel gesetzt, einbüssen. Venture ist namentlich das Risico bei einer Handels

unternehmung, die Schiffsladung.

41) to niggard

=

beknappen, kümmerlich oder spärlich mit Etwas abfinden.

45) Er verlangt sein Hauskleid oder Nachtgewand, nachdem er bisher seine kriegerische

Rüstung getragen.

46) d. h. solche Spaltung, wie sie zu Anfang des Abends (beginning of the night) zwischen die Beiden getreten war.

Re-enter LUCIUS, with the gown.

Give me the gown. Where is thy instrument?
Luc. Here in the tent.
Bru.

What! thou speak'st drowsily?

Poor knave, I blame thee not; thou art o'er-watch'd.
Call Claudius, 47 and some other of my men;
I'll have them sleep on cushions in my tent.
Luc. Varro, and Claudius!

Bru. I pray you, Sirs, lie in my tent, and sleep:

It may be, I shall raise you by and by

On business to my brother Cassius.

Var. So please you, we will stand, and watch your pleasure.
Bru. I will not have it so; lie down, good Sirs:

It may be, I shall otherwise bethink me. 48
Look, Lucius, here's the book I sought for so;
I put it in the pocket of my gown.

Luc. I was sure, your lordship did not give it me.
Bru. Bear with me, good boy, I am much forgetful.
Canst thou hold up thy heavy eyes awhile,
And touch thy instrument a strain or two?
Luc. Ay, my lord, an 't please you.
Bru.

[Servants lie down.

It does, my boy.

I trouble thee too much, but thou art willing.
Luc. It is my duty, Sir.

Bru. I should not urge thy duty past thy might:

I know, young bloods look for a time of rest.

Luc. I have slept, my lord, already.

Bru. It was well done, and thou shalt sleep again;

I will not hold thee long: if I do live,

I will be good to thee.

This is a sleepy tune: 49

Lay'st thou thy leaden mace

[Music, and a Song.

O murderous slumber!

50

upon my boy,

47) Die Fol. hat Claudio hier und im Folgenden. Vgl. A. 1, Sc. 2, Anm. 2.

haben erst die Hgg. das Varrus der Fol. in Varro latinisirt.

Ebenso

48) Vielleicht fällt mir noch Etwas ein, was ich dem Cassius sagen lasse; deshalb müsst

Ihr bei mir bleiben.

49) Eine einschläfernde Weise nennt er die von Lucius gesungene und gespielte Melodie,

weil der Sänger selbst darüber eingeschlafen ist.

Sc. 1) sleepy drinks

50) mace

=

einschläfernde Getränke.

Scepter, und

-

So in Winter's Tale (A. 1,

Keule. Sh. fand in Spenser's Fairy Queen dasselbe Attribut des Schlafes: But whenas Morpheus had with leaden mace || Arrested all

that courtly company.

That plays thee music? -Gentle knave, good night;
I will not do thee so much wrong to wake thee.
If thou dost nod, thou break'st thy instrument:
I'll take it from thee; and, good boy, good night. -
Let me see, let me see:
Where I left reading? 51

How ill this taper burns!

Is not the leaf turn'd down,
Here it is, I think.

Enter the Ghost of CAESAR.
Ha! who comes here?

I think, it is the weakness of mine eyes
That shapes this monstrous apparition. 52
It comes upon me. Art thou any thing?

Art thou some god, some angel, or some devil,
That mak'st my blood cold, and my hair to stare?
Speak to me, what thou art.

Ghost. Thy evil spirit, Brutus.

Bru.

Why com'st thou?

Ghost. To tell thee, thou shalt see me at Philippi.
Bru. Well; then I shall see thee again?
Ghost.

Ay, at Philippi.

[He sits down.

[Ghost vanishes. 53

Bru. Didst thou dream, Lucius, that thou so criedst out?

Luc. My lord, I do not know that I did cry.

Bru. Yes, that thou didst. Didst thou see any thing?

Luc. Nothing, my lord.

Bru. Sleep again, Lucius. - Sirrah, Claudius!

Fellow thou! awake!

51) Brutus sucht in dem Buche die Stelle, wo er aufhörte zu lesen und das Blatt einschlug. So in Cymbeline (A. 2, Sc. 2) fold down the leaf where I have left. 52) Bei Plutarch steht a wonderful strange and monstrous shape of a body. (Vgl. Einleitung pag. XI.). Dass die Erscheinung Cäsar's Geist war, fand Sh. jedoch nicht im Plutarch, wohl aber, dass das Licht matter brannte, als der Geist erschien: looking towards the light of the lamp that waxed very dim. So in K. Richard III. (A. 5, Sc. 3) the light burns blue.

53) Diese Bühnenweisung fehlt in der Fol. Rowe fügte zuerst Exit Ghost hinzu. 54) Die Saiten sind verstimmt. Damit entschuldigt der schlaftrunkene Lucius sich, dass er nicht weiter gespielt hat.

Var. My lord.

Clau. My lord.

Bru. Why did you so cry out, Sirs, in your sleep?

Var., Clau. Did we, my lord?

Bru.

Ay: saw you any thing?

Nor I, my lord.

Var. No, my lord, I saw nothing.
Clau.

Bru. Go, and commend me to my brother Cassius:
Bid him set on his powers betimes before,

And we will follow.

The Plains of Philippi.

Enter OCTAVIUS, ANTONY, and their Army.

Oct. Now, Antony, our hopes are answered.
You said, the enemy would not come down,
But keep the hills and upper regions;
It proves not so: their battles are at hand;
They mean to warn us at Philippi here,
Answering before we do demand of them.

Ant. Tut! I am in their bosoms, 2 and I know
Wherefore they do it: they could be content
To visit other places; 3 and come down

4

With fearful bravery, thinking by this face
To fasten in our thoughts that they have courage;
But 't is not so.

Enter a Messenger.

[Exeunt.

The enemy comes on in gallant show;

1) to warn

==

herbescheiden, vorfordern. So in K. Richard III. (A. 1, Sc. 3) and

sent to warn them to his royal presence.

2) ich bin so gut, wie ihr Vertrauter; ich weiss, was in ihrem Innern vorgeht. 3) sie würden froh sein, sie würden es sich gern gefallen lassen, wenn sie anderswohin

ziehen könnten, statt nach Philippi.

*) fearful bravery ist in dem doppelten Sinne, den Sh. mit dem Epitheton fearful verbindet, entweder eine Prahlerei, die unter muthiger Aussenseite eine Bangigkeit des Herzens verbirgt, oder eine Prahlerei, die sich ein schreckliches, furchtbares Ansehen giebt. Jener Deutung schliesst sich Malone, der letzteren und wahrscheinlicheren Steevens an, der in demselben Sinne aus Sidney's Arcadia citirt: which (scil. horse) she rid so as might show a fearful boldness, daring to do that which she knew

that she knew not how to do.