Bid our commanders lead their charges off
A little from this ground.

Bru. Lucilius, do the like; and let no man Come to our tent, till we have done our conference. Let Lucius and Titinius guard our door. [Exeunt.

SCENE III. — Within the Tent of Brutus.
Lucius and Titinius at some distance from it.
Enter BRUTUS and CASSIUS.

Cas. That you have wrong'd me doth appear in this:

You have condemn'd and noted Lucius Pella,
For taking bribes here of the Sardians;
Wherein, my letters, praying on his side,
Because I knew the man, were slighted off.

Bru. You wrong'd yourself, to write in such a

Cas. Urge me no more, I shall forget myself; Have mind upon your health, tempt me no further. Bru. Away, slight man!

Cas. Is't possible? Bru. Hear me, for I will speak. Must I give way and room to your rash choler? Shall I be frighted, when a madman stares?

Cas. O ye gods! ye gods! Must I endure all this? Bru. All this? ay, and more: Fret, till your proud heart break;

Go, show your slaves how cholerick you are,
And make your bondmen tremble. Must I budge?
Must I observe you? Must I stand and crouch
Under your testy humour? By the gods,
You shall digest the venom of your spleen,
Though it do split you: for, from this day forth,
I'll use you for my mirth, yea, for my laughter,
When you are waspish.

Cas. What? durst not tempt him? Bru. For your life you durst not Cas. Do not presume too much upon my love, I may do that I shall be sorry for.

Bru. You have done that you should be sorry for. There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats; For I am arm'd so strong in honesty, That they pass by me as the idle wind, Which I respect not. I did send to you For certain sums of gold, which you deny'd me; For I can raise no money by vile means: By heaven, I had rather coin my heart, And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash, By any indirection. I did send

To you for gold to pay my legions,

Which you denied me: Was that done like Cassius?
Should I have answer'd Caius Cassius so?
When Marcus Brutus grows so covetous,

To lock such rascal counters from his friends,

SA

appear

As huge as high Olympus.

Cas. Come, Antony, and young Octavius, come, Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius,

For Cassius is aweary of the world:
Hated by one he loves; brav'd by his brother;
Check'd like a bondman; all his faults observ'd,
Set in a note-book, learn'd and conn'd by rote,
To cast into my teeth. O, I could weep
My spirit from mine eyes! There is my dagger,
And here my naked breast; within, a heart
Dearer than Plutus' mine, richer than gold:
If that thou be'st a Roman, take it forth;

I, that denied thee gold, will give my heart:
Strike, as thou didst at Cæsar; for, I know,

What should the wars do with these jigging fools?
Companion, hence.
Cus

Away, away, be gone.

Enter LUCILIUS and TITINIUS.

[Erit Poet.

Bru. Lucilius and Titinius, bid the commanders Prepare to lodge their companies to-night.

Cas. And come yourselves, and bring Messala with

you Immediately to us.

[Exeunt LUCILIUS and TITINIUS.
Lucius, a bowl of wine.

Bru.
Cas. I did not think, you could have been so angry.
Bru. O Cassius, I am sick of many griefs.
Cas. Of your philosophy you make no use,

If you give place to accidental evils.

Bru. No man bears sorrow better: - Portia is dead.

And grief, that young Octavius with Mark Antony

better

Than ever thou lov'dst Cassius.

Bru. Sheath your dagger: Be angry when you will, it shall have scope; Do what you will, dishonour shall be humour. O Cassius, you are yoked with a lamb That carries anger, as the flint bears fire; Who, much enforced, shows a hasty spark, · And straight is cold again.

Cas. Hath Cassius liv'd To be but mirth and laughter to his Brutus, When grief, and blood ill-temper'd, vexeth him? Bru. When I spoke that, I was ill-temper'd too. Cas. Do you confess so much? Give me your

hand.

Bru. And my heart too.

Cas.

Bru.

O Brutus !

What's the matter? Cas. Have you not love enough to bear with me, When that rash humour, which my mother gave me, Makes me forgetful?

Bru. Yes, Cassius; and, henceforth, When you are over-earnest with your Brutus, He'll think your mother chides, and leave you so. [Noise within. Poet. [Within.] Let me go in to see the generals; There is some grudge between them, 'tis not meet They be alone.

Luc. [Within.] You shall not come to them. Poet. [Within.] Nothing but death shall stay me. Enter Poet.

Cas. How now? What's the matter?

Poet. For shame, you generals; What do you

mean?

Love, and be friends, as two such men should be ;
For I have seen more years, I am sure, than ye.
Cas. Ha, ha; how vilely doth this cynick rhyme!
Bru. Get you hence, sirrah; saucy fellow, hence.
Cas. Bear with him, Brutus; 'tis his fashion.

