Through this the well-beloved Brutus stabb’d; 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. 0, what a fall was there, my countrymen ! Then I, and you, and all of us fell down, Whilst bloody treason flourish'd over us. 0, 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 Our Cæsar's vesture wounded ? Look you here ! Here is himself, marr'd, as you see, with traitors. 1 Cir. O, piteous spectacle ! 2 Cit. O, noble Cæsar! 3 Cit. 0, woful day! 4 Cır. O, traitors, villains ! 1 Cır. 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 : (*) Old text, statue. I am no orator, as Brutus is ; 2 Cit. Go fetch fire. But, as you know me all, a plain blunt man, 3 Cit. Pluck down benches. That love my friend; and that they know full 4 Cit. Pluck down forms, windows, anything !(4) well [Exeunt Citizens with the body. That gave me public leave to speak of him. Ant. Now let it work !-Mischief, thou art For I have neither wit,“ nor words, nor worth, afoot, Enter a Servant. How now, fellow? And Brutus Antony, there were an Antony SERV. Sir, Octavius is already come to Rome. Would ruffle up your spirits, and put a tongue Ant. Where is he? In every wound of Cæsar, that should move Serv. He and Lepidus are at Cæsar's house. The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny. Ant. And thither will I straight to visit him: CITIZENS. We'll mutiny! He comes upon a wish. Fortune is merry, 1 Cit. We'll burn the house of Brutus ! And in this mood will give us anything. 3 Cit. Away, then! come, seek the con SERV. I heard him say, Brutus and Cassius spirators! Are rid like madmen through the gates of Rome. Ant. Yet hear me, countrymen; yet hear me Ant. Belike they had some notice of the speak. people, CITIZENS. Peace, ho! hear Antony, most noble How I had mov'd them. Bring me to Octavius. Antony. [Exeunt. 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 : SCENE III.— The same. A Street. Enter' CINNA the Poet. Cin. I dreamt to-night that I did feast with Cæsar, To every several man,-seventy-five drachmas. 2 Cit. Most noble Cæsar !-we'll revenge his | And things unlucky charge my fantasy: death. | I have no will to wander forth of doors, 3 Cit. 0, royal Cæsar! Yet something leads me forth. Enter Citizens. 2 Cit. Whither are you going ? 4 Cit. Are you a married man or a bachelor ? Here was a Cæsar! when comes such another ? 2 Cit. Answer every man directly. 1 Cit. Never, never !—Come, away, away! 1 Cit, Ay, and briefly. We'll burn his body in the holy place, 4 Cit. Ay, and wisely. And with the brands fire the traitors' houses. 3 Cit. Ay, and truly, you were best. Take up the body. Cin. What is my name? Whither am I ANA 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?" inauspicious; and in North's Plutarch (Life of Brutus) we 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 Cin. Truly, my name is Cinna. man or a bachelor? Then, to answer every man 1 Cit. Tear him to pieces ! he's a conspirator. directly and briefly, wisely and truly ;-wisely, I Cin. I am Cinna the poet, I am Cinna the say, I am a bachelor. poet. 2 Cit. That's as much as to say, they are fools 4 Cit. Tear him for his bad verses, tear him that marry : you 'll bear me a bang for that, I for his bad verses ! fear. Proceed ;—directly. Cin. I am not Cinna the conspirator. Cin. Directly, I am going to Cæsar's funeral. 2 Cit. It is no matter, his name's Cinna ; 1 Cır. As a friend or an enemy? pluck but his name out of his heart, and turn him Cin. As a friend. going.* 2 Cit. That matter is answered directly. 