Caesar Anthony Acilius with souldiers Caes. 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 six thousand slaine Caes. 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 Caesar My life and fortunes Caes. 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 Caes. 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-stomak't Consuls Both whom I heare haue slaine themselues before They would enioy life in the good of Caesar 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 Caesars 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 Caesar And be in all the powers of Caesar Caesar In which free wish I ioyne your father Cato For whom I le 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 Caesar 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 Caesar and was neuer conquer'd Or made to fly for life as Caesar was But haue beene victor euer to my wish 'Gainst whomsoeuer euer hath opposde Where Caesar 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 Vaineglory villany and at best you can Fed with the parings of a worthy man My fame affirme my life receiu'd from him I le 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. I le 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 t is 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 I le 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 frame 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 t is 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 Euicts glad grant from me you hold a truth Stat. Is 't not a manly truth and mere diuine Cat. T is 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 Le ts talke of Caesar 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 Caesars 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 Act V. Scene I. Enter Ushers with the two Lentuli and Septimius before Cornelia Cyris Telesilla Lelia Drusus with others following Cornelia Septimius and the two Lentuli reading letters Cor. SO may my comforts for this good newes thriue As I am thankfull for them to the Gods Ioyes vnexpected and in desperate plight Are still most sweet and proue from whence they come When earths still Moonelike confidence in ioy Is at her full True ioy descending farre From past her sphere and from that highest heauen That moues and is not mou'd how farre was I From hope of these euents when fearefull dreames Of Harpies tearing out my heart of armies Terribly ioyning Cities kingdomes falling And all on me prou'd sleepe not twin to death But to me death it selfe yet making then These letters full of as much chearefull life I found closde in my hand O gods how iustly Ye laugh at all things earthly at all feares That rise not from your iudgements at all ioyes Not drawne directly from your selues and in ye Distrust in man is faith trust in him ruine Why write great learned men men merely rapt With sacred rage of confidence beleefe Vndanted spirits inexorable fate And all feare treading on t is all but ayre If any comfort be t is in despaire 1 Len. You learned Ladies may hold any thing 2 Lent Now madam is your walk from coach come neare The promontory where you late commanded A Sentinell should stand to see from thence If either with a nauy brought by sea Or traine by land great Pompey comes to greet you As in your letters he neare this time promisde Cor. O may this Isle of Lesbos compast in With the Aegaean sea that doth diuide Europe from Asia The sweet literate world From the Barbarian from my barbarous dreames Diuide my dearest husband and his fortunes 2 Len. He 's busied now with ordering offices By this time madam sits your honor'd father He looks in his letter In Caesars chaire of vniuersall Bishop Domitius Aenobarbas is made Consull Spynther his Consort and Phaonius Tribune or Pretor Septimius with a letter Sep. These were only sought Before the battaile not obtaind nor mouing My father but in shadowes Corn. Why should men Tempt fate with such firme confidence seeking places Before the power that should dispose could grant them For then the stroke of battaile was not struck 1 Len. Nay that was sure enough Physitians know When sick mens eyes are broken they must dye Your letters telling you his victory Lost in the skirmish which I know hath broken Both the eyes and heart of Caesar for as men Healthfull through all their liues to grey-hayr'd age When sicknesse takes them once they seldom scape So Caesar victor in his generall fights Till this late skirmish could no aduerse blow Sustaine without his vtter ouerthrow 2 Lent See madam now your Sentinell enquire Cor. Seest thou no fleet yet Sentinell nor traine That may be thought great Pompeys Sen. Not yet madame 1 Len. Seest thou no trauellers addrest this way In any number on this Lesbian shore Sent. I see some not worth note a couple comming This way on foot that are not now farre hence 2 Lent Come they apace like messengers with newes Sent. No nothing like my Lord nor are their habites Of any such mens fashions being long mantles And sable hew'd their heads all hid in hats Of parching Thessaly broad brimm'd high crown'd Cor. These serue not our hopes Sent. Now I see a ship A kenning hence that strikes into the hauen Cor. One onely ship Sen. One only madam yet Cor. That should not be my Lord 1 Lent Your Lord no madam Sen. She now lets out arm'd men vpon the land 2 Lent Arm'd men with drum and colours Sen. No my Lord But bright in armes yet beare halfe pikes or beadhookes 1 Lent These can be no plumes in the traine of Pompey Cor. I le see him in his letter once againe Sen. Now madam come the two I saw on foot Enter Pompey and Demetrius Dem. See your Princesse Sir come thus farre from the City in her coach to encounter your promist comming About this time in your last letters Pom. The world is alterd since
