Julies Caesar - Act 3 - Scene 2

SCENE II. The Forum.

    Enter BRUTUS and CASSIUS, and a throng of Citizens

Citizens

    We will be satisfied; let us be satisfied.

BRUTUS

    Then follow me, and give me audience, friends.
    Cassius, go you into the other street,
    And part the numbers.
    Those that will hear me speak, let 'em stay here;
    Those that will follow Cassius, go with him;
    And public reasons shall be rendered
    Of Caesar's death.

First Citizen

    I will hear Brutus speak.

Second Citizen

    I will hear Cassius; and compare their reasons,
    When severally we hear them rendered.

    Exit CASSIUS, with some of the Citizens. BRUTUS goes into the pulpit

Third Citizen

    The noble Brutus is ascended: silence!

BRUTUS

    Be patient till the last.
    Romans, countrymen, and lovers! hear me for my
    cause, and be silent, that you may hear: believe me
    for mine honour, and have respect to mine honour, that
    you may believe: censure me in your wisdom, and
    awake your senses, that you may the better judge.
    If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of
    Caesar's, to him I say, that Brutus' love to Caesar
    was no less than his. If then that friend demand
    why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer:
    --Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved
    Rome more. Had you rather Caesar were living and
    die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live
    all free men? As Caesar loved me, I weep for him;
    as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was
    valiant, I honour him: but, as he was ambitious, I
    slew him. There is tears for his love; joy for his
    fortune; honour for his valour; and death for his
    ambition. Who is here so base that would be a
    bondman? If any, speak; for him have I offended.
    Who is here so rude that would not be a Roman? If
    any, speak; for him have I offended. Who is here so
    vile that will not love his country? If any, speak;
    for him have I offended. I pause for a reply.

All

    None, Brutus, none.

BRUTUS

    Then none have I offended. I have done no more to
    Caesar than you shall do to Brutus. The question of
    his death is enrolled in the Capitol; his glory not
    extenuated, wherein he was worthy, nor his offences
    enforced, for which he suffered death.

    Enter ANTONY and others, with CAESAR's body
    Here comes his body, mourned by Mark Antony: who,
    though he had no hand in his death, shall receive
    the benefit of his dying, a place in the
    commonwealth; as which of you shall not? With this
    I depart,--that, as I slew my best lover for the
    good of Rome, I have the same dagger for myself,
    when it shall please my country to need my death.

All

    Live, Brutus! live, live!

First Citizen

    Bring him with triumph home unto his house.

Second Citizen

    Give him a statue with his ancestors.

Third Citizen

    Let him be Caesar.

Fourth Citizen

    Caesar's better parts
    Shall be crown'd in Brutus.

First Citizen

    We'll bring him to his house
    With shouts and clamours.

BRUTUS

    My countrymen,--

Second Citizen

    Peace, silence! Brutus speaks.

First Citizen

    Peace, ho!

BRUTUS

    Good countrymen, let me depart alone,
    And, for my sake, stay here with Antony:
    Do grace to Caesar's corpse, and grace his speech
    Tending to Caesar's glories; which Mark Antony,
    By our permission, is allow'd to make.
    I do entreat you, not a man depart,
    Save I alone, till Antony have spoke.

    Exit

First Citizen

    Stay, ho! and let us hear Mark Antony.

Third Citizen

    Let him go up into the public chair;
    We'll hear him. Noble Antony, go up.

ANTONY

    For Brutus' sake, I am beholding to you.

    Goes into the pulpit

Fourth Citizen

    What does he say of Brutus?

Third Citizen

    He says, for Brutus' sake,
    He finds himself beholding to us all.

Fourth Citizen

    'Twere best he speak no harm of Brutus here.

First Citizen

    This Caesar was a tyrant.

Third Citizen

    Nay, that's certain:
    We are blest that Rome is rid of him.

Second Citizen

    Peace! let us hear what Antony can say.

ANTONY

    You gentle Romans,--

Citizens

    Peace, ho! let us hear him.

ANTONY

    Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
    I come to bury Caesar, 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 Caesar. The noble Brutus
    Hath told you Caesar was ambitious:
    If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
    And grievously hath Caesar answer'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 Caesar's funeral.
    He was my friend, faithful and just to me:
    But Brutus says he was ambitious;
    And Brutus is an honourable man.
    He hath brought many captives home to Rome
    Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:
    Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?
    When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept:
    Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:
    Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
    And Brutus is an honourable man.
    You all did see that on the Lupercal
    I thrice presented him a kingly crown,
    Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?
    Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
    And, sure, he is an honourable man.
    I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,
    But here I am to speak what I do know.
    You all did love him once, not without cause:
    What cause withholds you then, to mourn for him?
    O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts,
    And men have lost their reason. Bear with me;
    My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,
    And I must pause till it come back to me.

First Citizen

    Methinks there is much reason in his sayings.

Second Citizen

    If thou consider rightly of the matter,
    Caesar has had great wrong.

Third Citizen

    Has he, masters?
    I fear there will a worse come in his place.

Fourth Citizen

    Mark'd ye his words? He would not take the crown;
    Therefore 'tis certain he was not ambitious.

First Citizen

    If it be found so, some will dear abide it.

Second Citizen

    Poor soul! his eyes are red as fire with weeping.

Third Citizen

    There's not a nobler man in Rome than Antony.

