Auf. My lords, when you shall know (as in this rage,

Provok'd by him, you cannot,) the great danger

Which this man's life did owe you, you'll rejoice

That he is thus cut off. Please it your honours
To call me to your senate, I'll deliver
Myself your loyal servant, or endure
Your heaviest censure.

1 Lord. Bear from hence his body,

And mourn you for him: let him be regarded As the most noble corse, that ever herald Did follow to his urn.

4 R

ACT I.

SCENE I.-Rome.-A Street.

Enter FLAVIUS, MARULLUS, and a Rabble of CITIZENS.

Flav. Hence; home, you idle creatures, get you home;

Is this a holiday? What! know you not,
Being mechanical, you ought not walk,
Upon a labouring day, without the sign
Of your profession?-Speak, what trade art
thou?

1 Cit. Why, Sir, a carpenter.

Mar. Where is thy leather apron, and thy rule?

What dost thou with thy best apparel on?You, Sir; what trade are you?

2 Cit. Truly, Sir, in respect of a fine workman, I am but, as you would say, a cobbler. Mar. But what trade art thou? Answer me directly.

2 Cit. A trade, Sir, that, I hope, I may use with a safe conscience; which is, indeed, Sir, a mender of bad soals.

Mar. What trade, thou knave; thou naughty knave, what trade?

2 Cil. Nay, I beseech you, Sir, be not out with me: yet, if you be out, Sir, I can mend

they are in great danger, I recover them. As proper men as ever trod upon neats-leather, have gone upon my handy-work.

Flav But wherefore art not in thy shop today? [streets? Why dost thou lead these men about the 2 Cit. Truly, Sir, to wear out their shoes, to get myself into more work. But, indeed, Sir, we make holiday to see Cesar, and to rejoice in his triumph.

Mar. Wherefore rejoice? What conquest brings he home?

What tributaries follow him to Rome,
To grace in captive bonds his chariot wheels?
You blocks, you stones, you worse than sense-

less things!

O, you hard hearts, you cruel men of Rome,
Knew you not Pompey? Many a time and oft
Have you climb'd up to walls and battlements,
To towers and windows, yea, to chimney-tops,
Your infants in your arms, and there have sat
The live-long day, with patient expectation,
To see great Pompey pass the streets of Rome:
And when you saw his chariot but appear,
Have you not made a universal shout,
That Tyber trembled underneath her banks,
To hear the replication of your sounds,
Made in her concave shores?
And do you now put on your best attire?
And do you now cull out a holiday?
And do you now strew flowers in his way,
That comes in triumph over Pompey's blood!
Be gone;

Run to your houses, fall upon your knees,
Pray to the gods to intermit the plague
That needs must light on this ingratitude.
Flar. Go, go, good countrymen, and, for this
fault,

I had as lief not be, as live to be In awe of such a thing as I myself.

I was born free as Cesar; so were you:
We both have fed as well; and we can both
Endure the winter's cold, as well as he.
For once, upon a raw and gusty* day,
The troubled Tyber chafing with her shores,
Cesar said to me, Dur'st thou, Cassius, now
Leap in with me into this angry flood,
And swim to yonder point? Upon the word,
Accouter'd as I was, I plunged in,
And bade him follow: so, indeed, he did.
The torrent roar'd; and we did buffet it
With lusty sinews; throwing it aside
And stemming it with hearts of controversy.
But ere we could arrive the point propos'd,
Cesar cried, Help me, Cassius, or 1 sink.
I, as Encas, our great ancestor,

Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder
The old Anchises bear, so, from the waves of
Tyber

Did I the tired Cesar: And this man
Is now become a god; and Cassius is
A wretched creature, and must bend his body,
If Cesar carelessly but nod on him.
He had a fever when he was in Spain,
And, when the fit was on him, I did mark
How he did shake: 'tis true, this god did
shake:

His coward lips did from their colour fly; And that same eye, whose bend doth awe the world,

mans

Did lose his lustre: I did hear him groan:
Ay, and that tongue of his, that bade the Ro-
[books,
Mark him, and write his speeches in their
Alas! it cried, Give me some drink, Titinius,
As a sick girl. Ye gods, it doth amaze me,
A man of such a feeble tempert should
So get the start of the majestic world,
And bear the palm alone. [Shout. Flourish.
Bru. Another general shout!

