40 Shall I be frighted, when a madman stares ? Cassius [walking up and down the tent]. O ye gods, ye gods! Must I endure all this? Brutus. All this! aye, more: fret till your proud heart break; Go show your slaves how choleric you are, And make your bondmen tremble. Must I budge? Cassius. Is it come to this? 45 50 Cassius [trying to control himself]. You wrong me every way; you wrong me, Brutus ; I said an elder soldier, not a better: Did I say, better? Brutus. If you did, I care not. 55 Cassius. When Caesar lived, he durst not thus have moved me. Brutus. Peace, peace! you durst not so have tempted him. Cassius. I durst not! Brutus. No. Cassius. What, durst not tempt him? Brutus. 60 For your life you durst not. Cassius. Do not presume too much upon my love; I may do that I shall be sorry for. Brutus. You have done that you should be sorry for. 65 There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats; For I am armed so strong in honesty, That they pass by me as the idle wind For certain sums of gold, which you denied me; 70 And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring By any indirection. I did send To you for gold to pay my legións, Which you denied me: 75 was that done like Cassius ? Should I have answered Caius Cassius so? When Marcus Brutus grows so covetous, To lock such rascal counters from his friends, Be ready, gods, with all your thunderbolts, Dash him to pieces! Cassius. Brutus. You did. Cassius. I denied you not. I did not; he was but a fool 80 That brought my answer back. Brutus hath rived my heart: A friend should bear his friend's infirmities, 85 Brutus. I do not like your faults. Cassius. A friendly eye could never see such faults. Brutus. A flatterer's would not, though they do appear As huge as high Olympus. 91 Cassius. Come, Antony, and young Octavius, come, Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius, For Cassius is aweary of the world; 100 Hated by one he loves; braved by his brother; 95 Brutus [rising]. Hath Cassius lived And straight is cold again. Cassius. To be but mirth and laughter to his Brutus, Brutus. And my heart too. [They embrace. O Brutus,What's the matter? Cassius. Have you not love enough to bear with me, When that rash humour which my mother gave me Makes me forgetful? Brutus. Yes, Cassius; and, from henceforth, 120 When you are over-earnest with your Brutus, He'll think your mother chides, and leave you so. SCENE VI. THE DEATH OF BRUTUS. In the battle which took place at Philippi, Brutus gave the word to charge too soon. Following up a slight success against Octavius' troops, he left Cassius' wing unguarded, and Antony at once surrounded this, and took the camp. Cassius killed himself in despair. In a second fight Brutus was utterly defeated. With a remnant of his followers he seeks shelter in some rocky ground; and as night comes on, he sends one of his soldiers named Statilius to find out the number of the slain. Statilius passes through the ranks of the enemy and signals by torch-light that all is well, but on attempting to return is killed. Enter Brutus, attended by Dardanius, Clitus, Strato, and Volumnius. Brutus. Come, poor remains of friends, rest on this rock. [He sits down: Strato is worn out, and sleeps. Clitus. Statilius showed the torch-light, but, my lord, He came not back: he is or ta'en, or slain. Brutus. Sit thee down, Clitus: slaying is the word; It is a deed in fashion. Hark thee, Clitus. [Whispering. Clitus. What, I, my lord? No, not for all the world. Brutus. Peace, then, no words. 5 Clitus. I'll rather kill myself. Brutus [rising]. Hark thee, Dardanius. [Whispers. Dardanius. Shall I do such a deed? Clitus [moving to Dardanius]. O Dardanius! 10 Clitus. What ill request did Brutus make to thee? Brutus. Come hither, good Volumnius; list a word. 15 Why this, Volumnius : Volumnius. Not so, my lord. Brutus. Nay, I am sure it is, Volumnius. Thou seest the world, Volumnius, how it goes; 20 Our enemies have beat us to the pit: [Low alarums. It is more worthy to leap in ourselves, 25 Than tarry till they push us. Good Volumnius, Volumnius. [He shakes hands with each of them. I found no man but he was true to me. I shall have glory by this losing day, 35 So, fare you well at once; for Brutus' tongue Night hangs upon mine eyes; my bones would rest, That have but laboured to attain this hour. 40 [Alarum. A cry is heard, Fly, fly, fly!' Clitus. Fly, my lord, fly. Brutus. Hence, I will follow. [Exeunt Clitus, Dardanius, and Volumnius. I prithee, Strato, stay thou by thy lord: 45 Thy life hath had some smatch of honour in it: I killed not thee with half so good a will. 50 [Dies. Alarum. Retreat. Enter Octavius, Antony, and their army, with Messala and Lucilius, two friends of Brutus, prisoners. Octavius. What man is that? Messala. My master's man. Strato, where is thy master ? Strato. Free from the bondage you are in, Messala : And no man else hath honour by his death. Messala [to Strato]. 55 How died my master? Strato. I held the sword, and he did run on it. Antony. This was the noblest Roman of them all: 60 All the conspirators, save only he, Did that they did in envy of great Caesar;. He only, in a general honest thought And common good to all, made one of them His life was gentle, and the elements So mixed in him that Nature might stand up And say to all the world 'This was a man!' Octavius. According to his virtue let us use him, With all respect and rites of burial. Within my tent his bones to-night shall lie, So, call the field to rest, and let 's away, To part the glories of this happy day. S 165 70 [Exeunt, the soldiers setting their spears beneath the body and carrying it off. L |