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? 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. There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats; For I am arm'd so strong in honesty, That they pass by me as the idle wind Which I respect not. I did send to you 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? When Marcus Brutus grows so covetous, Cas.-I denied you not. Bru.-You did. Cas.-I did not :-He was but a fool That brought my answer back.-Brutus hath rived my heart: But Brutus makes mine greater than they are. Cas.-You love me not. Bru.-I do not like your faults. Cas. A friendly eye could never see such faults. Cas.-Come, Antony, and, young Octavius, come, For Cassius is aweary of the world: Hated by one he loves; braved by his brother; If that thou be'st a Roman, take it forth; I, that denied thee gold, will give my heart: Strike, as thou didst at Cæsar: for, I know, 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.-Hath Cassius lived To be but mirth and laughter to his Brutus, When grief, and blood ill-temper'd, vexeth him? Cas.-0, Brutus ! Bru.-What's the matter? [They embrace. | Cas. Have not you love enough to bear with me, When that rash humor which my mother gave me, Bru.-Yes, Cassius; and henceforth, When you are over-earnest with your Brutus, BOBADIL'S MILITARY TACTICS.-BEN JONSON. With the bombastic expression of an empty braggart.] And I WILL tell you, Sir, by the way of private and under seal, I am a gentleman, and live here obscure and to myself; but, were I known to his majesty and the lords, observe me, I would undertake, upon this poor head and life, for the public benefit of the state, not only to spare the entire lives of his subjects in general, but to save the one half, nay, three parts of his yearly charge in holding war, and against what enemy soever. how would I do it, think you? Why thus, sir. I would select nineteen more to myself; gentlemen they should be, of a good spirit, strong and able constitution; I would choose them by an instinct, a character that I have: and I would teach these nineteen the special rules, as your Punto, your Reverso, your Stoccato, your Imbrocato, your Passado, your Montanto ;* till they could all play very near, or altogether as well as myself. This done, say the enemy were forty thousand strong, we twenty would come into the field the tenth of March or thereabouts; and we would challenge twenty of the enemy; they could not in their honor refuse us! Well, we would kill them; challenge twenty more, kill them; twenty more, kill them ; twenty more, kill them too: and thus would we kill, every man his twenty a day, that's twenty score; twenty score, that's two hundred; two hundred a day, five days a thousand forty thousand-forty times five, five times forty-two hundred days kills them all up by computation. And this I will venture my *Terms of the Fencing-School. poor gentleman-like carcase to perform, (provided there be no treason practised upon us,) by discreet manhood, that is, civilly by the sword. MARC ANTONY'S ORATION.-SHAKS. FRIENDS, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Cæsar, not to praise him. If it were so, it was a grievous fault; So are they all, all honorable men)— He was my friend, faithful and just to me: He hath brought many captives home to Rome, Did this in Cæsar seem ambitious! When that the poor have cried, Cæsar hath wept: Yet Brutus says, he was ambitious; Was this ambition? Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke, You all did love him once, not without cause; P What cause withholds you then to mourn for him? But yesterday, the word of Cæsar might Have stood against the world: now lies he there, O masters! if I were disposed to stir To wrong the dead, to wrong myself, and you, But here's a parchment, with the seal of Cæsar, Let but the commons hear his testament, And they would go and kiss dear Cæsar's wounds, Yea, beg a hair of him for memory, And, dying, mention it within their wills, Unto their issue. If you have tears, prepare to shed them now. Look, in this place, ran Cassius' dagger through: 2202 |