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Caffius, or Cafar, never fhall turn back;
For I will flay myself.

Bru. Caffius, be conftant:

Popilius Lena fpeaks not of our purpose;

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

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 rears your hand.
Caf. Are we all ready? what is now amiss,
That Cæfar and his Senate must redrefs?

Met. Moft high, moft mighty, and moft puissant
Cafar,

Metellus Cimber throws before thy feat
An humble heart.

Caf. I muft prevent thee, Cimber;
Thefe couchings and thefe lowly curtefies
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

[Kneeling.

With that which melteth fools; I mean, fweet words; Low-crooked curt'fies, and bafe fpaniel fawning.

Thy brother by decree is banifhed;

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

Know, Cafar doth not wrong; nor without caufe
Will he be fatisfied.

Met. Is there no voice more worthy than my own,
To found more fweetly in great Cafar'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

To beg enfranchisement 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 ftar,

Of whose true, fixt, and resting quality,
There is no fellow in the firmament;
The skies are painted with unnumbred fparks,
They are all fire, and every one doth fhine;
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, ev'n in this;

That I was conftant, Cimber should be banish'd;
And conftant do remain to keep him fo.
Cim. O Cafar-

Caf. Hence! wilt thou lift up Olympus?
Dec. Great Cafar

Caf. Doth not Brutus bootlefs kneel?
Cafca. Speak hands for me.

[Dies

[They fab Cæfar. Caf. Et tu, Brute? -then fall Cajar! Cin. Liberty! freedom! Tyranny is deadRun hence, proclaim, cry it about the ftreetsCaf. Some to the common Pulpits, and cry out, Liberty, freedom, and enfranchisement.

Bru. People, and Senators! be not affrighted; Fly not, ftand ftill. 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 fast together, lest some friends of Cafar's
Should chance-

Bru. Talk not of standing. Publius, good cheer;
There is no harm intended to your person,
Nor to no Roman elfe; fo tell them, Publius.

Caf. And leave us, Publius, left that the people,
Rushing on us, fhould do your age some mischief.

Bru. Do fo; and let no man abide this deed, But we the Doers.

Enter Trebonius.

Caf. Where is Antony?

Tre. Fled to his Houfe amaz’d.

Men, wives, and children, ftare, cry out, and run,
As it were Dooms-day.

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. (11) Stoop, Romans, stoop; And let us bathe our hands in Cafar's blood Up to the elbows, and befmear our fwords; Then walk we forth ev'n to the Market-place,

(11) Stoop, Romans, ftoop,] Mr. Pope, in both his Editions, has, from thefe Words, arbitrarily taken away the Remainder of this Speech from Brutus, and placed it to Cafca: becaufe, he thinks, nothing is more inconfiftent with Brutus's mild and philofophical Character. And as he often finds Speeches in the later Editions, he fays, put into wrong Mouths; he thinks, this Liberty is not unreasonable. 'Tis true, a diligent Editor may find many fuch Errors committed even in the first printed Copies; but it has not often been Mr. Pope's good Fortune to hit upon them. I dare warrant, the Printers made no Blunder in this Inftance; and therefore I have made bold to restore the Speech to its right Owner. Brutus efteem'd the Death of Cæfar a Sacrifice to Liberty: and, as fuch, gloried in his heading the Enterprife. Befides, our Poet is ftrictly copying a Fact in Hiftory. Plutarch, in the Life of Cafar, fays, "Brutus and his Followers, being yet hot with the Murder, "march'd in a Body from the Senate-houfe to the Capitol, with their "drawn Swords, with an Air of Confidence and Affurance.' And, in the Life of Brutus, "Brutus and his Party betook "themselves to the Capitol, and in their way fhering their Hands all “bloody, and their naked Swords, proclaim'd Liberty to the People."

And

And, waving our red weapons o'er our heads,
Let's all cry, "peace! freedom! and liberty!"
Caf. Stoop then, and wash-how many ages hence
[Dipping their fwords in Cæfar's blood.

Shall this our lofty Scene be acted o'er,

In States 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
With the most boldest, and best hearts of Rome.

Enter a Servant.

;

[kneeling.

Bru. Soft, who comes here? A friend of Antony's.
Serv. Thus, Brutus, did my mafter bid me kneel;
Thus did Mark Antony bid me fall down;
And, being proftrate, thus he bade me fay.
Brutus is noble, wise, valiant and honest
Cæfar was mighty, royal, bold and loving;
Say, I love Brutus, and I honour him;
Say, I fear'd Cafar, honour'd him, and lov'd him.
If Brutus will vouchsafe that Antony
May fafely come to him, and be refolv'd
How Cafar hath deferv'd to lie in death:
Mark Antony fhall not love Cæfar dead,
So well as Brutus living; but will follow
The fortunes and affairs of noble Brutus,
Thorough the hazards of this untrod State,
With all true faith. So fays my mafter Antony.
Bru. Thy mafter is a wife and valiant Roman ;
I never thought him worse.

Tell him, fo please him come unto this place,
He fhall be fatisfied; and, by my honour,
Depart untouch'd.

Serv. I'll fetch him presently.

[Exit Servant.

Bru

Bru. I know, that we fhall have him well to friend. Caf. I with, we may but yet have I a mind, That fears him much; and my misgiving still Falls fhrewdly to the purpose."

Enter Antony.

Bru. But here comes Antony. Welcome, Mark Antony. Ant. O mighty Cæfar! doft thou lie fo low? Are all thy conquefts, glories, triumphs, fpoils, Shrunk to this little measure ?

-fare thee well.

I know not, Gentlemen, what you intend,
Who else must be let blood, who elfe is rank;
If I myself, there is no hour fo fit

As Cafar's death's hour; nor no inftrument

Of half that worth as thofe your fwords, made rich
With the most noble blood of all this world.

I do befeech ye, if ye bear me hard,

Now, whilst your purpled hands do reek and smoke,
Fulfil your pleasure. Live a thousand years,

I fhall not find myself fo apt to die:
No place will pleafe me fo, no mean of death,
As here by Cajar, and by you cut off,
The choice and mafter fpirits of this age.

Bru. O Antony! beg not your death of us:
Though now we muft appear bloody and cruel,
As, by our hands, and this our present act,
You fee, we do; yet fee you but our hands,
And this the bleeding bufinefs they have done:
Our hearts you fee not, they are pitiful;
And pity to the general wrong of Rome
(As fire drives out fire, fo pity, pity ;)
Hath done this deed on Cafar: For your part,
To you, our fwords have leaden points, Mark Antony;
Our arms exempt from malice; and our hearts,
Of brothers' temper, do receive you in

With all kind love, good thoughts, and reverence.
Caf. Your voice fhall be as ftrong as any man's
In the difpofing of new dignities.

Bru. Only be patient, 'till we have appeas'd

The

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