That ran through Cæsar's bowels, search this bosom. Stand not to answer. Here, take thou the hilts: [Dies. Pin. So, I am free: yet would not so have been, Durst I have done my will. O Cassius! Tit. No: this was he, Messala; But Cassius is no more.-O setting sun! Mistrust of my success hath done this deed. Mes. Mistrust of good success hath done this deed. O hateful error, melancholy's child! Why dost thou shew to the apt thoughts of To this dead man than you shall see me pay.- SCENE IV. Another Part of the Field. Alarum. Enter fighting, Soldiers of both Armies; then BRUTUS, CATO, LUCILIUS, and others. Bru. Yet, countrymen, O yet hold up your heads! Who will go Cato. What bastard doth not? with me? I will proclaim my name about the field:- A foe to tyrants, and my country's friend: [Charges the enemy. Bru. And I am Brutus; Marcus Brutus, I: Brutus, my country's friend: know me for Brutus. [Exit, charging the enemy. CATO is over SCENE V.-Another part of the Field. Enter BRUTUS, DARDANIUS, CLITUS, STRATO, and VOLUMNIUS. Bru. Come, poor remains of friends, rest on this rock. Cli. Statilius shewed the torch-light; but, my lord, He came not back: he is or ta'en or slain. Bru. Sit thee down, Clitus. Slaying is the word: It is a deed in fashion. Hark thee, Clitus :— [Whispering. Cli. What, I, my lord! No, not for all the world. Bru. Peace, then; no words. Cli. I'd rather kill myself. Bru. Hark thee, Dardanius:-[Whispers him. Dar. Shall I do such a deed! Cli. O, Dardanius! Dar. O, Clitus! Cli. What ill request did Brutus make to thee? Dar. To kill him, Clitus. Look, he meditates. Cli. Now is that noble vessel full of grief, That it runs over even at his eyes. Bru. Come hither, good Volumnius: list a word. Vol. What says my lord? Why this, Volumnius: The ghost of Cæsar hath appeared to me Vol. Not so, my lord. Bru. Nay, I am sure it is, Volumnius. It is more worthy to leap in ourselves, lord. Cli. Fly, fly, my lord! there is no tarrying here. Bru. Farewell to you;—and you;—and you, Strato, thou hast been all this while asleep : rest, That have but laboured to attain this hour. [Alarum. Cry within; "Fly, fly, fly!" Cli. Fly, my lord, fly! Bru. Hence: I will follow. [Exeunt CLITUS, DARDANIUS, and VOLUMNIUS. I pr'y thee, Strato, stay thou by thy lord. Thou art a fellow of a good respect; Thy life hath had some smatch of honour in it: Hold then my sword, and turn away thy face, While I do run upon it. Wilt thou, Strato? Stra. Give me your hand first: fare you well, my lord. Bru. Farewell, good Strato.-Cæsar, now be still: I killed not thee with half so good a will! Mes. My master's man.-Strato, where is thy master? Stra. Free from the bondage you are in, Messala: The conquerors can but make a fire of him: And no man else hath honour by his death. That thou hast proved Lucilius' saying true. Oct. All that served Brutus, I will entertain them. Fellow, wilt thou bestow thy time with me? Stra. Ay, if Messala will prefer me to you. Oct. Do so, good Messala. Mes. How died my master, Strato? Stra. I held the sword, and he did run on it. Mes. Octavius, then, take him to follow thee, That did the latest service to my master. Ant. This was the noblest Roman of them all. All the conspirators, save only he, Did that they did in envy of great Cæsar: So mixed in him, that Nature might stand up Oct. According to his virtue let us use him; With all respect and rites of burial. Within my tent his bones to-night shall lie, Most like a soldier, ordered honourably.So call the field to rest: and let's away, To part the glories of this happy day. [Exeunt. NOTES. "Have you not made an universal shout, That Tiber trembled underneath her banks." Act I., Scene 1. Drayton, in his "POLYOLBION," frequently describes the rivers of England as females, even when he speaks of the presiding power of the stream. Spenser, more classically, represents them as males. Of the address to the plebeians in which the quoted passage occurs, Mr. Campbell eloquently remarks, "It can be no great exaggeration to say, that these lines in the speech of Marullus are among the most magnificent in the English language. They roll over my mind's ear like the lordliest notes of a cathedral organ." "Let no images Be hung with Cæsar's trophies."-Act I., Scene 1. There were set up images of Cæsar in the city, with diadems on their head like kings. Those the two tribunes went and pulled down.-PLUTARCH (North's Translation). "Let me have men about me that are fat; Sleekheaded men, and such as sleep o' nights." Act I., Scene 2. Cæsar also had Cassius in great jealousy, and suspected him much: whereupon he said on a time to his friends, "What will Cassius do, think ye? I like not his pale looks." Another time, when Cæsar's friends complained unto him of Antonius and Dolabella, that they pretended some mischief towards him, he answered them again, "As for those fat men and smooth-combed heads (quoth he), I never reckon of them; but these pale-visaged and carrion-lean people, I fear them most:" meaning Brutus and Cassius.