He fiuds himself beholden to us all. 4 CIT. Twere best he speak no harm of Brutus here. 1 CIT. Nay, that's certain: 3 CIT. We are bless'd that Rome is rid of him. 2 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. And Brutus is an honourable man. He hath brought many captives home to Rome, When that the poor have cried, Cæsar hath wept: Yet Brutus says, he was ambitious; 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, rendered irregular, by the interpo- | price paid for redemption from caplated and needless words He tivity. 1) To answer, to be accountable for; to satisfy any claim. 3) i. e. the public treasury. 4) Stern, severe of countenance or 2) Ransom, the French rançon, the manners, harsh. But here I am to speak what I do know. You all did love him once, not without cause; 1 CIT. Methinks there is much reason in his sayings. 2 CIT. If thou consider rightly of the matter, Cæsar has had great wrongs. 3 CIT. Has he, masters? I fear, there will a worse come in his place. 4 CIT. Mark'd ye his words? He would not take the crown; Therefore, 'tis certain, he was not ambitious. 1 CIT. If it be found so, some will dear abide it. 2 2 CIT. Poor soul! his eyes are red as fire with weeping. 3 CIT. There's not a nobler man in Rome, than Antony. 4 CIT. 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.3 O masters! if I were dispos'd to stir Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage, Let but the commons1 hear this testament, 1) Compare Dido's speech in the second book of the Aeneid, v. 28 et seq.: amores llle meos 2) i. e. some will pay dearly for it. high to do reverence to Cæsar. Johnson. 4) The commons, the commonalty, the common or vulgar people. 5) Napkin is the northern term for handkerchief, and is used in this sense at this day in Scotland. Our author frequently uses the word. Malone. Yea, beg a hair of him for memory, Unto their issue. 1 4 CIT. We'll hear the will: Read it, Mark Antony. CIT. 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 lov'd 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! 4 CIT. Read the will; we will 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: I do fear it. 4 CIT. They were traitors: Honourable men! CIT. The will! the testament! 2 CIT. They were villains, murderers: The will! read the will! ANT. You will compel me then to read the will? 2 CIT. Descend. [He comes down from the Pulpit. 3 CIT. You shall have leave. 4 CIT. A ring; stand round. 1 CIT. Stand from the hearse, stand from the body. 2 CIT. Room for Antony; most noble Antony. ANT. Nay, press not so upon me; stand far off. CIT. Stand back! room! bear back! ANT. If you have tears, prepare to shed them now. 1) To bequeath, to leave by will to another. Issue, children, descendants, legitimate offspring and heirs. 2) Meet, fit, proper; now rarely cal pronoun, to venture too far, to act precipitately or hastily. 4) i. e. stand far off, keep at a distance from the bier. Hearse, pron. herse, a carriage in which the 3) To overshoot, with the recipro- | dead are conveyed to the grave. used. You all do know this mantle: I remember Look! in this place, ran Cassius' dagger through: For Brutus, as you know, was Cæsar's angel; 2 For when the noble Cæsar saw him stab, 4 Which all the while ran blood,5 great Cæsar fell. Kind souls, what, weep you, when you but behold 8 1 Here is himself, marr'd, as you see, with traitors. 1 CIT. O piteous spectacle! 2 CIT. O noble Cæsar! 3 CIT. O woful day! 4 CIT. O traitors, villains! 2 CIT. We will be revenged! revenge; about, seek, burn, fire, kill, slay! let not a traitor live. ANT. Stay, countrymen. 1 CIT. Peace there: Hear the noble Antony. --- 2 CIT. We'll hear him, we'll follow him, we'll die with him. ANT. Good friends, sweet friends, let me nor stir you up To such a sudden flood of mutiny. They, that have done this deed, are honourable; I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts; But, as you know me all, a plain blunt man, 5 I tell you that, which you yourselves do know; 1) Tomar, to injure or spoil. Sometimes, says Steevens, it signifies to deface, and sometimes to destroy. Ancient alliteration always produces mar as the opposite of make. 2) i. e. personal grievances. 3) Blunt, properly, dull on the edge or point, thence, dull in understanding; here, rough, not elegant, homely. 4) Quite well, see p. 37, 6). 5) The first folio (and, I believe, through a mistake of the press) has wit. writ, which in the second folio was properly changed into Johnson, however, supposes that by writ was meant a,,penned and premeditated oration." But the artful speaker, on this sudden call for his exertions, was surely designed, with self as one who had neither wit (i. e. affected modesty, to represent himstrength of understanding), persuasive language, weight of character, graceful action, harmony of voice, etc. (the usual requisites of an orator) to influence the minds of the people. Steevens. |