60 Save I alone, till Antony have spoke.

[Exit.

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.

[Goes into the pulpit.

65 Fourth Cit. What does he say of Brutus?

70

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;
75 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.
80 Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest, -
For Brutus is an honourable man;

So are they all, all honourable men,
Come I to speak in Cæsar's funeral.

He was my friend, faithful and just to me: 85 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?

90 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
95 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, 100 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 judgment thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason. Bear with me;
105 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?

110 I fear there will a worse come in his place.

115

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.
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.

120 O masters, if I were dispos'd 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
125 To wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you,
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 130 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, 135 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; 140 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; 145 For if you should, O, what would come of it?

Fourth 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 awhile? I have o'ershot myself to tell you of it:

150 I fear I wrong the honourable men

155

Whose daggers have stabb'd Cæsar; I do fear it.

Fourth Cit. They were traitors. Honourable men!
All. The will! the testament!

Sec. Cit. 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 corpse of Cæsar,

And let me show you him that made the will.

Shall I descend? and will you give me leave?

All. Come down.

160 Sec. Cit. Descend.

165

[He comes down from the pulpit.

Third Cit. You shall have leave.

Fourth Cit. A ring; stand round.

First Cit. Stand from the hearse, stand from the body.
Sec. Cit. Room for Antony, most noble Antony !

Ant. Nay, press not so 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 Cæsar put it on ;

170 'Twas on a summer's evening, in his tent,
That day he overcame the Nervii.

Look, in this place ran Cassius' dagger through:
See what a rent the envious Casca made:
Through this the well-beloved Brutus stabb'd;
175 And as he pluck'd his cursed steel away,
Mark how the blood of Cæsar follow'd it,
As rushing out of doors, to be resolv'd
If Brutus so unkindly knock'd, or no:

For Brutus, as you know, was Cæsar's angel:
180 Judge, O you gods, how dearly Cæsar lov'd him!

This was the most unkindest cut of all;

For when the noble Cæsar saw him stab,

Ingratitude, more strong than traitors' arms, Quite vanquish'd him: then burst his mighty heart; 185 And, in his mantle muffling up his face,

Even at the base of Pompey's statuë,

Which all the while ran blood, great Cæsar fell.
O, what a fall was there, my countrymen!
Then I, and you, and all of us fell down,
190 Whilst bloody treason flourish'd over us.
O, now you weep, and I perceive you feel
The dint of pity: these are gracious drops.