Re-enter CESAR, and his Train.

BRU. The games are done, and Cæsar is returning.
CAS. As they pass by, pluck Casca by the sleeve;
And he will, after his sour fashion, tell you
What hath proceeded, worthy note, to-day.

BRU. I will do so: But look you, Cassius,
The angry spot doth glow on Cæsar's brow,
And all the rest look like a chidden train:
Calphurnia's cheek is pale; and Cicero
Looks with such ferret1 and such fiery eyes,
As we have seen him in the Capitol,

Being cross'd in conference by some senators.
CAS. Casca will tell us what the matter is.
CES. Antonius.

ANT. Cæsar.

CES. Let me have men about me that are fat;
Sleek-headed men; 3 and such as sleep o' nights:
Yond' Cassius has a lean and hungry look;
He thinks too much: such men are dangerous.
ANT. Fear him not, Cæsar, he's not dangerous;
He is a noble Roman, and well given.

CES. 'Would he were fatter:

Yet if my name were liable to fear,

But I fear him not:

I do not know the man I should avoid

So soon as that spare1 Cassius. He reads much;
He is a great observer, and he looks

Quite through the deeds of men: he loves no plays,
As thou dost, Antony; he hears no musick:
Seldom he smiles; and smiles in such a sort,
As if he mock'd himself, and scorn'd his spirit
That could be mov'd to smile at any thing.
Such men as he be never at heart's ease,
Whiles they behold a greater than themselves;

5

1) A ferret has red eyes.
2) To cross, to contradict.

3) So, in Sir Thomas North's translation of Ptutarch, 1579. "When Casar's friends complained unto him of Antonius and Dolabella, that they pretended some mischief towards him;

I fear them most; meaning Brutus and Cassius." And again: "Cæsar had Cassius in great jealousy, and suspected him much, whereupon he said on a time to his friends, What will Cassius do, think you? I like not his pale looks." Steevens.

he answered, as for those fat 4) Spare, properly, means parsimomen and smooth-combed heads, Inious, but here lean, wanting flesh. never reckon of them; but these 5) Whiles, as long, as, is old for pale-visaged and carrion-lean people, whilst, or while.

And therefore are they very dangerous.
I rather tell thee what is to be fear'd,
Than what I fear, for always I am Cæsar.
Come on my right hand, for this ear is deaf,
And tell me truly what thou think'st of him.

[Exeunt CESAR and his Train. CASCA stays behind. CASCA. You pull'd me by the cloak; would you speak with me?

BRU. Ay, Casca; tell us what hath chanc'd to-day, That Cæsar looks so sad.

CASCA. Why, you were with him, were you not?

BRU. I should not then ask Casca what hath chanc'd. CASCA. Why, there was a crown offer'd him: and being offer'd him, he put it by with the back of his hand, thus; and then the people fell a shouting. 1

BRU. What was the second noise for?

CASCA. Why, for that too.

CAS. They shouted thrice; What was the last cry for?
CASCA. Why, for that too.

BRU. Was the crown offered him thrice?

CASCA. Ay, mary, 2 was't, and he put it by thrice, every time gentler than other; and at every putting by, mine honest neighbours shouted.

CAS. Who offer'd him the crown?

CASCA. Why, Antony.

BRU. Tell us the manner of it, gentle Casca.

CASCA. I can as well be hanged as tell the manner of it: it was mere foolery. I did not mark it. I saw Mark Antony offer him a crown; - yet 'twas not a crown neither, 'twas one of these coronets; 4 and, as I told you, he put it by once; but, for all that, to my thinking, he would fain have had it. Then he offered it to him again; then he put it by again: but, to my thinking, he was very loath to lay his fingers off it." And then he offered it the third

1) A placed before a participle, or | thy, before vowels and hmute, is still participial noun. So, to go a fishing, in use, both, in grave and ludicrous a hunting, to come a begging. language.

66

4) So in the old translation of Pluhe came to Cæsar, and presented him a diadem wreathed about with laurel." Steevens.

2) Marry indeed forsooth: an exclamation of frequent use in Shak- | tarch: speare, which is commonly supposed to be a corruption of holy Maria, or Mary.

3) Mine, thine, the substantive pronoun instead of the adjective my,

5) Fain, adv. gladly, very desirously.

6) Off, used here as a preposition,

1

time; he put it the third time by: and still as he refused it, the rabblement hooted, and clapped their chopped hands, and threw up their night-caps, and uttered such a deal of foul breath because Cæsar refused the crown, that it had almost choked Cæsar; for he swooned, and fell down at it: And for mine own part, I durst not laugh, for fear of opening my lips, and receiving the bad air.

CAS. But soft, I pray you: What? did Cæsar swoon? CASCA. He fell down in the market-place, and foamed at mouth, and was speechless.

BRU. 'Tis very like: he hath the falling-sickness.
CAS. No, Cæsar hath it not; but you, and I,

And honest Casca, we have the falling-sickness.

