Brutus. The deep of night is crept upon our talk,

And nature must obey necessity;

Which we will niggard[124] with a little rest.

There is no more to say?

Cassius.

No more. Good night:

230Early to-morrow will we rise, and hence.

Brutus. Lucius! [Re-enter Lucius][125] My gown.

[Exit Lucius].[126] Farewell, good Messala:

Good night, Titinius: noble, noble Cassius,

Good night, and good repose.

Cassius.

O my dear brother!

This was an ill beginning of the night:

235Never come such division 'tween our souls!

Let it not, Brutus.

Brutus.

Every thing is well.

Cassius. Good night, my lord.

Brutus.

Good night, good brother.

Brutus.

Farewell, every one.

Give me the gown. Where is thy instrument?

Lucius. Here in the tent.

240Brutus.

What, thou speak'st drowsily?

Poor knave,[129] I blame thee not; thou art o'er-watch'd.[130]

Call Claudius[131] and some other of my men;

I'll have them sleep on cushions in my tent.

Lucius. Varro[132] and Claudius!

245Varro. Calls my lord?

Brutus. I pray you, sirs, lie in my tent and sleep;

It may be I shall raise you by-and-by

On business to my brother Cassius.

Varro. So please you, we will stand and watch your pleasure.

250Brutus. I will not have it so: lie down, good sirs;

It may be I shall otherwise bethink me.

Look, Lucius, here's the book I sought for so;

I put it in the pocket of my gown.[134]

[Varro and Claudius lie down][135]

Lucius. I was sure your lordship did not give it me.

255Brutus. Bear with me, good boy, I am much forgetful.

Canst thou hold up thy heavy eyes awhile,

And touch thy instrument a strain or two?

Lucius. Ay, my lord, an 't please you.

Brutus.

It does, my boy:

I trouble thee too much, but thou art willing.

260Lucius. It is my duty, sir.

Brutus. I should not urge thy duty past thy might;

I know young bloods[136] look for a time of rest.

Lucius. I have slept, my lord, already.

Brutus. It was well done; and thou shalt sleep again;

265I will not hold thee long: if I do live,

I will be good to thee.

This is a sleepy tune. O murderous slumber,[137][138]

Lay'st thou thy leaden mace[139] upon my boy,

That plays thee music?[140] Gentle knave, good night;

270I will not do thee so much wrong to wake thee:

If thou dost nod, thou break'st thy instrument;

I'll take it from thee; and, good boy, good night.

Let me see, let me see; is not the leaf turn'd down

Where I left reading? Here it is, I think.[141]

275How ill this taper burns![143] Ha! who comes here?

I think it is the weakness of mine eyes

That shapes this monstrous apparition.[144]

It comes upon me. Art thou any thing?

Art thou some god, some angel, or some devil,

280That mak'st my blood cold, and my hair to stare?[145]

Speak to me what thou art.

Ghost. Thy evil spirit, Brutus.

Now I have taken heart thou vanishest:[147]

Ill spirit, I would hold more talk with thee.

Boy, Lucius! Varro![132] Claudius! Sirs, awake!

290Claudius!

Lucius. The strings, my lord, are false.[148]

Brutus. He thinks he still is at his instrument.

Lucius, awake!

Lucius. My lord?

295Brutus. Didst thou dream, Lucius, that thou so criedst out?

Lucius. My lord, I do not know that I did cry.

Brutus. Yes, that thou didst: didst thou see any thing?

Lucius. Nothing, my lord.

Brutus. Sleep again, Lucius. Sirrah Claudius!

300[To Varro][149] Fellow thou, awake!

Varro. My lord?

Claudius. My lord?

Brutus. Why did you so cry out, sirs, in your sleep?

Brutus.

Ay: saw you any thing?

Varro.[150] No, my lord, I saw nothing.

Claudius.

305Nor I, my lord.

Brutus. Go and commend me[151] to my brother Cassius;

Bid him set on[152] his powers betimes[153] before,

And we will follow.

Octavius. Now, Antony, our hopes are answered:

You said the enemy would not come down,

But keep the hills and upper regions.

It proves not so: their battles[2] are at hand;

5They mean to warn[3] us at Philippi here,

Answering before we do demand of them.

Antony. Tut, I am in their bosoms,[4] and I know

Wherefore they do it: they could be content

To visit other places, and come down

10With fearful bravery,[5] thinking by this face

To fasten in our thoughts that they have courage;

But 'tis not so.

Messenger.

Prepare you, generals:

The enemy comes on in gallant show;

Their bloody sign[6] of battle is hung out,

15And something to be done immediately.

