Brutus, thou fleep'ft: awake.

Such inftigations have been often dropt,
Where I have took them up:

Shall Romethus muft I piece it out,

Shall Rome ftand under one man's awe? what! Rome?
My ancestors did from the ftreets of Rome

The Tarquin drive, when he was call'd a King.
Speak, frike, redrefs. Am I intreated then

To fpeak, and ftrike! O Rome! I make thee promife,
If the redrefs will follow, thou receiv'st

Thy full petition at the hand of Brutus !

Enter Lucius.

Luc. Sir, March is wafted fourteen days.

[Knock within." Bru. 'Tis good. Go to the gate; fome body knocks:

[Exit Lucius Since Caffius firft did whet me against Cæfar, I have not flept.

• Between the acting of a dreadful thing,
And the first motion, all the interim is
Like a phantafma, or a hideous dream:
The genius, and the mortal inftruments
• Are then in council; and the ftate of man,
• Like to a little kingdom, fuffers then
The nature of an infurrection.

Enter Lucius.

Luc. Sir, 'tis your brother Caffius at the door, Who doth defire to see you.

Bru. Is he alone?

Luc. No, Sir, there are more with him.

Bru. Do you know them?

Luc. No, Sir, their hats are pluck'd about their ears,

And half their faces buried in their cloaks ;

That by no means I may difcover them

By any mark of favour.

Bru. Let them enter.

They are the faction.

"O Confpiracy!

[Exit Lucius.

"Sham'st thou to fhew thy dang'rous brow by night, "When evils are moft free? O then, by day

"Where wilt thou find a cayern dark enough,

"To

"To mask thy monftrous vifage? Seek none, Confpira"Hide it in fmiles and affability:

"For if thou path †, thy native femblance on, "Not Erebus itself were dim enough

"To hide thee from prevention.

SCENE II.

[cy

Enter Caffius, Cafca, Decius, Cinna, Metellus, and Tre-. bonius.

Caf. I think we are too bold upon your reft; Good morrow, Brutus, do we trouble you?

Bru. I have been up this hour, awake all night. Know I these men that come along with you? [Afide Caf. Yes, every man of them; and no man here But honours you: and every one doth wish

You had but that opinion of yourself,

Which every noble Roman bears of
This is Trebonius.

Bru. He is welcome hither.

Caf. This, Decius Brutus.
Bru. He is welcome too.

Caf. This Cafca; this Cinna;
And this Metellus Cimber.

Bru. They are all welcome.

you.

What watchful cares do interpofe themselves

Betwixt your eyes and night?

Caf. Shall I intreat a word?

[They whisper.

Dec. Here lies the east: doth not the day break here? Cafea. No.

Cin. O pardon, Sir, it doth; and yon grey lines

That fret the clouds, are messengers of day.

Cafea. You fhall confefs, that you are both deceiv'd : Here, as I point my fword, the fun arifes,

Which is a great way growing on the south,
Weighing the youthful feafon of the year.

Some two months hence, up higher toward the north
He first presents his fire; and the high east
Stands, as the Capitol, directly here.

Bru. Give me your hands all over, one by one.
Caf. And let us swear our refolution.

Bru. "No, not an oath: if that the fate of men,

tpath, i. e. walk. He makes a verb of the fubftantive.

"The

"The fufferance of our fouls, the time's abufe,-
"If these be motives weak, break off betimes;
"And ev'ry man hence to his idle bed:
"So let high-fighted* Tyranny range on,
"Till each man drop by lottery. But if thefe,
"As I am fure they do, bear fire enough
"To kindle cowards, and to fteel with valour
"The melting fpirits of women; then, countrymen,,
"What need we any fpur, but our own caufe,
"To prick us to redrefs? what other bond,
"Than fecret + Romans, that have spoke the word,
"And will not palter? and what other oath,
"Than honefty to honefty engag'd,

"That this fhall be, or we will fall for it?
"Swear priefts and cowards, and men cautelous,
"Old feeble carrions, and fuch fuffering fouls
"That welcome wrongs :. unto bad causes, fwear
"Such creatures as men doubt; but do not stain
"The even virtue of our enterprise,

"Nor th' infuppreffive mettle of our spirits,
"To think, that or our caufe, or our performance,
"Doth need an oath: when ev'ry drop of blood.
That ev'ry Roman bears, and nobly bears,
Is guilty of a feveral bastardy,.

