452

SCENE IV. Another Part of the Field

-

Alarum. Enter, fighting, Soldiers of both Armies; then BRUTUS,
Young CATO, LUCILIUS, and others

Bru. Yet, countrymen, O, yet hold up your heads!

Cato. Who will go with me?

I will proclaim my name about the field:

I am the son of Marcus Cato, ho!

A foe to tyrants, and my country's friend;
I am the son of Marcus Cato, ho!

[Charges the enemy.

Bru. And I am Brutus, Marcus Brutus, I; Brutus, my country's friend; know me for Brutus!

[Exit, charging the enemy. Young CATO is overpowered, and falls.

Lucil. O young and noble Cato, art thou down?

Why, now thou diest as bravely as Titinius,
And mayst be honored, being Cato's son.

1 Sold. Yield, or thou diest.
Lucil.

There is so much that thou wilt kill me straight;

Only I yield to die.

[Offering money.

Kill Brutus, and be honored in his death.

1 Sold. We must not.

A noble prisoner!

2 Sold. Room, ho! Tell Antony, Brutus is taken.

1 Sold. I'll tell the news.

Here comes the general.

Enter ANTONY

Lucil. 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 alive or dead,

He will be found like Brutus, like himself.

Ant. 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 whether Brutus be alive or dead,
And bring us word unto Octavius' tent
How everything is chanced.

Enter BRUTUS, DARDANIUS, CLITUS, STRATO, and

VOLUMNIUS

[Exeunt.

Bru. Come, poor remains of friends, rest on this rock.
Cli. Statilius showed the torch-light but, my lord,

He came not back; he is or taken or slain.

Bru. Sit thee down, Clitus. Slaying is the word; It is a deed in fashion. Hark thee, Clitus.

[Whispering.

Cli. What! I, my lord? No, not for all the world.
Bru. Peace then! No words.

Cli.

Bru. Hark thee, Dardanius!
Dar.

Cli. O Dardanius!

Dar. O Clitus!

I'll rather kill myself.

[Whispers him.

Shall I do such a deed?

Cli. What ill request did Brutus make to thee?
Dar. To kill him, Clitus. Look, he meditates.

Cli. Now is that noble vessel full of grief,
That it runs over even at his eyes.

Bru. Come hither, good Volumnius: list a word.
Vol. What says my lord?

Bru.

Why, this, Volumnius:

The ghost of Cæsar hath appeared to me
Two several times by night; at Sardis once,
And this last night here in Philippi fields.
I know my hour is come.

Vol.

Not so, my lord.

Bru. Nay, I am sure it is, Volumnius.

Thou seest the world, Volumnius, how it goes;

Our enemies have beat us to the pit.

It is more worthy to leap in ourselves,

Good Volumnius,

[Low alarums.

Than tarry till they push us.
Thou know'st that we two went to school together;
Even for that our love of old, I prithee,

Hold thou my sword-hilts, whilst I run on it.
Vol. That's not an office for a friend, my lord.

[Alarum still.

There is no tarrying here.
and you; - and you, Volumnius. -

Cli. Fly, fly, my lord!
Bru. Farewell to you;
Strato, thou hast been all this while asleep;
Farewell to thee too, Strato. - Countrymen,
My heart doth joy that yet in all my life
I found no man but he was true to me.
I shall have glory by this losing day,

7 Work AntoNY

By this vile conquest shall attain unto.

So, fare you well at once; for Brutus' tongue

Hath almost ended his life's history.

Night hangs upon my eyes; my bones would rest,
That have but labored to attain this hour.

Cli. Fly, my lord, fly!

Bru.

[Alarum. Cry within, "Fly, fly, fly!"

Hence! I will follow.

[Exeunt CLITUS, DARDANIUS, and VOLUMNIUS.

I prithee, Strato, stay thou by thy lord.

Thou art a fellow of a good respect;

Thy life hath had some smatch of honor in it.

Hold then my sword, and turn away thy face

While I do run upon it. Wilt thou, Strato?

Stra. Give me your hand first; fare you well, my lord.

Bru. Farewell, good Strato. [Runs on his sword.] Cæsar, now

be still;

I killed not thee with half so good a will.

[Dies.

Alarum. Retreat. Enter OCTAVIUS, ANTONY, MESSALA,

LUCILIUS, and their Army

Oct. What man is that?

Mes. My master's man. Strato, where is thy master?

Stra. Free from the bondage you are in, Messala.

The conquerors can but make a fire of him;

For Brutus only overcame himself,

And no man else hath honor by his death.

Lucil. So Brutus should be found. I thank thee, Brutus,

That thou hast proved Lucilius' saying true.

Oct. All that served Brutus, I will entertain them.

Fellow, wilt thou bestow thy time with me?

Stra. Ay, if Messala will prefer me to you.
Oct. Do so, good Messala.

Mes. How died my master, Strato?

Stra. I held the sword, and he did run on it.

Mes. Octavius, then take him to follow thee That did the latest service to my master.

Ant. This was the noblest Roman of them all.
All the conspirators, save only he,

Did that they did in envy of great Cæsar;
He only, in a general honest thought
And common good to all, made one of them.
His life was gentle, and the elements

So mixed in him that Nature might stand up
And say to all the world, "This was a man!".

Oct. According to his virtue let us use him,
With all respect and rites of burial.
Within my tent his bones to-night shall lie,
Most like a soldier, ordered honorably.
So, call the field to rest, and let's away,
To part the glories of this happy day.

[Exeunt.

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE.

THE SEVEN AGES OF MAN

From As You Like It, Act II, Scene 7.

ALL the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
lion ames. At first, the infant,