Page images
PDF
EPUB

And they would go and kiss dead Cæsar's wounds,
And dip their napkins in his sacred blood;
Yea, beg a hair of him for memory,

And, dying, mention it within their wills,
Bequeathing it as a rich legacy

Upon their issue:

4 Pleb. We'll hear the will; read it, Mark Antony. All. The will, the will: we will hear Cæsar's will. Ant. Have patience, gentle friends, I must not read it;

It is not meet you know how Cæsar loved you.
You are not wood, you are not stones, but men;
And, being men, hearing the will of Cæsar,
It will inflame you, it will make you mad,
'Tis good you know not that you are his heirs,
For, if you should- O what would come of it!
4 Pleb. Read the will, we will hear it, Antony;
You shall read us the will, Cæsar's will.

Ant. Will you be patient? will you stay a while? (I have overshot myself to tell you of it) I fear I the honourable men, Whose daggers have stabb'd Cæsar4 Pleb. They were traitors

wrong

All. The will-the testament!

-I do fear it. -honourable men?

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 corpse of Cæsar, And let me show you him that made the will. Shall I descend? and will you give me leave? All. Come down.

2 Pleb. Descend.

[He comes down from the Rostrum.

3 Pleb. You shall have leave.

4 Pleb. A ring; stand round.

1 Pleb. Stand from the hearse, stand from the

body.

2 Pleb. Room for Antony-Most noble Antony.

[ocr errors]

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

Ant. If you have tears, prepare to shed them now. You all do know this mantle; I remember,

The first time ever Cæsar put it on;

'Twas on a summer's evening in his tent,
That day he overcame the Nervii.

Look! in this place ran Cassius' dagger through :-
See, what a rent the envious Casca made.
Through this, the well-beloved Brutus stabb'd;
And, as he pluck'd his cursed steel away,
Mark how the blood of Cæsar follow'd it!
As rushing out of doors, to be resolved
If Brutus so unkindly knock'd or no?
For Brutus, as you know, was Cæsar's angel.
Judge, oh you gods! how dearly Cæsar loved him.
This, this was the unkindest cut of all;

For when the noble Cæsar saw him stab,
Ingratitude, inore strong than traitors' arms,
Quite vanquish'd him: then burst his mighty heart;
And in his mantle muffling up his face,
Even at the base of Pompey's statue,

1

(Which all the while ran blood) great Cæsar fell.
Ò, what a fall was there, my countrymen !
Then I, and you, and all of us fell down:
Whilst bloody treason flourish'd over us.
O, now you weep, and, I perceive, you feel
The dint of pity: these are gracious drops.
Kind souls! what, weep you when you but behold
Our Cæsar's vesture wounded! look you here!
Here is himself, marr'd, as you see, by traitors!
1 Pleb. O piteous spectacle!

2 Pleb. O noble Cæsar!

3 Pleb. O woeful day!

4 Pleb. O traitors, villains!

1 Pleb. O most bloody sight!

2 Pleb. We will be revenged : revenged: about

E

seek- -burn

-fire

traitor live.

-kill-slay! let not a

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.

[ocr errors]

Ant. Good friends, sweet friends, let me not stir you up

To such a sudden 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 wise and honourable,
And will, no doubt, with reasons answer you.
I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts:
I am no orator, as Brutus is:

But, as you know me well, a plain, blunt man,
That love my friends, 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 or utt'rance, nor the power of speech,
To stir men's blood; I only speak right on.
I tell you that which you yourselves do know;
Show you sweet Cæsar'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 spirits, and put a tongue
In every wound of Cæsar, that should move
The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.
All. We'll mutiny-

1 Pleb. We'll burn the house of Brutus.
3 Pleb. Away then, come, seek the conspirators.
Ant. Yet hear me, countrymen, yet hear me speak.
All. Peace ho, hear Antony, most noble Antony.
Ant. Why, friends, you go to do you know not
what.

Wherein hath Cæsar thus deserved 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 stay and hear the will.

Ant. Here is the will, and under Cæsar's seal. To ev'ry Roman citizen he gives,

To ev'ry several man, seventy-five drachmas.

2 Pleb. Most noble Cæsar! we'll revenge his death. 3 Pleb. O, royal Cæsar!

Ant. Hear me with patience.

All. Peace, ho!

Ant. Moreover, he hath left you all his walks,
His private arbours, and new-planted orchards,
On that side Tiber; he hath left them you,
And to your heirs for ever; common pleasures,
To walk abroad, and recreate yourselves.
Here was a Cæsar! when comes such another?
1 Pleb. Never, never come, away, away!
We'll burn his body in the holy place,

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

[Exeunt PLEBEIANS with the Body. Ant. Now let it work: Mischief, thou art afoot, Take thou what course thou wilt!

LExit.

ACT THE FOURTH.

SCENE I.

ANTONY'S House.

ANTONY, OCTAVIUS, and LEPIDUS, discovered.

Ant. These many, then, shall die; their names are prick'd.

Oct. Your brother too must die; consent you, Le

pidus ?

Lep. I do consent.

Oct. Prick him down, Antony.

Lep. Upon condition, Publius shall not live, Who is your sister's son, Mark Antony.

Ant. He shall not live: look, with a spot I damn him.

But, Lepidus, go you to Cæsar's house;

Fetch me the will hither, and we shall determine
How to cut off some charge in legacies.
Lep. What, shall I find you here?
Oct. Or here, or at the capitol.

[Exit LEPIDUS

Ant. This is a slight unmeritable man,

Meet to be sent on errands; is it fit,,

The threefold world divided, he should stand,
One of the three to share it?

Oct. So you thought him,

And took his voice who should be prick'd to die,
In our black sentence and proscription?

Ant. Octavius, I have seen more days than you ;
And though we lay these honours on this man,
To ease ourselves of divers sland'rous loads,
He shall but bear them, as the ass bears gold,
To groan and sweat under the business,
Or led or driven, as we point the way;

And having brought our treasure where we will,
Then take we down his load, and turn him off,
Like to the empty ass, to shake his ears,

And graze in commons.

[blocks in formation]

will;

But he's a tried and valiant soldier.

Ant. So is my horse, Octavius: and, for that,
I do appoint him store of provender.
It is a creature that I teach to fight,
To wind, to stop, to run directly on;
His corporal motion govern'd by my spirit
And, in some taste, is Lepidus but so:

« PreviousContinue »