Through this the well-beloved Brutus stabb'd;
And, as he pluck'd his cursed steel away,
Mark how the blood of Cæsar follow'd it,
As rushing out of doors, to be resolv'd
If Brutus so unkindly knock'd, or no;
For Brutus, as you know, was Cæsar's angel:
Judge, O you gods, how dearly Cæsar lov'd him!
This was the most unkindest cut of all;
For when the noble Cæsar saw him stab,
Ingratitude, more strong than traitors' arms,
Quite vanquish'd him: then burst his mighty
heart;

And, in his mantle muffling up his face,
Even at the base of Pompey's statua,*
Which all the while ran blood, great Cæsar fell.
O, what a fall was there, my countrymen !
Then I, and you, and all of us fell down,
Whilst bloody treason flourish'd over us.
O, now you weep; and, I perceive, you feel
The dint of pity: these are gracious drops.
Kind souls, what, weep you when you but behold

(*) Old text, statue.

Our Cæsar's vesture wounded? Look you here! Here is himself, marr'd, as you see, with traitors. 1 CIT. O, piteous spectacle!

2 CIT. O, noble Cæsar!

3 CIT. O, woful day!

4 CIT. O, traitors, villains!
1 CIT. O, most bloody sight!

2 CIT. We will be revenged: revenge! about! -seek,-burn,-fire,-kill,-slay!-let not a

traitor live!

ANT. Stay, countrymen.

1 CIT. Peace, there!-hear the noble Antony. 2 CIT. We'll hear him, we 'll follow him, we'll die with him!

ANT. Good friends, sweet friends, let me not stir you up

To such a sudden 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 wise and
honourable,

And will, no doubt, with reasons answer you.
I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts:

I am no orator, as Brutus is;

But, as you know me all, a plain blunt man,
That love 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 utterance, nor the power of speech,
To stir men's blood: I only speak right on;
I tell you that which you yourselves do know;
Show you sweet Cæsar's wounds, poor-poor dumb
mouths,

And bid them speak for me: but were I Brutus,
And Brutus Antony, there were an Antony
Would ruffle up your spirits, and put a tongue
In every wound of Cæsar, that should move
The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.
CITIZENS. We'll mutiny!

1 CIT. We'll burn the house of Brutus !
3 CIT. Away, then! come, seek the con-
spirators!

ANT. Yet hear me, countrymen; yet hear me speak.

CITIZENS. Peace, ho! hear Antony, most noble Antony.

ANT. Why, friends, you go to do you know not what :

Wherein hath Cæsar thus deserv'd your loves?
Alas, you know not,-I must tell you then :-
You have forgot the will I told you of.

a For I have neither wit,-] The folio 1623 has,-"neyther writ," &c.; an obvious error, which the second folio set right. See "Measure for Measure," Act V. Sc. 1,

"Hast thou or word, or wit, or impudence,
That yet can do thee office?"

b And things unlucky-] The old text has, "unluckily;" which Warburton corrected to unlucky, the reading generally adopted. Mr. Collier's annotator, however, suggests unlikely, a change Mr. Craik approves, but which we believe to be certainly wrong. To dream of feasting, as Steevens showed, was

2 CIT. Go fetch fire.

3 CIT. Pluck down benches.

4 CIT. Pluck down forms, windows, anything! (4) [Exeunt Citizens with the body. ANT. Now let it work!-Mischief, thou art

afoot,

Take thou what course thou wilt!

Enter a Servant.

How now, fellow?

SERV. Sir, Octavius is already come to Rome. ANT. Where is he?

SERV. He and Lepidus are at Cæsar's house. ANT. And thither will I straight to visit him: He comes upon a wish. Fortune is merry, And in this mood will give us anything.

SERV. I heard him say, Brutus and Cassius Are rid like madmen through the gates of Rome. ANT. Belike they had some notice of the people,

How I had mov'd them. Bring me to Octavius. [Exeunt.

inauspicious; and in North's Plutarch (Life of Brutus) we have the restored word "unlucky" used precisely as here:The first and chiefest, was Cæsars long tarying, who came very late to the Senate: for, because the signes of the sacrifices appeared unluckie, his wife Calphurnia kept him at home," &c.

c I have no will to wander forth, &c.] I have no inclination to wander out, &c.: so Shylock, in "The Merchant of Venice," Act II. Sc. 5,

"I have no mind of feasting forth to-night:
But I will go."

going? Where do I dwell? Am I a married man or a bachelor? Then, to answer every man directly and briefly, wisely and truly ;-wisely, I say, I am a bachelor.

