1. Cit. O piteous spectacle !
2. Cit. O noble Cæfar!
3. Cit. O woeful day!

4. Cit. O traitors, villains!

i. Cit. O most bloody fight!

2. Cit. We will be reveng'd: revenge; about,-feek, —burn,—fire,—kill,-flay!-let not a traitor live. 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, fweet friends, let me not ftir you up To fuch a fudden flood of mutiny.

They, that have done this deed, are honourable;

What private griefs they have, alas, I know not,

That made them do it; they are wife, and honourable, And will, no doubt, with reafons anfwer you.

I come not, friends, to fteal away your hearts;

I am no orator, as Brutus is:

But, as you know me all, a plain blunt man,
That love my friend; and that they know full well
That gave me publick leave to fpeak of him.
For I have neither writ, nor words, nor worth,
Action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech,
To ftir men's blood: I only speak right on;
I tell you that, which you yourfelves do know;
Shew you fweet Cæfar's wounds, poor, poor dumb mouths!
And bid them fpeak for me: But were I Brutus,
And Brutus Antony, there were an Antony
Would ruffle up your fpirits, and put a tongue
In every wound of Cæfar, that should move

5 For I have neither writ,-] I have no penned and premeditated oration. JOHNSON.

So, in K. Henry VI. P. II.

"Now, my good lord, let's fee the devil's writ.

i. e. writing. Again, in Hamlet: “ — the law of writ and the liberty."The editor of the fecond folio, who altered whatever he did not understand, fubftituted wit for writ. Wit in our authour's time had not its prefent fignification, but meant understanding. Would Shakspeare make Antony declare himself void of common intelligence? MALONE.

The

The ftones of Rome to rife and mutiny.

3. Cit. We'll mutiny.

1. Cit. We'll burn the houfe of Brutus.

3. Cit. Away then, come, feek the confpirators. Ant. Yet hear me, countrymen; yet hear me speak. Cit. Peace, ho! Hear Antony, most noble Antony. Ant. Why friends, you go to do you know not what : Wherein hath Cæfar thus deferv'd your loves?

Alas, you know not:-I must tell you

You have forgot the will I told you of.

then :

Cit. Molt true;-the will ;-let's stay, and hear the will. Ant. Here is the will, and under Cæfar's feal.

To every Roman citizen he gives,

To every several man, feventy five drachmas.

2. Cit. Moft noble Cæfar!-We'll revenge his death. 3. Cit. O royal Cæfar!

Ant. Hear me with patience.

Cit. Peace, ho!

Ant. Moreover, he hath left you all his walks,
His private arbours, and new-planted orchards,
On this fide Tiber; he hath left them you,
And to your heirs for ever; common pleasures,
To walk abroad, and recreate yourselves.
Here was a Cæfar: When comes fuch another?

6-feventy five drachmas.] A drachma was a Greek coin, the fame as the Roman denier, of the value of four fefterces, 7d. ob. STEEV.

7 On this fide Tiber;] The fcene is here in the Forum near the Capitol, and in the most frequented part of the city; but Cæfar's gardens were very remote from that quarter:

Trans Tiberim longe cubat is, prope Cæfaris hortos, fays Horace and both the Naumachia and gardens of Cæfar were feparated from the main city by the river and lay out wide, on a line with Mount Janiculum. Our author therefore certainly wrote,

On that fide Tyber ;

and Plutarch, whom Shakspeare very diligently ftudied, in the Life of Marcus Brutus, speaking of Cæfar's will, exprefsly fays, That he left to the publick his gardens, and walks, beyond the Tiber. THEOBALD.

This emendation has been adopted by the subsequent editors; but hear the old tranflation, where Shakspeare's ftudy lay. He bequeathed unto every citizen of Rome feventy five drachmas a man, and he left his gardens and arbours unto the people, which he had on this fide of the river Tiber," FARMER.

1. Cit.

1. Cit. Never, never :-Come, away, away: We'll burn his body in the holy place,

And with the brands fire the traitors' houses 8.
Take up the body.

2. Cit. Go, fetch fire.

3. Cit. Pluck down benches.

4. Cit. Pluck down forms, windows, any thing.

[Exeunt Citizens, with the body.

Ant. Now let it work: Mischief, thou art afoot, Take thou what course thou wilt !-How now, fellow? Enter a Servant.

Serv. Sir, Octavius is already come to Rome.
Ant. Where is he?

