Vibius Be ransom'd with my loue and haste to Pompey Entreating him from me that we may meet And for that reason which I know this day Was giuen by Cato for his pursutes stay Which was preuention of our Romane blood Propose my offer of our hearty peace That being reconcil'd and mutuall faith Giuen on our either part not three dayes light May further shew vs foes but both our armies Disperst in Garisons we may returne Within that time to Italy such friends As in our Countryes loue containe our splenes Vib. T is offerd Sir ' boue the rate of Caesar In other men but in what I approue Beneath his merits which I will not faile T' enforce at full to Pompey nor forget In any time the gratitude of my seruice Vi. salutes Ant. and the other exit Caes. Your loue Sir and your friendship Ant. This prepares a good induction to the change of fortune In this dayes issue if the pride it kindles In Pompeys vaines makes him deny a peace So gently offerd for her alterd hand Works neuer surer from her ill to good On his side she hath hurt and on the other With other changes then when meanes are vsde To keepe her constant yet retire refusde Caes. I try no such conclusion but desire Directly peace In meane space I le prepare For other issue in my vtmost meanes Whose hopes now resting at Brundusium In that part of my army with Sabinus I wonder he so long delaies to bring me And must in person haste him if this Euen I heare not from him Crass. That I hope flyes farre Your full intent my Lord since Pompeys navie You know lies houering all alongst those seas In too much danger for what ayde soeuer You can procure to passe your person safe Acil. Which doubt may proue the cause that stayes Sabinus And if with shipping fit to passe your army He yet straines time to venture I presume You will not passe your person with such Conuoy Of those poore vessels as may serue you here Caes. How shall I helpe it shall I suffer this Torment of his delay and rack suspitions Worse then assur'd destructions through my thoughts Anth. Past doubt he will be here I left all orderd And full agreement made with him to make All vtmost haste no least let once suspected Caes. Suspected what suspection should feare a friend In such assur'd streights from his friends enlargement If t were his souldiers safeties he so tenders Were it not better they should sinke by sea Then wrack their number King and cause ashore Their stay is worth their ruine should we liue If they in fault were if their leader he Sould dye the deaths of all in meane space I That should not beare all fly the sight in shame Thou eye of nature and abortiue night Fall dead amongst vs with defects defects Must serue proportion iustice neuer can Be else restor'd nor right the wrongs of man Exeunt Pompey Cato Gabinius Demetrius Athenodorus Porcius Statilius Pomp. This charge of our fierce foe the firiendly gods Haue in our stregthen'd spirits beaten back With happy issue and his forces lessen'd Of two and thirty Ensignes forc't from him Two thousand souldiers slaine Cat. O boast not that Their losse is yours my Lord. Pomp. I boast it not But only name the number Gab. Which right well You might haue raisde so high that on their tops Your Throne was offer'd euer t' ouerlooke Subuerted Caesar had you beene so blest To giue such honor to your Captaines Counsailes As their alacrities did long to merit With proofefull action Dem. O t was ill neglected Stat. It was deferr'd with reason which not yet Th' euent so cleare is to confute Pom. If t were Our likeliest then was not to hazard battaile Th' aduenture being so casuall if compar'd With our more certaine meanes to his subuersion For finding now our army amply storde With all things fit to tarry surer time Reason thought better to extend to length The warre betwixt vs that his little strength May by degrees proue none which vrged now Consisting of his best and ablest souldiers We should haue found at one direct set battaile Of matchlesse valours their defects of victuall Not tyring yet enough on their tough nerues Where on the other part to put them still In motion and remotion here and there Enforcing them to fortifying still Where euer they set downe to siege a wall Keepe watch all night in armour their most part Can neuer beare it by their yeares oppression Spent heretofore too much in those steele toyles Cat. I so aduisde and yet repent it not But much reioyce in so much saued blood As had beene pour'd out in the stroke of battaile Whose furâ— thus preuented comprehends Your Countreys good and Empires in whose care Let me beseech you that in all this warre You sack no City subiect to our Rule Nor put to sword one Citizen of Rome But when the needfull fury of the sword Can make no fit distinction in maine