Cassius. I think we are too bold upon your rest:

Good morrow, Brutus; do we trouble you?

Brutus. I have been up this hour, awake all night.

Know I these men that come along with you?

90Cassius. Yes, every man of them; and no man here

But honours you; and every one doth wish

You had but that opinion of yourself

Which every noble Roman bears of you.

This is Trebonius.

Brutus.

He is welcome hither.

Cassius. This, Decius Brutus.[53]

Brutus.

95He is welcome too.

Cassius. This, Casca; this, Cinna; and this, Metellus Cimber.

Brutus. They are all welcome.

What watchful cares do interpose themselves

Betwixt your eyes and night?

100Cassius. Shall I entreat a word?

[They whisper]

Decius. Here lies the east: doth not the day break here?[54]

Casca. No.

Cinna. O, pardon, sir, it doth; and yon gray lines

That fret[55] the clouds are messengers of day.

105Casca. You shall confess that you are both deceiv'd.

Here, as I point my sword, the sun arises,

Which is a great way growing on[56] the south,

Weighing[57] the youthful season of the year.

Some two months hence up higher toward the north

110He first presents his fire, and the high[58] east

Stands, as the Capitol, directly here.

Brutus. Give me your hands all over,[59] one by one.

Cassius. And let us swear our resolution.

Brutus. No, not an oath:[60] if not the face of men,[61]

115The sufferance[62] of our souls, the time's abuse,—[63]

If these be motives weak, break off betimes,

And every man hence to his idle bed;

So let high-sighted tyranny range on,

Till each man drop by lottery.[64] But if these,

120As I am sure they do, bear fire enough

To kindle cowards and to steel with valour

The melting spirits of women, then, countrymen,

What need we[65] any spur but our own cause

To prick us to redress? what other bond

125Than secret Romans,[66] that have spoke the word,

And will not palter?[67] and what other oath

Than honesty to honesty engag'd,

That this shall be, or we will fall for it?

Swear priests and cowards and men cautelous,[68]

130Old feeble carrions[69] and such suffering souls

That welcome wrongs; unto bad causes swear

Such creatures as men doubt; but do not stain

The even virtue[70] of our enterprise,

Nor th' insuppressive[71] mettle of our spirits,

135To think[72] that or our cause or our performance

Did need an oath; when every drop of blood

That every Roman bears, and nobly bears,

Is guilty of a several bastardy,

If he do break the smallest particle

140Of any promise that hath pass'd from him.

Cassius. But what of Cicero? shall we sound him?

I think he will stand very strong with us.

Casca. Let us not leave him out.

Cinna.

No, by no means.

Metellus. O, let us have him, for his silver hairs

145Will purchase us a good opinion,[73]

And buy men's voices to commend our deeds:

It shall be said, his judgment rul'd our hands;

Our youths and wildness shall no whit appear,

But all be buried in his gravity.

150Brutus. O, name him not; let us not break with him,[74]

For he will never follow any thing

That other men begin.

Cassius.

Then leave him out.

Casca. Indeed he is not fit.

Decius. Shall no man else be touch'd but only Cæsar?

155Cassius. Decius, well urg'd: I think it is not meet,

Mark Antony, so well belov'd of Cæsar,

Should outlive Cæsar: we shall find of him[75]

A shrewd contriver; and, you know, his means,

If he improve them, may well stretch so far

Like wrath in death and envy[76] afterwards;

165For Antony is but a limb of Cæsar.

Let's[77] be sacrificers, but not butchers, Caius.

We all stand up against the spirit of Cæsar,

And in the spirit of men[78] there is no blood:

O, that we then could come by Cæsar's spirit,[79]

170And not dismember Cæsar! But, alas,

Cæsar must bleed for it! And, gentle friends,

Let's kill him boldly, but not wrathfully;

Let's carve him as a dish fit for the gods,

Not hew him as a carcass fit for hounds:

175And let our hearts, as subtle masters do,

Stir up their servants to an act of rage,

And after seem to chide 'em.[80][81] This shall make

Our purpose necessary and not envious;

Which so appearing to the common eyes,

180We shall be call'd purgers,[82] not murderers.

And for Mark Antony, think not of him;

For he can do no more than Cæsar's arm

When Cæsar's head is off.

