Home > Julius Caesar Text > Act IV, Scene III - Page 2

BRUTUS:

For your life you durst not.

BRUTUS:

For your life, you wouldn’t have dared.

CASSIUS:

Do not presume too much upon my love;(70)
I may do that I shall be sorry for.

CASSIUS:

Don’t presume too much about my friendship;
I may do something that I’ll be sorry for.

BRUTUS:

You have done that you should be sorry for.
There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats,
For I am arm'd so strong in honesty,
That they pass by me as the idle wind(75)
Which I respect not. I did send to you
For certain sums of gold, which you denied me,
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(80)
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 answer'd Caius Cassius so?(85)
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!

BRUTUS:

You’ve done what you should be sorry for.
There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats,
Because I’m armed so strongly in honesty,
That they pass by me as the idle wind
Which I don’t respect. I asked you
For certain sums of gold, which you denied me;—
Because I cannot raise any money by dirty means.
By Heaven, I had rather coin my heart,
And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring
Their vile trash from the hard hands of peasants
In any devious way.—I asked
You for gold to pay my army,
Which you denied me. Was that rejection done like Cassius?
Should I have answered Caius Cassius if he asked me?
When Marcus Brutus grows so greedy as
To engage his friend in such battles,
Be ready, gods, with all your thunderbolts,
Cut him into pieces!

CASSIUS:

I denied you not.(90)

CASSIUS:

I didn’t deny you.

BRUTUS:

You did.

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.(95)

CASSIUS:

I didn’t. He was only a fool
That brought my answer back. Brutus has torn my heart.
A friend should tolerate his friend's shortcomings,
But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.

BRUTUS:

I do not, till you practise them on me.

BRUTUS:

I don’t, until you use them on me.

CASSIUS:

You love me not.

CASSIUS:

You’re not my friend.

BRUTUS:

I do not like your faults.

BRUTUS:

I don’t like your faults.

CASSIUS:

A friendly eye could never see such faults.

CASSIUS:

A friendly eye could never see such faults.

BRUTUS:

A flatterer's would not, though they do appear(100)
As huge as high Olympus.

BRUTUS:

A flatterer's would not, although 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;(105)
Check'd like a bondman; all his faults observed,
Set in a notebook, learn'd and conn'd 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(110)
Dearer than Pluto's mine, richer than gold.
If that thou best 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 lovedst him better(115)
Than ever thou lovedst Cassius.

CASSIUS:

Come, Antony and young Octavius, come,
Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius,
Because Cassius is weary of the world,
Hated by a friend he loves; threatened by his brother;
Attacked like a slave; all his faults noted,
Set in a note-book, learned and memorized by heart,
To throw back into my face. O, I could weep
My spirit from my eyes!—There is my dagger,
And here my naked breast; inside, a heart
More expensive than Plutus' mine, richer than gold.
If you are a Roman, take it out.
I, who have denied you gold, will give my heart.
Strike as you did at Caesar, because I know,
When you hated him the worst, you loved him better
Than ever you loved Cassius.

BRUTUS:

Sheathe your dagger.
Be angry when you will, it shall have scope;
Do what you will, dishonor shall be humor.
O Cassius, you are yoked with a lamb,(120)
That carries anger as the flint bears fire,
Who, much enforced, shows a hasty spark
And straight is cold again.

BRUTUS:

Put your dagger away.
Be angry whenever you want to, it’ll have a purpose;
Do whatever you want to, dishonor shall be a joke.
O Cassius, you’re connected to a lamb
That carries anger as a match makes fire,
Who, very irritated, shows a hasty spark,
And right away is cold again.

CASSIUS:

Hath Cassius lived
To be but mirth and laughter to his Brutus,(125)
When grief and blood ill-temper'd vexeth him?

CASSIUS:

Has Cassius lived
To be only mirth and laughter to his Brutus,
When sadness and ill-tempered blood aggravates him?

BRUTUS:

When I spoke that, I was ill-temper'd too.

BRUTUS:

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

CASSIUS:

Do you confess so much? Give me your hand.

CASSIUS:

Do you confess so much? Give me your hand.

BRUTUS:

And my heart too.

BRUTUS:

And my heart too.

CASSIUS:

O Brutus!(130)

CASSIUS:

O Brutus,—

BRUTUS:

What's the matter?

BRUTUS:

What's the matter?

CASSIUS:

Have not you love enough to bear with me,
When that rash humor which my mother gave me
Makes me forgetful?

CASSIUS:

—Haven’t you got enough love to be patient with me,
When that sudden mood which my mother gave me
Makes me forgetful?

BRUTUS:

Yes, Cassius, and from henceforth,(135)
When you are overearnest with your Brutus,
He'll think your mother chides, and leave you so.

BRUTUS:

Yes, Cassius, and, from here on in,
When you’re over-aggressive with your Brutus,
He'll think your mother scolds, and leave you alone.

Enter a Poet.

POET:

Let me go in to see the generals.
There is some grudge between 'em, 'tis not meet
They be alone.(140)

POET:

Let me go in to see the generals.
There is some grudge between them; it’s not proper
That they are alone.

LUCILIUS:

You shall not come to them.

LUCILIUS:

You shall not come to them.

POET:

Nothing but death shall stay me.

POET:

Nothing but death shall stop me.

CASSIUS:

How now, what's the matter?

CASSIUS:

What’s this? What's the matter?

POET:

For shame, you generals! What do you mean?
Love, and be friends, as two such men should be;(145)
For I have seen more years, I'm sure, than ye.

POET:

For shame, you generals! What are you thinking?
Love, and be friends as two such men should be,
Because I am older, I'm sure, than you.

CASSIUS:

Ha, ha! How vilely doth this cynic rhyme!

CASSIUS:

Ha, ha! How this sneering fault-finder rhymes so badly!

