SCENE III.-ROME. A Street near the Capitol.

Enter ARTEMIDORUS reading a paper.

Art. Cæsar, beware of Brutus; take heed of Cassius; come not near Casca; have an eye to Cinna; trust not Trebonius; mark well Metellus Cimber; Decius Brutus loves thee not; thou hast wronged Caius Ligarius. There is but one mind in all these men, and it is bent against Cæsar. If thou beest not immortal, look about you: security gives way to conspiracy. The mighty gods defend thee! Thy lover,

Here will I stand till Cæsar pass along,
And as a suitor will I give him this.
My heart laments that virtue cannot live
Out of the teeth of emulation.

If thou read this, O Cæsar, thou mayst live;

If not, the fates with traitors do contrive.

ARTEMIDORUS.

[Exit.

SCENE IV.-ROME. Another part of the same Street, before the House of BRUTUS.

Enter PORTIA and LUCIUS.

Por. I pr'ythee, boy, run to the senate-house;

Stay not to answer me, but get thee gone:

Why dost thou stay?

Luc.
To know my errand, madam.
Por. I would have had thee there and here again
Ere I can tell thee what thou shouldst do there.-

O constancy, be strong upon my side!

Set a huge mountain 'tween my heart and tongue!
I have a man's mind, but a woman's might

How hard it is for women to keep counsel !—
Art thou here yet?

Luc.

Madam, what should I do?

Run to the Capitol, and nothing else?

And so return to you, and nothing else?

Por. Yes, bring me word, boy, if thy lord look well,

For he went sickly forth: and take good note

What Cæsar doth, what suitors press to him.

Hark, boy! what noise is that?

Luc. I hear none, madam.

Por.

Pr'ythee, listen well:

I heard a bustling rumour, like a fray,
And the wind brings it from the Capitol.

About the ninth hour, lady.

Por. Is Cæsar yet gone to the Capitol?

Art. Madam, not yet: I go to take my stand,

To see him pass on to the Capitol.

Por. Thou hast some suit to Cæsar, hast thou not?
Art. That I have, lady: if it will please Cæsar

To be so good to Cæsar as to hear me,

I shall beseech him to befriend himself.

[him?

Por. Why, know'st thou any harm's intended towards
Art. None that I know will be, much that I fear may
Good-morrow to you. Here the street is narrow: [chance.
The throng that follows Cæsar at the heels
Of senators, of prætors, common suitors,
Will crowd a feeble man almost to death:
I'll get me to a place more void, and there
Speak to great Cæsar as he comes along.

Por. I must go in.-Ah me, how weak a thing
The heart of woman is! O Brutus,
The heavens speed thee in thine enterprise!-
Sure the boy heard me.-Brutus hath a suit
That Cæsar will not grant.-O, I grow faint.-
Run, Lucius, and commend me to my lord;
Say I am merry: come to me again,

And bring me word what he doth say to thee.

[Exit.

[Exeunt severally.

ACT III.

SCENE I.-ROME. The Capitol; the Senate sitting.

A crowd of People in the street leading to the Capitol;
among them ARTEMIDORUS and the Soothsayer. Flourish.
Enter CASAR, BRUTUS, CASSIUS, CASCA, DECIUS, ME-
TELLUS, TREBONIUS, CINNA, ANTONY, LEPIDUS, PO-
PILIUS, PUBLIUS, and others.

Cas. The ides of March are come.
Sooth. Ay, Cæsar; but not gone.

Art. Hail, Cæsar! Read this schedule.
Dec. Trebonius doth desire you to o'er-read,
At your best leisure, this his humble suit.

Art. O Cæsar, read mine first; for mine's a suit
That touches Cæsar nearer: read it, great Cæsar.
Caes. What touches us ourself shall be last serv'd.
Art. Delay not, Cæsar; read it instantly.
Cas. What, is the fellow mad?
Pub.

Sirrah, give place.

Cas. What, urge you your petitions in the street? Come to the Capitol.

CÆSAR enters the Capitol, the rest following. All the
Senators rise.

Pop. I wish your enterprise to-day may thrive.

Cas. What enterprise, Popilius?

Pop.

Fare you well.

[Advances to CÆSAR.

Bru. What said Popilius Lena?
Cas. He wish'd to-day our enterprise might thrive.
I fear our purpose is discovered.

Bru. Look how he makes to Cæsar: mark him.
Cas. Casca, be sudden, for we fear prevention.---
Brutus, what shall be done? If this be known,
Cassius or Cæsar never shall turn back,

For I will slay myself.

Bru.

Cassius, be constant:

Popilius Lena speaks not of our purposes;

For, look, he smiles, and Cæsar doth not change.

