"The fufferance of our fouls, the time's abufe,
"If these be motives weak, break off betimes;
"And ev'ry man hence to his idle bed:
"So let' high-fighted tyranny range on,

" "Till each man drop by lottery. But if thefe,
"As I am fure they do, bear fire enough
"To kindle cowards, and to fteel with valour
"The melting fpirits of women; then, countrymen,
"What need we any fpur, but our own cause,
"To prick us to redrefs? what other bond,
"Than 7 fecret Romans, that have spoke the word,
"And will not palter? and what other oath,
"Than honefty to honefty engag'd,

"That this fhall be, or we will fall for it?
"Swear priests, and cowards, and men cautelous.
"Old feeble carrions, and fuch suffering fouls
"That welcome wrongs: unto bad caufes, fwear
"Such creatures as men doubt; but 8 do not stain
"The even virtue of our enterprize,

" Nor th' insuppressive mettle of our spirits;

"To

6 high-fighted tyranny] The epithet alludes to a hawk foaring on high and intent upon its prey.

7

fecret Romans,- ·] Secret, for federate, used because fecrecy is an effential quality in confederations.

The even virtue of our enterprize,

Nor th' infuppreffive mettle of our spirits, &c.] Admitting that the Opinion that the cause or actors wanted an Oath to hold them together, might be called a ftain, (which yet I think it could not, because fuch opinion does not neceffarily imply a sus picion of the honefty of either; or if it did, fuch fufpicion could not flain it, as an oath is no unjuft means of union; for it is only an unjust means used for a good end, that could be faid to fain that end.) However, I fay, admitting that fuch an opinion might be called a flain, yet here the metaphor employed will not allow the ufe of the term. For the expreflion of infuppreffive mettle alludes to the elaftic quality of fteel, which, being forced beyond its tone, lofes its fpring, and thereby becomes incapable of keeping that machine in motion which it is defigned to actuate.

To

"To think, that or our caufe, or our performance,
"Did need an oath: When ev'ry drop of blood,
That ev'ry Roman bears, and nobly bears,
Is guilty of a feveral baftardy,

If he doth break the fmalleft particle
Of any promife that hath paft from him.
Caf. But what of Cicero? fhall we found him?
I think, he will ftand very ftrong with us.
Cafca. Let us not leave him out.

Cin. No, by no means.

Met. O let us have him, for his filver hairs
Will purchafe us a good opinion,

And buy men's voices to commend our deeds:
It fhall be faid, his Judgment rul'd our hands;
Our youths and wildness fhall no whit appear,
But all be buried in his gravity.

Bru. O, name him not: let us not break with him; For he will never follow any thing,

That other men begin.

Caf. Then leave him out.

Cafca. Indeed, he is not fit.

Dec. Shall no man elfe be touch'd, but only Cæfar? Caf. Decius, well urg'd: I think, it is not meet, Mark Antony, fo well belov'd of Cafar,

Should out-live Cafar: we fhall find of him
A fhrewd contriver. And you know, his means,
If he improve them, may well stretch fo far,
A's to annoy us all; which to prevent,

To this idea the word even refers, fignifying a conftant moderate, well regulated tenour. To preferve therefore the integrity of the metaphor, I think we must read,

do not STRAIN.

i.e. beyond its natural and proper tone; the confequence of which will be the ftopping the motion of the whole machine. So that the thought is this, The prefent temper of our fpirits is like the virtue of a feel fpring which pushes forward and preferves the motion of the machine: But now, if, to the force of this natural difpofition, you add the artificial bend of an oath, you will overftrain it and deftroy its power.

Let

Let Antony and Cæfar fall together.

Bru. Our courfe will feem too bloody, Caius Caffius, To cut the head off, and then hack the limbs; Like wrath in death, and envy afterwards: For Antony is but a limb of Cæfar.