Cassius.

Yet I fear him,

For in the ingrafted love he bears to Cæsar—

185Brutus. Alas, good Cassius, do not think of him:

If he love Cæsar, all that he can do

Is to himself, take thought and die[83] for Cæsar:

And that were much he should, for he is given

To sports, to wildness, and much company.[84]

190Trebonius. There is no fear[85] in him; let him not die;

For he will live, and laugh at this hereafter.

[Clock strikes]

Brutus. Peace! count the clock.

Cassius.

The clock hath stricken[86] three.

Trebonius. 'Tis time to part.

Cassius.

But it is doubtful yet

Whether[87] Cæsar will come forth to-day or no;

195For he is superstitious grown of late,

Quite from[88] the main[89] opinion he held once

Of fantasy, of dreams, and ceremonies:

It may be these apparent prodigies,[90]

The unaccustom'd terror of this night,

200And the persuasion of his augurers,

May hold him from the Capitol to-day.

Decius. Never fear that: if he be so resolv'd,

I can o'ersway him; for he loves to hear

That unicorns may be betray'd with trees,[91]

205And bears with glasses,[92] elephants with holes,

Lions with toils,[93] and men with flatterers:

But when I tell him he hates flatterers,

He says he does, being then most flattered.

Let me work;

210For I can give his humour the true bent,

And I will bring him to the Capitol.

Cassius. Nay, we will all of us be there to fetch him.

Brutus. By the eighth[94] hour; is that the uttermost?

Cinna. Be that the uttermost, and fail not then.

215Metellus. Caius Ligarius doth bear Cæsar hard,[95][96]

Who rated him for speaking well of Pompey:

I wonder none of you have thought of him.

Brutus. Now, good Metellus, go along by him:[97]

He loves me well, and I have given him reasons;

220Send him but hither, and I'll fashion him.

Cassius.[98] The morning comes upon 's: we'll leave you, Brutus:

And, friends, disperse yourselves; but all remember

What you have said, and show yourselves true Romans.

Brutus. Good gentlemen, look fresh and merrily;

225Let not our looks put on our purposes;[99]

But bear it as our Roman actors do,

With untir'd spirits and formal constancy:

And so, good morrow to you every one.

[Exeunt all but Brutus][100]

Boy! Lucius! Fast asleep? It is no matter;

230Enjoy the honey-heavy dew[101][102] of slumber:

Thou hast no figures nor no fantasies,

Which busy care draws in the brains of men;

Therefore thou sleep'st so sound.

Portia.

Brutus, my lord!

Brutus. Portia, what mean you? wherefore rise you now?

235It is not for your health thus to commit

Your weak condition to the raw cold morning.

Portia. Nor for yours neither.[105] You've[106] ungently, Brutus,

Stole from my bed: and yesternight at supper

You suddenly[107] arose, and walk'd about,

240Musing and sighing, with your arms across;

And when I ask'd you what the matter was,

You star'd upon me with ungentle looks:

I urg'd you further; then you scratch'd your head,

And too impatiently stamp'd with your foot:

245Yet I insisted, yet you answer'd not,

But with an angry wafture[108] of your hand

Gave sign for me to leave you. So I did,

Fearing to strengthen that impatience

Which seem'd too much enkindled, and withal

250Hoping it was but an effect of humour,[109]

Which sometime hath his hour with every man.

It will not let you eat, nor talk, nor sleep,

And, could it work so much upon your shape

As it hath much prevail'd on your condition,[110]

255I should not know you, Brutus.[111] Dear my lord,[112]

Make me acquainted with your cause of grief.

Brutus. I am not well in health, and that is all.

Portia. Brutus is wise, and, were he not in health,

He would embrace the means to come by it.

260Brutus. Why, so I do. Good Portia, go to bed.

Portia. Is Brutus sick? and is it physical[113]

To walk unbraced and suck up the humours

Of the dank[114] morning? What, is Brutus sick,

And will he steal out of his wholesome bed,

265To dare the vile contagion of the night,

And tempt the rheumy[115] and unpurged air

To add unto his[116] sickness? No, my Brutus;

You have some sick offence within your mind,

Which by the right and virtue of my place

270I ought to know of: and, upon my knees,

I charm[117][118] you, by my once-commended beauty,

By all your vows of love and that great vow

Which did incorporate and make us one,

That you unfold to me, yourself, your half,

275Why you are heavy, and what men to-night

Have had resort to you; for here have been

Some six or seven, who did hide their faces

Even from darkness.

