29. Will bear no colour, etc.

On colour, cf. Hen. VIII. p. 160.

Can find no pretext in what he now is.

33. As his kind. "Like the rest of his species" (Mason).

34. And kill him in the shell. "It is impossible not to feel the expressive effect of the hemistich here. The line itself is, as it were, killed in the shell" (Craik).

40. The Ides of March. The folio has "the first of March." Theo. made the correction.

50. Have took. See M. of V. p. 141 (note on Not undertook), or Gr. 343. 53. My ancestors. D. and H. read "My ancestor."

59. March is wasted fifteen days. This is the folio reading, changed to 'fourteen days" by Theo. and all the recent editors except W., who remarks that "in common parlance Lucius is correct"—and so in Roman parlance, he might have added.

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65. Phantasma. Vision; used by S. nowhere else Phantasm (=fantastical fellow) occurs in L. L. L. iv. 1. 110: “A phantasm, a Monarcho, and one that makes sport ;" and Id. v. 1. 20: “fanatical phantasms."

66. The genius and the mortal instruments. “The commentators have written and disputed lavishly upon these celebrated words. Apparently, by the genius we are to understand the contriving and immortal mind, and most probably the mortal instruments are the earthly passions. The best light for the interpretation of the present passage is reflected from the one below, where Brutus says:

"Let our hearts, as subtle masters do,

Stir up their servants to an act of rage,
And after seem to chide 'em.'

The servants here may be taken to be the same with the instruments in the passage before us. It has been proposed to understand by the mortal instruments the bodily powers or organs; but it is not obvious how these could be said to hold consultation with the genius or mind. Neither could they in the other passage be so fitly said to be stirred up by the heart" (Craik).

According to Johnson, the poet "is describing the insurrection which a conspirator feels agitating the little kingdom of his own mind; when the genius, or power that watches for his protection, and the mortal instruments, the passions, which excite him to a deed of honour and danger, are in council and debate; when the desire of action, and the care of safety, keep the mind in continual fluctuation and disturbance."

Malone endorses Johnson's interpretation, but understands mortal to mean deadly, as often in S.

A writer in the Edinburgh Review (Oct. 1869) makes genius "the spirit, ruling intellectual power, rational soul, as opposed to the irascible nature," and mortal instruments "the bodily powers through which it works ;" and this is probably correct. We cannot believe that genius has here the meaning which Johnson ascribes to it, and which it has in some other passages of our poet; as in C. of E. v. 1. 332 :

"One of these men is genius to the other;

And so of these. Which is the natural man,
And which the spirit?"

67. The state of man. The folio has "the state of a man," which K. and Craik retain; all the other recent editors omit "a." Cf. Macb. i. 3. 140.

On the whole passage, cf. T. and C. ii. 3. 184:

"'twixt his mental and his active parts Kingdom'd Achilles in commotion rages, And batters 'gainst himself."

70. Your brother Cassius. Cassius had married Junia, the sister of Brutus.

72. Moe. More; as in v. 3. 101 below. See M. of V. p. 129.

73. Their hats, etc.

"S. dresses his Romans in the slouched hats of

his own time" (Wr.). See on i. 2. 256 above.

75. That. On the ellipsis of so, see on i. I. 45 above.

76. By any mark of favour. See on i. 2.87 above.

78. Sham'st thou, etc. Cf. W. T. ii. 1. 91: "What she should shame to know;" K. John, i. 1. 104: "I shame to speak," etc.

79. Evils. Evil things; as in R. of L. 1250, etc.

83. For if thou path, etc. The Ist folio reads, "For if thou path thy natiue semblance on," which (with a comma after path, as in the 2d folio) may be explained, "If thou walk in thy true form" (Johnson). Drayton uses path as a transitive verb in his Polyolbion: "Where from the neighbouring hills her passage Wey doth path," and again in his Epistle from Duke Humphrey, etc.: Pathing young Henry's unadvised ways. is possible, however, that path is a misprint here. Southern and Coleridge independently suggested "put," which Walker pronounces certainly" right, and which D. adopts. W. is inclined to the opinion that S. wrote "hadst." H. reads "pass" (an anonymous conjecture).

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66

It

86. We are too bold, etc. "We intrude too boldly or unceremoniously upon your rest" (Craik).

100. Shall I entreat a word? See p. 13 above.

104. Fret. Cf. R. and J. p. 192, foot-note.

107. Which is a great way, etc. Which must be far to the south, when we consider the time of year. On weighing, see Gr. 378.

