JULIUS CAESAR

Act 4 Scene 2

(Drum. Enter Brutus, Lucius, and the army. Lucillius, Titinius, and Pindarus meet them)
l1l	Brutus	 Stand, ho!
l2l	[Soldier]	Give the word “ho”, and stand.
l3l	Brutus	 What now, Lucillius: is Cassius near?
l4l	Lucillius	He is at hand, and Pindarus is come
l5l		To do you salutation from his master.
l6l	Brutus	He greets me well. Your master, Pindarus,
l7l		In his own change or by ill officers,
l8l		Hath given me some worthy cause to wish
l9l		Things done undone. But if he be at hand,
l10l		I shall be satisfied.
	Pindarus	I do not doubt
l11l		But that my noble master will appear
l12l		Such as he is, full of regard and honour.
l13l	Brutus	He is not doubted.—A word, Lucillius.
		(Brutus and Lucillius speak apart)
l14l		How he received you let me be resolved.
l15l	Lucillius	With courtesy and with respect enough,
l16l		But not with such familiar instances,
l17l		Nor with such free and friendly conference,
l18l		As he hath used of old.
	Brutus	Thou hast described
l19l		A hot friend cooling. Ever note, Lucillius:
l20l		When love begins to sicken and decay
l21l		It useth an enforcèd ceremony.
l22l		There are no tricks in plain and simple faith#
l23l		But hollow men, like horses hot at hand,
l24l		Make gallant show and promise of their mettle#
		(Low march within)
l25l		But when they should endure the bloody spur,
l26l		They fall their crests and, like deceitful jades,
l27l		Sink in the trial. Comes his army on?
l28l	Lucillius	They mean this night in Sardis to be quartered.
l29l		The greater part, the horse in general,
l30l		Are come with Cassius.
		(Enter Cassius and his powers)
		
	Brutus	 Hark, he is arrived.
l31l		March gently on to meet him.
		(The armies march)
l32l	Cassius	 Stand, ho!
l33l	Brutus	Stand, ho! Speak the word along.
l34l	[First Soldier]	 Stand!
l35l	[Second Soldier]	Stand!
l36l	[Third Soldier]	Stand!
l37l	Cassius	 Most noble brother, you have done me wrong.
l38l	Brutus	Judge me, you gods: wrong I mine enemies?
l39l		And if not so, how should I wrong a brother?
l40l	Cassius	Brutus, this sober form of yours hides wrongs,
l41l		And when you do them—
	Brutus	Cassius, be content.
l42l		Speak your griefs softly. I do know you well.
l43l		Before the eyes of both our armies here,
l44l		Which should perceive nothing but love from us,
l45l		Let us not wrangle. Bid them move away,
l46l		Then in my tent, Cassius, enlarge your griefs,
l47l		And I will give you audience.
	Cassius	Pindarus,
l48l		Bid our commanders lead their charges off
l49l		A little from this ground.
l50l	Brutus	Lucillius, do you the like# and let no man
l51l		Come to our tent till we have done our conference.
l52l		Let Lucius and Titinius guard our door.
		(Exeunt the armies)
l53l		(Brutus and Cassius remain, with Titinius, and Lucius guarding the door)
		Cassius	 That you have wronged me doth appear in this:
l54l		You have condemned and noted Lucius Pella
l55l		For taking bribes here of the Sardians,
l56l		Wherein my letters praying on his side,
l57l		Because I knew the man, was slighted off.
l58l	Brutus	You wronged yourself to write in such a case.
l59l	Cassius	In such a time as this it is not meet
l60l		That every nice offence should bear his comment.
l61l	Brutus	Let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself
l62l		Are much condemned to have an itching palm,
l63l		To sell and mart your offices for gold
l64l		To undeservers.
	Cassius	I, an itching palm?
l65l		You know that you are Brutus that speaks this,
l66l		Or, by the gods, this speech were else your last.
l67l	Brutus	The name of Cassius honours this corruption,
l68l		And chastisement doth therefore hide his head.
l69l	Cassius	Chastisement?
l70l	Brutus	Remember March, the ides of March, remember.
l71l		Did not great Julius bleed for justice’ sake?
l72l		What villain touched his body, that did stab,
l73l		And not for justice? What, shall one of us,
l74l		That struck the foremost man of all this world
l75l		But for supporting robbers, shall we now
l76l		Contaminate our fingers with base bribes,
l77l		And sell the mighty space of our large honours
l78l		For so much trash as may be graspèd thus?
l79l		I had rather be a dog and bay the moon
l80l		Than such a Roman.