Brutus.

Kneel not, gentle Portia.

Portia.[119] I should not need, if you were gentle Brutus.

280Within the[120] bond of marriage, tell me, Brutus,

Is it excepted I should know no secrets

That appertain to you? Am I yourself

But, as it were, in sort or limitation,

To keep with you at meals, comfort your bed,

285And talk to you sometimes? Dwell I but in the suburbs

Of your good pleasure?[121] If it be no more,

Portia is Brutus' harlot, not his wife.

Brutus. You are my true and honourable wife,

As dear to me as are the ruddy drops

290That visit my sad heart.[122]

Portia. If this were true, then should I know this secret.

I grant I am a woman; but withal

A woman that Lord Brutus took to wife:[123]

I grant I am a woman; but withal

295A woman well-reputed, Cato's daughter.

Think you I am no stronger than my sex,

Being so father'd and so husbanded?

Tell me your counsels; I will not disclose 'em.

I have made strong proof of my constancy,

300Giving myself a voluntary wound

Here, in the thigh: can I bear that with patience,

And not my husband's secrets?

Brutus.

O ye gods,

Render me worthy of this noble wife!

[Knocking within][124]

Hark, hark! one knocks. Portia, go in a while;

305And by and by thy bosom shall partake

The secrets of my heart:

All my engagements I will construe to thee,

All the charactery[125] of my sad brows.

[126]Leave me with haste.

[Exit Portia]

Lucius, who's that knocks?

310Lucius. Here is a sick man that would speak with you.

Brutus. Caius Ligarius, that Metellus spake of.

Boy, stand aside. Caius Ligarius! how?

Ligarius.[128] Vouchsafe good morrow from a feeble tongue.

Brutus. O, what a time have you chose out, brave Caius,

315To wear a kerchief![129] Would you were not sick!

Ligarius. I am not sick, if Brutus have in hand

Any exploit worthy the name of honour.

Brutus. Such an exploit have I in hand, Ligarius,

Had you a healthful ear to hear of it.

320Ligarius. By all the gods that Romans bow before,

I here discard my sickness![130] Soul of Rome!

Brave son, deriv'd from honourable loins!

Thou, like an exorcist,[131] hast conjur'd up

My mortified spirit.[132] Now bid me run,

325And I will strive with things impossible;

Yea, get the better of them. What's to do?

Brutus.[133] A piece of work that will make sick men whole.

Ligarius. But are not some whole that we must make sick?

Brutus. That must we also. What it is, my Caius,

330I shall unfold to thee, as we are going

To whom it must be done.

Ligarius.

Set on your foot,

And with a heart new-fir'd I follow you,

To do I know not what; but it sufficeth

That Brutus leads me on.[134]

Brutus.

Follow me, then.

[Exeunt]

Cæsar.[140] Nor heaven nor earth have been at peace to-night:

Thrice hath Calpurnia in her sleep cried out,[141]

'Help, ho! they murder Cæsar!' Who's within?

Servant. My lord?

5Cæsar. Go bid the priests do present sacrifice,

And bring me their opinions of success.[142]

Servant. I will, my lord.

[Exit]

Calpurnia. What mean you, Cæsar? think you to walk forth?

You shall not stir out of your house to-day.

10Cæsar. Cæsar shall forth: the things that threaten'd me

Ne'er look'd but on my back; when they shall see

The face of Cæsar, they are vanished.

Calpurnia. Cæsar, I never stood on ceremonies,[143]

Yet now they fright me. There is one within,

15Besides the things that we have heard and seen,

Recounts most horrid sights seen by the watch.[144]

A lioness hath whelped in the streets;

And graves have yawn'd, and yielded up their dead;

Fierce fiery warriors fight upon the clouds,

20In ranks and squadrons and right form of war,

Which drizzled blood upon the Capitol;

The noise of battle hurtled[145][146] in the air,

Horses did neigh,[147] and dying men did groan;

And ghosts did shriek and squeal about the streets.

