Julius Caesar
Octavius, I have seen more days than you;
And though we lay these honours on this man,
To ease ourselves of divers sland’rous loads,
He shall but bear them as the ass bears gold,
To groan and sweat under the business,
Either led or driven, as we point the way;
And having brought our treasure where we will,
Then take we down his load, and turn him off,
Like to the empty ass, to shake his ears,
And graze in commons.
OCTAVIUS.
You may do your will;
But he’s a tried and valiant soldier.
ANTONY.
So is my horse, Octavius; and for that
I do appoint him store of provender.
It is a creature that I teach to fight,
To wind, to stop, to run directly on,
His corporal motion govern’d by my spirit.
And, in some taste, is Lepidus but so:
He must be taught, and train’d, and bid go forth:
A barren-spirited fellow; one that feeds
On objects, arts, and imitations,
Which, out of use and stal’d by other men,
Begin his fashion. Do not talk of him
But as a property. And now, Octavius,
Listen great things. Brutus and Cassius
Are levying powers; we must straight make head.
Therefore let our alliance be combin’d,
Our best friends made, our means stretch’d;
And let us presently go sit in council,
How covert matters may be best disclos’d,
And open perils surest answered.
OCTAVIUS.
Let us do so: for we are at the stake,
And bay’d about with many enemies;
And some that smile have in their hearts, I fear,
Millions of mischiefs.
[_Exeunt._]
SCENE II. Before Brutus’ tent, in the camp near Sardis.
Drum. Enter Brutus, Lucilius, Titinius and Soldiers; Pindarus meeting
them; Lucius at some distance.
BRUTUS.
Stand, ho!
LUCILIUS.
Give the word, ho! and stand.
BRUTUS.
What now, Lucilius! is Cassius near?
LUCILIUS.
He is at hand, and Pindarus is come
To do you salutation from his master.
[_Pindarus gives a letter to Brutus._]
BRUTUS.
He greets me well. Your master, Pindarus,
In his own change, or by ill officers,
Hath given me some worthy cause to wish
Things done, undone: but, if he be at hand,
I shall be satisfied.
PINDARUS.
I do not doubt
But that my noble master will appear
Such as he is, full of regard and honour.
BRUTUS.
He is not doubted. A word, Lucilius;
How he received you, let me be resolv’d.
LUCILIUS.
With courtesy and with respect enough,
But not with such familiar instances,
Nor with such free and friendly conference,
As he hath us’d of old.
BRUTUS.
Thou hast describ’d
A hot friend cooling. Ever note, Lucilius,
When love begins to sicken and decay
It useth an enforced ceremony.
There are no tricks in plain and simple faith;
But hollow men, like horses hot at hand,
Make gallant show and promise of their mettle;
[_Low march within._]
But when they should endure the bloody spur,
They fall their crests, and like deceitful jades
Sink in the trial. Comes his army on?
LUCILIUS.
They meant this night in Sardis to be quarter’d;
The greater part, the horse in general,
Are come with Cassius.
Enter Cassius and Soldiers.
BRUTUS.
Hark! he is arriv’d.
March gently on to meet him.
CASSIUS.
Stand, ho!
BRUTUS.
Stand, ho! Speak the word along.
FIRST SOLDIER.
Stand!
SECOND SOLDIER.
Stand!
THIRD SOLDIER.
Stand!
CASSIUS.
Most noble brother, you have done me wrong.
BRUTUS.
Judge me, you gods; wrong I mine enemies?
And if not so, how should I wrong a brother?
CASSIUS.
Brutus, this sober form of yours hides wrongs;
And when you do them—
BRUTUS.
Cassius, be content.
Speak your griefs softly, I do know you well.
Before the eyes of both our armies here,
Which should perceive nothing but love from us,
Let us not wrangle. Bid them move away;
Then in my tent, Cassius, enlarge your griefs,
And I will give you audience.
CASSIUS.
Pindarus,
Bid our commanders lead their charges off
A little from this ground.
BRUTUS.
Lucilius, do you the like; and let no man
Come to our tent till we have done our conference.
Lucius and Titinius, guard our door.
[_Exeunt._]
SCENE III. Within the tent of Brutus.
Enter Brutus and Cassius.
CASSIUS.
That you have wrong’d me doth appear in this:
You have condemn’d and noted Lucius Pella
For taking bribes here of the Sardians;
Wherein my letters, praying on his side
Because I knew the man, were slighted off.
BRUTUS.
You wrong’d yourself to write in such a case.
CASSIUS.
