John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

3: V. Monday.

Morning walk with rain— The approach of Summer affects exceedingly my power of writing— I called again upon Mrs Tudor, and Mrs Stewart, with a Memorandum of questions concerning the principal events in the life of William Tudor; but found neither of them could tell even his age at the time of his death— Mrs Stewart said he entered the University at the age of 13. and Mrs Tudor afterwards sent me, my minutes; with Boston in 1778 in answer to the question of the Time and place of his birth, but with scarcely any other information respecting the objects of my enquiries— In the evening I wrote part of a page for an obituary notice, but found myself obliged to generalize every thing; and soon to stop in utter dissatisfaction with what I had written— To get through the Evening I finished reading Shakespear’s Play of Julius Caesar; which now struck me according to the criticism of Dr Johnson as cold and deficient in interest. The beauties 443of the Play consist in particular passages; and in the pictures of the Passions— One of the Commentators justly observes that the Title should have been not Julius Caesar—but Marcus Brutus— The Moral is to be traced from two passages—first the description by Brutus—Act 2. Scene 1. of the State of his own mind— Since Cassius first did whet him against Caesar.— The second is the character of Brutus given by Antony in the last Scene: beginning This was the noblest Roman of them all— Brutus, instigated by another headed a conspiracy which murdered Caesar— The purpose of the Poet is to shew how such a man could be prompted to such an act—and how it operated afterwards upon his mind and fortunes. Orestes for the murder of his mother was tortured by the Furies— Brutus was haunted by a Phantom; his Evil Genius— Shakespear has drawn him, consistent in character throughout— A fearful picture it is— I remark further that although the comment upon the State of mind, which accompanies deep conspiracies is general yet the observation of it is suitable only to Brutus— He reflects upon what is passing in his own bosom; and he tells that which is applicable though not equally to all— Suppose this speech to be made by Cassius and it would be entirely out of character— Suppose it made even by Brutus to Cassius, as an objection to the conspiracy, and it would be out of place— Brutus communes with his own heart, and describes its convulsions as matter of philosophical speculation— There is in this Edition, a Letter from Warburton to Concanen, upon this passage of Shakespear, compared with one, in Addison’s Cato—like all Warburton’s criticisms acute, ingenious and fanciful— There is a singular objection of Brutus to making the conspiracy known to Cicero—that he would never follow any thing that other men begin— Plutarch’s conjecture is that they distrusted his courage or his age.