46

"The troubled Tyber chafing with his fhores, Cafar fays to me, dar'ft thou, Caffius, now Leap in with me into this angry flood,

"And swim to yonder point? - Upon the word,
"Accoutred as I was, I plunged in,

"And bid him follow; fo, indeed, he did.
"The torrent roar'd, and we did buffet it
"With lufty finews; throwing it afide,
"And ftemming it with hearts of controverfie.
"But ere we could arrive the point propos'd,"
Cafar cry'd, Help me, Caffius, or I fink.
I, as Eneas, our great Ancestor,

Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder
The old Anchifes bear, fo, from the waves of Tyber
Did I the tired Cæfar: and this man

Is now become a God; and Caffius is

A wretched creature, and must bend his body,
If Cafar carelefly but nod on him.

He had a fever when he was in Spain,

And when the fit was on him, I did mark
How he did shake: 'tis true, this God did shake;
+ His coward lips did from their colour fly,
And that fame eye, whose Bend doth awe the world,
Did lofe its luftre; I did hear him groan :
Ay, and that tongue of his, that bade the Romans
Mark him, and write his fpeeches in their books,
Alas! it cry'd give me fome drink, Titinius
As a fick girl. Ye Gods, it doth amaze me,
A man of fuch a feeble temper should

of arms. Therefore Horace, fpeaking of one enervated by love, fays, Cur timet flavum Tiberim tangere !

On which Hermannus Figulus makes this comment - - Natare. Nam Romæ primæ adolefcentiæ juvenes, præter cæteras gymnafticas difciplinas, etiam natare discebant, ut ad belli munera firmiores aptiorefque effent. And he puts us in mind, from Suetonius, how expert a swimmer Julius Cæfar was.

4 His coward lips did from their colour fly, ] A plain man would have faid, the colour fled from his lips, and not his lips from their colour. But the falfe expreflion was for the fake of as falfe a piece of wit: a poor quibble, alluding to a coward flying from his colours.

"So 5 get the ftart of the majestick world, "And bear the Palm alone."

Bru. Another general fhout!

I do believe, that thefe applaufes are

[Shout. Flourish.

For fome new honours that are heap'd on Cæfar.
Caf.
Why, man, he doth beftride the narrow
world

• Like a Coloffus; and we petty men

• Walk under his huge legs, and peep about
• To find ourselves dishonourable graves.
• Men at fometimes are mafters of their fates:
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.

• Brutus and Cæfar! what should be in that Cæfar?
• Why should that name be founded, more than yours?
• Write them together; yours is as fair a name :

• Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well;

Weigh them, it is as heavy; conjure with 'em, • Brutus will ftart a fpirit, as foon as Cæfar. • Now in the names of all the Gods at once, Upon what meat does this our Cæfar feed, That he is grown fo great? Age, thou art fham'd; • Rome, thou haft loft the breed of noble bloods. • When went there by an age, fince the great flood, But it was fam'd with more than with one man? • When could they fay, 'till now, that talk'd of Rome, * That her wide walls incompafs'd but one man ; Now is it Rome, indeed; and room enough,

When there is in it but one only man.

Oh! you and I have heard our fathers fay,
There was a Brutus once, that would have brook'd
Th' eternal devil to keep his ftate in Rome,

As eafily as a King.

5 · get the start of the majestick world, &c.] This image is extremely noble it is taken from the olympic games. The ma jeftic world is a fine periphrafis for the Roman empire: their citizens fet themselves on a footing with Kings, and they called their dominion Orbis Romanus. But the particular allufion feems to be to the known ftory of Cæfar's great pattern Alexander, whobeing asked, whether he would run the courfe at the Olympic games, replied, Yes, if the racers were Kings,

Bru

Bru. That you do love me, I am nothing jealous ;
What you would work me to, I have some aim;
How I have thought of this, and of these times,
I fhall recount hereafter: for this present,
I would not (fo with love I might intreat you)
Be any further mov'd. What you have said,
I will confider; what you have to say,
I will with patience hear; and find a time
Both meet to hear, and answer such high things.
'Till then, my noble friend, chew upon this;
Brutus had rather be villager,

Than to repute himself a fon of Rome
Under fuch hard conditions, as this time
Is like to lay upon us.

Caf. I am glad that my weak words

Have ftruck but thus much fhew of fire from Brutus.

Enter Cæfar and his Train.

Bru. The Games are done, and Cafar is returning.
Caf. As they pass by, pluck Cafea by the fleeve,
And he will, after his four fashion tell you,
What hath proceeded worthy note to day.

