Cin. As a friend.

2 Pleb. That matter is answer'd directly.
4 Pleb. For your dwelling; briefly.
Cin. Briefly, I dwell by the Capitol.
3 Pleb. Your name, Sir, truly.

Cin. Truly, my name is Cinna.

1 Pleb. Tear him to pieces, he's a confpirator. Cin. I am Cinna the poet, I am Cinna the poet. 4 Pleb. Tear him for his bad verfes, tear him for his bad verses.

Cin. I am not Cinna the confpirator.

4 Pleb. It is no matter, his name's Cinna; pluck but his name out of his heart, and turn him going. 3 Pleb. Tear him, tear him; come, brands, ho, firebrands:

To Brutus, to Caffius, burn all. Some to Decius's house,

And fome to Cafce's, fome to Ligarius: away, go.

[Exeunt.

SCENE, a small Island near Mutina. (14) Enter Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus.

T

ANTON Y.

HESE many then shall die, their names are prickt Oct. Your brother too muft die; confent you, Lepidus? Lep. I do confent.

(14) SCENE, a small Island] Mr. Rowe, and Mr. Pope after him, have mark'd the Scene here to be at Rome. The Old Copies fay Nothing of the place. Shakespeare,I dare fay, knew from Plutarch, that these Triumvirs met, upon the Profcriptiin a little Ifland: which Appian, who is more particular, fays, lay near Mutina upon the River Lavinius. C.5

on,

08.

Oa. Prick him down, Antony.

Lep. Upon condition, Publius fhall not live; Who is your fifter's fon, Mark Antony.

Ant. He fhall not live; look, with a spot I damn

him.

But, Lepidus, go you to Cafar's houfe;

Fetch the Will hither, and we fhall determine
How to cut off fome charge in legacies.
Lep. What? fhall I find you here?
O. Or here, or at the Capitol.

[Exit Lepidus.

Ant. This is a flight, unmeritable, man,
Meet to be fent on errands: is it fit,

The three-fold world divided, he should stand
One of the three to fhare it ?

O&. So you thought him;

And took his voice who fhould be prickt to die,
In our black fentence and profcription.

Ant. Octavius, I have feen more days than you ;
And though we lay thefe honours on this man,
To ease our felves of divers fland'rous loads ;
He fhall but bear them, as the afs bears gold,
Το groan and fweat under the bufinefs,
Or led or driven, as we point the way;

And, having brought our treasure where we will,
Then take we down his load, and turn him off,
Like to the empty ass, to fhake his ears,
And graze in commons.

Oct. You may do your will;

But he's a try'd and valiant foldier.

Ant. So is my horfe, Octavius: and, for that,
I do appoint him ftore of provender.

It is a creature that I teach to fight,
To wind, to ftop, to run directly on;
His corporal motion govern'd by my fpirit.
And, in fome tafte, is Lepidus but fo;

He must be taught, and train'd, and bid go forth;
A barren-fpirited fellow, one that feeds (15)

(15) Abarren-Spirited Fellow, one that feeds

On Obje&s, Arts, and Imitations, &c,

On

H

On abject Orts, and imitations;

Which, out of use, and stal'd by other men,
Begin his fashion. Do not talk of him,
But as a property. And now, Octavius,
Liften great things Brutus and Caffius
Are levying powers; we must straight make head.
Therefore let our alliance be combin'd;

Our best friends made, and our best means ftretcht out; And let us presently go fit in council,

How covert matters may be best disclos'd,

And open perils furest answered.

Oa. Let us do fo; for we are at the stake,

And bay'd about with many enemies;

And fome, that fmile, have in their hearts, I fear,
Millions of mischiefs.

[Exeunt

SCENE before Brutus's Tent, in the camp near Sardis.

Drum. Enter Brutus, Lucilius, and foldiers: Titinius and Pindarus meeting them.

Bru.

TAND, ho!

Luc. Give the word, ho! and stand!

Bru. What now, Lucilius? is Caffius near?
Luc. He is at hand, and Pindarus is come

To do you falutation from his master.

Bru. He greets me well. Your master, Pindarus,
In his own change, or by ill officers,

Hath given me fome worthy cause to wish
Things done, undone; but if he be at hand,

'Tis hard to conceive, why He should be call'd a 'barren-spiri ted Fellow, that could feed either on Objects, or Arts: that is, as I prefume, form his Ideas and Judgment upon them: stale and obfolete Imitation, indeed, fixes fuch a Character. I am perfwaded, to make the Poet confonant to himself, we must read, as I have reftored the Text.

On abject Orts,

i. e. on the Scraps and Fragments of Things rejected, and defpised by others.

I fhall be fatisfied.

Pin. I do not doubt,

But that my noble mafter 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 refolv'd.

Luc. With courtefie, and with respect enough;
But not with fuch familiar instances,

Nor with-fuch free and friendly conference,
As he hath us'd of old.

Bru. Thou haft defcrib'd

A hot friend cooling; ever note, Lacilius,
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 horfes hot at band,
Make gallant fhew and promife of their mettle;
But when they fhould endure the bloody spur,
They fall their creft, and, like deceitful jades,
Sink in the tryal. Comes his army on?

Luc. They mean this night in Sardis to be quarter'd; The greater part, the horfe in general,

Are come with Caffius.

[Low march within.

Enter Caffius and foldiers.

Bru. Hark, he is arriv'd;

March gently on to meet him.

Caf. Stand, ho!

Bru. Stand, ho! fpeak the word along.

Within. Stand!

Within. Stand!

Within. Stand!

Caf. Moft noble brother, you have done me wrong. Bru. Judge me, you Gods! wrong I mine enemies? And, if not fo, how fhould I wrong a brother?

Caf. Brutus, this fober form of yours rides wrongs, And when you do them

Bru. Caffius, be content,

Speak your griefs foftly, I do know you well.

Before the eyes of both our armies here,

(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 Infide of Brutus's Tent. Re-enter Brutus and Caffius.

Cas. THA

HAT 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 letter (praying on his fide,
Because I knew the man,) was flighted off.
Bru. You wrong'd your felf to write in fuch a cafe.
Caf. In fuch a time as this, it is not meet
That ev'ry nice offence fhould bear its comment.
Bru. Yet let me tell you, Caffius, you your
felf
Are much condemn'd to have an itching palm;
To fell, and mart your offices for gold,
To undefervers.

Caf. I an itching palm?

You know, that you are Brutus, that speak this;
Or, by the Gods, this fpeech were else your last.
Bru. The name of Caffius honours this corruption,
And chaftifement doth therefore hide its head.
Caf. Chaftifement !-

Bru. Remember March, the Ides of March remember!
Did not great Julius bleed for juftice fake?
What villain touch'd his body, that did ftab,
And not for juftice? what, fhall one of us,
That ftruck the foremost man of all this world,
But for fupporting robbers; fhall we now
Contaminate our fingers with base bribes?
And fell the mighty fpace of our large honours

For