Oa. So you thought him;

And took his voice who fhould be prick'd to die,
In our black fentence and profcription.

Ant. Octavius, I have feen more days than you;
And though we lay these honours on this man,
To cafe ourselves of divers fland'rous loads ;
He fhall but bear them, as the afs bears gold,
To groan and sweat under the bufinefs,
Or 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 afs, to fhake his ears,
And graze in Commons.

Otta. You may do your will ;

But he's a try'd and valiant foldier.

Ant. So is my horfe, Octavius: and for that,
I do appoint him ftore of provender.
It is a creature that I teach to fight,
To wind, to ftop, to run directly on;
His corporal motion govern'd. by my fpirit.
And, in fome tafte, is Lepidus but fo;

He must be taught, and train'd, and bid go forth;
(7) A barren-fpirited fellow, one that feeds
On abject
its, and imitations;

out of ufe, and ftal'd by other men,
Begin his fashion. Do not talk of him,
But as a property. And now, Octavius,
Liften great things Brutus and Caffius
Are levying powers; we muft ftraight make head.
Therefore let our alliance be combin'd;

Our best friends made, and our beft means ftretcht out;

(7) In the old editions,

A barren-fpirited fellow, one that feeds

On objects, arts, and imitation, &c.] 'Tis hard to conceive, why he'fhould be called a barren-fpirited fellow, that could feed either on objects, or arts: that is, as I prefume, from his ideas and judgment upon them: ftale and obfolete imitation, indeed, fixes fuch a character. I am perfuaded, to make the poet con fonant to himfelf, we muft read, as I have reftored the text, On abject Orts,

i. e. on the fcraps and fragments of things rejected and defpifed by others.

THEOBALD.
And

And let us presently go fit in council,

How covert matters may be best disclos'd,
And open perils furest answered.

Octa. Let us do fo; for we are at the stake,
And bay'd about with many enemies ;

And fome that fmile, have in their hearts, I fear,
Millions of mischiefs:

SCENE II.

[Exeunt.

Before Bratus's Tent, in the camp near Sardis.

Drum. Enter Brutus, Lucilius, and Soldiers: Titinius, and Pindarus meeting them.

Bru. STAND, ho!

Luc. Give the word, ho! and stand! Bru. What now, Lucilius, is Caffius near? Luc. He is at hand, and Pindarus is come To do you falutation from his master.

Bru. He greets me well. Your mafter, Pindarus, (8) In his own change, or by ill officers,

Hath given me fome worthy caufe to wish

Things

(8) In his own change, or by ill officers,] The fenfe of which is this, Either your mafter, by the change of his virtuous nature, or by his officers abufing the power he had intrufted to them, bath done fome things I could wifb undone. This implies a doubt which of the two was the cafe. Yet, immediately after, on Pindarus's faying, His mafter was full of regard and honour, he replies, he is not doubted. To reconcile this we should read,

In his own CHARGE, or by ill officers,

i. e. either by thofe under his immediate command, or under the command of his lieutenants who had abufed their trust. Charge is fo ufual a word in Shakespeare, to fignify the forces committed to the truft of a commander, that I think it needlefs to give any inftances. WARBURTON.

The arguments for the change proposed are insufficient. Brutu's could not but know whether the wrongs committed were done by thofe who were immediately under the command of Caffius, or thofe under his officers. The anfwer of Brutus to the fervant is only an act of artful civility; his question to Lucilius proves,

that

Things done undone; but if he be at hand,
I fhall be fatisfied.

Pin. I do not doubt,

But that my noble mafter 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 refolv'd.

Luc. With courtesy, and with respect enough;
But not with fuch familiar inftances,

Nor with fuch free and friendly conference,
As he hath us'd of old.

Bru. Thou haft defcrib'd

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

There are no tricks in plain, and fimple faith
But hollow men, like horfes hot at hand,
Make gallant fhew and promife of their mettle,
But when they should endure the bloody fpur,
They fall their creft, and, like deceitful jades,
Sink in the trial. Comes his army on?

