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Who doth defire to see you.

Bru. Is he alone?

Luc. No, Sir, there are more with him.

Bu. 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 discover them

By any mark of favour.

Bru. Let them enter.

They are the faction. O Confpiracy!

[Exit Lucius.

Sham't 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 visage? seek none, Confpiracy;

Hide it in Smiles and Affability:

For if thou path, thy native femblance on,

Not Erebus itself were dim enough

To hide thee from prevention.

Enter Caffius, Cafca, Decius, Cinna, Metellus, and

Trebonius.

Caf. I think, we are too bold upon your Reft; Good morrow, Brutus, do we trouble you?

Bru. I have been up this hour, awake all night. Know I these men, that come along with you? [Afide. Caf. Yes, every man of them; and no man here, But honours you and every one doth wish, You had but that opinion of your felf,

Which every noble Roman bears of you.

This is Trebonius.

Bru. He is welcome hither.
Caf. This, Decius Brutus.

Bru. He is welcome too.

Caf. This, Casca; 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.

Cafca.

Dec. Here lies the Eaft: doth not the day break here?

VOL. VII.

B

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,
Weighing the youthful feafon of the year.
Some two months hence, up higher toward the North
He first prefents his fire; and the high East
Stands, as the Capitol, directly here.

Bru. Give me your hands all over, one by one.
Caf. And let us swear our resolution.

Bru. No, not an oath: if that the face of men,
The fufferance of our fouls, the time's abufe,-
If these be motives weak, break off betimes;
And ev'ry man hence to his idle bed:
So let high-fighted tyranny range on,
'Till each man drop by lottery.

But if thefe,

As I am fure they do, bear fire enough
To kindle cowards, and to steel with valour
The melting spirits of women; then, countrymen,
What need we any fpur, but our own cause,
To prick us to redrefs? what other bond,
Than fecret Romans, that have spoke the word,
And will not palter? and what other oath,
Than honefty to honesty engag'd,

That this fhall be, or we will fall for it?
Swear priests, and cowards, and men cautelous,
Old feeble carrions, and fuch fuffering fouls
That welcome wrongs: unto bad causes, swear
Such creatures as men doubt; but do not ftain
The even virtue of our enterprize,
Nor th' infuppreffive mettle of our fpirits;
To think, that or our caufe, or our performance,
Did need an oath: When ev'ry drop of blood,
That ev'ry Roman bears, and nobly bears,
Is guilty of a feveral bastardy,

If he doth break the smallest particle
Of any promife that hath paft from him.

Caf. But what of Cicero? fhall we found him?

I think,

I think, he will ftand very strong with us.
Cafca. Let us not leave him out.
Cin. No, by no means.

Met. O let us have him, for his filver hairs
Will purchase us a good opinion,

And buy men's voices to commend our deeds:
It fhall be faid, his Judgment rul'd our hands;
Our youths and wildness fhall no whit appear,
But all be buried in his gravity.

Bru. O, name him not: let us not break with him ; For he will never follow any thing,

That other men begin.

Caf. Then leave him out.

Cafca. Indeed, he is not fit.

Dec. Shall no man else be touch'd, but only Cæfar? Caf. Decius, well urg'd: I think, it is not meet, Mark Antony, fo well belov'd of Cæfar,

Should out-live Cafar: we shall find of him
A fhrewd contriver. And you know, his means,
If he improve them, may well ftretch fo far,
As to annoy us all; which to prevent,

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;
We all stand up against the fpirit of Cafar,
And in the spirit of man there is no blood :
O, that we then could come by Cafar's fpirit,
And not difmember Cæfar! but alas!
Cafar must bleed for it-And, gentle friends,
Let's kill him boldly, but not wrathfully;
Let's carve him as a dish fit for the Gods,
Not hew him as a carcafs fit for hounds.
And let our hearts, as fubtle masters do,
Stir up their fervants to an act of rage,

And after feem to chide them. This fhall make
Our purpose neceffary, and not envious :
Which, fo appearing to the common eyes,

We shall be call'd Purgers, not murderers.
And for Mark Antony, think not of him;
For he can do no more than Cufar's arm,
When Cafar's head is off.

Caf. Yet I do fear him;

For in th' ingrafted love he bears to Cafar

Bru. Alas,.good Caffius, do not think of him:
If he love Cafar, all that he can do

Is to himself, take thought, and die for Cæfar:
And that were much, he fhould; for he is giv'n
To sports, to wildness, and much company.

Treb. There is no fear in him; let him not die;
For he will live, and laugh at this hereafter.

Bru. Peace, count the clock.
Caf. The clock hath ftricken three.
Treb. "Tis time to part.

Caf. But it is doubtful yet,

If Cæfar will come forth to-day, or no:
For he is fuperftitious grown of late,
(Quite from the main opinion he held once
Of fantasy, of dreams, and ceremonies :)
It may be, these apparent prodigies,
The unaccustom'd terror of this night,
And the perfuafion of his augurers,
May hold him from the Capitol to-day.

[Clock firikes,

Dec. Never fear that; if he be fo refolv'd,
I can o'erfway him; for he loves to hear,
That unicorns may be betray'd with trees,
And bears with glaffes, elephants with holes,
Lions with toils, and men with flatterers.
But when I tell him, he hates flatterers,
He fays, he does; being then most flattered.
Leave me to work :

For I can give his humour the true bent;
And I will bring him to the Capitol.

Caf. Nay, we will all of us be there to fetch him.
Bru. By the eighth hour, is that the uttermoft?
Cin. Be that the uttermoft, and fail not then.
Met. Caius Ligarius doth bear Cæfar hard,

Who

Who rated him for fpeaking well of Pompey;
I wonder, none of you have thought of him.
Bru. Now, good Metellus, go along to him:
He loves me well; and I have giv'n him reasons;
Send him but hither, and I'll fashion him.

Caf. The morning comes upon's; we'll leave you,
Brutus ;

And, friends! difperfe yourselves; but all remember
What you have faid, and fhew yourselves true Romans.
Bru. Good Gentlemen, look fresh and merrily;
Let not our looks put on our purposes;
But bear it, as our Roman actors do,
With untir'd fpirits, and formal conítancy;
And fo, good-morrow to you every one.

Manet Brutus.

Boy! Lucius! fast asleep? it is no matter,
Enjoy the honey-heavy dew of Slumber :
Thou haft no figures, nor no fantafies,
Which bufy care draws in the brains of men ;
Therefore thou fleep'st so found.

Enter Portia.

Por. Brutus, my Lord!

[Exeum.

Bru. Portia, what mean you? wherefore rife you now? It is not for your health, thus to commit

Your weak condition to the raw cold morning.

Por. Nor for yours neither. You've ungently, Brutus, Stole from my bed: and, yefternight at fupper,

You fuddenly arose and walk'd about,
Mufing and fighing, with your arms a-cross :
And, when I afk'd you what the matter was,
You ftar'd upon me with ungentle looks.

I urg'd you further; then you fcratch'd your head,
And too impatiently ftamp'd with your foot:
Yet I infifted, yet you anfwer'd not;
But with an angry wafture of your hand,
Gave fign for me to leave you: fo I did,
Fearing to ftrengthen that impatience,

Which feem'd too much inkindled; and, withal,

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