3 Cit. Tear him, tear him! Come, brands, 4 Cit. For your dwelling,—briefly. ho! firebrands! To Brutus', to Cassius'; burn Cin. Briefly, I dwell by the Capitol. all! Some to Decius' house, and some to Casca's; 3 Cit. Your name, sir,—truly. some to Ligarius’! away! go! [Exeunt. ANTONY, OCTAVIUS, and LEPIDUS, seated at a The three-fold world divided, he should stand table. One of the three to share it? So you thought him; Ant. These many, then, shall die; their names And took his voice who should be prick'd to die, are prick'd. In our black sentence and proscription. Oct. Your brother too must die ; consent you, Ant. Octavius, I have seen more days than you: Lepidus ? And though we lay these honours on this man, LEP. I do consent, To ease ourselves of divers slanderous loads, Oct. Prick him down, Antony. | He shall but bear them as the ass bears gold, LEP. Upon condition Publius shall not live, To groan and sweat under the business, Who is your sister's son, Mark Antony. Either led or driven, as we point the way; Ant. He shall not live : look, with a spot I And having brought our treasure where we will, damn him. Then take we down his load, and turn him off, But, Lepidus, go you to Cæsar's house ; Like to the empty ass, to sbake his ears, Oct. You may do your will; LEP. What, shall I find you here? But he's a tried and valiant soldier. Oct. Or here, or at the Capitol. Ant. So is my horse, Octavius; and for that [Exit LEPIDUS. I do appoint him store of provender : Ant. This is a slight unmeritable man, It is a creature that I teach to fight, Meet to be sent on errands : is it fit, To wind, to stop, to run directly on, a Who is your sister's son, Mark Antony.) This is, historically, an error. The individual meant, Lucius Cæsar, was the brother of Mark Antony's mother. Upton, therefore, concludes that Shakespeare wrote, " 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." His corporal motion govern'd by my spirit. | Nor with such free and friendly conference, As he hath us'd of old. Thou hast describ'd A barren-spirited fellow; one that feeds A hot friend cooling : ever note, Lucilius, On abjects, orts, and imitations, When love begins to sicken and decay, Which, out of use and stal'd by other men, It useth an enforced ceremony. Begin his fashion : do not talk of him, There are no tricks in plain and simple faith : But as a property. And now, Octavius, But hollow men, like horses hot at hand, Listen great things :—Brutus and Cassius Make gallant show and promise of their mettle ; Are levying powers: we must straight make head: But when they should endure the bloody spur, Therefore let our alliance be combin'd, They fall their crests, and, like deceitful jades, Our best friends made, and our best means stretch'd Sink in the trial. Comes his army on? out;b LUCIL. They mean this night in Sardis to be And let us presently go sit in council, quarter'd, How covert matters may be best disclos'd, The greater part: the horse in general, And open perils surest answered. Are come with Cassius. [March without. Oct. Let us do so: for we are at the stake, BRU. Hark! he is arriv'd:And bay'd about with many enemies; March gently on to meet him. [Exeunt. Enter Cassius and Soldiers. SCENE II.—Before Brutus' Tent, in the Camp near Sardis. Drum. Enter BRUTUS, LUCILIUS, LUCIUS, and Soldiers : TITINIUS and PINDARUS meeting them. Bru. Stand, ho! LUCIL. He is at hand; and Pindarus is come darus, I do not doubt Bru. He is not doubted. --A word, Lucilius; LUCIL. With courtesy and with respect enough ; But not with such familiar instances, Cas. Stand, ho ! Without. Stand. wrong. enemies? wrongs; . Cassius, be content ; Pindarus, Bru. Lucilius, do you the like; and let no man & On abjects, orts, &c.] The old text is, "- Objects, Arts," &c., but the initials a and o appear to have been transposed by the compositor. Abjects are things thrown away as worthless ; and orts are scraps. There can be no necessity, therefore, to read, with Theobald and others, "On abject orts," &c. b Our best friends made, and our best means stretch'd out ;] This is the lection of the second folio; the first printing, lamely enough, “ Our best friends made, our means stretch'd;" We might read, with possibly a nearer approach to what the poet wrote, "Our best friends made, our choicest means stretch'd out." -- be content: Be continent: be self-restrained. d - 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 mani. fest 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, |