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,

When severally we hear them rendered.

ΙΟ

[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 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 20
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 Rome more.
Had you rather Cæsar were living, and die all
slaves, than that Cæsar were dead, to live all
freemen? 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 30
Ideath for his ambition. 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.

All. None, Brutus, none.

Bru. Then none have I offended. I have done no more to Cæsar than you shall do to Brutus. The 40 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.) anteces

Enter Antony and others, with Casar's body. Here comes his body, mourned by Mark Antony: who, though he had no 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 50 dagger for myself, when it shall please my country to need my death.

All. Live, Brutus! live, live!

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 Cit.

Cæsar's better parts

Shall be crown'd in Brutus.

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

clamours.

Bru. My countrymen,

Sec. Cit.

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

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.

60

[Exit.

70

[Goes into the pulpit.

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

He says, for Brutus' sake,

He finds himself beholding to us all. Fourth Cit. "Twere best he speak no harm of Brutus here. First Cit. This Cæsar was a tyrant.

Third Cit.

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,-

All.

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
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;

80

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.

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:

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?
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:

What cause withholds you then to mourn for him?

O judgement: thou art fled to brutish beasts,

90

100

And men have lost their reason. Bear with me; I10
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;

Therefore 'tis certain he was not ambitious.

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

119

Sec Cit. Poor soul! his eyes are red as fire with weeping. Third Cit. There's not a nobler man in Rome than

Antony.

Fourth 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.

O masters, if I were disposed to stir

Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,

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,
Come Than I will wrong such honourable men.

;

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
And dip their napkins in his sacred blood,

Yea, beg a hair of him for memory,

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

Unto their issue.

Fourth Cit. 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,

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