A CTV,

SCENE, the Fields of Philippi, with the two Camps.

N

Enter Octavius, Antony, and their Army,

OCTAVI U S.

OW, Antony, our hopes are answered.
You faid, 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,
Answering, before we do demand of them.
Ant. Tut, I am in their bosoms, and I know
Wherefore they do it; they could be content
To vifit other places, and come down
With fearful bravery; thinking, by this face,
To faften in our thoughts that they have courage.
But 'tis not fo.

Enter a Meffenger.
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 foftly on,

Upon the left hand of the even field.

Octa. Upon the right hand I, keep thou the left.
Ant. Why do you crofs me in this exigent?

Octa. I do not cross you; but I will do fo. [March

Drum. Enter Brutus, Caffius, and their Army."

Bru. They ftand, and would have parley.

Caf. Stand faft, Titinius, we muft out and talk.

Oda. 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?
Octa. 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.

Witnefs the hole you made in Cæfar's heart,
Crying, "long live! hail, Cæfar!
Caf. Antony,

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

Ant. Not ftingless too.

For

Bru. O yes, and found lefs too :

you have ftoln their buzzing, Antony;

And very wifely threat, before you fting.
Ant. Villains! you did not fo, when your

Hack'd one another in the fides of Cæfar,

vile dag

You fhew'd your teeth like apes, and fawn'd like hounds,
And bow'd like bond men, kiffing Cafar's feet
Whilft damned Cafca, like a cur behind,

Struck Cafar on the neck. O flatterers?

;

Caf. Flatterers! now, Brutus, thank your felf; This tongue had not offended fo to day,

If Caffius might have rul'd.

Octa. Come, come, the cause. If arguing make us fweat,

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 Cafar's three and twenty wounds (17)

Be

(17) Three and thirty wounds.] Thus all the Editions implicitly; but I have ventur'd to reduce this Number to three and twenty

from

Be well aveng'd; or 'till another Cafar
Have added flaughter to the sword of traitors.

Bru. Cafar, thou canst not die by traitors' hands,
Unless 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 school-boy, worthless of fuch ho

nour,

Join'd with a masker and a reveller.

Ant. Old Caffius ftill!

Octa. Come, Antony, away;

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

If

If not, when you have ftomachs.

[Exe. 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. Lucilius,

Luc. My lord,

Caf. Melala.

hark, a word with you.

[Lucilius and Meffala ftand forth.

[Brutus peaks apart to Lucilius.

Mef. What fays my General?

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 strong,
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,

from the joint Authorities of Appian, Plutarch, and Suetonius: and, I am perfuaded, the Error was not from the Poet but his Transcribers.

VOL. VII.

D

Who

Who to Philippi here conforted us:

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

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

Caf. I but believe it partly;
For I am fresh of spirit, and refolv'd
To meet all peril very conftantly.
Bru. Even fo, 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 rest still incertain,
Let's reafon with the worst that may befall.
If we do lose this battel, then is this

very

The laft time we shall speak together,
What are you then determined to do?

Bru. Ev'n by the rule of that philofophy,
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 stay the providence of fome high powers,
That govern us below.

Caf. Then, if we lose this battle,

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

Bru. No, Caffius, no; think not, thou noble Re

man,

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 shall meet again, I know not;
Therefore our everlasting 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 business ere it come! But it fufficeth, that the day will end;

And then the end is known.

Come, ho, away.

Alarum. Enter Brutus and Meffala.

[Exeunt.

[Loud alarum.

Bru. Ride, ride, Meffala; ride, and give these bills
Unto the legions, on the other fide.
Let them fet on at once, for I perceive
But cold demeanor in Octavius' wing;
And sudden push gives them the overthrow.
Ride, ride, Meffala; let them all come down.

Alarum. Enter Caffius and Titinius.
Caf. O look, Titinius, look, the villains fly!
Myself have to mine own turn'd enemy;
This enfign here of mine was turning back,
I flew the coward, and did take it from him.
Tit. O Caffius, Brutus gave the word too early;
Who, having fome advantage on Octavius,
Took it too eagerly; his foldiers fell to spoil,
Whilft we by Antony were all inclos'd.

Enter Pindarus.

Pin. Fly further off, my lord, fly further off: Mark Antony is in your Tents, my lord;

Fly therefore, noble Caffius, fly far off.

[Exe

Caf. This hill is far enough. Look, look, Titinius,

Are thofe my Tents, where I perceive the fire?

Tit. They are, my lord.

Caf. Titinius, if thou lov't me,

Mount thou my horse, and hide thy fpurs in him, "Till he have brought thee up to yonder troops, And here again; that I may reft affur'd,

Whether yond troops are friend or enemy.

Tit. I will be here again, ev'n with a thought. [Exit.

D 2

Caf.