-PLUTARCH, "A common slave (you know him well by sight) Held up his left hand, which did flame and burn." Act I., Scene 3. Strabo the philosopher writeth that divers men were seen going up and down in fire: and furthermore, that there was a slave of the soldiers that did cast a marvellous burning flame out of his hand, inasmuch as they that saw it thought he had been burned; but when the fire was out, it was found he had no hurt.-PLUTARCH. --"Good Cinna, take this paper, And look you lay it in the prætor's chair, Where Brutus may but find it."-Act I., Scene 3. For Brutus, his friends and countrymen, both by divers procurements and sundry rumours of the city, and by many bills also, did openly call and procure him to do that he did. For under the image of his ancestor Junius Brutus (that drave the kings out of Rome), they wrote, "O that it pleased the gods thou wert now alive, Brutus!" And again, "That thou wert here among us now!" His tribunal, or chair, where he gave audience during the time he was prætor, was full of such bills:-"Brutus, thou art asleep, and art not Brutus indeed!"—PLUTARCH. "The genius and the mortal instruments Are then in council."—Act II., Scene 1. Shakspere is describing what passes in a single bosom; the insurrection which a conspirator feels agitating the little kingdom of his own mind, when the genius (or power that watches for his protection), and the mortal instruments (the passions) which excite him to a deed of honour and danger, are in council and debate: when the desire of action, and the care of safety, keep the mind in continual fluctuation and disturbance.-JOHNSON. "Sir, 't is your brother Cassius at the door."—Act II., Scene 1. Junia, the sister of Brutus, was married to Cassius. "I can o'ersway him; for he loves to hear That unicorns may be betrayed with trees, And bears with glasses, elephants with holes.” Act II., Scene 1. Unicorns are said to have been taken by one who, running behind a tree, eluded the violent push the animal was making at him; so that the unicorn's horn spent its force on the trunk, and stuck fast, detaining the animal till he was despatched by the hunter. There is a similar allusion in Spenser's "FAERY QUEEN," (b. ii., c. 5). Bears are reported to have been surprised by means of a mirror, which they would gaze on, affording their pursuers an opportunity of taking the surer aim. Elephants were seduced into pitfalls, lightly covered with hurdles and turf, on which a proper bait to tempt them was exposed.-STEEVENS. "I grant I am a woman; but withal A woman that lord Brutus took to wife." Act II., Scene 1, I being, O Brutus (said she), the daughter of Cato, was married unto thee, not to be thy companion in bed and at board only, like a harlot; but to be partaker also with thee of thy good and evil fortune. Now for thyself, I can find no cause of fault in thee touching our match: but for my part, how may I shew my duty towards thee, and how much 1 would do for thy sake, if I cannot constantly bear a secret mischance or grief with thee which requireth secrecy and fidelity? I confess that a woman's wit commonly is too weak to keep a secret safely: but yet, Brutus, good education and the company of virtuous men have some power to reform the defect of nature. And for myself, I have this benefit moreover, that I am the daughter of Cato and wife of Brutus.PLUTARCH. "And graves have yawned and yielded up their dead. Act II, Scene 2. This line recals a passage in "HAMLET:" "A little ere the mightiest Julius fell, The graves stood tenantless, and the sheeted dead Did squeak and gibber in the Roman streets." "POR. I pr'y thee, boy, run to the senate-house : Stay not to answer me, but get thee gone. Why dost thou stay? Luc. To know my errand, madam.”—Act II., Scene 3. Perturbation of mind is admirably expressed in "KING RICHARD III.," as here by Portia : "Rich. Dull, unmindful villain! Why stay'st thou here, and go'st not to the duke? Cat. First, mighty liege, tell me your highness' pleasure." "Et tu, Brute?-Then fall, Cæsar!"-Act III., Scene 1. Suetonius relates that, according to some authorities, Cæsar exclaimed in Greek, as Brutus approached to stab him, "And thou, my son?" He makes no mention of the Latin phrase attributed to him in the text, neither does Plutarch, who states that the conspirators "compassed him on every side, with their swords drawn in their hands, that Cæsar turned him nowhere but he was stricken by some. Men report also, that Cæsar did still defend himself against the rest, running every way with his body; but when he saw Brutus with his sword drawn in his hand, then he pulled his gown over his head, and made no more resistance." The often-quoted words probably appeared for the first time in the earlier Latin play on the subject, by Dr. Eedes. "There is no harm intended to your person, Nor to no Roman else."