In such a time as this it is not meet
That every nice offence should bear his comment.
BRUTUS.
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.
CASSIUS.
I an itching palm!
You know that you are Brutus that speak this,
Or, by the gods, this speech were else your last.
BRUTUS.
The name of Cassius honours 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 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 space of our large honours
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, bait 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.
Go to; you are not, Cassius.
CASSIUS.
I am.
BRUTUS.
I say you are not.
CASSIUS.
Urge me no more, I shall forget myself;
Have mind upon your health, tempt me no farther.
BRUTUS.
Away, slight man!
CASSIUS.
Is’t possible?
BRUTUS.
Hear me, for I will speak.
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,
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.
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,
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.
CASSIUS.
When Caesar liv’d, he durst not thus have mov’d 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.
I 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 arm’d 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 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 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 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 thunderbolts,
Dash him to pieces!
CASSIUS.
I denied you not.
BRUTUS.
You did.
CASSIUS.
I did not. He was but a fool
That brought my answer back. Brutus hath riv’d my heart.
A friend should bear his friend’s infirmities;
But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.
BRUTUS.
I do not, till you practise them on me.
CASSIUS.
You love me not.
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 a-weary of the world:
Hated by one he loves; brav’d by his brother;
Check’d like a bondman; all his faults observ’d,
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 be’st a Roman, take it forth.
I, that denied thee gold, will give my heart:
Strike as thou didst at Caesar; for I know,
When thou didst hate him worst, thou lovedst him better
Than ever thou lovedst Cassius.
BRUTUS.
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,
Who, much enforced, shows a hasty spark,
And straight is cold again.
CASSIUS.
Hath Cassius liv’d
To be but mirth and laughter to his Brutus,
When grief and blood ill-temper’d vexeth him?
BRUTUS.
When I spoke that, I was ill-temper’d too.
CASSIUS.
Do you confess so much? Give me your hand.
BRUTUS.
And my heart too.
CASSIUS.
O Brutus!
BRUTUS.
What’s the matter?
CASSIUS.
Have not you love enough to bear with me,
When that rash humour which my mother gave me
Makes me forgetful?
BRUTUS.
Yes, Cassius; and from henceforth,
When you are over-earnest with your Brutus,
He’ll think your mother chides, and leave you so.
Enter Poet, followed by Lucilius, Titinius and Lucius.
POET.
[_Within._] Let me go in to see the generals,
There is some grudge between ’em; ’tis not meet
They be alone.
LUCILIUS.
[_Within._] You shall not come to them.
POET.
[_Within._] Nothing but death shall stay me.
CASSIUS.
How now! What’s the matter?
POET.
For shame, you generals! What do you mean?
Love, and be friends, as two such men should be;
For I have seen more years, I’m sure, than ye.
CASSIUS.
Ha, ha! How vilely doth this cynic rhyme!
BRUTUS.
Get you hence, sirrah. Saucy fellow, hence!
CASSIUS.
Bear with him, Brutus; ’tis his fashion.
BRUTUS.
I’ll know his humour when he knows his time.
What should the wars do with these jigging fools?
Companion, hence!
CASSIUS.
Away, away, be gone!
[_Exit Poet._]
BRUTUS.
Lucilius and Titinius, bid the commanders
Prepare to lodge their companies tonight.
CASSIUS.
And come yourselves and bring Messala with you
Immediately to us.
[_Exeunt Lucilius and Titinius._]
BRUTUS.
Lucius, a bowl of wine.
[_Exit Lucius._]
CASSIUS.
I did not think you could have been so angry.
BRUTUS.
O Cassius, I am sick of many griefs.
CASSIUS.
Of your philosophy you make no use,
If you give place to accidental evils.
BRUTUS.
No man bears sorrow better. Portia is dead.
CASSIUS.
Ha? Portia?
BRUTUS.
She is dead.
CASSIUS.
How ’scap’d I killing, when I cross’d you so?
O insupportable and touching loss!
Upon what sickness?
BRUTUS.
Impatient of my absence,
And grief that young Octavius with Mark Antony
Have made themselves so strong; for with her death
That tidings came. With this she fell distract,
And, her attendants absent, swallow’d fire.
CASSIUS.
And died so?
BRUTUS.
Even so.
CASSIUS.
O ye immortal gods!
Enter Lucius, with wine and a taper.
BRUTUS.
Speak no more of her. Give me a bowl of wine.
In this I bury all unkindness, Cassius.
[_Drinks._]
CASSIUS.
My heart is thirsty for that noble pledge.