Bru. Didft thou dream, Lucius, that thou fo cried'ft

Out?

Luc. My lord, I do not know that I did cry.

Bru. Yes, that thou didft; didft thou fee any thing? Luc. Nothing, my lord.

Bru. Sleep again, Lucius; firrah, Claudius, fellow! Varro! awake.

Var. My lord!

Clau. My lord!

Bru. Why did you fo cry out, Sirs, in your fleep? lord?

Both. Did we, my

Bru. Ay, faw you any thing?

Var. No, my lord, I saw nothing.

Clau. Nor I, my lord.

Bru. Go and commend me to my brother Caffius; Bid him fet on his Pow'rs betimes before,

And we will follow.

Both. It fhall be done, my lord.

[Exeunt.

A CT V. SCENE I.

The Fields of Philippi, with the two Camps.
Enter Octavius, Antony, and their Army.
OCTAVI U S.

NOW, Antony, our hopes are answered.

You said, the enemy would not come down, But keep the hills and upper regions; It proves not fo; their battles are at hand, They mean to warn us at Philippi here, Anfwering, before we do demand of them.

Ant. Tut, I am in their bosoms, and know Wherefore they do it; they could be content To vifit other places, and come down

With fearful bravery; thinking, by this face,

To

To faften in our thoughts that they have courage.

But 'tis not so.

Enter a Messenger.

Mef. Prepare you, Generals;
The enemy comes on in gallant fhew;
Their bloody fign of battle is hung out,
And fomething to be done immediately.
Ant. Octavius, lead your battle softly on,
Upon the left hand of the even field.

Octa. Upon the right hand I, keep thou the left.
Ant. Why do you cross me in this exigent?
Octa. I do not crofs you; but I will do fo. [March.

Drum.

Bru.

Enter Brutus, Caffius, and their Army. HEY ftand, and would have parley.

Caf. Stand faft, Titinius, we muft out and talk. Ota. Mark Antony, fhall we give fign of battle? Ant. No, Cafar, we will anfwer on their charge. Make forth, the Generals would have fome words. Octa. Stir not until the fignal.

Bru. Words before blows: is it fo, countrymen ? Oda. Not that we love words better, as you do. Bru. Good words are better than bad ftrokes, Octa. vius.

Ant. In your bad ftrokes, Brutus, you give good

words.

Witness the hole you made in Cæfar's heart,
Crying, long live! hail, Cæfar!"

66

Caf. Antony,

The pofture of your blows are yet unknown;
But for your words, they rob the Hybla bees,
And leave them honeylefs.

Ant. Not ftinglefs too.

Bru. O yes, and foundless too:

For you have ftoll'n their buzzing, Antony;

And

And very wifely threat, before you fting.

Ant. Villains! you did not fo, when your vile daggers

Hack'd one another in the fides of Cæfar.

You fhew'd your teeth like apes, and fawn'd like hounds,

And bow'd like bondmen, kiffing Cafar's feet;
Whilft damned Cafca, like a cur behind,

Struck Cæfar on the neck.

O flatterers!

Caf. Flatterers! now, Brutus, thank yourself;
This tongue had not offended so to-day,
If Caffius might have rul'd.

[fweat,

Octa. Come, come, the cause. If arguing make us The proof of it will turn to redder drops. Behold, I draw a fword against confpirators; When think you, that the fword goes up again? Never, 'till Cæfar's three and twenty wounds Be well aveng'd; or 'till another Cafar Have added flaughter to the fword of traitors. Bru. Cæfar, thou canst not die by traitor's hands, Unlefs thou bring'ft them with thee.

Octa. So I hope;

I was not born to die on Brutus' fword.

Bru. O, if thou wert the nobleft of thy Strain, Young man, thou couldst not die more honourable. Caf. A peevish fchool-boy, worthlefs of fuch hoJoin'd with a masker and a reveller.

Ant. Old Caffius ftill!

Octa. Come, Antony, away;

Defiance, traitors, hurl we in your teeth :
If you dare fight to day, come to the field;

If not, when you have ftomachs.

[nour,

[Exeunt Octavius, Antony, and army.

Caf. WHY, now blow wind, fwell billow, and

fwim bark!

The ftorm is up,' and all is on the hazard.

Bru.

Caf. Meffala,

This is my birth-day; as this very day

Was Caffius born.

Give me thy hand, Meffala:

Be thou my witness, that, against my will,
As Pompey was, am I compell'd to fet
Upon one battle all our liberties.

You know, that I held Epicurus ftrong,
And his opinion; now I change my mind;
And partly credit things, that do prefage.
Coming from Sardis, on our foremost enfign
Two mighty eagles fell; and there they perch'd;
Gorging and feeding from our foldiers' hands,
Who to Philippi here conforted us :

This morning are they fled away and gone,
And, in their steads, do ravenous crows and kites
Fly o'er our heads; and downward look on us,
As we were fickly prey; their shadows seem
A canopy moft fatal, under which

Our army lies ready to give the ghoft.
Mef. Believe not fo.

Caf. I but believe it partly;

For I am fresh of spirit, and resolv'd
To meet all peril very conftantly.
Bru. Even so, Lucilius.

Caf. Now, moft noble Brutus,

The Gods to-day ftand friendly; that we may,
Lovers in peace, lead on our days to age!
But fince th' affairs of men reft ftill incertain,
Let's reafon with the worst that may befal.
If we do lose this battle, then is this
The very laft time we fhall fpeak together.
What are you then determined to do?

Bru. Ev'n by the rule of that philofophy,

By

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,

For fear of what might fall, fo to prevent

The time of life; ***arming myself with patience, To ftay the providence of fome high powers,

That govern us below.

Caf. Then, if we lofe this battle,

You are contented to be led in triumph
Thorough the ftreets of Rome?

Bru. No, Caffius, no; think not, thou noble Roman, That ever Brutus will go bound to Rome;

He bears too great a mind. But this fame day
Muft end that Work, the Ides of March begun;
And, whether we fhall meet again, I know not;
Therefore our everlafting farewel take;
For ever, and for ever, farewel, Caffius!
If we do meet again, why, we shall smile;
If not, why, then this parting was well made.
Caf. For ever, and for ever, farewel, Brutus!
If we do meet again, we'll fmile 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 bufinefs ere it come!
But it fufficeth, that the day will end;
And then the end is known. Come, ho,

away.

SCENE

IV.

[Exeunt.

Alarm.

Bru.

Enter Brutus and Meffala.

IDE, ride, Meffala; ride, and give these bills
Unto the legions, on the other fide.

[Loud alarm.

-arming myfelf with Patience, &c.] It is evident, that, between these words and the foregoing, a fentence is dropped out to this Effed [on the contrary, true courage is feen in the arming myself with Patience, &c. As the Text ftands at prefent, the two different Sentiments of Dislike and Approbation are run together, as Parts related to one another.

Let