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Of late, with passions of some difference 1,
Conceptions only proper to myself,

Which give some soil 2, perhaps, to my behaviours;
But let not therefore my good friends be griev'd;
Among which number, Cassius, be you one,
Nor construe any further my neglect,
Than that poor Brutus, with himself at war,
Forgets the shows of love to other men 5.

CASSIUS.

Then, Brutus, I have much mistook your passion;
By means whereof this breast of mine has buried
Thoughts of great value, worthy cogitations.
Tell me, good Brutus, can you see your face?

BRUTUS.

No, Cassius; for the eye sees not itself,
But by reflection from some other things.

CASSIUS.

'Tis just :

And it is very much lamented, Brutus,
That you have no such mirrors as will turn

lui dit plus haut: I have not from your eyes that gentleness, etc. Le sens de la réponse doit être évidemment: Si mes yeux sont voilés de tristesse, c'est sur moi seul que je tourne mes regards attristés.

1. Passions of some difference, passions contraires, différentes entre elles.

2. Soil..... behaviours, mot à mot, souillure, profanation; mais ces deux mots sont un peu forts, ici altération. Behaviours se dit rarement au pluriel.

3. Be s'employait assez souvent pour are. Ex.: There be that delight in giddiness. (Bacon.)

4. Nor construe..... expliquer, donner un sens à, interpréter.

5. Shows, marques extérieures. Le sens est: En guerre avec luimême, le malheureux Brutus oublie de donner aux autres hommes les marques extérieures de son affection.

6. I have mistook. Disons une fois pour toutes que cette forme, mistook, se rencontre assez souvent dans Shakespeare, comme participe passé, au lieu de mistaken, taken.

7. By means whereof, mot à mot, par le moyen de cela, à cause de cela.

Your hidden worthiness into your eye 1,
That you might see your shadow. I have heard,
Where many of the best respect 2 in Rome,
Except immortal Cæsar, speaking of Brutus,
And groaning underneath this age's yoke,
Have wish'd that noble Brutus had his eyes.

BRUTUS.

Into what dangers would you lead me, Cassius,
That you would have me seek into myself 3
For that which is not in me?

CASSIUS.

Therefore, good Brutus, be prepared to hear:
And, since you know you cannot see yourself
So well as by reflection, I, your glass,
Will modestly discover to yourself
That of yourself which you yet know not of.
And, be not jealous on me, gentle Brutus :
Were I a common laugher, or did use
To stale with ordinary oaths my love
To every new protester ; if you know
That I do fawn on men, and hug them hard,
And after scandal them; or if you know

That I profess 10 myself in banquetting

1. Turn into your eyes, pour renvoyer à vos yeux (l'image de) votre valeur cachée.

2. Of the best respect, jouissant de la plus haute considération.

3. You would have me seek, idiotisme: le verbe have est ici employé dans le sens de faire.

4. Jealous on a ici le sens de soupçonneux, méfiant. On dit bien, he cast a jealous glance to mark, etc., avec la même signification. 5. Common, banal.

6. To stale, avilir, prostituer. 7. Ordinary oaths, serments d'usage, c'est-à-dire, dont on se sert habituellement pour affirmer son amitié.

8. To every new protester, au premier venu qui me fait des protestations d'amitié.

9. I do fawn on men, si je flagorne les hommes.

10. That I profess myself to, etc., si je me déclare (l'ami), si je fais des protestations d'amitié, etc.

To all the rout, then hold me dangerous 1.

Flourish and shouts.

BRUTUS.

What means this shouting? I do fear, the people Choose Cæsar for their king.

CASSIUS.

Ay, do you fear it?

Then must I think you would not have it so.

BRUTUS.

I would not, Cassius; yet I love him well.
But wherefore do you hold me here so long?
What is it that you would impart to me?
If it be aught 2 towards the general good,
Set honour in one eye, and death i' th' other,
And I will look on both indifferently;
For, let the gods so speed me as I love
The name of honour more than I fear death.

