And I will give you audience.

Caf. Pindarus,

Bid our commanders lead their charges off
A little from this ground.

Bru. Lucilius, do the like; and let no man

Come to our tent, 'till we have done our conference.
Let Lucius and Titinius guard the door.

[Exeunt.

III.

Changes to the Infide of Brutus's Tent.

Caf.TH

Re-enter Brutus and Caffius.

HAT you have wrong'd me, doth appear in this,

;

You have condemn'd and noted Lucius Pella,
For taking bribes here of the Sardians
Wherein, my letter (praying on his fide,
Because I knew the man,) was flighted of,

Bru. You wrong'd your felf to write in such a cafe.
Caf. In fuch a time as this, it is not meet
That ev'ry nice offence fhould bear its comment.
Bru. Yet let me tell you, Caffius, you your felf
Are much condemn'd to have an itching palm;
To fell and mart your offices for gold,
To undefervers.

Caf. I an itching palm?

You know, that you are Brutus, that speak this;
Or, by the Gods, this fpeech were else your last.
Bru. The name of Caffius honours this corruption,
And chastisement doth therefore hide its head.
Caf. Chaftisement!

[member! Bru. "Remember March, the Ides of March re

2

ev'ry nice offence

"Did

-] i. e. fmall trifling offence.

3 Remember March, &c.
What villain touch'd his body, that did ftab,
And not for juftice?-

-] The thought here is infinitely

F 3

noble;

"Did not great Julius bleed for justice fake?
"What villain touch'd his body, that did stab,
"And not for juftice? what, fhall one of us,
"That ftruck the foremost man of all this world,
"But for fupporting robbers; fhall we now
"Contaminate our fingers with base bribes?
"And fell the mighty space of our large honours
"For fo much trafh, as may be grasped thus?—
"I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon,
"Than fuch a Roman.

Caf. Brutus, bay not me,

I'll not endure it; you forget your self,
To hedge me in; I am a foldier, I,
Older in practice, abler than your felf
To make conditions.

Bru. Go to; you are not Caffius.

Caf.

noble; yet by reafon of the laconic brevity here reprefented, it is obfcure. We muft imagine Brutus fpeaking to this effect, Remember the ides of March, when we had a caufe in hand, fo great and fan&ified that the most corrupt men, intent only on the public, caft afide all private regards, engaged in the cause of liberty, and fab'd for juftice: remember too, that this is but the fame caufe continued; all corrupt and private motives should be therefore neglected and defpifed. This is the sense, in which the dignity of the fentiment, and the propriety of it to the cafe in hand, are altogether worthy the character of the speaker.

4 I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon,

Than fuch a Roman.] The poets and common people, who generally think and fpeak alike, fuppofe the dog bays the moon out of envy to its brightness; an allufion to this notion makes the beauty of the paffage in queftion: Brutus hereby infinuates a covert accufation against his friend, that it was only envy at Cafar's glory which fet Caffius on confpiring against him; and ancient hiftory feems to countenance fuch a charge. Caffius underftood him in this fenfe, and with much confcious pride retorts the charge by a like infinuation,

Brutus, bay not me.

5 Go to; you are not Caffius.] We are not to understand this as if Brutus had faid, You are not an able foldier, which would be wrangling on a childish question beneath the character of Brutus.

Оя

Caf. I am.

Bru. I fay, you are not.

Caf. Urge me no more, I fhall forget my selfHave mind upon your health-tempt me no farther. Bru. Away, flight man!

Caf. Is't poffible?

Bru. Hear me, for I will speak.

Muft I give way and room to your rash choler? "Shall I be frighted, when a madman stares?

Caf. O Gods! ye Gods! muft I endure all this? Bru. All this! ay, more. Fret, 'till your proud heart break;

"Go, fhew your flaves how cholerick you are,
"And make your bondmen tremble. Muft I budge?
Must I observe you? muft I ftand and crouch
Under your tefty humour? by the Gods,
You fhall digeft the venom of your spleen,
Tho' it do split you: For, from this day forth,
I'll ufe you for my mirth, yea, for my laughter,
When you are waspish.

