right and duty only, the suggestion that to his

mind appears more persuasive :

"Your voice shall be as strong as any man's

In the disposing of new dignities."

When Antony, with manly and full expression of his love to Cæsar, obtains leave from Brutus to speak in the order of his funeral, Cassius again uses his shrewder knowledge of a world that is not as it seems.

"Brutus, a word with you.-

You know not what you do: do not consent
That Antony speak in his funeral.

Know you how much the people may be moved
By that which he will utter?"

But again the influence of Brutus, who brings faith in the justice of his cause, and a large spirit of humanity, into the crooked counsels of conspiracy, prevails. Cassius, in such a world, would be more fit to lead. "I know not what may fall," Cassius says as he yields, "I like it not."

When Antony, left alone with the body of Cæsar, has prophesied the curse of civil war on Italy, the tidings brought by the servant of Octavius that his master is within seven leagues of Rome prepares the way for immediate action, if Antony succeed in stirring up the people to revolt;

the coming of the servant also gives dramatic action to the removal of the body from the stage.

In the Forum Scene it may be observed that Brutus speaks in prose with brief expression of what he believes to be the sufficient reason for the death of Cæsar; while the speech of Antony, who begins with the whole mind of the populace against him, and, to secure hearing, tells the people that he comes "to bury Cæsar, not to praise him,” is a piece of studied rhetoric, designed to feel its way and rise in boldness until it has stirred the blood of all to fury. He undermines the accusation of ambition, and pauses to give time for the effect of this to appear. Then he shows, but does not read, Cæsar's will, with hints of large gifts in it to the people. Then he shows Caesar's body, but not until he has worked emotion up by skilful dealing with the mantle under which it lies. By that time he has raised the people into fury against traitors; but while they are rushing to revenge, crying burn, fire, kill, slay, he stays them for the climax of his appeal, which is not to their hearts but to their pockets. They have not heard the will.

"To every Roman citizen he gives,

To every several man, seventy-five drachmas,"

"with all his walks, his private arbours, and newplanted orchards on this side Tiber." Now they may be let slip at their prey. "Mischief, thou art afoot," says Antony, "Take thou what course thou wilt." Tidings follow of the flight of Brutus and Cassius from Rome, and of the entrance of Octavius. The last scene of the act shows civil fury at its height among the populace. burn and slay, they meet Cinna the Poet, mistake him, when they discover his name, for Cinna the Conspirator, and are about to tear him to pieces, when it is vain for him to tell them that he is Cinna the Poet. Their blood is up, and they are raging to destroy.

Raging to

"Cin. I am Cinna the Poet; I am Cinna the Poet. 4 Cit. Tear him for his bad verses, tear him for his bad verses.

Cin. I am not Cinna the Conspirator.

2 Cit. It is no matter, his name 's Cinna: pluck his name out of his heart, and turn him going.

3 Cit. Tear him; tear him!”

So much for the liberation of the people.

The first scene of the Fourth Act opens with showing how little has been gained by the removal of a tyranny. The triumvirs are seen in counsel pricking men for death by their own absolute will,

and on the lightest impulses of petty jealousy among themselves.

"Antony. These many, then, shall die; their names are pricked.

Oct. Your brother too must die :

Lepidus ?

Lepidus. I do consent

Oct.

consent you,

Prick him down, Antony.

Lep. Upon condition Publius shall not live,

Who is your sister's son, Mark Antony.

Ant. He shall not live; look, with a spot I damn him."

There could not be more vivid expression of the failure to reap good fruit from an evil deed. Murder of Cæsar has at once produced the ills that Brutus would have given his own life to avert. At once the scene passes to preparation for new discords in the future. If three men share the supreme power, first the weakest must go to the wall; and that is Lepidus, who is at once treated by his colleagues as a slight unmeritable man, meet to be sent on errands." In a later scene there is a glance that indicates the rivalry to come between Octavius and Antony. But after the short opening scene of the Fourth Act-which shows the ruin of the hope that had caused Brutus to take part in a policy of doing evil that a good might follow-the one theme of the rest of the act is Brutus

He

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has brought desolation upon his country, and upon his home; for he has learnt that Portia, made desperate by the griefs with which she was surrounded, swallowed fire, and so inflicted on herself a cruel death. The suppressed anguish in the mind of Brutus gives its character to all that is said or done by him. There is no part of Shakespeare that surpasses in spiritual beauty the Fourth Act of Julius Cæsar, which represents the bruised spirit of Brutus, with its short-lived powers of resentment and its depths of tenderness laid open by the stir of half-suppressed emotion. Neither the times nor his stoic philosophy will suffer him to sob his heart out for the cruel death of the wife dearly loved : a death that was among thousands of calamities, public and private, that had come-of the assassination. He had killed his wife in stabbing Cæsar.

What is known as the Quarrel Scene between Brutus and Cassius, represents in Brutus, the quiver of suppressed emotion from his own deepseated private grief passing into unwonted emotion of resentment at what looked in Cassius like want of honour and of friendly care. Cassius is quick of temper; Brutus habitually calm. But Cassius has now to wonder at the sensitiveness of