Serv. He and Lepidus are at Cæfar's house.
Ant. And thither will I ftraight to visit him:
He comes upon a with. Fortune is merry,
And in this mood will give us any thing,

Serv. I heard him fay, Brutus and Caffius
Are rid like madmen through the gates of Rome.
Ant. Belike, they had fome notice of the people,
How I had mov'd them. Bring me to Octavius. [Exeunt.

SCENE III. 9

The fame. A Street.

Enter CINNA the Poet.

Cin. I dreamt to-night, that I did feaft with Cæfar, And things unluckily charge my fantasy:

I have no will to wander forth of doors,

Yet fomething leads me forth.

8-fire the traitors' boufes.] Thus the old copy. The more modern editors read-fire all the traitors' houfes; but fire was then pronounced, as it was fometimes written, fier. So, in Humors Ordinary, a collection of Epigrams:

"Oh rare compound, a dying horse to choke,

"Of English fier and of Indian fmoke!" STEEVENS. Scene III.] The subject of this scene is taken from Plutarch.

STILVENS

Enter

Enter Citizens.

1. Cit. What is your name?

2. Cit. Whither are you going?

3. Cit. Where do you

dwell?

4. Cit. Are you a married man, or a bachelor? 2. Cit. Answer every man directly.

1. Cit. Ay, and briefly.

4. Cit. Ay, and wifely.

3. Cit. Ay, and truly, you were best.

Cin. What is my name? Whither am I going? Where do I dwell? Am I a married man, or a bachelor? Then to answer every man directly, and briefly, wifely, and truly. Wifely I fay, I am a bachelor.

2. Cit. That's as much as to fay, they are fools that marry-You'll bear me a bang for that, I fear. Proceed; directly.

Cin. Directly, I am going to Cæfar's funeral.

1. Cit. As a friend, or an enemy?

Cin. As a friend.

2. Cit. That matter is anfwer'd directly.

4. Cit. For your dwelling,-briefly.

Cin. Briefly, I dwell by the Capitol. 3. Cit. Your name, fir, truly,

Cin. Truly, my name is Cinna.

1. Cit. Tear him to pieces, he's a confpirator.

Cin. I am Cinna the poet, I am Cinna the poet.

4. Cit. Tear him for his bad verfes, tear him for his bad verses.

Cin. I am not Cinna the confpirator.

4. 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 Caffius'; burn all. Some to Decius' houfe, and fome to Cafca's; fome to Ligarius': away; go.

[Exeunt.

ACT

The fame. A Room in Antony's boufe'.

ANTONY, OCTAVIUS, and LEPIDUS, feated at a table. Ant. These many then fhall die; their names are prick'd.

Oa. Your brother too muft die; Confent you, Lepidus?
Lep. I do confent.

Oa. Prick him down, Antony.

Lep. Upon condition Publius fhall not live", Who is your fifter's fon, Mark Antony.

A room in Antony's boufe.] Mr. Theobald obferves, from Plutarch and Appian, that the triumvirs met to adjust their profcription in a little inland near Mutina, on the river Lavinius. But it is manifeft that Shakspeare intended the fcene to be at Rome, and therefore I have placed it in Antony's houfe. MALONE.

So, in the old tranflation of Plutarch: "Thereuppon all three met together (to wete, Cæfar, Antonius, & Lepidus) in an iland enuyroned round about with a little riuer, & there remayned three dayes together. Now as touching all other matters, they were eafily agreed, & did deuide all the empire of Rome betwene them, as if it had bene their owne inheritance. But yet they could hardly agree whom they would put to death: for euery one of them would kill their enemies, and faue their kinsmen and friends. Yet at length, giving place to their greedy defire to be reuenged of their enemies, they fpurned all reuerence of blood and holines of friend fhip at their feete. For Cæfar left Cicero to Antonius' will, Antonius alfo forfooke Lucius Cæfar, who was his vncle by his mother: and both of them together fuffred Lepidus to kill his own brother Paulus." That Shakspeare, however, meant the fcene to be at Rome, may be inferred from what almost immediately follows:

"Lep. What, fhall I find you here?

❝08. Or here, or at the Capitol." STEEVENS.

2 Upon condition, Publius shall not live.] Mr. Upton has fufficiently proved that the poet made a mistake as to this character mentioned by Lepidus. Lucius, not Publius, was the perfon meant, who was uncle by the mother's fide to Mark Antony: and in confequence of this, he concludes, that Shakspeare wrote:

You are bis fifter's fon, Mark Anteny.

The mistake, however, is more like the mistake of the author, than of his tranfcriber or printer. STEEVENS,

Ant.