fo be but mirth and laughter to his Brutus, When grief, and blood ill-temper'd, vexeth him?

[too. Bru. When I spoke that, I was ill-temper'd Cas. Do you confess so much? Give me Bru. And my heart too. [your hand. Cas. O Brutas!Bru. What's the matter? Cas. Have you not love enough to bear with me, [gave me, When that ragh humour, which my inother Makes me forgetful? Bru. Yes, Cassius; and, henceforth, When you are over-earnest with your Brutus, He'll think your mother chides, and leave you [Noise within. Poet. [Within.) Let me go in to see the generals; [meet There is some grudge between thein, 'tis not They be alone.

Luc. [Within.] Yon shall not come to them.
Peet. [Within.] Nothing but death shall
stay me.
Enter Poet.

Cas. How now? What's the matter? Poet. For shame, you generals; What do you mean? [should be; Love, and be friends, as two such men For I have seen more years, I am sure, than (rhyme! Cas. Ha, ha; how vilely doth this cynic Bru. Get you hence, sirrah; saucy fellow,

ye.

hence.

Cas. Bear with him, Brutns; 'tis his fasl.ion. Bru. I'll know his humour, when he know his time: [fools? What should the wars do with these jigging Companion, hence.

Cas.

Away, away, be gone.

[Exit Poet. Enter LUCILIUS and TITINIUS. Bru. Lacilius and Titinius, bid the com. manders

Prepare to lodge their companies to-night.
Cas. And come yourselves, and bring Mes-
Immediately to us.
[sala with you
[Exeunt LUCILIUS and TITINIUS.
Bru. Lucius, a bowl of wine.
[angry.
Cas. I did not think, you could have been so
Bru. O Cassius, I am sick of many griefs.
Cas. Of your philosophy you make no use,
If you give place to accidental evils. [is dead.
Bru. No man bears sorrow better:-Portia
Cas. Ha! Portia?.
Bru. She is dead.
[you so ?--
Cas. How 'scaped I killing, when I cross'd
O insupportable and touching loss!-
Upon what sickness?
Bru.
Impatient of my absence;
And grief, that young Octavius with Mark An-
tony
[her death

Have made themselves so strong:-for, with
That tidings came;-With this she fell distract,
And, her attendants absent, swallow'd fire.
Cas. And died so?
Bru. Even so.

Cas. O ye mortal gods!
Enter Lucius, with Wine and Tapers.
Bru. Speak no more of her.-Give me a
bowl of wine:-

In this I bury all unkindness, Cassius. [ Drinks. Cas. My heart is thirsty for that roble pledge:

Fill, Lucius, till the wine o'erswell the cup; I cannot drink too much of Brutus' love. [Drinks.

Re-enter TITINIUS, with MESSALA, Bru. Come in, Titinius :--Welcome, good Messala.

Now sit we close about this taper here,
And call in question our necessities.
Cus. Portia, art thou gone?
Bru.
No more, I pray you.-
Messala, I have here received letters,
That young Octavius, and Mark Antony,
Come down upon us with a mighty powert
Bending their expedition toward Philippi.
Mes. Myself have letters of the self-sams
Bru. With what addition?
itenour.

Mess. That by proscription, and bills of Octavius, Antony, and Lepidus, [outlawry, Have put to death an hundred senators.

Bru. Therein our letters do not well agree; Mine speak of seventy senators, that died By their proscriptions, Cicero being one. Cas. Cicero one?

Mes. Ay, Cicero is dead, And by that order of proscription.Had you your letters from your wife, my lord? Bru. No, Messala. [her f

Mes. Nor nothing in your letters writ of Bru. Nothing, Messala.

Mes. That, methinks, is strange. [in yours? Bru. Why ask you? Hear you aught of her Mes. No, my lord.

[true. Bru. Now, as you are a Roman, tell me Mes. Then like a Roman bear the truth I tell: [ner. For certain she is dead, and by strange manBru. Why, farewell, Portia.-We must die, Messala:

With meditating that she must die once,
I have the paticnce to endure it now.

Mes. Even so great men great losses should endure.

