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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. 380. 2 Cit. Give him a statue with his ancestors.

3 Cit. Let him be Cæsar.

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,385. 2 Cit. Peace; silence! Brutus speaks.

1 Cit. 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 allowed to make.
I do entreat you, not a man depart,
Save I alone, till Antony have spoke.

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

3 Cit. Let him go up into the public chair ;

We'll hear him :--Noble Antony, go up. 390. 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. 395.3 Cit. Nay, that's certain :

We are blessed, 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.
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 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.
400. 1 Cit. Methinks, there is much reason in his sayings.

2 Cit. If thou consider rightly of the matter,
Cæsar has had great wrong.

3 Cit. Has he not, masters ?
I fear, there will a worse come in his place.

4 Cit. Marked ye his words? He would not take the crown ; Therefore, 'tis certain he was not ambitious.

1 Cit. If it be found so, some will dear abide it. 405. 2 Cit. Poor soul! his eyes are red as fire with weeping.

3 Cit. There's not a nobler man in Rome than Antony. 4 Cit. 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 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 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 Cit. We'll hear the will : Read it, Mark Antony. 110. Cit. 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 would come of it!

4 Cit. 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 a while ?
I have overshot myself, to tell you

of it.
I fear, I wrong the honourable men,
Whose daggers have stabbed Cæsar: I do fear it.

4 Cit. They were traitors : Honourable men! 415. Cit. The will! the testament !

2 Cit. They were villains, murderers : The will, 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 ?

Cit. Come down.
2 Cit. Descend.

[He comes down from the pulpit. 420. 3 Cit. You shall have leave.

4 Cit. A ring ; stand round.
1 Cit. Stand from the hearse, stand from the body.
2 Cit. Room for Antony ;-most noble Antony.

Ant. Nay, press not so upon me; stand far off. 425. Cit. 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 Nervi :-
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 Cit. O piteous spectacle !
2 Cit. O noble Cæsar!

3 Cit. O woeful day!
430. 4 Cit. O traitors, villains !

1 Cit. O most bloody sight!

2 Cit. We will be revenged : revenge; about, --seek,--burn,fire,-kill,---slay !-let not a traitor live.

Ant. Stay, countrymen.

1 Cit. Peace there :-Hear the noble Antony. 435. 2 Cit. 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, 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 spirits, and put a tongue
In every wound of Cæsar, that should move
The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.

Cit. We'll mutiny.
1 Cit. We'll burn the house of Brutus.

3 Cit. Away then, come, seek the conspirators. 440. Ant. Yet hear me, countrymen; yet hear me speak.

Cit. Peace, ho! Hear Antony, most noble Antony.

Ant. Why, friends, you go to do you know not what :
Wherein hath Cæsar thus deserved your loves ?
Alas, you know not :-I must tell you, then
You have forgot the will I told you of.

Cit. Most true ;-—the will;—let's stay, and hear the will.

Ant. Here is the will, and under Cæsar's seal.
To every Roman citizen he gives,

To every several man, seventy-five drachmas.
445. 2 Cit. Most noble Cæsar !-we'll revenge his death.

3 Cit. O royal Cæsar!
Ant. Hear me with patience,
Cit. Peace, ho!
Ant. Moreover, he hath left you all his walks,
His private arbours, and new-planted orchards,
On this side Tiber; he hath left them you,
And to your heirs for ever ; common pleasures,
To walk abroad, and recreate yourselves.

Here was a Cæsar : When comes such another ? 450. 1 Cit. Never, never !—Come, away, away!

We'll burn his body in the holy place,
And with the brands fire the traitors' houses.
Take up the body.

2 Cit. Go, fetch fire.
3 Cit. Pluck down benches.
4 Cit. Pluck down forms, windows, anything.

[Exeunt CITIZENS, with the body.
Ant. Now let it work : Mischief, thou art afoot,
Take thou what course thou wilt!-How now, fellow ?

Enter a SERVANT.
455. Serv. Sir, Octavius is already come to Rome.

Ant. Where is he?
Serv. He and Lepidus are at Cæsar's house.

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