And evils imminent; and on her knee
Hath begg'd that I will stay at home to-day.
Dec. This dream is all amiss interpreted;
It was a vision fair and fortunate:

90

ex

can say:

And know it now: the senate have concluded
To give this day a crown to mighty Cæsar.
If you shall send them word you will not come,
Their minds may change. Besides, it were a.
mock

SCENE III. A street near the Capitol.

Enter ARTEMIDORUS, reading a paper.

Your statue spouting blood in many pipes,
In which so many smiling Romans bathed,
Signifies that from you great Rome shall suck
Reviving blood, and that great men shall press
For tinctures, stains, relics and cognizance.
This by Calpurnia's dream is signified.

Art. Cæsar, beware of Brutus; take heed of Cassius; come not near Casca; have an eye to Cinna; trust not Trebonius; mark well Metellus Cimber: Decius Brutus loves thee not: thou hast wronged Caius Ligarius. There is but one mind in all these men, and it is bent against Cæsar. If thou beest not immortal, look Dec. I have, when you have heard what I about you: security gives way to conspiracy. The mighty gods defend thee! Thy lover, 'ARTEMIDORUS.

Cas. And this way have you well pounded it.

110

Welcome, Publius.
What, Brutus, are you stirr'd so early too?
Good morrow, Casca. Caius Ligarius,
Cæsar was ne'er so much your enemy
As that same ague which hath made
What is 't o'clock?

you lean.

Bru.
Cæsar, 'tis strucken eight.
Cæs. I thank you for your pains and courtesy.

Enter ANTONY.

See! Antony, that revels long o' nights,

Is notwithstanding up. Good morrow, Antony.
Ant. So to most noble Cæsar.
Cæs.

Bid them prepare within:

Here will I stand till Cæsar pass along,
And as a suitor will I give him this.
My heart laments that virtue cannot live
Out of the teeth of emulation.

II

If thou read this, O Cæsar, thou mayst live;
If not, the Fates with traitors do contrive. [Exit.

Pop.

Fare you well. [Advances to Cæsar.

Bru. What said Popilius Lena?
Cas. He wish'd to-day our enterprise might
thrive.

I fear our purpose is discovered.

Bru. Look, how he makes to Cæsar: mark him.
Cas. Casca, be sudden, for we fear prevention.
Brutus, what shall be done? If this be known, 20
Cassius or Cæsar never shall turn back,
For I will slay myself.

Bru.

Cassius, be constant:
Popilius Lena speaks not of our purposes;
For, look, he smiles, and Cæsar doth not change.
Cas. Trebonius knows his time; for, look you,
Brutus,

He draws Mark Antony out of the way.
[Exeunt Antony and Trebonius.
Dec. Where is Metellus Cimber? Let him go,
And presently prefer his suit to Cæsar.
Bru. He is address'd: press near and second
him.

Cin. Casca, you are the first that rears your
hand.
30

Cæs. Are we all ready? What is now amiss
That Cæsar and his senate must redress?
Met. Most high, most mighty, and most puis-
sant Cæsar,

S

Metellus Cimber throws before thy seat
An humble heart,-
[Kneeling.
Cæs.
I must prevent thee, Cimber.
These couchings and these lowly courtesies
Might fire the blood of ordinary men,
And turn pre-ordinance and first decree
Into the law of children. Be not fond,
To think that Cæsar bears such rebel blood
That will be thaw'd from the true quality
With that which melteth fools; I mean, sweet
words,
Low-crooked court'sies and base spaniel-fawning
Thy brother by decree is banished:
If thou dost bend and pray and fawn for him,
I spurn thee like a cur out of my way.
Know, Cæsar doth not wrong, nor without cause
Will he be satisfied.

Met. Is there no voice more worthy than my

Enter the Soothsayer.

Por.

Come hither, fellow: which way hast thou been?

Sooth. At mine own house, good lady.
Por. What is't o'clock?