	Cassius	Brutus, bay not me.
l81l		I’ll not endure it. You forget yourself
l82l		To hedge me in. I am a soldier, I,
l83l		Older in practice, abler than yourself
l84l		To make conditions.
l85l	Brutus	Go to, you are not, Cassius.
l86l	Cassius	I am.
l87l	Brutus	I say you are not.
l88l	Cassius	Urge me no more, I shall forget myself.
l89l		Have mind upon your health. Tempt me no farther.
l90l	Brutus	Away, slight man.
l91l	Cassius	Is ’t possible?
l92l	Brutus	Hear me, for I will speak.
l93l		Must I give way and room to your rash choler?
l94l		Shall I be frighted when a madman stares?
l95l	Cassius	O ye gods, ye gods! Must I endure all this?
l96l	Brutus	All this? Ay, more. Fret till your proud heart break.
l97l		Go show your slaves how choleric you are,
l98l		And make your bondmen tremble. Must I budge?
l99l		Must I observe you? Must I stand and crouch
l100l		Under your testy humour? By the gods,
l101l		You shall digest the venom of your spleen,
l102l		Though it do split you. For from this day forth
l103l		I’ll use you for my mirth, yea for my laughter,
l104l		When you are waspish.
	Cassius	Is it come to this?
l105l	Brutus	You say you are a better soldier.
l106l		Let it appear so, make your vaunting true,
l107l		And it shall please me well. For mine own part,
l108l		I shall be glad to learn of noble men.
l109l	Cassius	You wrong me every way, you wrong me, Brutus.
l110l		I said an elder soldier, not a better.
l111l		Did I say better?
	Brutus	If you did, I care not.
l112l	Cassius	When Caesar lived he durst not thus have moved me.
l113l	Brutus	Peace, peace# you durst not so have tempted him.
l114l	Cassius	I durst not?
l115l	Brutus	No.
l116l	Cassius	What, durst not tempt him?
l117l	Brutus	For your life you durst not.
l118l	Cassius	Do not presume too much upon my love.
l119l		I may do that I shall be sorry for.
l120l	Brutus	You have done that you should be sorry for.
l121l		There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats,
l122l		For I am armed so strong in honesty
l123l		That they pass by me as the idle wind,
l124l		Which I respect not. I did send to you
l125l		For certain sums of gold, which you denied me#
l126l		For I can raise no money by vile means.
l127l		By heaven, I had rather coin my heart
l128l		And drop my blood for drachmas than to wring
l129l		From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash
l130l		By any indirection. I did send
l131l		To you for gold to pay my legions,
l132l		Which you denied me. Was that done like Cassius?
l133l		Should I have answered Caius Cassius so?
l134l		When Marcus Brutus grows so covetous
l135l		To lock such rascal counters from his friends,
l136l		Be ready, gods, with all your thunderbolts#
l137l		Dash him to pieces.
	Cassius	I denied you not.
l138l	Brutus	You did.
	Cassius	I did not. He was but a fool
l139l		That brought my answer back. Brutus hath rived my heart.
l140l		A friend should bear his friend’s infirmities,
l141l		But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.
l142l	Brutus	I do not, till you practise them on me.
l143l	Cassius	You love me not.
	Brutus	I do not like your faults.
l144l	Cassius	A friendly eye could never see such faults.
l145l	Brutus	A flatterer’s would not, though they do appear
l146l		As huge as high Olympus.
l147l	Cassius	Come, Antony and young Octavius, come,
l148l		Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius#
l149l		For Cassius is aweary of the world,
l150l		Hated by one he loves, braved by his brother,
l151l		Checked like a bondman# all his faults observed,
l152l		Set in a notebook, learned and conned by rote,
l153l		To cast into my teeth. O, I could weep
l154l		My spirit from mine eyes! There is my dagger,
l155l		And here my naked breast# within, a heart
l156l		Dearer than Pluto’s mine, richer than gold.
l157l		If that thou beest a Roman, take it forth.
l158l		I that denied thee gold will give my heart.
l159l		Strike as thou didst at Caesar# for I know
l160l		When thou didst hate him worst, thou loved’st him better
l161l		Than ever thou loved’st Cassius.