I do believe, that these applauses are
For some new honours that are heap'd on Cesar.
Cus. Why, man, he doth bestride the nar-
row world,

Like a Colossus; and we petty men
Walk under his huge legs, and peep about
To find ourselves dishonourable graves.
Men at some time are masters of their fates:
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.
Brutus, and Cesar: What should be in that
Cesar?

Why should that name be sounded more than yours?

Write them together, yours is as fair a name; Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well; Weigh them, it is as heavy; conjure them, Brutus will start a spirit as soon as Cesar.

[Shout.

Now in the names of all the gods at once, Upon what meat doth this our Cesar feed, That he is grown so great? Age, thou art sham'd:

Rome, thou hast lost the breed of noble bloods!
When went there by an age, since the great
flood,
[man?
But it was fam'd with more than with one
When could they say, till now, that talk'd of
Rome,
[man?

That her wide walks encompass'd but one
Now is it Rome indeed, and room enough,
When there is in it but one only man.
O! you and I have heard our fathers say,

There was a Brutus* once, that would have

brook'd

The eternal devil to keep his state in Rome, As easily as a king.

Bru. That you do love me, I am nothing jealous;

[aim;1 What you would work me to, I have some How I have thought of this, and of these times,

I shall recount hereafter; for this present,
I would not, so with love I might entreat you,
Be any further mov'd. What you have said,
I will consider; what you have to say,
I will with patience hear: and find a time
Both meet to hear, and answer, such high
things.

Till then, my noble friend, chew‡ upon this;
Brutus had rather be a villager,
Than to repute himself a son of Rome
Under these hard conditions as this time
Is like to lay upon us.

Cas. I am glad, that my weak words
Have struck but this much show of fire from
Brutus.

Re-enter CESAR, and his Train.

Bru. The games are done, and Cesar is returning.

Cas. As they pass by, pluck Casca, by the sleeve;

And he will after his sour fashion, tell you
What hath proceeded, worthy note, to-day.

Bru. I will do so:-But, look you, Cassius,
The angry spot doth glow on Cesar's brow,
And all the rest look like a chidden train:
Calphurnia's cheek is pale; and Cicero
Looks with such ferrets and such fiery eyes,
As we have seen him in the Capitol,
Being cross'd in conference by some senators.
Cas. Casca will tell us what the matter is.
Ces. Antonius.

Sleek-headed men, and such as sleep o'nights:
Yond' Cassius has a lean and hungry look;
He thinks too much: such men are dangerous.
Ant. Fear him not, Cesar, he's not danger-
He is a noble Roman, and well given.
Ces. 'Would he were fatter:-But I fear
him not:

[ous;

Yet if my name were liable to fear,
I do not know the man I should avoid
So soon as that spare Cassius. He reads
He is a great observer, and he looks (much;
Quite through the deeds of men: he loves no
plays,

As thou dost, Antony; he hears no music:
Seldom he smiles; and smiles in such a sort,
As if he mock'd himself, and scorn'd his spirit
That could be mov'd to smile at any thing.
Such men as he be never at heart's ease,
Whiles they behold a greater than themselves;
And therefore are they very dangerous.
I rather tell thee what is to be fear'd,
Than what I fear, for always I am Cesar.
Come on my right hand, for this ear is deaf,
And tell me truly what thou think'st of him.
[Exeunt CESAR and his Train. CASCA
stays behind.

you speak with me?
Casca. You pull'd me by the cloak; Would

Bru. Ay, Casca; tell us what hath chanc'd to-day,

That Cesar looks so sad.

Casca. Why you were with him, were you

not?

Bru. I should not then ask Casca what hath chanc'd.

Casca. Why, there was a crown offer'd him: and being offer'd him, he put it by with the back of his hand, thus; and then the people fell a' shouting.

Bru. What was the second noise for?
Casca. Why, for that too.

Casca. Ay.

Cas. Did Cicero say any thing? Casca. Ay, he spoke Greek. Cas. To what effect?

last cry for?

Casca. Why, for that too.

Bru. Was the crown offer'd him thrice ?

Casca. Ay, marry, was't, and he put it by thrice, every time gentler than other; and at every putting by, mine honest neighbours shouted.

