ÆäÀÌÁö À̹ÌÁö
PDF
ePub

Begin with me; here-here plant all your daggers !
Much rather would I as your victim die,

Than live as your accomplice.

Rien. Spare us, my lord!

Nor press this past endurance; your reproof
Has sunk into our hearts, and shamed away
All passions but for freedom and our country.

Alas. Your country's freedom! say your own discharge From wholesome rule and honest industry!

You mean immunity for blood and spoil
The privilege of wild riot and revenge ;-
The liberty of lawless depredation.

Con. [Advancing earnestly.] O! brave friends!
Or let me close this breach, or perish in it!
For 'tis a gap that's wide enough for ruin.
Come! let us clear our honor and our cause
At once, from this foul taint; let each man here,
Who bears a patriot's heart, draw forth his sword,
And on that hallowed cross, the soldier holds
An emblem of his faith, defense and service,
Swear to suppress all promptings of revenge,
All private interests, ends and enmities;
And as he hopes for honor, fame, or safety,
Seek alone his country's weal, and freedom.

[The chiefs all draw their swords, kneel down and kiss the hilt.]

Rien. We swear-and as our hearts are in the oath, So may our wishes prosper !

Alas. [Kneels also.] Record it, heaven!

And in a cause so just, vouchsafe thy guidance.
[They all rise.]

This solemn sanction, Conrad, reassures me.
Now, once again, I pledge me to your fortunes.
My friends, your hands!

Whate'er of comment harsh, in heat has passed,
To chafe, or wound one generous spirit here,
Your candor, sirs will in its cause excuse.

Rien. The fault is ours-we own it, and our swords
To-morrow shall redeem it on the foe.

Alas. Then to our work like men who are fit for liberty? Fierce in the field as tigers for our rights,

But when the sword is sheathed, the friends of peace,
And firm for law and justice.

E

XXV.-FROM JULIUS CÆSAR.-Shakspeare.

BRUTUS-CASSIUS.

Tent Scene.

Cassius. That you have wronged me, doth appear in this:

You have condemned and noted Lucius Pella
For taking bribes here of the Sardinians:
Wherein my letter (praying on his side
Because I knew the man) was slighted of.

Brutus. You wronged yourself, to write in such a case.
Cas. At such a time as this it is not meet

That every nice offense should bear its comment.
Bru. Yet let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself
Are much condemned to have an itching palm;
To sell and mart your offices for gold,
To undeservers.

Cas. I an itching palm?

You know that you are Brutus that speak this,

Or, by the gods, this speech were else your last.

Bru. The name of Cassius honors this corruption, And chastisement doth therefore hide its head.

Cas. Chastisement !

Bru. Remember March, the ides of March remember! Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake? What villain touched his body, that did stab, And not for justice? What, shall one of us, That struck the foremost man of all this world, But for supporting robbers; shall we now Contaminate our fingers with base bribes? And sell the mighty meed of our large honors For so much trash as may be grasped thus? I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon, Than such a Roman.

[blocks in formation]

Cas. I am.

Bru. I say you are not.

Cas. Urge me no more: I shall forget myself— Have mind upon your health--tempt me no farther. Bru. Away, slight man!

Cas. Is it possible?

Bru. Hear me, for I will speak.

Must I give way and room to your rash choler?

Shall I be frightened when a mad man stares?

Cas. O gods! ye gods! must I endure all this? Bru. All this! ay, more. Fret till your proud heart break!

Go, tell your slaves how choleric you are,

And make your bondmen tremble. Must I budge?
Must I observe you? Must I stand and crouch
Under your testy humor? By the gods,
You shall digest the venom of your spleen,
Though it do split you: for, from this day forth,
I'll use you for my mirth, yea, for my laughter,
When you are waspish.

Cas. Is it come to this?

Bru. You say, you are a better soldier : Let it appear so.; make your vaunting true, And it shall please me well.

For mine own part,

I shall be glad to learn of noble men.

Cas. You wrong me every way-you wrong me, Brutus; I said an elder soldier, not a better;

Did I say better?

Bru. If you did, I care not.

Cas. When Cæsar lived, he durst not thus have moved

me.

Bru. Peace, peace; you durst not so have tempted him.

[blocks in formation]

Cas. What! durst not tempt him?

Bru. For your life you durst not.

[ocr errors]

Cas. Do not presume too much upon my love;

I do that I shall be sorry for.

may

Bru. You have done that you should be sorry
There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats;
For I am armed so strong in honesty,
That they pass by me as the idle wind,
Which I respect not. I did send to you

for.

For certain sums of gold, which you denied
For I can raise no money by vile means.
By heaven, I had rather coin my heart,

me;

And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring
From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash
By any indirection. I did send

To you for gold to pay my legions,

Which you denied me was that done like Cassius?
Should I have answered Caius Cassius so?
When Marcus Brutus grows so covetous,
To lock such rascal counters from his friends,
Be ready, gods, with all your thunder-bolts!
Dash him to pieces!

Cas. I denied you not.

Bru.

You did.

Cas. I did not-he was but a fool

That brought my answer back. Brutus hath rived my
A friend should bear a friend's infirmities;

But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.

Bru.

Cas.

Bru.

I do not. Still you practice them on me.
You love me not.

I do not like your faults.

heart.

Cas. A friendly eye could never see such faults. Bru. A flatterer's would not, though they do appear As huge as high Olympus.

Cas. Come, Antony, and young Octavius, come! Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius,

For Cassius is a-weary of the world;

Hated by one he loves; braved by his brother;
Checked like a bondman; all his faults observed,
Set in a note-book, learned and conned by rote,
To cast into my teeth. O! I could weep
My spirit from mine eyes!--There is my dagger
And here my naked breast-within, a heart
Dearer than Plutus' mine, richer than gold!
If that thou be'st a Roman, take it forth.
I that denied thee gold, will give my heart:
Strike as thou didst at Cæsar; for I know,

When thou didst hate him worst, thou lovedst him better
Than ever thou lovedst Cassius.

Bru. Sheathe your dagger;

Be angry when you will it shall have scope,
Do what you will, dishonor shall be humor.

O, Cassius! you are yoked with a lamb,

That carries anger, as the flint bears fire;
Which, much enforced, shows a hasty spark,
And straight is cold again.

Cas. Hath Cassius lived

To be but mirth and laughter to his Brutus,
When grief, and blood ill-tempered, vexeth him?
Bru. When I spoke that, I was ill tempered too.
Cas. Do you confess so much? Give me your hand.
Bru. And my heart too.

Cas

Bru.

O, Brutus!

What's the matter?

Cas. Have you not love enough to bear with me, When that rash humor which my mother gave me, Makes me forgetful?

Bru. Yes, Cassius, and from henceforth,

When you are over-earnest with your Brutus,
He'll think your mother chides, and leave you so.

XXVI-FROM CATO.- Addison.

CATO-PORTIUS-LUCIUS-JUBA-MARCIA.

Scene.-A Chamber.

[Cato, solus, sitting in a thoughtful posture; in his hand, Plato's book on the Immortality of the Soul: a drawn sword on the table by him.]

Cato. It must be so-Plato, thou reasonest well-

Else whence this pleasing hope, this fond desire,

This longing after immortality?

Or whence this secret dread, this inward horror,
Of falling into naught! Why shrinks the soul
Back on herself, and startles at destruction ?
'Tis the divinity that stirs within us;

'Tis heaven itself that points out an hereafter,
And intimates eternity to man.

Eternity? thou pleasing, dreadful thought!

Through what variety of untried being,

Through what new scenes and changes must we pass ?

[ocr errors]
« ÀÌÀü°è¼Ó »