The Tragedie of Julius Caesar

was very weary, overharried yet would not fly, but manfully.. laying about him telling aloud his name, and also his father's name, at length was beaten down.'

26-27. no Enemy Shall ever take, etc.: The Chiefest Gentlemen and Nobility,' says North, that were in his Army.. valiantly ran into any danger to save Brutus' life: amongst whom there was one of Brutus' friends called Lucilius, who seeing a troop of barbarous men making .. against Brutus, he determined to stay them with the hazard of his life; and told them that he was Brutus: .. thinking themselves happy men, they sent some before unto Antonius, to tell him of their coming... When they came near together, Lucilius said: "Antonius, I dare assure thee, that no enemy hath taken nor shall take Marcus Brutus alive, and I beseech God keep him from that fortune: for wheresoever he be found, alive or dead, he will be found like himself." Antonius.. said: " "My companions, I think ye are sorry you have failed of your purpose, and that you think this man hath done you great wrong: but I assure you, you have taken a better booty than that For instead of an enemy you followed. you have brought me a friend: and for my part, if you had brought me Brutus alive, truly I cannot tell what I should have done to him. For I had rather have such men my friends, as this man here, than mine enemies.

Scene v. 3-4. rest on this Rocke: In North's 'Cæsar' Brutus is said to run unto a little rock, 'it being then night'; according to North's 'Brutus,' he stayed at the foot of the rock with certain of his captains and friends.

5. Statillius shew'd the Torch-light: Brutus thence sent Statilius to his camp to see how many were slain. If all were well, he would lift a torchlight in the air, and then return.. The torchlight was lift up. Seeing Statilius tarry, [Brutus] said: If Statilius be alive, he will come again. But.. as he came back, he .. was slain' (North's Brutus ').

8. Hearke thee, Clitus: Now the night being far spent, Brutus as he sat bowed towards Clitus.. and told him

somewhat in his ear, the other answered him not but fell a-weeping' (North's 'Brutus ').

12. Hearke thee, Dardanius: Thereupon he proved Dardanius.'

23. The Ghost of Casar: The reference to the ghost's second appearance in the Life of Cæsar' is that, the second battell being at hand, this spirit appeared again unto him, but spake never a word.' In the Life of Brutus it is spoken of as 'the monstrous spirit which had appeared before unto Brutus in the city of Sardis,' which did now appear again unto him in the selfsame shape and form, and so vanished away and said never a word.' And Publius Volumnius, who is made Brutus's confidant as to the ghost by Shakespeare, is mentioned as 'a grave and wise philosopher, that had been with Brutus from the beginning,' and 'doth make no mention of this spirit.'

33. that we two went to Schoole together: North says: 'at length he came to Volumnius himselfe, and speaking to him in Greek, prayed him for the study's sake which brought them acquainted together that he would help him to put his hand to his sword to thrust it in him to kill him. Volumnius denied his request, and .. one of them said There was no tarrying for them there but that they must needs fly.. Brutus then taking every man by the hand.. said It rejoiceth my heart that not one of my friends hath failed me.. as for me, I think myself happier than they that have overcome, considering that I have perpetual fame of our courage and manhood, the which our enemies.. shall never attain unto by force nor money.'

54. I prythee Strato: Then he went a little aside with two or three only, among the which Strato was one, with whom he came first acquainted by the study of rhetoric. He came as near to him as he could, and taking his sword by the hilt with both his hands, and falling down upon the point of it, ran himself through. Others say that not he, but Strato (at his request) held the

sword in his hand, and turned his head aside, and that Brutus fell down upon it, and so ran himself through, and died presently.'

66. Free from the Bondage you are in: Messala, that had been Brutus' great friend, became afterwards Octavius Cæsar's friend.. shortly after, Cæsar being at good leisure, he brought Strato, Brutus' friend, unto him, and weeping said: "Cæsar, behold, here is he that did the last service to my Brutus.' Cæsar welcomed him at that time, and afterwards he did him as faithful service in all his affairs as any Grecian else he had about him, until the battle of Actium.'

80. This was the Noblest Roman: Antonius spake it openly divers times, that he thought, that of all them that had slain Cæsar, there was none but Brutus only that was moved to do it, as thinking the act commendable of itself: but that all the other conspirators did conspire his death for some private malice or envy, that they otherwise did bear unto him.'

85-86. the Elements So mixt in him: See notes on II. i. 278 and IV. iii. 128. John Davies, in his Microcosmos,' makes clear the ancient idea: Well-tempered is an equal counterpoise of th' Elements .. Ill-tempered 's that where some one Element Hath more dominion than it ought to have; For they rule ill that have more regiment Then nature, wisdome, right, or reason gave.' Drayton has a like passage in his Barons' Wars' (1603): 'Such one he was, of him we boldly say, In whose rich soul all sovereign powers did suit, In whom in peace th' elements all lay So mixt, as none could sovereignty impute; As all did govern, yet all did obey: His lively temper was so absolute, That 't seemed when heaven his model first began, In him it showed perfection in a man.' Jonson's use of the same idea in Cynthia's Revels,' II. iii., approaches the compactness of Shakespeare's: A creature of a most perfect and divine temper, one in whom the humours and elements are peaceably met, without emulation of precedency.'