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 courage;
But 'tis not so.

Enter a Messenger.

Mes. 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.

Oct. Upon the right hand I, keep thou the left.
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.
Oct. Mark Antony, shall we give sign of battle?
Ant. No, Cæsar, we will answer on their charge.
Make forth, the generals would have some words.
Oct. Stir not until the signal.

Bru. Words before blows: Is it so, countrymen?
Oct. Not that we love words better, as you do.

Bru.Good words are better than bad strokes,Octavius.
Ant. In your bad strokes, Brutus, you give good words; ›
Witness the hole you made in Cæsar's heart,
Crying, Long live! hail, Casar!

Cas. Antony,

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 you 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 yourself: This tongue had not offended so to-day,

If Cassius might have rul'd.

Oct. Come,come,the cause: If arguing make us sweat, 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 aveng'd; or till another Cæsar

Have added slaughter to the sword of traitors.
Bru. Cæsar, thou canst 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 couldst not die more honourable.

Cas. A peevish schoolboy, worthless of such honour, 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.

[Exe. 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.

This is my birth-day; as this very day

Was Cassius born. Give me thy hand, Messala :

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 ensign2
[2] Forme for foremost. STEEV.

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. I but believe it partly;

For I am fresh of spirit, and resolv❜d
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 ?3

Bru. Even by the rule of that philosophy,4
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 led in triumph

Thorough the streets of Rome ?

Bru. No, Cassius, no: think not, thou noble Roman, That ever Brutus will go bound to Rome;

He bears too great a mind. But this same day
Must end that work, the ides of March begun ;

[3] That is, I am resolved it such a case to kill myself. What are you determined of? WARB.

[4] There is an apparent contradiction between the sentiments contained in this and the following speech of Brutus. In this, Brutus declares his resolution to wait patiently for the determinations of Providence; and in the next, he intimates, that though he should survive the battle, he would never submit to be led in chains to Rome. This sentence, in sir Thomas North's translation of Plutarch is perplexed, and might easily be misunderstood. Shakspeare, in the first speech, makes that to be the present opinion of Brutus, which, in Plutarch, is mentioned only as one he formerly entertained, though he now condemned it STEEV.

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, Brutus !
If we do meet again, we'll smile indeed;

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!

The same.

SCENE II.

[Exeunt.

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:

Let them set on at once; for I perceive
But cold demeanour in Octavius' wing,

[Loud alarum.

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 CAS-
SIUS and TITINIUS.

Cas. O, look, Titinius, look, the villains fly!
Myself have to mine own turn'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 enclos'd.

1 Enter PINDARUS.

Pin. Fly further off, my lord, fly further off;

Mark Antony is in your tents, my lord!

Fly, therefore, noble Cassius, fly far off.

Cas. This hill is far enough. Look, look, Titinius ;

Are those my tents, where I perceive the fire?

Tit. They are, my lord.

Cas. Titinius, if thou lov'st me,

Mount thou my horse, and hide thy spurs in him,
Till he have brought thee up to yonder troops,

And here again; that I may rest assur'd,
Whether yond' troops are friend or enemy.

Tit. I will be here again, even with a thought. [Exit.
Cas. Go, Pindarus, get higher on that hill:
My sight was ever thick; regard Titinius,
And tell me what thou not'st about the field.-

[Exit PINDARŲS. This day I breathed first time is come round, And where I did begin, there I shall end; My life is run his compass.--Sirrah, what news? Pin. [above.] O my lord!

Cas. What news?

Pin. Titinius is

Enclosed round about with horsemen, that

Make to him on the spur ;-Yet he spurs on.

Now they are almost on him; now, Titinius

Now some 'light :-O, he 'lights too :-He's ta'en ;and, hark!

They shout for joy.

Cas. Come down, behold no more.

O, coward that I am, to live so long,

To see my best friend ta'en before my face!

Re-enter PINDARUS.

Come hither, sirrah

In Parthia did I take thee prisoner;

And then I swore thee, saving of thy life,
That whatsoever I did bid thee do,

[Shout,

Thou shouldst attempt it. Come now, keep thine oath!
Now be a freeman; and, with this good sword,

That ran through Cæsar's bowels, search this bosom.
Stand not to answer: Here, take thou the hilts;
And, when my face is cover'd, as 'tis now,
Guide thou the sword.-Cæsar, thou art reveng'd,
Even with the sword that kill'd thee.

[Dies.

Pin. So, I am free; yet would not so have been,
Durst I have done my will. O Cassius !
Far from this country Pindarus shall run,
Where never Roman shall take note of him.

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

Tit. These tidings will well comfort Cassius.
-Mes. Where did you leave him?

[Exit.