Antony. Octavius, lead your battle softly on,

Upon the left hand of the even field.[7]

Octavius. Upon the right hand I; keep thou the left.

Antony. Why do you cross me in this exigent?[8]

20Octavius. I do not cross you; but I will do so.[9]

Brutus. They stand, and would have parley.

Cassius. Stand fast, Titinius: we must out and talk.

Octavius. Mark Antony, shall we give sign of battle?

Antony. No, Cæsar, we will answer on their charge.

25Make forth; the generals would have some words.

Octavius. Stir not until the signal.

Brutus. Words before blows: is it so, countrymen?

Octavius. Not that we love words better, as you do.

Brutus. Good words are better than bad strokes, Octavius.

30Antony. In your bad strokes, Brutus, you give good words.

Witness the hole you made in Cæsar's heart,

Crying, 'Long live! hail, Cæsar!'

Cassius.

Antony,

The posture of your blows[12] are[13] yet unknown;

But, for your words, they rob the Hybla[14] bees,

And leave them honeyless.

35Antony.

Not stingless too.

Brutus. O, yes, and soundless too;

For you have stol'n their buzzing, Antony,

And very wisely threat before you sting.

Antony.[15] Villains, you did not so, when your vile daggers

40Hack'd one another in the sides of Cæsar:

You show'd your teeth[16] like apes, and fawn'd like hounds,[17]

And bow'd like bondmen, kissing Cæsar's feet;

Whilst damned Casca, like a cur, behind

Struck[18] Cæsar on the neck. O you flatterers!

45Cassius. Flatterers! Now, Brutus, thank yourself:

This tongue had not offended so to-day,

If Cassius might have rul'd.

Octavius.[19] Come, come, the cause: if arguing make us sweat,

The proof of it will turn to redder drops.

50Look;[20]

I draw a sword against conspirators;

When think you that the sword goes up[21] again?

Never, till Cæsar's three and thirty wounds[22]

Be well aveng'd; or till another Cæsar

55Have added slaughter to the sword of traitors.[23]

Brutus. Cæsar, thou canst not die by traitors' hands,

Unless thou bring'st them with thee.

Octavius.

So I hope;

I was not born to die on Brutus' sword.

Brutus. O, if thou wert the noblest of thy strain,[24]

60Young man, thou couldst not die more honourable.

Cassius. A peevish[25] schoolboy, worthless of such honour,

Join'd with a masker and a reveller!

Antony. Old Cassius still!

Octavius.

Come, Antony; away!

Defiance, traitors, hurl we in your teeth;

65If you dare fight to-day, come to the field;

If not, when you have stomachs.[26]

Cassius.[28] Why, now, blow wind, swell billow, and swim bark!

The storm is up, and all is on the hazard.

Brutus. Ho, Lucilius! hark, a word with you.

70Lucilius. [Standing forth][29] My lord?

Cassius. Messala!

Messala.

What says my general?

Cassius.

Messala,[31]

This is my birth-day; as[32] this very day

Was Cassius born. Give me thy hand, Messala:

Be thou my witness that, against my will,

75As Pompey was,[33] am I compell'd to set

Upon one battle all our liberties.

You know that I held Epicurus strong,[34]

And his opinion: now I change my mind,

And partly credit things that do presage.

80Coming from Sardis, on our former[35][36] ensign

Two mighty eagles fell, and there they perch'd,

Gorging and feeding from our soldiers' hands;

Who to Philippi here consorted us:

This morning are they fled away and gone;

85And in their steads[37] do ravens, crows, and kites,

Fly o'er our heads and downward look on us,

As we were sickly prey: their shadows seem

A canopy most fatal, under which

Our army lies, ready to give up the ghost.

Messala. Believe not so.

90Cassius.

I but believe it partly;

For I am fresh of spirit, and resolv'd

To meet all perils[38] very constantly.

Brutus. Even so, Lucilius.

Cassius.

Now, most noble Brutus,

The gods to-day stand friendly, that we may,

95Lovers in peace, lead on our days to age!

But, since the affairs of men rests[39] still incertain,

Let's reason with the worst that may befall.

If we do lose this battle, then is this

The very last time we shall speak together:

100What are you then determined to do?

Brutus. Even by the rule of that philosophy

By[40] which I did blame Cato for the death

Which he did give himself: I know not how,

But I do find it cowardly and vile,

105For fear of what might fall, so to prevent

The time[41] of life: arming myself with patience

To stay the providence of some high powers

That govern us below.

Cassius.