Sooth.
About the ninth hour, lady.
Por. Is Cæsar yet gone to the Capitol?
Sooth. Madam, not yet: I go to take my
stand,
To see him pass on to the Capitol.
Por. Thou hast some suit to Cæsar, hast thou
not?

Sooth. That I have, lady: if it will please
Cæsar

To be so good to Cæsar as to hear me,
I shall beseech him to befriend himself.

30

Por. Why, know'st thou any harm's intended towards him?

Sooth. None that I know will be, much that
I fear may chance.

Good morrow to you. Here the street is narrow :
The throng that follows Cæsar at the heels,
Of senators, of prætors, common suitors,
Will crowd a feeble man almost to death:
I'll get me to a place more void, and there
Speak to great Cæsar as he comes along. [Exit.
Por. I must go in. Ay me, how weak a thing
The heart of woman is! O Brutus,
The heavens speed thee in thine enterprise !
Sure, the boy heard me: Brutus hath a suit
That Cæsar will not grant. O, I grow faint.
Run, Lucius, and commend me to my lord;
Say I am merry: come to me again,
And bring me word what he doth say to thee.
[Exeunt severally.

40

ACT III.

SCENE I. Rome. Before the Capitol; the
Senate sitting above.

A crowd of people; among them ARTEMIDORUS
and the Soothsayer. Flourish. Enter CESAR,
BRUTUS, CASSIUS, CASCA, DECIUS, METELLUS,
TREBONIUS, CINNA, ANTONY, LEPIDUS, Po-
PILIUS, PUBLIUS, and others.

own,

Cas. [To the Soothsayer] The ides of March To sound more sweetly in great Cæsar's ear 50
For the repealing of my banish'd brother?
Bru. I kiss thy hand, but not in flattery,
Cæsar;
Desiring thee that Publius Cimber may
Have an immediate freedom of repeal.
Cæs. What, Brutus!
Cas.

Pardon, Cæsar; Cæsar, pardon:
As low as to thy foot doth Cassius fall,
To beg enfranchisement for Publius Cimber.
Cas. I could be well moved, if I were as you;
If I could pray to move, prayers would move me:
But I am constant as the northern star,
Or whose true-fix'd and resting quality
There is no fellow in the firmament.

60

The skies are painted with unnumber'd sparks,
They are all fire and every one doth shine,
But there's but one in all doth hold his place:
So in the world; 'tis furnish'd well with men,
And men are flesh and blood, and apprehensive;
Yet in the number I do know but one
That unassailable holds on his rank,

are come.

Sooth. Ay, Cæsar; but not gone.

Art. Hail, Cæsar! read this schedule.
Dec. Trebonius doth desire you to o'er-read,
At your best leisure, this his humble suit.

Art. O Cæsar, read mine first; for mine's a
suit

That touches Cæsar nearer: read it, great Cæsar. Cæs. What touches us ourself shall be last served.

Art. Delay not, Cæsar; read it instantly.
Cæs. What, is the fellow mad?
Pub.

Sirrah, give place. 10 Cas. What, urge you your petitions in the

street?

Come to the Capitol.

40

CÆSAR goes up to the Senate-House, the rest
following.

Pop. I wish your enterprise to-day may thrive.
Cas. What enterprise, Popilius?

Ant.

The multitude, beside themselves with fear, 180
And then we will deliver you the cause,
Why I, that did love Cæsar when I struck him,
Have thus proceeded.
I doubt not of your wisdom.
Let each man render me his bloody hand:
First, Marcus Brutus, will I shake with you;
Next, Caius Cassius, do I take your hand;
Now, Decius Brutus, yours; now yours, Me-
tellus;

Yours, Cinna; and, my valiant Casca, yours; Though last, not least in love, yours, good Trebonius.

190

Gentlemen all,-alas, what shall I say?
My credit now stands on such slippery ground,
That one of two bad ways you must conceit me,
Either a coward or a flatterer.