If he doth break the smallest particle
Of any promise that hath pafs'd from him.

Caf. But what of Cicero? fhall we found him?
I think he will ftand very strong with us.
Cafea. Let us not leave him out.

Cin. No, by no means.

Met. O let us have him, for his filver hairs
Will purchase us a good opinion,

And buy mens voices to commend our deeds : :
It fhall be faid, his judgment rul'd our hands;
Our youths and wildness shall no whit appear,
But all be buried in his gravity.

Bru. O, name him not: let us not break with him ;; For he will never follow any thing.

That other men begin.

Caf.

Alluding to a hawk foaring on high, and intent upon its prey. fecret, for federate, used becaufe fecrecy is an effential quality in confederations.

Caf. Then leave him out.

Cafca. Indeed he is not fit.

Dec. Shall no man elfe be touch'd, but only Cæfar? af. Decius, well urg'd: I think it is not meet, Mark Antony, fo well belov'd of Cæfar,

Should outlive Cæfar: we shall find of him
A fhrewd contriver. And you know, his means,

If he improve them, may well ftretch fo far,

As to annoy us all; which to prevent,

Let Antony and Cæfar fall together.

Bru. Our courfe will feem too bloody, Caius Caffius,
To cut the head off, and then hack the limbs ;
Like wrath in death, and envy afterwards:
For Antony is but a limb of Cæfar.

Let us be facrificers, but not butchers, Caius;
We all ftand up against the fpirit of Cæfar,
And in the spirit of man there is no blood:
O, that we then could come by Cæfar's fpirit,
And not difmember Cæfar! but alas!
Cæfar must bleed for it" And, gentle friends,
"Let's kill him boldly, but not wrathfully;
"Let's carve him as a difh fit for the gods,
"Not hew him as a carcafe fit for hounds.
"And let our hearts, as fubtle mafters do,
"Stir up
their fervants to an act of rage,
“And after seem to chide them. This fhall make
Our purpofe neceffary, and not envious:
Which fo appearing to the common eyes,
We fhall be call'd purgers, not murtherers.
And for Mark Antony, think not of him;
For he can do no more than Cæfar's arm,
When Cæfar's head is off.

Caf. Yet I do fear him ;

For in th' ingrafted love he bears to Cæfar

Bru. Alas, good Caffius, do not think of him
If he love Cæfar, all that he can do

Is to himself, take thought, and die for Cæfar:
And that were much he fhould; for he is giv'n
To sports, to wildnefs, and much company.

:

Treb. There is no fear in him; let him not die; For he will live, and laugh at this hereafter. [Clock ftrikes. Bru. Peace, count the clock.

Caf

Caf. The clock hath ftricken three.
Treb. 'Tis time to part.

Caf. But it is doubtful yet,

If Cæfar will come forth to-day, or no :
For he is fuperftitious grown of late,
Quite from the main opinion he held once
Of fantafy, or dreams, and ceremonies;
It may be, thefe apparent prodigies,
The unaccuftom'd terror of this night,
And the perfuafion of his augurers,
May hold him from the Capitol to-day.

Dec. Never fear that; if he be fo refolv'd,
I can o'erfway him; "for he loves to hear,
"That unicorns may be betray'd with trees,
"And bears with glaffes, elephants with holes,
"Lions with toils, and men with flatterers.
"But when I tell him, he hates flatterers,
"He fays he does; being then most flattered..
Leave me to work.:.

For I can give his humour the true bent,
And I will bring, him to the Capitol.

Caf. Nay, we will all of us be there to fetch him..
Bru. By the eight hour, is that the uttermoft?
Cin. Be that the uttermoft, and fail not then.
Met. Caius Ligarius doth bear Cæfar hard,
Who rated him for fpeaking well of Pompey;
I wonder none of you have thought of him.

Bru. Now, good Metellus, go along to him:
He loves me well; and I have giv'n him reasons ;
Send him but hither, and. I'll fashion him.

Caf. The morning comes upon's: we'll leave you,

Brutus ;

And, friends! disperse yourselves; but all remember
What you have faid, and fhew yourselves true Romans,
Bru. Good gentlemen, look fresh and merrily;
Let not our looks put on our purposes;
But bear it, as our Roman actors do,
With untir'd fpirits, and formal constancy:
And fo, good morrow to you every one.

[Exeunt.

Manet

*By fantasy is meant ominous forebodings; and by ceremonies, atonements of the gods by means of religious rites and facrifices.