Cas. Trebonius knows his time; for, look you, Brutus, He draws Mark Antony out of the way.

[Exeunt ANT. and TREB.

take their seats.

CÆSAR and the Senators

Dec. Where is Metellus Cimber? Let him go,

And presently prefer his suit to Cæsar.

Bru. He is address'd: press near and second him.
Cin. Casca, you are the first that rears your hand.
Casca. Are we all ready?

Cæs. What is now amiss

That Cæsar and his senate must redress?

Met. Most high, most mighty, and most puissant Cæsar, Metellus Cimber throws before thy seat

An humble heart,

Cæs.

I must prevent thee, Cimber.
These couchings and these lowly courtesies
Might fire the blood of ordinary men,

[Kneeling.

And turn pre-ordinance and first decree
Into the law of children. Be not fond
To think that Cæsar bears such rebel blood

That will be thaw'd from the true quality

With that which melteth fools; I mean, sweet words,
Low crooked curt'sies, and base spaniel fawning.
Thy brother by decree is banished:

If thou dost bend, and pray, and fawn for him,
I spurn thee like a cur out of my way.

Know, Cæsar doth not wrong; nor without cause
Will he be satisfied.

Met. Is there no voice more worthy than my own,
To sound more sweetly in great Cæsar's ear
For the repealing of my banish'd brother?

Bru. I kiss thy hand, but not in flattery, Cæsar,
Desiring thee that Publius Cimber may
Have an immediate freedom of repeal,

Cæs. What, Brutus!

Cas.

Pardon, Cæsar; Cæsar, pardon:

As low as to thy foot doth Cassius fall,

To beg enfranchisement for Publius Cimber.
Cæs. I could be well mov'd if I were as you;
If I could pray to move, prayers would move me:
But I am constant as the northern star,
Of whose true-fix'd and resting quality

There is no fellow in the firmament.

The skies are painted with unnumber'd sparks,-
They are all fire, and every one doth shine;
But there's but one in all doth hold his place:
So in the world,—'tis furnish'd well with men,
And men are flesh and blood, and apprehensive;
Yet in the number I do know but one
That unassailable holds on his rank,
Unshak'd of motion: and that I am he,
Let me a little show it even in this,—

That I was constant Cimber should be banish'd,
And constant do remain to keep him so.

Cin. O Cæsar,

C'œs.

Hence! wilt thou lift up Olympus?

Dec. Great Cæsar,-
Cæs.

Doth not Brutus bootless kneel?

Casca. Speak, hands, for me!

[CASCA stabs CESAR in the neck. CESAR catches hold of his arm. He is then stabbed by several other Conspirators, and at last by MARCUS BRUTUS.

Cæs. Et tu, Brute?—Then fall, Cæsar!

[Dies. The Senators and People retire in confusion. Cin. Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead!

Run hence, proclaim, cry it about the streets.
Cas. Some to the common pulpits, and cry out,
Liberty, freedom, and enfranchisement!

Bru. People and senators! be not affrighted;
Fly not; stand still: ambition's debt is paid.
Casca. Go to the pulpit, Brutus.

Dec.

Bru. Where's Publius?

And Cassius too.

Cin. Here, quite confounded with this mutiny.
Met. Stand fast together, lest some friend of Cæsar's
Should chance,-

Bru. Talk not of standing.-Publius, good cheer;
There is no harm intended to your person,
Nor to no Roman else: so tell them, Publius.

Cas. And leave us, Publius; lest that the people,
Rushing on us, should do your age some mischief.
Bru. Do so: and let no man abide this deed,
But we the doers.

Re-enter TREBONIUS.

Cas. Where is Antony?

Tre.
Fled to his house amaz'd:
Men, wives, and children stare, cry out, and run,
As it were doomsday.

Bru. Fates, we will know your pleasures That we shall die, we know; 'tis but the time, And drawing days out, that men stand upon.

Cas. Why, he that cuts off twenty years of life
Cuts off so many years of fearing death.

Bru. Grant that, and then is death a benefit:
So are we Cæsar's friends, that have abridg'd
His time of fearing death.-Stoop, Romans, stoop,
And let us bathe our hands in Caesar's blood
Up to the elbows, and besmear our swords:
Then walk we forth even to the market-place,
And, waving our red weapons o'er our heads,
Let's all cry, Peace, freedom, and liberty!

Cas. Stoop then, and wash.-How many ages hence
Shall this our lofty scene be acted over,

In states unborn and accents yet unknown!

Bru. How many times shall Cæsar bleed in sport, That now on Pompey's basis lies along

No worthier than the dust!