battaile That you will please still to prolong the stroke Of absolute decision to these iarres Considering you shall strike it with a man Of much skill and experience and one That will his Conquest â—ell at infinite rate If that must end your difference but I doubt There will come humble offer on his part Of honor'd peace to you for whose sweet name So cryed out to you in our late-met Senate Lost no fit offer of that wished treaty Take pity on your Countreys blood as much As possible may stand without the danger Of hindering her iustice on her foes Which all the gods to your full wish dispose Pom. Why will you leaue vs whither will you goe To keepe your worthyest person in more safety Then in my army so deuoted to you Cat. My person is the least my Lord I value I am commanded by our powerfull Senate To view the Cities and the kingdomes scituate About your either army that which side Soeuer conquer no disordered â—traglers Puft with the Conquest or by need impeld May take their swinge more then the care of one May curb and order in these neighbor confines My chiefe passe yet resolues for Vtica Pom. Your passe my truest friend and worthy Father May all good powers make safe and alwayes answer Your infinite merits with their like protection In which I make no doubt but we shall meet With mutuall greetings or for absolute conquest Or peace preuenting that our bloody stroke Nor let our parting be dishonor'd so As not to take into our noblest notice Your selfe most learned and admired Father Whose merits if I liue shall lack no honor Porcius Statilius though your spirits with mine Would highly chere me yet ye shall bestow them In much more worthy conduct but loue me And wish me conquest for your Countreys sake Sta. Our liues shall â—eale our loues Sir with worst deaths Aduentur'd in your seruice Pom. Y' are my friends Exeunt Cat. Athen Por. Sat.
or their owne particular wealth or honor They will not enterprise to saue the Empire Cat. I know it yet let vs doe like our selues Exeunt Enter some bearing Axes bundles of rods bare before two Consuls Caesar and Metellus Anthonius and Marcellus in couples Senators People Souldiers c. following The Consuls enter the Degrees with Anthonius and Marcellus Caesar staying a while without with Metellus who hath a paper in his haâ—d Caes. Moue you for entring only Pompâ—ys army Which if you gaine for him for me all iustice Will ioyne with my request of entring mine Met. T is like so and I purpose to enforce it Caes. But might we not win Cato to our friendship By honoring speeches nor perswasiue gifts Met. Not possible Caes. Nor by enforciue vsage Met. Not all the violence that can be vsde Of power or set authoitry can stirre him Much lesse faire words win or rewards corrupt him And therefore all meanes we must vse to keepe him From off the Bench. Caes. Giue you the course for that And if he offer entry I haue fellowes Will serue your will on him at my giuen signall They ascend Enter Pompey Gabinius Vibius Demetrius with papers Enter the Lists ascend and â—it After whom enter Cato Minutius Athenodorus Statilius Porcius Cat. He is the man that sits so close to Caesar And holds the law there whispering see the Cowherd Hath guards of arm'd men got against one naked I le part their whispering virtue 1 Hold keepe out 2 What honor'd Cato enter chuse thy place Cat. Come in He drawes him in and fits betwixt Caesar and Metellus Away vnworthy groomes 3 No more Caes. What should one say to him Met. He will be Stoicall Cat. Where fit place is not giuen it must be taken 4 Doe take it Cato feare no greatest of them Thou seek'st the peoples good and these their owne 5 Braue Cato what a countenance he puts on Let 's giue his noble will our vtmost power 6 Be bould in all thy will for being iust Thou maist defie the gods Cat. Said like a God Met. We must endure these people Caes. Doe begin Met. Consuls and reuerend Fathers And ye people Whose voyces are the voyces of the Gods I here haue drawne a law by good consent For entring into Italy the army Of Romes great Pompey that his forces here As well as he great Rome may rest secure From danger of the yet still smoaking fire Of Catilinet abhorr'd conspiracy Of which the very chiefe are left aliue Only chastisde but with a gentle prison Cat. Put them to death then and strike dead our feare That well you vrge by their vnfit suruiuall Rather then keepe it quick and two liues giue it By entertaining Pompeys army too That giues as great cause of our feare as they For their conspiracy onely was to make One Tyrant ouer all the State of Rome And Pompeys army sufferd to be entred Is to make him or giue him meanes to be so Met. It followes not Cat. In purpose clearely Sir Which I le illustrate with a cleare exaâ—â—ple