Re-enter TITINIUS with MESSALA,
Come in, Titinius : — Welcome, good
Messala.

Now sit we close about this taper here,
And call in question our necessities.
Cas. Portia, art thou gone?
Bru.
No more, I pray you. —
Messala, I have here received letters,
That young Octavius, and Mark Antony,
Come down upon us with a mighty power,
Bending their expedition toward Philippi.
Mes. Myself have letters of the self-same tenour.
Bru. With what addition?

Mess. That by proscription, and bills of outlawry, Octavius, Antony, and Lepidus,

Have put to death an hundred senators.

Bru. Therein our letters do not well agree;
Mine speak of seventy senators, that died,
By their proscriptions, Cicero being one.
Cas. Cicero one?
Mes.
Ay, Cicero is dead,
And by that order of proscription. -
Had you your letters from your wife, my lord?
Bru. No, Messala.

Mes. Nor nothing in your letters writ of her?

Mes. No, my lord.

Bru. Now, as you are a Roman, tell me true. Mes. Then like a Roman bear the truth I tell : For certain she is dead, and by strange manner. Bru. Why, farewell, Portia. - We must die, Messala :

With meditating that she must die once,
I have the patience to endure it now.

Mes. Even so great men great losses should endure.

Cas. I have as much of this in art as you,
But yet my nature could not bear it so.
Bru. Well, to our work alive. What do
Of marching to Philippi presently?
Cas. I do not think it good.

Bru.

Cas.

Your reason?

you think

This it is:

'Tis better, that the enemy seek us:
So shall he waste his means, weary his soldiers,
Doing himself offence; whilst we, lying still,
Are full of rest, defence, and nimbleness.

Bru. Good reasons must, of force, give place to better.

The people, 'twixt Philippi and this ground,
Do stand but in a forc'd affection;
For they have grudg'd us contribution :
The enemy, marching along by them,
By them shall make a fuller number up,
Come on refresh'd, new-added, and encourag'd;
From which advantage shall we cut him off,
If at Philippi we do face him there,
These people at our back.

Cas.

Hear me, good brother. Bru. Under your pardon. - You must note beside,

That we have try'd the utmost of our friends,
Our legions are brim-full, our cause is ripe :
The enemy increaseth every day,

We, at the height, are ready to decline.
There is a tide in the affairs of men,

Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows, and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat;
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.
Cas.

Then, with your will, go on : We'll along ourselves, and meet them at Philippi. Bru. The deep of night is crept upon our talk, And nature must obey necessity;

Which we will niggard with a little rest.
There is no more to say?

Cas.

No more.

Good night;

Early to-morrow will we rise, and hence.
Bru. Lucius, my gown. [Erit LUCIUS.] Fare-
well, good Messala; -

Good night, Titinius: - Noble, noble Cassius,
Good night, and good repose.

Cas.

Farewell, every one.

[Exeunt CAS. TIT. and Mrs.

Re-enter LUCIUS, with the gown.

Give me the gown. Where is thy instrument?
Luc. Here in the tent.

Bru.
What, thou speak'st drowsily?
Poor knave, I blame thee not; thou art o'er-watch'd.
Call Claudius, and some other of my men :
I'll have them sleep on cushions in my tent.
Luc. Varro, and Claudius!

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.

Var. So please you, we will stand, and watch your pleasure.

Bru. 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?
Luc. Ay, my lord, an it please you.
Bru.

It does, my boy:

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;
I know, young bloods look for a time of rest.
Luc. I have slept, my lord, already.

Bru. It is well done; and thou shalt sleep agun; I will not hold thee long: if I do live, I will be good to thee. [Musick, and a Song. This is a sleepy tune: - O murd'rous slumber! Lay'st thou thy leaden mace upon my boy, That plays thee musick? - Gentle knave, good

night;

Enter the Ghost of CESAR.

How ill this taper burns! - Ha! who comes here?
I think, it is the weakness of mine eyes,
That shapes this monstrous apparition.

It comes upon me:- Art thou any thing?
Art thou some god, some angel, or some devil,
That mak'st my blood cold, and my hair to stare?
Speak to me, what thou art.

Ghost. Thy evil spirit, Brutus.
Bru.

Why com'st thou ? Ghost. To tell thee, thou shalt see me at Philippi. Bru. Well;

O my dear brother!

This was an ill beginning of the night: Never come such division 'tween our souls!

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!Claudius!

SCENE I.-The Plains of Philippi.

