2 Pleb. Give him a ftatue with his Ancestors. 3 Pleb. Let him be Cæfar. 4 Pleb. Cafar's better Parts Shall be crown'd in Brutus.

1 Pleb. We'll bring him to his house With fhouts and clamours.

Bru. My Countrymen

2 Pleb. Peace! filence! Brutus fpeaks. 1 Pleb. Peace, ho!

Bru. Good Countrymen, let me depart alone,
And, for my fake, ftay here with Antony;

Do grace to Cafar's corps, and grace his speech
Tending to Cafar's Glories; which Mark Antony
By our permiffion is allow'd to make.

I do intreat you, not a man depart,
Save I alone, till Antony have fpoke,

1 Plob. Stay, ho, and let us hear Mark Antony. 3 Pleb. Let him go up into the publick 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.

[Exit.

4 Pleb. "Twere best he speak no harm of Brutus here. Pleb. This Cafar was a Tyrant.

3 Pleb. Nay, that's certain;

We are bleft, that Rome is rid of him.

2 Pleb. Peace; let us hear what Antony can say. Ant. You gentle Romans ·

All. Peace, ho, let us hear him.

Ant. Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your

ears;

I come to bury Cafar, not to praise him,
The Evil, that men do, lives after them;
The Good is oft interred with their bones;
So let it be with Cæfar! noble Brutus
Hath told you, Cafar was ambitious;
If it were fo, it was a grievous fault;
And grievously hath Cafar answer'd it.
Here, under leave of Brutus, and the reft,

(For

(For Brutus is an honourable man,
So are they all, all honourable men)
Come I to speak in Cafar'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 ferner ftuff.

Yet Brutus fays, he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.
You all did fee, that, on the Lupercal,
I thrice presented 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 fpeak not, to difprove what Brutus fpoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know.
You all did love him once, not without cause :
What cause with-holds you then to mourn for him?
O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beafts,
And men have loft their reason bear with me,
My heart is in the coffin there with Cafar,
And I muft paufe 'till it come back to me.

1 Pleb. Methinks, there is much reason in his sayings. If thou confider rightly of the matter,

Cafar has had great wrong.

3 Pleb. Has he, Mafters? I fear there will a worse come in his place.

4 Pleb. Mark'd ye his words? he would not take the

crown;

Therefore, 'tis certain he was not ambitious.

1 Pleb. If it be found fo, fome will dear abide it. 2 Pleb. Poor foul! his eyes are red as fire with weeping. 3 Pleb. There's not a nobler man in Rome than Antony, 4 Pleb. Now, mark him, he begins to speak.

Ant. But yesterday the word of Cæfar might

Ca

Have

Have ftood against the world; now lies he there,
And none fo poor to do him reverence.
O mafters! if I were difpos'd to stir

Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,
I should do Brutus wrong, and Caffius wrong;
Who, you all know, are honourable men.
I will not do them wrong: I rather chuse
Το wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you;
Than I will wrong such honourable men.
But here's a parchment, with the feal of Cafar,
I found it in his clofet, 'tis his Will;

Let but the Commons hear this Teftament,
(Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read)
And they would go and kifs dead Cafar's wounds,
And dip their napkins in his facred blood;
Yea, beg a hair of him for memory,

And dying, mention it within their Wills,
Bequeathing it as a rich legacy

Unto their iffue.

4 Pleb. We'll hear the Will, read it, Mark Antony. All. The Will, the Will; we will hear Cafar's Will. Ant. Have patience, gentle friends, I must not read it; It is not meet you know how Cafar lov'd you. You are not wood, you are not ftones, but men : And, being men, hearing the will of Cæfar, It will inflame you, it will make you mad. 'Tis good you know not, that you are his heirs; For if you fhould

O what would come of it? 4 Pleb. Read the Will, we will hear it, Antony; You fhall read us the Will, Cafar'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

the honourable men,

wrong
Whofe daggers have stabb'd Cæfar - - I do fear it.
Pleb. They were traitors - honourable men!
All. The Will! the Teftament!

4

2 Pleb. They were villains, murderers; the Will! read the Will!

Ant. You will compel me then to read the Will?

Then

Then make a ring about the corps of Cafar,
And let me fhew you him, that made the Will.
Shall I defcend? and will you give me leave?
All. Come down.

2 Pleb. Defcend.

3

[He comes down from the pulpit.

Pleb. You fhall have leave.

4 Pleb. A ring; ftand round.

1 Pleb. Stand from the hearse, stand from the body. 2 Pleb. Room for Antony most noble Antony.

Ant. Nay, prefs not fo upon me, stand far off.
All. 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 Cafar put it on,

'Twas on a fummer's evening in his tent,

That day he overcame the Nervii

Look! in this place, ran Caffius' dagger through; -
See, what a Rent the envious Cafca made.
Through this, the well-beloved Brutus stabb'd;
And as he pluck'd his curfed fteel away,
Mark, how the blood of Cæfar follow'd it!
As rushing out of doors, to be refolv'd,
If Brutus fo unkindly knock'd, or no?
For Brutus, as you know, was Cafar's angel.
Judge, oh you Gods! how dearly Cafar lov'd him
This, this, was the unkindeft cut of all;
For when the noble Cafar faw him ftab,
Ingratitude, more ftrong than traitors' arms,
Quite vanquish'd him; then burft his mighty heart :
And, in his mantle muffling up his face,
Even at the Bafe of Pompey's ftatue,

(Which all the while ran blood,) great Cæfar fell.
O what a fall was there, my countrymen!
Then I, and you, and all of us fell down:
Whilft bloody treason flourish'd over us.
O, now you weep; and, I perceive, you feel
The dint of pity; thefe are gracious drops.
Kind fouls! what, weep you when you but behold
Our Cæfar's vesture wounded? look you here!
Here is himself, marr'd, as you fee, by traitors.

C 3

1 Pleb.

1 Pleb. O piteous fpectacle!

2 Pleb. O noble Cafar!

3 Pleb. O woful day!

4

Pleb. O traitors, villains!

i Pleb. O moft bloody fight!

2 Pleb. We will be reveng'd: revenge: about

feek burn

fire -kill

live.

Ant. Stay, Countrymen

flay! let not a traitor

1 Pleb. Peace there, hear the noble Antony.

2 Pleb. We'll hear him, we'll follow him, we'll die with him

Ant. Good friends, fweet friends, let me not ftir you up To fuch a fudden 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 wife 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 give me publick leave to fpeak of him:
For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth,
Action nor utt'rance, nor the power of speech,
To ftir men's blood; I only speak right on.
I tell you that, which you yourfelves do know;
Shew you fweet Cafar's wounds, poor, poor, dumb
mouths!

And bid them fpeak for me. But were I Brutus,
And Brutus Antony, there were an Antony
Would ruffle up your fpirits, and put a tongue
In every wound of Cæfar, that should move
The ftones of Rome to rife and mutiny.

All. We'll mutiny.

1 Pleb. We'll burn the house of Brutus.

3 Pleb. Away then, come, feek the confpirators. Ant. Yet hear me, Countrymen; yet hear me fpeak. All. Peace, ho, hear Antony, most noble Antony.

Ant.