Cas. How foolish do your fears seem now, Calphurnia? I am ashamed I did yield to them. Give me my robe, for I will go : Enter PUBLIUS, BRUTUS, LIGARIUS, METELLUS, CASCA, TREBONIUS, and CINNA. And look where Publius is come to fetch me. Pub. Good morrow, Cæsar. Cas. Welcome, Publius. What, Brutus, are you stirr'd so early too?— As that same ague which hath made you lean.- Bru. Cas. I thank you Cæsar, 'tis strucken eight. See! Antony, that revels long o'nights, Good morrow, Antony. Ant. So to most noble Cæsar. Cas. Bid them prepare within : I am to blame to be thus waited for. Now, Cinna :--Now, Metellus :-) What, Trebonius! Treb. Cæsar, I will:-and so near will I be, [Aside. SCENE III. The same. A Street near the Capitol. Enter ARTEMIDORUS, reading a Paper. [Exeunt. Art. Cæsar, beware of Brutus; take heed of Cassius; come not near Casca; have an eye to Cinna; trust not Trebonius; mark well Metellus Cimber; Decius Brutus loves thee not; thou hast wronged Caius Ligarius. There is but one mind in all these men, and it is bent against Cæ sar. If thou beʼst not immortal, look about you: Security gives way to conspiracy. The mighty gods defend thee! Thy lover,3 Artemidoruş. Here will I stand, till Cæsar pass along, If thou read this, O Cæsar, thou may'st live; SCENE IV. [Exit. The same. Another Part of the same Street, before the House of Brutus. Enter PORTIA and LUCIUS. Por. I pr'ythee, boy, run to the senate-house; Stay not to answer me, but get thee gone: Why dost thou stay? Luc. To know my errand, madam, Por. I would have had thee there, and here again, Set a huge mountain 'tween my heart and tongue! How hard it is for women to keep counsel!- Luc. Madam, what should I do? Run to the Capitol, and nothing else? And so return to you, and nothing else? Por. Yes, bring me word, boy, if thy lord look well, 3 Thy lover,] See Vol. IV, p. 384, n. 5. Malone. 4 emulation,] Here, as on many other occasions, this word is used in an unfavourable sense, somewhat like-factious, envious, or malicious rivalry. So, in Troilus and Cressida: 5 "Whilst emulation in the army crept." Steevens. the fates with traitors do contrive.] The fates join with traitors in contriving thy destruction. Johnson. 6 Why dost thou stay? &c.] Shakspeare has expressed the pertarbation of King Richard the Third's mind by the same incident: 66 Dull, unmindful villain! "Why stay'st thou here, and go'st not to the duke?"Cat. First, mighty liege, tell me your highness' pleasure, "What from your grace I shall deliver to him." Steevens. For he went sickly forth: And take good note, Luc. I hear none, madam. Por. Pr'ythee, listen well: I heard a bustling rumour, like a fray, About the ninth hour, lady.. Por. Is Cæsar yet gone to the Capitol ? Sooth. Madam, not yet; I go to take my stand, To see him pass on to the Capitol. Por. Thou hast some suit to Cæsar, hast thou not? Sooth. That I have, lady: if it will please Cæsar To be so good to Cæsar, as to hear me, I shall beseech him to befriend himself. Por. Why, know'st thou any harm 's intended towards him? Sooth. None that I know will be, much that I fear may chance 8 Good morrow to you. Here the street is narrow: Por. I must go in.-Ah me! how weak a thing The heart of woman is! O Brutus! The heavens speed thee in thine enterprise! [Exit. 7 Enter Soothsayer.] The introduction of the Soothsayer here is unnecessary, and, I think, improper. All that he is made to say, should be given to Artemidorus; who is seen and accosted by Portia in his passage from his first stand, p. 55, to one more convenient, p. 57. Tyrwhitt. 8 None that I know will be, much that I fear may chance.] Sir T. Hanmer, very judiciously in my opinion, omits-may chance, which I regard as interpolated words; for they render the line too long by a foot, and the sense is complete without them. Steevens. Sure, the boy heard me :-Brutus hath a suit,9 Say, I am merry: come to me again, And bring me word what he doth say to thee. (Exeunt. ACT III....SCENE. I. The same. The Capitol; the Senate sitting. A Crowd of People in the Street leading to the Capitol; among them ARTEMIDORUS, and the Soothsayer. Flourish. Enter CAESAR, BRUTUS, CASSIUS, CASCA, DECIUS, METELLUS, TREBONIUS, CINNA, ANTONY, LEPIDUS, POPILIUS, PUBLIUS, and Others. Cas. The ides of March are come. Art. Hail, Cæsar! Read this schedule. Art. O, Cæsar, read mine first; for mine's a suit Pub. Sirrah, give place. Cas. What, urge you your petitions in the street? Come to the Capitol. CESAR enters the Capitol, the rest following. All the Senators rise. Pop. I wish, your enterprize to-day may thrive. Cas. What enterprize, Popilius? Pop. Fare you well. [Advances to CES. Bru. What said Popilius Lena? Cas. He wish'd, to-day our enterprize might thrive. I fear, our purpose is discovered. 9 Bru. Look, how he makes to Cæsar: Mark him.1 Brutus hath a suit, &c.] These words Portia addresses to Lucius, to deceive him, by assigning a false cause for her present perturbation. Malone. That Foucher us? Cas. Casca, be sudden, for we fear prevention. Brutus, what shall be done? If this be known, Cassius or Cæsar never shall turn back,2 For I will slay myself. Bru. Cassius, be constant: Popilius Lena speaks not of our purposes; For, look, he smiles, and Cæsar doth not change. [Exeunt ANT. and TRE.-CES. and the Senators Dec. Where is Metellus Cimber? Let him go, And presently prefer his suit to Cæsar. 1 Bru. He is address'd: press near, and second him. Cin. Casca, you are the first that rears your hand.4 Mark him.] The metre being here imperfect, I think, we should be at liberty to read :-Mark him well. So, in the paper read by Artemidorus, p. 54:—“ Mark well Metellus Cimber." Steevens. 2 Cassius or Cæsar never shall turn back,] Cassius says, If our purpose is discovered, either Cæsar or I shall never return alive; for, if we cannot kill him, I will certainly slay myself. The conspirators were numerous and resolute, and had they been betrayed, the confusion that must have arisen might have afforded desperate men an opportunity to despatch the tyrant. Ritson. 3 He is address'd;] i. e. he is ready. See Vol. IX, p. 279, n. 3. 4 Steevens. you are the first that rears your hand.] This, I think, is not English. The first folio has reares, which is not much better. To reduce the passage to the rules of grammar, we should read-You are the first that rears his hand. Tyrwhitt. According to the rules of grammar Shakspeare certainly should have written his hand; but he is often thus inaccurate. last Act of this play, Cassius says of himself, "Set in a note-book, learn'd and conn'd by rote, "To cast into my teeth." So, in the There in strict propriety our poet certainly should have written into his teeth." Malone. As this and similar offences against grammar, might have originated only from the ignorance of the players or their printers. I cannot concur in representing such mistakes as the positive inaccuracies of Shakspeare. According to this mode of reasoning, the false spellings of the first folio, as often as they are exampled by corresponding false spellings in the same book, may also be charged upon our author. Steevens. |