ACT IV. SCENE I.

The Same. A Room in ANTONY'S House.

ANTONY, OCTAVIUS, and LEPIDUS, seated at a Table. Ant. These many, then, shall die; their names are prick'd.

Oct. Your brother, too, must die: consent you, Le

pidus?

· Lep. I do consent.

Oct.

Prick him down, Antony.

Lep. Upon condition Publius shall not live,

Who is your sister's son, Mark Antony.

Ant. He shall not live; look, with a spot I damn

him.

But, Lepidus, go you to Cæsar's house;

Fetch the will hither, and we will determine

How to cut off some charge in legacies.

Lep. What, shall I find you here?
Oct. Or here, or at the Capitol.

Ant. This is a slight unmeritable man,
Meet to be sent on errands: is it fit,

[Exit LEPIDUS.

The threefold world divided, he should stand
One of the three to share it?

Oct.
So you thought him;
And took his voice who should be prick'd to die,
In our black sentence and proscription.

Ant. Octavius, I have seen more days than you:
And though we lay these honours on this man,
To ease ourselves of divers slanderous loads,
He shall but bear them as the ass bears gold,
Το groan and sweat under the business,
Either led or driven, as we point the way;
And having brought our treasure where we will,
Then take we down his load, and turn him off,

Like to the empty ass, to shake his ears,
And graze in commons.

Oct.

You may do your will;

But he's a tried and valiant soldier.

Ant. So is my horse, Octavius; and for that
I do appoint him store of provender.
It is a creature that I teach to fight,
To wind, to stop, to run directly on,
His corporal motion govern'd by my spirit:
And, in some taste, is Lepidus but so;
He must be taught, and train'd, and bid
A barren-spirited fellow; one that feeds
On objects, arts, and imitations,

go

Which, out of use and stal'd by other men,
Begin his fashion: do not talk of him,
But as a property. And now, Octavius,
Listen great things. Brutus and Cassius,

forth:

Are levying powers: we must straight make head;
Therefore, let our alliance be combin'd,

Our best friends made, and our best means stretch'd

out3;

And let us presently go sit in council,

How covert matters may be best disclos'd,

And open perils surest answered.

Oct. Let us do so, for we are at the stake,

And bay'd about with many enemies;

And some, that smile, have in their hearts, I fear,
Millions of mischiefs.

[Exeunt.

3 Our best friends made, and our BEST means stretch'd our;] This is the line as it stands in the folio, 1632: in the folio, 1623, it is left imperfect-" Our best friends made, our means stretch'd." This is one of the cases in which the second folio comes in aid of the defects of the first. Malone thus pieced out the line, "Our best friends made, our means stretch'd to the utmost," which is not only a bad verse, but is supported by no authority.

VOL. VII.

F

SCENE II.

Before BRUTUS' Tent, in the Camp near Sardis.

Drum. Enter BRUTUS, LUCILIUS, LUCIUS, and Soldiers: TITINIUS and PINDARUS meet them.

Bru. Stand, ho!

Luc. Give the word, ho! and stand.

Bru. What now, Lucilius? is Cassius near?
Luc. He is at hand; and Pindarus is come

To do you salutation from his master.

[PINDARUS gives a Letter to BRUTUS.

Bru. He greets me well.-Your master, Pindarus,

In his own change, or by ill officers,

Hath given me some worthy cause to wish

Things done, undone; but, if he be at hand,
I shall be satisfied.

But that my noble master will appear
Such as he is, full of regard and honour.

Bru. He is not doubted.-A word, Lucilius :
How he receiv'd you let me be resolv❜d.

Luc. With courtesy, and with respect enough;
But not with such familiar instances,

Nor with such free and friendly conference,
As he hath used of old.

Bru.

Thou hast describ'd

A hot friend cooling. Ever note, Lucilius,
When love begins to sicken and decay,
It useth an enforced ceremony.

There are no tricks in plain and simple faith;
But hollow men, like horses hot at hand,
Make gallant show and promise of their mettle,
But when they should endure the bloody spur,

They fall their crests, and, like deceitful jades,
Sink in the trial. Comes his army on?

Luc. They mean this night in Sardis to be quarter'd: The greater part, the horse in general,

Bru. Stand, ho! Speak the word along.

Within. Stand.

Within. Stand.

Within. Stand.

Cas. Most noble brother, you have done me wrong. Bru. Judge me, you gods! Wrong I mine enemies? And, if not so, how should I wrong a brother?

Cas. Brutus, this sober form of yours hides wrongs;

And when you do them

Bru.

Cassius, be content,

Speak your griefs softly; I do know you well.
Before the eyes of both our armies here,

Which should perceive nothing but love from us,
Let us not wrangle: bid them move away;
Then in my tent, Cassius, enlarge your griefs,
And I will give you audience.

Cas.

Pindarus,

Bid our commanders lead their charges off

A little from this ground.

Bru. Lucilius, do you the like; and let no man Come to our tent, till we have done our conference. Let Lucius and Titinius guard our door.

[Exeunt.

SCENE III.

Within the Tent of BRUTUS1.

LUCIUS and TITINIUS at some distance from it.

Enter BRUTUS and CASSIUS.

Cas. That you have wrong'd me, doth appear in this: You have condemn'd and noted Lucius Pella For taking bribes here of the Sardians; Wherein my letters, praying on his side, Because I knew the man, were slighted off.

Bru. You wrong'd yourself to write in such a case. Cas. In such a time as this, it is not meet That every nice offence should bear his comment. Bru. Let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself Are much condemn'd to have an itching palm; To sell and mart your offices for gold

To undeservers.

Cas.

I an itching palm?

You know, that you are Brutus that speak this,
Or, by the gods, this speech were else your last.
Bru. The name of Cassius honours this corruption,
And chastisement does therefore hide his head.

Cas. Chastisement !

Bru. Remember March, the ides of March remember. Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake? What villain touch'd his body, that did stab, And not for justice? What! shall one of us, That struck the foremost man of all this world,

4 Within the tent of Brutus.] In the old copies there is no change of place here, although one may be supposed: the stage-direction in the first folio is, Exeunt. Manet Brutus and Cassius. The second folio alters Manet to Manent.

5 That every NICE offence-] i. e. Every trifling offence. We have had many instances of this use of the word "nice." See Vol. iv. p. 348; Vol. v. p. 434; and Vol. vi. pp. 436. 484.