Nor airless dungeon, nor ftrong links of iron, If I know this, know all the world befides, So every bondman in his own hand bears Caf. And why fhould Cæfar be a tyrant then? So vile a thing as Cæfar? But, oh grief! Cafca. You fpeak to Casca, and to fuch a man, That is no flearing tell-tale. Hold my hand: (7) 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, Casca, I have moved already (7) Hold, my hand:] This comma muft certainly be removed. 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. Of honourable dangerous confequence; Is feverous, like the work we have in hand; . Enter CINNA. Cafea. Stand clofe a while, for here comes one in hafte. Caf. 'Tis Cinna, I do know him by his gait; 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 feen ftrange fights. Caf. Am I not ftaid for? tell me. Cin. Yes, you are. O Caflius! could you win the noble Brutus Caf. Be you content. Good Cinna, take this in All, but Metellus Cimber, and he's gone 群 See Brutus at his houfe; three parts of him Cafea. O, he fits high in all the people's hearts : [him, Caf. Him and his worth, and our great need of You have right well conceited; let us go, For it is after midnight; and ere day We will awake him, and be fure of him. [Exeunt. ACT II. SCENE, Brutus's Garden. Enter BRUTUS. BRUTU S. WHAT, Lucius! ho!- I cannot by the progrefs of the stars 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 DUCIUS. Luc. Called you, my Lord?" Bru. Get me a taper in my ftudy, Lucius:: When it is lighted, come and call me here. Luc. I will, my Lord. [Exit. Bru. It must be by his death; and for my part,. I know no perfonal caufe to fpurn at him; It is the bright day that brings forth the adder; And that craves wary walking: crown him--that-- Enter LUCIUS. Luc. The taper burneth in your clofet, Sir; [Gives him the Letter. Bru. Get you to bed again, it is not day: Is not to-morrow, boy, the xdes of March? (8) (8) Ts not to-morrow, boy, the first of March ?] I dare pronounce a palpable blunder here, which none of the editors have ever been aware of. Brutus enquires whether the first of March be come, and the boy brings him word, 'tis wafted fifteen days Allowing Brutus to be a most contemplative man, and his thoughts taken up ith high matters, yet I can never agree that he fo little knew how time went, as Luc. I know not, Sir. Bru. Look in the kalendar, and bring me word. Luc. I will, Sir. [Exit Bru. The exhalations whizzing in the air, Give fo much light, that I may read by them. [Opens the Letter and reads. "Brutus, thou sleepest; awake and fee thyfelf: Shall Rome,------speak, strike, redress.” Brutus, thou fleepest: awake. Such inftigations have been often dropped, Shall Rome-thus muft I piece it out, [Rome? [mife, to be mistaken a whole fortnight in the reckonings I make no fcruple to affert, the Poet wrote- Ides. But how could Jdes, may it not be objected, be corrupted into firt? Whatfimilitude in the traces of the letters? This difficulty may very easily be folved, by only fuppofing that the word Ides in the manufcript copy happened to be wrote contractedly thus, js the players knew the, word well enough in the contraction; but when the MSS. came to the prefs, the compofitors were not fo well informed in it: they knew,. that jst frequently stood for first ; and blunderingly thought that was meant to do fo too: and theace was derived. the corruption of the text, But that the Post wrote Ides, we have this in coufirmation Brutus makes the enquiry on the dawn of the very day in which Cæfar was killed in the Capitol. Now 'tis very well known, that this was on the 15th day, which is the Ides of March. I ought to acknow ledge, that my friend Mr Warburton likewife started this very enendation, and communicated it to ine by letter. |