Julius Cæjar. ing, comes on in a state of very natural confufion, dispatching Lucius for intelligence; her disjointed manner of speaking is well imagined; upon queftioning Artemidorus, fhe collects fresh fear of a discovery, and retires confeffing the full force of womanish apprehenfions. The third act opens with Cafar entering the fenate, when he is addreffed by Artemidorus, who urges attention to the paper he offers, as being of near concern to himself, which Cæfar therefore very nobly declines, as being leaft worthy of prefent regard; those doubts which SHAKESPEARE has furnifhed the confpirators with, are naturally the confequence of feelings concerned in fuch an important and precarious undertaking. When Metellus kneeling adulates Cæfar with multiplied titles, the monarch replies like a truly great man, but ufes fome terms too much in the bashaw stile; upon the repeated folicitations of different fenators to favour Cimber's fuit, he well describes and manifefts his own firmnefs: upon his confirmed refufal, Cafca, according to appointment, gives the first ftab, upon which all the reft follow his blow, and the world's great conqueror falls beneath a multitude of wounds, seeming to disdain every meffenger of fate, but that fent by Brutus ; here our author's judgment deferves great praife, in giving Cæfar no more to fay than hiftory authorizes; but after speaking English through every scene and speech before, why he should introduce et tu Bruté is not fo obvious as might be wifhed. The exultation of the confpirators, and the methods they propofe for reconciling this great, unthought of event to the people, are well conceived, however Julius Cæfar. however we may applaud the glorious impulfe of patriotifm which caufed Brutus to facrifice fo fincere and powerful a friend to the liberties of his country, yet we heartily concur with Mr. POPE, that the fpeech concerning dipping their hands in Cæfar's blood, is much more fuitable to any other confpirator than him. SHAKESPEARE Was judiciously fond of realizing mimic reprefentation as much as poffible, for which purpose the following lines in this piece were certainly and happily intended. How many ages hence, Shall this our lofty scene be acted o'er Antony's fervant, in a very plaufible stile, offers from his master conciliating motives to the confpirators, who promife him fafety for his appearance; he is introduced much too foon, as there are but three lines from the fervant's going till he comes on, which muft oblige us to imagine him waiting at the door, where he would by no means have trusted himself, after he had fled to his house amazed, without fome credible affurance of protection. When Mark Antony enters he follows an amiable, natural impulfe, which directs him to pay his first regard to the dead body of his royal friend, without even cafting a glance at his furrounding murderers; his addrefs to thofe real or pretending patriots is pathetic and spirited, Brutus's reply cordial and fenfible; there is fomething hypocritical, yet politic, Julius Cæfar. politic, in fhaking hands with the blood-ftained confpirators, the action leffens him in our esteem, yet the defign, which may be easily perceived, commands our approbation. Caffius pinching him close, he makes a fecond ferious declaration of attachment to the popular party, which rather lays him low in the view of truth, but to be upon a level with rogues, especially those in power, integrity must become flexible, and fometimes fubmit to wear a mask. Antony's defire of leave to pronounce Cæfar's funeral elogium, ftrikes even flow perception with a more extensive meaning than is expreffed, which Caffius very prudently adverts to; however, Brutus gives a reason, favouring of felf-fufficiency, why it is not dangerous to give Antony the privilege of the roftrum; therefore configns Cæfar's corpfe to his care, only referves to himself the first opportunity of speaking to the people: this point being fettled, the confpirators retire, and leave Antony to vent his feelings more at large, which he does in a very masterly foliloquy, admirably fuited to his fituation. Upon the appearance of a meffenger from Octavius Cæfar, he warns the young Prince to avoid the danger of entering Rome in fo critical a ftate of affairs, mentions the trial he intends to make of popular affection, and then goes off with his imperial master's body. Brutus, attended by the Plebeians,next strikes our view, he mounts the roftrum, and dispatches Caffius to divide the multitude; in his addrefs to those who stay to hear him, his oratory discovers itself in that warm glow of fentiment, that nervous, yet unadorned flow of expreffion, which distinguishes eloVOL. II. quence, C Julius Cæfar, quence, founded upon confcious honesty: he appeals to feelings of a focial, virtuous and patriotic. nature; he appeals to the dulleft conception, by a beautiful antithefis of his great love for Cæfar, and his fuperior regard for the liberties of Rome; fubmitting, at last, with tempered dignity, and just confidence, his part in the affaffination of great Julius, to public opinion, even among the loweft clafs of the people; fuch as fome of our present, smart English fenators have called the scum of the earth. Upon Antony's approach with Cæfar's body, he, according to promife, gives place, and retires with a glorious obfervation, that the fame weapon which ftabbed his best friend, is ready to affail his own heart, if ever the public fafety fhould require it. Upon Antony's mounting the roftrum, it immediately occurs, that a great contraft of manner, stile and argument, should be adopted; this arduous variation we hope SHAKESPEARE will appear amply qualified for upon due infpection. The Plebeians feem to have received so strong a prejudice in favour of the confpiracy from Brutus's oration, that to imprefs an oppofite opinion, appears almost impracticable; infomuch, that upon Antony's even mentioning the name of Brutus,a jealousy of his meaning ftarts up amongst the mob; this circumstance is a very artful and natural preparation for what follows. In the first speech of Antony, we discover a beautiful, yet modeft elogium, upon the merits of Cæfar, mingled with ironical compliments to the confpirators, particularly Brutus; he clofes it with a proper, pathetic appeal, to his own mournful feelings on the occafion, which evidently touches the Plebeians, 2 Julus Cefar. Plebeians, and lays their hearts open to the impreffion he apparently wifhes to work upon them. In the next speech, our orator, with deep policy, obliquely hints, that he could communicate fome inflammatory intelligence, but through his refpect to Brutus, declines the office; he then plays a principal engine against their prejudice, by mentioning the will of Cæfar, as a most interesting concern to them; with the true violence of mobbish spirits, they defire the will may be read, this the orator most fhrewdly evades to increase their eagerness, and that may work the more powerful effect, shews them the several wounds in Cæfar's coarse, pointing out each man who stabbed him, by name. it The piteous fpectacle inflames the mob to fudden exclamations of defperate tendency; this agitation of mind Antony avails himfelf of, by feeming to foften their refentment, which, like an inadequate quantity of water thrown upon powerful flames,tends to make it rage the fiercer. Thus roufed, he confirms their fury, by reminding them of, and reading to them Cæfar's will, wherein they find a refpectful and confiderable remembrance of the Roman citizens; this corroborates all preceding circumftances, and they go off, denouncing moft terrible threats against the confpirators. This scene finely exhibits the mutability and inconfiftency of popular affection, which an artful, plaufible orator, can warp from attachment to antipathy, from the most worthy to the most worthless object of human confideration: an excellent leffon this for all states, more efpecially free ones. By a fervant Antony is informed of Octavius's arrival at Rome, and goes to meet him at Cæfar's C 2 houfe: |