action of the publique weale Nor any rule beare neare her politique sterne For to be vpright and sincere therein Like Catos sonne the times corruption Will neuer beare it and to sooth the time You shall doe basely and vnworthy your life Which to the gods I wish may outweigh mine In euery virtue howsoeuer ill You thriue in honor Por. I my Lord shall gladly Obey that counsell Cat. And what needed you Vrge my kinde care of any charge that nature Imposes on me haue I euer showne Loues least defect to you or any dues The most indulgent father being discreet Could doe his dearest blood doe you me right In iudgement and in honor and dispence With passionate nature goe neglect me not But send my sword in Goe t is I that charge you Por. O my Lord and father come aduise me Exeunt Cat. What haue I now to thinke on in this world No one thought of the world I goe each minute Discharg'd of all cares that may fit my freedome The next world and my soule then let me serue With her last vtterance that my body may With sweetnesse of the passage drowne the sowre That death will mix with it the Consuls soules That slew themselues so nobly scorning life Led vnder Tyrants Scepters mine would see For we shall know each other and past death Retaine those formes of knowledge learn'd in life Since if what here we learne we there shall lose Or immortality were not life but time And that our soules in reason are immortall Then naturall and proper obiects proue Which immortallity and knowledge are For to that obiect euer is referr'd The nature of the soule in which the acts Of her high faculties are still employde And that true obiect must her powers obtaine To which they are in natures aime directed Since t were absurd to haue her sit an obiect Which possibly she neuer can aspire Enter a Page with his sword taken out before Pag Your sword my Lord Cat. O is it found lay downe Vpon the bed my boy Exit Pa. Poore men a boy Must be presenter manhood at no hand Must serue so foule a fact for so are calde In common mouths mens fairest acts of all Vnsheath is 't sharpe t is sweet Now I am safe Come Caesar quickly now or lose your vassall Now wing thee deare soule and receiue her heauen The earth the ayre and seas I know and all The ioyes and horrors of their peace and warres And now will see the gods state and the starres He fals vpon his sword and enter Statilius at another side of the Stage with his sword drawne Porcius Brutus Cleanthes and Marcilius holding his hands Stat. Cato my Lord Por. I sweare Statilius He 's forth and gone to seeke you charging me To seeke elsewhere lest you had slaine your selfe And by his loue entreated you would liue Sta. I sweare by all the gods I le run his fortunes Por. You may you may but shun the victor now Who neare is and will make vs all his slaues Sta He shall himselfe be mine first and my slaues Exit Por. Looke looke in to my father O I feare He is no sight for me to beare and liue Exit Omn. 3 O ruthfull spectacle Cle. He hath ript his entrals Bru. Search search they may be sound Cle. They may and are Giue leaue my Lord that I may sew them vp Being yet vnperisht He thrusts him back plucks out his entrals Ca. Stand off now they are not Haue he my curse that my lifes least part saues Iust men are only free the rest are slaues Bru. Myrror of men Mar. The gods enuied his goodnesse Enter Caesar Anthony Brutus Acilius with Lords and Citizens of Vtica Caes. Too late too late with all our haste O Cato All my late Conquest and my lifes whole acts Most crownde most beautified are basted all With thy graue lifes expiring in their scorne Thy life was rule to all liues and thy death Thus forcibly despising life the quench Of all liues glories Ant. Vnreclaimed man How censures Brutus his sterne fathers fact Bru. T was not well done Caes. O censure not his acts Who knew as well what fitted man as all men Enter Achilius Septimius Salvius with Pompeys head All kneeling Your enemies head great Caesar Caes. Cursed monsters Wound not mine eyes with it nor in my camp Let any dare to view it farre as noblesse The den of barbarisme flies and blisse The bitterest curse of vext and tyrannisde nature Transferre it from me Borne the plagues of virtue How durst ye poyson thus my thoughts to torture Them with instant rapture