University of Virginia Library

Act IIII

Scene I.

Pompey
in haste, Brutus, Gabinius, Uibius following.
The poyson steep't in euery vaine of Empire,
In all the world, meet now in onely me,
Thunder and lighten me to death; and make
My senses feed the flame, my soule the crack.
Was euer soueraigne Captaine of so many
Armies and Nations, so opprest as I,
With one hosts headstrong outrage? vrging fight,
Yet fly about my campe in panick terrors;
No reason vnder heauen suggesting cause.
And what is this but euen the gods deterring
My iudgement from enforcing fight this morne?
The new-fled night made day with Meteors,
Fir'd ouer Cæsars campe, and falne in mine,
As pointing out the terrible euents
Yet in suspence; but where they threat their fall
Speake not these prodigies with fiery tongues,
And eloquence that should not moue but rauish
All sound mindes, from thus tempting the iust gods,
And spitting out their faire premonishing flames
With brackish rheumes of ruderand brainsick number,
What's infinitely more, thus wild, thus mad
For one poore fortune of a beaten few;
To halfe so many staid, and dreadfull souldiers?
Long train'd, long foughten? able, nimble, perfect
To turne and winde aduantage euery way?
Encrease with little, and enforce with none?
Made bold as Lyons, gaunt as famisht wolues,
With still seru'd slaughters, and continuall toyles.

Bru.
You should not, Sir, forsake your owne wise Counsell,
Your owne experienc't discipline, owne practise,
Owne god inspired insight to all changes,
Of Protean fortune, and her army, warre,
For hosts, and hels of such; What man will thinke
The best of them, not mad; to see them range
So vp and downe your campe, already suing
For offices falne, by Cæsars built on fall,
Before one stroke be struck? Domitius, Spinther,
Your father Scipio now preparing friends
For Cæsars place of vniuersall Bishop?
Are you th'obserued rule, and voucht example;
Who euer would commend Physitians,
That would not follow the diseas'd desires
Of their sick patients? yet incurre your selfe
The faults that you so much abhorre in others.

Pom.
I cannot, Sir, abide mens open mouthes,
Nor be ill spoken of; nor haue my counsels
And circumspections, turnd on me for feares,
With mocks and scandals that would make a man
Of lead, a lightning; in the desperat'st onset
That euer trampled vnder death, his life.
I beare the touch of feare for all their safeties,
Or for mine owne? enlarge with twice as many
Selfe-liues, selfe-fortunes? they shall sinke beneath
Their owne credulities, before I crosse them.
Come, haste, dispose our battaile.

Vib.
Good my Lord,
Against your Genius warre not for the world.

Pom.
By all worlds he that moues me next to beare
Their scofs and imputations of my feare
For any cause, shall beare this sword to hell.
Away, to battaile; good my Lord lead you
The whole six thousand of our yong Patricians,
Plac't in the left wing to enuiron Cæsar.
My father Scipio shall lead the battaile;
Domitius the left wing; I the right
Against Marc Anthony. Take now your fils
Ye beastly doters on your barbarous wills.

Exeunt.
Alarme, excursions, of al: The fiue Kings driuen ouer the Stage, Crassinius chiefely pursuing: At the dore enter againe the fiue Kings. The battell continued within.
Epir.
Fly, fly, the day was lost before twas sought.

Thess.
The Romans feard their shadowes.

Cil.
Were there euer
Such monstrous confidences, as last night
Their Cups and musique shew'd? Before the morning
Made such amazes ere one stroke was struck?

Iber.
It made great Pompey mad, which who could mend?
The gods had hand in it.

Tra.
It made the Consuls
Run on their swords to see't. The braue Patricians
Fled with their spoyled faces, arrowes sticking
As shot from heauen at them.

Thess.
Twas the charge
That Cæsar gaue against them.

Epir.
Come, away,
Leaue all, and wonder at this fatall day.

