Bru. Be patient till the last.

Romans, countrymen, and lovers! hear me for my cause; and be filent, that you may hear: believe me for mine honour; and have refpect to mine honour, that you may believe cenfure me in your wifdom; and awake your fenfes, that you may the better judge. If there be any in this affembly, any dear friend of Cæfar's, to him I fay, that Brutus' love to Cæfar was no less than his. If then that friend demand, why Brutus rofe against Cæfar, this is my answer :-Not that I loved Cæfar lefs, but that I loved Rome more. Had you rather Cæfar were living, and die all flaves; than that Cæfar were dead, to live all free men? As Cæfar lov'd 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 flew him: There are tears for his love; joy, for his fortune; honour, for his valour; and death, for his ambition. Who is here fo bafe, that would be a bond man? If any, fpeak; for him have I offended. Who is here fo rude, that would not be a Roman? If any, fpeak; for him have I offended. Who is here fo vile, that will not love his country? If any, fpeak; for him have I offended.-I pause for a reply.

All. None, Brutus, none.

Bru. Then none have I offended.-I have done no more to Cæsar, than you shall do to Brutus. The queftion 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 MARK ANTONY with CESAR's Body.

Here comes his body mourn'd by Mark Antony: who though he had no hand in his death, fhall receive the benefit of his dying, a place in the commonwealth; as which of you fhall not? With this I depart; that, as I flew my best lover for the good of Rome, I have the fame dagger for myself, when it shall please my country to need my death.

All. Live, Brutus, live! live!

1 Pleb. Bring him with triumph home unto his houfe. 2 Pleb. Give him a ftatue with his ancestors.

3 Pleb. Let him be Cæfar.

4 Pleb. Cæfar's better parts Shall be crowned in Brutus.

1 Pleb. We'll bring him to his house with shouts and

clamours.

Bru. My countrymen,

2 Pleb. Peace; filence! Brutus fpeaks.

1 Pleb. Peace, ho!

Bru. Good countrymen, let me depart alone,
And, for my fake, ftay here with Antony:

Do grace to Cæfar's corpfe, and grace his fpeech
Tending to Cæfar's glories; which Mark Antony
By our permiffion is allow'd to make.

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

I Pleb. Stay, ho! and let us hear Mark Antony. 3 Pleb. Let him go up into the public chair; We'll hear him :-Noble Antony, go up.

Ant. For Brutus' fake, I am beholden to you. 4 Pleb. What does he fay of Brutus ?

3 Pleb. He fays, for Brutus' fake,

He finds himself beholden to us all.

[Exit.

4 Pleb. 'Twere best he speak no harm of Brutus here. 1 Pleb. This Cæfar was a tyrant.

3 Pleb. Nay, that's certain.

We are bleft that Rome is rid of him.

2 Pleb. Peace; let us hear what Antony can say. Ant. You gentle Romans,

All. Peace, ho! let us hear him.

Ant. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;

I come to bury Cæfar, 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 Cæfar! The noble Brutus
Hath told you, Cæfar was ambitious:
If it were fo, it was a grievous fault;
And grievously hath Cæfar answer'd it.
Here, under leave of Brutus, and the reft
(For Brutus is an honourable man ;
So are they all, all honourable men)
Come I to fpeak in Cæfar's funeral.
He was my friend, faithful and juft to me :
But Brutus fays, he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.

He hath brought many captives home to Rome,
Whofe ranfoms did the general coffers fill:

Did this in Cæfar feem ambitious?

When that the poor have cry'd, Cæfar hath wept :
Ambition fhould be made of fterner stuff:
Yet Brutus fays he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.
You all did fee that, on the Lupercal,

I thrice prefented him a kingly crown,

Which he did thrice refufe: Was this ambition?
Yet Brutus fays he was ambitious;

And fure he is an honourable man.

I fpeak not to difprove what Brutus fpoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know.

You all did love him once, not without caufe ;
What cause with-holds you then to mourn for him ?—
O judgment, thou art fled to brutish beafts,
And men have loft their reafon !-Bear with me;
My heart is in the coffin there with Cæfar,
And I must paufe till it come back to me.

1 Pleb. Methinks, there is much reason in his sayings, If thou confider rightly of the matter,

Cæfar has had great wrong.

3 Pleb. Has he, masters?

I fear there will a worfe come in his place.

4 Pleb. Mark'd ye his words? He would not take the

crown;

Therefore, 'tis certain, he was not ambitious.

1 Pleb. If it be found fo, fome will dear abide it. 2 Pleb. Poor foul! his eyes are red as fire with weeping. 3 Pleb. There's not a nobler man in Rome, than Antony. 4 Pleb. Now mark him; he begins to speak.

