"

But when he once attains the utmost round,
He then unto the ladder turns his back,
Looks in the clouds, scorning the base degrees
By which he did ascend: So Caesar may;

Then, lest he may prevent, And, since the quarrel

Will bear no colour for the thing he is,&
Fashion it thus; that what he is, augmented,
Would run to these, and these extremities;
And therefore think him as a serpent's egg,
Which, hatch'd, would, as his kind, grow mis-
chievous;

Aud kill him in the shell.

Re -enter LUCIUS,

Sir.

Luc. The taper burneth in your closet, Searching the window for a flint, I found This paper, thus sealed up; and, I am sure, It did not lie there, when I went to bed.

Bru, Get you to bed again, it is not day. Is not to-morrow, boy, the ides of March? . Luc. I know not, Sir.

Bru. Look in the calendar, and bring me word. Luc. I will, Sir. [Exit. Bru. The exhalations, whizzing in the air, Give so much lighty that I may read by them. [Opens the letter, and reads. Brutus, thou sleep'st; awake, and see thyself. Shall Romey &c, Speak, strike, redress! Brutus, thou sleep'st; awake,

Such instigations have been often dropp'd

Where I have took them up.

Shall Rome, &c. Thus must I piece it out;

Shall Rome stand under one man's awe? What!

Rome?

My ancestors did from the streets of Rome v4
The Tarquin drive, when he was call'd a King.
Speak, strike, redress! Am I entreated ther
To speak, and strike? O Rome! I make thee
*promise,

If the redress will follow, thou receivest
Thy full petition at the hand of Brutus !

Re-enter Lucius..:

Luc. Sir, March is wasted fourteen days.

[Knock withing Bru. 'Tis good. Go to the gate; somehod.

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knocks.

[Exit Lucios. Since Cassius first did whet me against Caesar, I have not slept."

Between the acting of a dreadful thing
And the first motion; all the interim is
Like a phantasma or a hideous dream:
The genius and the mortal instruments,
Are then in council and the state of man,
Like to a little kingdom, suffers then
The nature of an insurrection.

Re-enter Lucius,

Lue. Sir, 'tis your brother Cassius at the door, Who doth desire to see you.

Bru. Is he alone?

Luc. No, Sir, there are more with him.

Bru. Do you know them?

Luc. No, Sir; their hats are pluck'd about their

bears, LA

And half their faces buried in their cloaks,

That by no means I may discover them

By any

mark of favour.

Bru. Let them enter.

[Exit Lucius.

They are the faction.

O conspiracy!.

Sham'st thou to show thy dangerous brow by night, When evils are inost free? O, then, by day, Where wilt thou find a cavern dark enough

To mask thy moustrons visage? Seek none, con spiracy;

1

Hide it in smiles, and affability:

For if thou path, thy native semblance on,
Not Erebus itself were din enongh

To hide thee from prevention.

Enter CASSIUS, CASCA, DECIUS, CINNA, METELLUS CIMBER, and TRERONIUS.

Cas, I think, we are too bold upon your rest; Good morrow, Brutus, Do we trouble you?

Bru. I have been up this hour; awake, all night. Know I these men, that come along with you? Cas. Yes, every man of them; and no mau here, But honours you and every one doth wish, You had but that opinion of yourself, Which every noble Roman bears of you. This is Trebonius.

Bru. He is welcome hither.

Cas. This Decins Brutus.

Bru. He is welcome too,

Cast This, Casca; this, Cina f

And this, Metellus Cimber.

Bru. They are all welcome.

What watchful cares do interpose themselves

Betwixt your eyes, and night ?

Cas. Shall I entreat a word?

[They whispen.

Dec. Here lies the east; Doth not the day break here?

Casca, No.

Cin. O, pardon, Sir, it doth; and yon grey lines,

That fret the clouds, are messengers of day. Casca. You shall confess, that you are both des ceiv'd.

Here, as I point my sword, the sun arises;
Which is a great way growing on the south,
Weighing the youthful season of the year.
Some two months hence, up higher toward the
{s!!u north

He first presents his fire; and the high east
Stands, as the Capitol, directly here.

Bru. Give me your hands all over, one by one. "Cas. And let us swear our resolution.

Bru. not an oath If not the face of men,
dere sufferance of our souls, the time's abuse,
If these be motives weak, break off betimes,
And every man hence to his idle bed;
So let high-sighted tyrauny range on,
Till each man drop by lottery. But if these,
As I am sure they do, bear fire enough

To Kindle cowards, and to steel with valour
The melting spirits of women; then, countrymen,
What need we any spur, but our own cause,
To prick us to redress?
other
Than secret Romans, that have spoke the word,
And will not palter? and what other oath,
Than honesty to honesty engag'd,

That this shall be, or we will fall for it? T
Swear priests, and cowards, and men cautelous,
Old feeble carrions, and such suffering souls
at That welcome wrongs; unto bad causes swear
Such creatures as men doubt: but do not stain
The oven virtue of our enterprize,

Nor the insuppressive mettle of our spirits,

To think, that, or our cause, or our performance,
Did need an oath; when every drop of blood,
That every Roman bears, and nobly bears,
Is guilty of a several bastardy,

If he do break the smallest particle,

Of any promise that hath pass'd from him.
Cas. But what of Cieero? Shall we sound him?
I think, he will stand very stron
with us.

Casca. Let us not leave him out.
Cin. No, hy no meaus.

Met. O, let us have him; for his silver hairs
Will purchase us a good opinion,

And buy men's voices to commend our deeds:
It shall be said, his judgement rul'd our hands;
Our youths, and wildness, shall no whit appear,
But all be buried in his gravity.

Bru. O, name him not; let us not break with him;

For he will never follow any thing

That other men begin,

Cas. Then leave him out.

Casca. Indeed, he is not fit.

Dec. Shall no man else be touch'd, but only

Caesar?

Cas. Decius, well urg'd: I think it is not meet, 20 #cing of Mark Antony, so well belov'd of Caesar, Should outlive Caesar: We shall find of him A shrewd contriver: and, you know, his means, If he improve them, may well stretch As to annoy us all which to prevent, Let Antony, and Caesar, fall together. Bru. Our course will seem too bloody, G

Cassius,

To cut the head off, and then hack the limbs;
Like wrath in death, and envy afterwards