Why old men, fools, 4 and children calculate;
Why all these things change from their ordinance,
Their natures and pre-formed faculties

To monftrous quality; why, you shall find,
That heaven has infus'd them with these fpirits,
To make them inftruments of fear and warning
Unto fome monstrous ftate.

Now could I, Cafca, name to thee a man
Moft like this dreadful night;

That thunders, lightens, opens Graves, and roars
As doth the lion in the Capitol;

A man no mightier than thyfelf, or me,
In perfonal action; yet prodigious grown,
And fearful, as thefe ftrange eruptions are.

Cafea. 'Tis Cæfar that you mean; is it not, Caffius?
Caf. Let it be who it is: for Romans now
Have thewes and limbs like to their ancestors;
But, woe the while! our fathers' minds are dead,
And we are govern'd with our mothers' spirits:
Our yoke and fuff'rance fhew us womanish.

Cafea. Indeed, they fay, the Senators to-morrow Mean to establish Cæfar as a King:

And he shall wear his Crown by fea and land,
In every place, fave here in Italy.

Caf. I know, where I will wear this dagger then. Caffius from bondage will deliver Caffius.

Therein, ye Gods, you make the weak most strong;
Thereip, ye Gods, you tyrants do defeat;
Nor ftony tower, nor walls of beaten brass,
Nor airless dungeon, nor ftrong links of iron,
Can be retentive to the ftrength of spirit:

4 and children calculate;] Calculate here fignifies to foretel or prophefy: For the cuftom of foretelling fortunes by judicial Aftrology (which was at that time much in vogue) being performed by a long tedious calcu

lation, Shakespeare, with his ufual liberty, employs the Species [calculate] for the genus [foretel.]

WARBURTON.

Shakespeare found the liberty established. To calculate a nativiry, is the technical term.

But

But life, being weary of these worldly bars,
Never lacks power to difmifs itself.

If I know this; know all the world befides,
That part of tyranny, that I do bear,
I can shake off at pleasure.
Cafca. So can I:

So every bondman in his own hand bears
The power to cancel his captivity.

Caf. And why fhould Cafar be a tyrant then?
Poor man! I know, he would not be a wolf,
But that he fees, the Romans are but sheep;
He were no lion, were not Romans hinds.
Those that with hafte will make a mighty fire,
Begin it with weak ftraws. What trash is Rome,
What rubbish, and what offal, when it ferves
For the bafe matter to illuminate

So vile a thing as Cafar? But, oh grief!
Where haft thou led me? I, perhaps, speak this
Before a willing bondman: then I know,

5 My answer must be made. But I am arm'd,
And dangers are to me indifferent.

6

Cafca. You fpeak to Cafca, and to such a man,
That is no flearing tell-tale. Hold my hand:
7 Be factious for redrefs of all these griefs,
And I will fet this foot of mine as far,
As who goes farthest.

Caf. There's a bargain made.

Now know you, Cafca, I have moy'd already
Some certain of the nobleft-minded Romans,
To undergo, with me, an enterprize
Of honourable dang'rous confequence;
And I do know, by this they ftay for me

5 My answer must be made.-] I fhall be called to account, and must answer as for feditious words,

Hold my hand:] Is the

In Pompey's Porch. For now, this fearful night,
There is no ftir, or walking in the streets;
And the complexion of the element

In favour's, like the work we have in hand;
Moft bloody, fiery, and moft terrible.

Enter Cinna.

Cafea. Stand clofe a while, for here comes one
hafte.

Caf. 'Tis Cinna, I do know him by his gait;
He is a friend. Cinna, where hafte you fo?
Cin. To find out you.

Cimber?

in

Who's that, Metellus

Caf. No, it is Cafca, one incorporate

To our attempts.

Am I not ftaid for, Cinna?

Cin. I'm glad on't. What a fearful night is this? There's two or three of us have feen ftrange fights. Caf. Am I not ftaid for? Tell me.

Cin. Yes, you are. O Caffius! if you could

But win the noble Brutus to our party

Caf. Be you content. Good Cinna, take this paper, And look you lay it in the Prætor's chair, Where Brutus may but find it; and throw this In at his window; fet this up with wax Upon old Brutus' Statue. All this done, Repair to Pompey's porch, where you fhall find us. Is Decius Brutus, and Trebonius there?

Cin. All, but Metellus Cimber, and he's gone To feek you at your houfe. Well, I will hie, And fo beftow thefe papers, as you bade me. Caf. That done, repair to Pompey's Theatre. [Exit Cinna.

Is ferous, like the work-]

The old edition reads,

It favours, like the work

I think we fhould read,

.

have in hand;

Moft blood, fiery, and moft terrible.

Favour is look, countenance, ap

In favour's, like the work we pearance.

Come,

Come, Cafca, you and I will, yet, ere day,
See Brutus at his houfe; three parts of him
Is ours already, and the man entire
Upon the next encounter yields him ours.

Cafca. O, he fits high in all the people's hearts;
And that, which would appear offence in us,
His countenance, like richeft alchymy,

Will change to virtue and to worthiness.

Caf. Him, and his worth, and our great need of him,

You have right well conceited. Let us go,

For it is after midnight; and, ere day,

We will awake him, and be fure of him. [Exeunt.

II. SCENE I.

ACT II.

BRUTUS's Garden.

Enter BRUTUS.

BRUTUS.

WHAT, Lucius! ho!

I cannot by the progrefs of the stars,

Give guess how near to day

Lucius, I fay!

A

-I would, it were my fault to fleep fo foundly..

When, Lucius, when? awake, I fay? what Lu

cius !

Enter Lucius.

Luc. Call'd you, my Lord?

Bru. Get me a taper in my ftudy, Lucius: When it is lighted, come and call me here.

C 4

Luc.

Luc. I will, my Lord.

[Exit. Bru. It must be by his death; and, for my part, I know no perfonal cause to fpurn at him;

But for the general. He would be crown'd;

How that might change his nature, there's the queftion.

It is the bright day, that brings forth the adder; And that craves wary walking: Crown him-thatAnd then I grant we put a fting in him,

That at his will he may do danger with.
Th' abuse of Greatnefs is, when it disjoins
Remorfe from Power: and, to speak truth of Cæfar,
I have not known when his affections sway'd
More than his reafon. But 'tis a common proof,
That lowlinefs is young ambition's ladder,
Whereto the climber upward turns his face;
But when he once attains the upmost round,
He then unto the ladder turns his back,
Looks in the clouds, fcorning the base degrees
By which he did afcend. So Cæfar may:

2

Then, left he may, prevent. And fince the quarrel
Will bear no colour, for the thing he is,
Fashion it thus; that what he is, augmented,
Would run to these, and these extremities :
And therefore think him as a ferpent's egg,
Which, hatch'd, would, as his kind, grow mif-

chievous;

And kill him in the fhell.

Enter Lucius,

Luc. The taper burneth in your closet, Sir;
Searching the window for a flint, I found
This paper, thus feal'd up: and, I am fure,

9 Remorse from Power:- -]

Remorse, for mercy.

WARB.

common proof] Common

experiment.

2-bafe degrees] Low fteps. 3-as his kind,-] According to his nature.