Exeunt.
The fight neerer; and enter, Crassinous, a sword, as thrust through his face; he fals. To him Pompey and Cæsar fighting: Pompey giues way, Cæsar follows, and enters at another dore.
Cæs.
Epitaph:

Enter some taking him off, whom Cæsar helps. Enter Pompey, Demetrius, with black robes in their hands, broad hats, &c.
Pom.
Thus haue the gods their iustice, men their wils,
And I, by mens wils rulde; my selfe renouncing,
Am by my Angell and the gods abhorr'd;
Who drew me, like a vapour, vp to heauen
To dash me like a tempest 'gainst the earth:
O the deserued terrors that attend
On humane confidence! had euer men
Such outrage of presumption to be victors
Before they arm'd? To send to Rome before
For houses neare the market place, their tents
Strowd all with flowers, and nosegayes; tables couer'd
With cups and banquets; bayes and mirtle garlands,
As ready to doe sacrifice for conquest
Rather then arme them for fit fight t'enfore it;
Which when I saw, I knew as well th'euent
As now I feele it, and because I rag'd
In that presage, my Genius shewing me clearely
(As in a mirror) all this cursed issue;
And therefore vrg'd all meanes to put it off
For this day, or from these fields to some other,
Or from this ominous confidence, till I saw
Their spirits settl'd in some grauer knowledge
Of what belong'd to such a deare decision;
They spotted me with feare, with loue of glory,
To keepe in my command so many Kings,
So great an army; all the hellish blastings
That could be breath'd on me, to strike me blinde
Of honor, spirit and soule; And should I then
Saue them that would in spight of heauen be ruinde?
And, in their safeties ruine me and mine
In euerlasting rage of their detraction.

Dem.
Your safety and owne honor did deserue
Respect past all their values; O my Lord
Would you?

Pom.
Vpbraid me not; goe to, goe on.

Dem.
No; Ile not rub the wound. The misery is,
The gods for any error in a man
(Which they might rectify, and should; because
That man maintain'd the right) should suffer wrong
To be thus insolent, thus grac't, thus blest?

Pom.
O the strange carriage of their acts, by which
Men order theirs; and their deuotions in them;
Much rather striuing to entangle men
In pathlesse error, then with regular right
Confirme their reasons, and their pieties light.
For now Sir, whatsoeuer was foreshowne
By heauen, or prodigy; ten parts more for vs,
Forewarning vs deterring vs, and all
Our blinde and brainlesse frenzies, then for Cæsar;
All yet will be ascribde to his regard
Giuen by the gods for his good parts, preferring
Their glosse (being starck impostures) to the iustice,
Loue, honor, piety, of our lawes and Countrey.
Though I thinke these are arguments enow
For my acquitall, that for all these fought.

Dem.
Y'are cleare, my Lord.

Pom.
Gods helpe me, as I am;
What euer my vntoucht command of millions
Through all my eight and fifty yeares, hath woonne,
This one day (in the worlds esteeme) hath lost.
So vile is praise and dispraise by euent.
For I am still my selfe in euery worth
The world could grace me with, had this dayes Euen
In one blaze ioyn'd, with all my other Conquests.
And shall my comforts in my well-knowne selfe
Faile me for their false fires, Demetrius?

Dem.
O no, my Lord.

Pom.
Take griefe for them, as if
The rotten-hearted world could sleepe my soule
In filthy putrifaction of their owne?
Since their applauses faile me? that are hisses
To euery sound acceptance? I confesse,
That till th'affaire was past, my passions flam'd,
But now tis helplesse, and no cause in me,
Rest in these embers my vnmoued soule,
With any outward change, this dystick minding;
No man should more allow his owne losse, woes,
(Being past his fault) then any stranger does.
And for the worlds false loues, and ayry honors,
What soule that euer lou'd them most in life,
(Once seuer'd from this breathing sepulchre)
Againe came and appearde in any kind
Their kinde admirer still, or did the state
Of any best man here, associate?
And euery true soule should be here so seuer'd
From loue of such men, as here drowne their soules
As all the world does? Cato sole accepted,
To whom Ile fly now, and my wife in way
(Poore Lady, and poore children, worse then fatherlesse)
Visit, and comfort. Come Demetrius,
They disguise themselues.
We now must sure our habites to our fortunes
And since these changes euer chance to greatest.
Nor desire to be
(Doe fortune, to exceed it, what she can)
A Pompey, or a Cæsar, but a man.

Exeunt.
Enter Cæsar, Anthony, Acilius, with souldiers.
Cæs.
O We haue slaine, not conquerd, Roman blood
Peruerts th'euent, and desperate blood let out
With their owne swords. Did euer men before
Enuy their owne liues, since another liu'd
Whom they would willfully conceiue their foe,
And forge a Tyrant merely in their feares
To iustifie their slaughters? Consuls? furies.

Ant.
Be, Sir, their faults their griefes! The greater number
Were only slaues, that left their bloods to ruth,
And altogether, but fix thousand slaine.

