C. Grac. Give me an answer, Drusus!
Dru. Madman !

C. Grac. Are you the creature of the Senate ?
Dru. Good Caius !

C. Grac. Do you juggle with the people?
Let me but know you, man, from your own lips.
"Tis all I want to know you are a traitor.

Dru. A traitor!

C. Grac. Ay!

Dru. To whom?.

C. Grac. To the poor people!

The houseless citizens, that sleep at nights
Before the portals, and that starve by day
Under the noses of the Senators!

Thou art their magistrate, their friend, their father. Dost thou betray them? Hast thou sold them? Wilt thou

Juggle them out of the few friends they have left?
Dru. If 'twill content you, Caius, I am one
Who loves alike the Senate and the people.
I am the friend of both.

C. Grac. The friend of neither

The Senate's tool!-a traitor to the people !-
A man that seems to side with neither party;
Will now bend this way, and then make it up,
By leaning a little to the other side:

"Talk

moderation-patience-with one foot Step out, and with the other back again”— With one eye, glance his pity on the crowd, And with the other, crouch to the nobility; "At any public grievance raise his voice, And like a harmless tempest, calm away; Idle, and noted only for his noise."

Such men are the best instruments of tyranny.
The simple slave is easily discerned

By his external badge; your order wears
The infamy within!

Dru. I'll leave you, Caius,

And hope your breast will harbour better councils.
Grudge you the Senate's kindness to the people?
"Tis well-whoe'er serves them shows love to me!

[Exit. The people following, with shouts, L C. Grac. Go! I have till'd a waste; and, with my sweat,

Brought hope of fruitage forth-the superficial
And heartless soil cannot sustain the shoot:

The first harsh wind that sweeps it, leaves it bare!
Fool that I was to till it! Let them go !

I lov'd them and I serv'd them!-Let them go !

Enter VETTIUS, L.

T'et. Why, Caius, what's the matter, that the people So follow Drusus?

C. Grac. Matter!-Know you why

The wind was all the morning in the south,
Sits now at north, that's the antagonist point?
When thou canst tell why turns the fitful wind,
I'll tell thee why the people follow Drusus!

[Crosses to L.

Vet. More wonder yet! There stood a group of

Senators

Under a portico, and as they pass'd,

They cheer'd them-cheer'd the Senators!-I thought They must be mad.

C. Grac. No, no! they are not mad.

There's not a day in the month, or year, they are
Of sounder mind. They know as well to-day,
As they did yesterday, what things they look at-
That Rome is Rome; that I am Caius; he
They follow, Drusus; and the Senators
They cheer, the Senators. They are not mad,
But thou art mad to think them so, because
They act the deeds of madmen!

Enter LICINIUS, L.

Licin. Caius! Ha!

Well met. Bad news!

C. Grac. Bad news, and well met, say you! Why, so it is: for, "were you Pluto's herald, You could not pluck a smile from Caius' cheek, Would pay the labour of destroying." Come! Your news?

Licin. Opimius will be Consul.

C. Grac. Well!

I'm Tribune!

Licin. Pray you, show yourself among The people, or their hearts are lost to you. Your enemies have won them half already.

66

Hands they would look at ere they took a gift from them,

They now do shake, as they pertain❜d to friends

After long travel greeted: breath they'd turn'd from,

Though wafting fortune's kindest errand, now
They suffer to blow close and full on them,
As it exhal'd from lips they'd woo for kisses!"-
A stranger now beholding Rome, would ask
You where are her degrees, so is all rank

Confounded.

66

Quinctius is no more Curtius,
That touches shoulders with him; Servius no less
Than Livius, that plucks Servius by the cloak,
And calls him his kind Servius! and would speak
A word with him!'-and, as he whispers in
His ear, knits fingers with him—all the while
Caring as much for Servius, as he does

For Servius' shoe!" Let them not, Caius, have
The game to themselves! Dispute it with them!-Come
Among the people!

