A Street. 2 CIT. Truly, sir, in respect of a fine workman, I am but, as you would say, a cobbler. MAR. But what trade art thou? Answer me directly.b 2 CIT. A trade, sir, that I hope I may use with a safe conscience; which is, indeed, sir, a mender of bad soles. MAR. What trade, thou knave? thou naughty knave, what trade? 2 CIT. Nay, I beseech you, sir, be not out with me: yet if you be out, sir, I can mend you. MAR. What meanest thou by that? Mend me, thou saucy fellow ? 2 CIT. Why, sir, cobble you. c What trade, thou knave? &c.] In the old copies this speech is erroneously assigned to Flavius. FLAV. Thou art a cobbler, art thou? 2 CIT. Truly, sir, all that I live by is with the awl: I meddle with no tradesman's matters, nor women's matters, but with awl. I am, indeed, sir, a surgeon to old shoes; when they are in great danger, I re-cover them. As proper men as ever trod upon neat's-leather have gone upon my handiwork. FLAV. But wherefore art not in thy shop today? Why dost thou lead these men about the streets? 2 CIT. Truly, sir, to wear out their shoes, to get myself into more work. But, indeed, sir, we make holiday, to see Cæsar, and to rejoice in his triumph. MAR. Wherefore rejoice? What conquest brings he home? What tributaries follow him to Rome, O, you hard hearts, you cruel men of Rome, And do you now put on your best attire? Run to your houses, fall upon your knees, FLAV. Go, go, good countrymen, and, for this fault, Assemble all the poor men of your sort; [Exeunt Citizens. See, whêr their basest metal be not mov'd; They vanish tongue-tied in their guiltiness. a I meddle with no tradesman's matters, &c.] Farmer conjectured that the true reading is, "I meddle with no trade, man's matters," &c.; and, substituting trades for trade, we incline to his opinion. b Wherefore rejoice? &c.] "This was in the beginning of B. C. 44 (A. U. c. 709), when Cæsar. having returned from Spain in the preceding October, after defeating the sons of Pompey at the Battle of Munda (fought 17 March, B. c. 45), had been appointed Consul for the next ten years, and Dictator for life. The festival of the Lupercalia, at which he was offered and declined the crown, Go you down that way towards the Capitol; You know it is the feast of Lupercal. FLAV. It is no matter; let no images Will make him fly an ordinary pitch; SCENE II.-The same. [Exeunt. A public Place. was celebrated 13th February, B. c. 44, and he was assassinate 15th March following, being then in his fifty-sixth year."— CRAIK'S English of Shakespeare, p. 71. cwith ceremonies.] See note (c), p. 23, Vol. II. d Bid every noise be still:-peace yet again!] If this did not originally form a continuation of Cæsar's previous speech, the regulation we presume to have been : "CASCA. Bid every noise be still:-peace yet! CES. Who is it," &c. Again! look, Be not deceiv'd: if I have veil'd CAS. Then, Brutus, I have much mistook your passion; By means whereof this breast of mine hath buried And it is very much lamented, Brutus, a The Ides of March.] The Ides (Idus) fell on the 15th of March, May, July, and October, and on the 13th of the remaining months. b Merely-] Purely, solely, entirely. But by reflection by some other things.] Here, not improbably, the poet wrote, of some other things," And, since you know you cannot see yourself [Flourish and shout. BRU. What means this shouting? I do fear the people Choose Cæsar for their king. CAS. Ay, do you fear it ? Then must I think you would not have it so. BRU. I would not, Cassius; yet I love him well. But wherefore do you hold me here so long? CAS. I know that virtue to be in you, Brutus, I had as lief not be as live to be I was born free as Cæsar; so were you: And bade him follow: so, indeed, he did. or, "-from some other things," the second "by" in the o.d text being an accidental repetition of the compositor. d Were I a common laugher,-] Rowe's correction; the old copy having, "Laughter." As Mr. Craik remarks, neither word seems to be quite satisfactory. Cæsar cried, Help me, Cassius, or I sink. I, as Æneas, our great ancestor, Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder The old Anchises bear, so from the waves of Tiber Did I the tired Cæsar: and this man Is now become a god; and Cassius is A wretched creature, and must bend his body How he did shake: 't is true, this god did shake: And bear the palm alone. [Flourish, and shout. I do believe that these applauses are For some new honours that are heap'd on Cæsar. CAS. Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world Like a Colossus; and we petty men Men at some time are masters of their fates: Why should that name be sounded more than yours? Write them together, yours is as fair a name; Rome, thou hast lost the breed of noble bloods! wide walks-] Modern editors nearly all adopt the emendation, wide walls, proposed by Rowe, but the original, "wide walks," i.e. "spacious bounds," ought not to be displaced. "In, the time of civill warres the souldiers of the Castell and chanons of Old Sarum fell at ods, insomuch that after other bralles they fell at last to sad blowes. It happened therefore in a rogation weeke that the clergie going in solemne procession a controversie fell betweene them about certeine walkes and limits which the one side claimed and the other denied. Such also was the hot entertainment on ech part, that at the last the Castellanes espieng their time, gate betweene the cleargie and the towne, and so cotled them as they returned homeward, that they feared anie a That her wide walks encompass'd but one man? O, you and I have heard our fathers say, There was a Brutus once that would have brook'd BRU. That you do love me, I am nothing jealous; What you would work me to, I have some aim; I will with patience hear; and find a time Than to repute himself a son of Rome CAS. I am glad that my weak words Have struck but thus much show of fire from [turning. Brutus. BRU. The games are done, and Cæsar is reCAS. As they pass by, pluck Casca by the sleeve; And he will, after his sour fashion, tell you What has proceeded worthy note to-day. Re-enter CESAR and his Train. BRU. I will do so:-but, look you, Cassius, The angry spot doth glow on Cæsar's brow, And all the rest look like a chidden train : Calphurnia's cheek is pale; and Cicero Looks with such ferret and such fiery eyes, As we have seen him in the Capitol, Being cross'd in conference by some senators. CAS. Casca will tell us what the matter is. CES. Antonius, ANT. Cæsar. CAS. Let me have men about me that are fat; Sleek-headed men, and such as sleep o' nights: Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look; He thinks too much: such men are dangerous." ANT. Fear him not, Cæsar, he's not dangerous; He is a noble Roman, and well given. more to gang about their bounds for a yeare.-HOLINSHED's Description of Britaine, p. 57. b Let me have men about me that are fat; " &c.] So in North's translation of Plutarch's Life of Julius Cæsar:-"Cæsar also had Cassius in great jealousie, and suspected him much: whereupon he said on a time to his friends, what wil Cassius do, thinke ye I like not his pale lookes. Another time when Cæsars friends complained unto him of Antonius and Dolabella, that they pretended some mischiefe towards him, he answered them again, As for those fat men and smooth combed heads, quoth he, I never reckon of them; but these pale visaged and carion leane people, I feare them most, meaning Brutus and Cassius." CES. Would he were fatter!-but I fear him not: Yet if my name were liable to fear, I do not know the man I should avoid Quite through the deeds of men: he loves no plays, As thou dost, Antony; he hears no music: [Exeunt CESAR and his Train. CASCA CASCA. You pull'd me by the cloak; would you speak with me? BRU. Ay, Casea; tell us what hath chanc'd today, That Cæsar looks so sad? CASCA. Why, you were with him, were you not? BRU. I should not, then, ask Casca what had chanc'd. CASCA. Why, there was a crown offered him: and being offered him, he put it by with the back of his hand, thus; and then the people fell a shouting. BRU. What was the second noise for? CAS. They shouted thrice: what was the last cry for? CASCA. Why, for that too. BRU. Was the crown offered him thrice? CASCA. Ay, marry, was't, and he put it by thrice, every time gentler than other; and at every putting-by, mine honest neighbours shouted. CAS. Who offered him the crown? BRU. Tell us the manner of it, gentle Casca. CASCA. I can as well be hanged as tell the manner of it: it was mere foolery; I did not mark it. I saw Mark Antony offer him a crown ;-yet 't was not a crown neither, 'twas one of these coronets; and, as I told you, he put it by once; but for all that, to my thinking, he would fain have had it. Then he offered it to him again; then he put it by again: but, to my thinking, he was very loth to lay his fingers off it. And then he offered it the third time; he put it the third time by: and still as he refused it, the rabblement shouted," and clapped their chapped hands, and threw up their the rabblement shouted,-] This emendation is due to Hanmer, the first three folios having howted, and the fourth houted. EE |