Ser. He did receive his letters, and is coming; And bid me fay to you by word of mouth

O Cafar!

[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 ftand in thine,
Began to water. Is thy mafter coming?

Ser. He lyes 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
To young Olavius of the state 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.

Pleb. WE will be fatisfied; let us be fatisfied.
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 fpeak, let 'em ftay here;
Thofe, that will follow Caffius, go with him;
And publick reafons fhall be rendered

Of Cafar's death.

1 Pleb. I will hear Brutus fpeak.

2 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 last.

Romans

Romans, Countrymen, and Lovers! hear me for my caufe; and be filent, that you may hear. Believe me for mine honour, and have refpect 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 Cafar's, to him I fay, that Brutus's love to Cafar was no less than his. If then that friend demand, why Brutus rofe againft Cæfar, this is my Anfwer: Not that I lov'd Cafar lefs, but that I lov'd Rome more. Had you rather Cafar were living, and dye all flaves; than that Cæfar were dead, to live all free-men? As Cafar 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 fo vile, that will not love his Country? if any, fpeak; for him have I offended I paufe for a Reply

All. None, Brutus, none.

-I have done no

Bru. Then none have I offended.more to Cæfar, than you fhall do to Brutus. The queftion 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 pleafe my Country to need my death.

All. Live, Brutus, live! live!

1 Pleb. Bring him with triumph home unto his houfe. VOL. VII.

C

2 Pleb.

2 Pleb. Give him a ftatue with his Ancestors,
3 Pleb. Let him be Cafar.
4 Pleb. Cæfar's better Parts
Shall be crown'd in Brutus.

Pleb. We'll bring him to his houfe
With fhouts and clamours.
Bru. My Countrymen

2 Pleb. Peace! filence! Brutus fpeaks.
* 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.
Pleb. What does he say of Brutus ?

4

3

Pleb. He fays, for Brutus' fake

He finds himfelf beholden to us all.

[Exit

4 Pleb. 'Twere beft he speak no harm of Brutus here, 1 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 praife 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, Cafar 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 rest,

(For

(For Brutus is an honourable man,
So are they all, all honourable men)
Come I to fpeak in Cefar'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 seem 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 refuse. 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 here I am to speak what I do know.

You all did love him once, not without caufe:
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,

Cafar 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 so, some 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 Cafar might

C 2

Have

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

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
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 closet, '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 Cefar's wounds,
And dip their napkins 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 Antony. All. The Will, the Will; we will hear Cæfar's Will. Ant. Have patience, gentle friends, I muft not read

it ;

It is not meet you know how Cafar 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 stay 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 Cæfar-I do fear it. 4 Pleb. They were traitors-honourable men! All. The Will! the Teftament!

2 Pleb. They were villains, murtherers; the Will! read the Will!

Ant. You will compel me then to read the Will?

Then