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You know that you are Brutus that speak this,

Or, by the gods, this speech were else your last.
Brutus. The name of Cassius honors this corruption,
And chastisement doth therefore hide his head.

Cassius. Chastisement!

Brutus. Remember March, the ides of March remember : Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake? What villain touched 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 space of our large honors For so much trash as may be grasped thus? I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon, Than such a Roman.

Cassius.

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.

Brutus.

Cassius. I am.

Go to; you are not, Cassius.

Brutus. I say you are not.

Cassius. Urge me no more, I shall forget myself; Have mind upon your health, tempt me no further. Brutus. Away, slight man!

Cassius. Is 't possible?

Brutus.

Hear me, for I will speak.

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

Cassius. O ye gods, ye gods! must I endure all this? Brutus. All this! ay, more: fret till your proud heart break;

Go show your slaves how choleric you are,

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

Cassius.

Is it come to this?

Brutus. 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,

20 I shall be glad to learn of noble men.

Cassius. You wrong me every way; you wrong me,

Brutus ;

I said, an elder soldier, not a better:

Did I say "better"?

Brutus.

If

you did, I care not.

I

Cassius. When Cæsar lived, he durst not thus have

moved me.

Brutus. Peace, peace! you durst not so have tempted

him.

Cassius. I durst not?

Brutus. No.

Cassius. What, durst not tempt him?

Brutus.

For your life you durst not.

Cassius. Do not presume too much upon my love ; may do that I shall be sorry for. Brutus. You have done that you should be sorry for. There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats, For I am armed so strong in honesty 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 For I can raise no money by vile means: By heaven, I had rather coin my heart,

denied me:

And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring
From the hard hands 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 answered Caius Cassius so?
When Marcus Brutus grows so covetous,
To lock such rascal counters from his friends,

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Be ready, gods, with all your thunderbolts;

That brought my answer back. - Brutus hath rived my

heart:

5 A friend should bear his friend's infirmities,
But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.
Brutus. I do not, till you practice them on me.
Cassius. You love me not.

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Brutus.

I do not like your faults.

Cassius. A friendly eye could never see such faults. Brutus. A flatterer's would not, though they do appear As huge as high Olympus.

Cassius. Come, Antony, and young Octavius, come, Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius,

For Cassius is aweary of the world;

15 Hated by one he loves; braved by his brother;
Checked like a bondman; all his faults observed,
Set in a note-book, learned, and conned by rote,
To cast into my teeth. O, I could weep

My spirit from mine eyes! There is my dagger, 20 And here my naked breast; within, a heart

Dearer than Plutus' mine; richer than gold:
If that thou be'st a Roman, take it forth;
I, that denied thee gold, will give my heart:

Strike, as thou didst at Cæsar; for, I know,

When thou didst hate him worst, thou lov'dst him better Than ever thou lov'dst Cassius.

Brutus.

Sheathe your dagger:

Be angry when you will, it shall have scope;

Do what you will, dishonor shall be humor.
O Cassius, you are yokèd with a lamb
That carries anger as the flint bears fire;
Who, much enforced, shows a hasty spark,
And straight is cold again.

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