112. Your hands all over. "That is, all included" (Craik).

114. No, not an oath. Cf. N. (Life of Brutus): "The onely name and great Calling of Brutus, did bring on the most of them to give consent to this conspiracy; who having never taken Oaths together, nor taken nor given any caution or assurance, nor binding themselves one to another by any religious Oaths, they all kept the matter so secret to themselves, and could so cunningly handle it, that notwithstanding, the gods did reveal it by manifest signs and tokens from above, and by Predictions of Sacrifices, yet all this would not be believed."

Face. The folio reading, retained by K., D., W., H., and the Camb. ed. Warb. proposed "fate," Mason "faith," and Malone “faiths.” 115. The time's abuse. The abuses of the time.

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117. Idle bed. Bed of idleness; as we say "a sick bed." Cf. T. and C. i. 3. 147: upon a lazy bed." High-sighted="supercilious" (Schmidt). 119. By lottery. As chance may determine. Steevens thought there might be an allusion to the custom of decimation—" the selection by lot of

every tenth soldier, in a general mutiny, for punishment." Cf. T. of A. v. 4. 31: By decimation, and a tithed death."

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Gr. 253.

123. What need we, etc. Why need we, etc. 125. Than secret Romans. Than that of Romans pledged to secrecy. 126. Will not palter. Will not shuffle or equivocate. Cf. A. and C.

iii. 11. 63: "dodge And palter in the shifts of lowness;" Cor. iii. 1. 58: This paltering Becomes not Rome;" Macb. v. 8. 20:

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"And be these juggling fiends no more believ'd,
That palter with us in a double sense;

That keep the word of promise to our ear,
And break it to our hope."

129. Cautelous. Wary, crafty, as in Cor. iv. I. 33: "cautelous baits and practice." Cf. the noun cautel in Ham. i. 3. 15: "no soil nor cautel doth besmirch The virtue of his will." Cotgrave (Fr. Dict. 1611) defines cautelle thus: "A wile, cautell, sleight; a craftie reach, or fetch, guilefull deuise or endeuor; also, craft, subtiltie, trumperie, deceit, cousenage." Cf. Bacon, Adv. of L. ii. 21.9: "frauds, cautels, impostures."

133. Even. "Without a flaw or blemish, pure" (Schmidt). Cf. Hen. VIII. iii. I. 37: "I know my life so even," etc.

134. Insuppressive. Used in a "passive" sense, not to be suppressed. Cf. A. Y. L. iii. 2. 10: "The fair, the chaste, and unexpressive she;" T. and C. iii. 3. 198: "the uncomprehensive (unknown) deeps;" A. W. i. 2. 53: "his plausive (plausible, specious) words;" T. G. of V. iv. 4. 200: "I can make respective (respectable) in myself," etc.

See Gr. 3.

135. To think. By thinking. On the infinitive, see Gr. 356. 136. Did need an oath. Ever could need an oath. Gr. 370.

138. A several bastardy. "A special or distinct act of baseness, or of treason against ancestry and honourable birth" (Craik). See Temp. p. 131, note on Several.

144. His silver hairs. is an obvious play upon 150. Break with him.

197.

Cicero was then about sixty years old. There silver and purchase. Opinion=reputation. Broach the matter to him. See Hen. VIII. p.

Cf. N. (Life of Brutus): "For this cause they durst not acquaint Cicero with their conspiracy, although he was a man whom they loved dearly, and trusted best; for they were afraid that he, being a coward by nature, and age also having encreased his fear, he would quite turn and alter all their purpose, and quench the heat of their enterprise, the which specially required hot and earnest execution."

158. We shall find of him A shrewd contriver. On of=in, see Gr. 172. On shrewd evil, mischievous, see Hen. VIII. p. 202. Wiclif (Gen. vi. 12) translates iniquitate of the Vulgate by "shrewdnes." Cf. Chaucer, Tale of Melibaus: "The prophete saith: Flee shrewdnesse, and do goodnesse; seek pees, and folwe it, in as muchel as in thee is;" Id.: "And Seint Poule the Apostle sayth in his Epistle, whan he writeth unto the Romaines, that the juges beren not the spere withouten cause, but they beren it to punish the shrewes and misdoers, and for to defende the goode men. Contriver plotter; as in A. Y. L. i. 1. 151 (see our ed. p. 139). 160. Annoy. See on i. 3. 22 above.

