CHORUS.

THAT is it, heavens, you prepare
With so much swiftnefs, and fo fudden rifing?

WH

"There are no fons of earth that dare,

"Again, rebellion; or the Gods furprising. "The world doth fhake, and nature fears; "Yet is the tumult, and the horror greater "Within our minds, than in our ears:

[threat her. "So much Rome's faults (now grown her fate) do "The priests and people run about,

"Each order, age, and fex amaz'd at other; "And at the ports all thronging out,

"As if their fafety were to quit their mother: "Yet find they the fame dangers there,

"From which they make fuch hafte to be preferved: "For guilty states do ever bear

"The plagues about them which they have deserved. "And till thofe plagues do get above

"The mountain of our faults, and there do fit, "We fee 'em not. Thus ftill we love

"Th' evil we do, until we fuffer it.

"But moft, ambition, that near vice

"To virtue, hath the fate of Rome provoked; "And made that now Rome's felf no price

"To free her from the death wherewith fhe's yoked. "That reftlefs ill that still doth build

"Upon fuccefs, and ends not in afpiring: "But there begins, and ne'er is fill'd

"While ought remains that seems but worth defiring, "Wherein the thought, unlike the eye,

"To which things far feem fmaller than they are, "Deems all contentment plac'd on high;

"And thinks there's nothing great but what is far, "O, that in time Rome did not caft

<< Her

"Her errors up, this fortune to prevent 1; "T' have seen her crimes ere they were paft, "And felt her faults before her punishment,

ACT IV. SCENE I,
Allobroges.

Divers Senators pass by, quaking and trembling.

Allob. C

AN these men fear, who are not only ours,
But the world's mafters? Then I fee the Gods
Upbraid our fuff'rings, or would humble them,
By fending these affrights while we are here,
That we might laugh at their ridiculous fear,
Whose names we trembled at beyond the Alps.
Of all that pafs, I do not fee a face

Worthy a man; that dares look up, and ftand
One thunder out: but downward all, like beafts,
Running away from ev'ry flash is made.
The falling world could not deferve fuch baseness.
Are we employ'd here by our miseries,
Like fuperftitious fools (or rather flaves)
To plain our griefs, wrongs and oppreffions,
To a mere clothed fenate, whom our folly

190, that in time Rome did not caft

Hath

Her errors up, this FORTUNE to prevent.] Perhaps, fays Mr. Sympfon, misfortune to prevent: tho', as he adds, Spenfer has the word fortune in a fenfe congruous to this place, and that is stroke: "But Cambell's fate that fortune did prevent."

19

i. e. Stroke, which would have ended his life. And tho' this is an unufual fenfe of the word, yet it is claffical, as run is both fortune and a stroke in Homer. I have forbore an alteration of the words, because fortune and misfortune are ufed indifferently, to fignify any calamity or unlucky accident.

1 To plain our griefs, wrongs and oppreffions,

To a MERE CLOTHED SENATE.] Mere clothed fenate is fenfe; it may fignify a fenate whofe robes alone diftinguish them from the

lowest

Hath made, and ftill intends to keep, our tyrants?
It is our base petitionary breath

That blows 'em to this greatnefs; which this prick
Would foon let out, if we were bold as wretched.
When they have taken all we have, our goods,
Crop, lands and houses, they will leave us this:
A weapon and an arm will still be found,
Tho' naked left, and lower than the ground.

Cato, Catulus, Cicero, Allobroges.

Cato. Do; urge thine anger ftill, good heav'n and juft!
Tell guilty men what powers are above them.
In fuch a confidence of wickedness,

'Twas time they fhould know fomething fit to fear.
Catu. I never faw a morn more full of horror.
Cato. To Catiline and his but to just men,
Tho' heaven should fpeak with all his wrath at once,
That with his breath the hinges of the world
Did crack, we should stand upright, and unfear'd.
Cic. Why fo we do, good Cato. Who be these?
Catu. Ambaffadors from the Allobroges,

I take 'em, by their habits.

Allob. I, thefe men

Seem of another race; let's fue to these,
There's hope of juftice with their fortitude.

lowest reptiles on earth. But yet I believe this has excluded a more poetical reading. The ambaffador was amazed at the timidity of the fenators, and therefore would naturally defpife himself and countrymen for continuing vaffals to a fear clothed senate; i. e. to a fenate whose fears enwrapt them more than their furs. I propose this only as a conjecture, not a necessary change. Mr. SEWARD. If we were bold AND wretched.] I have altered the conjunctive particle to as, in which I have the concurrence both of Mr. Seward and Mr. Sympfon; who equally conjectured the fame as the justest and easiest reading.

2

Cic. Friends of the fenate, and of Rome, to-day
We pray you to forbear us: on the morrow,
What fuit you have, let us, by Fabius Sanga,
(Whose patronage your ftate doth use) but know it,
And on the conful's word, you fhall receive
Difpatch, or else an answer worth your patience.
Allob. We could not hope for more, most worthy
This magiftrate hath ftruck an awe into me, [conful.
And by his fweetness won a more regard
Unto his place, then all the boift'rous moods
That ignorant greatness practiseth, to fill
The large unfit authority it wears.
How easy is a noble spirit difcern'd

From harsh and fulphurous matter, that flies out
In contumelies, makes a noise, and stinks!
May we find good and great men: that know how
To ftoop to wants and meet neceffities,
And will not turn from any equal fuits.
Such men, they do not fuccour more the cause
They undertake with favour and success,
Than by it their own judgments they do raife,
In turning just mens needs into their praise.

Pra. Room for the confuls. Fathers, take your places. Here in the house of Jupiter the stayer,

By edict from the conful, Marcus Tullius,
You're mer, a frequent fenate. Hear him speak
Cic. What may be happy and aufpicious ftill
To Rome and hers. Honour'd and confcript fathers,
If I were filent, and that all the dangers
Threat'ning the state and you, were yet fo hid
In night, or darkness thicker in their breasts,
That are the black contrivers; fo that no

Beam

Beam of the light could pierce 'em; yet the voice
Of heav'n, this morning, hath spoke loud enough
T' inftruct you with a feeling of the horror,
And wake you from a fleep as ftark as death.
I have of late fpoke often in this fenate
Touching this argument, but ftill have wanted
Either your ears or faith; fo incredible

Their plots have seem'd, or I fo vain, to make
These things for mine own glory and false greatness,
As hath been given out. But be it fo.

When they break forth, and fhall declare themfelves
By their too foul effects, then, then the envy
Of my juft cares will find another name.
For me, I am but one, and this poor life,
So lately aim'd at, not an hour yet fince,
They cannot with more eagerness pursue,
Than I with gladnefs would lay down and lofe,
To buy Rome's peace, if that would purchase it.
But when I fee they'ld make it but the step
To more and greater; unto yours, Rome's, all;
I would with those preserve it, or then fall.

Caf. I, I, let you alone, cunning artificer!
See how his gorget peers above his gown,
To tell the people in what danger he was.
It was abfurdly done of Vargunteius,
To name himself before he was got in.
Cra. It matters not, so they deny it all:
And can but carry the lie conftantly.
Will Catiline be here?

Caf. I have fent for him.

Cra. And have you bid him to be confident! Caf. To that his own neceffity will prompt him. Cra. Seem to believe nothing at all that Cicero Relates us.

Caf. It will mad him.

[Quintus Cicero brings in the tribunes and guards. Cra. O, and help

The