Our purpose necessary, and not envious:
Which1 so appearing to the common eyes,
We shall be called purgers, not murderers.
And for Mark Antony 2, think not of him;
For he can do no more than Cæsar's arm,
When Cæsar's head is off.

Cas.
Yet I fear him:
For in the ingrafted love he bears to Cæsar,—
Bru. Alas3, good Cassius! do not think of him:
If he love Cæsar, all that he can do1

Is to himself,take thought, and die for Cæsar:
And that were much he should; for he is given
To sports, to wildness, and much company.

Treb. There is no fear in him 5; let him not die;
For he will live and laugh at this hereafter."

Bru. Peace! count the clock.7

[Clock strikes.

have it said;' so also 'our youths shall no whit appear' means 'let it be that our youths do not at all appear.'

Which.] This is a nominative absolute.

2 For Mark Antony.] A parenthetic adverbial phrase: for as for.

=

8 Alas.] The interjection here is an expression of impatience, interrupting the speech of Cassius.

4 All that he can do.] Viz. in the way of revenge. The utmost that he can do is confined to himself, which is, to become melancholy and die of grief for Cæsar; and that would be much that he should do so, that would be a great deal for a man of his disposition to do.

5 Fear in him.]
• Live and laugh.]

There is not in him anything for us to fear.

get over this, and even

He will live to laugh at this; he will in time come to speak of it in laughter.

"Count the clock.] This is one of Shakspeare's anachronistic licences or inadvertencies: the use of clocks and watches was unknown to the Romans; but they had sun-dials and clepsydræ at the time to which this play refers.

51

Cas.

Treb. 'Tis time to part.

Cas.

The clock hath stricken three.

But it is doubtful yet

Whether Cæsar will come forth to-day, or no:
For he is superstitious grown of late;
Quite from the main opinion he held once1
Of fantasy, of dreams, and ceremonies;
It may be, these apparent prodigies 2,
The unaccustomed terror of this night,
And the persuasion of his augurers,
May hold him from the Capitol to-day.

Dec. Never fear that: If he be so resolved 3
I can o'ersway him: for he loves to hear 4
That unicorns may be betrayed with trees 5,
And bears with glasses, elephants with holes,
Lions with toils, and men with flatterers;
But when I tell him he hates flatterers,

1 Quite from the main opinion.] The adverb quite modifies the succeeding adverbial preposition phrase. Cæsar is grown superstitious, quite inconsistently with what was formerly one of his main opinions, the strong opinion he held respecting fanciful impressions, dreams, and ceremonial auguries. See Extr. from Plutarch, 9, 10, and 29.

2 These apparent prodigies.] These manifestly portentous things which have happened to-night.

3

If he be so resolved.] If he be influenced in that overcome his scruples. See Extr. from Plutarch, 11.

way,

I can

4 For he loves to hear.] For he likes to hear such sentiments as the following; he admires the force of the saying.

5 Unicorns may be betrayed, &c.] The unicorn was said to be sometimes taken by a man running behind a tree to elude the aim of its horn, and thus causing the animal to run its horn violently into the tree. Bears were said to be beguiled by mirrors, which they would stand and gaze on so long that their pursuers could very conveniently take aim at them. Elephants were allured by food

D 2

He says he does; being then most flattered.
Let me work:

For I can give his humour the true bent2;
And I will bring him to the Capitol.

Cas. Nay, we will all of us be there to fetch him.
Bru. By the eighth hour: Is that the uttermost?
Cin. Be that the uttermost, and fail not then.
Met. Caius Ligarius doth bear Cæsar hard 3,
Who rated him for speaking well of Pompey;
I wonder none of you have thought of him.

Bru. Now, good Metellus, go along by him 4;
He loves me well, and I have given him reasons 5;

Send him but hither 6, and I'll fashion him.

