Met. Is there no voice more worthy than my own, To sound more sweetly in great Cæsar's ear,

For the repealing of my banish'd brother?

Bru. I kiss thy hand, but not in flattery, Cæsar; Desiring thee, that Publius Cimber may

Have an immediate freedom of repeal.

Cas. What, Brutus !

Cas.

Pardon, Cæsar: Cæsar, pardon:

As low as to thy foot doth Cassius fall,

To beg enfranchisement for Publius Cimber.
Cas. I could be well mov'd, if I were as you;
If I could pray to move, prayers would move me :
But I am constant as the northern star,
Of whose true-fix'd, and resting quality,
There is no fellow in the firmament.

The skies are painted with unnumber'd sparks,
They are all fire, and every one doth shine;
But there's but one in all doth hold his place:
So, in the world; "Tis furnish'd well with men,
And men are flesh and blood, and apprehensive ;'
Yet, in the number, I do know but one"
That unassailable holds on his rank,
Unshak'd of motion: and, that I am he,
Let me a little show it, even in this;

That I was constant, Cimber should be banish'd,
And constant do remain to keep him so.

Cin. O Cæsar,-

Cas.

Hence! Wilt thou lift up Olympus?

Dec. Great Cæsar,-
Cas.

Doth not Brutus bootless kneel?

thority, withdrew the words in question, to the injury of the metre and of the sense. We should read, therefore, as was most indisputably written :

"Know, Cæsar doth never wrong but with just cause,
Nor without cause, will he be satisfied."

The criticism objected to the first of these lines was ill founded. Wrong is not always a synonymous term for injury. In poetical language, especially, it may be understood to mean only harm or hurt, what the law calls damnum sine injuria; and in this sense, there is nothing absurd in Cæsar's saying, that he doth not wrong (i. e. doth not inflict any evil or punishment) but with just cause. -GIFFORD and TYRWHITT.

apprehensive ;] i. e. Intelligent, capable of apprehending.-M. MASON. but one-] i. e. One and only one.-JOHNSON.

holds on his rank,

Unshak'd of motion:] i. e. Maintains the impartiality of his station unshaked by suit or solicitation.

Casca. Speak, hands, for me.

[CASCA stabs CESAR in the Neck. CESAR catches hold of his Arm. He is then stabbed by several other Conspirators, and at last by MARCUS BRUTUS. Cas. Et tu, Brute?-Then fall, Cæsar.

[Dies. The Senators and People retire in confusion. Cin. Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead!— Run hence, proclaim, cry it about the streets. Cas. Some to the common pulpits, and cry out, Liberty, freedom, and enfranchisement !

Bru. People, and senators! be not affrighted; Fly not; stand still :-ambition's debt is paid. Casca. Go to the pulpit, Brutus.'

Dec.

Bru. Where's Publius?

And Cassius too.

Cin. Here, quite confounded with this mutiny.

Met. Stand fast together, lest some friend of Cæsar's Should chance

Bru. Talk not of standing;-Publius, good cheer; There is no harm intended to your person,

Nor to no Roman else: so tell them, Publius.

Cas. And leave us, Publius; lest that the people, Rushing on us, should do your age some mischief. Bru. Do so; And let no man abide this deed, But we the doers.

Re-enter TREBONIUS..

Cas. Where's Antony?

Tre.

Fled to his house amaz'd:

Men, wives, and children, stare, cry out, and run,

As it were doomsday.

Bru. Fates! we will know your pleasures:That we shall die, we know; 'tis but the time,

And drawing days out, that men stand upon.

y Go to the pulpit, Brutus.] We have now taken leave of Casca. Shakspeare for once knew that he had a sufficient number of heroes on his hands, and was glad to lose an individual in the crowd. It may be added, that the singularity of Casca's manners would have appeared to little advantage amidst the succeeding varieties of tumult and war.-STEEvens.

Nor to no Roman else:] This use of two negatives, not to make an affirmative, but to deny more strongly, is common to Chaucer, Spenser, and other of our ancient writers. Dr. Hickes observes, that in the Saxon, even four negatives are sometimes conjoined, and still preserve a negative signification. -STIEVENS.

Cas. Why, he that cuts off twenty years of life,
Cuts off so many years of fearing death.

Bru. Grant that, and then is death a benefit:
So are we Cæsar's friends, that have abridg'd
His time of fearing death.-Stoop, Romans, stoop,
And let us bathe our hands in Cæsar's blood
Up to the elbows, and besmear our swords:
Then walk we forth, even to the market-place;
And, waving our red weapons o'er our heads,
Let's all cry, Peace! Freedom! and Liberty!

Cas. Stoop then, and wash.-How many ages hence, Shall this our lofty scene be acted over,

In states unborn, and accents yet unknown?

