Of marching to Philippi presently?

Cas. I do not think it good.

Bru. Your reason?

Cas. This it is:

'Tis better that the enemy seek us:

So shall he waste his means, weary his soldiers,
Doing himself offence; whilst we, lying still,
Are full of rest, defence, and nimbleness.

Bru. Good reasons must, of force, give place
to better.

The people, 'twixt Philippi and this ground,
Do stand but in a forc'd affection;
For they have grudg'd us contribution;
The enemy, marching along by them,
By them shall make a fuller number up,

it me.

Bru. Bear with me, good boy, I am much
forgetful.

Canst thou hold up thy heavy eyes awhile,
And touch thy instrument a strain or two?
Luc. Ay, my lord, an it please you.
Bru. It does, my boy:

I trouble thee too much, but thou art willing
Luc. It is my duty, Sir.

Bru. I should not urge thy duty past thy
might;

I know, young bloods look for a time of rest.
Luc. I have slept, my lord, already.
Bru. It is well done; and thou shalt sleep
again;

Come on refresh'd, new-added, and encourag'd : I will not hold thee long: if I do live,

From which advantage shall we cut him off,
If at Philippi we do face him there,

These people at our back.

Cus. Hear me, good brother.

Bru. Under your pardon-You must note be-
side,

That we have tried the utmost of our friends,
Our legions are brim-full, our cause is ripe :
The enemy increaseth every day,
We, at the height, are ready to decline.
'There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life

Is bound in shallows, and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat;
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.

Cas. Then, with your will, go on;

I will be good to thee.

[Music, and a Song. This is a sleepy tune :-O murd'rous slumber! Lay'st thou thy leaden mace upon my boy, That plays thee music ?-Gentle knave, good night;

I will not do thee so much wrong to wake thee.
If thou dost nod, thou break'st thy instrument;
I'll take it from thee; and, good boy, good

night.

Let me see, let me see;-Is not the leaf turu'd
down,

Where I left reading? Here it is, I think.
[He sits down.
Enter the GHOST of CESAR.
How ill this taper burns!-Ha! who comes
here?

We'll along ourselves, and meet them at Phi-I think, it is the weakness of mine eyes

lippi.

Bru. The deep of night is crept upon our talk.
And nature must obey necessity;
Which we will niggard with a little rest.
There is no more to say?

Cas. No more. Good night;

Early to-morrow will we rise, and hence.
Bru. Lucius, my gown. [Exit Lucius.] Fare-
well, good Messala ;-

Good night, Titinius :-Noble, noble Cassius,
Good night, and good repose.

Cas. O my dear brother!

This was an ill beginning of the night:

Never come such division 'tween our souls!

That shapes this monstrous apparition,

It comes upon me :-Art thou any thing?
Art thou some god, some angel, or some devil,
That mak'st my blood cold, and my hair to stare?
Speak to me, what thou art.

Ghost. Thy evil spirit, Brutus.
Bru. Why com'st thou?

Ghost. To tell thee, thou shalt see me at
Philippi.

Bru. Well;

Then I shall see thee again?

Ghost. Ay, at Philippi.

[GHOST vanishes.

Bru. Why, I will see thee at Philippi

then.

Var. Clau. Did we, my lord?
Bru. Ay: Saw you any thing?
Var. No, my lord, I saw nothing.
Clau. Nor I, my lord.

Bru. Go, and commend me to my brother
Cassius;

Bid him set on his powers betimes before,
And we will follow.

Var. Clau. It shall be done, my lord.

[Exeunt.

ACT V.

SCENE 1.-The Plains of Philippi.

Enter OctavIUS ANTONY, and their Army.
Oct. Now, Antony, our hopes are answered :
You said, the enemy would not come down,
But keep the hills and upper regions;
It proves not so ; their battles are at hand;
They mean to warn us at Philippi here,
Answering before we do demand of them.

Ant. Tut, I am in their bosoms, and I know
Wherefore they do it: they could be content
To visit other places; and come down
With fearful bravery, thinking, by this face,
To fasten in our thoughts that they have courage ;
But 'tis not so.

Enter a MESSENGER.

Mess. Prepare you, generals:

The enemy comes on in gallant show;
Their bloody sign of battle is hung out,
And something to be done immediately.

Ant. Octavius, lead your battle softly on.
Upon the left hand of the even field.

Oct. Upon the right hand I, keep thou the
left.

Ant. Why do you cross me in this exigent?
Oct. I do not cross you; but I will do so.

