JULIUS CÆSAR

Flavius. Hence! home, you idle creatures, get you home:

Is this a holiday? what! know you not,

Being mechanical,[9] you ought not walk[10]

Upon a labouring day without the sign

5Of your profession? Speak, what trade art thou?[11]

Carpenter.[12] Why, sir, a carpenter.

Marullus. Where is thy leather apron and thy rule?

What dost thou with thy best apparel on?

10You, sir, what trade are you?[13]

Flavius. But wherefore art not in thy shop to-day?

30Why dost thou lead these men about the streets?

Marullus. Wherefore rejoice? What conquest brings he home? [28]

35What tributaries follow him to Rome,

To grace in captive bonds his chariot-wheels?

You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things!

Knew you not Pompey? Many a time and oft[29]

40Have[30] you climb'd up to walls and battlements,

To towers and windows,[31] yea, to chimney-tops,

Your infants in your arms, and there have sat

The live-long day, with patient expectation,

To see great Pompey pass the streets of Rome:[32]

45And when you saw his chariot but appear,

Have you not made an universal shout,

That[33] Tiber trembled underneath her[34][35] banks

To hear[36] the replication[37] of your sounds

Made in her[34] concave shores?

50And do you now put on your best attire?

And do you now cull out a holiday?[38]

And do you now strew flowers in his way

That comes in triumph over Pompey's blood?[39]

Be gone!

55Run to your houses, fall upon your knees,

Pray to the gods to intermit the plague

That needs must light on this ingratitude.[40]

Flavius. Go, go, good countrymen, and, for this fault,

Assemble all the poor men of your sort;

60Draw them to Tiber banks, and weep your tears

Into the channel, till the lowest stream

Do kiss the most exalted shores of all.[41]

[Exeunt[42] all the Commoners]

See, where[43][44] their basest metal[45] be not mov'd!

They vanish tongue-tied in their guiltiness.

65Go you down that way towards the Capitol;

This way will I: disrobe the images,[46]

If you do find them deck'd with ceremonies.[47]

Marullus. May we do so?

You know it is the feast of Lupercal.[48]

70Flavius. It is no matter; let no images

Be hung with Cæsar's trophies.[49] I'll about,

And drive away the vulgar[50] from the streets:

So do you too, where you perceive them thick.

These growing feathers pluck'd from Cæsar's wing

75Will make him fly an ordinary pitch,[51]

Who else would soar above the view of men,

And keep us all in servile fearfulness.

[Exeunt]

Cæsar. Calpurnia!

Casca.

Peace, ho! Cæsar speaks.

Cæsar.

Calpurnia!

Calpurnia. Here, my lord.

Cæsar. Stand you directly in Antonius'[53][54] way,

When he doth run his course. Antonius![55]

5Antony. Cæsar, my lord?

Cæsar. Forget not, in your speed, Antonius,

To touch Calpurnia; for our elders say,

The barren, touched in this holy chase,

Shake off their sterile curse.[56]

Antony.

I shall remember:

10When Cæsar says 'Do this,' it is perform'd.

Cæsar. Set on; and leave no ceremony out.

[Flourish][57]

Soothsayer. Cæsar!

Cæsar. Ha! who calls?

Casca. Bid every noise be still. Peace yet again!

15Cæsar. Who is it in the press that calls on me?

I hear a tongue, shriller than all the music,

Cry 'Cæsar!' Speak; Cæsar is turn'd to hear.

Soothsayer. Beware the Ides of March.[58]

Cæsar.

What man is that?

Brutus. A soothsayer[59] bids you beware the Ides of March. [60]

20Cæsar. Set him before me; let me see his face.

Cassius. Fellow, come from the throng; look upon Cæsar.

Cæsar. What say'st thou to me now? speak once again.

Soothsayer. Beware the Ides of March.

Cæsar. He is a dreamer; let us leave him. Pass.

25Cassius. Will you go see the order of the course?

Brutus. Not I.

Cassius. I pray you, do.

Brutus. I am not gamesome:[63] I do lack some part

Of that quick spirit[64] that is in Antony.

