Like a phantafma, or a hideous dream: Enter Lucius. Luc. Sir, 'tis your brother Caffius at the door, Who doth defire to fee you. Bru. Is he alone? Luc. No, Sir, there are more with him. Bru. Do you know them? Luc. No, Sir, their Hats are pluckt about their ears, And half their faces buried in their Cloaks; That by no means I may difcover them By any mark of favour. Bru. Let them enter. They are the faction. O Confpiracy! Exit Lucius. Sham'st thou to fhew thy,dang'rous brow by night, When Evils are moft free? O then, by day Where wilt thou find a cavern dark enough, To mask thy monftrous vifage? feek none, Confpiracy For if thou path, thy native femblance on, To hide thee from prevention. Enter Caffius, Cafca, Decius, Cinna, Metellus, Caf. I think, we are too bold upon your Reft; Bru. I have been up this hour, awake all night. Which every noble Roman bears of you. Bru. He is welcome hither. Caf. This, Decius Brutus. L Bru. Bru. He is welcome too. Caf. This, Cafća; this, Cinna; And this, Metellus, Cimber. Bru. They are all welcome. What watchful cares do interpofe themselves Betwixt your eyes and night? Caf. Shall I entreat a word? [They whisper. Dec. Here lies the Eaft: doth not the day break here? (11) Cafca. No. Cin. O pardon, Sir, it doth; and yon grey lines, That fret the Clouds, are meffengers of day. Cafca. You fhall confefs, that you are both deceiv'd : Here, as I point my fword, the Sun arifes, Which is a great way growing on the South, Some two months hence, up higher toward the North Bru. Give me your hands all over, one by one. Bru. No, not an oath: if that the face of men, 66 (11) Here lies the Eaft:] Mr. Rymer, in his Examination of the Tragedies of the laft Age, p. 153, has left an invidious and paltry Remark on this Paffage. Here the Roman Senators, (fays He) the Midnight before Cafar's Death, (met in the Garden of Brutus to "fettle the Matter of their Confpiracy,) are gazing up to the Stars, " and have no more in their Heads than to wrangle about which is "the Eaft and Weft. This is directly, as Bays tells us, to fhew the "World a Pattern here, how Men fhould talk of Business. But it "would be a wrong to the Poet, not to inform the Reader that on "the Stage the Spectators fee Brutus and Caffius all this while at whisper together". I cannot help having the utmoft Contempt for this poor ill-judg'd Sneer. It fhews the Height of good Manners and Politeness in the Confpirators, while Brutus and Caffius whisper, to start any occafional Topick, and talk extempore; rather than feem to liften to, or be defirous of overhearing, what Caffius draws Brutus afide for. And, if I am not miftaken, there is a Piece of Art shewn in this whisper, which our Caviller either did not, or would not, fee into. The Audience are already apprized of the Subject on which the Faction meet and therefore this whifper is an Artifice, to prevent the Preliminaries, of what they knew beforehand, being formally repeated. If these be motives weak, break off betimes; To kindle cowards, and to fteel with valour That this fhall be, or we will fall for it? Nor th' infuppreffive mettle of our fpirits; To think, that or our caufe, or our performance, If he doth break the fmalleft particle Caf. But what of Cicero? fhall we found him? I think, he will ftand very ftrong with us. Cin. No, by no means. Met. O let us have him, for his filver hairs (12) So let high-fighted Tyranny1 Tho' I have not difturb'd this Epithet in the Text, yet, I fufpect, our Poet either wrote, as Mr. Warburton hinted to me, high-eged; or elfe, high-feated. So Caffius, in the former Act, fays; And, after this, let Cæfar feat him fure; So in Macbeth, and our high-plac'd Mackbeth Shall live the lease of Nature ; And again, Great Tyranny, lay thou thy Bafis fure, and in many other Paffages. L 2 Will Will purchase us a good opinion, And buy mens voices to commend our deeds: Bru. O, name him not: let us not break with him; Caf. Then leave him out. Cafca. Indeed, he is not fit. Dec. Shall no man elfe be touch'd, but only Cafar? Caf. Decius, well urg'd: I think, it is not meet, Mark Antony, fo well belov'd of Cæfar, Should out-live Cafar: we fhall find of him Let Antony and Cæfar fall together. Bru. Our courfe will feem too bloody, Caius Caffius, To cut the head off, and then hack the limbs; Like wrath in death, and envy afterwards: For Antony is but a limb of Cæfar. Let us be facrificers, but not butchers, Caius; And after feem to chide them. This fhall make Caf. Caf. Yet I do fear him; For in th' ingrafted love he bears to Cæfar Bru. Alas, good Caffius, do not think of him: Is to himself, take thought, and die for Cefar: Treb. There is no fear in him; let him not die; For he will live, and laugh at this hereafter..:: [Clock frikes. Bru. Peace, count the clock. Caf. But it is doubtful yet, If Cafar will come forth to day, or no: Dec. Never fear that; if he be fo refolv'd, For I can give his humour the true bent; Caf. Nay, we will all of us be there to fetch him. L3 Send |