the tyrant;" in other words, the distinction is between the idealist and the man with a particular grievance.

41. Conceptions only proper to myself: A good instance of the socalled "misplaced only." Proper to myself: peculiarly my own. 42. Behaviours: This plural is antiquated; it is found elsewhere in Shakspere.

45. Nor construe any further my neglect: Scan this line for Shakspere's pronunciation of the verb, about which usage is divided to-day. 46. Than that poor Brutus, etc.: What is the syntax here? 48. Mistook: For the form, see Introduction, § 17.

53. But by reflection by some other things: It is impossible to make this a pleasant line, and some editors, following Pope, have changed the second by of the Folio to from. At best, the line is prosaic. The meaning is that the eye sees itself only by reflection in or from mirrors (compare Cassius' answer), water, or some polished surface. For similar thought and expression compare Troilus and Cressida (iii, 3, 105-111),

"Nor doth the eye itself,

That most pure spirit of sense, behold itself,
Not going from itself; but eye to eye opposed
Salutes each other with each other's form;
For speculation turns not to itself

Till it hath travell'd and is mirror'd there
Where it may see itself."

And, in the same play (iii, 3, 47-8),

54. Just true.

"Pride hath no other glass

To show itself, but pride."

58. Your shadow: your reflected image, as in Venus and Adonis (162), "died to kiss his shadow in the brook."

58-9. I have heard Where: Where is here used colloquially but idiomatically. Compare in Coriólanus (iv, 1, 16), "Resume that spirit, when you were wont to say."

62. His eyes. Does his refer to Brutus or loosely to "many of the best respect"?

71. Jealous on me: This use of on for of is vulgar to-day. Jealous: suspicious or doubtful, as in "That you do love me, I am nothing jealous" (i, 2, 162).

72-4. Were I a common laugher; if you know: Does this so-called "mixed condition" seem in any way harsh or unnatural ?

73. To stale: to make stale. See Introduction, § 39, and compare "Out of use and stal'd by other men" (iv, 1, 38); in Antony and Cleopatra (ii, 2, 239-40), "Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale Her infinite variety"; in Coriolanus (i, 1, 89-90), "I will venture To stale't a little more," and in Troilus and Cressida (ii, 3, 186), "Must not so stale his palm."

76. After: afterward.

66

76. Scandal: See Introduction, § 38. Note in other plays Shakspere's energetic use in Antony and Cleopatra (ii, 6, 13), "who the good Brutus ghosted"; in Coriolanus (iii, 1, 44), Scandal'd the suppliants for the people "; (iii, 1, 177), We'll surety him"; (iii, 2, 132), "I'll mountebank their loves"; (v, 2, 78-9), "My affairs Are servanted; (v, 3, 11), "godded me"; (v, 1, 5–6), “And knee The way into his mercy."

78. Rout: assembly, crowd.

85. Toward: Scan the line for the pronunciation of this word.

85. The general good: The good of the great body of the people. The general alone is sometimes used with a derogatory sense as in "Caviare to the general” (Hamlet, ii, 2, 430).

86. Set honour in one eye, etc.: The meaning of these lines can be more easily seen than logically analysed. Brutus wishes to say that he will go to death or honour impartially.

87. Indifferently: impartially.

88. Speed: prosper or bless. See Introduction, § 41, and compare our modern English "God speed." The later meaning, haste, is probably a derived one.

91. Your outward favour: your looks, appearance. Compare the provincial "the child favours his father.'

95. I had as lief not be as live: According to Wright, "the play upon the world live which follows shows that lief was pronounced, as it is frequently written, lieve.” Lief is from the Anglo-Saxon leof, dear. The expression had as lief is idiomatic, if not quite so common now as formerly. See Introduction, § 27.

101. Chafing with her shores: This curious use of with is probably a survival of the original meaning, against.

103. Leap in

into: Is this pleonasm disagreeable? 109. Hearts of controversy: contending courage; with hearts that contended against the flood.

110. Arrive the point propos'd: For the omission of the preposition, see Introduction, § 31.

112. I: An excellent case of emphatic prolepsis. The subject is repeated in line 115.

This story of Cassius and the "tir'd Cæsar finds no verification in Suetonius or in Plutarch. Suetonius says (Julius Cæsar, lvii), “If he (Cæsar) was stopped by floods in the rivers, he swam across or floated on skins inflated with wind, so that he often anticipated intelligence of his movements"; and again (Julius Cæsar, lxiv), “At Alexandria, in the attack of a bridge, being forced by a sudden sally of the enemy into a boat, and several others hurrying in with him, he leaped into the sea, and saved himself by swimming to the next ship, which lay at the distance of two hundred paces, holding up his left hand out of the water, for fear of wetting some papers which he held in it; and pulling his general's cloak after him with his teeth, lest it should fall into the hands of the enemy." This same story is told by Plutarch.

122. His coward lips did from their colour fly: The commentators hasten to add "like a deserter from his colours."

123. Whose bend: whose inclination. What is the modern custom in regard to this use of whose, referring to things without life?