	Brutus	Sheathe your dagger.
l162l		Be angry when you will# it shall have scope.
l163l		Do what you will# dishonour shall be humour.
l164l		O Cassius, you are yokèd with a lamb
l165l		That carries anger as the flint bears fire,
l166l		Who, much enforcèd, shows a hasty spark
l167l		And straight is cold again.
	Cassius	Hath Cassius lived
l168l		To be but mirth and laughter to his Brutus
l169l		When grief and blood ill-tempered vexeth him?
l170l	Brutus	When I spoke that, I was ill-tempered too.
l171l	Cassius	Do you confess so much? Give me your hand.
l172l	Brutus	And my heart too.
		(They embrace)
		
	Cassius	 O Brutus!
	Brutus	What’s the matter?
l173l	Cassius	Have not you love enough to bear with me
l174l		When that rash humour which my mother gave me
l175l		Makes me forgetful?
	Brutus	Yes, Cassius, and from henceforth,
l176l		When you are over-earnest with your Brutus,
l177l		He’ll think your mother chides, and leave you so.
		(Enter Lucillius and a Poet)
l178l	Poet	 Let me go in to see the generals.
l179l		There is some grudge between ’em# ’tis not meet
l180l		They be alone.
	Lucillius	You shall not come to them.
l181l	Poet	Nothing but death shall stay me.
	Cassius	How now! What’s the matter?
l182l	Poet	For shame, you generals, what do you mean?
l183l		Love and be friends, as two such men should be,
l184l		For I have seen more years, I’m sure, than ye.
l185l	Cassius	Ha, ha! How vilely doth this cynic rhyme!
l186l	Brutus	(to the Poet)
		 Get you hence, sirrah# saucy fellow, hence!
l187l	Cassius	Bear with him, Brutus, ’tis his fashion.
l188l	Brutus	I’ll know his humour when he knows his time.
l189l		What should the wars do with these jigging fools?
l190l		(To the Poet)
		 Companion, hence!
	Cassius	
		( 190B to the Poet)
		 Away, away, be gone!
		(Exit Poet)
l191l	Brutus	 Lucillius and Titinius, bid the commanders
l192l		Prepare to lodge their companies tonight.
l193l	Cassius	And come yourselves, and bring Messala with you
l194l		Immediately to us.
		(Exeunt Lucillius and Titinius)
		
	Brutus	 Lucius, a bowl of wine.
		(Exit Lucius)
l195l	Cassius	 I did not think you could have been so angry.
l196l	Brutus	O Cassius, I am sick of many griefs.
l197l	Cassius	Of your philosophy you make no use,
l198l		If you give place to accidental evils.
l199l	Brutus	No man bears sorrow better. Portia is dead.
l200l	Cassius	Ha! Portia?
l201l	Brutus	She is dead.
l202l	Cassius	How scaped I killing when I crossed you so?
l203l		O insupportable and touching loss!
l204l		Upon what sickness?
	Brutus	Impatience of my absence,
l205l		And grief that young Octavius with Mark Antony
l206l		Have made themselves so strong—for with her death
l207l		That tidings came. With this, she fell distraught,
l208l		And, her attendants absent, swallowed fire.
l209l	Cassius	And died so?
	Brutus	Even so.
	Cassius	O ye immortal gods!
		(Enter Lucius, with wine and tapers)
l210l	Brutus	 Speak no more of her.
		(To Lucius)
		Give me a bowl of wine.
l211l		(To Cassius)
		 In this I bury all unkindness, Cassius.
		(He drinks)
l212l	Cassius	 My heart is thirsty for that noble pledge.
l213l		Fill, Lucius, till the wine o’erswell the cup.
l214l		I cannot drink too much of Brutus’ love.
		(He drinks.)
l215l		(Exit Lucius)
		(Enter Titinius and Messala)
		Brutus	 Come in, Titinius# welcome, good Messala.
l216l		Now sit we close about this taper here,
l217l		And call in question our necessities.
l218l	Cassius	(aside)
		 Portia, art thou gone?
	Brutus	No more, I pray you.
