Por. Thou haft fome fuit to Cæfar, haft thou not? Sooth. That I have, lady, if it will please Cæfar To be fo good to Cæfar, as to hear me :

I fhall befeech him to befriend himself.

Por. Why, know'st thou any harm's intended to-
wards him?
[may chance.
Sooth. None that I know will be, much that I fear
Here the street is narrow:

Good morrow to you.
The throng that follows Cæfar at the heels,
Of fenators, of prætors, common fuitors,
Will crowd a feeble man almost to death:
I'll get me to a place more void, and there
Speak to great Cæfar as he comes along.

[Exit.

Por. I muft go in.-Ay me! how weak a thing The heart of woman is! O Brutus !

The heavens fpeed thee in thine enterprize!
Sure, the boy heard me :-Brutus hath a fuit,
That Cæfar will not grant.-0, 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 fay to thee.

ACT III.

[Exeunt.

SCENE I. The freet, and then the Capitol; the Senate fitting.

Flourish. Enter CESAR, BRUTUS, CASSIUS, CASCA, DECIUS, METELLUS, TREBONIUS, CINNA, ANTONY, LEPIDUS, ARTEMIDORUS, POPILIUS, PUBLIUS, and the Soothsayer.

Cafar.

THE ides of March are come.

Sooth

Sooth. Ay, Cæfar; but none gone.

Art. Hail, Cæfar! Read this schedule.
Dec. Trebonius doth defire you to o'er-read,
At your best leifure, this his humble fuit.

Art. O Cæfar, read mine first: for mine's a fuit
That touches Cæfar nearer: Read it, great Cæfar.
Caf. What touches us ourself, fhall be last serv'd.
Art. Delay not, Cæfar; read it instantly.
Caf. What, is the fellow mad?

Pub. Sirrah, give place.

Caf. What, urge you your petitions in the street? Come to the Capitol.

[CESAR enters the Capitol, the reft following.] Pop. I wish your enterprize to-day may thrive. Caf. What enterprize, Popilius?

Pop. Fare you well.

Bru. What faid Popilius Lena?

Caf. He wifh'd, to-day our enterprize might thrive. I fear, our purpose is discovered.

Bru. Look, how he makes to Cæfar: Mark him. Caf. Cafca, be fudden, for we fear prevention.Brutus, what shall be done? If this be known, Caffius, or Cæfar, never shall turn back,

For I will flay myself.

Bru. Caffius, be conftant:

Popilius Lena fpeaks not of our purposes;

For, look, he fmiles, and Cæfar doth not change. Caf. Trebonius knows his time; for, look you, Brutus, He draws Mark Antony out of the way.

[Exeunt ANT. and TREB.

Dec. Where is Metellus Cimber? let him go,

And prefently prefer his fuit to Cæfar.

Bru. He is addreft: prefs near, and second him.

Cin. Cafca, you are the first that rear your hand.
Caf. Are we all ready? What is now amifs,
That Cæfar, and his fenate, muft redress?

Met. Moft high, moft mighty, and most puiffant Cæfar,
Metellus Cimber throws before thy feat
An humble heart :-

Caf. I muft prevent thee, Cimber.

[Kneeling.

Thefe couchings, and these lowly courtefies,
Might fire the blood of ordinary men;
And turn pre-ordinance, and first decree,
Into the lane of children. Be not fond,
To think that Cæfar bears fuch rebel blood,
That will be thaw'd from the true quality
With that which melteth fools; I mean fweet words,
Low-crooked curt'fies, and bafe fpaniel fawning.
Thy brother by decree is banished;

If thou doft bend, and pray, and fawn for him,
I fpurn thee like a cur out of my way.

Know, Cæfar doth not wrong; nor without cause
Will he be fatisfied.

Met. Is there no voice more worthy than my own,
To found more fweetly in great Cæfar's ear,
For the repealing of my banish'd brother?

Bru. I kifs thy hand, but not in flattery, Cæfar
Defiring thee, that Publius Cimber may
Have an immediate freedom of repeal.
Caf. What, Brutus !

Caf. Pardon, Cæfar'; Cæfar, pardon:
As low as to thy foot doth Caffius fall,
To beg enfranchifement for Publius Cimber.

Caf. I could be well mov'd, if I were as you;
If I could pray to move, prayers would move me:
But I am conftant as the northern star,
Of whofe true-fixt, and refting quality,
D3

There

There is no fellow in the firmament.
The fkies are painted with unnumber'd fparks,
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 apprehenfive;
Yet, in the number, I do know but one
That unaffailable holds on his rank,
Unfhak'd of motion: and, that I am he,
Let me a little fhew it, even in this;
That I was constant Cimber should be banish'd,
And conftant do remain to keep him fo.

Cin. O Cæfar,

Caf. Hence! Wilt thou lift up Olympus ?
Dec. Great Cæfar,

Caf. Doth not Brutus bootlefs kneel?

Cafea. Speak, hands, for me. [They flab CESAR. Caf. Et tu, Brute ?- -Then fall, Cæfar! [Dies. Cin. Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead!Run hence, proclaim, cry it about the streets. Caf. Some to the common pulpits, and cry out, Liberty, freedom, and enfranchisement!

Bru. People, and fenators! be not affrighted; Fly not; ftand still :-ambition's debt is paid. Cafca. Go to the pulpit, Brutus.

Dec. And Caffius too.

Bru. Where's Publius?

Cin. Here, quite confounded with this mutiny. Met. Stand faft together, left some friend of Cæfar's Should chance

Bru. Talk not of standing:-Publius, good cheer; There is no harm intended to your perfon, Nor to no Roman else: fo tell them, Publius. Caf. And leave us, Publius, left that the people

Rushing

Rufhing on us, fhould do your age fome mischief. Bru. Do fo;—and let no man abide this deed, But we the doers.

Re-enter TREBONIUS.

Caf. Where is Antony?

Treb. Fled to his houfe amaz❜d:

Men, wives, and children, ftare, cry out, and run, As it were doomsday.

Bru. Fates! we will know your pleasures : That we shall die, we know; 'tis but the time, And drawing days out, that men stand

upon.

Caf. Why, he that cuts off twenty years of life, Cuts off fo many years of fearing death.

Bru. Grant that, and then is death a benefit: So are we Cæfar's friends, that have abridg'd His time of fearing death.-Stoop, Romans, ftoop, And let us bathe our hands in Cæfar's blood Up to the elbows, and befmear our fwords: Then walk we forth, even to the market-place; And, waving cur red weapons o'er our heads, Let's all cry, Peace! Freedom! and Liberty! Caf. Stoop then, and wash.-How many ages hence, Shall this our lofty fcene be acted over,

In ftates unborn, and accents yet unknown?

Bru. How many times fhall Cæfar bleed in sport, That now on Pompey's bafis lies along, No worthier than the duft?

Caf. So oft as that shall be,

So often fhall the knot of us be call'd

The men that gave their country liberty.
Dec. What, fhall we forth?

Caf. Ay, every man away:

Brutus fhall lead, and we will grace his heels