Enter OCTAVIUS, ANTONY, and their Army. Oct. Now, Antony, our hopes are answered: You said, the enemy would not come down, But keep the hills and upper regions; It proves not so: 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 visit other places; and come down With fearful bravery, thinking, by this face, To fasten in our thoughts that they have courage; But 'tis not so.

Enter a Messenger.

Mess.
Prepare you, generals:
The enemy comes on in gallant show;
Their bloody sign of battle is hung out,
And something to be done immediately.

Ant. Octavius, lead your battle softly on,
Upon the left hand of the even field.

Oct. Upon the right hand I, keep thou the left.
Ant. Why do you cross me in this exigent?
Oct. I do not cross you ; but I will do so. [March.

Drum. Enter BRUTUS, CASSIUS, and their Army ;
LUCILIUS, TITINIUS, MESSALA, and others.
Bru. They stand, and would have parley.
Cas. Stand fast, Titinius: We must out and talk.
Oct. Mark Antony, shall we give sign of battle?
Ant. No, Cæsar, we will answer on their charge.
Make forth, the generals would have some words.
Oct. Stir not until the signal.

Bru. Words before blows: Is it so, countrymen?

Oct. Not that we love words better, as you do. Bru. Good words are better than bad strokes, Octavius.

Ant. In your bad strokes, Brutus, you give good words:

Witness the hole you made in Caesar's heart,
Crying, Long live! hail, Cæsar !

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: This tongue had not offended so to-day, If Cassius might have rul'd.

Oct. Come, come, the cause: If arguing make

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 could'st not die more honourable. Cas. A peevish schoolboy, worthless of such honour,

Join'd with a masker and a reveller.
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.

[Exeunt OCTAVIUS, ANTONY, and their Army. Cas. Why now, blow, wind; swell, billow; a swim, bark!

The storm is up, and all is on the hazard.
Bru. Ho!

Lucilius; hark, a word with you.
Luc.

My lord.

[BRUTUS and LUCILIUS converse apart.

Upon one battle all our liberties.

SCENE III.

You know, that I held Epicurus strong,
And his opinion: now I change my mind,
And partly credit things that do presage.
Coming from Sardis, on our former ensign
Two mighty eagles fell; and there they perch'd,
Gorging and feeding from our soldiers' hands;
Who to Philippi here consorted us;

This morning are they fled away, and gone;
And in their steads, do ravens, crows, and kites,
Fly o'er our heads, and downward look on us,
As we were sickly prey; their shadows seem
A canopy most fatal, under which

Our army lies, ready to give up the ghost.
Mes. Believe not so.

Cas.
I but believe it partly;
For I am fresh of spirit, and resolv'd
To meet all perils very constantly
Bru. Even so, Lucilius.
Cas.

Now, most noble Brutus,
The gods to-day stand friendly; that we may,
Lovers in peace, lead on our days to age!
But, since the affairs of men rest still uncertain,
Let's reason with the worst that may befall.
If we do lose this battle, then is this
The very last time we shall speak together:
What are you then determined to do?

Bru. Even by the rule of that philosophy, 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, so to prevent The time of life: -arming myself with patience, To stay the providence of some high powers, That 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
Must end that work, the ides of March begun ;
And whether we shall meet again, I know not.
Therefore our everlasting farewell take:
For ever, and for ever, farewell, Cassius!
If we do meet again, why we shall smile;
If not, why then this parting was well made.

Cas. For ever, and for ever, farewell, Brutus!
If we do meet again, we'll smile indeed;
If not, 'tis true, this parting was well made.
Bru. Why then, lead on. — O, that a man might
know

Alarum.

The same. Another Part of the
Field.

Enter CASSIUS and TITINIUS.

Cas. O, look, Titinius, look, the villains fly! Myself have to mine own turn'd enemy: This ensign here of mine was turning back; I slew the coward, and did take it from him. Tit. O Cassius, Brutus gave the word too early: Who having some advantage on Octavius, Took it too eagerly; his soldiers fell to spoil, Whilst we by Antony are all enclos'd.

In Parthia did I take thee prisoner;
And then I swore thee, saving of thy life,
That whatsoever I did bid thee do,

Thou should'st attempt it. Come now, keep thine

oath!

Now be a freeman; and, with this good sword, That ran through Cæsar's bowels, search this bosom.

Stand not to answer: Here, take thou the hilts;
And, when my face is cover'd, as 'tis now,
Guide thou the sword. Cæsar, thou art reveng'd,
Even with the sword that kill'd thee.
[Dies.

Pin. So, I am free; yet would not so have been, Durst I have done my will. O Cassius! Far from this country Pindarus shall run, Where never Roman shall take note of him. [Exit.

Re-enter TITINIUS, with MESSALA.

Mes. It is but change, Titinius; for Octavius