352. Ant. Therefore I took your hands; but was, indeed, Swayed from the point, by looking down on Cæsar. Friends am I with you all, and love you all;

Upon this hope, that you shall give me reasons
Why, and wherein, Cæsar was dangerous.
353. Bru. Or else were this a savage spectacle.
Our reasons are so full of good regard,
That, were you, Antony, the son of Cæsar,
You should be satisfied.

354. Ant. That's all I seek:

And am moreover suitor that I may
Produce his body to the market-place;
And in the pulpit, as becomes a friend,
Speak in the order of his funeral.

Bru. You shall, Mark Antony.

356. Cas. Brutus, a word with you.

You know not what you do. Do not consent
That Antony speak in his funeral.

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

357. Bru. By your pardon;

I will myself into the pulpit first,

[Aside.

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 true rites and lawful ceremonies.
It shall advantage more than do us wrong.
358. Cas. I know not what may fall; I like it not.
359. Bru. Mark Antony, here, take you Cæsar's body.
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;

Else shall you not have any hand at all
About his funeral. And you shall speak

In the same pulpit whereto I am going,
After my speech is ended.

Ant. Be it so;

I do desire no more.

361. Bru. Prepare the body, then, and follow us.

[Exeunt all but ANTONY.

362. 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 loins of men;
Domestic fury, and fierce civil strife,
Shall cumber all the parts of Italy:
Blood and destruction shall be so in use,
And dreadful objects so familiar,

That mothers shall but smile when they behold
Their infants quartered with the hands of war,
All pity choked with custom of fell deeds;
And Cæsar's spirit ranging for revenge,
With Ate by his side, come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines, with a monarch's voice,
Cry Havoc! and iet slip the dogs of war;
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial.

Enter a SERVANT.

You serve Octavius Cæsar, do you not?
Serv. I do, Mark Antony.

Ant. Cæsar did write for him to come to Rome. 365. Serv. He did receive his letters, and is coming: And bid me say to you by word of mouth,

O Cæsar!

[Seeing the Body. 366. Ant. Thy heart is big; get thee apart and weep. Passion, I see, is catching; for mine eyes,

Seeing those beads of sorrow stand in thine,

Began to water. Is thy master coming?

Serv. He lies to-night within seven leagues of Rome. 368. Ant. Post back with speed, and tell him what hath

chanced.

Here is a mourning Rome, a dangerous Rome,

No Rome of safety for Octavius yet;

Hie hence, and tell him so. Yet, stay a while;

Thou shalt not back, till I have borne this corse

Into the market-place: there shall I try,
In my oration, how the people take
The cruel issue of these bloody men;
According to the which thou shalt discourse
To young Octavius of the state of things.
Lend me your hand.

[Exeunt with CESAR'S Body.

Enter BRUTUS and CASSIUS, and a throng of CITIZENS.

369. Cit. We will be satisfied; let us be satisfied. 370. Bru. Then follow me, and give me audience, friends.Cassius, go you into the other street,

372.

And part the numbers.

Those that will hear me speak, let 'em stay here;
Those that will follow Cassius, go with him;

And public reasons shall be rendered

Of Cæsar's death.

I Cit. I will hear Brutus speak.

2 Cit. I will hear Cassius; and compare their reasons, When severally we hear them rendered.

[Exit CASSIUS, with some of the CITIZENS. BRUTUS goes into the Rostrum.

373 3 Cit. The noble Brutus is ascended. Silence!
374. Bru. Be patient till the last.

Romans, countrymen, and lovers! hear me for my cause;
and be silent, that you may hear: believe me for mine.
honor; and have respect to mine honor, 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' 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 freemen? As Cæsar loved
me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it;
as he was valiant, I honor him: but, as he was ambi-
tious, I slew him. There is tears for his love; joy for

375. 376.

his fortune; honor for his valour; and death for his ambition. Who is 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 a 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.

Cit. None, Brutus, none. [Several speaking at once. 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.

Enter ANTONY and others, with CÆSAR's Body. 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.

Cit. Live, Brutus, live! live!

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

3 Cit. Let him be Cæsar.

381. 4 Cit. Cæsar's better parts

Shall now be crowned in Brutus.

1 Cit. We'll bring him to his house with shouts and clamours.

Bru. My countrymen,

2 Cit. Peace; silence! Brutus speaks.

1 Cit. Peace, ho!

386. 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 allowed to make.

I do entreat you, not a man depart,
Save I alone, till Antony have spoke.

1 Cit. Stay, ho! and let us hear Mark Antony.

[Exit.

3 Cit. Let him go up into the public chair; We'll hear him. -Noble Antony, go up. 389. Ant. For Brutus' sake, I am beholden to you. 4 Cit. What does he say of Brutus?

3 Cit. He says, for Brutus' sake, He finds himself beholden to us all.

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

1 Cit. This Cæsar was a tyrant.

394. 3 Cit. Nay, that's certain :

We are blest that Rome is rid of him.

2 Cit. Peace, let us hear what Antony can say.
Ant. You gentle Romans,

Cit. Peace, ho! let us hear him.

398. 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 answered it.
Here, under leave of Brutus, and the rest
(For Brutus is an honorable man;
So are they all, all honorable 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 honorable 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 honorable 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 honorable man.