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Cafe. But wherefore did you fo much tempt the heavens ? It is the part of men to fear and tremble,

When the most mighty gods, by tokens, fend

Such dreadful heralds to aftonish us.

Caf. You are dull, Cafea; and thofe sparks of life
That should be in a Roman, you

do want,

Or else you use not: You look pale, and gaze,
And put on fear, and caft yourself in wonder,
To fee the ftrange impatience of the heavens:
But if you would confider the true caufe,
Why all these fires, why all these gliding ghosts,
Why birds and beafts, from quality and kind,
Why old men, fools, 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 hath infus'd them with thefe fpirits,
To make them inftruments of fear and warning,
Unto fome monftrous ftate.

k

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 personal action; yet prodigious grown,

And fearful, as thefe ftrange eruptions are.

▲ C. Which for That,

iT. alters bath to bas; followed by W. and Y.

k C. omits to.

The three laft fo's, tears for rear n Second f. thefer.

Cafi

Cafe. '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 fufferance fhew us womanish.

Cafe. Indeed they fay, the fenators to-morrow
Mean to establish Cæfar as a king:

And he fhall wear his crown by fea, and land,
In every place, save 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 moft ftrong
Therein, 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 fpirit;
But life, being weary of thefe worldly bars,
Never lacks power to difinifs itself.

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

Cafe. So can I.

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

"

The two laft fo's read finews for theres, P. explains thewes by manners of Capacities; T. by mufeles, finews, or bodily

ftrength; which is right,

• R.'s octavo omits fay.
pHere the fo's direct [Thunder ftill.

Caf.

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

So vile a thing as Cæfar! But, oh grief,
Where haft thou led me? I, perhaps, fpeak this
Before a willing bondman: then I know
My answer muft be inade: But I am arm'd
And dangers are to me indifferent.

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

Caf. There's a bargain made.

Now know you, Cafea, I have mov'd already
Some certain of the nobleft-minded Romans,
To undergo, with me, an enterprize
Of honourable dangerous confequence;
And I do know, by this, they ftay for me
In Pompey's porch: For now, this fearful night,

1 C...

all be called to account, and must es.

My answer must be made.-] I fwer as for feditious words. J.

There

There is no ftir, or walking in the streets;
And the complexion of the element

Is fey'rous, like the work we have in hand,
Moft bloody, fiery, and moft terrible.

[blocks in formation]

Cafe. Stand close awhile, for here comes one in 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. Who's that? Metellus Cimber?
Caf. No it is Cafea; one incorporate

To our attempts. Am I not ftay'd for, Cinna?

Cin. I am glad on 't. What a fearful night "is this! 7 There's two or three of us have feen ftrange fights. Caf. Am I not flay'd 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,

s W. elements.

1 For la fev'rous, the 1ft and 2d fo's read Is Favors, the 3d and 4th, Is Favours, J. In favour's, C. Is favour'd. According to these two last editors (as favour muft here fignify complexion) we hall read, And the complexion of the ele

ment in complexion's (or, is complexion'd) like the work, &c.

u The three laft fo's omit is this. w Between for and tell C. inferts Cinna.

× P. alters this to, could you win, &c. followed by all the editors after, except J. and C.

Where

Where Brutus may but find it; and throw this
In at his window; fet this up with wax
Upon old Brutus' ftatue: 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 feck you at your house. Well, I will hie,
And fo bestow thefe papers as you bad me.

Caf. That done, repair to Pompey's theatre. [Exit Cinna.
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.

Cafe. O, he fits high in all the people's hearts:
And that which would appear offence in us,
His countenance, like richest 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,

y H. Are for Is.

ACT

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