Join'd with a masker and a reveller.

Ant. Old Cassius still!

Come, Antony; away!
Defiance, traitors, hurl we in your teeth.

If you dare fight to-day, come to the field;

If not, when you have stomachs.

[Exeunt Octavius, Antony, and their Army. Cas. Why now, blow wind, swell billow, and swim bark! The storm is up, and all is on the hazard.

This is my birth-day; as this very day
Was Cassius born. Give me thy hand, Messala:
Be thou my witness that against my will,
As Pompey was, am I compell'd to set

Upon one battle all our liberties.

You know that I held Epicurus strong,

And his opinion; now I change my mind,
And partly credit things that do presage.
Coming from Sardis, on our former ensign
Two mighty eagles fell, and there they perch'd,
Gorging and feeding from our soldiers' hands;
Who to Philippi here consorted us:

80

This morning are they fled away and gone,
And in their steads do ravens, crows,

and

kites

Fly o'er our heads, and downward look on us,
As we were sickly prey: their shadows seem
A canopy most fatal, under which

Our army lies, ready to give up the ghost.
Mes. Believe not so.

Cas.

I but believe it partly,
For I am fresh of spirit and resolv'd

"Messala, I protest unto thee, and make thee my witness that I am compelled against my mind and will (as Pompey the Great was) to jeopard the liberty of our country to the hazard of a battle."

75. set] = North's "jeopard." Compare Richard III. v. iv. 9:

"I have set my life upon
a cast,
And I will stand the hazard of
the die."

77. You] The change from " 'thy" (73) and thou" (74) to "you" is justified by the fact that Cassius is now not making an impassioned appeal to a beloved friend, but only explaining his state of mind.

77. I held Epicurus strong] I held firmly the opinion of Epicurus, The

85

90

To meet all perils very constantly. Bru. Even so, Lucilius..

Cas.

Now, most noble Brutus,

The gods to-day stand friendly, that we may,
Lovers in peace, lead on our days to age!
But since the affairs of men rests still incertain,
Let's reason with the worst that may befall.
If we do lose this battle, then is this
The very last time we shall speak together:
What are you then determined to do?
Bru. Even by the rule of that philosophy

By which I did blame Cato for the death
Which he did give himself, I know not how,
But I do find it cowardly and vile,

92. perils] F 1; peril F 2, 3, 4. editors. 103. how,] how: Ff.

92. constantly] firmly. See II. i. 227.

93. Even so, Lucilius] Brutus refers to the instructions that he has been giving to Lucilius while Cassius was speaking to Messala.

94. stand] subjunctive used optatively.

96. rests] For "rest" in the sense of the Latin resto, remain, compare Othello, v. ii. 335: "Close prisoner rest." For the suffix "s," see note on I. iii. 138. Many editors in such passages regard the "s" as a misprint. But sometimes the suffix is required by the rhyme, as in Macbeth, II. i. 59, 60:

"While I threat he lives: Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives."

97. Let's reason, etc.] let us consider what is to be done if the worst shall happen.

100.] This line is almost word for word from North's Plutarch, in which

95

100

96. rests] Ff, rest Rowe and later

Cassius asks, "What art thou then determined to do?"

101. Even by the rule, etc.] in accordance with the philosophical principles that made me condemn Cato, I somehow regard it as cowardly to anticipate the hour of death, and I fortify myself with patience to wait for the time of death appointed by the higher powers. This answer implies that even if the battle is lost, Brutus will not think himself justified in committing suicide. Johnson makes Brutus reply more directly to the question put to him. He regards "I know not how... time of life " as a parenthesis, and makes "to stay depend not upon "patience," but upon "I am determined" understood from line 100: If this is the construction intended, we must put a comma after "patience."

102.] See Appendix.

102. Cato] the younger, whose suicide at Utica forms the subject of Addison's drama.

Cas.

For fear of what might fall, so to prevent

The time of life, arming myself with patience
To stay the providence of some high powers
That govern us below.

105

Then, if we lose this battle,

You are contented to be led in triumph
Thorough the streets of Rome?

Bru. No, Cassius, no: think not, thou noble Roman,
That ever Brutus will go bound to Rome;

IIO

He bears too great a mind: but this same day Must end that work the ides of March begun ; And whether we shall meet again I know not. 115 Therefore our everlasting farewell take : For ever, and for ever, farewell, Cassius ! If we do meet again, why, we shall smile; If not, why then this parting was well made. Cas. For ever, and for ever, farewell, Brutus !

If we do meet again, we 'll smile indeed; If not, 'tis true this parting was well made. 106. life,] Ff, life; Theobald. 110. Rome?] Theobald, Rome. Ff.

105. For fear of what might fall] Compare Sidney's Arcadia, Book iv.: "The killing of one's self is but a false colour of true courage, proceeding rather of a fear of further evil, either of torment or shame."

105, 106. prevent The time of life] anticipate the full time of life, the completion of life. Capell and Collier's MS. corrector read term of life," which is easier.

107. stay the providence] wait for the time determined by the wisdom of the higher powers. "Some" indicates the indefiniteness of the conceptions of the gods held by the Platonists and Stoics, who believed in the pro

120

107. some] Ff; those Craik, Collier MS. 114. the] F 1; that F 2, 3, 4.

vidential rule of the gods, but did not accept the gods of the popular mythology. For this use of stay,' compare Othello, IV. ii. 170: "The messengers of Venice stay the meat."

114. Must end that work] Brutus does not intend to commit suicide. He thinks that he will either be killed in battle or gain a glorious victory. It is part of his punishment, that he is eventually driven to kill himself in spite of his philosophical condemnation of suicide.

118. smile] sc. at the useless solemnity of our leave-taking. Compare II. i. 191, and Æneid, i. 203: "Forsan et hæc olim meminisse juvabit."

Bru. Why then, lead on. O! that a man might know
The end of this day's business ere it come;
But it sufficeth that the day will end,

And then the end is known.

125

Come, ho! away!

[Exeunt.

SCENE II.-The Same. The Field of Battle.

Alarum. Enter BRUTUS and MESSALA.

[Loud alarum.

Bru. Ride, ride, Messala, ride, and give these bills
Unto the legions on the other side.
Let them set on at once, for I perceive
But cold demeanour in Octavius' wing,
And sudden push gives them the overthrow.
Ride, ride, Messala: let them all come down.

5

[Exeunt.

SCENE III.-Another Part of the Field.
Alarum. Enter CASSIUS and TITINIUS.

Cas. O look, Titinius, look, the villains fly:
Myself have to mine own turn'd enemy;
This ensign here of mine was turning back;