Luc. They mean this night in Sardis to be quar

ter'd,

The greater part, the horfe in general,

Are come with Caffius.

[Low march within.

Enter Caffius and Soldiers.

Bru. Hark, he is arriv'd;

March gently on to meet him.

Caf. Stand, ho!

Bru. Stand, ho! Speak the word along.

Within. Stand!

Within. Stand!

Within. Stand!

Caf. Moft noble brother, you have done me wrong.

that his fufpicion ftill continued. Yet I cannot but suspect a corruption, and would read,

In his own change, or by ill offices.

That is, either changing his inclination of himself, or by the ill affices and bad influence of others.

Bru.

Bru. Judge me, you Gods! Wrong I mine ene»

mies?

And, if not fo, how fhould I wrong a brother?
Caf. Brutus, this fober form of yours

And when you do them

Bru. Caffius, be content,

hides wrongs,

Speak your griefs foftly-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, Caffius, enlarge your griefs,
And I will give you audience.

Caf. Pindarus,

Bid our commanders lead their charges off

A little from this ground.

Bru. Lucilius, do the like; and let no man

Come to our tent, 'till we have done our conference.

Let Lucius and Titinius guard our door.

SCENE III.

Changes to the Infide of Brutus's Tent.

Caf THA

Re-enter Brutus and Caffius.

[Exeunt.

HAT 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 letter praying on his fide
Because I knew the man, was flighted off.

Bru. You wrong'd yourfelf to write in fuch a cafe.
Caf. In fuch a time as this, it is not meet

That (9) ev'ry nice offence fhould bear its comment.
Bru. Let me tell you, Caffius, you yourself
Are much condemn'd to have an itching palm;
To fell, and mart your offices for gold.

To undefervers.

Caf. I an itching palm ?

(9) ev'ry nice offence. e. fmall trifling offence.

WARBURTON.

You

You know, that you are Brutus, that fpeak this;
Or, by the Gods, this fpeech were elfe your laft.
Bru. The name of Caffius honours this corruption,
And chastisement doth therefore hide its head.
Caf. Chaftifement!

Bru. Remember March, the Ides of March remember!

Did not great Julius bleed for juftice fake?
What villain touch'd his body, that did ftab,
And not for juftice; what, fhall one of us,
That ftruck the foremost man of all this world,
But for fupporting robbers; fhall we now
Contaminate our fingers with bafe bribes?.
And fell the mighty space of our large honours
For fo much trafh, as may be grafped thus ?-
(1) I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon,
Than fuch a Roman.

Caf. Brutus, bait not me,

I'll not endure it; you forget yourself,
(2) To hedge me in; I am a foldier, I,
Older in practice, abler than yourself
(3) To make conditions.

Bru. (4) Go to: you are not Caffius.

(1) I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon,

Caf

Than fuch a Roman.] The poets and common people, who generally think and fpeak alike, fuppofe the dog bays the moon, out of envy to its brightnefs; an allufion to this notion makes the beauty of the paffage in queftion: Brutus hereby infinuates a covert accufation against his friend, that it was only envy at Gafar's glory which fet Caffius on confpiring against him; and ancient history feems to countenance fuch à charge. Caffius understood him in this fenfe, and with much confcious pride retorts the charge by a like infinuation.

-Brutus, bay not me.

(2) To hedge me in; your direction or cenfure.

WARBURTON. -] That is, to limit my authority by

(3) To make conditions.] That is, to know on what terms it is fit to confer the offices which are at my difpofal.

(4) Go to: you are not Caffius.] We are not to understand this as if Brutus had faid, You are not an able foldier, which would be wrangling on a childish question beneath the character of Brutus. On the contrary, when Caffius had made fo unbecoming a boaft, Brutus, in his reply, only reproves him for degeneracy: And he could not do it in words more pathetic than