30Let me not hinder, Cassius, your desires;

I'll leave you.

Cassius. Brutus, I do observe you now of late:

I have not from your eyes that gentleness

And show of love as[65] I was wont to have:

35You bear too stubborn and too strange a hand[66]

Over your friend[67] that loves you.[68]

Brutus.

Merely[69] upon myself. Vexed I am

40Of late with passions of some difference,[70]

Conceptions only proper to myself,[71]

Which give some soil,[72] perhaps, to my behaviours;[73]

But let not therefore my good friends be griev'd—

Among which number, Cassius, be you one—

45Nor construe any further my neglect,

Than that poor Brutus, with himself at war,

Forgets the shows of love to other men.

Cassius. Then, Brutus, I have much mistook[74] your passion; [75]

By means whereof[76] this breast of mine hath buried

50Thoughts of great value, worthy cogitations.

Tell me, good Brutus, can you see your face?

Brutus. No, Cassius; for the eye sees not itself[77]

But by reflection, by some[78] other things.[79][80]

Cassius. 'Tis just:[81]

55And it is very much lamented, Brutus,

That you have no such mirrors as will turn

That you might see your shadow. I have heard,[82]

Where[83] many of the best respect[84] in Rome,

60Except immortal Cæsar,[85] speaking of Brutus,

And groaning underneath this age's yoke,

Have wish'd that noble Brutus had his eyes.

Brutus. Into what dangers would you lead me, Cassius,[86]

That you would have me seek into myself

65For that which is not in me?

Cassius. Therefore, good Brutus, be prepar'd to hear:

And, since you know you cannot see yourself

So well as by reflection, I, your glass,

Will modestly discover to yourself

70That of yourself which you yet[87] know not of.

And be not jealous on[88] me, gentle Brutus:

Were I a common laughter,[89][90] or did use

To stale[91] with ordinary oaths my love

To every new protester;[92] if you know

75That I do fawn on men and hug them hard,

And after scandal them; or if you know

That I profess myself[93] in banqueting

To all the rout,[94] then hold me dangerous.

[Flourish and shout]

Brutus.[95] What means this shouting? I do fear, the people

Choose Cæsar for their king.

80Cassius.

Ay, do you fear it?

Then must I think you would not have it so.

Brutus. I would not, Cassius; yet I love him well.

But wherefore do you hold me here so long?

What is it that you would impart to me?

85If it be aught[96] toward the general good,

Set honour in one eye and death i' the other,

And I will look on both[97][98] indifferently;[99]

For let the gods so speed[100] me as I love

The name of honour more than I fear death.

90Cassius. I know that virtue to be in you, Brutus,

As well as I do know your outward favour.[101]

Well, honour is the subject of my story.

I cannot tell what you and other men

Think of this life; but, for[102] my single self,

95I had as lief[103] not be as live to be

In awe of such a thing as I myself.

I was born free as Cæsar; so were you:

We both have fed as well; and we can both

Endure the winter's cold as well as he:

100For once, upon a raw and gusty day,

The troubled Tiber chafing[104][105] with her shores,

Cæsar said[106] to me, 'Dar'st thou, Cassius, now

Leap in with me into this angry flood,

And swim to yonder point?' Upon the word,

105Accoutred[107] as I was, I plunged in,

And bade him follow: so indeed he did.

The torrent roar'd, and we did buffet it

With lusty sinews, throwing it aside

And stemming it with hearts of controversy;[108]

110But ere we could arrive the point[109] propos'd,

Cæsar cried, 'Help me, Cassius, or I sink!'

I, as Æneas, our great ancestor,

Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder

The old Anchises bear, so from the waves of Tiber

115Did I the tired Cæsar: and this man

He had a fever[110] when he was in Spain;

120And, when the fit was on him, I did mark

How he did shake: 't is true, this god did shake:

His coward lips did from their colour fly;[111]

And that same eye whose bend[112] doth awe the world

Did lose[113] his[114] lustre. I did hear him groan:

125Ay, and that tongue of his, that bade[115] the Romans

Mark him and write his speeches in their books,

Alas, it cried, 'Give me some drink, Titinius,'

As a sick girl. Ye gods, it doth amaze me

A man of such a feeble temper[116] should

130So get the start of the majestic world

And bear the palm alone.