BRUTUS:

Get you hence, sirrah; saucy fellow, hence!

BRUTUS:

Get out, servant; rude fellow, go away!

CASSIUS:

Bear with him, Brutus; 'tis his fashion.

CASSIUS:

Be patient with him, Brutus; it’s the way he is.

BRUTUS:

I'll know his humor when he knows his time.(150)
What should the wars do with these jigging fools?
Companion, hence!

BRUTUS:

I'll know his disposition when he knows the right time.
What should the wars do with these fools that dance jigs?—
Fellow, away!

CASSIUS:

Away, away, be gone!

CASSIUS:

Away, away, be gone!

Exit Poet.

BRUTUS:

[Calling out]

Lucilius and Titinius, bid the commanders
Prepare to lodge their companies tonight.(155)

BRUTUS:

Lucilius and Titinius, ask the commanders to
Prepare to pitch tents for their troops tonight.

CASSIUS:

And come yourselves and bring Messala with you Immediately to us.

CASSIUS:

And immediately come yourselves and
Bring Messala with you to us.

BRUTUS:

[Calling out]

Lucius, a bowl of wine!

BRUTUS:

Lucius, a bowl of wine!

CASSIUS:

I did not think you could have been so angry.

CASSIUS:

I didn’t think you could be so angry.

BRUTUS:

O Cassius, I am sick of many griefs.(160)

BRUTUS:

O Cassius, I’m sick because of many sorrows.

CASSIUS:

Of your philosophy you make no use,
If you give place to accidental evils.

CASSIUS:

You don’t use your knowledge effectively,
If you give into unexpected evil events.

BRUTUS:

No man bears sorrow better. Portia is dead.

BRUTUS:

No man handles sorrow better. Portia is dead.

CASSIUS:

Ha? Portia?

CASSIUS:

Ha! Portia!

BRUTUS:

She is dead.(165)

BRUTUS:

She’s dead.

CASSIUS:

How's caped killing when I cross'd you so?
O insupportable and touching loss!
Upon what sickness?

CASSIUS:

How did I escape killing, when I disagreed with you so?—
O unbearable and touching loss!—
Of what sickness?

BRUTUS:

Impatient of my absence,
And grief that young Octavius with Mark Antony(170)
Have made themselves so strong: for with her death
That tidings came: with this she fell distract,
And, her attendants absent, swallow'd fire.

BRUTUS:

Impatient that I was gone,
And upset that young Octavius with Mark Antony
Has made themselves so strong;—because that news came
With the news of her death;—with all this, she became crazy,
And, without her attendants present, swallowed fire.

CASSIUS:

And died so?

CASSIUS:

And died from that?

BRUTUS:

Even so.(175)

BRUTUS:

Even from that.

CASSIUS:

O ye immortal gods!

CASSIUS:

O you immortal gods!

Enter [Lucius] with wine, and tapers.

BRUTUS:

Speak no more of her. Give me a bowl of wine.
In this I bury all unkindness, Cassius.

BRUTUS:

Don’t speak any more of her.—Give me a bowl of wine.—
With this, I bury all unkindness, Cassius.

Drinks.

CASSIUS:

My heart is thirsty for that noble pledge.
Fill, Lucius, till the wine o'erswell the cup;(180)
I cannot drink too much of Brutus' love.

CASSIUS:

My heart is thirsty for that noble pledge.
Fill the cup, Lucius, until the wine overflows;
I can’t drink too much of Brutus' friendship.

[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.(185)

BRUTUS:

Welcome, good Messala.—
Now let’s sit close to this candle here,
And decide what we need.

CASSIUS:

Portia, art thou gone?

CASSIUS:

Portia, are you gone?

BRUTUS:

No more, I pray you.
Messala, I have here received letters
That young Octavius and Mark Antony
Come down upon us with a mighty power,(190)
Bending their expedition toward Philippi.

BRUTUS:

No more, Please.—
Messala, I have received letters here,
That young Octavius and Mark Antony
Come down on us with a mighty power,
Taking their forces toward Philippi.

MESSALA:

Myself have letters of the selfsame tenure.

MESSALA:

I have letters that say the same thing.

BRUTUS:

With what addition?

BRUTUS:

With what addition?

MESSALA:

That by proscription and bills of outlawry
Octavius, Antony, and Lepidus(195)
Have put to death an hundred senators.

MESSALA:

That Octavius, Antony, and Lepidus
Have put to death an hundred Senators
By decrees of death and bills in defiance of the law.

BRUTUS:

Therein our letters do not well agree;
Mine speak of seventy senators that died
By their proscriptions, Cicero being one.

BRUTUS:

Our letters don’t agree with that information.
Mine speak of seventy Senators that died
By their decrees of death, Cicero being one.

CASSIUS:

Cicero one!(200)

CASSIUS:

Cicero one!

MESSALA:

Cicero is dead,
And by that order of proscription.
Had you your letters from your wife, my lord?

MESSALA:

Cicero is dead,
And by decree of death.—
Did you get the letters from your wife, my lord?

BRUTUS:

No, Messala.

BRUTUS:

No, Messala.

MESSALA:

Nor nothing in your letters writ of her?(205)

MESSALA:

And nothing in your letters was written about her?

BRUTUS:

Nothing, Messala.

BRUTUS:

Nothing, Messala.

MESSALA:

That, methinks, is strange.

MESSALA:

I think that’s strange.

BRUTUS:

Why ask you? Hear you ought of her in yours?

BRUTUS:

Why do you ask? Did you hear anything about her in yours?

MESSALA:

No, my lord.

MESSALA:

No, my lord.

BRUTUS:

Now, as you are a Roman, tell me true.(210)

BRUTUS:

Now, as you’re a Roman, tell me the truth.