If it be day the Sunne 's aboue the earth Which followes not you le answere for 't is day When first the morning breakes and yet is then The body of the Sunne beneath the earth But he is virtually aboue it too Because his beames are there and who then knowes not His golden body will soone after mount So Pompeys army entred Italy Yet Pompey 's not in Rome but Pompey's beames Who sees not there and consequently he Is in all meanes enthron'd in th' Emperie Met. Examples proue not we will haue the army Of Pompey entred Cato We which we intend you Haue you already bought the peoples voices Or beare our Consuls or our Senate here So small loue to their Country that their wills Beyond their Countrys right are so peruerse To giue a Tyrant here entire command Which I haue prou'd as cleare as day they doe If either the Conspirators suruiuing Be let to liue or Pompeys army entred Both which beat one sole path and threat one danger Caes. Consuls and honor'd Fathers The sole entry Of Pompeys army I le not yet examine But for the great Conspirators yet liuing Which Cato will conclude as one selfe danger To our deare Country and deterre all therefore That loue their Country from their liues defence I see no reason why such danger hangs On their sau'd liues being still safe kept in prison And since close prison to a Roman freedome Ten fold torments more then directest death Who can be thought to loue the lesse his Country That seekes to saue their liues And lest my selfe Thus speaking for them be vniustly toucht With any lesse doubt of my Countryes loue Why reuerend Fathers may it be esteem'd Selfe praise in me to proue my selfe a chiefe Both in my loue of her and in desert Of her like loue in me For he that does Most honour to his Mistrisse well may boast Without least question that he loues her most And though things long since done were long since known And so may seeme superfluous to repeat Yet being forgotten as things neuer done Their repetition needfull is in iustice T' enflame the shame of that obliuion For hoping it will seeme no lesse empaire To others acts to truely tell mine owne Put all together I haue past them all That by their acts can boast themselues to be Their Countries louers first in those wilde kingdomes Subdu'd to Rome by my vnwearied toyles Which I dissauag'd and made nobly ciuill Next in the multitude of those rude Realmes That so I fashiond and to Romes yong Empire Of old haue added Then the battailes numbred This hand hath fought and wonne for her with all Those infinites of dreadfull enemies I slue in them Twice fifteene hundred thousand All able Souldiers I haue driuen at once Before my forces and in sundry onsets A thousand thousand of them put to sword Besides I tooke in lesse then ten yeares time By strong assault aboue eight hundred Cities Three hundred seuerall Nations in that space Subduing to my Countrey all which seruice I trust may interest me in her loue Publique and generall enough to aquit me Of any selfe-loue past her common good For any motion of particular iustice By which her generall Empire is maintaind That I can make for those accused prisoners Which is but by the way that so the reason Metellus makes for entring Pompeys armie May not more weighty seeme then to agree With those imprison'd nobles vitall safeties Which granted or but yeelded fit to be May well extenuate the necessity Of entring Pompeys armie Cat. All that need I tooke away before and reasons gaue For a necessity to keepe it out Whose entry I thinke he himselfe affects not Since I as well thinke he affects not th' Empire And both those thoughts hold since he loues his Country In my great hopes of him too well to seeke His sole rule of her when so many
it with all thanks The Romane Genius is alterd now And armes for Caesar. Caes. Soothsayer be for euer Reuerenc't of Caesar. O Marc Anthony I thought to raise my camp and all my tents Tooke downe for swiâ—t remotion to Scotussa Shall now our purpose hold Anth. Against the gods They grace in th' instant and in th' instant we Must adde our parts and be in th' vse as free Crass. See Sir the scouts returne Enter two scouts Caes. What newes my friends 1 Scou. Arme arme my Lord the voward of the foe Is rang'd already 2 Scou. Answer them and arme You cannot set your rest of battell vp In happyer houre for I this night beheld A strange confusion in your enemies campe The souldiers taking armes in all dismay And hurling them againe as fast to earth Euery way routing as th' alarme were then Giuen to their army A most causelesse feare Disperst quite through them Caes. Then t was Ioue himselfe That with his secret finger stirr'd in them Crass. Other presages of successe my Lord Haue strangely hapn'd in th' adiacent Citieâ— To this