CASSIUS.

I know that virtue to be in you, Brutus,
As well as I do know your outward favour 4.
Well, honour is the subject of my story.
I cannot tell what you and other men
Think of this life; but, for my single self,

I had as lief not be as live to be

1. Rapprocher tout ce passage des paroles d'Alceste dans Molière, Misanthrope, acte I, scène 1 (a).

2. If it be aught towards the general good, si c'est une chose, quelle qu'elle soit, qui tende au bien public.

(a)

3. Protéger, favoriser: Que les dicux me protégent autant que...!

4. Favour, pris ici dans son sens, vieilli, de visage, traits de la physionomic; un peu plus loin il est pris dans la même acception.

5. I had as lief, j'aimerais autant.

Je vous vois accabler un homme de caresses,
Et témoigner pour lui les dernières tendresses;
De protestations, d'offres et de serments
Vous chargez la fureur de vos embrassements.

In awe of such a thing as I myself.
I was born free as Cæsar, so were you :
We both have fed as well; and we can both
Endure the winter's cold as well as he.
For once, upon a raw and gusty day,
The troubled Tiber chafing 2 with her shores,
Cæsar said to me: "Dar'st thou, Cassius, now,
"Leap in with me into this angry flood,
" And swim to yonder point?" Upon the word,
Accoutred as I was, I plunged in,
And bade him follow: so, indeed, he did.
The torrent roar'd; and we did buffet it 3
With lusty sinews, throwing it aside

And stemming it with hearts of controversy 4;
But ere we could arrive the point propos'd,
Cæsar cried: " Help me, Cassius, or I sink!
I, as Æneas, our great ancestor,

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Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder
The old Anchises bear, so, from the waves of Tiber

Did I the tired Cæsar, and this man

Is now become a god; and Cassius is

A wretched creature, and must bend his body,

If Cæsar carelessly but nod on him.

He had a fever when he was in Spain,

And, when the fit was on him, I did mark

How he did shake: 'tis true, this god did shake :

1. In awe of such a thing. Thing est pris ici dans son acception la plus méprisante.

2. Chafing ne semble pas suffisamment traduit par gronder contre ses rivages, comme ont écrit certains traducteurs. Il y a dans ce, mot quelque chose de plus : le Tibre irrité qui rongeait ses rivages.

3. Buffet it, mot à mot, nous le souffletions de nos bras vigoureux, nous luttions contre lui, etc. 4. Hearts of controversy, le cœur plein d'émulation.

5. On dirait aujourd'hui arrive at the point.

6. Lorsque l'accès le saisissait.

His coward lips did from their colour fly 1;

And that same eye, whose bend does awe the world (a),

Did lose his lustre : I did hear him groan :

Ay, and that tongue of his, that bade the Romans
Mark him, and write his speeches in their books,
Alas, it cried: "Give me some drink, Titinius, "
As a sick girl. Ye gods, it does amaze me,

A man of such a feeble temper should
So get the start of the majestic world,
And bear the palm alone.

BRUTUS.

Another general shout!

I do believe that these applauses are

For some new honours that are heap'd on Cæsar.

CASSIUS.

Why, man3, he does bestride the narrow world,
Like a Colossus; and we petty men

Walk under his huge legs, and peep about
To find ourselves dishonourable graves.
Men at some time are masters of their fates;
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.
Brutus, and Cæsar: what should be in that Cæsar?
Why should that name be sounded more than yours?
Write them together, yours is as fair a name;

Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well 5 ;

1. Pour the colour did fly from his coward lips.

2. Prendre les devants sur; ici, s'emparer du premier rang dans ce monde majestueux.

3. Man, tournure familière pour friend.

a)

4. Narrow world, le monde étroit. (Il y a la pensée de trop étroit pour le contenir.)

5. It becomes the mouth, il sied à la bouche (mot à mot). II sonne aussi haut.

Annuit, et totum nutu tremefecit Olympum. (Virg.)

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