Prick him down, Antony.

Lep. Upon condition Publius shall not live, Who is your sister's son, Marc Antony.

Ant. He shall not live: look, with a spot I damn him.

But, Lepidus, go you to Cæsar's house:
Fetch the will hither, and we will determine
How to cut off some charge in legacies.
Lep. What, shall I find you here?
Oct. Or here or at the Capitol.

[Exit LEPIDUS.

And having brought our treasure where we will,
Then take we down his load, and turn him off,
Like to the empty ass, to shake his ears,
And graze in commons.

Oct.

You may do your will;

But he's a tried and valiant soldier.

Ant. So is my horse, Octavius; and for that
I do appoint him store of provender.
It is a creature that I teach to fight,
To wind, to stop, to run directly on:

His corporal motion governed by my spirit.
And, in some taste, is Lepidus but so:

He must be taught, and trained, and bid go forth.
A barren-spirited fellow: one that feeds
On objects, arts, and imitations;

Which, out of use, and staled by other men,
Begin his fashion. Do not talk of him
But as a property. And now, Octavius,
Listen great things:-Brutus and Cassius
Are levying powers: we must straight make head:
Therefore, let our alliance be combined,
Our best friends made, and our best means
stretched out;

And let us presently go sit in council
How covert matters may be best disclosed,
And open perils surest answered.

Oct. Let us do so: for we are at the stake,

Drum. Enter BRUTUS, LUCILIUS, LUCIUS, and Soldiers: TITINIUS and PINDARUS meeting them. Bru. Stand, ho!

Luc. Give the word, ho! and stand.

Bru. What now, Lucilius: is Cassius near? Luc. He is at hand; and Pindarus is come To do salutation from his master. you

[PINDARUS gives a letter to BRUtus. Bru. He greets me well.-Your master, Pindarus,

In his own change or by ill officers,

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

A hot friend cooling. Ever note, Lucilius,
When love begins to sicken and decay,
It useth an enforcéd 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, and like deceitful jades
Sink in the trial. Comes his army on?

Luc. They mean this night in Sardis to be
quartered:

The greater part, the horse in general,
Are come with Cassius.

SCENE III. Within the Tent of BRUTUS. LUCIUS and TITINIUS at some distance from it.

Enter BRUTUS and CASSIUS.

Cas. That you have wronged me doth appear

in this :

You have condemned and noted Lucius Peila,
For taking bribes here of the Sardians :
Wherein my letters, praying on his side,
Because I knew the man, were slighted off.
Bru. You wronged yourself to write in such

And chastisement doth therefore hide his head. Cas. Chastisement!

Bru. Remember March, the ides of March

remember!

Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake?
What villain touched his body, that did stab,
And not for justice? 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 graspéd thus ?—

I

Bru.

better?

If you did, I care not.

Cas. When Cæsar lived, he durst not thus have moved me.

Bru. Peace, peace: you durst not so have

tempted him.

Cas. I durst not?

Bru. No.

Cas. What! durst not tempt him?

Bru.

For your life you durst not.

Cas. Do not presume too much upon my love: may do that I shall be sorry for.

Bru. You have done that you should be sorry for.

There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats:

For I am armed so strong in honesty,
That they pass by me as the idle wind,
Which I respect not. I did send to you
For certain sums of gold, which you denied me:-
For I can raise no money by vile means:
By heaven, I had rather coin my heart,

Bru.

I do not like your faults.

Cas. A friendly eye could never see such faults. Bru. A flatterer's would not, though they do appear

As huge as high Olympus.

Cas. Come, Antony, and youngOctavius, come;
Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius;
For Cassius is aweary of the world:
Hated by one he loves; braved by his brother;
Checked like a bondman; all his faults observed,
Set in a notebook, learned and conned by rote,
To cast into my teeth! O, I could weep
My spirit from mine eyes!—There is my dagger,
And here my naked breast: within, a heart
Dearer than Plutus' mine, richer than gold:
If that thou beest a Roman, take it forth:
I, that denied thee gold, will give my heart.
Strike as thou didst at Cæsar: for I know,
When thou didst hate him worst, thou lovedst
him better

Than ever thou lovedst Cassius.
Bru.

Sheath your dagger.

Bru. Now, as you are a Roman, 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,
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 as you; But yet my nature could not bear it so.