Join'd with a masker and a reveller. Ant. Old Cassius still! Oct. Come, Antony; away! If you dare fight to-day, come to the field; If not, when you have stomachs. 65 [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 63. Old Cassius still!] Cassius is still the same man as he was of old. See 1. ii. 200, 201; 3 Henry VI. v. i. 47. 66. stomachs] inclination. Compare Henry V. IV. iii. 35: "he which hath no stomach to this fight Let him depart." 70. a word with you] We do not know what Brutus had to say to Lucilius, as Shakespeare gives us the conversation between Cassius and Messala which took place at the same time, and the conditions of dramatic representation do not allow two conversations to be heard at once. Compare 11. i. 100. 75 Upon one battle all our liberties. You know that I held Epicurus strong, And his opinion; now I change my mind, 80 This morning are they fled away and gone, and kites Fly o'er our heads, and downward look on us, Our army lies, ready to give up the ghost. Cas. I but believe it partly, "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 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, By which I did blame Cato for the death 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 105 Then, if we lose this battle, You are contented to be led in triumph Bru. No, Cassius, no: think not, thou noble Roman, 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 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 5 [Exeunt. SCENE III.-Another Part of the Field. Cas. O look, Titinius, look, the villains fly: |