Come hither, sirrah :

PINDARUS descends

In Parthia did I take thee prisoner;

And then I swore thee, saving of thy life,

That whatsoever I did bid thee do,

Thou shouldst attempt it. Come now, keep thine oath;
Now be a freeman; and, with this good sword,

That ran through Cæsar's bowels, search this bosom.
Stand not to answer: here, take thou the hilts;
And, when my face is cover'd, as 'tis now,
Guide thou the sword.-Cæsar thou art reveng'd,
Even with the sword that kill'd thee.

PIN. So, I am free; yet would not so have been,
Durst I have done my will. O Cassius!
Far from this country Pindarus shall run,
Where never Roman shall take note of him.

[Dies.

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[Exit.

Re-enter TITINIUS with MESSALA

MES. It is but change, Titinius; for Octavius
Is overthrown by noble Brutus' power,
As Cassius' legions are by Antony.
TIT. These tidings will well comfort Cassius.
MES. Where did you leave him?

TIT.

All disconsolate,

With Pindarus his bondman, on this hill.
MES. Is not that he that lies upon the ground?
TIT. He lies not like the living. O my heart!
MES. Is not that he?

TIT.
No, this was he, Messala,
But Cassius is no more.-O setting sun,
As in thy red rays thou dost sink to night,
So in his red blood Cassius' day is set,-
The sun of Rome is set! Our day is gone;

Clouds, dews, and dangers come; our deeds are done!
Mistrust of my success hath done this deed.

MES. Mistrust of good success hath done this deed.
O hateful error, melancholy's child,

Why dost thou show to the apt thoughts of men
The things that are not? O error, soon conceiv'd,
Thou never com'st unto a happy birth,

But kill'st the mother that engender'd thee!
TIT. What, Pindarus! where art thou, Pindarus?
MES. Seek him, Titinius, whilst I go to meet
The noble Brutus, thrusting this report

Into his ears: I may say, thrusting it;
For piercing steel, and darts envenomèd,
Shall be as welcome to the ears of Brutus
As tidings of this sight.

TIT.

Hie you, Messala,
And I will seek for Pindarus the while.

Why didst thou send me forth, brave Cassius ?
Did I not meet thy friends? and did not they
Put on my brows this wreath of victory,

[Exit MESSALA.

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And bid me give it thee? Didst thou not hear their shouts ?
Alas, thou hast misconstru'd every thing!

But, hold thee, take this garland on thy brow;
Thy Brutus bid me give it thee, and I

Will do his bidding.—Brutus, come apace,

And see how I regarded Caius Cassius.

By your leave, gods:-this is a Roman's part :
Come, Cassius' sword and find Titinius' heart.

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[Dies.

Alarum. Re-enter MESSALA, with BRUTUS, young CATO, STRATO, VOLUMNIUS, and LUCILIUS

BRU. Where, where, Messala, doth his body lie?

MES. Lo, vonder; and Titinius mourning it.

BRU. Titinius' face is upward.

CATO.

He is slain.

BRU. O Julius Cæsar, thou art mighty yet!
Thy spirit walks abroad, and turns our swords
In our own proper entrails.

Сато.

Brave Titinius!

Look, whêr he have not crown'd dead Cassius !
BRU. Are yet two Romans living such as these?-
The last of all the Romans, fare thee well!
It is impossible that ever Rome

[Low alarums.

Should breed thy fellow.-Friends, I owe more tears
To this dead man than you shall see me pay.—

I shall find time, Cassius, I shall find time.-
Come, therefore, and to Thassos send his body:
His funerals shall not be in our camp,
Lest it discomfort us.-Lucilius, come ;-
And come, young Cato:-let us to the field.-
Labeo and Flavius, set our battles on:—
'Tis three o'clock; and, Romans, yet ere night
We shall try fortune in a second fight.

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109

[Exeunt.

SCENE IV.-Another Part of the Field

Alarum. Enter fighting, Soldiers of both Armies; then BRUTUS, young CATO, LUCILIUS, and others

BRU. Yet, countrymen, O, yet hold up your heads!
CATO. What bastard doth not?

Who will go with me?

I will proclaim my name about the field :—
I am the son of Marcus Cato, ho!

A foe to tyrants, and my country's friend;
I am the son of Marcus Cato, ho!

BRU. And I am Brutus, Marcus Brutus, I;

[Charges the enemy.

Brutus, my country's friend; know me for Brutus!

[Exit, charging the enemy. Young CATO is overpowered,

and falls.

LUCIL. O young and noble Cato, art thou down?

Why, now thou diest as bravely as Titinius; And mayst be honour'd, being Cato's son. FIRST SOLD. Yield, or thou diest.

LUCIL.

Only I yield to die:

There is so much that thou wilt kill me straight;

Kill Brutus, and be honour'd in his death. FIRST SOLD. We must not.-A noble prisoner!

[Offering money.

