2 Pleb. I will hear Caffius; and compare their 10 When severally we hear them rendered.

15

[Exit.

1 Pleb. Stay, ho! and let us hear Mark Antony. 3 Pleb. Let him go up into the public chair; We'll hear him:-Noble Antony, go up. Ant. For Brutus' fake, I am beholden to you. 4 Pleb. What does he fay of Brutus ? 3 Pleb. He fays, for Brutus' fake,

He finds himself beholden to us all.

[here.

4 Pleb. 'Twere best he speak no harm of Brutus 1 Pleb. This Cæfar was a tyrant.

3 Pleb. Nay, that's certain:

We are bleft, that Rome is rid of him.

[Exit Caffius, with fome of the Plebeians : Brutus goes into the roftrum. 3 Pleb. The noble Brutus is afcended: Silence! Bru. Be patient 'till the last. Romans, countrymen, and lovers! hear me for my caufe; and be filent, that you may hear: believe me for mine honour; and have respect to mine honour, that you may believe: cenfure me in your wisdom; and awake your fenfes, that you 20 may the better judge. If there be any in this affembly, any dear friend of Cæfar's, to him I fay, that Brutus' love to Cæfar was no less than his. If then that friend demand, why Brutus rofe against Cæfar, this is my anfwer,-Not that I lov'd Cæfar 25I lefs, but that I lov'd Rome more. Had you rather Cæfar were living, and dye all flaves; than that Cæfar were dead, to live all free men? As Cæfar lov'd 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 flew him: There are tears, for his love; joy, for his fortune; honour, for his valour; and death, for his ambition. Who is here fo bafe, that would be a bondman? If any, speak; for him have I offended. Who is here fo rude, that would not be a Roman? If any, fpeak; for him have I offended. Who is - here fo vile, that will not love his country? IQ any, fpeak; for him have I offended. I paufe for a reply.

All. None, Brutus, none.

130

35

140

Bru. Then none have I offended. I have done no more to Cæfar, than you fhall do to Brutus. The queftion of his death is eproll'd in the Capitol: his glory not extenuated, wherein he was wor-145 thy; nor his offences enforc'd, for which he fuffered death.

Enter Mark Antony, &c. with Cæfar's body. Here comes his body, mourn'd by Mark Antony: who, though he had no hand in his death, shall re- 50 ceive the benefit of his dying, a place in the commonwealth; As which of you fhall not? With this I depart; That, as I flew my best lover for the good of Rome, I have the same dagger for myfelf, when it shall please my country to need my 55

death.

2 Pleb. Peace; let us hear what Antony can fay. Ant. You gentle Romans,

[ears;

All. Peace, ho! let us hear him.
Ant. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your
come to bury Cæfar, not to praife him.
The evil, that men do, lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones;
So let it be with Cæfar! The noble Brutus
Hath told you, Cæfar was ambitious:
If it were fo, it was a grievous fault;
And grievously hath Cæfar anfwer'd it.
Here, under leave of Brutus, and the reft,
(For Brutus is an honourable man;

So are they all, all honourable men)
Come I to speak in Cæfar's funeral.
He was my friend, faithful and just to me:
But Brutus fays, he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.
He hath brought many captives home to Rome,
Whofe ranfoms did the general coffers fill:
Did this in Cæfar feem ambitious?

When that the poor have cry'd, Cæfar hath wept:
Ambition fhould be made of fterner stuff:
Yet Brutus fays, he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.
You all did fee, that, on the Lupercal,
I thrice prefented 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 difprove what Brutus spoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know.
You all did love him once, not without caufe;
What caufe with-holds you then to mourn for
him?

O judgement, thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have loft their reafon!-Bear with me:
My heart is in the coffin there with Cæfar,
And I muft paufe 'till it come back to me.

1 Pleb. Methinks, there is much reafon in his
fayings.

2 Pleb. If thou confider rightly of the matter, Cæfar has had great wrong.

3 Pleb. Has he, masters?

165I fear, there will a worse come in his place. Ccc 2

4 Pleb

4 Pleb. We'll hear the will: Read it, Mark AnAll. The will, the will; we will hear Cæfar's will. 30 Ant. Have patience, gentle friends, I muft not

Pich. Read the will; we will hear it, Antony;
You fhall read us the will; Cæfar's will.

