SCENE.-The Forum.

of Citizens.

offences enforced, for which he suffered

Enter ANTONY and others, with CÆSAR's body.

stay here;

Those that will follow Cassius, go with him;
And public reasons shall be rendered
Of Cæsar's death.

1st Cit.
I will hear Brutus speak.
2nd 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 pulpit.

3rd Cit. The noble Brutus is ascended: silence!

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 honour, and have respect to mine honour, 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 free men? As Cæsar loved me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honour him: but, as he was ambitious, I slew him. There are tears for his love; joy for his fortune; honour 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.

All. None, Brutus, none.

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.

All. Live, Brutus! live, live!

1st Cit. Bring him with triumph home unto his house.

2nd Cit. Give him a statue with his an

1st Cit.

We'll bring him to his house

With shouts and clamours. Bru. My countrymen,2nd Cit. Peace, silence! Brutus speaks. 1st 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. 1st Cit. Stay, ho and let us hear Mark Antony.

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

We'll hear him. Noble Antony, go up. Ant. For Brutus' sake, I am beholding to you. [Goes into the pulpit. 4th Cit. What does he say of Brutus? 3rd Cit. He says, for Brutus' sake, He finds himself beholding to us all. 4th Cit. "Twere best he speak no harm of Brutus here.

1st Cit. This Cæsar was a tyrant.

3rd Cit.

We are bless'd that Rome is rid of him. 2nd 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.

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,

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. 1st Cit. Methinks there is much reason in his sayings.

2nd Cit. If thou consider rightly of the matter,

Cæsar has had great wrong...

4th Cit. Now mark him, he begins again to speak.

Ant. But yesterday the word of Cæsar might

Unto their issue.

4th Cit. We'll hear the will: read it, Mark Antony.

All. 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!

4th 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 honourable men
Whose daggers have stabbed Cæsar; I do
fear it.

4th Cit. They were traitors: honourable

men!

All. The will! the testament!

2nd 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?

Several Cit. Come down.

2nd Cit. Descend.

3rd Cit. You shall have leave.

[Antony comes down. 4th Cit. A ring; stand round. 1st Cit. Stand from the hearse, stand from the body.

2nd Cit. Room for Antony, most noble Antony.

Ant. Nay, press not so upon me; stand far off.

Several 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 Nervii :— Look! in this place ran Cassius' dagger through:

2nd 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.

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, murred, as you see, with traitors.

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.

All. We'll mutiny.

1st Cit. We'll burn the house of Brutus. 3rd Cit. Away, then! come, seek the conspirators.

Ant. Yet hear me, countrymen; yet hear me speak.

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

Enter VARRO and CLAUDIUS.

Var. Calls my lord?

That shapes this monstrous apparition.
It comes upon me. Art thou any thing?

steep;

It may be I shall raise you by and by
On business to my brother Cassius.

Var. So please you, we will stand and

watch your pleasure.

Bru. I will not have it so: lie down, good sirs;

It may be I shall otherwise bethink me. Look, Lucius, here's the book I sought for so;

I put it in the pocket of my gown.

[Var. and Clau. lie down.

devil,

That mak'st my blood cold and my hair to stare?

Speak to me what thou art.

Ghost. Thy evil spirit, Brutus.
Bru. Why comest thou?

Ghost. To tell thee thou shalt see me at
Philippi.

Bru. Well; then I shall see thee again? Ghost. Ay, at Philippi.

Bru. Why, I will see thee at Philippi, then. [Exit Ghost. Now I have taken heart thou vanishest:

give it me.

Bru. Bear with me, good boy, I am much forgetful.

Canst thou hold up thy heavy eyes

awhile,

And touch thy instrument a strain or two?
Luc. Ay, my lord, an't please you.
Bru.
It does, my boy:
I trouble thee too much, but thou art will-
ing.

Lue. It is my duty, sir.

Bru. I should not urge thy duty past thy might;

I know young bloods look for a time of rest.

Luc. I have slept, my lord, already.

Bru. It was well done; and thou shalt sleep again;

I will not hold thee long: if I do live,

I will be good to thee. [Music, and a song. This is a sleepy tune. O murderous slumber!

Lay'st thou thy leaden mace upon my boy,

That plays thee music? Gentle knave,

thee. Boy, Lucius ! awake! Luc. My lord? Var. My lord?

Varro! Claudius! Sirs,

They perish

The drama

[BRUTUS and CASSIUS are defeated at the battle of Philippi. by their own hands. ends with the following eulogium on BRUTUS by ANTONY and OCTAVIUS:] Ant. This was the noblest Roman of them all:

Did that they did in envy of great Cæsar;
All the conspirators save only he
He only, in a general honest thought
And common good to all, made one of them.
So mixed in him that Nature might stand up
His life was gentle, and the elements
And say to all the world This was a man!"
Oct. According to his virtue let us use

him,

With all respect and rites of burial.
Within my tent his bones to-night shall lie,
Most like a soldier, ordered honourably.
So call the field to rest; and let's away,
To part the glories of this happy day.

SHAKSPEARE.