This Helena, old Neda's Helena : I wonder of their being here together. The. No doubt, they rose up early, to observe But, speak, Egeus; is not this the day That Hermia should give answer of her choice? The. Go, bid the huntsmen wake them with their horns. Horns and shout within. DEMetrius, Lysander, Hermia, and HELENA, wake and start up. The. Good-morrow, friends. Saint Valentine is past; Begin these wood-birds but to couple now? Lys. Pardon, my lord. [He and the rest kneel to THESEUS. I pray you all stand up. I know, you are two rival enemies; Lys. My lord, I shall reply amazedly, Half 'sleep, half waking: But as yet, I swear, I came with Hermia hither: our intent Ege. Enough, enough, my lord; you have enough. They would have stol'n away, they would, Demetrius, You, of your wife; and me, of my consent; Of my consent that she should be your wife. Dem. My lord, fair Helen told me of their stealth, Of this their purpose hither, to this wood; And I in fury hither follow'd them; But, my good lord, I wot not by what power, Now do I wish it, love it, long for it, The. Fair flowers, you are fortunately met: For in the temple, by and by with us, And, for the morning now is something worn, Come, Hippolyta. [Exeunt THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, EGEUS, and rain. Dem. These things seem small and undistinguishable, Like far-off mountains turned into clouds. Her. Methinks I see these things with parted eye. When every thing seems double. Hel. So, methinks: It seems to me, And I have found Demetrius like a jewel, Dem. That yet we sleep, we dream.-Do not you think, Her. Yea; and my father. Hel. And Hippolyta. Lys. And he did bid us follow to the temple. Dem. Why then, we are awake: let's follow him; And, by the way, let us recount our dreams. ACT V. [Exeunt. SCENE I.-The same. An Apartment in the Palace of Theseus. These antique fables, nor these fairy toys. Lovers and madmen have such seething brains, Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend More than cool reason ever comprehends. The lunatic, the lover, and the poet, Are of imagination all compact: One sees more devils than vast hell can hold; That is, the madman: the lover, all as frantic, Sces Helen's beauty in a brow of Egypt: The poet's eye, in a fine frenzy rolling, Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven, The forms of things unknown, the poet's pen Such tricks hath strong imagination; Hip. But all the story of the night told over, And grows to something of great constancy; Enter LYSANDEr, Demetrius, HERMIA, and HELENA. The Play ends with a masque by the comic personages of the Drama. JULIUS CESAR. In this noble composition. Shakspeare has shown himself equally great, in dramatizing a celebrated portion of Classic History, as he is in adapting incidents gathered from romantic story, or the wonders of legendary fiction, In Julius Cæsar, he has been chiefly indebted to Plutarch for his materials, and it is no mean praise awarded to him by his commentators, that he has caught the spirit of his great original. The principal characters are veritable Plutarchian embodiments. Cæsar, Brutus, Cassius, and Antony, are clothed with even more individuality of character, than they are depicted by the celebrated Greek Biographer. "The real length of time in Julius Cæsar is as follows: About the middle of February, B. C. 709, a frantic festival, sacred to Pan, and called Lupercalia, was held in honor of Cæsar, when the regal crown was offered to him by Antony. On the 15th of March in the same year, he was slain. November 27, B. C. 710, the triumvirs met at a small island, formed by the river Rhenus, near Bonoma, and there adjusted their cruel proseripNion.-B. C. 711, Brutus and Cassius were defeated near Philippi." METELLUS CIMBER, CINNA, conspirators against Julius Cæsar. FLAVIUS and MARULLUS, tribunes. ARTEMIDORUS, a sophist of Cnidos. A Soothsayer. CINNA, a poet. Another Poet. LUCILIUS, TITINIUS, MESSALA, young CATO, and VOLUMNIUS; friends to Brutus and Cassius. VARRO, CLITUS, CLAUDIUS, STRATO, LUCIUS, Dardanius; servants to Brutus, PINDARUS, servant to Cassius. CALPHURNIA, wife to Cæsar. PORTIA, wife to Brutus. Senators, Citizens, Guards, Attendants, &c. SCENE, during a great part of the Play, at ROME; afterwards at SARDIS; and near PHILIPPI. ACT I. SCENE I.-Rome. A Street. Enter FLAVIUS, MARULLUS, and a rabble of Citizens. Being mechanical, you ought not walk, Of your profession ?-Speak, what trade art thou? Mar. Where is thy leather apron, and thy rule? What dost thou with thy best apparel on ? You, sir; what trade are you? 2nd Cit. Truly, sir, in respect of a fine workman, I am but, as you would say, a cobbler. -Mar. But what trade art thou? Answer me directly. 2nd Cit. A trade, sir, that, I hope, I may use with a safe conscience; which is, indeed, sir, a mender of bad soles. Mar. What trade, thou knave, thou naughty knave, what trade? 2nd Cit. Nay, I beseech you, sir, be not out with me: yet, if you be out, sir, I can mend you. Mar. What meanest thou by that? Mend me, thou saucy fellow ? 2nd Cit. Why, sir, cobble you. Flav. Thou art a cobbler, art thou? 2nd Cit. Truly, sir, all that I live by is, with the awl: I meddle with no tradesman's matters. I am, indeed, sir, a surgeon to old shoes; when they are in great danger, I recover them. As proper men as ever trod up n neats-leather, have gone upon my handy-work. Flav. But wherefore art not in thy shop to-day? Why dost thou lead these men about the streets? 2nd Cit. Truly, sir, to wear out their shoes, to get myself into more work. But, indeed, sir, we make holiday, to see Cæsar, and to rejoice in his triumph. Mar. Wherefore rejoice? What conquest brings he home? What tributaries follow him to Rome, To grace in captive bonds his chariot wheels? You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things! O, you hard hearts, you cruel men of Rome, |