Ant. Will you be patient? Will you stay a while?
I have o'er-fhot myself, to tell you of it!
I fear, I wrong the honourable men,
Whofe daggers have stabb'd Cæfar: I do fear it.
4 Pleb. They were traitors: Honourable men!
All. The will! the teftament!

2 Pleb. 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 corpfe of Cæfar,
And let me fhew you him that made the will.
Shall I defcend? And will you give me leave?
Al. Come down.

2 Pleb. Defcend. [He comes down from the pulpit.
3 Pleb. You fhall have leave.
4 Pleb. A ring; ftand round.

1 Plib. Stand from the hearfe, ftand from the body.
2 Pleb. Room for Antony ;-moft noble Antony.
At. Nay, prefs not so upon me; ftand far off.
Stand back! room! bear back!

int. If you have tears, prepare to shed them now.

i. e. their handkerchiefs. Napery was the ancient term for all kinds of linen. premion of pity.

4 Pieb. Pluck down forms, windows, any thing. 35 [Exeunt Plebeians, with the body.

Ant. Now let it work: Mifchief, thou art afoot. Take thou what courfe thou wilt!

A drachma was a Greek coin of the value of feven-pence farthing.

little river Rhenus near Bononia, according to Hanmer. 3 Lucius, not Publius, was the perfon meant, who was uncle by the mother's fide to Mark Antony.

303

Fetch the will hither, and we shall determine
How to cut off fome charge in legacies.
Lep. What, shall I find you here?

Ofta. Or here, or at the Capitol. [Exit Lepidus.
Ant. This is a flight unmeritable man,
Meet to be fent on errands: Is it fit,

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

Ofta. So you thought him;

5

But that my noble master will appear
Such as he is, full of regard, and honour.
Bru. He is not doubted.-A word, Lucilius;—
How he receiv'd you, let me be refolv'd.

Luc. With courtesy, and with respect enough;
But not with fuch familiar inftances,

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

Bru. Thou haft defcrib'd

And took his voice who should be prick'd to die, 10A hot friend cooling: Ever note, Lucilius,
In our black fentence and profcription.

Ant. Octavius, I have feen more days than you:
And though we lay these honours on this man,
To ease ourselves of divers flanderous loads,
He fhall but bear them as the afs bears gold,
To groan and fweat 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 afs, to shake his ears,
And graze in commons.

08a. You may do your will;

Ant. So is my horfe, Octavius; and, for that,

But he's a try'd and valiant foldier.

I do appoint him store of provender.

It is a creature that I teach to fight,

To wind, to stop, to run directly on;

His corporal motion govern'd by my fpirit.
And, in fome tafte, is Lepidus but fo;

When love begins to ficken and decay,

It useth an enforced ceremony.

There are no tricks in plain and fimple faith:
But hollow men, like horses hot at hand,

15 Make gallant fhew and promife of their mettle;
But when they should endure the bloody fpur,
They fall their crests, and, like deceitful jades,
Sink in the trial. Comes his army on?
Luc. They mean this night in Sardis to be
quarter'd;

20

25

He must be taught, and train'd, and bid go forth: 30
A barren-spirited fellow; one that feeds

On objects, arts, and imitations;

35

The

greater part, the horse in general,

Are come with Caffius.

Bru. Hark, he is arriv'd:

March gently on to meet him.

[March within.

Bru. Judge me, you gods! Wrong I mine ene-
And, if not fo, how fhould I wrong a brother?
Caf. Brutus, this fober form of yours hides
And when you do them-
[wrongs;

Bru. Caffius, be content,
Speak your griefs foftly,-I do know you well:-
Before the eyes of both our armies here,

40 Which fhould perceive nothing but love from us,
Let us not wrangle: Bid them move away;
Then in my tent, Caffius, enlarge your griefs,
And I will give you audience.

And some, that smile, have in their hearts, I fear, 45
Millions of mifchief.

[Exeunt.

Caf. Pindarus,

Bid our commanders lead their charges off
A little from this ground.

Bru. Lucilius, do you the like; and let no man
Come to our tent, 'till we have done our conference.
Let Lucius and Titinius guard our door. [Exeunt.

SCENE III.

The infide of Brutus' Tent.

Enter Brutus, and Caffius.

