Caf. Brutus, I do obferve you now of late: Bru. Caffius, 6 Be not deceiv'd: If I have veil'd my look, 7 Of late, with paffions of fome difference, Which give fome foil, perhaps, to my behaviours: Than that poor Brutus, with himself at war, Caf. Then, Brutus, I have much mistook your paffion; By means whereof, this breast of mine hath buried 6 Strange a band] Strange, is alien, unfamiliar, fuch as might become a stranger. JOHNSON. paffions of fome difference,] With a fluctation of difcordant opinions and defires. JOHNSON. The eye fees not itself,] So Sir John Davies in his poem on The Immortality of the Soul. It is because the mind is like the eye, Thro' which it gathers knowledge by degrees; STEEVENS. And And it is very much lamented, Brutus, That you might fee your fhadow. I have heard, Bru. Into what dangers would you lead me, Caffius, That would have me feek into myself, you For that which is not in me? Caf. Therefore, good Brutus, be prepar'd to hear: That of yourself, which yet you know not of. To all the rout, then hold me dangerous. [Flourish and fhout. Bru. What means this fhouting? I do fear, the People Chufe Cæfar for their King. Caf. Ay, do you fear it? Then must I think, you would not have it fo. Bru. I would not, Caffius; yet I love him well:But wherefore do you hold me here so long? What is it, that you would impart to me? 9 Toftale with ordinary oaths my love, &c.] To invite every new protefter to my affection by the ftale or allurement of customary eaths. JOHNSON. If it be aught toward the general good, I was born free as Cæfar; fo were you: And bid him follow: fo, indeed, he did. Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder Is now become a God; and Caffius is ▾ And I will look on both indifferently;] Dr. Warburton has a long note on this occafion, which is very trifling. When Brutus first names honour and death, he calmly declares them indifferent; but as the image kindles in his mind, he fets benour above life. Is not this natural? JOHNSON. A wretched A wretched creature, and must bend his body, He had a fever when he was in Spain, And, when the fit was on him, I did mark Ay, and that tongue of his, that bade the Romans 3 So get the start of the majeftick world, Bru. Another general fhout! [Shout. Flourish. I do believe, that thefe applaufes are For fome new honours that are heap'd on Cæfar. Walk under his huge legs, and peep about 2 His coward lips did from their colour fly ;] A plain man would have faid, the colour fled from his lips, and not his lips from their colour. But the falfe expreffion was for the fake of as falfe a piece of wit: a poor quibble, alluding to a coward flying from his colours. WARBURTON. 3-get the fart of the majeflick world, &c.] This image is extremely noble: it is taken from the Olympic games. The majeftick world is a fine periphrafis for the Roman empire: their citizens fet themfelves on a footing with Kings, and they called their dominion Orbis Romanus. But the particular allufion feems to be to the known ftory of Cajar's great pattern Alexander, who being asked, Whether he would run the courfe at the Olympic games, replied, Yes, if the racers were Kings. WARBURTON. Brutus Brutus and Cæfar! what should be in that Cæfar? There was a Brutus once, that would have brook'd The eternal devil to keep his state in Rome, 6 As eafily as a king. Bru. That you do love me, I am nothing jealous; What would you work me to, I have fome aim. How I have thought of this, and of these times, I fhall recount hereafter; for this present, I would not, fo with love I might intreat you, 4 Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well.] A fimilar thought occurs in Heywooa's Rape of Lucrece, 1614. "What diapafon's more in Tarquin's name 6 "Than in a fubject's? or what's Tullia "More in the found, than fhould become the name STEEVENS. There was a Brutus once,] i. e. Lucius Junius BRUTUS. STEEV. eternal devil-] I fhould think that our author wrote rather, infernal devil. JOHNSON. I would continue to read eternal devil. L. J. Brutus (lays Caf fius) would as foon have fubmitted to the perpetual dominion of a devil, as to the lafting government of a king. STEEVENS. Be |