Julius Caesar (15 page)

BRUTUS
    Ride, ride, Messala, ride, and give these
bills
¹

Unto the legions on the
other side
²
.

Let them
set on
³
at once, for I perceive

But
cold
demeanour in
Octavio’s
wing
⁴
,

And sudden
push
⁵
gives them the overthrow.

Ride, ride, Messala: let them all
come down
⁶
.

CASSIUS
    O, look, Titinius, look,
the villains
¹
fly:

Myself have to
mine own
²
turned enemy:

This
ensign
³
here of mine was turning back.

I slew the coward, and did take
it
⁴
from him.

TITINIUS
    O Cassius, Brutus gave the word too early,

Who having some advantage on Octavius,

Took it too eagerly: his soldiers
fell to spoil
⁷
,

Whilst we by Antony are all
enclosed
⁸
.

PINDARUS
    Fly further off, my lord, fly further off.

Mark 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,

Mount thou my horse, and
hide
¹⁶
thy spurs in him,

Till he have brought thee up to yonder troops

And
here
¹⁸
again, that I may rest assured

Whether yond troops are friend or enemy.

TITINIUS
    I will be here again,
even with
²⁰
a thought.

CASSIUS
    Go, Pindarus, get higher on that hill:

My sight was ever
thick
.
Regard
²²
Titinius,

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

This day I breathèd first
²⁴
. Time is come round,

And where I did begin, there shall I end.

My life
is run his compass
²⁶
.— Sirrah, what news?

PINDARUS
    O, my lord!

CASSIUS
    What news?

PINDARUS
    Titinius is enclosèd round about

With horsemen, that make to him
on the spur
³⁰
,

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

Now, Titinius. Now some
light
³²
: O, he lights too.

He’s
ta’en
³³
. And, hark, they shout for joy.

CASSIUS
    Come down, behold no more.

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

To see my best friend ta’en before my face.

Come hither, sirrah.

In
Parthia
³⁸
did I take thee prisoner,

And then I
swore thee
³⁹
, saving of thy life,

That whatsoever I did bid thee do,

Thou shouldst attempt it. Come now, keep thine oath:

Now be a freeman, and with this good sword

That ran through Caesar’s
bowels
,
search
⁴³
this bosom.

Stand
not to answer: here, take thou the
hilts
⁴⁴
,

And when my face is covered, as ’tis now,

Guide thou the sword.— Caesar, thou art revenged,

Even with the sword that killed thee.

PINDARUS
    So, I am free, yet
would not so have been
⁴⁸

Durst I have done my will. O Cassius,

Far from this country Pindarus shall run,

Where never Roman shall
take note of
⁵¹
him.

MESSALA
    It is but
change
⁵²
, Titinius, for Octavius

Is overthrown by noble Brutus’ power,

As Cassius’ legions are by Antony.

TITINIUS
    These tidings will well
comfort
⁵⁵
Cassius.

MESSALA
    Where did you leave him?

TITINIUS
    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,

But Cassius is no more.— O setting sun:

As in thy red rays thou dost sink tonight,

So in his red blood Cassius’ day is set.—

The sun of Rome is set. Our day is gone:

Clouds,
dews
⁶⁷
and dangers come: our deeds are done.

Mistrust
⁶⁸
of my success hath done this deed.

MESSALA
    Mistrust of good success hath done this deed.—

O hateful error, melancholy’s child,

Why dost thou show to the
apt
⁷¹
thoughts of men

The things that are not
⁷²
? O error soon conceived,

Thou never com’st unto a happy birth

But kill’st
the mother
⁷⁴
that engendered thee.

TITINIUS
    What, Pindarus? Where art thou, Pindarus?

MESSALA
    Seek him, Titinius, whilst I go to meet

The noble Brutus, thrusting this report

Into his ears. I may say, thrusting it:

For piercing steel and
darts
envenomèd
⁷⁹

Shall be as welcome to the ears of Brutus

As tidings of this sight.

TITINIUS
    Hie you, Messala,

And I will seek for Pindarus the while.—

Why didst thou send me forth, brave Cassius?

Did I not meet thy friends? And did not they

Put on my brows this
wreath of victory
⁸⁶

And bid me give it thee? Didst thou not hear their shouts?

Alas, thou hast misconstrued everything.

But hold thee, take this garland on thy brow:

Thy Brutus bid me give it thee, and I

Will do his bidding.— Brutus, come
apace
⁹¹
,

And see how I
regarded
⁹²
Caius Cassius.—

By your leave, gods: this is a Roman’s
part
⁹³
.—

Come, Cassius’ sword, and find Titinius’ heart.

