Bru. Lucilius, do you the like; and let no man Come to our tent, till we have done our conference. Let Lucius and Titinius guard our door. [Exeunt. SCENE III. Within the Tent of Brutus. LUCIUS and TITINIUS at some distance from it. Enter BRUTUS and CASSIUS. Cas. That you have wronged me, doth appear in this. You have condemned and noted Lucius Pella, Bru. You wronged yourself to write in such a case. To undeservers. Cas. I an itching palm? You know that you are Brutus that speak this, Cas. Chastisement ! Bru. Remember March, the ides of March remem ber! Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake? 2 1 Nice here means silly, simple. 2 This question is far from implying that any of those who touched Cæsar's body were villains. On the contrary, it is an indirect way of asserting that there was not one man among them who was base enough to stab him for any cause but that of justice. But for supporting robbers; shall we now Than such a Roman. Cas. I'll not endure it. To hedge me in; Brutus, bay1 not me, 2 You forget yourself, Older in practice, abler than yourself To make conditions.3 Bru. Cas. I am. Go to; you're not, Cassius. Bru. I say, you are not.1 Cas. Urge me no more, I shall forget myself; Have mind upon your health, tempt me no further. 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 choleric you are, And make your bondmen tremble. Must I budge? I'll use you for my mirth, yea, for my laughter, When you are waspish. 1 The old copy reads, "Brutus, bait not me." Theobald made the alteration, which has been adopted by all subsequent editors except Malone. Bay and bait are both frequently used by Shakspeare in the same sense. 2 i. e. to limit my authority by your direction or censure. 3 To know on what terms it is fit to confer the offices at my disposal. 4 "This passage (says Steevens) may be easily reduced to metre if we read: Cas. Brutus, I am. Bru. Cassius, I say you are not." 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? I Bru. If you did, I care not. Cas. When Cæsar lived, he durst not thus have moved me. 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; may do that I shall be sorry for. Bru. You have done that you should be sorry For I am armed so strong in honesty, for. For certain sums of gold, which you denied me ;- By heaven, I had rather coin my heart, And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring To you for gold to pay my legions, Which you denied me. Was that done like Cassius ? Should I have answered Caius Cassius so? When Marcus Brutus grows so covetous, To lock such rascal counters from his friends, Be ready, gods, with all Dash him to pieces! Bru. You did. your thunderbolts, I denied you not. Cas. I did not; he was but a fool That brought my answer back.-Brutus hath rived my heart; A friend should bear his friend's infirmities, Bru. I do not like your faults. Cas. A friendly eye could never see such faults. Bru. A flatterer's would not, though they do appear As huge as high Olympus. Cas. Come, Antony, and young Octavius, come, Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius, For Cassius is aweary of the world. Hated by one he loves; braved by his brother; When thou didst hate him worst, thou lov'dst him better Bru. Sheath your dagger. Be angry when you will, it shall have scope; Cas. 1 The meaning is this:-"I do not look for your faults, I only see them, and mention them with vehemence, when you force them into my notice, by practising them on me." Cas. Do you confess so much? confess so much? Give me your hand. Cas. Bru. O Brutus ! What's the matter? Cas. Have you not love enough to bear with me, When that rash humor, which my mother gave me, Makes me forgetful? Bru. Luc. [Within.] You shall not come to them. Cas. How now? What's the matter? Poet. For shame, you generals; what do you mean? Love, and be friends, as two such men should be ; For I have seen more years, I am sure, than ye. Cas. Ha, ha! how vilely doth this cynic rhyme! Bru. Get you hence, sirrah; saucy fellow, hence. Cas. Bear with him, Brutus; 'tis his fashion. Bru. I'll know his humor when he knows his time. What should the wars do with these jigging fools?? Companion, hence. Cas. 3 Away, away, be gone. Enter LUCILIUS and TITINIUS. [Exit Poet. Bru. Lucilius and Titinius, bid the commanders Prepare to lodge their companies to-night. 1 Shakspeare found the present incident in Plutarch. The intruder, however, was Marcus Phaonius, not a poet, but one who assumed the character of a cynic philosopher. 2 i. e. these silly poets. A jig signified a ballad or ditty, as well as a dance. See note on Hamlet, Act ii. Sc. 2. 3 Companion is used as a term of contempt in many of the old plays; as we say at present, fellow ! |