University of Virginia Library

SC. 2.

Enter Cassius, and Brutus with an army.
Cassi.
Now Romains proud foe, worlds common enemy,
In his greatest hight and chiefest Iollitie,
In the Sacred Senate-house is done to death:
Euen as the Consecrated Oxe which soundes,
At horny alters in his dying pride:
VVith flowry leaues and gar-lands all bedight,
Stands proudly wayting for the hasted stroke:
Till hee amazed with the dismall sound,
Falls to the Earth and staines the holy ground,
The spoyles and riches of the conquered world,
Are now but idle Trophies of his tombe:
His laurell gar-landes do but Crowne his chaire,
His sling, his shilde, and fatall bloudy speare,
VVhich hee in battell oft 'gainst Rome did beare,
Now serue for nought but rusty monuments.

Bru.
So Romulus when proud ambition,
His former vertue and renowne had stayned:
Did by the Senators receiue his end,
But soft what boades Titinnius hasting speede.

Enter Titinnius.
Titin.
The frantike people and impatient,
By Anthonyes exhorting to reuenge:
Runne madding throw the bloudy streetes of Rome,
Crying Reuenge, and murthering they goe,
All those that caused Cæsars ouerthrowe.

Cassi.
The wauering people pytiyng Cæsars death,
Do rage at vs, who fore to winne their weale:
Spare not the danger of our dearest liues,
But since no safety Rome for vs affordes:
Brutus weell hast vs to our Prouinces,
I into Syre, thou into Maccedon,
Where wee will muster vp such martiall bandes,
As shall afright our following enemies.

Bru.
In Thessaly weele meete the Enemy,
And in that ground distaynd with Pompeys bloud,
And fruitefull made with Romane massaker,
VVeele either sacrifice our guilty foe,
To appease the furies of these howling Ghostes,
That wander restles through the sliemy ground
Or else that Thessaly bee a common Tombe:
To bury those that fight to infranchize Rome.

Titin.
Brauely resolu'd, I see yong Brutus minde,
Strengthned with force of vertues sacred rule:
Contemneth death, and holdes proud chance in scorne.

Bru.
I that before fear'd not to do the deede,
Shall neuer now repent it being done,
No more I Fortun'd, like the Roman Lord,
Whose faith brought death yet with immortall fame,
I kisse thee hand for doing such a deede:
And thanke my heart for this so Noble thought,
And blesse the Heauens for fauoring my attempts:
For Noble Rome, and if thou beest not free,
Yet I haue done what euer lay in mee:
And worthy friend as both our thoughts conspired,
And ioyned in vnion to performe this deede,
This acceptable deede to Heauens and Rome,
So lets continue in our high resolue:
And as wee haue with honor thus begunne,
So lets persist, vntill our liues bee done.

Cassi.
Then let vs go and with our warlike troopes,
Collected from our seuerall Prouinces,
Make Asia subiect to our Conquering armes,
Brutus thou hast commanded the Illirian bandes:
The feared Celts and Lusitanian horse,
Parthenians proud, and Thrasians borne in warre:
And Macedon yet proud with our old actes,
With all the flowre of Louely Thessaly,
Vnder my warlike collours there shall march:
New come from Syria and from Babilon,
The warlike Mede, and the Arabian Boe,
The Parthian fighting when hee seemes to flie:
Those conquering Gauls that built their seates in Greece,
And all the Costers on the Mirapont.