SEC. SOLD. Room, ho! Tell Antony, Brutus is ta'en.
FIRST SOLD. I'll tell the news :-here comes the general.

Enter ANTONY

Brutus is ta'en, Brutus is ta'en, my lord.
ANT. Where is he?

LUCIL. Safe, Antony; Brutus is safe enough:
I dare assure thee that no enemy

Shall ever take alive the noble Brutus :

The gods defend him from so great a shame!
When you do find him, or alive or dead,
He will be found like Brutus, like himself.
ANT. This is not Brutus, friend; but, I assure you,
A prize no less in worth: keep this man safe,
Give him all kindness: I had rather have
Such men my friends than enemies.
And see whêr Brutus be alive or dead;
And bring us word unto Octavius' tent
How every thing is chanc'd.

Go on,

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[Exeunt.

SCENE V.-Another Part of the Field

Enter BRUTUS, DARDANIUS, CLITUS, STRATO, and VOLUMNIUS

BRU. Come, poor remains of friends, rest on this rock.
CLI. Statilius show'd the torch-light; but, my lord,
He came not back: he is or ta'en or slain.
BRU. Sit thee down, Clitus: slaying is the word;
It is a deed in fashion. Hark thee, Clitus.
CLI. What, I, my lord? No, not for all the world.
BRU. Peace, then, no words.
CLI.

BRU. Hark thee, Dardanius.
DAR.

CLI. O Dardanius!

DAR. O Clitus!

[Whispering him.

I'll rather kill myself.

[Whispers him.

Shall I do such a deed?

CLI. What ill request did Brutus make to thee?
DAR. To kill him, Clitus. Look, he meditates.
CLI. Now is that noble vessel full of grief,

That it runs over even at his eyes.

BRU. Come hither, good Volumnius; list a word.
VOL. What says my lord?

BRU.

Why, this, Volumnius :
The ghost of Cæsar hath appear'd to me
Two several times by night,-At Sardis once,
And, this last night, here in Philippi fields:
I know my hour is come.

Not so, my lord.

VOL.
BRU. Nay, I am sure it is, Volumnius.

Thou seest the world, Volumnius, how it goes;
Our enemies have beat us to the pit:

It is more worthy to leap in ourselves,
Than tarry till they push us.

Good Volumnius,

ΙΟ

20

[Low alarums.

Thou know'st that we two went to school together:
Even for that our love of old, I prithee,

Hold thou my sword-hilts, whilst I run on it.

VOL. That's not an office for a friend, my lord.
CLI. Fly, fly, my lord; there is no tarrying here.

[Alarum still.

BRU. Farewell to you ;—and you ;-and you, Volumnius.-
Strato, thou hast been all this while asleep;
Farewell to thee too, Strato.-Countrymen,
My heart doth joy, that yet, in all my life,
I found no man but he was true to me.

I shall have glory by this losing day,

30

More than Octavius and Mark Antony
By this vile conquest shall attain unto.
So, fare
you well at once; for Brutus' tongue
Hath almost ended his life's history:

Night hangs upon mine eyes; my bones would rest,
That have but labour'd to attain this hour.

CLI. Fly, my lord, fly.
BRU.

40

[Alarum. Cry within, Fly, fly, fly!'

Hence! I will follow.

[Exeunt CLITUS, DARDANIUS, and VOLUMNIUS.

I prithee, Strato, stay thou by thy lord:
Thou art a fellow of a good respect;
Thy life hath had some smatch of honour in it :
Hold, then, my sword, and turn away thy face,
While I do run upon it. Wilt thou, Strato?
STRA. Give me your hand first: fare you well, my
BRU. Farewell, good Strato.-Cæsar, now be still :
I kill'd not thee with half so good a will.

lord.

50

[He runs on his sword, and dies.

Alarum. Retreat. Enter OCTAVIUS, ANTONY, MESSALA, LUCILIUS,

OCT. What man is that?

and Army

MES. My master's man.-Strato, where is thy master?
STRA. Free from the bondage you are in, Messala:

The conquerors can but make a fire of him;

For Brutus only overcame himself,

LUCIL. So Brutus should be found.—I thank thee, Brutus,

And no man else hath honour by his death.

That thou hast prov'd Lucilius' saying true.

OCT. All that serv'd Brutus, I will entertain them.—
Fellow, wilt thou bestow thy time with me?
STRA. Ay, if Messala will prefer me to you.
OCT. Do so, good Messala.

MES. How died my master, Strato?

STRA. I held the sword, and he did run on it.
MES. Octavius, then take him to follow thee,

That did the latest service to my master.
ANT. This was the noblest Roman of them all:
All the conspirators, save only he,
Did that they did in envy of great Cæsar;
He only, in a general honest thought,
And common good to all, made one of them.
His life was gentle; and the elements

So mix'd in him, that Nature might stand up
And say to all the world, 'This was a man!

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