Enter Lucius and Ligarius.

Lucius, who's there that knocks?

Luc. Here is a fick man, that would fpeak with you. Bru. Caius Ligarius, that Metellus fpake of. Boy, ftand aside. Caius Ligarius! how?

Cai. Vouchfafe good morrow from a feeble tongue. Bru. O, what a time have you chofe out, brave Caius, To wear a kerchief? would, you were not fick! Cai. I am not fick, if Brutus have in hand Any exploit worthy the name of honour.

Bru. Such an exploit have I in hand, Ligarius,
Had you an healthful ear to hear of it.

Cai. By all the Gods the Romans bow before,
I here discard my fickness. Soul of Rome!
`Brave fon, deriv'd from honourable loins!
Thou, like an Exorcift, haft conjur'd up
My mortified fpirit. Now bid me run,
And I will strive with things impoffible;
Yea, get the better of them. What's to do?

Bru. A piece of work, that will make fick men whole.
Cai. But are not fome whole, that we must make fick ?
Bru. 1 hat must we also. What it is, my Caius,
I fhall unfold to thee, as we are going,

To whom it must be done.

Cai. Set on your foot,

And with a heart new-fir'd I follow you,,
To do I know not what: but it fufficeth,
That Brutus leads me on.

Bru. Follow me then.

SCENE changes to Cæfar's Palace.

[Exeunt

Thunder and Lightning. Enter Julius Cæfar.

Cal N

OR heaven, nor earth, have been at peace
to-night;

Thrice hath Calphurnia in her fleep cry'd out,
Help, ho! they murder Cafar." Who's within?

Caf. Go bid the priests do prefent facrifice, And bring me their opinions of fuccefs.

Ser. I will, my lord.

Enter Calphurnia.

[Exit.

Cal. What mean you, Cæfar? think you to walk forth?

You fhall not ftir out of your house to-day.

Caf. Cæfar fhall forth; the things, that threatned me,
Ne'er lookt but on my back: when they shall fee
The face of Cæfar, they are vanished.

Cal. Cæfar, I never flood on ceremonies,
Yet now they fright me: there is one within,
(Befides the things that we have heard and seen)
Recounts moft horrid fights feen by the Watch.
A lionefs hath whelped in the streets,

And Graves have yawn'd, and yielded up their dead;
Fierce fiery warriors fight upon the clouds,
In ranks and fquadrons and right form of war,
Which drizzled blood upon the Capitol :

The noife of battle hurtled in the air;
Horfes did neigh, and dying men did groan ;

And Ghofts did fhriek, and fqueal about the streets.
O Cafar! thefe things are beyond all use,
And I do fear them.

Caf. What can be avoided,

Whofe end is purpos'd by the mighty Gods?
Yet Cæfar fhall go forth for these predictions
Are to the world in general, as to Cæfar.

Cal. When Beggars die, there are no comets feen; The heav'ns them felves blaze forth the death of Princes. Caf. Cowards die many times before their deaths, The valiant never taste of death but once:

Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,

It feems to me most strange, that men fhould fear :
Seeing that death, a neceffary end,

Will come, when it will come.

Enter a Servant.

Ser. They would not have you to ftir forth to-day.
Plucking the entrails of an offering forth,
They could not find a heart within the beast.
[Exit Servant

Caf. The Gods do this in fhame of cowardise :
Cafar fhould be a beast without a heart,
If he should stay at home to day for fear.
No, Cæfar fhall not; Danger knows full well,
That Cæfar is more dangerous than he,
(15) We were two lions litter'd in one day,
And I the elder and more terrible;
And Cæfar fhall go forth.

Cal. Alas, my lord,

Your wisdom is confum'd in confidence:
Do not go forth to day; call it my fear,

That keeps you in the house, and not your own
We'll fend Mark Antony to the Senate-house,
And he will fay, you are not well to-day:
Let me, upon my knee, prevail in this.

Caf. Mark Antony shall say, I am not well;
And for thy humour, I will stay at home.

Enter Decius..

Here's Decius Brutus, he fhall tell them fo.

Dec. Cæfar, all hail! good morrow, worthy Cafar; I come to fetch you to the Senate house.