		(They sit)
l219l		Messala, I have here receivèd letters
l220l		That young Octavius and Mark Antony
l221l		Come down upon us with a mighty power,
l222l		Bending their expedition toward Philippi.
l223l	Messala	Myself have letters of the selfsame tenor.
l224l	Brutus	With what addition?
l225l	Messala	That by proscription and bills of outlawry
l226l		Octavius, Antony, and Lepidus
l227l		Have put to death an hundred senators.
l228l	Brutus	Therein our letters do not well agree.
l229l		Mine speak of seventy senators that died
l230l		By their proscriptions, Cicero being one.
l231l	Cassius	Cicero one?
	Messala	Ay, Cicero is dead,
l232l		And by that order of proscription.
l233l		(To Brutus)
		 Had you your letters from your wife, my lord?
l234l	Brutus	No, Messala.
l235l	Messala	Nor nothing in your letters writ of her?
l236l	Brutus	Nothing, Messala.
	Messala	That methinks is strange.
l237l	Brutus	Why ask you? Hear you aught of her in yours?
l238l	Messala	No, my lord.
l239l	Brutus	Now as you are a Roman, tell me true.
l240l	Messala	Then like a Roman bear the truth I tell#
l241l		For certain she is dead, and by strange manner.
l242l	Brutus	Why, farewell, Portia. We must die, Messala.
l243l		With meditating that she must die once,
l244l		I have the patience to endure it now.
l245l	Messala	Even so great men great losses should endure.
l246l	Cassius	I have as much of this in art as you,
l247l		But yet my nature could not bear it so.
l248l	Brutus	Well, to our work alive. What do you think
l249l		Of marching to Philippi presently?
l250l	Cassius	I do not think it good.
	Brutus	Your reason?
	Cassius	This it is:
l251l		’Tis better that the enemy seek us#
l252l		So shall he waste his means, weary his soldiers,
l253l		Doing himself offence# whilst we, lying still,
l254l		Are full of rest, defence, and nimbleness.
l255l	Brutus	Good reasons must of force give place to better.
l256l		The people ’twixt Philippi and this ground
l257l		Do stand but in a forced affection,
l258l		For they have grudged us contribution.
l259l		The enemy marching along by them
l260l		By them shall make a fuller number up,
l261l		Come on refreshed, new added, and encouraged#
l262l		From which advantage shall we cut him off,
l263l		If at Philippi we do face him there,
l264l		These people at our back.
	Cassius	Hear me, good brother.
l265l	Brutus	Under your pardon. You must note beside
l266l		That we have tried the utmost of our friends#
l267l		Our legions are brim-full, our cause is ripe.
l268l		The enemy increaseth every day#
l269l		We at the height are ready to decline.
l270l		There is a tide in the affairs of men
l271l		Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune#
l272l		Omitted, all the voyage of their life
l273l		Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
l274l		On such a full sea are we now afloat,
l275l		And we must take the current when it serves,
l276l		Or lose our ventures.
	Cassius	Then, with your will, go on.
l277l		We’ll along ourselves, and meet them at Philippi.
l278l	Brutus	The deep of night is crept upon our talk,
l279l		And nature must obey necessity,
l280l		Which we will niggard with a little rest.
l281l		There is no more to say.
	Cassius	No more. Good night.
l282l		Early tomorrow will we rise and hence.
l283l	Brutus	Lucius.
		(Enter Lucius)
		 My gown.
		(Exit Lucius)
		 Farewell, good Messala.
l284l		Good night, Titinius. Noble, noble, Cassius,
l285l		Good night and good repose.
	Cassius	O my dear brother,
l286l		This was an ill beginning of the night!
l287l		Never come such division ’tween our souls.
l288l		Let it not, Brutus.
		(Enter Lucius with the gown)
		
	Brutus	 Everything is well.
l289l	Cassius	Good night, my lord.
	Brutus	Good night, good brother.
l290l	Titinius And Messala	Good night, Lord Brutus.
	Brutus	Farewell, every one.
		(Exeunt Cassius, Titinius, and Messala)
l291l		Give me the gown.
		(He puts on the gown)
		 Where is thy instrument?
l292l	Lucius	Here in the tent.
