Good friends, sweet friends, let me not stir you up To any sudden flood of mutiny.

They that have done this deed are honourable. What private griefs they have, alas ! 1 know not, That made them do it; they are wise and honourable; And will, no doubt with reason answer you.

1 come not, friends, to steal away your hearts;
I am no orator, as Brutus is:

But, as you know me all, a plain blunt man,
That love my friend : and that they know full well,
That gave me public leave to speak of him:
For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth,
Action nouit'rance, nor the pow'r of speeeh,
To stir men's blood; I only speak right on:
I tell you that which you yourselves do know ;
Show you sweet Cæsar's wounds, poor, poor dum'
mouths!

And bid them speak for me. But were I Brutus,
Ang Brutus Antony, there were an Antony
Would ruffle up your spirits, and put a tongue
In ev'ry wound of Cæsar, that should move
The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny

SHAKSPEARE.

-0000ED.

CHAP. XXV.

THE QUARREL OF BRUTUS AND CASSIUS.

CAS. THAT you have wrong'd me, doth appear

in this,

You have condemn' and noted Lucius Pella
For taking bribe here.of the sardians;
Wherei my letter (praying on his side,
Because i knew the man) was slighted of
BRU You wrong'd yourself, to write in such

case

CAS In such a time as this it is not meet, That ev'ry nice offence should bear its comment.

BAU. Yet 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 spake this,
Or, by the gods, this speech were else your last.
BRU The name of Cassius honours this corruption,›
And chastisement doth therefore hide its head.

CAS. Chastisment!

BRW. Remember March, the ides of March_re.. member!

Did not great Jalius 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,
But for supporting robbers; shall we now
Contaminate our fingers with base bribes ?
And sell the mighty meed of our large honours
For so much trash as may be grasped thus
I'd rather be a dog, and bay the moon,
Than such a Roman.

CAS. Brutus, bay not me,

I'll not endure it; you forget yourself,
To hedge me in; I am a soldier, I,
Older in practice, abler than yourself."
To make conditions.

BRU. Go to you are not, Cassius..
CAS. I am.

BRU. I say you are not..

CAS. Urge me no more, I shall forget myself→→ Have mind upon your health-tempt me no farther... BRU. Away, slight man ! :

CAS. Is't possible?

BRU Hear me, for I will speak.

Must I give way and room to your rash choler ?
Shall I be frighted when a madman stares?

CAS. O gods! ye gods? must I endure all this?
Bu. All this! ay more.-Fret till your proud,
heart break ;
Gg 2

Go, tell your slaves how choleric you are,

And make your bondmen tremble. Must I budge?
Must I observe you! must I stand and crouch
Under your testy humour? By the gods,
You shall digest the venom of your spleen,
Though it do split you: for from this day forth,
I'll use you for my mirth, yea for my laughter,
When you are waspish.

CAS. Is it come to this?

BRU You say, you are a better soldier: Let it appear so; make your vaunting true, And it shall please me well. For mine own part,

I shall be glad to learn of noble men.

CAE. You wrong me ev'ry way-you wrong me. Brutus ;

I said an elder soldier, not a better;

Did I say better?

BRU. If you did, I care not.

CAS. When Cæsar liv'd, he durst not thus have mov'd me

BRU. Peace, peace; you durst not so have tempted

him.

CAS. I durst not!

BRU, NO.

CAS. What? durst not tempt him?

BRU. For your life you durst not.

CAS. Do not presume too much upon my love; I may do what I shall be sorry for

BRU. You have done that you should be sorry for. There is no terrour, Cassius, in your threats; For I am arm'd so strong in honesty,

7

That they pass by me as the idle wind,
Which I respect not. I did send to you
For certain sums of gold, which you denied me;
For I can raise no money by vile means.
By Heaven, I had rather coin my heart,
And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring
From the haid hand of peasants their vile trash
By any indirection. I did send

To you for gold to pay my legions,

Which you denied me was that done like Cassius?
Should I have answer'd Caius Cassius so?
When Marcus Brutus grows so covetous,
To lock such rascal counters from his friends,
Be ready, gods, with all your thunder bolts,
Dash him to pieces!

CAS. I deny'd you not.
BRU. You did.

CAS. I did not-he was but a fool
That brought my answer back.

riv'd my heart..

Brutus hath ba

A friend should bear a friend's infirmities.
But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.
BRU. I do not,-Still you practice them on me.
CAS. You love me not..

BRY. I do not like your

faults.

CAS. A friendly eye could never see such faults. BRU. A flatt'ier's would not, tho' they do appe. As huge as high Olympus,

CAS. Come, Antony, and young Octavious, come! : Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius,

For Cassius is weary of the world;

Hated by one he loves; brav'd by his brother;
Check'd by a bondman; all his faults observ'd រ
Set in a note-book, learn'd, and conn'd by rote,
To cast into my teeth. O, I could weep
My spirit from mine eyes!-There is my dagger,
And here my naked breast; within, a heart
Dearer than Plutus' mine, richer than gold;
If that thou need'st a Roman's, take it forth.
I, that deny'd thee gold will give my heart;
Strike as thou didst at Cæsar: for I know,
When thou didst hate him worst, thou loy'dst him
better

Than ever thou lov'dst Cassius.

BRU. Sheathe your dagger;

Be angry when you will, it shall have

scope; :

Do what you will, dishonour shall be humour.
O Cassius, you are yoked with a lamb,
That carries anger as the flint bears fire ;
Which, much enforced, shows a hasty spark,'

Gg 3

And

And straight is cold again.

CAS. Hath Cassius liv'd

To be but mirth and laughter to his Brutus,
When grief, and blood ill-temper'd vexeth him?
BRU. When I spoke that, I was ill temper'd too.
CAS. Do you confess so much? give me your hand.
BRU. And my heart too.

CAS. O Brutus !

BRU. What's the matter?

CAS. Have you not leve enough to bear with me, When that rash humour which my mother gave me, Makes me forgetful ?

BRU. Yes, Cassius, and from henceforth

When you are over earnest with your Brutus, He'll think your mother chides, and leave you so. SHAKSPEARE

D

0000

CHAP. XXVI.

OTHELLO AND IAGO.

IAGO. MY noble Lord,-

OтH. What dost thou say, Iago?

IAGO. Did Michael Cassio, when you woo'd my Lady,

Know of your love?

OTH. He did, from first to last. Why do you ask?

IAGO. But for satisfaction of my thought,

No farther harm.

OTH. Why of thy thought, Iago?

IAGO. I did not think he'd been acquainted with it. Отн. Oh, yes, and went between us very oft. IACO. Indeed?

OTH. Indeed! ay, indeed. Discern'st thou aught in that?

Is he honest?

IAGO Honest, my Lord?

OTH Honest? ay, honest.

JAGO. My Lord, for aught I know.

OTH.