Caf. And you are come in very happy time,

We beareThe

(15) We heard tavo lions] The first folio copies have been all corrupt, and the paffage, of course, unintelli gible. But the flight alteration, I have made, reftores fenfe to the whole, and the fentiment will neither be unworthy of Shakespeare, nor the boaft too extravagant for Cafar in a vein of vanity to utter that He and Danger were twin- whelps of a lion, and he the elder,. and more terrible of the two. A fimilar thought again occurs in Antony and Cleopatra, about victory for a while fianding fufpended

betwixt two armies.

When vantage like a pair of twins appear'd,

Both as the fame, or rather ours the elder.

I made this emendation formerly in my SHAKESPEARE Refter'd and the ingenious Dr. Thirlby, without having feen it, ftruck ou the fame conjecture.

To bear my Greeting to the Senators,
And tell them that I will not come to-day :
Cannot, is falfe; and that I dare not, falfer;
• I will not come to day; tell them fo, Decius.
Cal. Say, he is fick.

Caf. Shall Cafar send a lie ?

Have I in conqueft ftretcht mine arm fo far,
To be afraid to tell Grey-beards the truth?
Decius, go tell them, Cæfar will not come.

- Dec. Moft mighty Cefar, let me know fome caufe, Left I be laught at, when I tell them so.

Caf. The caufe is in my will, I will not come; That is enough to fatisfy the Senate.

But for your private fatisfaction,

Because I love you, I will let you know.
Calphurnia here, my wife, ftays me at home:
She dreamt last night, fhe faw my Statue,
Which, like a fountain, with an hundred fpouts,
Did run pure blood; and many lufty Romans
Came fmiling, and did bathe their hands in it.
Thefe fhe applies for warnings and portents,
And evils imminent; and on her knee
Hath begg'd, that I will stay at home to-day.
Dec. This Dream is all amifs interpreted;
It was a vifion fair and fortunate:

Your Statue, fpouting blood in many pipes,
In which fo many fmiling Romans bath'd,
Signifies, that from you great Rome shall fuck
Reviving blood; and that great men fhall prefs
For tinctures, ftains, relicks, and cognisance.
This by Calphurnia's Dream is fignify'd.

Caf. And this way have you well expounded it..
Dec. I have, when you have heard what I can fay;
And know it now, the Senate have concluded
To give this day a Crown to mighty Cæfar.
If you fhall fend them word you will not come,
Their minds may change. Befides, it were a mock
Apt to be render'd, for fome one to say,
"Break up the Senate 'till another time,

When Cefar's Wife hall meet with better Dreams :">

If

If Cafar hide himself, fhall they not whisper,
"Lo, Cafar is afraid!"

Pardon me, Cafar; for my dear, dear love
To your proceeding bids me tell you this:
And reafon to my love is liable.

Caf. How foolish do your fears feem now, Calphurnia? I am afhamed, I did yield to them.

Give me my Robe, for I will go :

Enter Brutus, Ligarius, Metellus, Cafca, Trebonius,
Cinna, and Publius.

And, look, where Publius is come to fetch me.
Pub. Good morrow, Cæfar.

Caf. Welcome, Publius.

What, Brutus, are you stirr'd fo early too?
Good morrow, Cafca: Caius Ligarius,

Cafar was ne'er fo much your enemy,

As that fame ague which hath made you lean.
What is't o'clock ?

Bru. Cafar, 'tis ftrucken eight.

Caf. I thank you for your pains and courtefy,

Enter Antony.

See, Antony, that revels long o'nights,

Is notwithstanding up. Good morrow, Antony
Ant. So to moft noble Cafar.

Caf. Bid them prepare within:

I am to blame to be thus waited for.

Now, Cinna; now, Metellus; what, Trebonius!
I have an hour's talk in ftore for you,

Remember, that you call on me to-day;
Be near me, that I may remember you.

Treb. Cafar, I will;-and fo near will I be, [Afide. That your best friends fhall wish I had been further. Caf. Good friends, go in, and tafte fome wine with me,

And we, like friends, will ftraightway go together. Bru. That every like is not the fame, OCæfar, [Afide. The heart of Brutus yearns to think upon! [Exeunt.