—Act III., Scene 1. The use of two negatives, not to make an affirmative, but to deny more strongly, is common to Chaucer, Spenser, and other of our ancient writers. Hickes observes that, in the Saxon, even four negatives are sometimes conjoined, and still preserve a negative signification.-STEEVENS. "Cry 'Havock!' and let slip the dogs of war." Act III., Scene 1. In military operations of old, the word "havock" signified that no quarter should be given. By the "dogs of war," are probably meant famine, sword, and fire. As in "KING HENRY V.:" "Leashed in like hounds, should famine, sword, and fire, Crouch for employment." "Those that will hear me speak, let them stay here." Act III., Scene 2. A great number of men being assembled together, one after another, Brutus made an oration unto them, to win the favour of the people, and to justify that they had done. All those that were by, said they had done well, and cried unto them that they boldly come down from the Capitol whereupon Brutus and his companions came boldly down into the market-place. The rest followed in troop, but Brutus went foremost, very honourably compassed in round about with the noblest men of the city.-PLUTARCH. "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. I come to bury Cæsar, not to praise him." Act III., Scene 2. Then Antonius, thinking good his testament should be read openly, and also that his body should be honourably buried, and not in hugger-mugger, lest the people might thereby take occasion to be worse offended if they did otherwise, Cassius stoutly spake against it, but Brutus went with the motion, and agreed unto it: wherein it seemeth he committed a second fault: for the first fault he did was when he would not consent to his fellow-conspirators that Antonius should be slain; and therefore he was justly accused that thereby he had saved and strengthened a strong and grievous enemy of their conspiracy. The second fault was when he agreed that Cæsar's funerals should be as Antonius would have them; the which indeed marred all. For, first of all, when Cæsar's testament was openly read amongst them, whereby it appeared that he bequeathed unto every citizen of Rome, seventy-five drachmas a man, and that he left his gardens and arbours unto the people which he had on this side of the river Tiber, in the place where now the temple of Fortune is built, the people then loved him, and were marvellous sorry for him.-PLUTARCH. "I am not Cinna the conspirator."-Act III., Scene 3. "Through a most extraordinary licence, or indolence in the collation of copies, this entire line is omitted in all modern editions."-PICTORIAL SHAKSPERE. The line in question was first, probably, omitted in the last edition of Steevens and Reed (1803); at least we have found it in all those earlier copies that have hitherto fallen in our way. We will, therefore, merely mention four editions of subsequent date, and of no extraordinary pretensions, in which we have observed the line supposed by our contemporary to be "omitted in all modern editions." These are, Whittingham's (7 vols., Chiswick, 1814); Hurst and Robinson's (2 vols., 1819); Fraser and Crawford's (Edinb., 1 vol., 1838; Orr, London); Sherwood's (London Stage edition, 1 vol., 1825). These copies have all come casually under our notice, and there are doubtless many others that give the line quoted; at the same time, it must be admitted that we have also seen several in which it is wanting. Our contemporary has unwittingly fallen into so many mistakes as to the supposed errors of all preceding modern editions, particularly with reference to the three great Roman plays, that it is but fair towards others to enter a general caution on the subject, without impeaching the special merits of the critic alluded to. "Most noble brother, you have done me wrong.' Act IV., Scene 2. About this time, Brutus sent to pray Cassius to come to the city of Sardis, and so he did. Brutus understanding of his coming, went to meet him with all his friends. There, both armies being armed, they called them both Emperors. Now, as it commonly happeneth in great affairs between two persons, both of them having many friends, and so many captains under them, there ran tales and complaints betwixt them. Therefore, before they fell in hand with any other matter, they went into a little chamber together, and bade every man avoid, and did shut the doors to them. They then began to pour out their complaints one to the other, and grew hot and loud, earnestly accusing one another, and at length fell both a-weeping.-PLUTARCH. "By heaven, I had rather coin my heart, And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring This is a noble sentiment, altogether in character, and expressed in a manner inimitably happy. For "to wring" implies both to get unjustly, and to use force in getting: and hard hands" signify both the peasant's great labour and pains in acquiring, and his great unwillingness to quit his hold.-WARBURTON. |