All. Peace, ho! Hear Antony, most noble Antony.
Ant, Why, friends, you go to do you know not
what.

Wherein hath Cæfar thus deferv'd your loves?
Alas, you know not. I must tell you then.-
You have forgot the will, I told you of,

All. Moft true;-the will,-let's ftay, and hear the will.

Ant. Here is the will, and under Cæfar's feal. To every Roman citizen he gives,

To every several man, feventy-five drachmas. 2 Pleb. Moft noble Cæfar!

death.

3 Pleb. O royal Cæfar!
Ant. Hear me with patience.
All. Peace, ho!

We'll revenge his

Ant. Moreover, he hath left you all his walks,
His private arbours, and new-planted orchards,
"On this fide Tiber; he hath left them you,
And to your heirs for ever; common pleasures,
To walk abroad, and recreate yourselves.
Here was a Cæfar: When comes fuch another?

1 Pleb, Never, never: come, away, away:

5 On this fide Tiber;] The fcene is here in the Forum near the Capitol, and in the most frequented part of the city; but Cæfar's gardens were very remote from that quarter.

Trans Tiberim longe cubat is, prope Cæfaris hortos,

fays Horace and both the Naumachia and gardens of Cæfar were feparated from the main city by the river; and lay out wide, on a line with Mount Janiculum. Our author therefore certainly wrote,

On that fide Tyber;

and Plutarch, whom Shakespeare very diligently ftudied, in the life of Marcus Brutus, fpeaking of Cæfar's will, exprefly fays, That he left to the public his gardens, and walks, beyond the Ti

ber.

THEOB.

"He

This emendation has been adopted by the fubfequent editors; but hear the old tranflation, where Shakespeare's fludy lay. "bequeathed unto every citizen of Rome feventy five drachmas a "man, and he left his gardens and arbours unto the people, "which he had on this fide of the river Tiber."

F 4

FARMER.

We'll

We'll burn his body in the holy place,

And with the brands fire all the traitors' houfes.
Take up the body.

2 Pieb. Go, fetch fire.

3 Pleb. Pluck down benches.

4 Pleb. Pluck down forms, windows, any thing. [Exeunt Plebeians with the body. Ant. Now let it work: Mifchief, thou art afoot, Take thou what course thou wilt!. -How now, fellow?

Enter a Servant.

Serv. Octavius is already come to Rome.
Ant. Where is he?

Serv. He and Lepidus are at Cæfar's house.
Ant. And thither will I ftraight, to vifit him:
He comes upon a wifh. Fortune is merry,
And in this mood will give us any thing.

Serv. I heard him fay, Brutus and Caffius
Are rid, like madmen, through the gates of Rome.
Ant. Belike they had fome notice of the people,
How I had mov'd them. Bring me to Octavius.
[Exeunt.

❝SCENE III.

Enter Cinna the Poet, and after him the Plebeians.

Cin. I dreamt to-night, that I did feaft with Cæfar, And things unluckily charge my fantasy:

I have no will to wander forth of doors,

Yet fomething leads me forth.

6

1 Pleb. What is your name?
2 Pleb. Whither are you going?
3 Pleb. Where do you dwell?

4

Pleb. Are you a married man, or a bachelor?

• The fubject of this scene is taken from Plutarch. STEEVENS.

2 Pleb.

2 Pleb. Answer every man directly.

1 Pleb. Ay, and briefly.

4 Pleb. Ay, and wifely.

3

Pleb Ay, and truly, you were best.

Cin. What is my name? Whither am I going? Where do I dwell? Am I a married man, or a bachelor? Then to answer every man directly and briefly, wifely and truly. Wifely, I fay, I am a bachelor.

2 Pleb. That's as much as to fay, they are fools that marry you'll bear me a bang for that, I fear. Proceed: Directly.

Cin. Directly, I am going to Cæfar's funeral. 1 Pleb. As a friend, or an enemy?

Cin. As a friend.

2 Pleb. That matter is anfwer'd directly.
4 Pleb. For your dwelling :-Briefly.
Cin Briefly, I dwell by the Capitol.
3 Pleb. Your name, fir. Truly.
Cin. Truly, my name is Cinna.

1 Pleb. Tear him to pieces, he's a conspirator. Cin. I am Cinna the poet, I am Cinna the poet. 4 Pleb. Tear him for his bad verses, tear him for his bad verses.

Cin. I am not Cinna the confpirator.

4 Pleb. It is no matter, his name's Cinna; pluck out his name out of his heart, and turn him going. 3 Pleb. Tear him, tear him. Come, brands, ho firebrands.

To Brutus', to Caffius', burn all. Some to Decius'

house,

And fome to Cafca's; fome to Ligarius's: Away:

Go.

[Exeunt.

ACT

ACT

IV.

SCENE I.

7

On a fmall Island near Mutina.

Enter Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus.

ANTONY.

HESE many then shall die. Their names are prick'd.

TH

Oda. Your brother too muft die; confent you,
Lepidus?

Lep. I do confent.

Ofta. Prick him down, Antony.

Lep. Upon condition, Publius fhall not live, Who is your fifter's fon, Mark Antony.

Ant. He fhall not live. Look, with a spot I damn

him.

But, Lepidus, go you to Cæfar's house;

Fetch the will hither, and we shall determine
How to cut off fome charge in legacies.
Lep. What, fhall I find you here?
Qa. Or here, or at the Capitol. [Exit Lepidus.
Ant. This is a flight, unmeritable man,

"A Small Island] Mr. Rowe, and Mr. Pope after him, have mark'd the scene here to be at Rome. The old copies fay nothing of the place. Shakespeare, 1 dare fay, knew from Plutarch, that thefe Triumvirs met, upon the profcription, in a little island; which Appian, who is more particular, fays, lay near Mutina, upon the river Lavinius.

THEOB.

A small island in the little river Rhenus near Bononia. HANMER. 8 Upon condition, Publius fhall not live,] Mr. Upton has fufficiently proved that the poet has made a mistake as to this character mentioned by Lepidus. Lucius, not Publius, was the perfon meant, who was uncle by the mother's fide to Mark Antony: and in confequence of this, he concludes, that Shakespeare wrote,

You are his fifler's fon, Mark Antony.

This mistake, however, is more like the mistake of the author, (who has already fubftituted Decius in the room of Decimus) than of his transcriber or printer.

STEEVENS.

Meet

Meet to be fent on errands: Is it fit,

The three-fold world divided, he should stand
One of the three to fhare it ?

Octa. So you thought him;

And took his voice who fhould be prick'd to die,
In our black fentence and profcription.

you:

Ant. Octavius, I have feen more days than
And though we lay thefe honours on this man,
To ease ourselves of divers flanderous loads,
He fhall but bear them, as the afs 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.

Olia. You may do your will;

But he's a try'd and valiant foldier,

Ant. So is my horfe, Octavius: and, for that,
I do appoint him ftore 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 fome tafte, is Lepidus but fo;
He must be taught, and train'd, and bid go
A barren-fpirited fellow, one that feeds

In the old editions,

A barren-fpirited fellow, one that feeds

On objects, arts, and imitations, &c.

forth:

On

"Tis hard to conceive, why he should be call'd a barren Spirited fellow that could feed either on objects or arts: that is, as I prefume, form his ideas and judgment upon them: fale and obfolete imitation, indeed, fixes fuch a character. I am perfuaded, to make the poet confonant to himself, we must read, as I have restored the text,

On abject orts,

i. e. on the scraps and fragments of things rejected and despised by

others.

THEOBALD.