C. Grac. Never did I play

The beggar yet, nor will I now; 'tis not
My craft, nor will I learn it, Marcus;-No:
Not e'en to please the people!

Enter POMPONIUS, L.

Pom. Where is Caius ?

C. Grac. Here! Here!-What makes the man in such

To your office! Half the votes are promis'd 'gainst
The next Comitia. Spare no pains to win

The people's favour back again; or, mind!

You are no longer Tribune.

Licin. "Follow him not, you will but lose your la bour."

Let us go to the people, and persuade them,
For their own profit, to retain their Tribune.
His office he must keep. Opimius,

I know, is sworn to his undoing;

Hath no impediment, once Consul, if

Caius should lose the Tribuneship.-Come, come.

[Exit LICIN, L.

Pom. Follow him, Caius, seek ouce more the people.
C. Grac. Not a foot

I'll stir to win them. Though the price of their love
Were but the breath would ask for't, it should go
Unbought for me!-What! would they take our tigers,
They've seen a hundred times tear limb from limb
The malefactor-would they take them, think you,

For dogs, suppose they fawn'd on them ?-No wonder
And if they should!-I will not go among them,
To pay court to them for their own sakes-cry,
Be serv'd I pray you, masters!-pray you, be serv'd!
• Consent that I should get you food; provide you
Clothing and lodging; find you lands to till!'
While all the time they lean the ear to Drusus,
And I must pull them by the cloak to win
Attention. No!-No honest man could do it!-
I will not go among them !-If they are told
That poison's poison, yet will swallow it
For food, in Jove's name let them! nothing but
The tasting on't will satisfy them.-Vettius!
Keep silence.-No man urge me to it.-

I should not-cannot-will not go among them!

[Exit R. followed by VETTIUs and Poм.

END OF ACT III.

ACT IV:

SCENE I.-A Street in Rome.

Enter VETTIUS and POMPONIUS, R.

Pom. It was a false return. He had their votes,
Though he has lost his office. Lo you now!
What strides they take that used to walk before
So circumspectly. Scarcely is he brought
Into a private state again, than they
Proceed to abrogate his laws. This blow,
If there it light, where it is meant it should,
Will not fall short a hair's-breadth of his life.
Vet. You may be sure of it: for that it was
Opimius got the Consulship.

Pom. This morning,

Caius and he met near the Capitol.

E

Flaccus had Caius by the arm.-Opimius, On seeing him, makes a dead stand, and then With eyes fixed on him thus, and folded arms, He follows him right round, and cries to him, 'What, hoa! you, Caius Gracchus, whither now? 'What plot's on foot ?'-then falls on him with such A torrent of vile terms, as it would sting

The tamest looker-on to hear.

Vet. And how

Did Caius bear it?

Pom. Why, as one, that, seeing
A tiger ready couch'd to spring upon him,
In quick avoidance finds security,

He pass'd in silence on.

Opimius had

His Candiot troops with him.-But where is Flaccus? Vet. Gone to bring Caius to the Forum. How Have you dispos'd our Latin friends?

Pom. About

The Rostrum.

Vet. Fear not!-If it comes to numbers,

Ours can tell theirs thrice over.

Enter LICINIUS, L.

Licin. Friends, well met!

Something's on foot that bodes not good to Caius !
I pass'd just now a group of Senators:
One of them nam'd him, and had farther spoken,
But that another plac'd, on seeing me,

His finger on his lip. You may be sure
They only want occasion to dispatch him.

Vet. All Rome perceives it.-Men inquire for him
As one whom mischief dogs.- Is Caius well?-
'When saw you him?-Does he go out to-day
To the Forum?'-half under breath, as fearing for
The answer. "Others, as his friends pass by,

Lay heads together, and, with eyes glanced towards them,

Whisper with looks portentous." Some do smile

That never smil'd before on aught that lov'd him.— That's the worst sign.-" A smile from those that hate

us,

Looks at some scowl of fate about to fall

If not already lowering !"

Pom. What's to be done?

Licin, Meet force with force!
Pom. Agreed!