Cas. Brutus, a word with you

You know not what you do; do not consent, [Aside.
That Antony speak in his funeral :

Know you how much the people may be moved,
By that which he will utter?

Bru. By your pardon,

I will myself into the rostrum first,

And show the reason of our Cæsar's death,
What Antony shall speak, I will protest
He speaks by leave, and by permission;
And that we are contented Cæsar shall
Have all due rites, and lawful ceremonies:
It shall advantage, more than do us wrong.
Cas. I know not what may fall, I like it not.
Bru. Mark Antony,

You shall not in your funeral-speech blame us,
But speak all good you can devise of Cæsar;
And say, you do't by our permission:

any

hand at all

Else shall not have
you
About his funeral. And you shall speak
In the same rostrum whereto I am going,
After my speech is ended.

Ant. Be it so;

I do desire no more.

Bru. Prepare the body then, and follow us.

[Exeunt all but ANTONY.

Ant. O pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth!

That I am meek and gentle with these butchers.
Thou art the ruins of the noblest man,

That ever lived in the tide of times.

Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood!

Over thy wounds now do I prophesy,

(Which, like dumb mouths, do ope their ruby lips, To beg the voice and utterance of my tongue) A curse shall light upon the limbs of men ; Domestic fury, and fierce civil strife, Shall cumber all the parts of Italy; Blood and destruction shall be so in use, 3

And dreadful objects so familiar,

That mothers shall but smile when they behold
Their infants quarter'd by the hands of war;
All pity choked with custom of fell deeds;
And Cæsar's spirit, ranging for revenge,
With Até by his side, come hot from hell,
Shall, in these confines, with a monarch's voice,
Cry, Havoc! and let slip the dogs of war;

That this foul deed shall smell above the earth. [Exit,

SCENE III.

The Forum.

Enter BRUTUS, and mounts the Rostrum ; CASSIUS with the PLebeians.

1 Pleb. The noble Brutus is ascended: silence! Bru. Be patient to the last. Romans, countrymen, and lovers; hear me for my cause, and be silent, that you may hear. Believe me for mine honour, and have respect to mine honour, that you may believe. Censure me in your wisdom, and awake your senses, that you may the better judge. If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of Cæsar's, to him I say, that Brutus's love to Cæsar was no less than his. If then that friend demand, why Brutus rose against Cæsar, this is my answer; not that I loved Cæsar less, but that I loved Rome more. Had you rather Cæsar were living and die all slaves, than that Cæsar were dead to live all free men! As Cæsar loved 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 slew him. There are tears for his love, joy for his fortune, honour for his valour, and death for his ambition. Who's here so base, that would be a bondman? If any, speak; for him have I offended. Who is here so rude, that would not be

Roman? if any, speak; for him have I offended. Who is here so vile, that will not love his country? if any, speak; for him have I offended.I pause for a reply

All. None, Brutus, none.

Bru. Then none have I offended-I have done no more to Cæsar, than you shall do to Brutus. The question of his death is enrolled in the capitol, his glory not extenuated, wherein he was worthy; nor his offences enforced, for which he suffered death. Here comes his body, mourned by Mark Antony; who, though he had no hand in his death, shall receive the benefit of his dying, a place in the commonwealth; as which of you shall not? With this I depart, that as I slew my best lover, for the good of Rome, I have the same dagger for myself, when it shall please my country to need my death. All. Live, Brutus, live! live!

1 Pleb. Bring him in triumph home unto his house. 2 Pleb. Give him a statue with his ancestors.

3 Pleb. Let him be Cæsar.

1 Pleb. We'll bring him to his house,

With shouts and clamours.

Bru. My countrymen

2 Pleb. Peace! silence! Brutus speaks. 1 Pleb. Peace, ho!

Bru. Good countrymen, let me depart alone,
And for my sake, stay here with Antony;

Do grace to Cæsar's corpse and grace his speech
Tending to Cæsar's glories; which Mark Antony,
By our permission, is allow'd to make.
I do entreat you, not a man depart,
Save I alone, till Antony have spoke.

Enter ANTONY and the Body.

[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' sake, I am beholden to you. 4 Pleb. What does he say of Brutus? 3 Pleb. He says, for Brutus' sake, He finds himself beholden to us all.

4 Pleb. "Twere best he speak no harm of Brutus here.

1 Pleb. This Cæsar was a tyrant.

3 Pleb. Nay, that's certain;

We are blest, 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 Cæsar, 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 Cæsar; noble Brutus
Hath told you, Cæsar was ambitious;
If it were so, it was a grievous fault;
And grievously hath Cæsar answer'd it.
Here, under leave of Brutus, and the rest,
(For Brutus is an honourable man,
So are they all, all honourable men)
Come I to speak in Cæsar's funeral.
He was my friend, faithful and just to
But Brutus says, he was ambitious
And Brutus is an honourable man.

;

He hath brought many captives home to Rome,
Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill;
Did this in Cæsar seem ambitious?

When that the poor have cried, Cæsar hath wept.
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.

Yet Brutus says, he was ambitious,

And Brutus is an honourable man.
You all did see, that on the Lupercal,

I thrice presented him a kingly crown,

Which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition?

Yet Brutus says he was ambitious,
And, sure, he is an honourable man.

I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,
But here I am, to speak what I do know.
You all did love him once, not without cause;
What cause withholds you then to mourn for him?
O judgment ! thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason-bear with me!
My heart is in the coffin there with Cæsar,
And I must pause, till it come back to me.

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

Cæsar has had great wrong.

3 Pleb. Has he, masters? 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 so, some will dear abide it. 2 Pleb. Poor soul! 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 again to speak.
Ant. But yesterday the word of Cæsar might
Have stood against the world; now lies he there,
And none so poor to do him reverence;
O, masters, if I were disposed to stir

Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,
I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong:
Who, you all know, are honourable men.
I will not do them wrong: I rather chuse
To wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you,
Than I will wrong such honourable men.
But here's a parchment, with the seal of Cæsar,
I found it in his closet, 'tis his will;
Let but the commons hear his testament,
(Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read)