3 Pleb. Let him be Cæfar. 4 Pleb. Cajar's better parts Shall be crown'd in Brutus.

1 Pleb. We'll bring him to his houfe With thouts 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 Cafar's glories; which Mark Antony,
By our permiftion, 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 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.

[Exit.

4 Pleb. 'Twere best 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 say. 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 Cæfar! Noble Brutus Hath told you Cefar 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 reft, For Brutus is an honourable man, So are they all, all honourable men, Come I to speak in Cæfar's funeral.

He

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,
Whofe ranfoms did the general coffers fill.
Did this in Cæfar feem ambitious?

When that the poor have cried, Cæfar hath wept;
Ambition should be made of fterner ftuff:

Yet Brutus lays 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 lays he was ambitious;

And, fure, he is an honourable man.

I fpeak not to difprove what Brutus fpoke;
But here I am to speak what I do know.

You all did love him once, not without caufe:
What cause withholds you then to mourn for him?
O judgment thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have loft their reafon. Bear with me:
My heart is in the coffin there with Cafar,

And I muft paufe till it comes back to me.

1 Pleb. Methinks, there is much reason in his sayings. If thou confider rightly of the matter,

Cefar has had great wrong.

3 Pleb. Has he, masters? 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.

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 yefterday the word of Gafar might Have ftood against the world; now lies he there, And none fo poor to do him reverence..

O matters! if I were difpos'd to flir
Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,
I should do Brutus wrong, and Caffius wrong,

Who'

Who, you all know, are honourable men.
I will not do them wrong: I rather choose
To wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you,
Than I would wrong fuch honourable men.
But here's a parchment with the feal of Cæsar :
I found it in his clofet; 'tis his will.

Let but the Commons hear this testament,
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, 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 Cafar's will! Ant. Have patience, gentle friends! I must 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 Cafar, 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, Antoný : You fhall read us the will; Cefar's will!

Ant. Will you be patient? will you stay awhile? I have o'erfhot myself, 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, murderers. The will! Read the will!

Ant. You will compel me then to read the will!
Then make a ring about the corpfe 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.

[He comes down from the pulpit.

3 Pleb. You fhall have leave. 4 Pleb. A ring! Stand round!

I Pleb.

1 Pleb. Stand from the hearfe, ftand from the body.
2 Pleb. Room for Antony-most noble Antony!
Ant. Nay, prefs not fo upon me; ftand 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 Cæfar put it on,

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

Look! in this place ran Caffius' dagger through;
See, what a rent the envious Cafca made!
Through this the well-beloved Brutus ftabb'd;
And, as he pluck'd his curfed steel away,
Mark, how the blood of Cæfar followed it!
As rufhing out of doors, to be refolv'd
If Brutus fo unkindly knock'd, or no.
For Brutus, as you know, was Cafar's angel;
Judge, oh you Gods! how dearly Cefar lov'd him.
This was the most unkindest cut of all:

For when the noble Cafar saw him stab,
Ingratitude, more ftrong than traitors' arms,
Quite vanquish'd him; then burft his mighty heart:
And, in his mantle muffling up his face,
Even at the base of Pompey's ftatue,

Which all the while ran blood, great Cafar fell,
O what a fall was there, my countrymen !
Then I, and you, and all of us fell down:
Whilft bloody treason flourish'd over us.
O, now you weep; and, I perceive, you feel
The dint of pity: these 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 spectacle!

2 Pleb. O noble Cafar!
3 Pleb. O woeful day!
4 Pleb. O traitors! villains!
Pleb. O moft bloody fight!

2 Pleb. We will be reveng'd! Revenge! About-feekburn-fire--kill-flay! let not a traitor live.

Ant. Stay, countrymen

1 Pleb.

1 Pleb. Peace there. Hear the noble Autony.

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

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 reafons 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 utterance, nor the power of fpeech,
To ftir men's blood; I only speak right on.
I tell you that which you yourselves do know;
Shew you fweet Cafar'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 Cafar, that should move
The ftones of Rome to rife and mutiny.
All. We'll mutiny-

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

3 Pleb. Away then! Come, feels the confpirators! 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 Cæfar thus deferv'd your loves? Alas, you know not. I must tell you then.

You have forgot the will I told you of.

All. Moft true-the will-Let's ftay and hear the will. Ant. Here is the will, and under Cæfar's feal.

Το every Roman citizen he gives,

Το

every several man, seventy-five drachmas.

2 Pleb. Moft noble Cefar! We'll revenge his death 3 Pleb. O royal Cefar!

Ant. Hear me with patience,

All. Peace, ho!

Ant.