With carrion men, groaning for burial,

Enter a Servant,

You ferve Octavius Cæfar, 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 bid me fay to you by word of mouth,

0 Cæfar!

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

eyes,

Seeing thofe 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, stay 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
Το young Octavius of the state of things.
Lend me your hand. [Exeunt, with CESAR's body.

SCENE II. The Forum.

Enter BRUTUS, and CASSIUS, with the Plebeians.

Pleb. We will be fatisfied; let us be fatisfied. Bru. Then follow me, and give me audience, friends.

Caffius, go you into the other street,

E

And

And part the numbers.—

Thofe that will hear me speak, let them stay here;
Thofe that will follow Caffius, go with him;
And public reafons fhall be rendered

Of Cæfar's death.

1 Pleb. I will hear Brutus fpeak.

2 Pleb. I will hear Caffius; and compare their reaWhen feverally we hear them rendered.

[fons, [Exit CASSIUS, with fome of the Plebeians. BRUTUS goes into the Roftrum.

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

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 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 is my anfwer,-Not that I lov'd Cæfar lefs, but that I lov'd Rome more. Had you rather Cæfar were living, and die 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: bat 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 bafe, that would be a bond-man? If any, fpeak; for him 1 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?

1

country? If any, fpeak; for him have I offended. (I 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 suffered death.

Enter MARK ANTONY, &c. with CAESAR'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 beft 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!

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. Cæfar's better parts

Shall be crowned in Brutus.

1 Pleb. We'll bring him to his house with shouts 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, ftay here with Antony:

Do grace to Cæfar's corpfe, and grace his fpeech Tending to Cæfar's glories: which Mark Antony By our permiffion is allowed to make.

I do entreat you, not a man depart,

E 2

Save

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 public 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 Pleb. 'Twere beft he fpeak no harm of Brutus here. i Pleb. This Cæfar 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.

[ears;

Ant. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your
I come to bury Cæfar, not to praife 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 grievoufly hath Cæfar anfwer'd it.
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 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 filt:
Did this in Cæfar feem ambitious?

When that the poor have cry'd, Cæfar hath wept:

Ambition

Ambition fhould be made of sterner 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 refufe.

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 hearts,
And men have loft their reafon !-Bear with me;
My heart is in the coffin there with Cæfar,
And I must paufe 'till it come back to me.

Pleb. Methinks, there is much reafon in his fayings. 2 Pleb. If thou confider rightly of the matter, Cæfar has had great wrong.

3 Pleb. Has he, masters?

I fear there will a worfe come in his place.

4

Plet. Mark'd ye

the crown;

his words? He would not take

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

3

weeping.

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

4 Pleb. Now mark him, he begins again to fpeak. 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 mafters! if I were difpos'd to ftir
E 3

Your