[Shout. Flourish]

Brutus. Another general shout!

I do believe that these applauses are

For some new honours that are heap'd on Cæsar.

135Cassius. Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world[117]

Like a Colossus,[118] and we petty men

Walk under his huge legs, and peep about

To find ourselves dishonourable graves.

Men at some time are masters of their fates:

140The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,[119]

But in ourselves, that we are underlings.

Brutus and Cæsar: what should be[120] in that 'Cæsar?'

Why should that name be sounded more than yours?

Write them together, yours is as fair a name;

145Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well;

Weigh them, it is as heavy; conjure with 'em,

'Brutus' will start a spirit[121] as soon as 'Cæsar.'

Now, in the names of all the gods at once,

Upon what meat doth this our Cæsar feed,

150That he is grown so great? Age, thou art sham'd!

Rome, thou hast lost the breed of noble bloods!

When went there by an age, since the great flood,[122]

But it was fam'd with more than with one man?

When could they say, till now, that talk'd of Rome,

155That her wide walks[123][124] encompass'd but one man?

Now is it Rome indeed, and room[125] enough,

When there is in it but one only man.

O, you and I have heard our fathers say

There was a Brutus[126] once that would have brook'd[127]

160Th' eternal[128] devil to keep his state in Rome

As easily as a king.

Brutus. That you do love me, I am nothing jealous;[129]

What you would work me to,[130] I have some aim:[131]

How I have thought of this and of these times,

165I shall recount hereafter; for this present,

I would not, so with love I might entreat you,[132]

Be any further mov'd. What you have said

I will consider; what you have to say

I will with patience hear, and find a time

170Both meet to hear and answer such high things.

Till then, my noble friend, chew[133] upon this:

Brutus had rather be a villager

Than to repute himself a son of Rome

Under these hard conditions as[134] this time

175Is like to lay upon us.

Cassius. I am glad that my weak words

Have struck but thus much show of fire[135] from Brutus.

Brutus. The games are done, and Cæsar is returning.

Cassius. As they pass by, pluck Casca by the sleeve;[137]

180And he will, after his sour fashion, tell you

What hath proceeded[138] worthy note[139] to-day.

Brutus. I will do so. But, look you, Cassius,

The angry spot doth glow on Cæsar's brow,

And all the rest look like a chidden train:

185Calpurnia's cheek is pale; and Cicero

Looks with such ferret and such fiery eyes[140]

As we have seen him in the Capitol,

Being cross'd in conference by some senators.

Cassius. Casca will tell us what the matter is.

190Cæsar. Antonius!

Antony. Cæsar?[141]

Cæsar. Let me have men about me that are fat,

Sleek-headed men, and such as sleep o' nights:[142]

Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look;

195He thinks too much: such men are dangerous.[143]

Antony. Fear him not, Cæsar; he's not dangerous;

He is a noble Roman, and well given.[144]

Cæsar. Would he were fatter! but I fear him not:

Yet if my name were liable to fear,

200I do not know the man I should avoid

So soon as that spare Cassius. He reads much;

He is a great observer, and he looks

Quite through the deeds of men: he loves no plays,[145]

As thou dost, Antony; he hears no music:[146]

205Seldom he smiles, and smiles in such a sort

As if he mock'd himself, and scorn'd his spirit

That could be mov'd to smile at any thing.

Such men as he be never at heart's ease

Whiles they behold a greater than themselves,

210And therefore are they very dangerous.

I rather tell thee what is to be fear'd

Than what I fear, for always I am Cæsar.

Come on my right hand, for this ear is deaf,[147]

And tell me truly what thou think'st of him.

215Casca. You pull'd me by the cloak; would you speak with me?

Brutus. Ay, Casca; tell us what hath chanc'd to-day,

That Cæsar looks so sad.[149]