Re-enter TITINIUS, with MESSALA. MES. It is but change, Titinius; for Octavius Is overthrown by noble Brutus' power, As Cassius' legions are by Antony. TIT. These tidings will well comfort Cassius. TIT. All disconsolate, With Pindarus his bondman, on this hill. MES. Is not that he, that lies upon the ground? TIT. He lies not like the living. O my heart! MES. Is not that he ? No, this was he, Messala, TIT. The sun of Rome is set! Our day is gone; Clouds, dews, and dangers come; our deeds are done! Mistrust of my success hath done this deed. MES. Mistrust of good success hath done this deed. O hateful error, melancholy's child! Why dost thou show to the apt thoughts of men The things that are not? O error, soon conceiv'd, Thou never com'st unto a happy birth, But kill'st the mother that engender'd thee. TIT. What, Pindarus! Where art thou, Pindarus? MES. Seek him, Titinius: whilst I go to meet The noble Brutus, thrusting this report Into his ears I may say, thrusting it; For piercing steel, and darts envenomed, Shall be as welcome to the ears of Brutus, As tidings of this sight. TIT. And I will seek for Pindarus the while. Hie you, Messala, [Exit MESSALA, VOL. XII. L Why didst thou send me forth, brave Cassius ? And bid me give it thee? Didst thou not hear their shouts ? Alas, thou hast misconstrued every thing. But hold thee, take this garland on thy brow; [Dies. Alarum. Re-enter MESSALA, with BRUTUS, young CATO, STRATO, VOLUMNIUS, and LUCILIUS. Brʊ. Where, where, Messala, doth his body lie? MES. Lo, yonder; and Titinius mourning it. BRU. Titinius' face is upward. CATO. He is slain. BRU. O Julius Cæsar, thou art mighty yet! Thy spirit walks abroad, and turns our swords In our own proper entrails 2. [Low alarums. Brave Titinius! CATO. BRU. Are yet two Romans living such as these?— The last of all the Romans 3, fare thee well! 3 2 - and turns our swords In our own proper entrails.] So, Lucan, lib. i. : populumque potentem In sua victrici conversum viscera dextrâ. STEEVENS. 3 The last of all the Romans,] From the old translation of Plutarch: " So, when he [Brutus] was come thither, after he had lamented the death of Cassius, calling him THE last of all the Romans, being impossible that Rome should ever breede againe so noble and valiant a man as he, he caused his bodie to be buried," &c. Mr. Rowe, and all the subsequent editors, read, as we should It is impossible, that ever Rome Should breed thy fellow.-Friends, I owe more tears now write,-Thou last, &c. But this was not the phraseology of Shakspeare's age. See Henry VI. Third Part, Act V. Sc. V.: "Take that the likeness of this railer here." 66 See also the Letter of Posthumus to Imogen, in Cymbeline, Act III. Sc. II. : as you, O the dearest of creatures, would not even renew me with thine eyes." Again, in King Lear: The jewels of our father, with wash'd eyes "Cordelia leaves you." -as we now should write. MALONE. not ye jewels, I have not displaced Mr. Malone's restoration from the old copy, because it is of no great importance to our author's meaning; though I am perfectly convinced, that in the instances from Cymbeline and King Lear, the is merely the error of a compositor who misunderstood the abbreviations employed to express thou and ye in the original MSS. which might not have been remarkable for calligraphy. Both these abbreviations very nearly resemble the one commonly used for the; a circumstance which has proved the frequent source of similar corruption. A mistake of the same colour appears to have happened in p. 149, where (see note 9,) thee had been given instead of the. See likewise the volume above referred to by Mr. Malone, where the is again printed (and, as I conceive, through the same blunder,) instead of thou. The passage cited from Plutarch can have no weight on the present occasion. The biographer is only relating what Brutus had said. In the text, Brutus is the speaker, and is addressing himself, propria persona, to Cassius. Besides, why is not "Thou last," &c. the language of Shakspeare? Have we not in King Richard III.: "Thou slander of thy mother's heavy womb! "Thou loathed issue, &c. "Thou rag of honour, thou detested And again, in Troilus and Cressida : Thou great and wise," &c. Again, in Hamlet: 66 know thou noble youth! .?" And fifty more instances to the same purpose might be introduced. Objectum est Historico (Cremutio Cordo. Tacit. Ann. 1. iv. 34.) quod Brutum Cassiumque ultimos Romanorum dixisset. Suet. Tiber. lib. iii. c. 61. STEEVENS. 4 Come, therefore, and to Thassos send his body; 5 SCENE IV. Another Part of the Field. [Exeunt. Alarum. Enter fighting, Soldiers of both Armies; then BRUTUS, CATO, LUCILIUS, and Others. BRU. Yet, countrymen, O, yet hold up your heads! CATO. What bastard doth not? Who will go with me? I will proclaim my name about the field :- A foe to tyrants, and my country's friend; [Charges the Enemy. BRU. And I am Brutus, Marcus Brutus, I; Brutus, my country's friend: know me for Brutus. [Exit, charging the Enemy. CATO is overpowered, and falls. 4 and to THASSOS] Old copy-Tharsus. Corrected by Mr. Theobald. MALONE. It is Thassos in Sir Thomas North's translation. STEEVENS. 5 Labeo, and FLAVIUS,] Old copy-Flavio. Corrected by the editor of the second folio. MALONE. 6 I am the son of Marcus Cato,] So, in the old translation of Plutarch: "There was the sonne of Marcus Cato slaine valiantly fighting, &c. telling aloud his name and his father's name," &c. STEEVENS Luc. O young and noble Cato, art thou down? Why, now thou diest as bravely as Titinius; And may'st be honour'd being Cato's son". 1 SOLD. Yield, or thou diest. Luc. Only I yield to die: There is so much that thou wilt kill me straight; [Offering Money. Kill Brutus, and be honour'd in his death. 1 SOLD. We must not.-A noble prisoner! 2 SOLD. Room, ho! Tell Antony, Brutus is ta'en. 1 SOLD. I'll tell the news 9.-Here comes the general: Enter ANTONY. Brutus is ta'en, Brutus is ta'en, my lord. ANT. Where is he? Luc. Safe, Antony'; Brutus is safe enough: 7 being Cato's son,] i. e. worthy of him. WARBURton. Luc. Only I yield to die : Dr. There is so much that thou wilt kill me straight;] Warburton has been much inclined to find lacunæ, or passages broken by omission, throughout this play. I think he has been always mistaken. The Soldier here says, Yield, or thou diest. Lucilius replies, I yield only on this condition, that I may die; here is so much gold as thou seest in my hand, which I offer thee as a reward for speedy death. What now is there wanting? JOHNSON. 9 I'll tell THE news.] The old copy reads: I'll tell thee news. JOHNSON. Corrected by Mr. Theobald. MALONE. 1 Safe, Antony ;] So, in the old translation of Plutarch : 66 In the mean time Lucilius was brought to him, who stowtly with a bold countenaunce sayd, Antonius, I dare assure thee, that no enemie hath taken, nor shall take Marcus Brutus aliue: and I beseech God keepe him from that fortune. For wheresoeuer he be found, aliue or dead, he will be founde like himselfe. And now for my selfe, I am come vnto thee, hauing deceiued these men of armes here, bearing them downe that I was Brutus : and doe not refuse to suffer any torment thou wilt put me to. Lucilius wordes made them all amazed that heard him. Antonius on the other side, looking vpon all them that had brought him, sayd vnto them: my companions, I thinke ye are sorie you have failed of your pur▾ |