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ACT V. SCENE I.

The Plains of Philippi.

Enter OCTAVIUS, ANTONY, and their Army.
Oct. Now, Antony, our hopes are answered.
You said, the enemy would not come down,
But keep the hills and upper regions;
It proves not so: their battles are at hand;
They mean to warn us at Philippi here,
Answering before we do demand of them.

Ant. Tut! I am in their bosoms, and I know
Wherefore they do it: they could be content
To visit other places; and come down
With fearful bravery, thinking by this face
To fasten in our thoughts that they have courage;
But 'tis not so.

Enter a Messenger.

Mess.

Prepare you, generals;

The enemy comes on in gallant show:

Their bloody sign of battle is hung out,
And something to be done immediately.
Ant. Octavius, lead your battle softly on,
Upon the left hand of the even field.

Oct. Upon the right hand I; keep thou the left.
Ant. Why do you cross me in this exigent?

Oct. I do not cross you; but I will do so. [March.

Drum. Enter BRUTUS, CASSIUS, and their Army;
LUCILIUS, TITINIUS, MESSALA, and Others.

Bru. They stand, and would have parley.

8 WARN us] To warn is to summon. The use of the word in this sense was not uncommon. See "King John,” Vol. iv. p. 24, &c.

Cas. Stand fast, Titinius: we must out and talk.
Oct. Mark Antony, shall we give sign of battle?
Ant. No, Cæsar, we will answer on their charge.
Make forth; the generals would have some words.
Oct. Stir not until the signal.

Bru. Words before blows; is it so, countrymen?
Oct. Not that we love words better, as you do.
Bru. Good words are better than bad strokes, Oc-
tavius.

Ant. In your bad strokes, Brutus, you give good

words:

Witness the hole you made in Cæsar's heart,
Crying, "Long live! hail, Cæsar!"

Cas.

Antony, The posture of your blows are yet unknown; But for your words, they rob the Hybla bees, And leave them honeyless.

Ant.

Not stingless, too.

Bru. O! yes, and soundless too;

For you have stol'n their buzzing, Antony,

And very wisely threat before you sting.

Ant. Villains! you did not so when your vile dag

gers

Hack'd one another in the sides of Cæsar:

You show'd your teeth like apes, and fawn'd like hounds,

And bow'd like bondmen, kissing Cæsar's feet;

Whilst damned Casca, like a cur, behind

Struck Cæsar on the neck. O, you flatterers!
Cas. Flatterers !-Now, Brutus, thank yourself:
This tongue had not offended so to-day,

If Cassius might have rul'd.

Oct. Come, come, the cause: if arguing make us sweat,

The proof of it will turn to redder drops.

Look; I draw a sword against conspirators;

When think you that the sword goes up again?—

Never, till Cæsar's three and thirty wounds'
Be well aveng'd; or till another Cæsar

Have added slaughter to the sword of traitors.
Bru. Cæsar, thou canst not die by traitors' hands,
Unless thou bring'st them with thee.

Oct.

So I hope : I was not born to die on Brutus' sword.

Bru. O! if thou wert the noblest of thy strain, Young man, thou could'st not die more honourable. Cas. A peevish schoolboy, worthless of such honour, Join'd with a masker and a reveller.

Ant. Old Cassius still.

Oct.

Come, Antony; away!—

Defiance, traitors, hurl we in your teeth.

If you dare fight to-day, come to the field;

If not, when you have stomachs.

[Exeunt OCTAVIUS, ANTONY, and their Army. Cas. Why now, blow wind, swell billow, and swim

bark!

The storm is up, and all is on the hazard.

Bru. Ho! Lucilius; hark, a word with you.

Luc.

Cas. Messala,

Mes.

Cas.

[blocks in formation]

This is my birth-day; as this very day

Messala,

Was Cassius born. Give me thy hand, Messala:

Be thou my witness, that against my will,

As Pompey was, am I compell'd to set

Upon one battle all our liberties.

9

three and THIRTY wounds] This is the reading of all the old copies. Theobald changed it to three and twenty, and he was certainly supported by Plutarch, Suetonius, &c. ; but we are not thereby warranted in changing the text as it has come down to us, and as it was probably written by Shakespeare : as Ritson showed, Beaumont and Fletcher committed a similar error in their "Noble Gentleman," where they spoke of Cæsar's two and thirty wounds. Our great dramatist probably considered historical accuracy in such a matter of no importance.

VOL. VII.

G

You know, that I held Epicurus strong,
And his opinion: now, I change my mind,
And partly credit things that do presage.
Coming from Sardis, on our former ensign
Two mighty eagles fell; and there they perch'd,
Gorging and feeding from our soldiers' hands;
Who to Philippi here consorted us:

This morning are they fled away, and gone,
And in their steads do ravens, crows, and kites,
Fly o'er our heads, and downward look on us,
As we were sickly prey: their shadows seem
A canopy most fatal, under which

Our army lies ready to give up the ghost.

Mes. Believe not so.

Cas.
For I am fresh of spirit, and resolv'd
To meet all perils very constantly.

I but believe it partly,

Bru. Even so, Lucilius.

Now, most noble Brutus,

Cas.
The gods to-day stand friendly, that we may,
Lovers in peace, lead on our days to age!
But since the affairs of men rest still incertain,
Let's reason with the worst that may befal.
If we do lose this battle, then is this
The very last time we shall speak together:
What are you then determined to do?

Bru. Even by the rule of that philosophy,
By which I did blame Cato for the death
Which he did give himself. I know not how',
But I do find it cowardly and vile,

For fear of what might fall, so to prevent
The time of life,-arming myself with patience,
To stay the providence of some high powers,
That govern us below.

1 I know not how, &c.] Warburton thought that something had been lost here, but the sentence is only inverted: "Arming myself with patience to stay (or await) the providence, &c. I do find it cowardly and vile," &c.

Cas.

Then, if we lose this battle,

You are contented to be led in triumph

Thorough the streets of Rome?

Bru. No, Cassius, no: think not, thou noble Roman, That ever Brutus will go bound to Rome;

He bears too great a mind: but this same day
Must end that work the ides of March began,
And whether we shall meet again, I know not.
Therefore, our everlasting farewell take :-
For ever, and for ever, farewell, Cassius.
If we do meet again, why we shall smile;
If not, why then, this parting was well made.
Cas. For ever, and for ever, farewell, Brutus.
If we do meet again, we'll smile indeed;

If not, 'tis true, this parting was well made.

Bru. Why then, lead on.-O, that a man might

know

The end of this day's business, ere it come!

But it sufficeth, that the day will end,

And then the end is known.-Come, ho! away!

[Exeunt.

SCENE II.

The Same. The Field of Battle.

Alarum. Enter BRUTUS and MESSALA.

Bru. Ride, ride, Messala, ride, and give these bills

Unto the legions on the other side.

[Loud Alarum.

Let them set on at once; for I perceive
But cold demeanour in Octavius' wing,
And sudden push gives them the overthrow.
Ride, ride, Messala: let them all come down.

[Exeunt.

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