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Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,
I should do Brutus wrong, and Caffius wrong,
all know, are honourable men:

Who you

I will not do them wrong; I rather choose
To wrong the dead, to wrong myself, 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),
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 Cæfar's will. Ant. Have patience, gentle friends, I must not read it;

It is not meet you know how Cæfar lov'd you.
You are not wood, you are not stones, but men ;
And, being men, hearing the will of Cæfar,
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, Antony; You fhall read us the will; Cæfar's will.

Ant. Will you be patient? will you stay a while? I have o'er-fhot myself, 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: Honourable men! All. The will! the teftament!

2 Pleb.

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 Cæfar, 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 hearse, stand from the body. 2 Pleb. Room for Antony ;-moft 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 fhed 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 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 Cæfar's angel:
Judge, O you gods, how dearly Cæfar lov'd him!
This was the most unkindeft cut of all:

For when the noble Cæfar faw him ftab,
Ingratitude, more strong than traitors' arms,
Quite vanquish'd him: then burst his mighty heart;
And, in his mantle muffling up his face,
Even at the bafe of Pompey's ftatue,

Aa III. Which all the while ran blood, great Cæfar 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: thefe are gracious drops. Kind fouls, what, weep you, when you but behold Our Cæfar's vesture wounded? Look you here! Here is himself, marr'd, as you fee, with traitors. 1 Pleb. O piteous fpectacle!

2 Pleb. O noble Cæfar!
3 Pleb. O woeful day!

4 Pleb. O traitors, villains!
i Pleb. O moft bloody fight!

2 Pleb. We will be reveng'd: Revenge: About,Seek,-burn,-fire,-kill,—slay !—let not a traitor Ant. Stay, countrymen.

[live. 1 Pleb. Peace there: Hear the noble Antony. 2 Pleb. We'll hear him, we'll follow him, we'll die with him.

Ant. Good friends, fweet friends, let me not stir 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 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 all, a plain blunt man,
That love my friend; and that they know full well
That gave me public leave to speak of him.
For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth,
Action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech,

То

To ftir men's blood: I only fpeak right on;

I tell you that, which you yourselves do know;
Shew you fweet Cæfar's wounds, poor, poor dumb

mouths!

And bid them fpeak 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 Cæfar, 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, feek 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 fo deferv'd your loves? Alas, you know not:-I must tell you then :You have forgot the will I told you of.

Το

Το

All. Moft true;-the will;-let's stay, and hear the will.

Ant. Here is the will, and under Cæfar's feal. every Roman citizen he gives,

every

feveral man, seventy-five drachmas.

2 Pleb. Moft noble Cæfar!-We'll revenge his

3 Pleb. O royal Cæfar!

Ant. Hear me with patience.

All. Peace, ho!

[death.

Ant. Moreover, he hath left you all his walks,
His private arbours, and new-planted orchards,
On this fide Tyber; he hath left them you,
And to your heirs for ever; common pleasures,
To walk abroad, and recreate yourselves.
Here was a Cæfar: When comes such another?

1 Pleb. Never, never:-come, away, away

We'll

We'll burn his body in the holy place,

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

2 Pleb. Go, fetch fire.

3 Pleb. Pluck down the benches.

4

Pleb. Pluck down forms, windows, any thing. [Exeunt Plebeians, with the body. Ant. Now let it work: Mifchief, thou art afoot, Take thou what courfe thou wilt!-How now, fellow?

Enter a Servant.

Serv. Sir, Octavius is already come to Rome,
Ant. Where is he?

Serv. He and Lepidus are at Cæfar's house.
Ant. And thither will I ftrait to vifit him:
He comes upon a wifh. Fortune is merry,
And in this mood will give us any thing.

Serv. I have heard him fay, Brutus and Caffius Are rid like madmen through the gates of Rome. Ant. Belike, they had fone notice of the people, How I had mov'd them. Bring me to Octavius. [Exeunt,

SCENE III. Aftreet.

Enter CINNA the Poet, and after him, the Plebeians.

Cin. I dreamt to-night that I did feast with Cæfar, And things unluckily charge my fantasy:

I have no will to wander forth of doors,
Yet fomething leads me forth.

1 Pleb. What is your name?

2 Pleb. Whither are you going? 3 Pleb. Where do you dwell?

4 Pieb. Are you a married man, or a bachelor? 2 Pleb. Anfwer every man directly.

1 Pleb.

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