Caf. Is it come to this?

Bru. You fay, you are a better foldier;

Let it appear fo; make your Vaunting true,

And it shall please me well.

For mine own part,

I fhall be glad to learn of noble men.

Caf. You wrong me every way-you wrong me, Brutus ;

I said, an elder foldier; not a better.

Did I fay, better?

Bru. If you did, I care not.

On the contrary, when Caffius had made fo unbecoming a boast, Brutus, in his reply, only reproves him for degeneracy: And he could not do it in words more pathetic than in saying, You are not Caffius; i. e. You are no longer that brave, difinterested, philofophic Caffius, rubofe character was made up of honour and patriotifm; but are funk down to the impotency and corruption of the times.

Caf. When Cæfar liv'd, he durft not thus have mov'd me.

Bru. Peace, peace, you durft not fo have tempted him.

Caf. I durft not!

Bru. No.

Caf. What? durft not tempt him?
Bru. For your life you durft not.

Caf. Do not presume too much upon my love;
I may do that, I fhall be forry for.

Bru. You have done that, you fhould be sorry for. "There is no terror, Caffius, in your threats; "For I am arm'd so strong in honesty, "That they pass by me, as the idle wind, "Which I respect not. I did fend to you "For certain fums of gold, which you deny'd me; "For I can raise no money by vile means; "By heaven, I had rather coin my heart,

6

"And drop my blood for drachma's, than to wring "From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash, 66 By any Indirection. I did send

"To you for gold to pay my legions,

"Which you denied me; was that done like Caffius? "Should I have answer'd Caius Caffius fo? "When Marcus Brutus grows fo covetous, "To lock fuch rafcal counters from his friends, "Be ready, Gods, with all your thunderbolts, "Dafh him to pieces.

From the hard hands of peasants their wile trash,] This is a noble sentiment, altogether in character, and expreffed in a manner inimitably happy. For to wring, implies both to get unjustly, and to ufe force in getting: And hard hands fignify both the peafant's great labour and pains in acquiring, and his great unwillingness to quit his hold.

That

That brought my answer back.-Brutus hath riv'd my

heart.

A friend fhould bear a friend's infirmities,
But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.
Bru. 7 I do not, Still

Caf. You love me not.

you practise them on me.

Bru. I do not like your faults.

Caf. A friendly eye could never see fuch faults. Bru. A flatt'rer's would not, tho' they do appear As huge as high Olympus.

Caf. Come, Antony, and young Octavius, come; Revenge your felves alone on Caffius,

For Caffius is a weary of the world

Hated by one he loves; brav'd by his brother;
Check'd like a bondman; all his faults obferv❜d;
Set in a note-book, learn'd, and conn'd by rote,
To caft into my teeth. OI could weep
My fpirit 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 needft a Roman's, take it forth.

I,

7 Bru. I do not, TILL you pra&ife them on me.] But was this talking like Brutus? Caffius complained that his friend made his infirmities greater than they were. To which Brutus replies, not till those infirmities were injuriously turned upon me. But was this any excufe for aggravating his friend's failings? Shakespear knew better what was fit for his hero to fay, and certainly wrote and pointed the line thus,

I do not. STILL you practise them on me.

i. e. I deny your charge, and this is a fresh injury done me.

8 If that thou BEEST A ROMAN, take it forth. &c.] But why is he bid to rip out his heart, if he were a Roman? There is no other fense but this, If you have the courage of a Roman. But this is fo poor, and fo little to the purpose, that the reading may be juftly fufpected. The occafion of this quarrel was Caffius's refufal to fupply the neceffities of his friend, who charges it on him as a dishonour and crime, with great afperity of language. Caffius, to fhew him the injuftice of accufing him of avarice, tells him he was ready to expofe his life in his fervice; but at the fame