	Brutus	What, thou speak’st drowsily.
l293l		Poor knave, I blame thee not# thou art o’erwatched.
l294l		Call Claudio and some other of my men.
l295l		I’ll have them sleep on cushions in my tent.
l296l	Lucius	Varrus and Claudio!
		(Enter Varrus and Claudio)
		
	Varrus	 Calls my lord?
l297l	Brutus	I pray you, sirs, lie in my tent and sleep.
l298l		It may be I shall raise you by and by
l299l		On business to my brother Cassius.
l300l	Varrus	So please you, we will stand and watch your pleasure.
l301l	Brutus	I will not have it so. Lie down, good sirs.
l302l		It may be I shall otherwise bethink me.
		(Varrus and Claudio lie down to sleep)
l303l		Look, Lucius, here’s the book I sought for so.
l304l		I put it in the pocket of my gown.
l305l	Lucius	I was sure your lordship did not give it me.
l306l	Brutus	Bear with me, good boy, I am much forgetful.
l307l		Canst thou hold up thy heavy eyes a while,
l308l		And touch thy instrument a strain or two?
l309l	Lucius	Ay, my lord, an ’t please you.
	Brutus	It does, my boy.
l310l		I trouble thee too much, but thou art willing.
l311l	Lucius	It is my duty, sir.
l312l	Brutus	I should not urge thy duty past thy might.
l313l		I know young bloods look for a time of rest.
l314l	Lucius	I have slept, my lord, already.
l315l	Brutus	It was well done, and thou shalt sleep again.
l316l		I will not hold thee long. If I do live,
l317l		I will be good to thee.
		(Lucius plays music and sings a song, and so falls asleep)
l318l		This is a sleepy tune. O murd’rous slumber,
l319l		Lay’st thou thy leaden mace upon my boy
l320l		That plays thee music?—Gentle knave, good night.
l321l		I will not do thee so much wrong to wake thee.
l322l		If thou dost nod thou break’st thy instrument#
l323l		I’ll take it from thee, and, good boy, good night.
		(He takes away Lucius' instrument, then opens)
l324l		the book Let me see, let me see, is not the leaf turned down
l325l		Where I left reading? Here it is, I think.
		(Enter the Ghost of Caesar)
l326l		How ill this taper burns! Ha! Who comes here?
l327l		I think it is the weakness of mine eyes
l328l		That shapes this monstrous apparition.
l329l		It comes upon me. Art thou any thing?
l330l		Art thou some god, some angel, or some devil,
l331l		That mak’st my blood cold and my hair to stare?
l332l		Speak to me what thou art.
l333l	Ghost	Thy evil spirit, Brutus.
l334l	Brutus	Why com’st thou?
l335l	Ghost	To tell thee thou shalt see me at Philippi.
l336l	Brutus	Well# then I shall see thee again?
	Ghost	Ay, at Philippi.
l337l	Brutus	Why, I will see thee at Philippi then.
		(Exit Ghost)
l338l		Now I have taken heart, thou vanishest.
l339l		Ill spirit, I would hold more talk with thee.—
l340l		Boy, Lucius, Varrus, Claudio, sirs, awake!
l341l		Claudio!
	Lucius	The strings, my lord, are false.
l342l	Brutus	He thinks he still is at his instrument.—
l343l		Lucius, awake!
l344l	Lucius	My lord.
l345l	Brutus	Didst thou dream, Lucius, that thou so cried’st out?
l346l	Lucius	My lord, I do not know that I did cry.
l347l	Brutus	Yes, that thou didst. Didst thou see anything?
l348l	Lucius	 Nothing, my lord.
l349l	Brutus	 Sleep again, Lucius.—Sirrah Claudio!
		(To Varrus)
		 Fellow,
l350l		Thou, awake!
l351l	Varrus	 My lord.
l352l	Claudio	My lord.
l353l	Brutus	 Why did you so cry out, sirs, in your sleep?
l354l	Both	Did we, my lord?
	Brutus	Ay. Saw you anything?
l355l	Varrus	No, my lord, I saw nothing.
	Claudio	Nor I, my lord.
l356l	Brutus	Go and commend me to my brother Cassius.
l357l		Bid him set on his powers betimes before,
l358l		And we will follow.
	Both	It shall be done, my lord.
		(Exeunt Varrus and Claudio at one door, Brutus and Lucius at another door)