Ant. Tut, I am in their bosoms, and I know With fearful bravery, thinking, by this face, Enter a Messenger. Mes. Prepare you, generals: Oct. Upon the right hand I, keep thou the left. [March. Drum. Enter BRUTUS, CASSIUS, and their Army;» Bru. They stand, and would have parley. Bru. Words before blows: Is it so, countrymen? Bru.Good words are better than bad strokes,Octavius. Cas. Antony, The posture of your blows are yet unknown; 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 ?— Have added slaughter to the sword of traitors. 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 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, Two mighty eagles fell; and there they perch'd, This morning are they fled away, and gone ; Our army lies, ready to give up the ghost, Cas. I but believe it partly; For I am fresh of spirit, and resolv❜d Cas. Now, most noble Brutus, The gods to-day stand friendly; that we may, The very last time we shall speak together : Bru. Even by the rule of that philosophy,4 For fear of what might fall, so to prevent 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 [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. 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 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 [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- Cas. O, look, Titinius, look, the villains fly! Tit. O Cassius, Brutus gave the word too early: 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, And here again; that I may rest assur'd, Tit. I will be here again, even with a thought. [Exit. [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, [Shout, Thou shouldst attempt it. Come now, keep thine oath! That ran through Cæsar's bowels, search this bosom. [Dies. Pin. So, I am free; yet would not so have been, Re-enter TITINIUS, with MESSALA. Tit. These tidings will well comfort Cassius. [Exit. |