Oa. Prick him down, Antony.

Lep. Upon condition, Publius fhall not live; Who is your fifter's fon, Mark Antony.

Ant. He fhall not live; look, with a spot I damn

him.

But, Lepidus, go you to Cafar's house;

Fetch the Will hither, and we fhall determine

How to cut off fome charge in legacies.

Lep. What? fhall I find you here?
Oct. Or here, or at the Capitol.

[Exit Lepidus

Ant. This is a flight, unmeritable, man,

Meet to be fent on errands: is it fit,

The three-fold world divided, he should stand
One of the three to fhare it ?

O. So you thought him;

And took his voice who fhould be prickt to die,
In our black fentence and profcription.

Ant. Octavius, I have feen more days than you ;
And though we lay these honours on this man,
To ease ourselves of divers fland'rous loads;
He shall but bear them, as the afs bears gold,
To groan and fweat under the business,
Or led or driven, as we point the way;
And, having brought our treasure where we will,
Then take we down his load, and turn him off,
Like to the empty afs, to shake his ears,

And graze in commons.

OЯ. You may do your

will;

But he's a try'd and valiant foldier.

Ant. So is my horse, Octavius: and, for that, I do appoint him ftore of provender.

It is a creature that I teach to fight,

To wind, to ftop, to run directly on;
His corporal motion govern'd by my spirit.
And, in fome tafte, is Lepidus but fo;

He must be taught, and train'd, and bid go forth;

A barren-fpirited fellow, one that feeds (15)

(35) A barren-Spirited fellow, one that feeds

On Objects, Arts, and Imitations, &C.

On

On abject Arts, and imitations;

Which, out of use, and ftal'd by other men,

Begin his fashion.

But as a property.

Liften great things

Brutus and Caffius

Are levying powers; we muft ftraight make head.
Therefore let our alliance be combin'd;

Our best friends made, and our beft means ftretcht out ;;
And let us presently go fit in council,

How covert matters may be best disclos'd,

And open perils fureft answered.

Oa. Let us do fo; for we are at the stake,

And bay'd about with many enemies;

And fome, that smile, have in their hearts, I fear,

Millions of mischiefs.

[Exeunt

SCENE before Brutus's Tent, in the Camp near Sardis.

Drum. Enter Brutus, Lucilius, and foldiers: Titinius. and Pindarus meeting them.

TAND, ho!

Bru. ST

Luc. Give the word, ho! and stand !

Bru. What now, Lucilius? is Caffius near?

Luc. He is at hand, and Pindarus is come

To do you falutation from his master.

Bru. He greets me well. Your mafter, Pindarus,
In his own change, or by ill officers,

Hath given me fome worthy cause to wish
Things done, undone; but if he be at hand,

'Tis hard to conceive, why He should be call'd a barren-spirited
Fellow, that could feed either on Objects, or Arts: that is, as I
prefume, form his Ideas and Judgment upon them: ftale and
obfolete Imitation, indeed, fixes fuch a Character.
I am per.
fuaded, to make the Poet confonant to himself, we must read,
as I have reftored the Text.

On abject Orts,

i. e. on the Scraps and Fragments of Things rejected, and despiseds by others,

I

Oa. Prick him down, Antony.

Lep. Upon condition, Publius shall not live; Who is your fifter's fon, Mark Antony.

Ant. He fhall not live; look, with a spot I damn

him.

But, Lepidus, go you to Cafar's house;

Fetch the Will hither, and we shall determine

How to cut off fome charge in legacies.

Lep. What? fhall I find you here?
Oct. Or here, or at the Capitol.

[Exit Lepidus!

Ant. This is a flight, unmeritable, man,

Meet to be fent on errands: is it fit,

The three-fold world divided, he should stand
One of the three to fhare it ?

O&. So you thought him;

And took his voice who fhould be prickt to die,
In our black fentence and profcription.

Ant. Octavius, I have feen more days than you;
And though we lay thefe honours on this man,
To ease ourselves of divers fland'rous loads ;
He shall but bear them, as the afs bears gold,
to
groan and sweat under the business,
Or led or driven, as we point the way;

And, having brought our treasure where we will,
Then take we down his load, and turn him off,
Like to the empty afs, to shake his ears,

And graze in commons.

Oa. You may do your will;

But he's a try'd and valiant foldier.

Ant. So is my horse, Octavius: and, for that,

I do appoint him ftore of provender.

It is a creature that I teach to fight,
To wind, to stop, to run directly on;
His corporal motion govern'd by my fpirit.
And, in fome tafte, is Lepidus but fo;

He must be taught, and train'd, and bid go fo
A barren-fpirited fellow, one

(35) A barren

Qn. Ohis

I fhall be fatisfied.

Pin. I do not doubt,

But that my noble mafter will appear,
Such as he is, full of regard and honour.

Bru. He is not doubted. A word, Lucilius-
How he receiv'd you, let me be refolv'd.

Luc. With courtefie, and with refpect enough;
But not with fuch familiar inftances,

Nor with fuch free and friendly conference,
As he hath us'd of old.

Bru. Thou haft defcrib'd

A hot friend cooling; ever note, Lucilius,
When love begins to ficken and decay,
It ufeth an enforced ceremony.

There are no tricks in plain, and fimple faith:
But hollow men, like horfes hot at hand,
Make gallant fhew and promife of their mettle;
But when they should endure the bloody fpur,
They fall their creft, and, like deceitful jades,
Sink in the tryal. Comes his army on?

Luc. They mean this night in Sardis to be quarter'd; The greater part, the horfe in general,

Are come with Caffius.

[Low march within

Enter Caffius and foldiers.

Bru. Hark, he is arriv'd;

Caf. Stand, ho!

March gently on to meet him.

Bru. Stand, ho! fpeak the word along..

Within. Stand!

Within. Stand!

Within. Stand!

Caf. Most noble brother, you have done me wrong. Bru. Judge me, you Gcds! wrong I mine enemies?* And, if not fo, how fhould I wrong a brother?

Caf. Brutus, this fober form of yours hides. wrongs, And when you do them

Bru. Caffius, be content,

Speak your griefs foftly, I do know you well.

Before the eyes of both our armies here,

(Which.