Cæs.
How euer many; gods and men can witnesse
Themselues enforc't it, much against the most
I could enforce on Pompey for our peace.
Of all slaine, yet, if Brutus only liu'd,
I should be comforted, for his life sau'd
Would weigh the whole six thousand that are lost.
But much I feare his death, because the battell
Full stricken now, he yet abides vnfound.

Acil.
I saw him fighting neare the battels end,
But suddainly giue off, as bent to fly.

Enter Brutus.
Anth.
He comes here, see Sir.

Bru.
I submit to Cæsar
My life and fortunes.

Cæs.
A more welcome fortune
Is Brutus, then my conquest.

Bru.
Sir, I fought
Against your conquest, and your selfe; and merit
(I must acknowledge) a much sterner welcome.

Cæs.
You fought with me, Sir, for I know your armes
Were taken for your Country, not for Pompey:
And for my Country I fought, nothing lesse
Then he, or both the mighty-stomakt Consuls;
Both whom (I heare) haue slaine themselues before
They would enioy life in the good of Cæsar.
But I am nothing worse, how ill soeuer
They, and the great authority of Rome
Would faine enforce me by their mere suspitions.
Lou'd they their Country better then her Brutus?
Or knew what fitted noblesse, and a Romane
With freer soules then Brutus. Those that liue
Shall see in Cæsars iustice, and what euer
Might make me worthy both their liues and loues,
That I haue lost the one without my merit,
And they the other with no Roman spirit.
Are you empair'd to liue, and ioy my loue?
Only requite me, Brutus, loue but Cæsar,
And be in all the powers of Cæsar, Cæsar.
In which free wish, I ioyne your father Cato;
For whom Ile haste to Vtica, and pray
His loue may strengthen my successe to day.

Exeunt.
Porcius in haste, Marcillius bare, following. Porcius discouers a bed, and a sword hanging by it, which he takes downe.
Mar.
To what vse take you that (my Lord?)

Por.
Take you
No note that I take it, nor let any seruant,
Besides your selfe, of all my fathers nearest,
Serue any mood he serues, with any knowledge
Of this or any other. Cæsar comes
And giues his army wings to reach this towne.
Not for the townes sake, but to saue my father.
Whom iustly he suspects to be resolu'd
Of any violence to his life, before
He will preserue it by a Tyrants fauour.
For Pompey hath miscaried, and is fled.
Be true to me, and to my fathers life;
And doe not tell him; nor his fury serue
With any other.

Mar.
I will dye, my Lord,
Ere I obserue it.

Por.
O my Lord and father.

Cato, Athenodorus, Statilius. Cato with a booke in his hand.
Cat.
What feares fly here on all sides? what wilde lookes
Are squinted at me from mens mere suspicions
That I am wilde my selfe, and would enforce
What will be taken from me by the Tyrant.

Ath.
No: Would you only aske life, he would thinke
His owne life giuen more strength in giuing yours

Cat.
I aske my life of him?

Stat.
Aske what's his owne?
Of him he scornes should haue the least drop in it
At his disposure.

Cat.
No, Statilius.
Men that haue forfeit liues by breaking lawes,
Or haue beene ouercome, may beg their liues,
But I haue euer beene in euery iustice
Better then Cæsar, and was neuer conquer'd,
Or made to fly for life, as Cæsar was.
But haue beene victor euer, to my wish,
'Gainst whomsoeuer euer hath opposde;
Where Cæsar now is conquer'd in his Conquest,
In the ambition, he till now denide;
Taking vpon him to giue life, when death
Is tenfold due to his most tyrannous selfe.
No right, no power giuen him to raise an army,
Which in despight of Rome he leades about
Slaughtering her loyall subiects, like an outlaw,
Nor is he better. Tongue, shew, falshood are,
To bloodiest deaths his parts so much admir'd,
Vaine glory, villany; and at best you can,
Fed with the parings of a worthy man.
My fame affirme my life receiu'd from him?
Ile rather make a beast my second father.

Stat.
The gods auert from euery Roman minde
The name of slaue to any Tyrants power.
Why was man euer iust, but to be free,
'Gainst all iniustice? and to beare about him
As well all meanes to freedome euery houre,
As euery houre he should be arm'd for death,
Which only is his freedome?

Ath.
But Statilius
Death is not free for any mans election,
Till nature, or the law, impose it on him.

Cat.
Must a man goe to law then, when he may
Enioy his owne in peace? If I can vse
Mine owne my selfe, must I of force, reserue it
To serue a Tyrant with it? All iust men
Not only may enlarge their liues, but must,
From all rule tyrannous, or liue vniust.

