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Enter Mark Anthony 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 common-wealth; 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 my felf, when it fhall please my country to need my death.

All. Live, Brutus, 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. Cafar's better parts

Shall now be crown'd in Brutus:

1 Pleb. We'll bring him to his houfe With fhouts 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 Antonys
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.

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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.
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 beft he fpeak no harm of Brutus here. i Pleb. This Cæfar was a tyrant.

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3 Pleb.

3 Pleb. Nay, that's certain;

We are glad 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 Cæfar! 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 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 fill;
Did this in Cafar feem ambitious?

When that the poor have cry'd, Cæfar 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 at 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 disprove what Brutus fpoke,
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 beasts,
And men have loft their reafon-bear with me,

My

My heart is in the coffin there with Cæfar,

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. a

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 weeping. 3 Pleb. There's not a nobler man in Rome than Antony. 4 Pleb. Now mark him, he begins again to speak. Ant But yesterday the word of Cafar might Have stood against the world; now lyes he there, And none fo poor to do him reverence. O masters! if I were difpos'd to ftir

Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,
I fhould 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 my felf 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 hear this teftament,
(Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read)

Q3

(a) Cafar has had great wrong.

3 Pleb. Cafar had never wrong, but with juft caufe.

And

If ever there was fuch a line written by Shakespear, I should fancy it might have its place here, and very humorously in the character of a Plebeian. One might believe Ben Johnson's remark was made upon no better credit than fome blunder of an actor in speaking that verfe near the beginning of the third a&t,

Know Cafar doth not wrong, nor without cause
Will he be fatisfy'd-

But the verfe as cited by Ben Johnson does not connect with

-Will he

be fatisfy'd. Perhaps this play was never printed in Ben Johnson's time, and fo be bad nothing to judge by, but as the actor pleas'd to Speak it.

Pope.

And they would go and kifs dead Cæfar'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 Cefar'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 stones, 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

fhould-O what would come of it? 4 Pleb. Read the Will, we'll 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 my felf to tell you of it.)

I fear I wrong the honourable men,

Whofe daggers have stabb'd Cæfar-I do fear it. 4 Pleb. They were traitors

All. The Will! the teftament!

honourable men!

[the Will!

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

[He comes down from the pulpit.

3 Pleb. You fhall have leave.

4 Pleb. A ring; ftand 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 backroom-bear back-

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

The

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 stabb'd;
And as he pluck'd his curfed fteel away,
Mark how the blood of Cafar follow'd 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 Cafar lov'd him.
This, this, was the unkindeft cut of all;
For when the noble Cafar faw him stab,
Ingratitude, more strong than traitors arms,
Quite vanquifh'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 with blood, great Cæfar fell.
Oh 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 fpectacle!

2 Pleb. O noble Cafar!
3 Pleb. O woful day!
4 Pleb. O traitors, villains!

i 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. Peace there, hear the noble Antony.

ran blood,

Q4

2 Pleb.

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