2 CIT. That's as much as to say, they are fools that marry:-you'll bear me a bang for that, I fear. Proceed;-directly.

CIN. Directly, I am going to Cæsar's funeral.
1 CIT. As a friend or an enemy?
CIN. As a friend.

2 CIT. That matter is answered directly.
4 CIT. For your dwelling,-briefly.
CIN. Briefly, I dwell by the Capitol.
3 CIT. Your name, sir,-truly.

CIN. Truly, my name is Cinna.

1 Crr. Tear him to pieces! he's a conspirator. CIN. I am Cinna the poet, I am Cinna the poet.

4 CIT. Tear him for his bad verses, tear him for his bad verses!

CIN. I am not Cinna the conspirator.

2 CIT. It is no matter, his name's Cinna; pluck but his name out of his heart, and turn him going."

3 CIT. Tear him, tear him! Come, brands, ho! firebrands! To Brutus', to Cassius'; burn all! Some to Decius' house, and some to Casca's; some to Ligarius'! away! go! [Exeunt.

"Do this expediently, and turn him going."

The three-fold world divided, he should stand
One of the three to share it?

Ост.
So you thought him;
And took his voice who should be prick'd to die,
In our black sentence and proscription.

ANT. Octavius, I have seen more days than you: And though we lay these honours on this man, To ease ourselves of divers slanderous loads, He shall but bear them as the ass bears gold, To groan and sweat under the business, Either led or driven, as we point the way; And having brought our treasure where we will, Then take we down his load, and turn him off, Like to the empty ass, to shake his ears, And graze in commons.

Ост.

You may do your will; But he's a tried and valiant soldier.

ANT. So is my horse, Octavius; and for that I do appoint him store of provender: It is a creature that I teach to fight,

To wind, to stop, to run directly on,

"You are his sister's son," &c.

b- I damn him.] I condemn him. So, quoted by Steevens, in "Promos and Cassandra," Part II.,

"Vouchsafe to give my dampned husband lyfe."

forth;

His corporal motion govern'd by my spirit.
And, in some taste, is Lepidus but so;
He must be taught, and train'd, and bid go
A barren-spirited fellow; one that feeds
On abjects, orts," and imitations,
Which, out of use and stal'd by other men,
Begin his fashion: do not talk of him,
But as a property. And now, Octavius,
Listen great things:-Brutus and Cassius

Are levying powers: we must straight make head:
Therefore let our alliance be combin'd,

Our best friends made, and our best means stretch'd out; b

And let us presently go sit in council,
How covert matters may be best disclos'd,
And open perils surest answered.

OCT. Let us do so: for we are at the stake,
And bay'd about with many enemies;

And some that smile have in their hearts, I fear, Millions of mischiefs.

[Exeunt.

Nor with such free and friendly conference, As he hath us'd of old.

BRU.

Thou hast describ'd
A hot friend cooling: ever note, Lucilius,
When love begins to sicken and decay,
It useth an enforced ceremony.

There are no tricks in plain and simple faith:
But hollow men, like horses hot at hand,
Make gallant show and promise of their mettle;
But when they should endure the bloody spur,
They fall their crests, and, like deceitful jades,
Sink in the trial. Comes his army on?

LUCIL. They mean this night in Sardis to be quarter'd,

The greater part: the horse in general,
Are come with Cassius.

BRU.

[March without. Hark! he is arriv'd:

March gently on to meet him.

Enter CASSIUS and Soldiers.

d.

cbe content;] Be continent; be self-restrained.
griefs-] Grievances. So in Act I. Sc. 3,-
"Be factious for redress of all these griefs."

e Lucilius, do you the like; &c.] Mr. Craik reads, with a manifest improvement of the old text,

"Lucius, do you the like, and let no man

Come to our tent, till we have done our conference.
Lucilius and Titinius, guard the door."

By this change, the prosody of the first line is restored, and we have no longer the anomaly of an officer of rank and a servingboy associated together to watch the door,