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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! The 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 me;
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. 2 Pleb. 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. Marked 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 choose
To wrong the dead, to wrong myself, and you,
Than I would 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 this testament,
(Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read,)
And they would go and kiss dead Cæsar's wounds,
And dip their napkins in his sacred blood;
Yea, beg a hair of him, for memory;

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

Unto their issue.

4 Pleb. We'll hear the will: read it, Mark Antony. All. The will, the will; we will hear Cæsar's will. Ant. Have patience, gentle friends; I must not read it:

It is not meet you know how Cæsar loved you.
You are not wood, you are not stones, but men :
And, being men, hearing the will of Cæsar,
It will inflame you-it will make you mad.
"Tis good you know not that you are his heirs;
For if you should, O what will come of it?

4 Pieb. Read the will; we will hear it, Antony : You shall read us the will-Cæsar's will!

Ant. Will you be patient? will you stay awhile? I have o'ershot myself, to tell you of it:

I fear I wrong the honourable men,

Whose daggers have stabbed Cæsar: I do fear it. 4 Pleb. They were traitors.

All. The will! the testament!

Honourable men !

The will!

2 Pleb. They were villains-murderers!

read the will!

Ant. You will compel me, then, to read the will?
Then make a ring about the corpse of Cæsar,
And let me show you him that made the will.
Shall I descend! and will you give me leave?
All. Come down.

2 Pleb. Descend. [He comes down from the pulpit. 3 Pleb. You shall have leave.

4 Pleb. A ring! stand round!

1 Pleb. Stand from the hearse! stand from the body! 2 Pleb. Room for Antony! most noble Antony! Ant. Nay, press not so 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 Cæsar put it on.

'Twas on a summer's evening, in his tent:

That day he overcame the Nervii.

Look! in this place ran Cassius' dagger through:
See what a rent the envious Casca made!

Through this the well-beloved Brutus stabbed;

And, as he plucked his cursed steel away,
Mark how the blood of Cæsar followed it;
As rushing out of doors, to be resolved
If Brutus so unkindly knocked, or no;
For Brutus, as you know, was Cæsar's angel:
Judge, O you gods! how dearly Cæsar loved him.
This was the most unkindest cut of all;

For, when the noble Cæsar saw him stab,
Ingratitude, more strong than traitors' arms,

Quite vanquished him. Then burst his mighty heart;
And, in his mantle muffling up his face,

Even at the base of Pompey's statue,

Which all the while ran blood, great Cæsar fell!
O, what a fall was there, my countrymen !
Then I, and you, and all of us fell down:
Whilst bloody treason flourished over us.
O, now you weep; and, I perceive, you feel
The dint of pity: these are gracious drops.
Kind souls, what, weep you when you but behold
Our Cæsar's vesture wounded? Look you here!
Here is himself! marred as you see, with traitors.
1 Pleb. O piteous spectacle !

2 Pleb. O noble Cæsar!

3 Pleb. O woeful day!
4 Pleb. O traitors! villains!

1 Pleb. O most bloody sight!

2 Pleb. We will be revenged! Revenge! AboutSeek-burn-fire-kill-slay-let not a traitor live! Ant. Stay, countrymen.

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, sweet friends, let me not stir

you up

To such a sudden 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 wise 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 gave me public leave to speak of him.
For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth,
Action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech,
To stir men's blood: I only speak right on;
I tell you that which you yourselves do know;
Show you sweet Cæsar's wounds

mouths!

poor, poor dumb And bid them speak for me: but were I Brutus, And Brutus Antony, there were an Antony Would ruffle up your spirits, and put a tongue In every wound of Cæsar, that should move The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.

SHAKSPERE.

OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE.

ACT I., SCENE 3.

Venice.-A Council Chamber.

Duke. Fetch Desdemona hither.

[Exeunt two or three.

[Exit IAGO.

Oth. Ancient, conduct them; you best know the

place.

And, till she come, as truly as to heaven
I do confess the vices of my blood,
So justly to your grave ears I'll present
How I did thrive in this fair lady's love,
And she in mine.

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