25O Cæsar, these things are beyond all use,

And I do fear them!

Cæsar.

What can be avoided

Whose end is purpos'd by the mighty gods?

Yet Cæsar shall go forth; for these predictions

Are to the world in general as to Cæsar.

30Calpurnia. When beggars die, there are no comets seen;

The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes.

Cæsar. Cowards die many times before their deaths;

The valiant never taste of death[148] but once.

Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,

35It seems to me most strange that men should fear;

Seeing that death, a necessary end,

Will come when it will come.

What say the augurers?

Servant. They would not have you to stir forth to-day.

Plucking the entrails of an offering forth,

40They could not find a heart within the beast.

Cæsar. The gods do this in shame of cowardice:

Cæsar should[150] be a beast without a heart,

If he should stay at home to-day for fear.

No, Cæsar shall not: danger knows full well

45That Cæsar is more dangerous than he:

We are[151] two lions litter'd in one day,

And I the elder and more terrible;

And Cæsar shall go forth.

Calpurnia.

Alas, my lord,

Your wisdom is consum'd in confidence!

50Do not go forth to-day: call it my fear

That keeps you in the house, and not your own.

We'll send Mark Antony to the senate-house,

And he shall say you are not well to-day:

Let me, upon my knee, prevail in this.

55Cæsar. Mark Antony shall say I am not well;

And, for thy humour, I will stay at home.

Here's Decius Brutus, he shall tell them so.

Decius. Cæsar, all hail! good morrow, worthy Cæsar:

I come to fetch you to the senate-house.

60Cæsar. And you are come in very happy time,

To bear my greeting to the senators

And tell them that I will not come to-day.

Cannot, is false, and that I dare not, falser;

I will not come to-day. Tell them so, Decius.

Calpurnia. Say he is sick.

65Cæsar.

Shall Cæsar send a lie?

Have I in conquest stretch'd mine arm so far,

To be afeard[153] to tell graybeards the truth?[154]

Decius, go tell them Cæsar will not come.

Decius. Most mighty Cæsar, let me know some cause,

70Lest I be laugh'd at when I tell them so.

Cæsar. The cause is in my will; I will not come;

That is enough to satisfy the senate.

But, for your private satisfaction,

Because I love you, I will let you know:

75Calpurnia here, my wife, stays me at home.

She dreamt to-night[155] she saw my statue,[156][157]

Which, like a fountain with an hundred spouts,

Did run pure blood; and many lusty Romans

Came smiling and did bathe their hands in it:

80And these does she apply for warnings and portents

And evils imminent, and on her knee

Hath begg'd that I will stay at home to-day.

Decius. This dream is all amiss interpreted:

It was a vision fair and fortunate.

85Your statue spouting blood in many pipes,

In which so many smiling Romans bath'd,

Signifies that from you great Rome shall suck

Reviving blood, and that great men shall press

For tinctures, stains, relics, and cognizance.[158]

90This by Calpurnia's dream is signified.

Cæsar. And this way have you well expounded it.

Decius. I have, when you have heard what I can say;

And know it now: the senate have concluded

To give this day a crown[159] to mighty Cæsar.

95If you shall send them word you will not come,

Their minds may change. Besides, it were a mock

Apt to be render'd,[160] for some one to say

'Break up the senate till another time,

When Cæsar's wife shall meet with better dreams.'

100If Cæsar hide himself, shall they not whisper,

'Lo, Cæsar is afraid'?

Pardon me, Cæsar; for my dear dear love

To your proceeding bids me tell you this;

And reason to my love is liable.[161]

105Cæsar. How foolish do your fears seem now, Calpurnia!

I am ashamed I did yield to them.

Give me my robe, for I will go.[162]

And look where Publius is come to fetch me.

Publius. Good morrow, Cæsar.

Cæsar.

Welcome, Publius.

110What, Brutus, are you stirr'd so early too?

Good morrow, Casca. Caius Ligarius,

Cæsar was ne'er so much your enemy

As that same ague which hath made you lean.[166]

What is 't o'clock?[167]

Brutus.

Cæsar, 't is strucken eight.

115Cæsar. I thank you for your pains and courtesy.