The evil that men do lives after them; He was my friend, faithful and just to me: He hath brought many captives home to Rome, When that the poor have cried, Cæsar hath wept: I thrice presented him a kingly crown, Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition? I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke, Το wrong the dead, to wrong myself, and you, 4 CIT. We'll hear the will! read it, Mark Antony. CITIZENS. The will, the will! we will hear Cæsar's will! [read it: ANT. Have patience, gentle friends; I must not 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'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: 2 CIT. They were villains, murderers! the will! read the will! [will? ANT. You will compel me then, to read the 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? CITIZENS. Come down. 2 CIT. Descend. 3 CIT. You shall have leave. 4 CIT. A ring; stand round. [ANTONY descends. 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. CITIZENS. Stand back! room! bear back! ANT. If you have tears, prepare to shed them now. You all do know this mantle: I remember "T was on a summer's evening, in his tent, napkins-] Handkerchiefs. They are still so named in Scotland. Through this the well-beloved Brutus stabb'd; And, in his mantle muffling up his face, (*) Old text, statue. 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 not stir you up To such a sudden flood of mutiny. They that have done this deed are honourable ;-→ And will, no doubt, with reasons answer you. I am no orator, as Brutus is; But, as you know me all, a plain blunt man, That gave me public leave to speak of him. And bid them speak for me: but were I Brutus, 1 CIT. We'll burn the house of Brutus ! ANT. Yet hear me, countrymen; yet hear me speak. CITIZENS. Peace, ho! hear Antony, most noble Antony. ANT. Why, friends, you go to do you know not what: Wherein hath Cæsar thus deserv'd your loves? : CITIZENS. Most true;-the will!-let's stay and hear the will! ANT. Here is the will; and, under Cæsar's seal, To every Roman citizen he gives,― Το every several man,-seventy-five drachmas. 2 Cır. Most noble Cæsar!-we'll revenge his 2 CIT. Go fetch fire. 3 CIT. Pluck down benches. 4 CIT. Pluck down forms, windows, anything!(4) [Exeunt Citizens with the body. ANT. Now let it work!-Mischief, thou art afoot, Take thou what course thou wilt !— Enter a Servant. How now, fellow? SERV. Sir, Octavius is already come to Rome. ANT. Where is he? SERV. He and Lepidus are at Cæsar's house. ANT. And thither will I straight to visit him: He comes upon a wish. Fortune is merry, And in this mood will give us anything. SERV. I heard him say, Brutus and Cassius Are rid like madmen through the gates of Rome. ANT. Belike they had some notice of the people, How I had mov'd them. Bring me to Octavius. [Exeunt. inauspicious; and in North's Plutarch (Life of Brutus) we "I have no mind of feasting forth to-night: going? Where do I dwell? Am I a married man or a bachelor? Then, to answer every man directly and briefly, wisely and truly;-wisely, I say, I am a bachelor. 2 Crr. That's as much as to say, they are fools that marry:-you'll bear me a bang for that, I fear. Proceed; directly. CIN. Directly, I am going to Cæsar's funeral. 2 CIT. That matter is answered directly. -and turn him going.] So in "As You Like It," Act III. Sc. 1, poet. 4 CIT. Tear him for his bad verses, tear him for his bad verses! CIN. I am not Cinna the conspirator. 2 CIT. It is no matter, his name's Cinna; pluck but his name out of his heart, and turn him going." 3 CIT. Tear him, tear him! Come, brands, ho! firebrands! To Brutus', to Cassius'; burn all! Some to Decius' house, and some to Casca's; some to Ligarius'! away! go! [Exeunt. "Do this expediently, and turn him going." ANTONY, OCTAVIUS, and LEPIDUS, seated at a table. ANT. These many, then, shall die; their names are prick'd. OCT. Your brother too must die; consent you, Lepidus? LEP. I do consent, Ост. But, Lepidus, go you to Cæsar's house; [Exit LEPIDUS. ANT. This is a slight unmeritable man, Meet to be sent on errands: is it fit, a Who is your sister's son, Mark Antony.] This is, historically, an error. The individual meant, Lucius Cæsar, was the brother of Mark Antony's mother. Upton, therefore, concludes that Shakespeare wrote, The three-fold world divided, he should stand Ост. ANT. Octavius, I have seen more days than you: And though we lay these honours on this man, To ease ourselves of divers slanderous loads, He shall but bear them as the ass bears gold, To groan and sweat under the business, Either led or driven, as we point the way; And having brought our treasure where we will, Then take we down his load, and turn him off, Like to the empty ass, to shake his ears, And graze in commons. Ост. You may do your will; But he's a tried and valiant soldier. ANT. So is my horse, Octavius; and for that I do appoint him store of provender: It is a creature that I teach to fight, To wind, to stop, to run directly on, "You are his sister's son," &c. DI damn him.] I condemn him. So, quoted by Steevens, in "Promos and Cassandra," Part II., "Vouchsafe to give my dampned husband lyfe." |