BRUTUS
    Where, where, Messala, doth his body lie?

MESSALA
    Lo, yonder, and Titinius mourning it.

BRUTUS
    Titinius’ face is upward.

CATO
    He is slain.

BRUTUS
    O Julius Caesar, thou art mighty yet,

Thy spirit walks abroad and turns our swords

In our
own proper
¹⁰¹
entrails.

CATO
    Brave Titinius,

Look
whe’er
¹⁰³
he have not crowned dead Cassius.

BRUTUS
    Are yet two Romans living such as these?—

The last of all the Romans, fare thee well:

It is impossible that ever Rome

Should breed thy
fellow
¹⁰⁷
.— Friends, I owe more tears

To this dead man than you shall see me pay.—

I shall find time, Cassius: I shall find time.—

Come therefore, and to
Thasos
¹¹⁰
send his body.

His funerals shall not be in our camp,

Lest it
discomfort
¹¹²
us.— Lucilius, come,

And come, young Cato: let us to the field.

Labio and Flavius set our
battles
¹¹⁴
on:

’Tis three o’clock, and, Romans, yet ere night

We shall
try
¹¹⁶
fortune in a second fight.

BRUTUS
    Yet, countrymen: O yet, hold up your heads!

CATO
    What
bastard
²
doth not? Who will go with me?

I will proclaim my name about the field.

I am the son of
Marcus Cato
⁴
, ho!

A foe to tyrants, and my country’s friend.

I am the son of Marcus Cato, ho!

LUCILIUS
    And
I am Brutus
⁷
, Marcus Brutus, I!

Brutus, my country’s friend: know me for Brutus!

O young and noble Cato, art thou down?

Why, now thou diest as bravely as Titinius,

And mayst be honoured, being Cato’s son.

FIRST SOLDIER
    Yield, or thou diest.

LUCILIUS
    
Only I yield to die
¹³
:

There is
so much
that thou wilt kill me
straight
¹⁴
:

Kill Brutus, and be honoured in his death.

FIRST SOLDIER
    We must not: a noble prisoner!

SECOND SOLDIER
    
Room, ho
¹⁷
: tell Antony, Brutus is ta’en.

FIRST SOLDIER
    I’ll tell the news. Here comes the general.

Brutus is ta’en, Brutus is ta’en, my lord.

ANTONY
    Where is he?

LUCILIUS
    Safe, Antony, Brutus is safe enough:

I dare assure thee that no enemy

Shall ever take alive the noble Brutus:

The gods defend him from so great a shame!

When you do find him,
or
²⁵
alive or dead,

He will be found like Brutus, like himself.

ANTONY
    This is not Brutus, friend, but, I assure you,

A prize no less in worth. Keep this man safe,

Give him all kindness. I had rather have

Such men my friends than enemies. Go on,

And see whe’er Brutus be alive or dead,

And bring us word unto Octavius’ tent

How everything
is chanced
³³
.

BRUTUS
    Come, poor
remains
¹
of friends, rest on this rock.

CLITUS
    Statilius
showed the torch-light
²
, but, my lord,

He came not back: he is or ta’en or slain.

BRUTUS
    Sit thee down, Clitus: slaying is the word.

It is a deed in fashion. Hark thee, Clitus.

CLITUS
    What, I, my lord? No, not for all the world.

BRUTUS
    Peace then, no words.

CLITUS
    I’ll rather kill myself.

BRUTUS
    Hark thee, Dardanius.

DARDANIUS
    Shall I do such a deed?

CLITUS
    O Dardanius!

DARDANIUS
    O Clitus!

CLITUS
    What ill request did Brutus make to thee?

DARDANIUS
    To kill him, Clitus. Look, he meditates.

CLITUS
    Now is that noble vessel full of grief,

That it runs over even at his eyes.

BRUTUS
    Come hither, good Volumnius,
list
¹⁷
a word.

VOLUMNIUS
    What says my lord?

BRUTUS
    Why this, Volumnius:

The ghost of Caesar hath appeared to me

Two
several
²¹
times by night: at Sardis once,

And this last night, here in Philippi fields:

I know my hour is come.

VOLUMNIUS
    Not so, my lord.

BRUTUS
    Nay, I am sure it is, Volumnius.

Thou seest the world, Volumnius, how it goes.

Our enemies have
beat
us to the
pit
²⁷
: