is

my caufe; and be filent, that you may hear: believe me for mine honour; and have respect to mine honour, that you may believe: cenfure me in your wifdom; and awake your fenfes, that you may the better judge. If there be any in this affembly, any dear friend of Cæfar's, to him I fay, that Brutus' love to Cæfar was no less than his. If then that friend demand, why Brutus rofe against Cæfar, this my anfwer,-Not that I lov'd Cæfar lefs, but that I lov'd Rome more. Had you rather Cæfar were living, and dye all flaves; than that Cæfar were dead, to live all free men? As Cæfar lov'd 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 flew him: There are tears, for his love; joy, for his fortune; honour, for his valour; and death, for his ambition. Who is here fo base, that would be a bond-man? If any, fpeak; for him have I offended. Who is here fo rude, that would not be a Roman? If any, fpeak; for him have I offended. Who is here fo vile, that will not love his country? If any, fpeak; for him have I offended. Į paufe for a reply.

All. None, Brutus, none.

Bru. Then none have I offended. I have done no more to Cæfar, than you fhall do to Brutus. The queftion of his death is enroll'd in the Capitol: his glory not extenuated, wherein he was worthy; nor his offences enforc'd, for which he fuffered death.

Enter Mark Antony, &c. with Cafar's body.

Here comes his body, mourn'd by Mark Antony: who, though he had no hand in his death, fhall receive the benefit of his dying, a place in the com

bar. The fpeech of Brutus may therefore be regarded rather as an imitation of the falfe eloquence then in vogue, than as a specimen of laconic brevity. STEEVENS.

monwealth

monwealth; As which of you fhall not? With this I depart; That, as I flew my best lover for the good of Rome, I have the fame dagger for myself, when it fhall please my country to need my death. All. Live, Brutus, live! live!

Pleb. Bring him with triumph home unto his house.

2 Pleb. Give him a ftatue with his ancestors.

3

Pleb. Let him be Cæfar.

4 Pleb, Cæfar's better parts

Shall be crowned in Brutus.

1 Pleb. We'll bring him to his house with fhouts and clamours.

Bru. My countrymen,—

2 Pleb. Peace; filence! Brutus fpeaks..
1 Pleb, Peace, ho!

Bru. Good countrymen, let me depart alone,
And, for my fake, stay here with Antony:

Do grace to Cæfar's corpfe, and grace his speech
Tending to Cæfar's glories; which Mark Antony
By our permiffion is allow'd to make.

I do intreat you, not a man depart,
Save I alone, 'till Antony have spoke.

[Exit.

1 Pleb. Stay, ho! and let us hear Mark Antony. 3 Pleb. Let him go up into the publick chair; We'll hear him :-Noble Antony, go up. Ant. For Brutus' fake, I am beholden to you. 4 Pleb. What does he fay of Brutus ?

3 Pleb. He fays, for Brutus' fake,

He finds himself beholden to us all.

9

4 Pleb. 'Twere beft he fpeak no harm of Brutus here.

1 Pleb, This Cæfar was a tyrant.

3 Pleb. Nay, that's certain;

-beholden to us all.] Throughout the old copies of Shakspeare, and many other ancient authors, beholden is corruptedly fpelt-beholding. STEEVENS.

We

We are bleft, that Rome is rid of him.

2 Pleb. Peace; let us hear what Antony can fay, · Ant. You gentle Romans,

All. Peace, ho! let us hear him.

Ant. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your

ears;

I come to bury Cæfar, 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 Cæfar! The noble Brutus
Hath told you, Cæfar was ambitious:
If it were fo, it was a grievous fault;
And grievously hath Cæfar anfwer'd it.
Here, under leave of Brutus, and the reft,
(For Brutus is an honourable man ;
So are they all, all honourable men)
Come I to speak in Cæfar's funeral.
He was my friend, faithful and just to me ;
But Brutus fays, he was ambitious ;
And Brutus is an honourable man.

He hath brought many captives home to Rome,
Whofe ranfoms did the general coffers fill:
Did this in Cæfar feem ambitious?

When that the poor have cry'd, Cæfar hath wept:
Ambition fhould be made of fterner ftuff:
Yet Brutus fays, he was ambitious;

And Brutus is an honourable man.

You all did fee, that, on the Lupercal,

I thrice prefented him a kingly crown,

Which he did thrice refufe Was this ambition? Yet Brutus fays, he was ambitious;

And, fure, he is an honourable man.

I fpeak not to difprove what Brutus fpoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know.
You all did love him once, not without cause ;
What caufe with-holds you then to mourn for him?→→→
O judgment, thou art fled to brutish beafts,
And men have loft their reafon !-Bear with me;

My

'My heart is in the coffin there with Cæfar, And I must paufe 'till it come back to me.

1 Pleb. Methinks, there is much reason in his fayings.

2 Pleb. If thou confider rightly of the matter, Cæfar has had great wrong.

3

Pleb. Has he, mafters?

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

4 Pleb. Mark'd ye his words? He would not take the crown;

Therefore, 'tis certain, he was not ambitious.

1 Pleb. If it be found fo, fome will dear abide it. 2 Pleb. Poor foul! his eyes are red as fire with

weeping.

3 Pleb. There's not a nobler man in Rome, than

4

Antony.

Pleb. Now mark him, he begins again to speak,

My heart is in the coffin there with Cafar,

And I must pauje 'till it come back to me.] Perhaps our author recollected the following paffage in Daniel's Cleopatra, 1593:

"As for my love, fay, Antony, hath all;

Say that my heart is gone into the grave

"With him, in whom it refts, and ever fhall."

MALONE.

Cæfar has had great wrong. 3 Pleb. Cafar had never wrong but with juft caufe.] If ever there was fuch a line written by Shakfpeare, I fhould fancy it might have its place here, and very humourously in the character of a plebeian. One might believe Ben Jonfon's remark was made upon no better credit than fome blunder of an actor in speaking that verfe near the beginning of the third act:

Know, Cafar doth not wrong; nor without cause
Will he be fatisfied-

But the verse, as cited by Ben Jonfon, does not connect with,
Will be be fatisfied. Perhaps this play was never printed in Ben
Jonfon's time, and fo he had nothing to judge by, but as the
actor pleased to speak it. POPE.

I have inferted this note, because it is Pope's, for it is other, wife of no value. It is ftrange that he fhould fo much forget the date of the copy before him, as to think it not printed in Jonfon's time. JOHNSON.

Ant,

Ant. But yesterday the word of Cæfar might
Have ftood against the world: now lies he there,
And none fo poor to do him reverence.
O masters! if I were difpos'd to ftir

Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,
I fhould do Brutus wrong, and Caffius 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,
Than I will wrong fuch honourable men.
But here's a parchment, with the feal of Cæfar,
I found it in his clofet, 'tis his will:
Let but the commons hear this teftament,
(Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read)
And they would go and kifs dead Cæfar's wounds,
And dip their napkins 4 in his facred blood;
Yea, beg a hair of him for memory,

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

Unto their iffue.

4 Pleb. We'll hear the will: Read it, Mark An

tony.

All. The will, the will; we will hear Cæfar's will, Ant. Have patience, gentle friends, I must not

read it;

It is not meet you know how Cæfar lov'd you.
You are not wood, you are not stones, but men ;
And, being men, hearing the will of Cæfar,
It will inflame you, it will make you mad :
'Tis good you know not that you are his heirs ;
For if you fhould, O, what would come of it!

4 Pleb. Read the will; we will hear it, Antony; You fhall read us the will; Cæfar's will.

3 And none fo poor. do reverence to Cæfar.

-] The meaneft man is now too high to JOHNSON.

their napkins.] i. e. their handkerchiefs. See Vol. III.

P. 384. STEEVENS.

Ant.