Ambition fhould be made of fterner fluff.
Yet Brutus fays, he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.

You all did fee, that, on the Lupercal,

I thrice presented him a kingly crown ;

Which he did thrice refufe. Was this ambition?
Yet Brutus fays, he was ambitious

;

And, fure, he is an honourable man.

I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know.
You all did love him once, not without cause,
What cause with-holds you then to mourn for him!
O judgment thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have loft their reason.-Bear with me.-
My heart is in the coffin there with Cæfar,

And I must pause till it come back to me.

If

you have tears, prepare to shed them now. You all do know this mantle; I remember,

The first time ever Cæfar put it on,

'Twas on a fummer's evening in his tent,

That day he overcame the Nervii

Look in this place ran Caffius' dagger through ;-
See what a rent the envious Casca made.-
Through this the well-beloved Brutus stabb'd;
And as he pluck'd his curfed fteel away,
Mark how the blood of Cæfar follow'd it!
As rufhing out of doors, to be refolv'd,
If Brutus fo unkindly knock'd, or no:

For Brutus, as you know, was Cæfar's angel.
Judge, oh ye gods! how dearly Cæfar lov'd him ;
This, this was the`unkindest cut of all;

For when the noble Cæfar faw him ftab,

Ingratitude,

Ingratitude, more ftrong than traitors' arms,

Quite vanquish'd him; then burft his mighty heart;
And, in his mantle muffling up his face,

Even at the base of Pompey's ftatue,

Which all the while ran blood, great Cæfar fell,
Oh what a fall was there, my countrymen !
Then I and you, and all of us fell down.
Whilft bloody treason flourish'd over us.
O, now you weep; and I perceive you feel
The dint of pity; these are gracious drops.
Kind fouls; what, weep you when you but behold
Our Cæfar's vefture wounded? look you here!
Here is himself, marr'd, as you fee, by traitors..
Good friends, fweet friends, let me not ftir you up
To any fudden flood of mutiny.

They that have done this deed are honourable.

What private griefs they have, alas, I know not,

That made them do it; they are wife and honourable ;
And will, no doubt, with reason answer you.

I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts;
1 am no orator, as Brutus is:

But, as you know me all, a plain blunt man,

That loves my friend: and that they know full well
That gave me public leave to speak of him :
For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth,
Action nor utt'rance, nor the power of speech,
To ftir men's blood; I only speak right on :
I tell you that which you yourselves do know;
Show you fweet Cæfar's wounds, poor, poor dumb mouths !
And bid them fpeak for me. But were I Brutus,
And Brutus Antony, there were an Antony
Would ruffle up your fpirits, and put a tongue

CAS.

T

appear

HAT you
have wrong'd me doth in this
You have condemn'd and noted Lucius Pella,

For taking bribes here of the Sardians;

Wherein my letter (praying on his fide,

Because I knew the man) was flighted of.

BRU. You wrong'd yourself to write in fuch a cafe.
CAS. In fuch a time as this, it is not meet
That ev'ry nice offence should bear its comment.
BRU. Yet let me tell you, Caffius, you yourself
Are much condemned to have an itching palm,
To fell and mart your offices for gold.
To undefervers.

CAS. I an itching palm ?

You know, that you are Brutus that spake this,
Or, by the gods, this fpeech were else your laft.
BRU. The name of Caffius honours this corruption,
And chastisement doth therefore hide its head.

CAS. Chaftifement !.

BRU. Remember March, the ides of March remember!

Did not great Julius bleed for justice sake?

What villain touch'd his body, that did stab,

And not for juftice? What, fhall one of us,
That ftruck the foremost man of all this world,
But for fupporting robbers; fhall we now
Contaminate our fingers with base bribes ?

And

And fell the mighty meed of our large honours
For fo much trash, as may be grasped thus ?
I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon,
Than fuch a Roman,

CAS. Brutus, bay not me,

I'll not endure it; you forget yourself,
To hedge me in; I am a foldier, I,
Older in practice, abler than yourself
To make conditions.

BRU. Go to; you are not. Caffius.
CAS. I am.

BRU. I fay, you are not.

CAS. Urge me no more, I fhall forget myself

Have mind upon your health-tempt me no farther.
BRU. Away, flight man!

Muft I give way

Shall I be frighted when a madman fi±res ?

CAS. O gods! ye gods! must I endure all this ?

BRU. All this? ay more. Fret till your proud heart

break;

Go, tell your flaves how choleric you are,

And make your bondmen tremble. Muft I budge?

Muft I obferve you ? muft I ftand and crouch

Under your tefty humour? By the gods,
You fhall digeft the venom of your spleen,

Tho' it do fplit you: for from this day forth,

I'll ufe you for my mirth, yea for my laughter,
When you are waspish.

CAS. Is it come to this?

BRU. You fay, you are a better foldier;

Let

Let it appear fo; make your vaunting true,
And it fhall please me well. For mine own part,
I fhall be glad to learn of noble men.

CAS. You wrong me every wa,

Brutus ;

I said, an elder foldier, not a better;
Did I fay better?

1

BRU. If you did, I care not.

you wrong me,

CAS. When Cæfar liv'd, he durft not thus have mov’d me. BRU. Peace, peace, you durft not so have tempted him. CAS. I durft not!

BRU. No.

CAS. What? durft not tempt him?

BRU. For your life you durft not.

CAS. Do not prefume too much upon my love;

I may do what I fhall be forry for.

BRU. You have done that you should be forry for.
There is no terror, Caffius, in your threats ;
For I am arm'd fo ftrong in honefty,

That they pafs by me, as the idle wind,

Which I refpect not. I did fend to you

For certain fums of gold, which you deny'd me;
For I can raife no money by vile means.

By heav'n, 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 fend

To you for gold to pay my legions,

Which you denied me; was that done like Caffius?
Should I have answer'd Caius Caffius fo?

When Marcus Brutus grows fo covetous,
To lock fuch rafcal counters from his friends,