Let us be facrificers, but not butchers, Caius ; We all ftand up against the spirit of Cafar, And in the spirit of man there is no blood: 0, that we then could come by Cæfar's fpirit, And not difmember Cæfar! but alas! Cafar muft bleed for it" And, gentle friends, "Let's kill him boldly, but not wrathfully; "Let's carve him as a difh fit for the Gods, "Not hew him as a carcafs fit for hounds. "And let our hearts, as fubtle masters do, "Stir up their fervants to an act of rage, "And after feem to chide them. This fhall make Our purpose neceffary, and not envious: Which, fo appearing to the common eyes, We shall be call'd Purgers, not murtherers. And for Mark Antony, think not of him; For he can do no more than Cafar's arm, When Cefar's head is off.

Caf. Yet I do fear him;

For in th' ingrafted love he bears to Cæfar

Bru. Alas, good Caffius, do not think of him;
If he love Cæfar, all that he can do

Is to himself, take thought, and die for Cæfar:
And that were much, he fhould; for he is giv'n
To sports, to wildness, and much company.

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

Bru. Peace, count the clock.

Caf. The clock hath ftricken three.

Treb. 'Tis time to part.

Caf. But it is doubtful yet,

[Clock Strikes.

If

If Cafar will come forth to day, or no:
9 For he is fuperftitious grown of late,
Quite from the main opinion he held once
Of fantasie, of dreams, and ceremonies:
It may be, these apparent prodigies,
The unaccuftom'd terror of this night,
And the perfuafion of his augurers,
May hold him from the Capitol to day.

Dec. Never fear that; if he be fo refolv'd,
I can o'er-fway him; " for he loves to hear,
"That unicorns may be betray'd with trees,
"And bears with glaffes, elephants with holes,
"Lions with toils, and men with flatterers.
"But when I tell him, he hates flatterers,
"He fays he does; being then most flattered.
Leave me to work:

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

Caf. Nay, we will all of us be there to fetch him.
Bru. By the eighth hour, is that the uttermoft?
Cin. Be that the uttermoft, and fail not then.
Met. Caius Ligarius doth bear Cafar hard,

9 For he is fuperftitious grown of late,

Quite from the main opinion he held once

Of fantafie, of dreams, and ceremonies:] Cafar, as well as Caffius, was an Epicurean. By main opinion Caffius intends a compliment to his fect, and means folid, fundamental opinion grounded in truth and nature: As by fantafie is meant ominous forebodings; and by ceremonies, atonements of the Gods by means of religious rites and facrifices. A little after, where Calphurnia fays,

Cæfar, I never flood on ceremonies,

Yet now they fright me :

The poet ufes Ceremonies in a quite different fenfe, namely, the turning accidents to omens, a principal superftition of antiquity.

1 - for he loves to hear, &c.] It was finely imagined by the poet, to make Cafar delight in this fort of converfation. The Author of St. Evremond's life tells us, that the great Prince of Conde took much pleasure in remarking on the foible and ridicule of characters,

Who

Who rated him for fpeaking well of Pompey;
I wonder, none of you have thought of him.

Bru. Now, good Metellus, go along to him:
He loves me well, and I have giv'n him reasons;
Send him but hither, and I'll fashion him.

Caf. The morning comes upon's; we'll leave you,
Brutus ;

And, friends! disperse your selves; but all remember
What you have faid, and fhew your felves true Romans.
Bru. Good Gentlemen, look fresh and merrily;
Let not our looks put on our purposes;
But bear it, as our Roman actors do,

With untir'd spirits, and formal conftancy;
And fo, good morrow to you every one.

Manet Brutus.

Boy! Lucius! faft afleep? it is no matter, Enjoy the honey-heavy dew of Slumber : "Thou haft no figures, nor no fantasies,

[Exeunt.

"Which bufie care draws in the brains of men ; "Therefore thou fleep'ft fo found.

SCENE

Enter Porcia.

Por. Brutus, my lord!

III.

Bru. Porcia, what mean you? wherefore rife you now?

It is not for your health, thus to commit

Your weak condition to the raw cold morning.
Por. Nor for yours neither. "You've ungently,

Brutus,

"Stole from my bed: and, yefternight at fupper,
"You fuddenly arofe and walk'd about,
"Mufing and fighing, with your arms a-cross:
"And, when I ask'd you what the matter was,
"You ftar'd upon me with ungentle looks,

VOL. VII.

D

"I