For I can raise no money by vile means.

By heaven, I had rather coin my heart

And drop my blood for drachmas than to wring

From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash

By any indirection. I did send

To you for gold to pay my legions,

Which you denied me. Was that done like Cassius?

Should I have answered Caius Cassius so?

When Marcus Brutus grows so covetous

To lock such rascal counters from his friends,

Be ready, gods, with all your thunderbolts;

Dash him to pieces.

CASSIUS I denied you not.

BRUTUS

You did.

CASSIUS I did not. He was but a fool

That brought my answer back. Brutus hath rived my

heart.

A friend should bear his friend’s infirmities,

But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.

BRUTUS

I do not, till you practise them on me.

CASSIUS

You love me not.

BRUTUS I do not like your faults.

CASSIUS

A friendly eye could never see such faults.

BRUTUS

A flatterer’s would not, though they do appear

As huge as high Olympus.

CASSIUS

Come, Antony and young Octavius, come,

Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius;

For Cassius is aweary of the world,

Hated by one he loves, braved by his brother,

Checked like a bondman; all his faults observed,

Set in a notebook, learned and conned by rote,

To cast into my teeth. O, I could weep

My spirit from mine eyes! There is my dagger,

And here my naked breast; within, a heart

Dearer than Pluto’s mine, richer than gold.

If that thou beest a Roman, take it forth.

I that denied thee gold will give my heart.

Strike as thou didst at Caesar; for I know

When thou didst hate him worst, thou loved‘st him

better

Than ever thou loved’st Cassius.

BRUTUS Sheathe your dagger.

Be angry when you will; it shall have scope.

Do what you will; dishonour shall be humour.

O Cassius, you are yoked with a lamb

That carries anger as the flint bears fire,

Who, much enforced, shows a hasty spark

And straight is cold again.

CASSIUS Hath Cassius lived

To be but mirth and laughter to his Brutus

When grief and blood ill-tempered vexeth him?

BRUTUS

When I spoke that, I was ill-tempered too.

CASSIUS

Do you confess so much? Give me your hand.

BRUTES

And my heart too.

⌈They embrace⌉

CASSIUS O Brutus!

BRUTUS What’s the matter?

CASSIUS

Have not you love enough to bear with me

When that rash humour which my mother gave me

Makes me forgetful?

BRUTUS Yes, Cassius, and from henceforth,

When you are over-earnest with your Brutus,

He’ll think your mother chides, and leave you so.

Enter ⌈Lucillius and⌉ a Poet

POET

Let me go in to see the generals.

There is some grudge between ’em; ’tis not meet

They be alone.

LUCILLIUS You shall not come to them.

POET

Nothing but death shall stay me.

CASSIUS How now! What’s the matter?

POET

For shame, you generals, what do you mean?

Love and be friends, as two such men should be,

For I have seen more years, I’m sure, than ye.

CASSIUS

Ha, ha! How vilely doth this cynic rhyme!

BRUTUS (to the Poet)

Get you hence, sirrah; saucy fellow, hence!

CASSIUS

Bear with him, Brutus, ’tis his fashion.

BRUTUS

I’ll know his humour when he knows his time.

What should the wars do with these jigging fools?

(To the Poet) Companion, hence!

CASSIUS (to the Poet) Away, away, be gone!

Exit Poet

BRUTUS

Lucillius and Titinius, bid the commanders

Prepare to lodge their companies tonight.

CASSIUS

And come yourselves, and bring Messala with you

Immediately to us.

Exeunt Lucillius and Titinius

BRUTUS Lucius, a bowl of wine.

Exit Lucius

CASSIUS

I did not think you could have been so angry.

BRUTUS

O Cassius, I am sick of many griefs.

CASSIUS

Of your philosophy you make no use,

If you give place to accidental evils.

BRUTUS

No man bears sorrow better. Portia is dead.

CASSIUS Ha! Portia?

BRUTUS She is dead.

CASSIUS

How scaped I killing when I crossed you so?

O insupportable and touching loss!

Upon what sickness?

BRUTUS Impatience of my absence,

And grief that young Octavius with Mark Antony

Have made themselves so strong—for with her death

That tidings came. With this, she fell distraught,

And, her attendants absent, swallowed fire.

CASSIUS

And died so?

BRUTUS Even so.

CASSIUS Oye immortal gods!

Enter Lucius, with wine and tapers

BRUTUS

Speak no more of her. (To Lucius) Give me a bowl of

wine.

(To Cassius) In this I bury all unkindness, Cassius.

He drinks

CASSIUS

My heart is thirsty for that noble pledge.

Fill, Lucius, till the wine o’erswell the cup.

I cannot drink too much of Brutus’ love.

He drinks.

⌈Exit Lucius⌉ Enter Titinius and Messala

BRUTUS

Come in, Titinius; welcome, good Messala.

Now sit we close about this taper here,

And call in question our necessities.

CASSIUS (aside)

Portia, art thou gone?

BRUTUS No more, I pray you.

⌈They sit⌉

Messala, I have here received letters

That young Octavius and Mark Antony

Come down upon us with a mighty power,