That I did love thee, Cæsar, 0, 'tis true:
If then thy spirit look upon us now,

Shall it not grieve thee dearer than thy death,
To see thy Antony making his peace,
Shaking the bloody fingers of thy foes,
Most noble! in the presence of thy corse?
Had I as many eyes as thou hast wounds,
Weeping as fast as they stream forth thy blood,
It would become me better than to close
In terms of friendship with thine enemies.
Pardon me, Julius! Here wast thou bay'd, brave
hart;

Cas. Mark Antony,-
Ant.

Here didst thou fall; and here thy hunters stand,
Sign'd in thy spoil, and crimson'd in thy lethe.
O world, thou wast the forest to this hart;
And this, indeed, O world, the heart of thee.
How like a deer, strucken by many princes,
Dost thou here lie!

200

That ever lived in the tide oftimes

259

Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood!
Over thy wounds now do I prophesy,-
Which, like dumb mouths, do ope their ruby lips,
To beg the voice and utterance of my tongue-
A curse shall light upon the f limbs of men.
Domestic fury and fierce civil strife
Shall cumber all the parts of Italy;
Blood and destruction shall be so in use
And dreadful objects so familiar

That mothers shall but smile when they behold
Their infants quarter'd with the hands of war;
210All pity choked with custom of fell deeds:
And Cæsar's spirit, ranging for revenge,

"

Pardon me, Caius Cassius: With Ate by his side come hot from hell,
The enemies of Cæsar shall say this;
Shall in these confines with a monarch's voice
Then, in a friend, it is cold modesty.
Cry Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war;
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial.

Cas. I blame you not for praising Cæsar so;
But what compact mean you to have with us?
Will you be prick'd.in number of our friends;
Or shall we on, and not depend on you?

Ant. Therefore I took your hands, but was,
indeed,

220

Sway'd from the point, by looking down on Cæsar.
Friends am I with you all and love you all,
Upon this hope, that you shall give me reasons
Why and wherein Cæsar was dangerous.

Bru. Or else were this a savage spectacle:
Our reasons are so full of good regard
That were you, Antony, the son of Cæsar,
You should be satisfied.

Ant.
That's all I seek:
And am moreover suitor that I may
Produce his body to the market-place;
And in the pulpit, as becomes a friend,
Speak in the order of his funeral.

230
Bru. You shall, Mark Antony.
Cas.
Brutus, a word with you.
[Aside to Bru.] You know not what you do: do

not consent

He speaks by leave and by permission,
And that we are contented Cæsar shall
Have all true rites and lawful ceremonies.
It shall advantage more than do us wrong.
Cas. I know not what may fall; I like it not.
Bru. Mark Antony, here, take you Cæsar's
body.

You shall not in your funeral speech blame us,
But speak all good you can devise of Cæsar,
And say you do't by our permission;
Else shall you not have any hand at all
About his funeral: and you shall speak
In the same pulpit whereto I am going,
After my speech is ended.
Be it so;

Ant.

I do desire no more.

Bru. Prepare the body then, and follow us.
[Exeunt all but Antony.
Ant. O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of
earth,

That I am meek and gentle with these butchers!
Thou art the ruins of the noblest man

240

250

27P

Enter a Servant.

You serve Octavius Cæsar, do you not?
Serv. I do, Mark Antony.

280

Ant. Cæsar did write for him to come to Rome.
Serv. He did receive his letters, and is coming;
And bid me say to you by word of mouth-
O Cæsar!-
[Seeing the body.
Ant. Thy heart is big, get thee apart and weep.
Passion, I see, is catching; for mine eyes,
Seeing those beads of sorrow stand in thine,
Began to water. Is thy master coming?
Serv. He lies to-night within seven leagues

of Rome.

Ant. Post back with speed, and tell him what hath chanced:

289

Here is a mourning Rome, a dangerous Rome,
No Rome of safety for Octavius yet;
Hie hence, and tell him so. Yet, stay awhile;
Thou shalt not back till I have borne this corse
Into the market-place: there shall I try,
In my oration, how the people take
The cruel issue of these bloody men;
According to the which, thou shalt discourse
To young Octavius of the state of things.
Lend me your hand. [Exeunt with Cæsar's

body.