Imatges de pàgina
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Elfe shall you not have any hand at all
About his funeral. And you shall speak
In the fame pulpit whereto I am going,
After my fpeech is ended.

Ant. Be it fo;

I do defire no more.

Bru. Prepare the body then, and follow us.

Manet Antony.

[Exeunt Confpirators.

Ant. O pardon me thou bleeding piece of earth! That I am meek and gentle with these butchers. Thou art the ruins of the nobleft man,

That ever lived in the tide of times.

Woe to the hand, that shed this coftly blood!
Over thy wounds now do I prophesy,

(Which, like dumb mouths, do ope their ruby libs,
To beg the voice and utterance of my tongue)
A curfe fhall light upon the limbs of men;
Domeftick fury, and fierce civil ftrife,

Shall cumber all the parts of Italy;

Blood and deftruction shall be so in use,
And dreadful objects fo familiar,

That mothers fhall but smile, when they behold
Their infants quarter'd by the hands of war:
All pity choak'd with custom of fell deeds;
And Cafar's fpirit, ranging for revenge,
With Até by his fide come hot from hell,
Shall in thefe confines, with a monarch's voice,
Cry havock, and let flip the dogs of war;
That this foul deed fhall fmell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial.

Enter Octavius's Servant.

You ferve Octavius Cefar, do you not?
Serv. I do, Mark Antony.

Ant. Cæfar did write for him to come to Rome.
Serv. He did receive his letters, and is coming;

And

And bid me fay to you by word of mouth

O Cæfar!

[Seeing the Body. Ant. Thy heart is big, get thee apart and weep; Paffion I fee is catching; for mine eyes,

Seeing those beads of forrow stand in thine,
Began to water. Is thy mafter coming?

Serv. He lies to-night within feven leagues of Rome. Ant. Poft back with speed, and tell him what hath chanc'd.

Here is a mourning Rome, a dangerous Rome,

No Rome of fafety for Octavius yet;

Hie hence, and tell him fo. Yet ftay a while;
Thou shalt not back, 'till I have borne this corfe
Into the market-place: there fhall I try
In my Oration, how the people take
The cruel iffue of these bloody men;
According to the which, thou fhalt difcourfe
To young Octavius of the ftate of things.
Lend me your hand.

[Exeunt with Cæfar's body.

SCENE changes to the Forum.

Enter Brutus, and mounts the Roftra; Caffius, with the

Plebeians.

E will be fatisfied; let us be fatisfied.

Pleb. WE

Bru. Then follow me, and give me audi

ence, friends.

Caffius, go you into the other ftreet,

And part the numbers:

Thofe that will hear me speak, let 'em stay here;
Thofe, that will follow Caffius, go with him;

And publick reasons shall be rendered

Of Cefar's death.

1 Pleb. I will hear Brutus fpeak.

Pleb. I will hear Caffius, and compare their reasons,

When fev'rally we hear them rendered.

[Exit Caffius, with fome of the Plebeians.

3 Pleb. The noble Brutus is afcended: filence! Bru. Be patient 'till the laft.

Romans,

Romans, countrymen, and lovers! hear me for 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 Gafar's, to him I fay, that Brutus's love to Cafar was no less than his. If then that friend demand, why Brutus rofe against Cafar, this is my anfwer: Not that I lov'd Cfar lefs, but that I lov'd Rome more. Had you rather Cefar 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's 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 to vile, that will not love his country? if any, speak; for him have I offended-I pause for a reply

All. None, Brutus, none.

I have done

Bru. Then none have I offended. no more to Cæfar, than you fhall do to Brutus. The question of his death is inroll'd in the capitol; his glory not extenuated, wherein he was worthy; nor his offences enforc'd, for which he suffered death.

Enter Mark Antony with Cæfar'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 commonwealth; 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 myfelf, when it fhall please my country to `need my death.

All. Live, Brutus, live! live!
VOL. VII.

C

I Plebe

1 Pleb. Bring him with triumph home unto his houfe. 2 Pleb. Give him a ftatue with his ancestors.

3

Pleb. Let him be Cæfar.

4 Pleb. Cafar's better parts

Shall be crown'd in Brutus.

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

Bru. My countrymen

2 Pleb. Peace! filence! Brutus fpeaks. I Pleb. Peace, ho!

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

Do grace to Cafar's corps, and grace his fpeech
Tending to Cafar'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.

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.

4

[Exit.

Pleb. 'Twere beft he speak no harm of Brutus here. i Pleb. This Caefar was a tyrant.

3 Pleb. Nay, that's certain;

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 Cafar! noble Brutus Hath told you, Cæfar was ambitious ; If it were fo, it was a grievous fault; And grievously hath Cefar anfwer'd it. Here, under leave of Brutus, and the rest,

(For

(For Brutus is an honourable man,
So are they all, all honourable men)
Come I to speak in Cafar's funeral.
He was my friend, faithful and juft to me;
But Brutus fays, he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.

He hath brought many captives home to Rome,
Whose ranfoms did the general coffers fill;
Did this in Cafar feem ambitious?

When that the poor have cry'd, Cafar hath wept;
Ambition should be made of fterner stuff.

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 refuse. Was this ambition ?
Yet Brutus fays, he was ambitious;

And, fure, he is an honourable man.

I fpeak not, to difprove what Brutus spoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know.

You all did love him once, not without cause:
What cause with-holds you then to mourn for him?
O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beafts,
And men have loft their reason-bear with me,
My heart is in the coffin there with Cafar,
And I must paufe 'till it come back to me.

1 Pleb. Methinks, there is much reason in his sayings, 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 Antony, 4 Pleb. Now, mark him, he begins to speak. Ant. But yesterday the word of Cæfar might

C 2

Have

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