55 Caf. That you have wrong'd me doth appear

this:

in

You have condemn'd and noted Lucius Pella,
For taking bribes here of the Sardians;
Wherein, my letter, praying on his fide,
60 Because I knew the man, was flighted off.
Bru. You wrong'd yourself, to write in fuch a cafe.
Caf. In fuch a time as this, it is not meet
That every nice offence should bear his comment.

L

Bru. Let me tell you, Caffius, you yourself
Are much condemn'd to have an itching palm;
To fell and mart your offices for gold,
To undefervers.

Caf. I an itching palm?

You know, that you are Brutus that speak this,
Or, by the gods, this fpeech were else your last.
Bru. The name ofCaffius honours this corruption,
And chastisement doth therefore hide his head.
Caf. Chaftifement!

5

[member! ro
Bru. Remember March, the ides of March re-
Did not great Julius bleed for justice' fake?
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 fell the mighty space of our large honours,
For so much trash, as may be grasped thus ?—
I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon',
Than fuch a Roman.

Caf. Brutus, bay not me,

I'll not endure it: you forget yourself,
To hedge me in2; I am a foldier, I,

Older in practice, abler than yourself
To make conditions 3.

Bra. Go to; you are not, Caffius.
Caf. I am.

Bru. I fay, you are not.

Caf. What? durft not tempt him?

Bru. For your life you durft not.

[ed him.

Caf. Do not prefume too much upon my love,
may do that 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 so strong in honesty,
That they pafs by me, as the idle wind,
Which I refpect not. I did fend to you

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

By heaven, I had rather coin my heart,

And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring From the hard hands of peasants their vile trafh, 20 By any indirection. I did fend

25

Caf. Urge me no more, I fhall forget myfelf; 30 Have mind upon your health, tempt me no further. Bru. Away, flight man!

Caf. Is't poffible?

Bru. Hear me, for I will speak.

Muft I give way and room to your rash choler?
Shall I be frighted when a madman stares?

Caf. O ye gods! ye gods! Muft I endure all this?
Bru. All this? ay, more: Fret, 'till your proud
heart break;

Go, fhew your flaves how cholerick you are,
And make your bondmen tremble. Muft 1 budge?
Muft I obferve you? Muft 1 ftand and crouch
Under your testy humour? By the gods,
You fhall digeft the venom of your spleen,
Though it do fplit you: for, from this day forth,
I'll ufe you for my mirth, yea, for my laughter,
When you are waspish.

Caf. Is it come to this?

Bru. You fay you are a better foldier:
Let it appear fo; make your vaunting true,
And it fhall pleafe me well: For mine own part,|
I fhall be glad to learn of noble men. [Brutus:
Caf. You wrong me every way, you wrong me,
I faid, an elder foldier, not a better :
Did I fay, better?

35

A friend fhould bear his friend's infirmities,
But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.
Bru. I do not, 'till you practise them on me.
Caf. You love me not.

Bru. I do not like your faults.

Caf. A friendly eye could never fee fuch faults.
Bru. A flatterer's would not, though they do ap-
4c As huge as high Olympus.
[pear

Caf. Come, Antony, and young Octavius, come,
Revenge yourselves alone on Caffius,
For Caffius is aweary of the world:

Hated by one he loves; brav'd by his brother;

45 Check'd like a bondman; all his faults obferv'd,
Set in a note-book, learn'd, and conn'd by rote,
To caft into my teeth. O, I could weep
My fpirit from mine eyes!-There is my dagger,
And here my naked breast; within, a heart
50 Dearer than Plutus' mine, richer than gold:
If that thou be'ft a Roman, take it forth;
I, that deny'd thee gold, will give my heart:
Strike, as thou didít at Cæfar; for, I know, [better
When thou didst hate him worst, thou lov`dst him
155 Than ever thou lov'dft Caffius.

I Warburton comments on this paffage thus: "The poets and common people, who generally think and speak alike, fuppofe the dog bays the moon out of envy to its brightness; an allufion to this notion makes the beauty of the paffage in queftion: Brutus hereby infinuates a covert accufation against his friend, that it was only envy at Cafar's glory which fet Caffius on confpiring against him; and ancient history seems to countenance fuch a charge. Caffius understood him in this fenfe, and with much confcious pride retorts the charge by a like infinuation :-"Brutus, bay not me." 2i. e. to limit my authority by your direction or cenfure. 3 That is, to know on what terms it is fit to confer the offices which are at my difpofal.