3

CASCA. I know not what you mean by that; but, I am sure, Cæsar fell down. If the tag-rag people did not clap1 him, and hiss him, according as he pleased, and displeased them, as they used to do the players in the theatre, I am no true man. 5

BRU. What said he, when he came unto himself?

CASCA. Marry, before he fell down, when he perceived the common herd was glad he refused the crown, he plucked me ope his doublet, and offered them this throat to cut. -An I had been a man of any occupation, if I would not have taken him at a word, I would I might go to hell among the rogues: and so he fell. When he came to himself again, he said, If he had done, or said any thing amiss, he desired their worships to think it was his infirmity. Three or four wenches, where I stood, cried, Alas, good soul! and forgave him with all their hearts: But

signifies distance, and is generally | a piece of cloth torn from the rest, opposed to on: not on, distant from. a tatter. The meaning is: he abhorred touching the crown.

4) To clap, to celebrate by clapping the hands, to applaud.

5) i. e. no honest, no faithful man. 6) The use of this superabundant pronoun is not unfrequent in familiar particularly in the speeches of talklanguage. Shakspeare uses it often, ative persons.

7) An, like an if, is obsolete, instead of if.

8) Had I been a mechanic, one of the plebeians to whom he offered his throat. Johnson.

there's no heed1 to be taken of them; if Cæsar had stabbed their mothers, they would have done no less.

BRU. And after that, he came, thus sad, away?

CASCA. Ay.2

CAS. Did Cicero say any thing?

CASCA. Ay, he spoke Greek.

CAS. To what effect?

CASCA. Nay, an I tell you that, I'll ne'er look you i' the face again: But those that understood him, smiled at one another, and shook their heads; but, for mine own part, it was Greek to me. I could tell you more news too; Marullus and Flavius, for pulling scarfs .off Cæsar's images, are put to silence. Fare you well. There was more foolery yet, if I could remember it.

CAS. Will you sup with me to-night, Casca?

CASCA. No, I am promised forth. 3

CAS. Will you dine with me to-morrow?

4

CASCA. Ay, if I be alive, and your mind hold, and

your dinner worth the eating.

CAS. Good; I will expect you.

CASCA. Do so: Farewell, both.

[Exit CASCA.

BRU. What a blunt fellow this is grown to be;

He was quick mettle, when he went to school.

CAS. So is he now, in execution

Of any bold or noble enterprize,

However he puts on this tardy form,
This rudeness is a sauce to his good wit,

Which gives me stomach to digest his words 5

With better appetite.

BRU. And so it is. For this time I will leave you: To-morrow, if you please to speak with me,

6

I will come home to you; or, if you will,
Come home to me, and I will wait for you.
CAS. I will do so: till then, think of the world.

Well, Brutus, thou art noble; yet, I see,
Thy honourable metal may be wrought

1) No attention, no notice. 2) Ay, and nay, as often in our poet instead of yes, and no.

3) Forth, properly forward; here, abroad, to another place; I am already engaged.

[Exit BRUTUS.

From that it is dispos'd:1 Therefore 'tis meet
That noble minds keep ever with their likes:
For who so firm, that cannot be seduc'd?
Cæsar doth bear me hard; 2 but he loves Brutus:
If I were Brutus now, and he were Cassius,
He should not humour3 me. I will this night,
In several hands 4, in at his windows throw,
As if they came from several citizens,

Writings all tending to the great opinion
That Rome holds of his name; wherein obscurely
Cæsar's ambition shall be glanced at:

And, after this, let Cæsar seat him sure;

For we will shake him, or worse days endure.

[Exit.

Thunder and Lightning. Enter, from opposite sides, CASCA with his Sword drawn, and CICERO.

CIC. Good even, Casca: Brought you Cæsar home?5 Why are you breathless? and why stare you so?

CASCA. Are not you mov'd, when all the sway of earth" Shakes, like a thing unfirm? O Cicero,

I have seen tempests, when the scolding winds
Have riv'd' the knotty oaks; and I have seen
The ambitious ocean swell, and rage, and foam,
To be exalted with the threat'ning clouds: 8
But never till to-night, never till now,
Did I go through a tempest dropping fire.
Either there is a civil strife in heaven;

Or else the world, too saucy with the gods,
Incenses them to send destruction. 10

CIC. Why, saw you any thing more wonderful?
CASCA. A common slave (you know him well by sight)
Held up his left hand, which did flame, and burn

1) Dispos'd, i. e. disposed to. The metal or temper may be worked into qualities contrary to its original constitution. Johnson.

2) i. e. has an unfavourable opinion of me. The same phrase occurs again in the first scene of Act III. Steevens.

3) The meaning is this: Cæsar loves Brutus, but if I were Brutus, his love should not humour, i. e. cajole me, should not take hold of my affection, so as to forget my principles. Johnson.

4) In the form of writing peculiar to different persons, various handwriting.

5) Did you attend Cæsar home? Johnson.

6) The whole weight of this globe.
7) To rive, to split, to cleave.
8) i. e. to reach the clouds.
9) Pert, insolent.

10) Compare Hamlet, Act I. sc. 2: A little ere the mightiest Cæsar fell, the graves stood tenantless, etc.