Bru. How many times shall Cæsar bleed in sport, That now on Pompey's basis lies along,

No worthier than the dust?

Cas.

So oft as that shall be,

So often shall the knot of us be call'd
The men that gave our country liberty.
Dec. What, shall we forth?

Ay, every man away :

Cas.
Brutus shall lead; and we will grace his heels
With the most boldest and best hearts of Rome.

Enter a Servant.

Bru. Soft, who comes here? A friend of Antony's.
Sero. Thus, Brutus, did my master bid me kneel;
Thus did Mark Antony bid me fall down;
And, being prostrate, thus he bade me say.
Brutus is noble, wise, valiant, and honest;
Cæsar, was mighty, bold, royal, and loving:
Say, I love Brutus, and I honour him;
Say, I fear'd Cæsar, honour'd him, and lov'd him.
If Brutus will vouchsafe, that Antony
May safely come to him, and be resolv'd
How Cæsar hath deserv'd to lie in death,

a Stoop then, and wash.] To wash does not mean here to cleanse, but to wash over, as we say, washed with gold; for Cassius means that they should steep their hands in the blood of Cæsar.-M. MASON.

b

states unborn,] i. e. Communities which as yet have no existence.

-STEEVENS.

Mark Antony shall not love Cæsar dead
So well as Brutus living; but will follow
The fortunes and affairs of noble Brutus,
Thorough the hazards of this untrod state,
With all true faith. So says my.master Antony.
Bru. Thy master is a wise and valiant Roman;
I never thought him worse.

Tell him, so please him come unto this place,
He shall be satisfied; and, by my honour,
Depart untouch'd.

Serv.

I'll fetch him presently.

[Exit Servant.

Bru. I know, that we shall have him well to friend.
Cas. I wish, we may: but yet have I a mind,

That fears him much; and my misgiving still
Falls shrewdly to the purpose.

Re-enter ANTONY.

Bru. But here comes Antony.-Welcome, Mark Antony.

Ant. O mighty Cæsar! Dost thou lie so low?
Are all thy conquests, glories, triumphs, spoils,
Shrunk to this little measure?-Fare thee well.--
I know not, gentlemen, what you intend,
Who else must be let blood, who else is rank:
If I myself, there is no hour so fit

As Cæsar's death's hour; nor no instrument

Of half that worth, as those your swords, made rich
With the most noble blood of all this world.

I do beseech ye, if you bear me hard,

Now, whilst your purpled hands do reek and smoke,
Fulfil your pleasure. Live a thousand years,
I shall not find myself so apt to die:

No place will please me so, no mean of death,
As here by Cæsar, and by you cut off,
The choice and master spirits of this age.

Bru. O Antony! beg not your death of us.

Though now we must appear bloody and cruel,

As, by our hands, and this our present act,

who else is rank:] Who else may be supposed to have overtopped his equals, and grown too high for the publick safety.-JOHNSON.

You see we do; yet see you but our hands,
And this the bleeding business they have done :
Our hearts you see not, they are pitiful;
And pity to the general wrong of Rome
(As fire drives out fire, so pity, pity,)

Hath done this deed on Cæsar. For your part,
To you our swords have leaden points, Mark Antony :
Our arms, in strength of malice, and our hearts,
Of brothers' temper, do receive you in
With all kind love, good thoughts, and reverence.
Cas. Your voice shall be as strong as any man's,
In the disposing of new dignities.

Bru. Only be patient, till we have appeas'd
The multitude, beside themselves with fear,
And then we will deliver you the cause,
Why I that did love Cæsar when I struck him,
Have thus proceeded.

Ant.

I doubt not of your wisdom.

Let each man render me his bloody hand :
First, Marcus Brutus, will I shake with you:
Next, Caius Cassius, do I take your hand;

Now, Decius Brutus, yours;-now yours, Metellus ;
Yours, Cinna;-and, my valiant Casca, yours ;-
Though last, not least in love, yours, good Trebonius.
Gentlemen all,-alas! what shall I say?

My credit now stands on such slippery ground,
That one of two bad ways you must conceit me,

Either a coward or a flatterer.

That I did love thee, Cæsar, O, 'tis true:

If then thy spirit look upon us now,

Shall it not grieve thee, dearer than thy death,
To see thy Antony making his peace,

Shaking the bloody fingers of thy foes,
Most noble! in the presence of thy corse?
Had I as many eyes as thou hast wounds,
Weeping as fast as they stream forth thy blood,
It would become me better, than to close

Our arms, in strength of malice,] i. e. To you (says Brutus) our swords have leaden points: our arms, strong in the deed of malice they have just performed, and our hearts united like those of brothers in the action, are yet open to receive you with all possible regard.-STEEVENS.