Ant. But yesterday the word of Cæfar might
Have ftood against the world: now lies he there,
And none fo poor to do him reverence.

O mafters! if I were difpos'd to ftir
Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,
I should do Brutus wrong, and Caffius wrong,
Who, you all know, are honourable men :
I will do them no wrong; I rather choose
To wrong the dead, to wrong myself, and you,
Than I will wrong fuch honourable men.
But here's a parchment with the feal of Cæfar;
I found it in his clofet; 'tis his will:

Let but the commons hear this teftament
(Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read)
And they would go and kifs dead Cæfar's wounds,
VOL. VI. -X

And dip their napkins in his facred blood;
Yea, beg a hair of him for memory,
And, dying, mention it within their wills,
Bequeathing it, as a rich legacy,

Unto their iffue.

4 Pleb. We'll hear the will:-Read it, Mark Antony. All. The will, the will; we will hear Cæfar's will. Ant. Have patience, gentle friends; I must not read it: It is not meet you know how Cæfar lov'd you. You are not wood, you are not ftones, but men ; And, being men, hearing the will of Cæfar, It will inflame you, it will make you mad. 'Tis good you know not that you are his heirs ; For if you fhould, O, what would come of it!

4 Pleb. Read the will; we will hear it, Antony; You fhall read us the will; Cæfar's will.

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

I fear, I wrong the honourable men,

Whofe daggers have ftabb'd Cæfar: I do fear it. 4 Pleb. They were traitors: Honourable men! All. The will! the teftament !

2 Pleb. 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 corpfe of Cæfar, And let me fhew you him that made the will. Shall I defcend? And will you give me leave? All. Come down.

2 Pleb. Defcend.

[He comes down from the Pulpit.

3 Pleb. You fhall have leave.

4 Pleb. A ring ; ftand round.

1 Pleb. Stand from the hearfe; ftand from the body. 2 Pleb. Room for Antony ;-most noble Antony. Ant. Nay, prefs not fo upon me; stand far off. All. 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 Cæfar put it on ;

'Twas on a fummer's evening in his tent ;

That day he overcame the Nervii.

Look! in this place, ran Caffius' dagger through : See, what a rent the envious Cafca made : Through this, the well-beloved Brutus ftabb'd ;

And, as he pluck'd his curfed steel away,
Mark, how the blood of Cæfar follow'd it ;
As rushing out of doors, to be resolv'd,
If Brutus fo unkindly knock'd, or no;
For Brutus, as you know, was Cæfar's angel :
Judge, O you Gods, how dearly Cæfar lov'd him!
This was the most unkindeft cut of all:

For when the noble Cæfar saw him ftab,
Ingratitude, more ftrong than traitors' arms,
Quite vanquish'd him: then burft his mighty heart;
And, in his mantle muffling up his face,
Even at the base of Pompey's ftatue,

Which all the while ran blood, great Cæfar fell.(6)
O, what a fall was there, my countrymen !
Then I, and you, and all of us fell down,
Whilft bloody treafon flourish'd over us.
O now you weep, and I perceive, you feel
The dint of pity (7) these are gracious drops.
Kind fouls, what, weep you, when you but behold
Our Cæfar's vetture wounded? Look you here!
Here is himself, marr'd, as you fee, by traitore.
1 Pleb. O piteous fpectacle !

2 Pleb. O noble Cæfar!

3 Pleb. O woeful day!

4 Pleb. O traitors, villains!

I Pleb. O moft bloody fight!

2 Pleb. We will be reveng'd: Revenge: About,-Seek,-burn,-fire,-kill,-slay !-let not a traitor live. Ant. Stay, countrymen,

I Pleb. Peace there! Hear the noble Antony.

z Pleb. We'll hear him, we'll follow him, we'll die with him.

Ant. Good friends, fweet friends, let me not ftir you up To fuch a fudden flood of mutiny.

They, that have done this deed, are honourable;
What private griefs they have, alas, I know not,

(6) Perhaps Shakespeare meant that the very ftatue of Pompey lament ed the fate of Cæfar in tears of blood. Such poetical hyperboles are not uncommon. Pope, in his Floifa, talks of

"pitying faints, whofe ftatues learn to weep." Shakespeare has enumerated "dews of blood" among the prodigies on the preceding day, and, as I have fince discovered, took these very words from fir Thomas North's Tranflation of Plutarch: "againft the very base "whereon Pompey's image flood, which ran all a gore blood, till he was "flain." STEEV.

(7) The dint of pity-is the impression of pity. ib.