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3 Pleb. He fays, for Brutus' fake

He finds himself beholden to us all.

4

Peb.'Twere best he speak 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.

Ant. Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your

ears;

I come to bury Cafar, 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 Cæfar answer'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 fpeak 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,
Whose ranfoms did the general coffers fill;

Did this in Cæfar feem ambitious?

When that the poor have cry'd, Cafar 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 speak not, to difprove what Brutus spoke,

But

But here I am to speak what I do know.

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

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

If thou confider rightly of the matter,
Cafar has had great wrong.

3 Pleb. Has he, Mafters ? I fear there will a worfe 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

3

weeping.

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 Cafar might
Have food against the world; now lies he there,
And none fo poor to do him reverence.
O mafters! if I were difpos'd to stir

Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,
I should do Brutus wrong, and Caffius wrong;
Who, you all know, are honourable men.
I will not do them wrong: I rather chuse
Το
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 here this Teftament,
(Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read)
And they would go and kifs dead Cafar's wounds,
And dip their napkins in his facred blood;

Yea,

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 Antony. 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 ftones, 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, Cafar's Will.

Ant. Will you be patient? will you ftay a while? (I have o'er-fhot myfelf, to tell you of it.)

I fear, I wrong the honourable men,

Whofe daggers have ftabb'd Cafar-I do fear it. 4 Pleb. They were traitors- -honourable men!

All. The Will! the Teftament!

2 Pleb. 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 corps of Cafar, And let me fhew you him, that made the Will. Shall I defcend? and will you give me leave? All. Come down.

2 Pleb. Defcend.

3

[He comes down from the pulpit.

Pleb. You fhall have leave.

4 Pleb. A ring; stand round.

1 Pleb. Stand from the hearfe, ftand from the body.. 2 Pleb. Room for Antony-moft noble Antony.

Ant. Nay. prefs not fo upon me, stand far off.
All. Stand back- -room- -bear back-

Ant. If you have tears, prepare to shed them now.
VOL VIII

H

You

You all do know this mantle; I remember,
The first time ever Cæfar put it on,
'Twas on a fummer's evening in his tent,
That day he overcame the Nervii-

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Look in this place, ran Caffius' dagger through ;-
See, what a rent the envious Cafca made.
Through this, the well-beloved Brutus stabb'd;
And as he pluck'd his curfed feel away,
Mark, how the blood of Cafar follow'd it!
As rufhing out of doors, to be refolv'd,
If Brutus so unkindly knock'd, or no?
For Brutus, as you know, was Cæfar's angel.
Judge, oh you Gods! how dearly Cæfar lov'd him;
This, this, was the unkindeft cut of all;
For when the noble Cafar faw him flab,
Ingratitude, more ftrong than traitors' arms,
Quite vanquish'd him ; then burst his mighty heart :
And, in his mantle muffling up his face,
Which all the while ran blood, great Cæfar fell,
Even at the Bafe of Pompey's Statue.

O what a fall was there, my countrymen!
Then I, and you, and all of us fell down : .
Whilft bloody treafon flourish'd over us.
O, now you weep; and, I perceive, you feel
The dint of pity; thefe are gracious drops.
Kind fouls! what, weep you when you but behold
Our Cafar's vefture wounded? look you here!
Here is himself, marr'd, as you fee, by traitors.
1 Pleb. O piteous fpectacle!

2 Pleb. O noble Cafer!

3 Pleb. O woful day!
4 Pleb. O traitors, villains!

i Pleb. O mof bloody fight!

2 Pleb. We will be reveng'd: revenge: about→→ feek-burn-fire-kill-flay! let not a traitor live. Ant. Stay, Countrymen

1 Pleb. Peace there, hear the noble Antony.

2 Pleb. We'll hear him, we'll follow him, we'll die with him.

Ant.

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 reason answer you.

I come not, friends, to steal 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 give me public leave to speak of him :
For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth,
Action nor utt'rance, nor the power of speech,
To ftir men's blood; I only fpeak right on.
I tell you that, which you yourselves do know;
Shew you fweet Cæfar's wounds, poor, poor, dumb

mouths !

And bid them speak 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
The ftones of Rome to rise and mutiny.
All. We'll mutiny-

1 Pleb. We'll burn the house of Brutus.

3 Pleb. Away then, come, feek the confpirators. Ant. Yet hear me, Countrymen; yet hear me fpeak. All. Peace, ho, hear Antony, moft noble Antony. Ant. Why, friends, you go to do you know not what. Wherein hath Cafar thus deferv'd your loves? Alas, you know not; I must tell you then: You have forgot the Will, I told you of.

All. Most true--the Will-let's ftay and hear the Will. Ant. Here is the Will, and under Cæfar's feal.

To ev'ry Roman citizen he gives,

To ev'ry fev'ral man, fev'nty five drachma's.

2 Pleb. Most noble Cafar! we'll revenge his death. 3 Pleb. O royal Cæfar!

H 2

Ant.

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