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Signed in thy spoil, and crimsoned 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, stricken by many princes,
Dost thou here lie!

Cas. Marc Antony,—
Ant. Pardon me, Caius Cassius:
The enemies of Cæsar shall say this;
Then in a friend it is cold modesty.

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

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

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

'That ever livéd in the tide of times.

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 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 quartered with the hands of war;
All pity choaked with custom of fell deeds:
And Cæsar's spirit, ranging for revenge,
With Até by his side, come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines, with a monarch's voice,
Cry "Havock!" and let slip the dogs of war:
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial.

Enter a Servant.

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

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.

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 CASAR's body.

SCENE II.-The same. The Forum.

Enter BRUTUS and CASSIUS, and a throng of Citizens.

Cit. We will be satisfied: let us be satisfied! Bru. Then follow me, and give me audience, friends.

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When severally we hear them renderéd.

[Exit CASSIUS, with some of the Citizens. BRUTUS goes into the Rostrum.

3rd Cit. The noble Brutus is ascended: silence! Bru. Be patient till the last. Romans, countrymen, and lovers! hear me for my cause; and be silent, that you may hear: believe me for mine honour; and have respect to mine honour, that you may believe: censure me in your wisdom; and awake your senses, that you may the better judge. If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of Cæsar's, to him I say that Brutus' love to Cæsar was not less than his. If, then, that friend demand why Brutus rose against Cæsar, this is my answer,-Not that I loved Cæsar less, but that I loved Rome more. Had you rather Cæsar were living, and die all slaves, than that Cæsar were dead, to live all free men?-As Cæsar loved me, I weep for him as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it as he was valiant, I honour him but, as he was ambitious, I slew him. There is tears for his love; joy for his fortune; honour for his valour; and death for his ambition.-Who is here so base that would be a bondman? If any, speak; for him have I offended. Who is here so rude that would not be a Roman? If any, speak; for him have I offended. Who is here so vile that will not love his country? If any, speak; for him have I offended.-I pause for a reply. Cit. None, Brutus, none.

[Several speaking at once. Bru. Then none have I offended. I have done no more to Cæsar than you should do to Brutus. The question of his death is enrolled in the Capitol: his glory not extenuated, wherein he was worthy; nor his offences enforced, for which he suffered death.

Enter ANTONY and others, with CESAR's body. Here comes his body, mourned by Marc Antony; who, though he had no hand in his death, shall receive the benefit of his dying,-a place in the commonwealth: as which of you shall not? With this I depart: that, as I slew my best lover for the good of Rome, I have the same dagger for myself when it shall please my country to need my death.

Cit. Live, Brutus, live! live!

1st Cit. Bring him with triumph home unto

his house.

2nd Cit. Give him a statue with his ancestors. 3rd Cit. Let him be Cæsar.

4th Cit.

Cæsar's better parts

Shall now be crowned in Brutus.

1st Cit. We'll bring him to his house with shouts and clamours.

Bru. My countrymen,—

2nd Cit. Peace; silence! Brutus speaks. 1st Cit. Peace, ho!

Bru. Good countrymen, let me depart alone, And for my sake stay here with Antony.

Do grace to Cæsar's corpse, and grace his speech
Tending to Cæsar's glories: which Marc Antony,
By our permission, is allowed to make.
I do entreat you not a man depart,
Save I alone, till Antony have spoke.

[Exit.

1st Cit Stay, ho! and let us hear Marc Antony. 3rd Cit. Let him go up into the public chair : We'll hear him.-Noble Antony, go up.

Ant. For Brutus' sake I am beholden to you. 4th Cit. What does he say of Brutus? 3rd Cit. He says, for Brutus' sake

He finds himself beholden to us all. 4th Cit. 'T were best to speak no harm of Brutus here.

1st Cit. This Cæsar was a tyrant. 3rd Cit.

Nay that's certain :

We are blessed that Rome is rid of him. 2nd Cit. Peace : let us hear what Antony can say.

Ant. You gentle Romans,

Cit.

Peace, ho! let us hear him.
Ant. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me
your ears.

I come to bury Cæsar, not to praise him:
The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interréd with their bones:
So let it be with Cæsar. The noble Brutus
Hath told you Cæsar was ambitious:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault;
And grievously hath Cæsar answered it.
Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest,
(For Brutus is an honourable man;
So are they all, all honourable men ;)
Come I to speak in Cæsar's funeral.
He was my friend, faithful and just to me:
But Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.
He hath brought many captives home to Rome,
Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:
Did this in Cæsar seem ambitious?
When that the poor have cried, Cæsar hath wept :
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;

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I fear there will a worse come in his place. 4th Cit. Marked ye his words? He would not take the crown:

Therefore 't is certain he was not ambitious. 1st Cit. If it be found so, some will dear abide it. 2nd Cit. Poor soul! his eyes are red as fire with weeping.

3rd Cit. There's not a nobler man in Rome than Antony.

4th Cit. Now mark him; he begins again to speak.

Ant. But yesterday the word of Cæsar might Have stood against the world: now lies he there,

And none so poor to do him reverence.
O masters! if I were disposed to stir
Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,
I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong,
Who, you all know, are honourable men.