Cas. I have as much of this in arts as you, But yet my nature could not bear it so. Bru. Well, to our work alive. What do you Of marching to Philippi presently? {think Cas. I do not think it good.

Bru. Cas.

Your reason?
This it is:

By them shall make a fuller number up, Come on refresh'd, new-added, and encouraged;

From which advantage shall we cut him off,
If at Philippi we do face him there,
These people at our back.

Cas.
Hear me, good brother.
Bru. Under your pardon.-You must note
beside,

That we have try'd the utmost of our friends,
Our legions are brim-full, our cause is ripe:
The enemy increaseth every day,
We, at the height, are ready to decline.
There is a tide in the affairs of men, [tune;
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to for-
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows, and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat;
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.
Cas.
Then, with your will, go on;
We'll along ourselves, and meet them at Phi-
lippi.
[talk,
Bru. The deep of night is crept upon our
And nature must obey necessity;
Which we will niggard with a little rest.
There is no more to say?

No more.

Cas. Good night; Early to-morrow will we rise, and hence. Bru. Lucius, my gown. [Exit LUCIUS.] Farewell, good Messala ;

Good night, Titinius:-Noble, noble Cassius, Good night, and good repose.

Cas. O, my dear brother! This was an ill beginning of the night: Never come such division 'tween our souls!

Let it not, Brutus.

Bru.

Every thing is well.

Cas. Good night, my lord.
Bru.
Good night, good brother.
Tit. Mes. Good night, lord Brutus.
Bru.

Farewell, every one.
[Exeunt Cas. TIT. and MES.
Re-enter LUCIUS, with the Gown.
Give me the gown. Where is thy instrument?
Luc. Here in the tent.

Bru. What, thou speak'st drowsily? Poor knave, I blame thee not; thou art o'erwatch'd.

Call Claudius, and some other of my inen; I'll have them sleep on cushions in my tent. Lue. Varro, and Claudius!

Enter VARRO and CLAUDIUS.

Var. Calls my lord?

Canst thou hold up thy heavy eyes awhile,
And touch thy instrument a strain or two?
Luc. Ay, my lord, an it please you.
It does, my boy:
I trouble thee too much, but thou art wil.ing.
Luc. It is my duty, sir.

Bru.

Bru. I should not urge thy duty past thy might;

I know, young bloods look for a time of rest. Luc. I have slept, my lord, already. Bru. It is well done; and thou shal: sleep again;

I will not hold thee long: if I do live, I will be good to thee. Music, and a Song. This is a sleepy tune :-O murderous slumber! Lay'st thou thy leaden mace upon my boy, That plays thee music?-Gentle knave, good night; I will not do thee so much wrong to wake thee. If thou dost nod, thou break'st thy instrument; I'll take it from thee; and, good boy, good night. [down, Let me see, let me see ;-Is not the leaf turn'd Where I left reading? Here it is, I think. [He sits down. Enter the Ghost of CESAR. How ill this taper burns!-Ha! who comes here?

I think it is the weakness of mine eyes That shapes this monstrous apparition. It comes upon me:-Art thou any thing? | Art thou some god, some angel, or some devil, That makest my blood cold, and my hair to Speak to me, what thou art.

Ghost. Thy evil spirit, Brutus.

Bru.

Why comest thou?

[stare?

[lippi.

Ghost. To tell thee thou shalt see me at Phi-
Bru. Well;

Then I shall see thee again?
Ghost.

Ay, at Philippi.
[Ghost vanishes.
Bru. Why, I will see thee at Philippi then.
Now I have taken heart, thou vanishest:
Ill spirit, I would hold more talk with thee.-
Boy! Lucius!-Varro! Claudius! sirs, awake!
Claudius!

Luc. The strings, my lord, are false. Bru. He thinks he still is at his instrument. Lucius, awake.

Luc. My lord! [so cry'dst out? Bru. Didst thou dream, Lucius, that thou Luc. My lord, I do not know that I did [any thing?

cry.

Bru. Yes, that thou didst: Didst thou see

Luc. Nothing, my lord.

Bru. Sleep again, Lucius. Sirral, Claudius! Fellow thou! awake.

Var. My lord.