K

164. Envy. Malice; as often. 166. Let us be sacrificers, etc. for 178 just below. 177. Make. the Coll. MS.

CICERO.

See M. of V. p. 151, note on Envious. On the measure, see Gr. 468; and also

180. Purgers. Cleansers or healers (of the land). Cf. Mach. v. 3. 52. 183. Yet I fear him. Pope reads "do fear," which C. says "improves, if it is not absolutely required by, the sense or expression as well as the prosody."

187. Take thought and die. Thought used to mean "anxiety, melancholy;" and to think, or take thought, "to be anxious, despondent." Cf. A. and C. iii. 13. 1: "Cleopatra. What shall we do, Enobarbus? Enobarbus. Think, and die;" Holland, Camden's Ireland: "the old man for very thought and grief of heart pined away and died;" Bacon, Hen. VII.: "Hawis.... dyed with thought, and anguish." See also 1 Sam. ix. 5, and Matt. vi. 25.

190. There is no fear in him. That is, nothing for us to fear. Fear is elsewhere used for the cause or object of fear; as in M. N. D. v. 1. 21: "Or in the night, imagining some fear, How easy is a bush suppos'd a bear!"

192. Count the clock. Of course this is an anachronism, as the clepsydra, or water-clocks, of the Romans did not strike the hours.

Hath stricken. S. uses struck (or strook), strucken (or stroken), and stricken. See Gr. 344.

194. Whether. Here the folio prints "Whether," though the word is metrically equivalent to the "where" in i. 1. 61 above.

196. Quite from the main opinion. Quite contrary to the fixed (or predominant) opinion. See on i. 3. 35 above. Mason proposed to read "mean opinion."

197. Fantasy. "Fancy, or imagination, with its unaccountable anticipations and apprehensions, as opposed to the calculations of reason" (Craik).

Ceremonies. "Omens or signs deduced from sacrifices, or other ceremonial rites" (Malone). Cf. Bacon, Adv. of L. ii. 10. 3: "ceremonies, characters, and charms," where the word means superstitious rites.

198. These apparent prodigies. These manifest portents. Apparent is used in its emphatic sense (clearly appearing), not in its weaker one (merely appearing, or seeming). Cf. 1 Hen. IV. ii. 4. 292: "this open and apparent shame;" K. John, iv. 2. 93 :

"It is apparent foul play; and 't is shame

That greatness should so grossly offer it."

See also Bacon, Ess. 40 (ed. 1625): "Overt, and Apparent vertues bring forth Praise; But there be Secret and Hidden Vertues, that bring Forth Fortune.

204. That unicorns, etc. Steevens says: "Unicorns are said to have been taken by one who, running behind a tree, eluded the violent push the animal was making at him, so that his horn spent its force on the trunk, and stuck fast, detaining the beast till he was despatched by the hunter." Cf. Spenser, F. Q. ii. 5. 10:

"Like as a Lyon, whose imperiall powre

A prowd rebellious Unicorn defyes,

T'avoide the rash assault and wrathful store

Of his fiers foe, him to a tree applyes,

And when him ronning in full course he spyes,
He slips aside; the whiles that furious beast

His precious horne, sought of his enimyes.
Strikes in the stocke, ne thence can be releast,

But to the mighty victor yields a bounteous feast."

See also T. of A. iv. 3. 339: "wert thou the unicorn, pride and wrath would confound thee, and make thine own self the conquest of thy fury."

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Bears," adds Steevens, "are reported to have been surprised by means of a mirror, which they would gaze on, affording their pursuers an opportunity of taking a surer aim. This circumstance, I think, is mentioned by Claudian. Elephants were seduced into pitfalls, lightly covered with hurdles and turf, on which a proper bait to tempt them was exposed. See Pliny's Natural History, book viii."

208. Most flattered. "At the end of a line ed is often sounded after er" (Gr. 474). On the metre of the next line, see Gr. 512.

212. There. That is, at Cæsar's house.

215. Doth bear Cæsar hard. See on i. 2. 303 above. On the relations of this Caius (or, rather, Quintus) Ligarius to Cæsar, cf. N. (Life of Brutus): "Now amongst Pompey's friends, there was one called Caius Ligarius, who had been accused unto Cæsar for taking part with Pompey,