And am moreover suitor that I may
Produce his body to the market-place,
And in the pulpit, as becomes a friend,
Speak in the order of his funeral.
Brutus. You shall, Mark Antony.

Cassius.

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Brutus, a word with you.

[He takes Brutus aside while Antony turns sadly to the body. You know not what you do: do not consent

That Antony speak in his funeral:

Know you how much the people may be moved
By that which he will utter ?

Brutus.

By your pardon:

I will myself into the pulpit first,
And show the reason of our Caesar's death:
What Antony shall speak, I will protest
He speaks by leave and by permissión;
And that we are contented Caesar shall
Have all true rites and lawful ceremonies.
It shall advantage more than do us wrong.

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Cassius. I know not what may fall; I like it not. Brutus. Mark Antony, here take you Caesar's body.

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You shall not in your funeral speech blame us,
But speak all good you can devise of Caesar,
And say you do 't by our permissión;
Else shall you not have any hand at all
About his funeral and you shall speak
In the same pulpit whereto I am going,
After my speech is ended.

Antony.

I do desire no more.

Be it so;

Brutus. Prepare the body, then, and follow us.

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[Exeunt all except Antony.

Antony. Oh, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth,

That I am meek and gentle with these butchers! 251 Thou art the ruins of the noblest man

That ever lived in the tide of times.

Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood!
Over thy wounds now do I prophesy

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(Which like dumb mouths do ope their ruby lips

To beg the voice and utterance of my tongue),
A curse shall light upon the limbs of men;
Domestic fury and fierce civil strife
Shall cumber all the parts of Italy;

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Blood and destruction shall be so in use,
And dreadful objects so familiàr,

That mothers shall but smile when they behold
Their infants quarterèd with the hands of war:
All pity choked with custom of fell deeds;
And Caesar's spirit, ranging for revenge,
With Até by his side come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines with a monarch's voice
Cry Havoc!' and let slip the dogs of war ;
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial.

SCENE IV. CAESAR'S FUNERAL.

Brutus and Cassius enter the Forum, followed by a throng of excited Citizens.

Citizens. We will be satisfied; let us be satisfied. Brutus. Then follow me, and give me audience, friends. Cassius, go you into the other street,

And part the numbers.

Those that will hear me speak, let them stay here;
Those that will follow Cassius, go with him;

And public reasons shall be rendered

Of Caesar's death.

First Citizen.

I will hear Brutus speak.

Second Citizen. 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 amid a confused noise from the crowd. Third Citizen. The noble Brutus is ascended: silence! Brutus. Be patient till the last.

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ΤΟ

[The crowd gradually grow quiet. 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 15 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 Caesar's, [cries from the crowd] to him I say that Brutus' love to Caesar was no less than his. If then that friend demand why 20 Brutus rose against Caesar, [murmurs] this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.

[Faint approval.] Had you rather Caesar were living, and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all freemen? As Caesar loved me, I weep for him; as he was 25 fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honour him but as he was ambitious, I slew him. [Approval.] There is 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? [A pause.] If any, 30 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.

Brutus. Then none have I offended. [Cheers.] I have done no more to Caesar, than you shall do to Brutus.

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Enter Antony and others, with Caesar's body. Here comes his body, mourned by Mark Antony who, though he had no hand in his death, shall receive the 40 benefit of his dying, a place in the commonwealth; as which of you shall not ? [Cheers.] 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.

Citizens [in great excitement]. Live, Brutus! live, live! First Citizen. Bring him with triumph home unto his house.

Second Citizen. Give him a statue with his ancestors. Third Citizen. Let him be Caesar.

Fourth Citizen.

Shall be crowned in Brutus.

Caesar's better parts

First Citizen. We'll bring him to his house with shouts

and clamours.

Brutus. My countrymen,

Second Citizen. Peace, silence! Brutus speaks. First Citizen. Peace, ho!

Brutus. Good countrymen, let me depart alone, And, for my sake, stay here with Antony:

[Some murmurs.

Do grace to Caesar's corpse, and grace his speech
Tending to Caesar's glories, which Mark Antony-
By our permission-is allowed to make.

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I do entreat you, not a man depart,
Save I alone, till Antony have spoke.

бо

[Exit. The Citizens are in great confusion, and some prepare to leave. First Citizen. Stay, ho! and let us hear Mark Antony. Third Citizen. Let him go up into the public chair; We'll hear him. Noble Antony, go up.

Antony. For Brutus' sake, I am beholding to you. [Goes up into the pulpit. Fourth Citizen [at the back of the crowd]. What does he say of Brutus ?

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Third Citizen [raising his voice]. He says, for Brutus' sake,

He finds himself beholding to us all.

Fourth Citizen. 'Twere best he speak no harm of
Brutus here.

First Citizen. This Caesar was a tyrant.
Third Citizen.

[Cheers.

Nay, that's certain :

We are blest that Rome is rid of him.

[Cheers.

Second Citizen. Peace! let us hear what Antony can

say.

Antony. You gentle Romans,—
Citizens.

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Peace, ho let us hear him. Antony. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your

ears:

I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interrèd with their bones ;
So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus
Hath told you Caesar was ambitioús:

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If it were so, it was a grievous fault; [Cries of approval.
And grievously hath Caesar answered it. [Faint murmurs.
Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest
(For Brutus is an honourable man;

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[Cheers.

So are they all, all honourable men),

Come I to speak in Caesar's funeral.

He was my friend, faithful and just to me :
But Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.

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He hath brought many captives home to Rome,
Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:

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Did this in Caesar seem ambitious? [Confused murmurs. When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept :

Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:
Yet Brutus says he was ambitioús;
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 ambitioús;

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And, sure, he is an honourable man. [Fainter approval.
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 judgement, thou art fled to brutish beasts.

And men have lost their reason. [Cries of dissent.] Bear

with me;

My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,

And I must pause till it come back to me.

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First Citizen. Methinks there is much reason in his sayings.

Second Citizen. If thou consider rightly of the matter, Caesar has had great wrong.

Third Citizen.

Has he, masters ? IIO

I fear there will a worse come in his place.

Fourth Citizen. Marked ye his words? He would not take the crown;

Therefore 'tis certain he was not ambitious.

First Citizen. If it be found so, some will dear abide it. Second Citizen [pointing to Antony]. Poor soul! his eyes are red as fire with weeping.

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Third Citizen. There's not a nobler man in Rome than Antony. [Cheers.

Fourth Citizen. Now mark him, he begins again to

speak.

Antony. But yesterday, the word of Caesar 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.

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