I will not do them wrong: I rather choose
To wrong the dead, to wrong myself, and you,
Than I will wrong such honourable men.

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4th Cit. We'll hear the will. Read it, Marc Antony.

Cit. The will; the will! we will hear Cæsar's will.

Ant. Have patience, gentle friends: I. must not read it:

It is not meet you know how Cæsar loved you.
You are not wood, you are not stones, but men:
And being men, hearing the will of Cæsar,
It will inflame you; it will make you mad.
'Tis good you know not that you are his heirs:
For if you should, O what would come of it!

4th Cit. Read the will: we will hear it, Antony. You shall read us the will: Cæsar's will!

Ant. Will you be patient? will you stay awhile? I have o'ershot myself to tell you of it. I fear I wrong the honourable men Whose daggers have stabbed Cæsar: I do fear it.

4th Cit. They were traitors. Honourable men! Cit. The will! the testament!

2nd Cit. They were villains; murderers. The will! read the will!

Ant. You will compel me, then, to read the will? Then make a ring about the corpse of Cæsar, And let me shew you him that made the will. Shall I descend; and will you give me leave? Cit. Come down.

2nd Cit. Descend. [He comes from the pulpit. 3rd Cit. You shall have leave. 4th Cit. A ring: stand round!

1st Cit. Stand from the hearse; stand from

the body!

2nd Cit. Room for Antony: most noble Antony! Ant. Nay, press not so upon me: stand far off. Cit. Stand back! room! bear back!

Ant. If you have tears, prepare to shed them

now.

You all do know this mantle: I remember
The first time ever Cæsar put it on;
"I was on a summer's evening, in his tent:
That day he overcame the Nervii :-
Look! in this place ran Cassius' dagger through:
See what a rent the envious Casca made:
Through this the well-belovéd Brutus stabbed;
And, as he plucked his curséd steel away,
Mark how the blood of Cæsar followed it;
As rushing out of doors, to be resolved

If Brutus so unkindly knocked or no:

For Brutus, as you know, was Cæsar's angel: Judge, O you gods, how dearly Cæsar loved him! This was the most unkindest cut of all:

For when the noble Cæsar saw him stab,
Ingratitude, more strong than traitors' arms,
Quite vanquished him. Then burst this mighty
heart:

And, in his mantle muffling up his face,
Even at the base of Pompey's statue,

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 flourished 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 Our Cæsar's vesture wounded?-Look you here! Here is himself, marred as you see with traitors. 1st Cit. O piteous spectacle! 2nd Cit. O noble Cæsar! 3rd Cit. O woful day! 4th Cit. O traitors, villains! 1st Cit. O most bloody sight!

2nd Cit. We will be revenged. Revenge! about,-seek,-burn,-fire,-kill,-slay! Let

not a traitor live!

Ant. Stay, countrymen.

1st Cit. Peace there! hear the noble Antony. 2nd 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:
Shew 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.
Cit. We'll mutiny!

1st Cit. We'll burn the house of Brutus !

3rd Cit. Away, then come, seek the conspirators!

Ant. Yet hear me, countrymen: yet hear me speak.

Cit. Peace, ho! hear Antony; most noble Antony!

Ant. Why, friends, you go to do you know not

what?

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

Cit. Most true:-the will! let's stay, and hear the will.

Ant. Here is the will, and under Cæsar's seal. To every Roman citizen he gives,

To every several man, seventy-five drachmas. 2nd Cit. Most noble Cæsar! we'll revenge his death.

3rd Cit. O royal Cæsar!

Ant. Hear me with patience.

Cit. Peace, ho!

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Ant. Belike they had some notice of the people How I had moved them. Bring me to Octavius. [Exeunt.

SCENE III.-The same. A Street.

Enter CINNA, the Poet.

Cin. I dreamt to-night that I did feast with Cæsar,

And things unluckily charge my fantasy.

I have no will to wander forth of doors,
Yet something leads me forth.

Enter Citizens.

1st Cit. What is your name?

2nd Cit. Whither are you going? 3rd Cit. Where do you dwell?

4th Cit. Are you a married man or a bachelor? 2nd Cit. Answer every man directly? 1st Cit. Ay, and briefly.

4th Cit. Ay, and wisely.

3rd Cit. Ay, and truly; you were best.

Cin. What is my name: whither am I 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.

2nd 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. 1st Cit. As a friend or an enemy?

Cin. As a friend.

2nd Cit. That matter is answered directly.
4th Cit. For your dwelling; briefly.
Cin. Briefly, I dwell by the Capitol.
3rd Cit. Your name, sir; truly.

Cin. Truly, my name is Cinna.

1st Cit. Tear him to pieces! he's a conspirator. Cin. I am Cinna the poet; I am Cinna the poet. 4th Cit. Tear him for his bad verses; tear him for his bad verses!

Cin. I am not Cinna the conspirator.

2nd Cit. It is no matter: his name 's Cinna: pluck but his name out of his heart, and turn him going!

3rd 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!

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