Cas. The morning comes upon us: We'll leave you, Brutus:

And, friends, disperse yourselves; but all remember

What you

have said, and show yourselves true Romans. Bru. Good gentlemen, look fresh and merrily; Let not our looks put on our purposes;

placed on a light covering of hurdles and turf, beneath which was a deep pit, into which the animal fell when approaching the bait. Lions were snared with nets. 'Men betrayed with flatterers' forms the pith of the saying, on account of which Cæsar is here said to be pleased with it.

1

1 He says he does.] Which, of course, means that he will not allow any one to flatter him, and yet he has thereby accepted flattery; 'being then most flattered.'

2 The true bent.] The right direction, the direction favourable to our purpose.

3 Bear Cesar hard.] See note 2, p. 27; see also Extr. from Plutarch, 22.

4 Go along by him.]
5 Given him reasons.]

• Send him but hither.] send him hither.

Go by the way of his house.

That is, to love me.

The adverb but modifies the expression

But bear it as our Roman actors do,
With untired spirits and formal constancy 2:
And so, good morrow to you every one.

Exeunt all but BRUTUS.

Boy! Lucius!-Fast asleep! It is no matter;
Enjoy the heavy honey-dew 3 of slumber :
Thou hast no figures, nor no fantasies,
Which busy care draws in the brains of men ;
Therefore thou sleep'st so sound.

Por.

Enter PORTIA.

Brutus, my lord!
Wherefore rise you

Bru. Portia, what mean you?

now?

It is not for your health, thus to commit

Your weak condition 5 to the raw-cold morning,
Por. Nor for yours neither. You have ungently,

Brutus,

Stole from my bed: And yesternight, at supper,

You suddenly arose, and walked about,

Musing and sighing, with your arms across :

And when I asked you what the matter was,

1 Bear it.] The pronoun it does not here represent anything definitely; the meaning of the phrase is, deport yourselves, show yourselves in your bearing or conduct. See Extr. from Plutarch, 25. 2 Formal constancy.] The form of constancy, the appearance of being still what you were wont to be.

3 Heavy honey-dew.] The first two of these words are transposed in the old copies. Honey-dew is a saccharine substance found on the leaves of plants. Fresh tears stood on her cheeks, as doth the honey-dew upon a gathered lily almost withered.' Titus Andronicus, iii. 1.

• No figures nor no fantasies.] None of those images or fancies. 5 Your weak condition.] Portia's health was suffering at this time from the wound she had given herself. See Extr. from Plutarch, 26.

You stared upon me with ungentle looks:

I urged you further; then you scratched your head,
And too impatiently stamped with your foot:

Yet I insisted, yet you answered not;

But, with an angry wafture of your hand,
Gave sign for me to leave you: So I did;
Fearing to strengthen that impatience

Which seemed too much enkindled; and, withal,
Hoping it was but an effect of humour1,
Which sometime hath his hour2 with every man.
It will not let you eat, nor talk, nor sleep;
And, could it work so much upon your shape,
As it hath much prevailed on your condition3,
I should not know you, Brutus. Dear my lord,
Make me acquainted with your cause of grief.

Bru. I am not well in health, and that is all.
Por. Brutus is wise, and were he not in health
He would embrace the means to come by it.

Bru. Why, so I do.-Good Portia, go to bed.
Por. Is Brutus sick? and is it physical5
To walk unbraced, and suck up the humours
Of the dank morning? What, is Brutus sick;
And will he steal out of his wholesome bed,
To dare the vile contagion of the night,

It was but an effect.] It here represents 'that which was the matter with Brutus,' not the preceding noun impatience.

2 His hour.] His is the old neuter possessive for its.

3 Prevailed on your condition.] Much influenced your temper. See Extr. from Plutarch, 25.

Dear my lord.] The phrase my lord is here treated as if it were simply a noun, and is often so treated in Shakspeare. See the Editor's 'Text-book of Grammar,' p. 110, § 4, and the example 'dear my liege,' 'that my lord Elijah,' &c., under § 5.

5 Physical.] That is, conducive to recovery, medicinal.

6

Unbraced.] In a loose dress.