Come down upon us with a mighty power,
Bending their expedition toward Philippi.

MES. Myself have letters of the self-same tenour. BRU. With what addition ?

MES. That by proscription, and bills of outlawry, Octavius, Antony, and Lepidus,

Have put to death an hundred senators.

BRU. Therein our letters do not well agree;
Mine speak of seventy senators, that died
By their proscriptions, Cicero being one.
CAS. Cicero one?

MES. Ay, Cicero is dead', and by that order of proscription.

Had you your letters from your wife, my lord?
BRU. No, Messala.

MES. Nor nothing in your letters writ of her ?
BRU. Nothing, Messala.

MES.

That, methinks, is strange. BRU. Why ask you? Hear you aught of her in yours?

MES. No, my lord.

BRU. Now, as you are a Roman, tell me true. MES. Then like a Roman bear the truth I tell : For certain she is dead, and by strange manner. BRU. Why, farewell, Portia.-We must die, Messala:

With meditating that she must die once 2,
I have the patience to endure it now.

MES. Even so great men great losses should endure.

1 Ay, Cicero is dead,] For the insertion of the affirmative adverb, to complete the verse, I am answerable. STEEVENS.

2

- once,] i. e. at some time or other. So, in The Merry Wives of Windsor:

3

CAS. I have as much of this in art as you,

But yet my nature could not bear it so.

BRU. Well, to our work alive. What do you

think

Of marching to Philippi presently?

CAS. I do not think it good.

BRU.

CAS.

Your reason?

This it is *:

"Tis better, that the enemy seek us:

So shall he waste his means, weary his soldiers,
Doing himself offence; whilst we, lying still,
Are full of rest, defence, and nimbleness.

BRU. Good reasons must, of force, give place to
better.

The people, 'twixt Philippi and this ground,
Do stand but in a forc'd affection;

For they have grudg'd us contribution :
The enemy, marching along by them,
By them shall make a fuller number up,
Come on refresh'd, new-added, and encourag'd;
From which advantage shall we cut him off,
If at Philippi we do face him there,

These people at our back.

CAS.

Hear me, good brother.

BRU. Under your pardon.-You must note be

side,

That we have try'd the utmost of our friends,
Our legions are brim-full, our cause is ripe :
The enemy increaseth every day,

We, at the height, are ready to decline.
There is a tide in the affairs of men,

3 in ART] That is, in theory. MALONE.

4 This IT IS:] The overflow of the metre, and the disagreeable clash of-it is, with 'Tis at the beginning of the next line, are almost proofs that our author only wrote, with a common ellipsis, —This :

STEEVENS.

Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows, and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat;
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.

CAS.

Then, with your will, go on; We'll along ourselves, and meet them at Philippi. BRU. The deep of night is crept upon our talk, And nature must obey necessity;

Which we will niggard with a little rest.

There is no more to say?

CAS.

No more. Good night;

Early to-morrow will we rise, and hence.

BRU. Lucius, my gown. [Exit LuCIUS.] Farewell, good Messala ;

Good night, Titinius :—Noble, noble Cassius,

Good night, and good repose.

CAS.

my dear brother!

This was an ill beginning of the night:

Never come such division 'tween our souls!

Let it not, Brutus.

s There is a tide, &c.] This passage is poorly imitated by Beaumont and Fletcher, in The Custom of the Country :

"There is an hour in each man's life appointed

"To make his happiness, if then he seize it," &c.

STEEVENS.

Beaumont and Fletcher in The Bloody Brother, Act II. Sc. I. have a passage much more nearly resembling the text than that which has been quoted by Mr. Steevens:

66

--

Consider then and quickly :

"And like a wise man take the current with you,

"Which once turn'd head, will sink you." BOSWELL.

A similar sentiment is found in Chapman's Bussy D'Ambois,

1607:

"There is a deep nick in time's restless wheel,

"For each man's good; when which nick comes, it strikes. "So no man riseth by his real merit,

"But when it cries click in his raiser's spirit." MALONE.

6 Never come such division 'tween our souls!] So, in the mock play in Hamlet :

BRU.

Every thing is well.

CAS. Good night, my lord.

BRU.
TIT. MES. Good night, lord Brutus.

Good night, good brother.

BRU.

Farewell, every one.

[Exeunt Cas. TIT. and MES.

Re-enter LUCIUS, with the Gown.

Give me the gown. Where is thy instrument?

Luc. Here in the tent.

BRU.

What, thou speak'st drowsily?

Poor knave, I blame thee not; thou art o'er-watch'd.

Call Claudius, and some other of my men ;

I'll have them sleep on cushions in my tent,
Luc. Varro, and Claudius!

Enter VARRO and CLAUDIUS.

VAR. Calls my lord?

BRU. I pray you, sirs, lie in my tent, and sleep; It may be, I shall raise you by and by On business to my brother Cassius.

VAR. So please you, we will stand, and watch your pleasure.

BRU. I will not have it so: lie down, good sirs; It may be, I shall otherwise bethink me:

Look, Lucius, here's the book I sought for so;
I put it in the pocket of my gown.

[Servants lie down. Luc. I was sure, your lordship did not give it me. BRU. Bear with me, good boy, I am much for

getful.

Canst thou hold up thy heavy eyes awhile,
And touch thy instrument a strain or two?
Luc. Ay, my lord, an't please you.
BRU.

It does, my boy:

"And never come mischance between us twain."

STEEVENS.

I trouble thee too much, but thou art willing.
Luc. It is my duty, sir.

BRU. I should not urge thy duty past thy might;
I know, young bloods look for a time of rest.
Luc. I have slept, my lord, already.

BRU. It is well done; and thou shalt sleep again; I will not hold thee long: if I do live,

I will be good to thee.

[Musick, and a Song. This is a sleepy tune :-O murd 'rous slumber! Lay'st thou thy leaden mace upon my boy,

That plays thee musick?-Gentle knave, good night;

I will not do thee so much wrong to wake thee.
If thou dost nod, thou break'st thy instrument;
I'll take it from thee; and, good boy, good night.
Let me see, let me see ;-Is not the leaf turn'd

down,

8

Where I left reading? Here it is, I think.

[He sits down.

Enter the Ghost of CESAR.

How ill this taper burns!-Ha! who comes here?

7

- thy leaden MACE-] A mace is the ancient term for a sceptre. So, in The Arraignment of Paris, 1584:

66

look upon my stately grace,

"Because the pomp that 'longs to Juno's mace," &c.

Again:

66

because he knew no more

"Fair Venus' Ceston, than dame Juno's mace." Again, in Marius and Sylla, 1594:

66

proud Tarquinius

"Rooted from Rome the sway of kingly mace."

Again, in Spenser's Fairy Queen, b. i. c. x. :

STEEVENS.

"Who mightily upheld that royal mace." Shakspeare probably remembered Spenser in his Fairy Queen, [as Mr. Upton has observed,] b. i. cant. iv. st. 44:

"When as Morpheus had with leaden mase,

"Arrested all that courtly company." HOLT WHITE. 8 Let me see, let me see ;] As these words are wholly unmetrical, we may suppose our author meant to avail himself of the common colloquial phrase-" Let's see, let's see." STEEVENS, VOL. XII.

K