Call Claudius, and some other of my men ; Enter VARRO and CLAUDIUS. Var. Calls my lord? Bru. I pray you, sirs, lie in my tent, and sleep; It may be, I shall raise you by and by On business to my brother Cassius. [sure. Var. So please you, we will stand, and watch your pleaBru. I will not have it so: lie down, good sirs; It may be, I shall otherwise bethink me. Look, Lucius, here's the book I sought for so; I put it in the pocket of my gown. [Servants lie down. Luc. I was sure, your lordship did not give it me. Bru. Bear with me, good boy, I am much forgetful. Canst thou hold up thy heavy eyes awhile, And touch thy instrument a strain or two? I trouble thee too much, but thou art willing. Luc. It is my duty, sir. Bru. I should not urge thy duty past thy might; Bru. It was well done; and thou shalt sleep again; I will be good to thee. [Music, and a song This is a sleepy tune :-O murd'rous slumber! Lay'st thou thy leaden mace upon my boy, That plays thee music ?-Gentle knave, good night; That shapes this monstrous apparition. It comes upon me :-Art thou any thing? Art thou some god, some angel, or some devil, Ghost. Thy evil spirit, Brutus. Bru. Why com'st thou ? Ghost. To tell thee, thou shalt see me at Philippi. Bru. Well; Then I shall see thee again? Ghost. Ay, at Philippi. [Ghost vanishes. Bru. Why, I will see thee at Philippi then,Now I have taken heart, thou vanishest : Ill spirit, I would hold more talk with thee.— Boy! Lucius!-Varro! Claudius! Sirs, awake !— Luc. The strings, my lord, are false. Bru. He thinks, he still is at his instrument.--Lucius, awake. Luc. My lord! Bru. Didst thou dream, Lucius, that thou so cry'dst out? Luc. My lord, I do not know that I did cry. Bru. Yes, that thou didst : Didst thou see any thing? Luc. Nothing, my lord. Bru. Sleep again, Lucius.-Sirrah, Claudius! Fellow thou! awake. Var. My lord. Clau. My lord. Bru. Why did you so cry out, sirs, in your sleep? Bru. Ay Saw you any thing? Var. No, my lord, I saw nothing. Clau. Nor I, my lord. Bru. Go, and commend me to my brother Cassius ; Bid him set on his powers betimes before, And we will follow. Var. Clau. It shall be done, my lord. ACT V. [Exeunt. SCENE I.-The Plains of Philippi. Enter OCTAVIUS Oct. Now, Antony, our hopes are answered: Ant. Tut, I am in their bosoms, and I know To visit other places; and come down With fearful bravery, thinking, by this face, To fasten in our thoughts that they have courage; Enter a Messenger. Ant. Octavius, lead your battle softly on, Oct. Upon the right hand I, keep thou the left. Oct. I do not cross you; but I will do so. [March. Drum. Enter BRUTUS, CASSIUS, and their Army; LUCI- Bru. They stand, and would have parley. Bru. Words before blows: Is it so, countrymen ? Bru. Good words are better than bad strokes, Octavius. Cas. Antony, The posture of your blows are yet unknown; But for your words, they rob the Hybla bees, Ant. Not stingless too. Bru. O, yes, and soundless too; For you have stol'n their buzzing, Antony, And, very wisely, threat before you sting. Ant. Villains, you did not so, when your vile daggers Hack'd one another in the sides of Cæsar : You show'd your teeth like apes, and fawn'd like hounds, And bow'd like bondmen, kissing Cæsar's feet; Whilst damned Casca, like a cur, behind, Struck Cæsar on the neck. O flatterers ! Cas. Flatterers-Now, Brutus, thank yourself: 5 This tongue had not offended so to-day, If Cassius might have rul'd. Oct. Come, come, the cause: If arguing make us sweat, The proof of it will turn to redder drops. Look ; I draw a sword against conspirators; When think you that the sword goes up again ?— Be well aveng'd; or till another Cæsar Have added slaughter to the sword of traitors. Oct. So I hope ; I was not born to die on Brutus' sword. Bru. O, if thou wert the noblest of thy strain, Young man, thou couldst not die more honourable. Ant. Old Cassius still! Oct. 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 stomachs. [Exe. OCTAVIUS, ANTONY, and their army. Cas. Why now, blow, wind; swell, billow; and swim, The storm is up, and all is on the hazard. Bru. Ho! Lucilius; hark, a word with you. [bark! Luc. My lord. [BRUTUS and LUCILIUS converse apart. Cas. Messala. Mes. What says my general? Cas. Messala, This is my birth-day; as this very day Was Cassius born. Give me thy hand, Messala: Be thou my witness, that, against my will, As Pompey was, am I compell'd to set Upon one battle all our liberties. You know, that I held Epicurus strong, Gorging and feeding from our soldiers' hands; This morning are they fled away, and gone; Our army lies, ready to give up the ghost. Cas. I but believe it partly; For I am fresh of spirit, and resolv'd Cas. Now, most noble Brutus, The gods to-day stand friendly; that we may, But, since the affairs of men rest still uncertain, Bru. Even by the rule of that philosophy,* For fear of what might fall, so to prevent govern us below. Cas. Then, if we lose this battle, You are contented to be led in triumph Thorough the streets of Rome ? Bru. No, Cassius, no: think not, thou noble Roman, That ever Brutus will go bound to Rome; He bears too great a mind. But this same day of? [S] That is, I am resolved in such a case to kill myself. What are you determined WARBURTON. [4] There is an apparent contradiction between the sentiments contained in this and the following speech of Brutus. In this, Brutus declares his resolution to wait patiently for the determinations of Providence; and in the next, he intimates, that though he should survive the battle, he would never submit to he led in chains to Rome. This sentence, in sir Thonias North's translation of Plutarch is perplexed, and might easily be misunderstood. Shakespeare, in the first speech, makes that to be present opinion of Brutus, which, in Plutarch, is mentioned only as one he for merly entertained, though he now condemned it." STEEVENS. the |