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

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
the dead, to wrong myself and you;
wrong
Than I will wrong fuch honourable men.
But here's a parchment, with the feal of Cæfar,
I found it in his closet, 'tis his Will;

Το

Let but the Commons hear this Teftament,
(Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read)
And they would go and kifs dead Cæfar'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 muft not read

it ;

mad.

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
'Tis good you know not, that you are his heirs;
-O what would come of it?
For if you should-
4 Pleb. Read the Will, we will hear it, Antony;
You fhall read us the Will, Cæfar's Will.

I do fear it. -honourable men!

Ant. Will you be patient? will you stay a while? you of it.) (I have o'er-fhot myfelf, to tell fear, I wrong the honourable men, Whofe daggers have ftabb'd Cæfar 4 Pleb. They were traitors— All. The Will! the Teftament! 2 Pleb. They were villains, murtherers; 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.

[He comes down from the pulpit.

3 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, ftand far off. All. Stand back- room D -bear backAnt. If you have tears, prepare to shed them now. You all do know this mantle; I remember,

The first time ever Cefar 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 Cæfar lov'd him;
This, this, was the unkindeft cut of all;

For when the noble Cafar faw him stab,
Ingratitude, more ftrong than traitors' arms,
Quite vanquifh'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; these are gracious drops.
Kind fouls! what, weep you when you but behold
Our Cafar's vefture wounded? look you here!
Here is himself, marr'd, as you fee, by traitors.

Ca

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

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 reafons answer you,

I come not, friends, to fteal 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 speak 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 fpeak right on.
I tell you that, which you yourselves do know;
Shew you fweet Cafar'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 fpirits, and put a tongue
In every wound of Cefar, 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 speak.,
All. Peace, ho, hear Antony, moft noble Antony.

Ant

Ant. Why, friends, you go to do you know not what. Wherein hath Cæfar thus deferv'd your loves? Alas, you know not; I must tell you then:

You have forgot the Will, I told

you

of.

let's stay and hear the

Ant. Here is the Will, and under Cæfar's feal. To ev'ry Roman citizen he gives,

To ev'ry fev'ral man, fev'nty five drachma's.

2 Pleb. Moft noble Cafar! we'll revenge his death. 3 Pleb. O royal Cæfar!

Ant. Hear me with patience.

All. Peace, ho!

Ant. Moreover, he hath left you all his walks,
His private arbours, and new-planted orchards,
On that fide Tiber; he hath left them you, (13)
And to your heirs for ever; common pleasures,
To walk abroad, and recreate yourselves.
Here was a Cefar, when comes such another?

1 Pleb. Never, never; come, away, away; We'll burn his body in the holy place,

And with the brands fire all the traitors' houses.
Take up the body.

2 Pleb. Go, fetch fire.

3 Pleb. Pluck down benches.

4 Pleb. Pluck down forms, windows, any thing.

[Exeunt Plebeians with the body.

(13) On this fide Tiber:] The Scene is here in the Forum near the Capitol, and in the most frequented Part of the City; but Cafar's Gardens were very remote from that Quarter.

Trans Tiberim longè cubat is, prope Cæfaris hortos.

fays Horace: And both the Naumachia and Gardens of Cafar were separated from the main City by the River; and lay out wide, on a Line with Mount Janiculum. Our Author therefore certainly wrote;

On that fide Tiber;

And Plutarch, whom Shakespeare very diligently ftudied, in, the Life of Marcus Brutus, fpeaking of Cafar's Will, exprefly fays, That he left to the Publick his Gardens, and Walks, beyond the Tiber,

C 4

Ant.

Now let it work; Mischief, thou art afoot,
Take thou what courfe thou wilt!

fellow ?

Enter a Servant.

Ser. Octavius is already come to Rome.
Ant. Where is he?

How now,

Ser. He and Lepidus are at Cæfar's house.
Ant. And thither will I ftraight, to visit him}
He comes upon a wish. Fortune is merry,
And in this mood will give us any thing.

Ser.. I heard him fay, Brutus and Caffius
Are rid, like madmen, through the gates of Rome.
Ant. Belike, they had fome notice of the people,
How I had mov'd them. Bring me to tavius.

[Exeunt

Enter Cinna the Poet, and after him the Plebeians.

Cin. I dreamt to night, that I did feaft with Cafar, And things unluckily charge my fantafie ; I have no will to wander forth of doors: Yet fomething leads me forth.

1 Pleb. What is your name?

2 Pleb. Whither are you going?

3 Pleb. Where do

you

dwell?

4 Pleb. Are you a married man, or a batchelor? 2 Pleb. Anfwer every man, directly.

1 Pleb. Ay, and briefly.

4 Pleb. Ay, and wifely.

3

Pleb. 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 batchelor? then to answer every man directly and_briefly, wifely and truly; wifely, I fay

batchelor.

I am a

2 Pleb. That's as much as to fay, they are fools that marry; you'll bear me a bang for that, I fear; proceed directly.

Gin. Directly, I am going to Cæfar's funeral.
Pleb. As a friend, or an enemy?