Omn. 3. Sacred Caesar Caes. Away with them I vow by all my comforts Who slack seemes or not fiery in my charge Shall suffer with them All the souldiers Out base murtherers Tortures tortures for them bale them out Omn. Cruell Caesar Caes. Too milde with any torture Bru. Let me craue The ease of my hate on their one curst life Caes. Good Brutus take it O you coole the poyson These villaines flaming pou'rd vpon my spleen To suffer with my lothings If the blood Of euery common Roman toucht so neare Shall I confirme the false brand of my tyranny With being found a fautor of his murther Whom my deare Country chusde to fight for her Ant. Your patience Sir their tortures well will quit you Bru. Let my slaues vse Sir be your president Caes. It shall I sweare you doe me infinite honor O Cato I enuy thy death since thou Enuiedst my glory to preserue thy life Why fled his sonne and friend Statilius So farre I fly their hurt that all my good Shall fly to their desires And for himselfe My Lords and Citizens of Vtica His much renowne of you quit with your most And by the sea vpon some eminent rock Erect his sumptuous tombe on which aduance With all fit state his statue whose right hand Let hold his sword where may to all times rest His bones as honor'd as his soule is blest FINIS
what crosseth Them 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 hand Caes. Moue you for entring only Pompeys 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 sit 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 sits betwixt Caesar and Metelius 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 or the yet still smoaking fire Of Catilines 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 example 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 Consule 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
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 Caesar 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 t was fought 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. T was the charge That Caesar gaue against them Epir. Come away Leaue all and wonder at this fatall day Exeunt The fight neerer and enter Crassineus a sword as thrust through his face he fals To him Pompey and Caesar fighting Pompey giues way Caesar follows and enters at another dore Caes. Pursue pursue the gods foreshew'd their powers Which we gaue issue and the day is ours Crassineus O looke vp he does and shewes Death in his broken eyes which Caesars hands Shall doe the honor of eternall closure Too well thou keptst thy word that thou this day Wouldst doe me seruice to our victory Which in thy life or death I should behold And praise thee for I doe and must admire Thy matchles valour euer euer rest Thy manly lineaments which in a tombe Erected to thy noble name and virtues I le curiosly preserue with balmes and spices In eminent place of these Pharsalian fields Inscrib'd with this true soule of funerall Epitaphi Crassineus fought for fame and died for Rome Whose publique weale springs from this priuate tombe Enter some taking him off whom Caesar 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' enforce 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 I le 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 Caesar 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 steepe 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 t is 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 I le 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 sute 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 Caesar but a man Exeunt Enter
Achillas Septius Saluius with souldiers Ach. Haile to Romes great Commander to whom Aegypt Not long since seated in his kingdome by thee And sent to by thee in thy passage by Sends vs with answer which withdraw and heare Pom I le kisse my children first Sep. Blesse me my Lord Pom. I will and Cyris my poore daughter too Euen that high hand that hurld me downe thus low Keepe you from rising high I heare now tell me I thinke my friend you once seru'd vnder me Septius only nods with his head Pom. Nod onely not a word daigne what are these Cornelia I am now not worth mens words Ach. Please you receiue your ayde Sir Pom. I I come Exit Pom. They draw and follow Cor. Why draw they See my Lords attend them vshers Sen. O they haue slaine great Pompey Cor. O my husband Sept. Cyr. Mother take comfort Enter Pompey bleeding O my Lord and father Pom. See heauens your sufferings is my Countries loue The iustice of an Empire pietie Worth this end in their leader last yet life And bring the gods off fairer after this Who will adore or serue the deities He hides his face with his robe Enter the Murtherers Ach. Helpe hale him off and take his head for Caesar Sep. Mother O saue vs Pompey O my father Enter the two Lentuli and Demetrius bleeding and kneele about Cornelia 1 Len. Yet fals not heauen Madam O make good Your late great spirits all the world will say You know not how to beare aduerse euents If now you languish Omn. Take her to her