Act III.

JULIUS CÆSAR.

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not extenuated, wherein he was worthy; nor his offences enforced, for which he suffer'd death.

Enter ANTONY, and Others, with Cæfar's body.

Here comes his body, mourn'd 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 flew 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!

■ Cit. Bring him with triumph home unto his house.

2 Cit. Give him a statue with his ancestors.

3 Cit. Let him be Cæfar.

4 Cit.

Cæfar's better parts

Shall now be crown'd in Brutus.

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

clamours.

Bru. My countrymen,

2 Cit.

Cit. Peace, ho!

Peace; filence! Brutus speaks.

Bru. Good countrymen, let me depart alone,

And, for my fake, stay here with Antony :
Do grace to Cæfar's corpse, and grace his speech
Tending to Cæfar'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.

1 Cit. Stay, ho! and let us hear Mark Antony.
3 Cit. Let him go up into the publick chair;

We'll hear him :-Noble Antony, go up.

Ant. For Brutus' fake, I am beholden to you.

[Exit.

4 Cit. What does he say of Brutus ? 3 Cit.

He says, for Brutus' fake,

He finds himself beholden to us all.

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

Cit. This Cæfar was a tyrant.

3 Cit.

Nay, that's certain :

We are bless'd, that Rome is rid of him.

2 Cit. Peace; let us hear what Antony can fay.

Ant. You gentle Romans,

Cit.

Peace, ho! let us hear him.

Ant. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;

I come to bury Cæfar, 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 Cæfar. The noble Brutus
Hath told you, Cæfar was ambitious:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault;
And grievously hath Cæfar anfwer'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 Cæfar'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 Cæfar seem ambitious?

When that the poor have cried, Cæfar hath wept:
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:
Yet Brutus says, he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.
You all did fee, that, on the Lupercal,
I thrice presented him a kingly crown,

Foures

And I must pause till it come back to me.

1 Cit. Methinks, there is much reason in his 2 Cit. If thou consider rightly of the matter, Cæfar has had great wrong.

3 Cit.

Has he, masters ? I fear, there will a worse come in his place. 4 Cit. Mark'd ye his words? He would no

crown;

Therefore, 'tis certain, he was not ambitious.
1 Cit. If it be found so, some will dear abide
2 Cit. Poor foul! his eyes are red as fire with
3 Cit. There's not a nobler man in Rome, tha
4 Cit. Now mark him, he begins again to spe
Ant. But yesterday the word of Cæfar might
Have stood against the world: now lies he ther
And none so poor to do him reverence.
O masters! if I were dispos'd to stir
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 choose
To wrong the dead, to wrong myself, and you
Than I will wrong fuch honourable men.
But here's a parchment, with the seal of Cæfar,

Which

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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 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 issue.

4 Cit. We'll hear the will: Read it, Mark Antony. Cit. The will, the will; we will hear Cæfar's will. Ant. Have patience, gentle friends, I must not read it; It is not meet you know how Cæfar lov'd you. You are not wood, you are not stones, but men ; And, being men, hearing the will of Cæfar, 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; Cæfar's will.

Ant. Will you be patient? will you stay a while ?
I have o'er-shot myself, to tell you of it.
I fear, I wrong the honourable men,

Whose daggers have stabb'd Cæfar: I do fear it.
4 Cit. They were traitors: Honourable men !

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 Cæfar,
And let me show you him that made the will.
Shall I descend? And will you give me leave ?

Cit. Come down.

2 Cit. Defcend.

[He comes down from the pulpit.

That day he overcame the Nervii :-
Look! in this place, ran Cassius' dagger thr
See, what a rent the envious Casca made:
Through this, the well-beloved Brutus stabl
And, as he pluck'd his cursed steel away,
Mark how the blood of Cæfar follow'd it;
As rushing out of doors, to be resolv'd
If Brutus so unkindly knock'd, or no;
For Brutus, as you know, was Cæfar's ange
Judge, O you gods, how dearly Cæfar lov'd
This was the most unkindest cut of all :
For when the noble Cæfar saw him stab,
Ingratitude, more strong than traitor's arms
Quite vanquish'd him: then burst his mighty
And, in his mantle muffling up his face,
Even at the base of Pompey's statua,
Which all the while ran blood, great Cæfar
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 fe
The dint of pity: these are gracious drops.
Kind fouls, what, weep you, when you bu

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