ACT V. SCENE I. The Plains of Philippi. Enter OCTAVIUS, ANTONY, and their Army. Ant. Tut! I am in their bosoms, and I know Enter a Messenger. Mess. Prepare you, generals; The enemy comes on in gallant show: Ant. Octavius, lead your battle softly on, Upon the left hand of the even field. 8 Oct. Upon the right hand I; keep thou the left. Drum. Enter BRUTUS, CASSIUS, and their Army; Bru. They stand, and would have parley. WARN US] To warn is to summon. The use of the word in this sense was not uncommon. See "King John," Vol. iv. p. 24, &c. Cas. Stand fast, Titinius: we must out and talk. Bru. Words before blows; is it so, countrymen? tavius. Ant. In your bad strokes, Brutus, you give good words: Witness the hole you made in Cæsar's heart, Cas. Antony, The posture of your blows are yet unknown; But for your words, they rob the Hybla bees, And leave them honeyless. Ant. Not stingless, too. Bru. O! yes, and soundless too; For you have stol'n their buzzing, Antony, And very wisely threat before you sting. Ant. Villains! you did not so when your vile dag gers Hack'd one another in the sides of Cæsar: You show'd your teeth like apes, and fawn'd like hounds, And bow'd like bondmen, kissing Cæsar's feet; Struck Cæsar on the neck. O, you flatterers ! Cas. Flatterers !-Now, Brutus, thank yourself : This tongue had not offended so to-day, If Cassius might have rul'd. Oct. Come, come, the cause: if arguing make us sweat, The proof of it will turn to redder drops. When think you that the sword goes up again? 9 Never, till Cæsar's three and thirty wounds Oct. So I hope : I was not born to die on Brutus' sword. Cas. A peevish schoolboy, worthless of such honour, Join'd with a masker and a reveller. Ant. Old Cassius still. Oct. Come, Antony; away! Defiance, traitors, hurl we in your teeth. If you dare fight to-day, come to the field; If not, when you have stomachs. [Exeunt OCTAVIUS, ANTONY, and their Army. Cas. Why now, blow wind, swell billow, and swim bark! The storm is up, and all is on the hazard. Bru. Ho! Lucilius; hark, a word with you. My lord. This is my birth-day; as this very day Was Cassius born. Give me thy hand, Messala: Be thou my witness, that against my will, As Pompey was, am I compell'd to set Upon one battle all our liberties. 9 three and THIRTY wounds] This is the reading of all the old copies. Theobald changed it to three and twenty, and he was certainly supported by Plutarch, Suetonius, &c.; but we are not thereby warranted in changing the text as it has come down to us, and as it was probably written by Shakespeare : as Ritson showed, Beaumont and Fletcher committed a similar error in their "Noble Gentleman," where they spoke of Cæsar's two and thirty wounds. Our great dramatist probably considered historical accuracy in such a matter of no importance. VOL. VII. G You know, that I held Epicurus strong, Mes. Believe not so. Cas. I but believe it partly, For I am fresh of spirit, and resolv'd To meet all perils very constantly. Bru. Even so, Lucilius. Cas. Now, most noble Brutus, The gods to-day stand friendly, that we may, Bru. Even by the rule of that philosophy, 1 I know not how, &c.] Warburton thought that something had been lost here, but the sentence is only inverted: "Arming myself with patience to stay (or await) the providence, &c. I do find it cowardly and vile," &c. Cas. Then, if we lose this battle, You are contented to be led in triumph Thorough the streets of Rome? Bru. No, Cassius, no: think not, thou noble Roman, That ever Brutus will go bound to Rome; He bears too great a mind: but this same day Bru. Why then, lead on. O, that a man might know The end of this day's business, ere it come ! And then the end is known. -Come, ho! away! [Exeunt. SCENE II. The Same. The Field of Battle. Alarum. Enter BRUTUS and MESSALA. Bru. Ride, ride, Messala, ride, and give these bills Unto the legions on the other side. [Loud Alarum. Let them set on at once; for I perceive But cold demeanour in Octavius' wing, And sudden push gives them the overthrow. Ride, ride, Messala: let them all come down. [Exeunt. |