Sure, the boy heard me. Brutus hath a suit That Cæsar will not grant. O, I grow faint. Run, Lucius, and commend me to my lord; And bring me word what he doth say to thee. [Exeunt severally. 42. "Brutus hath a suit"; these words Portia addresses to Lucius, to deceive him, by assigning a false cause for her present perturbation.-H. N. H. 43-46. “O, I grow faint," etc.; in Plutarch's Life of Brutus the incident of this scene is related as follows: "In the meane time, there came one of Brutus men post hast unto him, and told him his wife was dying. For Porcia, being very carefull and pensive for that which was to come, and being too weake to away with so great and inward griefe of mind, could hardly keepe within, but was frighted with every little noyse and crie she heard; asking every man that came from the market place what Brutus did, and sending messenger after messenger, to know what news. At length, Cæsars comming being prolonged, Porciaes weakness was not able to hold out any longer; and thereupon shee sodainly swounded, that she had no leysure to go to her chamber, but was taken in the middest of her house. Howbeit, she soone came to herselfe againe, and so was layd in her bed, and attended by her women. When Brutus heard these newes, it grieved him; yet he left not off the care of his countrie, neither went to his house for any newes he heard.”— H. N. H. ACT THIRD SCENE I Rome. Before the Capitol; the Senate sitting above. A crowd of people; among them Artemidorus and the Soothsayer. Flourish. Enter Cæsar, Brutus, Cassius, Casca, Decius, Metellus, Trebonius, Cinna, Antony, Lepidus, Popilius, Publius, and others. Cas. The ides of March are come. That touches Cæsar nearer: read it, great Cæsar. Cæs. What touches us ourself shall be last served. Art. Delay not, Cæsar; read it instantly. 1. In Plutarch these words form a private colloquy between Cæsar and the soothsayer: Cæsar addresses him "merrily," and he "softly" answers. Shakespeare's Cæsar does not unbend so far.C. H. H. 8. "ourself"; Shakespeare gives Cæsar the plural of modern royalty, unknown even to the emperors of Rome.-C. H. H. Mr. Collier's second folio offers a shrewd change in this line, thus: "That touches us? Ourself shall be last serv'd." Nevertheless, we are not prepared to adopt it; the text making good enough sense as it stands.-H. N. H. Cæs. What, is the fellow mad? Pub. Sirrah, give place. 10 Cas. What, urge you your petitions in the street? Cæsar goes up to the Senate-house, the rest Pop. I wish your enterprise to-day may thrive. Pop. Fare you well. Bru. What said Popilius Lena? Cas. He wish'd to-day our enterprise might thrive. Bru. Look, how he makes to Cæsar: mark him. Be sudden, for we fear prevention. Casca, 21 Brutus, what shall be done? If this be known, Bru. Cassius, be constant: Popilius Lena speaks not of our purposes; For, look, he smiles, and Cæsar doth not change. Cas. Trebonius knows his time; for, look you, Brutus, He draws Mark Antony out of the way. [Exeunt Antony and Trebonius. Let him go, Dec. Where is Metellus Cimber? And presently prefer his suit to Cæsar. Bru. He is address'd: press near and second him. Cin. Casca, you are the first that rears your hand. Cæs. Are we all ready? What is now amiss 31 That Cæsar and his senate must redress? Met. Most high, most mighty and most puissant Cæsar, Metellus Cimber throws before thy seat Cæs. [Kneeling. I must prevent thee, Cimber. 40 Low-crooked court'sies and base spaniel-fawning. Thy brother by decree is banished: If thou dost bend and pray and fawn for him, Know, Cæsar doth not wrong, nor without cause 36. Mr. Collier's second folio changes "couchings" into crouchings, and "low-crooked," some lines below, into low-crouched. This seems an inadmissible modernizing of the Poet's language.-H. N. H. 39. "law of children"; Johnson's emendation of Ff., "lane of children"; Steevens conj. "line of c."; Mason conj. "play of c." Mr. Fleay approves of the Folio reading, and explains "lane" in the sense of "narrow conceits"; he compares the following lines from Johnson's Staple of News: "A narrow-minded man! my thoughts do dwell 47, 48. "Know, Cæsar doth not wrong, nor without cause Will he be satisfied"; there is an interesting piece of literary history connected with these lines. In Ben Jonson's Sylva or Discoveries occurs the famous criticism on Shakespeare, where Jonson, after speaking Met. Is there no voice more worthy than my own, To sound more sweetly in great Cæsar's ear Cas. 50 Pardon, Cæsar; Cæsar, pardon: As low as to thy foot doth Cassius fall, To beg enfranchisement for Publius Cimber. Cæs. I could be well moved, if I were as you; If I could pray to move, prayers would move me: But I am constant as the northern star, 60 The skies are painted with unnumber'd sparks; of his love for Shakespeare "on this side of idolatry,” expresses a wish "that he had blotted more." "His wit was in his own power; would the rule of it had been so too! Many times he fell into those things could not escape laughter: as when he said in the person of Cæsar, one speaking to him, 'Cæsar, thou dost me wrong,' he replied, 'Cæsar did never wrong but with just cause, and such like; which were ridiculous. But he redeemed his vices with his virtues. There was ever more in him to be praised than to be pardoned." Again in his Staple of News (acted 1625), a character says, "Cry you mercy, you never did wrong, but with just cause." From these references it is inferred that in its original form the passage stood thus: "METELLUS. Cæsar, thou dost me wrong. CESAR. Know, Cæsar doth not wrong but with just cause, Nor without cause will he be satisfied." It is impossible to determine whether Jonson misquoted, or whether (as seems more likely) his criticism effected its purpose, and the lines were changed by Shakespeare or by his editors.-I. G. |