Clau. My lord,

[sleep?

Bru. Why did you so cry out, sirs, in your
Var. Clau. Did we, my lord?
Bru.
Ay; Saw you any thing?
Var. No, my lord I saw nothing.
Clau
Nor I, my lord.

Cassius;

Bid him set on his powers betimes before,

Var. Clau. It shall be done, my lord.

[Exeunt

SCENE I. The Plains of Philippi. Enter OCTAVIUS, ANTONY, and their Army. Oct. Now, Antony, our hopes are answer'd: You said, the enemy would not come down, But keep the hills and upper regions;

It proves not so: their battles are at hand;
They mean to warn us at Philippi here,
Answering before we do demand of them.
Ant. Tut, I am in their bosoms, and I know
Wherefore they do it: they could be content
To visit other places; and come down
With fearful bravery, thinking, by this face,
To fasten in our thoughts that they have con-
But 'tis not so.
[rage;

Enter a Messenger.

Mess.
Prepare you, generals:
The enemy comes on in gallant show;
Their bloody sign of battle is hung out,
And something to be done immediately.

Ant. Octavius, lead your battle softly on,
Upon the left hand of the even field. [left.
Oct. Upon the right hand I, keep thou the
Ant. Why do you cross me in this exigent?
Oct. I do not cross you; but I will do so.
[March.
Drum. Enter BRUTUS, CASSIUS, and their
Army; LUCILIUS, TITINIUS, MESSALA,
and Others.

Bru. They stand, and would have parley. Cas. Stand fast, Titinius: We must out and talk. [battle? Oct. Mark Antony, shall we give sign of Ant. No, Cæsar, we will answer on their charge. [words. Make forth, the generals would have some Oct. Stir not until the signal. [men? Bru. Words before blows: Is it so, countryOct. Not that we love words better, as you do. [Octavius. Bru. Good words are better than bad strokes, Ant. In your bad strokes, Brutus, you give good words:

Witness the hole you made in Cæsar's heart, Crying, Long live! hail Cæsar!

Antony,

Cas. The posture of your blows are yet unknown; But for your words, they rob the Hybla bees, And leave them honeyless.

Ant.

Not stingless too. Bru. O, yes, and soundless too; For you have stol'n their buzzing, Antony, And, very wisely, threat before you sting. Ant. Villains, you did not so, when your vile daggers

Hack'd one another in the sides of Cæsar: You show'd your teeth like apes, and fawn'd like hounds,

And bow'd like bondmen, kissing Cæsar's feet;

Whilst damned Casca, like a cur, behind,
Struck Cæsar on the neck. O flatterers!
Cas. Flatterers!-Now, Brutus, thank your
This tongue had not offended so to-day, [self:
If Cassine might have ruled. [us sweat,

Oct. Come, come, the cause: If arguing make The proof of it will turn to redder drops. Look;

I draw a sword against conspirators;
When think you that the sword goes up again?
Never, till Cæsar's three and twenty wounds
Be well avenged; or till another Cæsar
Have added slaughter to the sword of traitors.
Bru. Cæsar, thou can'st not die by traitors,
Unless thou bring'st them with thee.

Oct.

So I hope: I was not born to die on Brutus' sword. Bru. O, if thou wert the noblest of thy strain, Young man, thou could'st not die more honourable. [honour, Cas. A peevish schoolboy, worthless of such Join'd with a masker and a reveller. Ant. Old Cassius still! Oct. Come, Antony ; away.-Defiance, traitors, hurl + we in your teeth: If you dare fight to-day, come to the field; If not, when you have stomachs.

[Exeunt OCTAVIUS, ANTONY, and their Army.

Cas. Why now, blow wind; swell, billow;
and swim, bark!

The storm is up, and all is on the hazard.
Bru. Ho!

Lucilius; bark, a word with you.
Luc.
My lord.
[BRUTUS and LUCILIUS Converse apart.
Cas. Messala,
Mes.
Cas.

What says iny general?

Messala,

This is my birth-day; as this very day [sala:
Was Cassius born. Give me thy hand, Mes-
Be thou my witness, that, against my will,
As Pompey was, am I compell'd to set
Upon one battle all our liberties.