Then, if we lose this battle,

You are contented to be led in triumph

110Thorough[42] the streets of Rome?[43]

Brutus.[44] No, Cassius, no: think not, thou noble Roman,

That ever Brutus will go bound to Rome;

He bears too great a mind.[45] But this same day

Must end that work the Ides[46] of March begun;

115And whether we shall meet again I know not.

Therefore our everlasting farewell take.

For ever, and for ever, farewell, Cassius!

If we do meet again, why, we shall smile;

If not, why then this parting was well made.

120Cassius. For ever, and for ever, farewell, Brutus!

If we do meet again, we'll smile indeed;

If not, 'tis true this parting was well made.

Brutus. Why, then, lead on. O, that a man might know

The end of this day's business ere it come!

125But it sufficeth that the day will end,

And then the end is known. Come, ho! away!

Brutus. Ride, ride, Messala, ride, and give these bills[48]

Unto the legions on the other side:[49]

Let them set on at once; for I perceive

But cold demeanour in Octavius'[50] wing,

5And sudden push gives them the overthrow.

Ride, ride, Messala: let them all come down.

Cassius. O, look, Titinius, look, the villains fly!

Myself have to mine own turn'd enemy.

This ensign[52] here of mine was turning back;

I slew the coward, and did take it from him.

5Titinius. O Cassius, Brutus gave the word too early;

Who, having some advantage on Octavius,

Took it too eagerly: his soldiers fell to spoil,

Whilst we by Antony are all enclos'd.

Pindarus. Fly further off, my lord, fly further off;

10Mark Antony is in your tents, my lord:

Fly, therefore, noble Cassius, fly far off.

Cassius. This hill is far enough. Look, look, Titinius;

Are those my tents where I perceive the fire?

Titinius. They are, my lord.

Cassius.

Titinius, if thou lovest me,

15Mount thou my horse, and hide thy spurs in him,

Till he have brought thee up to yonder troops,[53]

And here again; that I may rest assur'd

Whether yond troops are friend or enemy.

Titinius. I will be here again, even with a thought.[54]

20Cassius. Go, Pindarus, get higher[55] on that hill;

My sight was ever thick;[56] regard Titinius,

And tell me what thou not'st about the field.

This day I breathed first: time is come round,

And where I did begin, there shall I end;

25My life is run his compass. Sirrah, what news?

Pindarus. [Above] O my lord!

Cassius. What news?

Pindarus. [Above][58] Titinius is enclosed round about

With horsemen, that make to him on the spur;

30Yet he spurs on. Now they are almost on him.

Now, Titinius! Now some light. O, he lights too:

He's ta'en.[59] [Shout] And, hark! they shout for joy.

Cassius. Come down; behold no more.

O, coward that I am, to live so long,

35To see my best friend ta'en before my face!

Come hither, sirrah:

In Parthia did I take thee prisoner;[61]

And then I swore thee, saving of thy life,[62]

That whatsoever I did bid thee do,

40Thou shouldst attempt it. Come now, keep thine oath;

Now be a freeman; and with this good sword,

That ran through Cæsar's bowels, search this bosom.

Stand not to answer: here, take thou the hilts;[63]

And, when my face is cover'd, as 'tis now,

45Guide thou the sword. [Pindarus stabs him][64] Cæsar, thou art reveng'd,

Even with the sword[65] that kill'd thee.

Pindarus. So, I am free; yet would not so have been,[67]

Durst I have done my will. O Cassius!

Far from this country Pindarus shall run,

50Where never Roman shall take note of him.[68]

Messala. It is but change,[71] Titinius; for Octavius

Is overthrown by noble Brutus' power,

As Cassius' legions are by Antony.

Titinius. These tidings will well comfort Cassius.

Messala. Where did you leave him?

55Titinius.

All disconsolate,

With Pindarus his bondman, on this hill.

Messala. Is not that he that lies upon the ground?

Titinius. He lies not like the living. O my heart!

Messala. Is not that he?

Titinius.

No, this was he, Messala,

60But Cassius is no more. O setting sun,

As in thy red rays thou dost sink to night,[72]

So in his red blood Cassius' day is set;[73][74]

The sun[75] of Rome is set! Our day is gone;

Clouds, dews, and dangers come; our deeds are done!

65Mistrust of my success hath done this deed.

Messala. Mistrust of good success hath done this deed.

The things that are not?[76] O error, soon conceiv'd,

70Thou never com'st unto a happy birth,

But kill'st the mother that engender'd[77] thee!

Titinius. What, Pindarus! where art thou, Pindarus?