Bru. I will do fo ; but look you, Caffius,
The angry spot doth glow on Cafar's brow,
And all the reft look like a chidden train.
Calpburnia's cheek is pale; and Cicero
Looks with fuch ferret, and fuch fiery eyes,
As we have seen him in the Capitol,
Being croft in conf'rence by fome Senators.
Caf Cafea will tell us what the matter is.
Caf. Antonius,

Ant. Cæfar?

·Caf. "Let me have men about me that are fat, "Sleek-headed men, and fuch as fleep a-nights: "Yond Caffius has a lean and hungry look, "He thinks too much; fuch men are dangerous. Ant. Fear him not, Cafar, he's not dangerous; He is a noble Roman, and well given.

Gafo

Caf. 6 'Would he were fatter; but I fear him not: Yet if my name were liable to fear,

⚫ I do not know the man I fhould avoid,

• So foon as that fpare Caffius. He reads much;
'He is a great obferver; and he looks
Quite through the deeds of men. He loves no plays,
As thou doft, Antony; he hears no mufick;
• Seldom he fmiles; and fmiles in fuch a fort,
As if he mock'd himself, and fcorn'd his fpirit,
• That could be mov'd to fmile at any thing.

• Such men as he be never at heart's ease,
• Whilft they behold a greater than themselves;
• And therefore are they very dangerous.
I rather tell thee what is to be fear'd,
⚫ Than what I fear; for always I am Cæfar.
Come on my right hand, for this ear is deaf,
And tell me truly, what thou think'st of him,

[Exeunt Cæfar and his Train.

SCENE V.

Manent Brutus and Caffius: Cafca, to them.

Cafca. You pull'd me by the cloak; would you speak with me?

Bru. Ay, Casca, tell us what hath chanc'd to day, That Cafar looks fo fad.

Cafca. Why, you were with him, were you not? Bru. I fhould not then ask Cafca what had chanc'd. Cafca. Why, there was a crown offer'd him; and being offer'd him, he put it by with the back of his hand thus, and then the people fell a fhouting.

Bru. What was the fecond noife for?
Cafca. Why, for that too..

Caf. They fhouted thrice: what was the laft cry for ?
Cafca. Why, for that too.

Bru. Was the crown offer'd him thrice ?

Cafca. Ay, marry, was't, and he put it by thrice,

6 'Would be were fatter; 1 Johnfon, in his Bartholomewfair, unjustly fneers at this paffage, in Knockham's fpeech to the Pig-woman. Come, there's no malice in fat folks; I never fear thee, and I can 'scape thy lean moon-calf_there.

every time gentler than other; and at every putting by, mine honeft neighbours fhouted.

Caf. Who offer'd him the crown ?
Cafca. Why, Antony.

Bru. Tell us the manner of it, gentle Cafca.

Cafca. I can as well be hang'd, as tell the manner of it: it was meer foolery, I did not mark it. I faw Mark Antony offer him a crown; yet 'twas not a crown neither, 'twas one of these coronets; and, as I told you, he put it by once; but for all that, to my thinking, he would fain have had it. Then he offer'd it to him again: then he put it by again; but, to my thinking, he was very loth to lay his fingers off it. And then he offer'd it the third time; he put it the third time by; and ftill as he refus'd it, the rabblement houted, and clap'd their chopt hands, and threw up their sweaty night-caps, and utter'd fuch a deal of ftinking breath, because Cafar refus'd the crown, that it had almost choaked Cafar; for he fwooned, and fell down at it and for mine own part, I durft not laugh, for fear of opening my lips, and receiving the bad air.

Caf. But, foft, I pray you; what, did Cæfar fwoon? Cafca. He fell down in the market-place, and foam'd at mouth, and was speechless.

Bru. 'Tis very like; he hath the falling fickness. Caf. No, Cafar hath it not; but you and I, And honeft Cafea, we have the falling-fickness.

Cafca. I know not what you mean by that; but, I am fure, Cæfar fell down: If the tag-rag people did not clap him, and hifs him, according as he pleas'd, and difpleas'd them, as they used to do the Players in the Theatre, I am no true man.

Bru. What faid he, when he came unto himself ? Cafca. Marry, before he fell down, when he perceiv'd the common herd was glad he refus'd the Crown, he pluckt me ope his doublet, and offer'd them his throat to cut: An' I had been a man of any occupation, if I would not have taken him at a word, I would I might go to hell among the rogues; and fo he fell. When he came to himself again, he said, "If