That play'st so subtly with a king's repose;
80 I am a king that find thee, and I know
'Tis not the balm, the sceptre and the ball,
The sword, the mace, the crown imperial,
The intertissued robe of gold and pearl,
The farced title running 'fore the king,
35 The throne he sits on, nor the tide of pomp
That beats upon the high shore of this world,
No, not all these, thrice-gorgeous ceremony,
Not all these, laid in bed majestical,

Can sleep so soundly as the wretched slave,
40 Who with a body fill'd and vacant mind
Gets him to rest, cramm'd with distressful bread;
Never sees horrid night, the child of hell,
But, like a lackey, from the rise to set
Sweats in the eye of Phoebus, and all night
45 Sleeps in Elysium; next day after dawn,
Doth rise and help Hyperion to his horse,
And follows so the ever-running year,
With profitable labour, to his grave:
And, but for ceremony, such a wretch,

50 Winding up days with toil and nights with sleep,
Had the fore-hand and vantage of a king.
The slave, a member of the country's peace,
Enjoys it; but in gross brain little wots

What watch the king keeps to maintain the peace,
55 Whose hours the peasant best advantages.

Citizens.

From JULIUS CAESAR.

[1601?]

Act III.

Scene II. The Forum.

Enter Brutus and Cassius, and a throng of Citizens.

We will be satisfied; let us be satisfied.

Bru. Then follow me, and give me audience, friends. Cassius, go you into the other street,

And part the numbers.

6 Those that will hear me speak, let 'em stay here;

Those that will follow Cassius, go with him;

And public reasons shall be rendered

Of Cæsar's death.

First Cit.

I will hear Brutus speak.

Sec. Cit. I will hear Cassius; and compare their reasons,

10 When severally we hear them rendered.

(Exit Cassius, with some of the Citizens. Brutus goes into the pulpit.) Third 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 15 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 20 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 is tears for his love; joy for his fortune; honour for his valour; and death for his ambition. 25 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. Citizens. None, Brutus, none.

30 Bru. Then none have I offended. I have done no more to Cæsar than you shall do to Brutus. The question of his death is enrolled in the Capitol; his glory not extenuated, wherein he was worthy, nor his offences enforced, for which he suffered death.

(Enter Antony and others, with Cæsar's body.)

Here comes his body, mourned by Mark Antony: who, though he had no 35 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!

40 First Cit. Bring him with triumph home unto his house. Sec. Cit. Give him a statue with his ancestors.

Third Cit. Let him be Cæsar.

Fourth Oit.

Shall be crown'd in Brutus.

Cæsar's better parts

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

45

Bru. My countrymen,

Sec. Oit.

First Cit. Peace, ho!

Peace, silence! Brutus speaks.

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

50 Tending to Cæsar's glories, which Mark Antony, By our permission, is allow'd to make.

55

I do entreat you, not a man depart,

Save I alone, till Antony have spoke.

First Cit. Stay, ho! and let us hear Mark Antony. Third 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.

Herrig-Förster, British Authors.

(Goes into the pulpit.)

3

(Exit.)

60

65

Fourth Cit. What does he say of Brutus?
Third Oit.

He finds himself beholding to us all.
Fourth Cit. 'Twere best he speak no
First Oit. This Cæsar was a tyrant.
Third Cit.

He says, for Brutus' sake,

harm of Brutus here.

Nay, that's certain:

We are blest that Rome is rid of him.
Sec. Cit. Peace! let us hear what Antony can say.
Ant. You gentle Romans,

Citizens.

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
70 Hath told you Cæsar was ambitious:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Cæsar answer'd it.
Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest,
For Brutus is an honourable man;

75 So are they all, all honourable men,
Come I to speak in Cæsar's funeral.
He was my friend, faithful and just to me:
But Brutus says he was ambitious;

And Brutus is an honourable man.

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

Did this in Cæsar seem ambitious?

When that the poor have cried, Cæsar hath wept:
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:

85 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?

90 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:
95 What cause withholds you then to mourn for him?
O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts,

100

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.

First Cit. Methinks there is much reason in his sayings.
Sec. Cit. If thou consider rightly of the matter,
Cæsar has had great wrong.

Third Cit.

Has he, masters?

I fear there will a worse come in his place.

Fourth Cit. Mark'd ye his words? He would not take the crown; 105 Therefore 'tis certain he was not ambitious.

110

First Cit. If it be found so, some will dear abide it.

Sec. Oit. Poor soul! his eyes are red as fire with weeping.
Third Oit. There's not a nobler man in Rome than Antony.
Fourth Oit. Now mark him, he begins again to speak.

Ant. But yesterday the word of Cæsar 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, 115 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.

120 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

125 And dip their napkins in his sacred blood, Yea, beg a hair of him for memory,

130

And, dying, mention it within their wills,
Bequeathing it as a rich legacy

Unto their issue.

Fourth Oit. 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, 135 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!

140

145

Fourth Oit. 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 awhile? I have o'ershot myself to tell you of it.

I fear I wrong the honourable men

Whose daggers have stabb'd Cæsar; 1 do fear it.

Fourth Oit. They were traitors: honourable men!

Citizens. The will! the testament!

Sec. Oit. 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.

150 Shall I descend? and will you give me leave?

155

Fourth Oit.
First Cit.

A ring; stand round.

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

Ant. If you have tears, prepare to shed them now. 160 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:
165 See what a rent the envious Casca made:
Through this the well-beloved Brutus stabb'd;
And as he pluck'd his cursed steel away,
Mark how the blood of Cæsar follow'd it,
As rushing out of doors, to be resolved
170 If Brutus so unkindly knock'd, or no:

For Brutus, as you know, was Cæsar's angel:
Judge, O you gods, how dearly Cæsar loved him!
This was the most unkindest cut of all;

For when the noble Cæsar saw him stab,
175 Ingratitude, more strong than traitors' arms,
Quite vanquish'd him: then burst his mighty heart;
And, in his mantle muffling up his face,
Even at the base of Pompey's statua,

Which all the while ran blood, great Cæsar fell.
180 O, what a fall was there, my countrymen!
Then I, and you, and all of us fell down,
Whilst bloody treason flourish'd over us.
O, now you weep, and I perceive you feel
The dint of pity: these are gracious drops.
185 Kind souls, what weep you when you but behold
Our Cæsar's vesture wounded? Look you here,
Here is himself, marr'd, as you see, with traitors.
First Cit. O piteous spectacle!

190

195

Sec. Cit. O noble Cæsar!

Third Cit. O woful day!
Fourth Cit. O traitors, villains!
First Cit. O most bloody sight!

Sec. Oit. We will be revenged.

All. Revenge! About! Seek! Burn! Fire! Kill! Slay! Let not a traitor live!
Ant. Stay, countrymen.

First Cit. Peace there! hear the noble Antony.

Sec. 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