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, oh, what would come of it!

10. 4 Cit. Read the will! We'll hear it, Antony! You shall read us the will-Cæsar's will!

Ant. Will you be patient? Will you stay a while? I have o'ershot myself to tell you of it.

I fear I wrong the honorable men

Whose daggers have stabbed Cæsar: I do fear it! 4 Cit. They were traitors!-Honorable men! All. The will!-the testament!

2 Cit.

They were villains-murderers! The will!read the will!

11. 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?
Come down.
Descend.

All.

4 Cit.

1 Cit.

2 Cit.

2 Cit.

3 Cit. You shall have leave.

A ring! Stand round!

Stand from the hearse! stand from the body! Room for Antony-most noble Antony! Nay, press not so upon me; stand far off. All. Stand back! Room! Bear back!

Ant.

[He comes down.]

༣|

12. 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!

13. 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!

14. 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.
Oh, what a fall was there, my countrymen !

15. Then I, and you, and all of us fell down,
While bloody treason flourished over us.
Oh, 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.

16. 1 Cit. O piteous spectacle!

2 Cit. O noble Cæsar!

3 Cit. O woeful day!

4 Cit. O traitors! villains!

1 Cit. O most bloody sight!

All. We will be revenged! Revenge! About!—seek -burn-fire-kill-slay! Let not a traitor live!

Ant. Stay, countrymen ! [They are rushing out.] 1 Cit. Peace, there! Hear the noble Antony!

2 Cit. We'll hear him, we'll follow him, we'll die with

him!

17. 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 honorable.
What private griefs they have, alas! I know not,
That made them do it; they are wise and honorable,
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.

18. 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.

19. All. We'll mutiny!

1 Cit. We'll burn the house of Brutus ! 3 Cit. Away, then! Come, seek the conspirators! Ant. Yet hear me, countrymen-yet hear me speak. All 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.

20. All. 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.

2 Cit. Most noble Cæsar! We'll revenge his death. O royal Cæsar!

3 Cit.

Ant. Hear me with patience.

All. Peace, ho!

Ant. Moreover, he hath left you all his walks,
His private arbors, and new-planted orchards,
On this side Tiber; he hath left them you,
And to your heirs forever; common pleasures,
To walk abroad, and recreate yourselves.

Here was a Cæsar! When comes such another?

21. 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.

4 Cit.

Pluck down benches!

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!

William Shakespeare.

FOR PREPARATION.-I. From "Julius Cæsar," Act III., Scene 2; it follows the speech of Brutus (LVII.).

II. Bur'-y (běr'ri), Çæ'-şar, in-terred', griev'-ous, fa'-ner-al, rēa'. şon (rē'zn), heirs (arz), pā'-tient (-shent), trai'-tors, vil'-laing, eom-pěl', de-sçěnd, drăch’-mảş (drăk-).

III. The prefix pro means forward; re or retro, back or backward. Make a list of words with these prefixes.

IV. Ambitious, ransoms, coffe sterner, Lupercal, refuse, ve, brutish, reverence, parchment, testament, bequeathing, legacy, inflame, envious, ingratitude, treason, dint of pity, vesture, spectacle, revenged, mutiny, conspirators, recreate.

V. In order to gain the attention and good will of the people who have just been moved by Brutus, he begins by disclaiming his intention to praise Cæsar. Follow out his thought from this to the end, where he comes out openly and calls Brutus and the rest "traitors": Noble Brutus says Cæsar was ambitious; if so, a grievous fault, but grievously answered for. He was my friend, faithful and just to me; however, an honorable man calls him " ambitious." ("Honorable" refers to the high tone of Brutus's speech and his "believe me, for mine honor," and "bave respect to mine honor," etc.) He proceeds to call attention to the acts of Cæsar: (a) ransoms; (b) wept for the poor (this touches their interest); (c) refused a crown. Why don't you mourn for him? He pauses here to give time for the speech to have its effect. The conversation between the citizens shows how well he has calculated. He proceeds to speak of the greatness of Cæsar and his sudden downfall. Hints that he could stir them to mutiny, but prefers to wrong them and himself rather than the honorable men (“honorable" now begins to be ironical). Cæsar's will would inflame them, but he counsels patience. Hints that they are heirs of Cæsar's property. Consents to read the will. Shows the mantle of Cæsar stabbed by traitors, and particularly by Brutus, and Cæsar loved Brutus. What ingratitude! Antony's modesty : no orator as Brutus is. Reads the will, and lets the mischief work.

LXIV-SANCHO PANZA'S GOVERNMENT.

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1. The first case that occurred was a question put by a stranger, in presence of the steward and the rest of the assistants. My lord," said he, "a certain manor is divided by a large river I beg your honor will be attentive, for the case is of great consequence and some difficulty.