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Caf. Cafca, by your voice..

Cafca, Your ear is good. Caffius, what night is this! Caf. A very pleasing night to honest men.

Cafca. Who ever knew the heavens menace so ?

Caf. Thofe, that have known the earth fo full of faults.

For my part, I have walk'd about the streets,
Submitting me unto the perillous night;
And thus unbraced, Cafca, as you see,

Have bar'd my bofom to the thunder-ftone:
And when the cross blue lightning feem'd to open
The breaft of heav'n, I did prefent my felf

Ev'n in the aim and very flash of it.

Cafca. But wherefore did you fo much tempt the heav'ns?

It is the part of men to fear and tremble,

When the most mighty Gods, by tokens, fend

Such dreadful heralds to aftonish us.

Caf. You are dull, Cafca; and thofe fparks of life,
That should be in a Roman, you do want,
Or else you use not; you look pale, and gaze,
And put on fear, and caft your felf in wonder,
To fee the strange impatience of the heav'ns:
But if you would confider the true cause,
Why all these fires, why all these gliding ghosts,
Why birds and beafts, from quality and kind,
Why old men, fools, and children calculate;
Why all these things change, from their ordinance,
Their natures and pre-formed faculties

To monftrous quality; why, you fhall find,
That heaven has infus'd them with these spirits,
To make them inftruments of fear and warning
Unto fome monstrous ftage.

Now could I, Cafea, name to thee a man
Moft like this dreadful night;

That thunders, lightens, opens Graves, and roars
As doth the lion in the Capitol;

A man no mightier than thy felf, or me,
In perfonal action; yet prodigious grown,
And fearful, as thefe ftrange eruptions are.

Cafca.

Cafca. "Tis Cafar that you mean; is it not, Caffius? Caf. Let it be who it is: for Romans now Have thewes and limbs like to their ancestors; (4) But, woe the while! our fathers' minds are dead, And we are govern'd with our mothers' spirits: Our yoke and fuff'rance fhew us womanish.

Cafca. Indeed, they fay, the Senators to morrow
Mean to establish Cæfar as a King:

And he shall wear his Crown by fea and land,
In every place, fave here in Italy.

Caf. I know, where I will wear this dagger then. Caffius from bondage will deliver Caffius.

Therein, ye Gods, you make the weak moft ftrong;
Therein, ye Gods, you tyrants do defeat;
Nor ftony tower, nor walls of beaten brass,
Nor airless dungeon, nor ftrong links of iron,
Can be retentive to the ftrength of fpirit:
But life, being weary of these worldly bars,
Never lacks power to difmifs it felf.

If I know this; know all the world befides,
That part of tyranny, that I do bear,
I can fhake off at pleasure.

Cafea. So can I.

So every bondman in his own hand bears
The power to cancel his captivity.

Caf. And why fhould Cæfar be a tyrant then?
Poor man! I know, he would not be a wolf,
But that he fees, the Romans are but sheep;
He were no lion, were not Romans hinds.
Those that with hafte will make a mighty fire,
Begin it with weak ftraws. What trafh is Rome?
What rubbish, and what offal? when it ferves
For the base matter to illuminate

(4) Have thews and Limbs-] Mr. Pope has fubjoin'd, to both his Editions, an Explanation of Thews, as if it fignified, manners or capacities. 'Tis certain, it fometimes has thefe Significations; but he's mistaken strangely to imagine it has any fuch Senfe here: Nor, indeed, do I ever remember its being used by our Author in thofe Acceptations. With him, I think, it always fignifies, Muscles, Sinews, bodily Strength.

So

So vile a thing as Cæfar? But, oh grief!
Where haft thou led me? I, perhaps, fpeak this
Before a willing bondman: then I know,
My answer must be made. But I am arm'd,
And dangers are to me indifferent.

Cafea. You fpeak to Cafea, and to fuch a man,
That is no fearing tall-tale. Hold my hand: (5)
Be factious for redress of all these griefs,

And I will fet this foot of mine as far,
As who goes farthest.

Caf. There's a bargain made.

Now know you, Cafca, I have mov'd already
Some certain of the nobleft-minded Romans,
To undergo, with me, an enterprize
Of honourable dang'rous confequence;
And I do know, by this they ftay for me
In Pompey's Porch. For now, this fearful night,
There is no ftir, or walking in the streets;
And the complexion of the element

Is fev'rous, like the work we have in hand';
Moft bloody, fiery, and moft terrible.

Enter Cinna,

Cafca. Stand close a while, for here comes one in hafte.

Caf. 'Tis Cinna, I do know him by his gate; He is a friend. Cinna, where hafte you fo?

Cin. To find out you: who's that, Metellus Cimber?
Caf. No, it is Cafca, one incorporate

To our attempts. Am I not ftaid for, Cinna?
Cin. I'm glad on't. What a fearful night is this?
There's two or three of us have seen strange fights.
Caf. Am I not ftaid for? tell me.

Cin. Yes, you are.

Caffius! could you win the noble Brutus

(5)

-Hold, my Hand.] The Comma mut certainly be remov'd. Cafca bids Caffius take his Hand, as it were to bind their League and Amity. So afterwards, in this

Play ;

Give me thy Hand, Meffala.

Το

To our party

Caf. Be you content. Good Cinna, take this paper;
And look you lay it in the Prætor's chair,

Where Brutus may but find it; and throw this
In at his window; fet this up with wax
Upon old Brutus Statue: all this done,

Repair to Pompey's porch, where you shall find us.
Is Decius Brutus, and Trebonius there?

Cin. All, but Metellus Cimber, and he's gone
To feek you at your house. Well, I will hie,
And fo bestow these papers, as you bade me.
Caf. That done, repair to Pompey's Theatre.

Come, Cafca, you and I will, yet, ere day,
See Brutus at his houfe; three parts of him
Is ours already, and the man entire

Upon the next encounter yields him ours.

[Exit Cinna

Cafca. O, he fits high in all the people's hearts:
And that, which would appear offence in us,
His countenance, like richest alchymy,

Will change to virtue and to worthiness.

Caf. Him, and his worth, and our great need of

him,

You have right well conceited; let us go,
For it is after mid-night; and, ere day,
We will awake him, and be fure of him.

[Exeunt

ACT

W

A C T II.

SCENE, BRUTUS's Garden.

Enter BRUTUS.

BRUTUS.

HAT, Lucius! ho!

I cannot by the progrefs of the ftars,
Give guess how near to day-

-Lucius, I fay!
I would, it were my fault to fleep fo foundly.
When, Lucius, when? awake, I fay! what, Lucius!

Enter Lucius.

Luc. Call'd you, my lord?

Bru. Get me a taper in my Study, Lucius: When it is lighted, come and call me here.

Luc. I will, my lord.

Bru. It must be by his death: and, for my part,

I know no perfonal cause to spurn at him;

But for the general. He would be crown'd

[Exit.

How that might change his nature, there's the question.

It is the bright day, that brings forth the adder;

And that craves wary walking: crown him

-that

And then I grant we put a fting in him,
That at his will he may do danger with.
Th' abuse of Greatnefs is, when it disjoins
Remorfe from Power: and, to speak truth of Cefar,
I have not known when his affections sway'd
More than his reason. But 'tis a common proof,
That lowliness is young ambition's ladder,
Whereto the climber upward turns his face;
But when he once attains the upmost round,
He then unto the ladder turns his back,
Looks in the clouds, fcorning the base degrees
By which he did ascend: fo Cæfar may :
Then, left he may, prevent. And fince the quarrel

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