your army for in Tralleis Within a Temple built to Victory There stands a statue of your forme and name Neare whose firme base euen from the marble pauement There sprang a Palme tree vp in this last night That seemes to crowne your statue with his boughs Spred in wrapt shadowes round about your browes Caes. The signe Crassinius is most strange and gracefull Nor could get issue but by power diuine Yet will not that nor all abodes besides Of neuer such kinde promise of successe Performe it without tough acts of our owne No care no nerue the lesse to be emploid No offering to the gods no vowes no prayers Secure and idle spirits neuer thriue When most the gods for their aduancements striue And therefore tell me what abodes thou buildst on In an spirit to act enflam'd in thee Or in our Souldiers seene resolu'd addresses Crass. Great and firy virtue And this day Be sure great Caesar of effects as great In absolute conquest to which are prepar'd Enforcements resolute from this arm'd hand Which thou shalt praise me for aliue or dead Caes. Aliue ye gods vouchsafe and my true vowes For life in him great heauen for all my foes Being naturall Romans so farre ioyntly heare As may not hurt our Conquest as with feare Which thou already strangely hast diffusde Through all their army which extend to flight Without one bloody stroke of force and fight Anth. T is time my Lord you put in forme your battell Caes. Since we must fight then and no offerd peace Will take with Pompey I reioyce to see This long-time lookt for and most happy day In which we now shall fight with men not hunger With toyles not sweats of blood through yeares extended This one day seâ—uing to decide all iarres Twixt me and Pompey Hang out of my tent My Crimsine coat of armes to giue my souldiers That euer-sure signe of resolu'd-for fight Crass. These hands shall giue that signe to all their longings Exit Crass. Caes. My Lord my army I thinke best to order In three full Squadrons of which let me pray Your selfe would take on you the left wings charge My selfe will lead the right wing and my place Of fight elect in my tenth legion My battell by Dâ—mitius Calvinus Shall take direction The Cote of Armes is hung out and the Souldiers shoute within An. Heark your souldiers shoute For ioy to see your bloody Cote of Armes Assure their fight this morning Caes. A blest Euen Bring on them worthy comforts And ye gods Performe your good presages in euents Of fit crowne for our discipline and deeds Wrought vp by conquest that my vse of it May wipe the hatefull and vnworthy sâ—aine Of Tyrant from my Temples and exchange it For fautor of my Country ye haue giuen That title to those poore and fearefull fowles That euery sound puts vp in frights and cryes Euen then when all Romes powers were weake and heartles When traiterous fires and fierce Barbarian swoâ—ds Rapines and soule-expiring slaughters fild Her houses Temples all her ayre and earth To me then whom your bounties haue enform'd With such a spirit as despiseth feare Commands in either fortune knowes and armes Against the worst of fate and therefore can Dispose blest meanes encourag'd to the best Much more vouchsafe that honor chiefely now When Rome wants only this dayes conquest giuen me To make her happy to confirme the brightnesse That yet she shines in ouer all the world In Empire riches strife of all the Arts In gifts of Cities and of kingdomes sent her In Crownes laid at her feet in euery grace That shores and seas floods Islands Continents Groues fields hills mines and metals can produce All which I victor will encrease I vow By all my good acknowledg'd giuen by you Act IIII Scene I. Pompey in haste Brutus Gabinius Vibius 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 mornâ— The new-fled night made day with Meteors Fir'd ouer Caesars campe and falne in mine As pointing out the terrible euentâ— Yet in suspence but where they threat their â—all 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 â—heumes 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 nimâ—le perfect To turne and winde aduantage euery way Encrease with little and enforce with none Maâ—e bold as Lyons gaunt as famisht wolues With still seru'd slaughters and continuall toyles Bru. You should noâ— Sir foâ—sake your owne wise Counsell Your owne experienâ—'t discipline owne practise Owne god inspired insight to all changes Of Protean fortune and her â—â—ny warre For hosts â—nd helâ— of such What man will thinke The best of them not mad to see them raâ—ge So vp and downe your campe already suing For offices falne by Caesars built on fall Before one stroke be struck Domitius Spinther Your father Scipiâ— new preparing friends For Caesars 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