editions put into wrong mouths, different from the first published by the author) I think this liberty not unreasonable. POPE. -Stoop, Romans, stoop,- Mr. Pope has arbitrarily taken away the remainder of this speech from Brutus, and placed it to Casca: because he thinks nothing is more inconsistent with Brutus's mild and philosophical character. I have made bold to restore the speech to its right owner. Brutus esteem'd the death of Cæsar a sacrifice to liberty: and, as such, gloried in his heading the enterprize. Besides, our poet is strictly copying a fact in history. Plutarch, in the life of Cæsar, says, "Brutus and his followers, being yet hot "with the murder, march'd in a body from the senate "house to the Capitol, with their drawn swords, with 66 an air of confidence and assurance." And, in the Life of Brutus,-" Brutus and his party betook "themselves to the Capitol, and in their way, shewing "their hands all bloody, and their naked swords, pro"claim'd liberty to the people." Dr. Warburton follows Pope. THEOBALD. JOHNSON. 22 Our arms, in strength of malice, and our hearts,] To you (says Brutus) our swords have leaden points} our arms, strong in the deed of malice they have just performed, and our hearts united like those of brothers in the action, are yet open to receive you with all possible affection. The supposition that Brutus meant their hearts were of brothers temper in respect of Antony, seems to have misled those who have considered this passage before. I have re-placed the old reading. Mr. Pope first substituted the words exempt from, in its place. STEEVENS, 23 -crimson'd in thy lethe.] Mr. Theobald says, The dictionaries acknowledge no such word as lethe; yet he is not without supposition, that Shakspeare coin'd the word; and yet, for all that, the 1 might be a d imperfectly wrote, therefore he will have death instead of it. After all this pother, lethe was a common 'French word, signifying death or destruction, from the Latin lethum. WARBURTON. 24 Cry Havock,] A learned correspondent has in formed me, that in the military operations of old times, havock was the word by which declaration was made, that no quarter should be given. In a tract intitled The Office of the Conestable & Mareschall in the Tyme of Werre, contained in the Black Book of the Admiralty, there is the following chapter. "The peyne of hym that crieth havock and of them "that followeth hym. etit. v." " Item Si quis inventus fuerit qui clamorem in"ceperit qui vocatur Havok." .. "Also that no man be so hardy to crye Havok upon peyne that he that is begynner shal be deede there"fore: & the remanent that doo the same or folow "shall lose their horse & harneis: and the persones "of such as foloweth & escrien shal be under arrest " of the Conestable & Mareschall warde untó tyme "that they have made fyn; & founde suretie no morr "to offende; & his body in prison at the Kyng "wylle.-" JOHNSON. 25 Romans, countrymen, and lovers!] There is no where, in all Shakspeare's works, a stronger proof of his not being what we call a scholar than this; or of his not knowing any thing of the genius of learned antiquity. This speech of Brutus is wrote in imitation of his famed laconic brevity, and is very fine in its kind; but no more like that brevity, than his times were like Brutus's. The ancient laconic brevity was simple, natural, and easy: this is quaint, artificial, gingling, and abounding with forced antitheses. In a word, a brevity, that for its false eloquence would have suited any character, and for its good sense would have become the greatest of our author's time; but yet, in a stile of declaiming, that sits as ill upon Brutus as our author's trowsers or collar-band would have done. 26 Cæsar has had great wrong.] WARBURTON. 3 Pleb. Cæsar had never wrong but with just cause. If ever there was such a line written by Shakspeare, I should fancy it might have its place here, and very humorously in the character of a plebeian. One might believe Ben Jonson's remark was made upon no better credit than some blunder of an actor in speaking that verse near the beginning of the third act, Know, Cæsar doth not wrong; nor without cause But the verse, as cited by Ben connect with, Will he be satisfied. Jonson, does not Perhaps this play was never printed in Ben Jonson's time, and so he had nothing to judge by, but as the actor pleased to speak it. POPE. I have inserted this note, because it is Pope's, for it is otherwise of no value. It is strange that he should so much forget the date of the copy before him, as to think it not printed in Jonson's time. JOHNSON. 27 Even at the base of Pompey's statua,] Shakspeare took these very words from sir Thomas North's translation of Plutarch:- 66 against the very base whereon Pompey's image stood, which run all a gore blood, till he was slain.” STEEVENS. 28 On this side Tiber;] The scene is here in the Forum near the Capitol, and in the most frequented part of the city; but Cæsar's gardens were very remote from that quarter. Trans Tiberim longe cubat is, prope Cæsaris hortos, says Horace and both the naumachia and gardens of Cæsar were separated from the main city by the river; and lay out wide, on a line with mount Janiculum. Our author therefore certainly wrote, On that side Tyber ; and Plutarch, whom Shakspeare very diligently studied, in the life of Marcus Brutus, speaking of Cæsar's will, expressly says, that he left to the public his gar dens, and walks, beyond the Tiber. THEOBALD. This emendation has been adopted by the subse quent editors; but hear the old translation, where Shakspeare's study lay. "He bequeathed unto every "citizen of Rome seventy-five drachmas a man, and "he left his gardens and arbours unto the people, "which he had on this side of the river Tiber." FARMER. 29 Upon condition Publius shall not live,] Mr. Upton has sufficiently proved that the poet has made a mistake as to this character mentioned by Lepidus. Lucius, not Publius, was the person meant, who was uncle by the mother's side to mark Antony: and in consequence of this, he concludes, that Shakspeare wrote, You are his sister's son, Mark Antony. This mistake, however, is more like the mistake of the author (who has already substituted Decius in the room of Decimus) than of his transcriber or printer. STEEVENS. 30 A barren-spirited fellow; one that feeds On objects, arts, and imitations; &c.] "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 presume, form his ideas and judgement upon them: stale and obsolete imitation, indeed, fixes such a character. I am persuaded, to make the poet consonant 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. |