[March.

This tongue had not offended so to-day,
If Cassius might have rul'd.

Oct. Come, come, the cause: If arguing make
us sweat,

The proof of it will turn to redder drops.
Look ;

I draw a sword against conspirators;

When think you that the sword goes up again ?-
Never, till Cesar's three and twenty wounds
Be well aveng'd; or till another Cesar
Have added slaughter to the sword of traitors,
Bru. Cesar, thou can'st not die by traitors,
Unless thou bring'st them with thee.
Oct. So I hope;

I was not born to die on Brutus' sword.
Bru. Oh! if thou wert the noblest of thy

strain,

Young man, thou could'st not die more honourable.

Cas. A peevish school-boy, worthless of such

honour,

Join'd with a masker and a reveller.

Ant. Old Cassius still!

Oct. Come, Antony; away.-
Defiance, traitors, burl we in your teeth :
If you dare fight to-day, come to the field;
If not, when you have stomachs.

[Exeunt OCTAVIUS, ANTONY
and their Army.

Cas. Why now, blow, wind; swell, billow;
and swim, bark!

The storm is up, and all is on the hazard.
Bru. Ho!

Lucilius; hark, a word with you.

Luc. My lord.

[BRUTUS and LUCILIUS converse apart. Cas. Messala,—

Mes. What says my general ?

Cas. Messala,

This is my birth-day; as this very day

Was Cassins born. Give me thy hand, Messala :
Be thou my witness, that, against my will,
As Pompey was, am I compell'd to set

Drum. Enter BRUTUS, CASSIUS, and their | Upon one battle all our liberties.
army; LUCILIUS, TITINIUS, MESSALA, and
others.

Bru. They stand, and would have parley.
Cas. Stand fast, Titinius: We must out

talk.

Oct. Mark Antony, shall we give sign of

tle?

Ant. No, Cesar, we will answer on charge.

and

bat

You know, that I held Epicurus strong,
And his opinion: now I change my mind,
And partly credit things that do presage.
Coming from Sardis, on our former ensign
Two mighty eagles fell; and there they perch'd,
Gorging and feeding from our soldiers' hands,
Who to Philippi here consorted tus,
This morning are they fled away and gone ;
their | And, in their steads, do ravens, crows, and kites,
Fly o'er our heads, and downward look on us,
As we were sickly prey; their shadows seem
A canopy most fatal, under which
Our army lies, ready to give up the ghost.
Mes. Believe not so.

Make forth, the generals would have some words.
Oct. Stir not until the signal.

Bru. Words before blows: Is it so, country

men ?

Oct. Not that we love words better, as you do.
Bru. Good words are better than bad strokes,
Octavius.

Ant. In your bad strokes, Brutus, you give
good words:

Witness the hole you made in Cesar's heart,
Crying, Long live! hail, Cesar!

Cas. Antony,

The posture of your blows are yet unknown;
But for your words, they rob the Hybla bees,
And leave them honeyless.

Ant. Not stingless too.

Bru. Oh! yes, and soundless too;

For you have stol'n their buzzing, Antony,

And, very wisely, threat before you sting.

Cas. I but believe it partly :
For I am fresh of spirit, and resolv'd
To meet all perils very constantly.
Bru. Even so, Lucilius.

Cas. Now, most noble Brutus,

The gods to-day stand friendly; that we may,
Lovers in peace, lead on our days to age!
But, since the affairs of men rest still uncertain,
Let's reason with the worst that may befall.
If we do lose this battle, then is this
The very last time we shall speak together;
What are you then determined to do?

Bru. Even by the rule of that philosophy,
By which I did blame Cato for the death
Which he did give himself-(I know not how,

Ant. Villains, you did not so, when your vile But I do find it cowardly and vile,

For fear of what might fall, so to prevent
The time of life)-arming myself with patience,
To stay the providence of some high powers,
That govern us below.

Cas. Then, If we lose this battle,
You are contented to be led in triumph
Thorough the streets of Rome ?

Bru. No, Cassius, no : think not, thou noble
Roman,

• Summon.

That ever Brutus will go bound to Rome:
He bears too great a mind. But this same day
Must end that work the ides of March begun ;
And whether we shall meet again, I know not.
Therefore our everlasting farewell take :-
For ever, and for ever, farewell, Cassius!
If we do meet again, why we shall smile;
If not, why then this parting was well made.
Cas. For ever, and for ever, farewell, Brutus!
If we do meet again, we'll smile indeed!
If not, 'tis true this parting was well made.
Bru. Why then, lead on.-Oh! that a man
might know

The end of this day's business ere it come!
But it sufficeth, that the day will end,
And then the end is known.-Come, ho! away!
[Exeunt.
SCENE II.-The same.-The Field of Battle.
Alarum.-Enter BRUTUS and MESSALA.
Bru. Ride, ride, Messala, ride, and give these
bills

Unto the legions on the other side:

[Loud Alarum. Let them set on at once; for I perceive But cold demeanour in Octavius' wing, And sudden push gives them the overthrow. Ride, ride, Messala: let them all come down. [Exeunt. SCENE III.-The same.-Another part of the Field.

Alarum.-Enter CASSIUS and TITINIUS.
Cas. O, look, Titinius, look, the villains fly!
Myself have to mine own turn'd enemy :
This ensign here of mine was turning back;
1 slew the coward, and did take it from him.
Tit. O Cassius, Brutus gave the word too
early;

Who having some advantage on Octavius,
Took it too eargerly; his soldiers fell to spoil,
Whilst we by Antony are all enclos'd.

Enter PINDARUS.

Enter PINDARUS.

Come hither, Sirrah :

In Parthia did I take thee prisoner;
And then I swore thee, saving of thy life,
That whatsoever I did bid thee do,
Thou should'st attempt it. Come now, keep
thine oath !

Now be a freeman: and, with this good sword,
That ran through Cesar's bowels, search this

bosom.

Stand not to answer; Here, take thou the hilts;
And, when my face is cover'd as 'tis now,
Guide thou the sword. Cesar, thou art reveng'd,
Even with the sword that kill'd thee.

[Dies.

Pin. So, I am free; yet would not so have been,
Durst I have done my will. O Cassius!
Far from this country Pindarus shall run,
Where never Roman shall take note of him.
[Exit.

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.
Mes. Where did you leave him?
Tit. All disconsolate,

With Pindarus his boudman, 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 ?

Tit. No, this was he, Messala,

But Cassius is no more.-O setting sun!
As in thy red rays thou dost sink to night,
So in his red blood Cassius' day is set;
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 didst thou show to the apt thoughts of men
The things that are not? O error, soon con-
ceiv'd,

Pin. Fly further off, my lord, fly further off; Thou never com'st unto a happy birth,
Mark Antony is in your tents, my lord!
Fly therefore, noble Cassius, fly far off.

Cas. This hill is far enough. Look, look, Ti-
tinius ;

Are those my tents, where I perceive the fire?
Tit. They are, my lord.

Cas. Titinius, if thou lov'st me,

Mount thou my horse, and hide thy spurs in
him,

Till he have brought thee up to yonder troops,
And here again; that I may rest assur'd,
Whether yond' troops are friend or enemy.
Tit. I will be here again, even with a thought.
[Exit.
Cas. Go, Pindarus, get higher on that hill;
My sight was ever thick; regard Titinius,
And tell me what thou not'st about the field.-
[Exit PINDARUS.
This day I breathed first time is come round,
And where I did begin, there I shall end;
My life has run his compass.-Sirrah, what news?
Pin. [Above.] O my lord!

Cas. What news

Pin. Titinius is?

Enclosed round about with horsemen, that
Make to him on the spur;-yet he spurs on.-
Now they are almost on him; now, Titinius !—
Now some 'light :-Oh! he 'lights too:-he's
ta'en;-aud, hark!

They shout for joy.

[Shout.

Cas. Come down, behold no more.-
O coward that I am, to live so long,
To see my best friend ta'en before my face!

Billets containing directions.

But kill'st the mother that engender'd thee.

Tit. What, Pindarus! Where art thou, Pin

darus?

Mcs. 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. Hie you, Messala,

And I will seek for Pindarus the while.

[Exit MESSALA.
Why didst thou send me forth, brave Cassius?
Did I not meet thy friends? and did not they
Put on my brows this wreath of victory,
And bid me give't thee? Didst thou not hear
their shouts ?

Alas! thou hast misconstrued every thing.
But hold thee, take this garland on thy brow;
Thy Brutus bid me give it thee, and I
Will do his bidding.-Brutus, come apace,
And see how I regarded Caius Cassius.-
By your leave, gods :-This is a Roman's part:
Come, Cassius' sword, and find Titinius' heart.
[Dies.

Alarum. Re-enter MESSALA, with BRUTUS,
young CATO, STRATO, VOLUMNIUS, and Lu.