coach They beare her out Cato with a booke in his hand O Beastly apprehenders of things manly And merely heauenly they with all the reasons I vsde for iust mens liberties to beare Their liues and deaths vp in their owne free hands Feare still my resolution though I seeme To giue it off like them and now am woonne To thinke my life in lawes rule not mine owne When once it comes to death as if the law Made for a sort of outlawes must bound me In their subiection as if I could Be rackt out of my vaines to liue in others As so I must if others rule my life And publique power keepe all the right of death As if men needes must serue the place of iustice The forme and idoll and renounce it selfe Our selues and all our rights in God and goodnesse Our whole contents and freedomes to dispose All in the ioyes and wayes of arrant rogues No stay but their wilde errors to sustaine vs No forges but their throats to vent our breaths To forme our liues in and repose our deaths See they haue got my sword Who 's there Enter Marcillius bare Mar. My Lord Cat. Who tooke my sword hence Dumb I doe not aske For any vse or care of it but hope I may be answered Goe Sir let me haue it Exit Mar. Poore slaues how terrible this death is to them If men would sleepe they would be wroth with all That interrupt them Physick take to take The golden rest it brings both pay and pray For good and soundest naps all friends consenting In those kinde inuocations praying all Good rest the gods vouchsafe you put when death Sleepes naturall brother comes that 's nothing worse But better being more rich and keepes the store Sleepe euer fickle wayward still and poore O how men grudge and shake and deare and fly His sterne approaches all their comforts taken In faith and knowledge of the blisse and beauties That watch their wakings in an endlesse life Dround in the paines and horrors of their sense Sustainde but for an houre be all the earth Rapt with this error lie pursue my reason And hold that as my light and fiery pillar Th' eternall law of heauen and earth no firmer But while I seeke to conquer conquering Caesar My soft-splen'd seruants ouerrule and curb me He knocks and Brutus enters Where 's he I sent to fetch and place my sword Where late I left it Dumb to Come another Enter Cleanthes Where 's my sword hung here Cle. My Lord I know not Ent. Marcilius Cat. The rest come in there Where 's the sword I charg'd you To giue his place againe I le breake your lips ope Spight of my freedome all my seruants friends My sonne and all will needs betray me naked To th' armed malice of a foe so fierce And Beare-like mankinde of the blood of virtue O gods who euer saw me thus contemn'd Goe call my sonne in tell him that the lesse He shewes himselfe my sonne the lesse I le care To liue his father Enter Athenodorus Porcius Porcius kneeling Brutus Cleanthes and Marcilius by him Por. I beseech you Sir Rest patient of my duty and my loue Your other children think on our poore mother Your family your Country Cat. If the gods Giue ouer all I le fly the world with them Athenodorus I admire the changes I note in heauenly prouidence When Pompey Did all things out of course past right past reason He stood inuincible against the world Yet now his cares grew pious and his powers Set all vp for his Countrey he is conquered Ath. The gods wills secret are nor must we measure Their chast-reserued deepes by our dry shallowes Sufficeth vs we are entirely such As twixt them and our consciences we know Their graces in our virtues shall present Vnspotted with the earth to 'th high throne That ouerlookes vs for this gyant world Let 's not contend with it when heauen it selfe Failes to reforme it why should we affect The least hand ouer it in that ambition A heape t is of digested villany Virtue in labor with eternall Chaos Prest to a liuing death and rackt beneath it Her throwes vnpitied euery worthy man Limb by limb sawne out of her virgine wombe To liue here peecemeall tortur'd fly life then Your life and death made presidents for men Exit Cat. Ye heare my masters what a life this is And vse much reason to respect it so But mine shall serue ye Yet restore my sword Lest too much ye presume and I conceiue Ye front me like my fortunes Where 's Statilius Por. I think Sir gone with the three hundred Romans In Lucius Caesars charge to serue the victor Cat. And would not take his leaue of his poore friend Then the Philosophers haue stoop't his spirit Which I admire in one so free and knowing And such a fiery hater of base life Besides being such a vow'd and noted foe To our great Conqueror But I aduisde him To spare his youth and liue Por. My brother Brutus Is gone to Caesar Cat. Brutus Of mine honor Although he be my sonne in law I must say There went as worthy and as learned a President As liues in Romes whole rule for all lifes actions And yet your sister Porcia his wife Would scarce haue done this But for you my sonne Howeuer Caesar deales with me be counsailde By your experienc't father not to touch At any