Wherein, my letters, praying on his side, Bru. You wrong'd yourself, to write in such a case. Cas. I an itching palm? You know, that you are Brutus that speak this, Bru. The name of Cassius honours this corruption, Cas. Chastisement! Bru. Remember March, the ides of March remember! Cas. Brutus, bay not me, I'll not endure it: you forget yourself, To hedge me in; I am a soldier, I, Older in practice, abler than yourself to make conditions.t Bru. Go to; you're not, Cassius. Cas. I am. Bru. I say, you are not. 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, more: Fret till your proud heart break; Go, show your slaves how choleric you are, And make your bondmen tremble. Must I budge? Cas. Is it come to this? Bru. You say you are a better soldier: * Petty. The terms on which to confer offices. Let it appear so; make your vaunting true, And it shall please me well: For mine own part, I shall be glad to learn of noble men. Cas. You wrong me every way, you wrong me, Brutus; I said an elder soldier, not a better: Did I say, better? Bru. If you did, I care not. Cas. When Cæsar lived he durst not thus have moved me. Cas. I durst not? Bru. No. 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, For certain sums of gold, which you denied me;- By heaven, I had rather coin my heart, And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring To you for gold to pay my legions, Which you denied me: Was that done like Cassius? When Marcus Brutus grows so covetous, To lock such rascal counters from his friends, Be ready, gods, with all your thunderbolts, Dash him to pieces! Cas. I denied you not. Bru. You did. Cas. I did not:-he was but a fool That brought my answer back.-Brutus hath rived my heart: A friend should bear his friend's infirmities, But Brutus makes mine greater than they are. Bru. I do not, till you practise them on me. Cas. You love me not. Bru. I do not like your faults. Cas. A friendly eye could never see such faults. Bru. A flatterer's would not, though they do 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; braved by his brother: To cast unto my teeth. O, I could weep My spirit from mine eyes!-There is my dagger, And here my naked breast; within, a heart When thou didst hate him worse, thou lovedst him better Bru. Sheath your dagger: Be angry when you will, it shall have scope; Cas. Hath Cassius lived To be but mirth and laughter to his Brutus, Cas. O Brutus ! Bru. 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. Cas. How now? What's the matter? Poet. For shame, you generals; What do you mean? Cas. Ha, ha; how vilely doth this cynic rhyme ! Cas. Away, away, be gone. Enter LUCILIUS and TITINIUS. Bru. Lucilius and Titinius, bid the commanders Prepare to lodge their companies to-night. [Exit POET. Cas. And come yourselves, and bring Messala with you, Immediately to us. [Exeunt LUCILIUS and TITINIUS. *Fellow. Bru. Lucilius, a bowl of wine. Cas. I did not think you could have been so angry, Cas. Of your philosophy you make no use, If you give place to accidental evils. Bru. No man bears sorrow better-Portia is dead. Bru. She is dead. Cas. How 'scaped I killing, when I cross'd you so ?O insupportable and touching loss!— Upon what sickness? Bru. Impatient of my absence; And grief, that young Octavius with Mark Antony And, her attendants absent, swallow'd fire, Cas. And died so ? Bru. Even so. Cas. O ye immortal gods! Enter LUCIUS, with wine and tapers. Bru. Speak no more of her.-Give me a bowl of wine: In this I bury all unkindness, Cassius. Cas. My heart is thirsty for that noble pledge:— Fill, Lucius, till the wine o'erswell the cup; I cannot drink too much of Brutus' love. Re-enter TITINIUS, with MESSALA. Bru. 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? Messala, I have here received letters, Mess. Myself have letters of the self-same tenour. Mess. That by proscription, and bills of outlawry, Have put to death a hundred senators. Bru. Therein our letters do not well agree, Mine speak of seventy senators, that died By their proscriptions, Cicero being one. Mess. 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? Bru. Nothing, Messala. Mes. That, methinks, is strange. Bru. Why ask you ? hear you aught of her in yours? [Drinks. [Drinks. 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. But yet my nature could not bear it so. Bru. Well, to our work alive. What do you think Of marching to Philippi presently? Cas. I do not think it good. Bru. Your reason? Cas. 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 forced affection; For they have grudged us contribution: By them shall make a fuller number up, Come on refresh'd, new-added, and encouraged; These people at our back. Cas. Hear me, good brother. Bru. Under your pardon.-You must note beside, That we have tried 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; 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, 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. [Exit LUCIUS.] Farewell, good Messala ; * Theory. |