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Bru. Peace, peace! you durst not so have tempted him.

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Cas. What? durst not tempt him?

Bru.

For your life you durst not. Cas. Do not presume too much upon my love; I may do that I should be sorry for.

Bru. You have done that you should be sorry for. There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats;

For I am arm'd so strong in honesty

That they pass by me as the idle wind
Which I respect not. I did send to you

For certain sums of gold, which you denied me;-
For I can raise no money by vile means:
By heaven, I had rather coin my heart,

And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring
From the hard hand of peasants their vile trash
By any indirection.-I did send

To you for gold to pay my legions,

Which you denied me. Was that done like Cassius?
Should I have answer'd Caius Cassius so?

When Marcus Brutus grows so covetous,
To lock such rascal counters from his friends,
Be ready, gods, with all your thunderbolts,
Dash him to pieces!

Cas.

Bru. You did.

Cas.

I denied you not.

I did not; he was but a fool

That brought my answer back.-Brutus hath riv'd

my heart;

A friend should bear a friend's infirmities,
But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.

Bru. I do not, till you practice them on me. You love me not.

Cas. Bru.

I do not like your faults. Cas. A friendly eye could never see such faults. Bru. A flatterer's would not, though they do appear

As huge as high Olympus.

Cas. Come, Antony, and young Octavius, come, Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius!

For Cassius is aweary of the world;

Hated by one he loves, brav'd by his brother,
Check'd like a bondman; all his faults observ'd,
Set in a note-book, learn'd and conn'd by rote,
To cast into my teeth. O, I could weep
My spirit from mine eyes!-There is my dagger,
And here my naked breast; within, a heart
Dearer than Plutus' mine, richer than gold:
If that thou beest a Roman, take it forth.
I, that denied thee gold, will give my heart:
Strike, as thou didst at Cæsar; for I know,

When thou didst hate him worst, thou lov'dst him

better

Than ever thou lov'dst Cassius.

Bru. Sheathe your dagger: Be angry when you will, it shall have scope; Do what you will, dishonor shall be humor. O Cassius, you are yoked with a lamb, That carries anger as the flint bears fire, Who, much enforced, shows a hasty spark And straight is cold again.

Cas.

Hath Cassius liv'd

To be but mirth and laughter to his Brutus,

When grief and blood ill-temper'd vexeth him?

Bru. When I spoke that I was ill-temper'd too. Cas. Do you confess so much?

hand.

Bru. And my heart too.

Give me your

HAMLET.

WILLIAM SHAKSPERE.

(From "Hamlet.")

(ACT I, SCENE II. HAMLET alone in a room of the castle. Enter HORATIO, MARCELLUS, and BERNARDO.)

Horatio. Hail to your lordship!

Ham.

I am glad to see you well:

Horatio, or I do forget myself.

Hor. The same my lord, and your poor servant ever. ›› Ham. Sir, my good friend; I'll change that name

with you:

And what make you from Wittenberg, Horatio?— Marcellus?

Mar. My good lord

Ham. I am very glad to see you. [To BER.]
Good even, sir.-

But what, in faith, make you from Wittenberg ?
Hor. A truant disposition, good my lord.

Ham. I would not hear your enemy say so,
Nor shall you do mine ear that violence,
To make it truster of your own report
Against yourself; I know you are no truant.
But what is your affair in Elsinore?

We'll teach you to drink deep ere you depart.

Hor. My lord, I came to see your father's funeral.

Ham. I pray thee, do not mock me, fellow-stu

dent;

I think it was to see my mother's wedding.

Hor. Indeed, my lord, it follow'd hard upon. Ham. Thrift, thrift, Horatio! the funeral bak'dmeats

Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.
Would I had met my dearest foe in heaven
Or ever I had seen that day, Horatio!

My father!-methinks I see my father.
O where, my lord?

Hor.
Ham.

In my mind's eye, Horatio. Hor. I saw him once; he was a goodly king.

Ham. He was a man, take him for all in all,

I shall not look upon his like again.

Hor. My lord, I think I saw him yesternight. Ham. Saw? who?

Hor. My lord, the king your father.

Ham. The king my father! Hor. Season your admiration for a while With an attent ear, till I may deliver, Upon the witness of these gentlemen, This marvel to you.

Ham.

Hor.

For God's love, let me hear.

Two nights together had these gentlemen, Marcellus and Bernardo, on their watch,

In the dead vast and middle of the night,

Been thus encounter'd. A figure like your father, Armed at point exactly, cap-a-pie,

Appears before them, and with solemn march Goes slow and stately by them: thrice he walk'd By their oppress'd and fear-surprised eyes,

Within his truncheon's length; whilst they, distill'd

Almost to jelly with the act of fear,

Stand dumb, and speak not to him. This to me In dreadful secrecy impart they did;

And I with them the third night kept the watch: Where, as they had deliver'd, both in time,

Form of the thing, each word made true and good, The apparition comes. I knew your father;

These hands are not more like.

Ham.

But where was this?

Mar. My lord, upon the platform where we

watch'd.

Ham. Did you not speak to it?

Hor.

My lord, I did;
But answer made it none: yet once methought
It lifted up its head and did address

Itself to motion, like as it would speak;
But even then the morning cock crew loud,
And at the sound it shrunk in haste away,
And vanish'd from our sight.

Ham.

'Tis very strange.

Hor. As I do live, my honor'd lord, 'tis true; And we did think it writ down in our duty

To let you know of it.

Ham. Indeed, indeed, sirs, but this troubles me. Hold you the watch to-night?

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