Cus. What! durst not tempt him! Bru.

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For your life you durst not. Cas. Do not presume too much upon my love; I may do that I shall be sorry for.

Bru. You have done that you should be sorry for.

There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats,
For I am arm'd so strong in honesty
That they pass by me as the idle wind,
Which I respect not. I did send to you
For certain sums of gold, which you denied me;
For I can raise no money by vile means:
By heaven, I had rather coin my heart,
And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring
From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash
By any indirection. I did send

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To you for gold to pay my legions,
Which you denied me: was that done like

Cassius ?

Cas. Come, Antony, and young Octavius, come,
Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius,
For Cassius is aweary of the world;
Hated by one he loves; brav'd by his brother;
Check'd like a bondman; all his faults observ'd,
Set in a note-book, learn'd, and conn'd by rote,
To cast into my teeth. O! I could weep
My spirit from mine eyes. There is my dagger,
And here my naked breast; within, a heart 100-
Dearer than Plutus' mine, richer than gold:
If that thou be'st a Roman, take it forth;
I, that denied thee gold, will give my heart :
Strike, as thou didst at Cæsar; for, I know,
When thou didst hate him worst, thou lov'dst
him better

Than ever thou lov'dst Cassius.
Bru.

Sheathe your dagger:
Be angry when you will, it shall have scope;
Do what you will, dishonour shall be humour.
O Cassius! you are yoked with a lamb
That carries anger as the flint bears fire,
Who, much enforced, shows a hasty spark,
And straight is cold again.

Cas.

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Hath Cassius liv'd

Makes me forgetful?

Bru. Yes, Cassius; and from henceforth When you are over-earnest with your Brutus, He'll think your mother chides, and leave you so. Noise within.

Poet. Within. Let me go in to see the generals; There is some grudge between 'em, 'tis not meet They be alone.

Lucil. Within. You shall not come to them. Poet. Within. Nothing but death shall stay me. Enter Poet, followed by LUCILIUS, TITINIUS, and LUCIUS.

Cas. How now! What's the matter? Poet. For shame, you generals! What do you mean?

Love, and be friends, as two such men should be; For I have seen more years, I'm sure, than ye. Cas. Ha, ha! how vilely doth this cynic rime! Bru. Get you hence, sirrah; saucy fellow, hence!

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Cas. Bear with him, Brutus; 'tis his fashion.

Bru. I'll know his humour, when he knows his time:

What should the wars do with these jigging fools?

Companion, hence!

Cas. Away, away! be gone. Exit Poet. Bru. Lucilius and Titinius, bid the commanders Prepare to lodge their companies to-night. Cas. And come yourselves, and bring Messala with you Immediately to us.

Exeunt LUCILIUS and TITINIUS. Bru. Lucius, a bowl of wine. Exit LUCIUS. Cas. I did not think you could have been so angry.

Bru. O Cassius! I am sick of many griefs.
Cas. Of your philosophy you make no use

If you give place to accidental evils.

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Bru. No man bears sorrow better: Portia is dead.

Exit LUCIUS. Re-enter TITINIUS, with MESSALA. Welcome, good Messala. Now sit we close about this taper here, And call in question our necessities. Cas. Portia, art thou gone? Bru.

The people 'twixt Philippi and this ground
Do stand but in a forc'd affection;
For they have grudg'd us contribution :
The enemy, marching along by them,
By them shall make a fuller number up,
Come on refresh'd, new-added, and encourag'd;
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 tried the utmost of our friends,
Our legions are brim-full, our cause is ripe :
The enemy increaseth every day;

Messala, I have here received letters,
That young Octavius and Mark Antony
Come down upon us with a mighty power,
Bending their expedition toward Philippi.

Mes. Myself have letters of the self-same

Bru. No, Messala.

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40

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 you 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;

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.
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 incertain,
Let's reason with the worst that may be fail.
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,

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I draw a sword against conspirators;
When think you that the sword goes up again?
Never, till Cæsar's three-and-thirty 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'
hands,

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 honour-
able.

60

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;
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!
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 alarus 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. Exc6 v4.

No, this was he, Messala, But Cassius is no more. O setting sun! As in thy red rays thou dost sink to-night, So in his red blood Cassius' day is set; Our day is gone;

10

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

Titinius;

Clouds, dews, and dangers come; our deeds are Mistrust of my success hath done this deed. done.

Mes. Mistrust of good success hath done this deed.

O hateful error, melancholy's child!
Why dost thou show to the apt thoughts of men
The things that are not? O error! soon con-
ceiv'd,

70

Thou never com'st unto a happy birth,
But kill'st the mother that engender'd thee.
Tit. What, Pindarus! Where art thou, Pin-
darus?

Mes. Seek him, Titinius, whilst I go to meet
The noble Brutus, thrusting this report
Into his ears; I may say, thrusting it;
For piercing steel and darts envenomed
Shall be as welcome to the ears of Brutus
As tidings of this sight.

Tit.
Hie you, Messala,
And I will seek for Pindarus the while.

Exit MESSALA.

Alas! thou hast misconstrued every thing.
But hold thee, take this garland on thy brow;
Thy Brutus bid me give it thee, and I
Will do his bidding. Brutus, come apace,
And see how I regarded Caius Cassius.
By your leave, gods: this is a Roman's part:
Come, Cassius' sword, and find Titinius' heart.
Kills himself.

Alarum. Re-enter MESSALA, with BRUTUS, CATO,
STRATO, VOLUMNIUS, and LUCILIUS.

Bru. Where, where, Messala, doth his body lie?

Mes. Lo, yonder; and Titinius mourning it. Bru. Titinius' face is upward.

In our own proper entrails.

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Low alarums. Cato. Brave Titinius! Look! whe'r he have not crown'd dead Cassius. Bru. Are yet two Romans living such as these? The last of all the Romans, fare thee well! It is impossible that ever Rome Should breed thy fellow. Friends, I owe more

tears

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