You know, that I held Epicurus strong,
And his opinion: now I change my mind,
And partly credit things that do presage.
Coming from Sardis, on our former ‡ ensign
Two mighty eagles fell, and there they perch'd,
Gorging and feeding from our soldiers' hands;
Who to Philippi here consorted § us;

This morning are they fled away, and gone;
And in their steads, do ravens, crows, and kites,
Fly o'er our heads, and downward look on us,
As we were sickly prey; their shadows seem
A canopy most fatal, under which
Our army lies, ready to give up the ghost,
Mes. Believe not so.
Cas.

+ Foremost.

I but believe it partly; § Accompanied.

For I am fresh of spirit, and resolved
To meet all perils very constantly.
Bru. Even so, Lucilius.
Cas.
Now, most noble Brutus,
The gods to-day stand friendly; that we may,
Lovers in peace, lead on our days to age!
But, since the affairs of men rest still uncertain,
Let's reason with the worst that may befall.
If we do lose this battle, then is this
The very last time we shall speak together:
What are you then determined to do?

Bru. Even by the rule of that philosophy,
By which I did blame Cato for the death
Which he did give himself:-I know not how,
But I do find it cowardly and vile,
For fear of what might fall, so to prevent
The time of life:-arming myself with patience,
To stay the providence of some high powers,
That govern us below.

Cas Then, if we lose this battle, You are contented to be lead in triumph Thorough the streets of Rome? [Roman, Bru. No, Cassius, no: think not, thou noble That ever Brutus will go bound to Rome; Ile bears too great a mind. But this same day Must end that work the ides of March begun; And whether we shall meet again I know not. Therefore our everlasting farewell take :For ever, and for ever, farewell, Cassius! If we do meet again, why we shall smile; If not, why then this parting was well made. Cas. For ever, and for ever, farewell, Bru. If we do meet again, we'll smile indeed; [tus! If not, 'tis true, this parting was well made. Bru. Why then, lead on.-O, that a man might know

The end of this day's business, ere it come! But it sufficeth, that the day will end, And then the end is known.-Come, ho! away! [Exeunt.

SCENE II. The same. The Field of Battle. Alarum. Enter BRUTUS and MESSALA.

Bru. Ride, ride, Messala, ride, and give

these bills *

Unto the legions on the other side:

[Loud Alarum. Let them set on at once; for I perceive But cold demeanour in Octavius' wing, And sudden push gives them the overthrow. Ride, ride, Messala: let them all come down. [Exeunt. SCENE III. The same. Another Part of the Field.

Alarum. Enter CASSIUS and TITINIUS. Cas. O, look, Titinius, look, the villains fly! Myself have to mine own turu'd enemy: This ensign here of mine was turning back; I slew the coward, and did take it from him. Tit. O Cassius, Brutus gave the word too

early:

Who having some advantage on Octavius, Took it too eagerly; his soldiers fell to spoil, Whilst we by Antony are all enclosed.

In Parthia did I take thee prisoner;
And then I swore thee, saving of thy life,
That whatsoever I did bid thee do,[thine oath!
Thou should'st attempt it. Come now, keep
Now be a freeman; and, with this good sword,
That ran through Caesar's bowels, search this
Stand not to answer: Here, take thou the hilts;
bosom.
And, when ny face is cover'd as 'tis now,
Guide thou the sword.-Cæsar, thou art re-
venged,

Even with the sword that kill'd thee. [Dies.

Pin. So, I am free; yet would not so have Durst I have done my will. O Cassins! [been,

Far from this country Pindarus shall rup, Where never Roman shall take note of him. [Exit.

Re-enter TITINIUS, with MESSALA. Mes. It is but change, Titinius; for OctaIs overthrown by noble Brutus' power, [vius As Cassius' legions are by Antony.

Tit. These tidings will well comfort Cassius. Mes. Where did you leave him? Tit. All disconsol With Pindarus his bondsman on this hill. Mes. Is not that he, that lies upon the ground? Tit. He lies not like the living. O my heart! Mes. Is not that he? Tit.

No, this was he, Messala,