Cas. Who offered him the crown?
Casca. Why, Antony.

Bru. Tell us the manner of it, gentle Casca. Casca. I can as well be hanged, as tell the manner of it: it was mere foolery. I did not mark it. I saw Mark Antony offer him a crown ;-yet 'twas not a crown neither, 'twas one of these coronets;-and, as I told you, he put it by once; but, for all that, to my thinking, he would fain have had it. Then he offered it to him again; then he put it by again: but, to my thinking, he was very loath to lay his fingers off it. And then he offered it the third time; he put it the third time by and still as he refused it, the rabblement hooted, and clapped their chopped hands, and threw up their sweaty night-caps, and uttered such a deal of stinking breath because Cesar refused the crown, that it had almost choked Cesar; for he swooned, and fell down at it: And for mine own part I durst not laugh, for fear of opening my lips, and receiving the bad air.

Cas. But, soft, I pray you: What? did
Cesar swoon?

Casca. He fell down in the market-place, and foamed at mouth, and was speechless. Bru. "Tis very like: he hath the falling-sick

ness.

Cas. No, Cesar hath it not; but you, and I, And honest Casca, we have the falling-sick

ness.

Cusca. I know nor what you mean by that; but, I am sure, Cesar fell down. If the tagrag people did not clap him, and hiss him, according as he pleased, and displeased them, as they use to do the players in the theatre, I

am no true man.

Bru. What said he, when he came unto himself?

Casca. Marry, before he fell down, when he perceiv'd the common herd was glad he refused the crown, he plucked me ope his doublet, and offered them his throat to cut.-An I had been a man of any occupation,+ if I would not have taken him at a word, I would I might go to hell among the rogues:-and so he fell. When he came to himself again, he said, If he had done, or said, any thing amiss, he desired their worships to think it was his infirmity. Three or four wenches, where I stood, cried, Alas, good soul!-and forgave him with all their hearts: But there's no heed to be taken of them; if Cesar had stabbed their mothers, they would have done no less.

Bru. And after that, he came, thus sad, away?

Cas. Will you sup with me to-night, Casca? Casca. No, I am promised forth. Cas. Will you dine with me to-morrow? Casca. Ay, if I be alive, and your mind hold, and your dinner worth eating. Cas. Good: I will expect you. Casca. Do so: Farewell, both.

[Exit CASCA. Bru. What a blunt fellow is this grown to be?

He was quick mettle, when he went to school.
Cas. So is he now, in execution
Of any bold or noble enterprise,
However he puts on this tardy form.
This rudeness is a sauce to his good wit,
Which gives men stomach to digest his words
With better appetite.

Bru. And so it is. For this time I will leave

you:

To-morrow if you please to speak with me,
I will come home to you; or, if you will,
Come home with me, and I will wait for you.
Cas. I will do so:-till then, think of the
world.
[Exit BRUTUS.
Well, Brutus, thou art noble; yet, I see,
Thy honourable metal may be wrought
From that it is dispos'd: Therefore 'tis meet
That noble minds keep ever with their likes:
For who so firm, that cannot be seduc'd?
Cesar doth bear me hard ;t but he loves Bru-
tus:

If I were Brutus now, and he were Cassius,
He should not humourt me. I will this night,
In several hands, in at the windows throw,
As if they came from several citizens,
Writings all tending to the great opinion
That Rome holds of his name; wherein ob-
scurely

Cesar's ambition shall be glanced at:
And, after this, let Cesar seat him sure;
For we will shake him, or worse days endure.
[Exit.

SCENE III.-The same.-A Street.

Thunder and Lightning. Enter, from opposite sides, CASCA, with his sword drawn, and CICERO.

Cic. Good even, Casca: Brought you Cesar home?

Why are you breathless? and why stare you so? Casca. Are you not mov'd, when all the sway

of earth

Shakes, like a thing unfirm? O Cicero,
I have seen tempests, when the scolding winds
Have riv'd the knotty oaks; and I have seen
The ambitious ocean swell, and rage, and foam,
To be exalted with the threat'ning clouds:
But never till to-night, never till now,
Did I go through a tempest dropping fire.
Either there is a civil strife in heaven;

* Disposed to. Has an unfavourable opinion of me.
↑ Cajole.
Did you attend Cesar home?