Ath.
By death must they enlarge their liues?

Cat.
By death.

Ath.
A man's not bound to that.

Cat.
Ile proue he is.
Are not the liues of all men bound to iustice?

Ath.
They are.

Cat.
And therefore not to serue iniustice:
Iustice it selfe ought euer to be free,
And therefore euery iust man being a part
Of that free iustice, should be free as it.

Ath.
Then wherefore is there law for death?

Cat.
That all
That know not what law is, nor freely can
Performe the fitting iustice of a man
In kingdomes common good, may been forc't,
But is not euery iust man to him selfe
The perfect'st law?

Ath.
Suppose.

Cat.
Then to himselfe
Is euery iust mans life subordinate.
Againe, Sir; Is not our free soule infus'd
To euery body in her absolute end
To rule that body? in which absolute rule
Is she not absolutely Empresse of it?
And being Empresse, may she not dispose
It, and the life in it, at her iust pleasure?

Ath.
Not to destroy it.

Cat.
No; she not destroyes it
When she disliues it; that their freedomes may
Goe firme together, like their powers and organs,
Rather then let it liue a rebell to her,
Prophaning that diuine coniunction
Twixt her and it; nay, a disiunction making
Betwixt them worse then death; in killing quick
That which in iust death liues: being dead to her
If to her rule dead; and to her aliue,
If dying in her iust rule.

Ath.
The body liues not
When death hath rest it.

Cat.
Yet tis free, and kept
Fit for reiunction in mans second life;
Which dying rebell to the soule, is farre
Vnfit to ioyne with her in perfect life.

Ath.
It shall not ioyne with her againe.

Cat.
It shall.

Ath.
In reason shall it?

Cat.
In apparant reason;
Which Ile proue clearely.

Stat.
Heare, and iudge it Sir.

Cat.
As nature works in all things to an end,
So in th'appropriate honor of that end,
All things precedent haue their naturall staine;
And therefore is there a proportion
Betwixt the ends of those things and their primes:
For else there could not be in their creation,
Alwayes, or for the most part, that firme forme
In their still like existence; that we see
In each full creature. What proportion then
Hath an immortall with a mortall substance?
And therefore the mortality to which
A man is subiect; rather is a sleepe,
Then bestiall death; since sleepe and death are call'd
The twins of nature. For if absolute death
And bestiall sease the body of a man,
Then is there no proportion in his parts,
His soule being free from death, which otherwise
Retaines diuine proportion. For as sleepe
No disproportion holds with humane soules,
But aptly quickens the proportion
Twixt them and bodies, making bodies fitter
To giue vp formes to soules, which is their end:
So death (twin-borne of sleepe) resoluing all
Mans bodies heauy parts; in lighter nature
Makes a reunion with the spritely soule;
When in a second life their beings giuen,
Holds their proportion firme, in highest heauen.

Ath.
Hold you our bodies shall reuiue, resuming
Our soules againe to heauen?

Cat.
Past doubt, though others
Thinke heauen a world too high for our low reaches.
Not knowing the sacred sence of him that sings,
Ioue can let downe a golden chaine from heauen,
Which tyed to earth, shall fetch vp earth and seas;
And what's that golden chaine, but our pure soules,
A golden beame of him, let downe by him,
That gouern'd with his grace, and drawne by him,
Can hoist this earthy body vp to him,
The sea, and ayre, and all the elements
Comprest in it: not while tis thus concret,
But fin'd by death, and then giuen heauenly heat.

Ath.
Your happy exposition of that place
(Whose sacred depth I neuer heard so sounded)
Edicts glad grant from me you hold a truth.

Stat.
Is't not a manly truth, and mere diuine?

Cat.
Tis a good chearefull doctrine for good men.
But (sonne and seruants) this is only argu'd
To spend our deare time well, and no life vrgeth
To any violence further then his owner
And grauer men hold fit. Lets talke of Cæsar,
He's the great subiect of all talke, and he
Is hotly hasting on. Is supper ready?

Mar.
It is, my Lord.

Cat.
Why then let's in and eat;
Our coole submission will quench Cæsars heat.

Sta.
Submission? here's for him.

Cat.
Statilus,
My reasons must not strengthen you in error,
Nor learn'd Athenodorus gentle yeelding.
Talke with some other deepe Philosophers,
Or some diuine Priest of the knowing gods,
And heare their reasons; in meane time come sup.

Exeunt.
Cato going out arme in arme betwixt Athen. and Statilius.