No, Cefar fhall not; Danger knows full well,
That Cæfar is more dangerous than he;

We were two lions litter'd in one day,
And I the elder and more terrible:
And Cæfar thall 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 houfe, 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 fhall fay, I am not well
And, for thy humour, I will ftay at home,

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,

To bear my Greeting to the Senators,

And tell them that I will not come to-day :
Cannot, is fulfe; and that I dare not, falser;
Tell them fo, Decius,

I will not come to-day.
Cal. Say, he is fick.

9 In old editions,

to the whole; and the fentiment

We heard two lions. -] The will neither be unworthy of

firft folio,

We heareThe copies have been all corrupt, and the paffage, of course, unin telligible. But the flight alteration, I have made, reftores fenfe

Shakespeare, nor the boat too extravagant for Cæfar in a vein of vanity to utter: that he and Danger were two twin whelps of a lion, and he the elder, and more terrible of the two.. THEOB.

Caf

Caf. Shall Cafar fend a lye?

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

Dec. Moft mighty Cafar, let me know fome cause, Left I be laugh'd at, when I tell them fo. 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.
Calpburnia here, my wife, ftays me at home:
She dreamt laft night, fhe faw my Statue,
Which, like a fountain with an hundred spouts,
Did run pure blood and many lufty Romans
Came fmiling, and did bathe their hands in it.
These the 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 Calpburnia's Dream is fignify'd.

!—and that Great Men fhall prejs For tinctures, ftains, relicks, and cognisance.] That this dream of the ftatue's fpouting blood fhould fignify, the increase of power and empire to Rome from the influence of Cafar's arts and arms, and wealth and honour to the noble Romans through his beneficence, expreffed by the words, From you, great Rome fhall fuck reviving blood,

Caf.

Caf. And this way have you well expounded it. Dec. I have, when you have heard what I can say; And know it now, the Senate have concluded To give this day a Crown to mighty Cafar. 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, "Freak up the Senate 'till another time, "When Cafar's Wife fhall meet with better Dreams." If Cæfar hide himself, fhall they not whifper,

"Lo, Cæfar is afraid!"

Pardon me, Cæfar; 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. And, look,

tude only; and if fo, it appears that fome lines are wanting between this and the preceding; which want fhould, for the future, be marked with afterifks. The fenfe of them is not difficult to recover, and, with it, the propriety of the line in queftion. The fpeaker had faid, the Statue fignified, that by Cafar's influence Rome fhould flourish and increafe in empire, and that great men fhould prefs to him to partake of his good fortune, jult as men run with handkerchiefs, &c. to dip them in the blood of martyrs, that they may partake of their merit. It is true, the thought is from the Chriftian Hillory; but fo fmall an anachronifm is nothing with our poet. Befides, it is not my interpretation which introduces it, it was there before:

For the line in question can bear no other fenfe than as an allufion to the blood of the Martyrs, and the fuperftition of fome Churches with regard to it, WARB.

I am not of opinion that any thing is loft, and have therefore marked no omiffion. The fpeech, which is intentionally pompous, is fomewhat confufed. There are two allufions; one to coats armorial, to which princes make additions, or give new tinctures, and new marks of cognisance; the other to martyrs, whose reliques are preferved with veneration. The Romans, fays Brutus, all come to you as to a faint, for reliques, as to a prince, for ho

nours.

2 And reafon, &c.] And reason, or propriety of conduct and language, is fubordinate to my love,

SCENE

S CEN E VI.

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

Where Publius is come to fetch me.
Pub. Good-morrow, Cafar.

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. Cæfar, 'tis ftricken eight.

Caf. I thank you for your pains and courtesy,

Enter Antony.

See! Antony, that revels long o' nights,
Is notwithstanding up. Good-morrow, Antony.
Ant. So to most noble Cæfar.

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 store 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, O Cafar,

The heart of Brutus yerns to think upon!

[Exeunt.

SCENE

C

Changes to a Street near the Capitol.

Enter Artemidorus, reading a paper.

ÆSAR, beware of Brutus; take heed of Caffius ; come not near Cafca; have an eye to Cinna; truft not Trebonius; mark well Metellus Cimber; Decius Brutus loves thee not; thou hast wrong'd Caius Ligarius. There is but one mind in all these men, and it is bent against Cæfar. If thou beft not immortal, look about thee; fecurity gives way to confpiracy. The mighty Gods defend thee!

Thy Lover, Artemidorus:

Here will I ftand, 'till Cafar pass along,
And as a fuitor will I give him this.
My heart laments, that virtue cannot live
Out of the teeth of emulation.

If thou read this, O Cæfar, thou may'st live;
If not, the fates with Traitors do contrive.

Enter Porcia and Lucius.

[Exit.

Por. I pr'ythee, Boy, run to the Senate-house;
Stay not to answer me, but get thee gone.
Why doft thou stay?

Luc. To know my errand, Madam.

Por. I would have had thee there, and here again, Ere I can tell thee what thou fhouldft do thereConftancy, be ftrong upon my fide,

Set a huge mountain 'tween my heart and tongue;
I have a man's mind, but a woman's might.
How hard it is for women to keep counsel!

Art thou here yet?

3-the fates with Traitors do contrive.] The fates join with traitors in contriving thy deftruction.

Luc,