124. His lustre: On this use of his for its, see Introduction, § 2. The student must become thoroughly familiar with this bit of Shaksperian usage.

129. For the omission of that at the beginning of the line, see Introduction, § 33.

129. Temper: nature or temperament.

133. These applauses: Compare the use of the plural behaviours (i, 2, 42).

136. A Colossus: of course referring to the famous Colossus of Rhodes.

141. Underlings: What is the force of the termination -ling? Compare hireling, worldling, darling, etc.

142. That "Casar": that word or name, 152. The great flood of Deucalion.

"Cæsar."

153. But it was fam'd with more than with one man: Hardly more euphonious than the line, "But by reflection by some other things' (i, 2, 53).

155. Her wide walls: Rowe's suggestion for the "wide Walkes " of the Folio. Note the disagreeable assonance of talk'd and walks in two successive lines.

156. Rome room: The editors justify Cassius' pun by asserting that the two words were pronounced very nearly if not quite

alike in Shakspere's day. We had rather admit the probability of this than the taste of the quibble in the present circumstances. All critics are agreed in lamenting Shakspere's propensity to play upon words in passages of serious import. Compare note on souls and soles (i, 1, 15), and hart and heart (iii, 1, 208-9). Some commentators find the same pun in (iii, 1, 290) "No Rome (room) of safety for Octavius yet." Cf. King John (iii, 1, 79–80) :

"O lawful let it be

That I have room with Rome to curse awhile."

157. One only man: one man only.

159. There was a Brutus once: Lucius Junius Brutus who, as consul, after the expulsion of the Tarquins, condemned his own sons to death for attempting to bring them back. The Brutus of our play evidently assumes that he is descended from this man; in reality, if Froude is right, he was of good plebeian stock, in no way related to the great Brutus. Concerning this disputed question compare Plutarch (North's translation, ed. Skeat, p. 106): "Now touching his father, some, for the evil will and malice they bare unto Brutus, because of the death of Julius Cæsar, do maintain, that he came not of Junius Brutus that drave out the Tarquins for there were none left of his race, considering that his two sons were executed for conspiracy with the Tarquins; and that Marcus Brutus came of a mean house, the which was raised to honour and office in the commonwealth but of late time. Posidonius the Philosopher writeth the contrary, that Junius Brutus indeed slew two of his sons which were men grown, as the histories do declare; howbeit that there was a third son, being but a little child at that time, from whom the house and family afterwards was derived and furthermore, that there were in his time certain famous men of that family, whose stature and countenance resembled much the image of Junius Brutus. And thus much for this matter." Much of the force of Shakspere's tragedy comes from the assumption by Brutus and his friends of Brutus' relationship to the great consul.

159. Brook'd: endured, tolerated.

160. The eternal devil: Johnson thought Shakspere wrote infernal devil. Compare the Yankee use 'tarnal in “a 'tarnal shame." The mention of the devil in ancient Rome is of a piece with Casca's “I would I might go to hell among the rogues" (i, 2, 266).

162. That you do love me, etc. This speech of Brutus has much

of the laconic style editors find in the more famous address to the multitude (iii, 2, 13 ff). Its short, balanced clauses are far from pleasant to the ear. As usual, Shakspere found the hint in his North's Plutarch (ed. Skeat, p. 107). "They do note in some of his Epistles, that he counterfeited that brief compendious manner of speech of the Lacedæmonians. As when the war was begun, he wrote unto the Pergamenians in this sort: I understand you have given Dolabella money; if you have done it willingly, you confess you have offended me; if against your wills, show it then by giving me willingly. Another time again unto the Samians: Your counsels be long, your doings be slow, consider the end. And in another Epistle he wrote unto the Patareians: The Xanthians despising my good will, have made their country a grave of despair, and the Patareians that put themselves into my protection, have lost no jot of their liberty : and therefore whilest you have liberty, either choose the judgement of the Patareians, or the fortune of the Xanthians. These were Brutus' manner of letters, which were honoured for their briefness."

162. I am nothing jealous: I do not doubt.

163. I have some aim: I can guess or conjecture.

171. Chew upon this: Would the Latin equivalent "ruminate upon this" please us better here?

172. Had rather: See Introduction, & 27.

173. Than to repute: The use of this grammatically unnecessary to rather unpleasantly checks the flow of the thought.

174. These hard conditions as this time: For this form of the relative, see Introduction, § 7. The reader should now begin to notice this use for himself, without further direction.

175. Is like: a common use in Shakspere for the more customary modern is likely."

177. Thus much show of fire: Wright refers to the description of Ajax's wit in Troilus and Cressida (iii, 3, 256): “It lies as coldly in him as fire in a flint, which will not show without knocking.” Compare also Brutus' own description of his cold nature (iv, 3, 109, ff),

181. Worthy note: The omission of the preposition of is hardly noticed; it occurs elsewhere in Shakspere.