1 Cit. What is

Enter Citizens.

your name?

2 Cit. Whither are you going?

3 Cit. Where do you dwell?

4 Cit. Are you a married man, or a bachelor? 2 Cit. Answer every man directly.

1 Cit. Ay, and briefly.

4 Cit. Ay, and wisely.

3 Cit. Ay, and truly, you were best.

Cin. What is my name? Whither am I going? Where do I dwell? Am I a married man, or a bachelor? Then to answer every man directly, and briefly, wisely, and truly. Wisely I say, I am a bachelor.

2 Cit. That's as much as to say, they are fools that marry:-You'll bear me a bang for that, I fear. Proceed; directly.

Cin. Directly, I am going to Cæsar's funeral. 1 Cit. As a friend, or an enemy?

Cin. As a friend.

2 Cit. That matter is answered directly.
4 Cit. For your dwelling,-briefly.
Cin. Briefly, I dwell by the Capitol.
3 Cit. Your name, sir, truly.

Cin. Truly, my name is Cinna.

1 Cit. Tear him to pieces, he's a conspirator. Cin. I am Cinna the poet, I am Cinna the poet. 4 Cit. Tear him for his bad verses, tear him for his bad verses.

2 Cit. It is no matter, his name's Cinna; pluck but his name out of his heart, and turn him going. 3 Cit. Tear him, tear him. Come, brands, ho! firebrands. To Brutus', to Cassius'; burn all. Some to Decius' house, and some to Casca's; some to Ligarius' away; go. [Exeunt,

ACT IV.

A Room in Antony's

SCENE I. The same.

House1.

ANTONY, OCTAVIUS, and LEPIDUS, seated at a

Table.

Ant. These many then shall die; their names are
prick'd.

Oct. Your brother too must die; Consent you,
Lepidus?

Lep. I do consent.

Oct.

Prick him down, Antony.

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

Ant. He shall not live; look, with a spot I damn3

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.

1 The place of this scene is not marked in the old copy. It appears from Plutarch and Appian, that these triumvirs met, upon the proscription, in a little island near Mutina, upon the river Lavinius. That Shakspeare, however, meant the scene to be at Rome may be inferred from what almost immediately follows:

Lep. What, shall I find you here?

Oct. Or here, or at the Capitol.'

Malone placed the scene in Antony's house.

2 Upton has shown that the poet made a mistake as to this character mentioned by Lepidus; Lucius, not Publius, was the person meant, who was uncle by the mother's side to Mark Antony.

3 i. e. condemn him.

'Vouchsafe to give my damned husband life.'
Promos and Cassandra, 1578.

Lep. What, shall I find you here?

Oct.

The Capitol.

Or here, or at

[Exit LEPIDUS.

Ant. This is a slight unmeritable man,
Meet to be sent on errands: Is it fit,

The threefold world divided, he should stand
One of the three to share it?

Oct.
So you thought him;
And took his voice who should be prick'd to die,
In our black sentence and proscription.

Ant. Octavius, I have seen more days than you: And though we lay these honours on this man, To ease ourselves of divers slanderous loads, He shall but bear them as the ass bears gold*. To groan and sweat under the business, Either led or driven, as we point the way; 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 do
may

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 govern'd by my spirit.
And, in some taste, is Lepidus but so;
He must be taught, and train'd, and bid
A barren-spirited fellow; one that feeds
On objects, arts, and imitations;
Which, out of use, and stal'd by other men,

4 So in Measure for Measure, Act iii. Sc. 1:

go

forth:

like an ass, whose back with ingots bows, Thou bear'st thy heavy riches but a journey, Till death unloads thee,'

Begin his fashion5. 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 combin'd,

Our best friends made, and our best means stretch'd out7,

And let us presently go sit in council,

How covert matters may be best disclos'd,

And open perils surest answered.

Oct. Let us do so; for we are at the stake, And bay'd about with many enemies ;

And some, that smile, have in their hearts, I fear, Millions of mischiefs.

SCENE II.

[Exeunt.

Before Brutus' Tent, in the Camp near Sardis.

Drum. Enter BRUTUS, LUCILIUS, LUCIUS, and Soldiers: TITINIUS and PINDARUS meeting them.

Bru. Stand ho!

Luc. Give the word, ho! and stand.

5 Shakspeare had already woven this circumstance into the character of Justice Shallow:- He came ever in the rearward of the fashion; and sung those tunes that he heard the carmen whistle.'

6 i. e. as a thing quite at our disposal, and to be treated as we

please. Malvolio complains in Twelfth Night :

They have propertied me, kept me in darkness.'

7 The old copy gives this line imperfectly :

'Our best friends made, our means stretch'd.'

Malone supplied it thus:

'Our best friends made, our means stretch'd to the utmost.' The reading of the text is that of the second folio edition, which is sufficiently perspicuous.

8 An allusion to bear baiting. Thus in Macbeth, Act v.

Sc. 7:

'They have chain'd me to a stake, I cannot fly,

But, bear-like, I must fight the course.'

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

[PINDARUS gives a Letter to BRUTUS. Bru. He greets me well.-Your master, Pindarus, In his own change, or by ill officers1,

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

Pin. But that

I do not doubt, my noble master will appear Such as he is, full of regard, and honour.

Bru. He is not doubted.-A word, Lucilius: How he receiv'd you, let me be resolv'd.

Luc. With courtesy, and with respect enough; But not with such familiar instances,

Nor with such free and friendly conference,
As he hath used of old.

Bru.

Thou hast describ'd

A hot friend cooling: Ever note, Lucilius,
When love begins to sicken and decay,
It useth an enforced 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 quarter'd; The greater part, the horse in general, Are come with Cassius.

[March within.

1 It having been thought that alteration was requisite in this line, it may be as well to observe Brutus charges both Cassius and his officer, Lucius Pella, with corruption; and he says to Lucilius, when he hears how he had been received by Cassius:Thou hast describ'd

A hot friend cooling.'

This is the change which Brutus complains of.