BRU. Peace, peace; you durst not so have tempted him.

CAS. I durst not?

BRU, No.

CAS. What? durst not tempt him?

BRU.

For your life you durst not.

CAS. Do not presume too much upon my love, do that I shall be sorry for.

I may

BRU. You have done that you should be sorry for. There is no terror, Cassius, 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 send to you For certain sums of gold, which you denied me;For I can raise no money by vile means: By heaven, I had rather coin my heart, And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash," By any indirection. I did send

To you for gold to pay my legions,

From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash,] This is a noble sentiment, altogether in character, and expressed in a manner inimitably happy. For to wring, implies both to get unjustly, and to use force in getting: and hard hands signify both the peasant's great labour and pains in acquiring, and his great unwillingness to quit his hold. WARBURTON.

I do not believe that Shakspeare, when he wrote hard hands in this place, had any deeper meaning than in the following line in A Midsummer-Night's Dream :

"Hard-handed men that work in Athens here."

HOLT WHITE,

Mr. H. White might have supported his opinion, (with which I perfectly concur) by another instance, from Cymbeline :

"Made hourly hard with falsehood as with labour."

STEEVENS.

BRU. Away, slight man!

CAS. Is't possible?

BRU. Hear me, for I will speak. Must I give way and room to your rash choler? Shall I be frighted, when a madman stares?

CAS. O ye gods! ye gods! Must I endure all this?

BRU. All this? ay, more: Fret, till your proud heart break;

Go, show your slaves how cholerick you are,
And make your bondmen tremble. Must I budge?
Must I observe you? Must I stand and crouch
Under your testy humour? By the gods,
You shall digest the venom of your spleen,
Though it do split you: for, from this day forth,
I'll use you for my mirth, yea, for my laughter,
When you are waspish.

CAS.

Is it come to this?

BRU. You say, you are a better soldier: Let it appear so; make your vaunting true, And it shall please me well: For mine own part, I shall be glad to learn of noble men.

CAS. You wrong me every way, you wrong me, Brutus ;

I said, an elder soldier, not a better:

Did I say, better?

BRU.

If you did, I care not.

CAS. When Cæsar liv'd, he durst not thus have mov'd me.

I'll use you for my mirth,] Mr. Rowe has transplanted this insult into the mouth of Lothario:

"And use his sacred friendship for our mirth."

STEEVENS.

I

BRU. Peace, peace; you durst not so have tempted him.

CAS. I durst not?

BRU, No.

CAS. What? durst not tempt him?

BRU.

For your life you durst not.

CAS. Do not presume too much upon my love, do that I shall be sorry for.

may

BRU. You have done that you should be sorry for.
There is no terror, Cassius, 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 send to you
For certain sums of gold, which you denied me;-
For I can raise no money by vile means:
By heaven, I had rather coin my heart,

And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring
From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash,"
By any indirection. I did send

To

you for gold to pay my legions,

7 than to wring

From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash,] This is a noble sentiment, altogether in character, and expressed in a manner inimitably happy. For to wring, implies both to get unjustly, and to use force in getting: and hard hands signify both the peasant's great labour and pains in acquiring, and his great unwillingness to quit his hold. WARBURTON.

I do not believe that Shakspeare, when he wrote hard hands in this place, had any deeper meaning than in the following line in A Midsummer-Night's Dream :

"Hard-handed men that work in Athens here."

HOLT WHITE,

Mr. H. White might have supported his opinion, (with which I perfectly concur) by another instance, from Cymbeline:

hands

"Made hourly hard with falsehood as with labour.”

STEEVENS.

BRʊ. Away, slight man!

CAS. Is't possible?

BRU. Hear me, for I will speak. Must I give way and room to your rash choler? Shall I be frighted, when a madman stares?

CAS. O ye gods! ye gods! Must I endure all

this?

BRU. All this? ay, more: Fret, till your proud heart break;

Go, show your slaves how cholerick you are,
And make your bondmen tremble. Must I budge?
Must I observe you? Must I stand and crouch
Under your testy humour? By the gods,
You shall digest the venom of your spleen,
Though it do split you: for, from this day forth,
I'll use you for my mirth, yea, for my laughter,
When you are waspish.

CAS.

6

Is it come to this?

BRU. You say, you are a better soldier: Let it appear so; make your vaunting true, And it shall please me well: For mine own part, I shall be glad to learn of noble men.

CAS. You wrong me every way, you wrong me, Brutus ;

I said, an elder soldier, not a better:

Did I say, better?

BRU.

If you did, I care not.

CAS. When Cæsar liv'd, he durst not thus have mov'd me.

I'll use you for my mirth,] Mr. Rowe has transplanted this insult into the mouth of Lothario:

"And use his sacred friendship for our mirth."

STEEVENS.

BRU. Peace, peace; you durst not so have tempted him.

CAS. I durst not?

BRU, No.

CAS. What? durst not tempt him?

BRU.

For your life you durst not.

CAS. Do not presume too much upon my love, I may do that I shall be sorry for.

BRU. You have done that you should be sorry for.
There is no terror, Cassius, 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 send to you
For certain sums of gold, which you denied me;—
For I can raise no money by vile means:
By heaven, I had rather coin my heart,
And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring
From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash,”
By any indirection. I did send

To you for gold to pay my legions,

7 than to wring

From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash,] This is a noble sentiment, altogether in character, and expressed in a manner inimitably happy. For to wring, implies both to get unjustly, and to use force in getting: and hard hands signify both the peasant's great labour and pains in acquiring, and his great unwillingness to quit his hold. WARBURTON.

I do not believe that Shakspeare, when he wrote hard hands in this place, had any deeper meaning than in the following line in A Midsummer-Night's Dream :

"Hard-handed men that work in Athens here."
HOLT WHITE.

Mr. H. White might have supported his opinion, (with which I perfectly concur) by another instance, from Cymbeline :

"Made hourly hard with falsehood as with labour."

STEEVENS.