I shall be fatisfied.
Pin. I do not doubt, But that my noble master will appear, Such as he is, full of regard and honour.
Bru. He is not doubted. A word, Lucilius- How he receiv'd you, let me be resolvid.
Luc. With courtesy, and with respect enough; But not with such familiar instances, Nor with such free and friendly conference, As he hath us'd of old.
Bru. Thou haft describ'd A hot friend cooling ; ever note, Lucilius, When love begins to ficken and decay, It useth an enforced ceremony. There are no tricks in plain, and fimple faith : But hollow men, like horses hot at hand, Make gallant shew and promise of their mettle ; But when they should endure the bloody spur,
They fall their crest, and, like deceitful jades, Sink' in the trial. Comes his army on ?
Luc. They mean this night in Sardis to be quarter'd; The greater part, the horse in general, Are come with Casius.
[Low march within. Enter Caffius and Soldiersa Bru. Hark, he is arriv'd ; March gently on to meet him.
Caf. Stand, ho! Bru. Stand, ho! speak the word along. Within. Stand ! Within. Stand! Within. Stand! Cas. Moft noble brother, you have done me wrong.
Bru. Judge me, you Gods! wrong I mine enemies? And, if not so, how should I
wrong
brother? Caf. Brutus, this fober form of yours hides wrongs, And when you do them
Bru. Caffius, be content, Speak your griefs softly, I do know you well. Before the
eyes of both our armies here, 3
(Which
(Which should perceive nothing, but love, from us) Let us not wrangle. Bid them move away ; Then in my Tent, Caffius, enlarge your griefs, And I will give you audience.
Caf. Pindarus, 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 the door. [Exeunt. SCENE changes to the Inside of Brutus’s Tent.
Re-enter Brutus and Cassius. Cal. THAT you have wrong'd me, doth appear in this,
You have condemnd and noted Lucius Pella, For taking bribes here of the Sardians ; Wherein, my letter (praying on his fide, Because I knew the man,) was fighted off.
Bru. You wrong'd yourself to write in such a case.
Caf. In such a time as this, it is not meet That ev'ry nice offence should bear its comment.
Bru. Yet let me tell you, Caffius, you yourself Are much condemn'd to have an itching palm ; To sell, and mart your offices for gold, To undeservers.
Caf. I an itching palm : You know, that you are Brutus, that speak this; Or, by the Gods, this speech were else your
laft. Bru. The name of Caffius honours this corruption, And chastisement doth therefore hide its head.
Caf. Chasti fement !
Brų. Remember March, the Ides of March remember! Did not great Julius bleed for justice fake? What villain touch'd his body, that did ftab, And not for justice? what, shall one of us, That struck the foremost man of all this world, But for fupporting robbers ; fhall we now Contaminate our fingers with base bribes ? And sell the mighty space of our large honours
For
For so much trah, as may be grasped thus i I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon, Than such a Roman,
Caf. Brutus, bay not mé, 1!1!. 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.
Bru. Go to: you are not Cafius. Caf. I am. Bru, I say, you are not Caf. Urge me no more, I fhall forget myself Have mind upon your health-tempt me no farther.
Bru. Away, slight man ! Cas. Is't possible?
Brú. Hear me, for I will fpeak. Must I give way and room to your rash choler? Shall I be frighted, when a madman stares ?
Caf. O Gods! ye Gods! must I endure all this? Bru. All this! ay, more. Fret, 'till your proud heart
break; Go, shew your flaves how cholerick you are, And make your bondmen tremble. Must I budget Must I observe you ? muft I-stand and crouch Under your testy humour? by the Gods, You shall digest the venom of your spleen,
Tho'it do split you: For, from this day forth,. I'll use you for my mirth, yea, for my laughter, When you are wafpifh.
Cal. Is it come to this
Bru. You say, you are a better foldier ; Let it appear so; make your Vaunting true, And it shall please me well. For mine own party, I shall be glad to learn of noble men. Cas. You wrong me every way you wrong men
Brutus; I said, an elder soldier ; not a better.. Did I say, better?
Bru. If you did, I care not. Caf. When Ca far liv'd, he durft not thus have mov'd me.
Bru. Peace, peace, you durst not fo have tempted
him. Caf. I durft not! Bru. No. Caf. What? durft not tempt him? Bru. For your life you durft not.
Caf. 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 forry for, There is no terror, Casíus, in your threats; For I am arm'd fo strong in honefty, 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 mony by vile means ; By heaven, I had rather coin my heart, And drop my blood for drachma's, than to wring From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash, By any Indirection. I did fend To you for gold to pay my legions, Which you deny'd me ; was that done like Calius ? Should í kave answer'd Caius Caffius fo? When Marcus Brutus grows fo covetous, To lock such rascal counters from his friends, Be ready, Gods, with all your thunderbolts, Dash him to pieces.
Caf. I deny'd you not. Bru. You did.
Caf. I did not-he was but a fool, That brought my answer back.
-Brutus hath riv'd my heart. A friend should bear a 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 Cas. A friendly eye could never fee fuch faults.
Bru. A flatt'rer's would not, tho’, they do appear As huge as high Olympus. Cal. Come, Antony, and young O&avius, come;
Revenge
Revenge yourselves alone on Caffius, For Caffius is a weary 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 fpirit from mine eyes There is my dagger, And here
my
naked breastwithin, a heart Dearer than Plutus' Mine, richer than gold; If that thou be'it a Roman, take it forth. I, that deny'd thee gold, will give my heart; Strike as thou didft at Cæsar; for I know, When thou didst hate him worst, thou lovdft him better Than ever thou lov’dft Caffius.
Bru. Sheath your dagger ; Be angry when you will, it shall have scope ; Do what you will, dishonour shall be humour. O Caffius, you are yoked with a Lamb, That carries anger, as the fint bears fire ; Who, much enforced, shews a hafty spark, And straight is cold again.
Cal. Hath Cafius 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.
you
confess so much? give me your hand. Bru. And my heart too.
[Embracing. Caf. O Brutus! Bru. What's the matter?
Caf. Have you not love enough to bear with me, When that ras humour, which
my
mother gave me, Makes me forgetful ?
Bru. Yes, Caffius, and from henceforth When you are over-earnest with your Brutus, He'll think, your mother chides, and leave you so.
[A noise within. Poet within. Let me go in to see the Generals ; There is some grudge between 'em, 'tis not meet They be alone.
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