Fourth Citizen

    Now mark him, he begins again to speak.

ANTONY

    But yesterday the word of Caesar might
    Have stood against the world; now lies he there.
    And none so poor to do him reverence.
    O masters, if I were disposed to stir
    Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,
    I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong,
    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 will wrong such honourable men.
    But here's a parchment with the seal of Caesar;
    I found it in his closet, 'tis his will:
    Let but the commons hear this testament--
    Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read--
    And they would go and kiss dead Caesar's wounds
    And dip their napkins in his sacred blood,
    Yea, beg a hair of him for memory,
    And, dying, mention it within their wills,
    Bequeathing it as a rich legacy
    Unto their issue.

Fourth Citizen

    We'll hear the will: read it, Mark Antony.

All

    The will, the will! we will hear Caesar's will.

ANTONY

    Have patience, gentle friends, I must not read it;
    It is not meet you know how Caesar loved you.
    You are not wood, you are not stones, but men;
    And, being men, bearing the will of Caesar,
    It will inflame you, it will make you mad:
    'Tis good you know not that you are his heirs;
    For, if you should, O, what would come of it!

Fourth Citizen

    Read the will; we'll hear it, Antony;
    You shall read us the will, Caesar's will.

ANTONY

    Will you be patient? will you stay awhile?
    I have o'ershot myself to tell you of it:
    I fear I wrong the honourable men
    Whose daggers have stabb'd Caesar; I do fear it.

Fourth Citizen

    They were traitors: honourable men!

All

    The will! the testament!

Second Citizen

    They were villains, murderers: the will! read the will.

ANTONY

    You will compel me, then, to read the will?
    Then make a ring about the corpse of Caesar,
    And let me show you him that made the will.
    Shall I descend? and will you give me leave?

Several Citizens

    Come down.

Second Citizen

    Descend.

Third Citizen

    You shall have leave.

    ANTONY comes down

Fourth Citizen

    A ring; stand round.

First Citizen

    Stand from the hearse, stand from the body.

Second Citizen

    Room for Antony, most noble Antony.

ANTONY

    Nay, press not so upon me; stand far off.

Several Citizens

    Stand back; room; bear back.

ANTONY

    If you have tears, prepare to shed them now.
    You all do know this mantle: I remember
    The first time ever Caesar put it on;
    'Twas on a summer's evening, in his tent,
    That day he overcame the Nervii:
    Look, in this place ran Cassius' dagger through:
    See what a rent the envious Casca made:
    Through this the well-beloved Brutus stabb'd;
    And as he pluck'd his cursed steel away,
    Mark how the blood of Caesar follow'd it,
    As rushing out of doors, to be resolved
    If Brutus so unkindly knock'd, or no;
    For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar's angel:
    Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him!
    This was the most unkindest cut of all;
    For when the noble Caesar saw him stab,
    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 base of Pompey's statua,
    Which all the while ran blood, great Caesar fell.
    O, what a fall was there, my countrymen!
    Then I, and you, and all of us fell down,
    Whilst bloody treason flourish'd over us.
    O, now you weep; and, I perceive, you feel
    The dint of pity: these are gracious drops.
    Kind souls, what, weep you when you but behold
    Our Caesar's vesture wounded? Look you here,
    Here is himself, marr'd, as you see, with traitors.

First Citizen

    O piteous spectacle!

Second Citizen

    O noble Caesar!

Third Citizen

    O woful day!

Fourth Citizen

    O traitors, villains!

First Citizen

    O most bloody sight!

Second Citizen

    We will be revenged.

All

    Revenge! About! Seek! Burn! Fire! Kill! Slay!
    Let not a traitor live!

ANTONY

    Stay, countrymen.

First Citizen

    Peace there! hear the noble Antony.

Second Citizen

    We'll hear him, we'll follow him, we'll die with him.

ANTONY

    Good friends, sweet friends, let me not stir you up
    To such a sudden 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,
    To stir men's blood: I only speak right on;
    I tell you that which you yourselves do know;
    Show you sweet Caesar'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 spirits and put a tongue
    In every wound of Caesar that should move
    The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.

All

    We'll mutiny.

First Citizen

    We'll burn the house of Brutus.

Third Citizen

    Away, then! come, seek the conspirators.

ANTONY

    Yet hear me, countrymen; yet hear me speak.

All

    Peace, ho! Hear Antony. Most noble Antony!

ANTONY

    Why, friends, you go to do you know not what:
    Wherein hath Caesar thus deserved your loves?
    Alas, you know not: I must tell you then:
    You have forgot the will I told you of.

All

    Most true. The will! Let's stay and hear the will.

ANTONY

    Here is the will, and under Caesar's seal.
    To every Roman citizen he gives,
    To every several man, seventy-five drachmas.

Second Citizen

    Most noble Caesar! We'll revenge his death.

Third Citizen

    O royal Caesar!

ANTONY

    Hear me with patience.

All

    Peace, ho!

ANTONY

    Moreover, he hath left you all his walks,
    His private arbours and new-planted orchards,
    On this side Tiber; he hath left them you,
    And to your heirs for ever, common pleasures,
    To walk abroad, and recreate yourselves.
    Here was a Caesar! when comes such another?

First Citizen

    Never, never. Come, away, away!
    We'll burn his body in the holy place,
    And with the brands fire the traitors' houses.
    Take up the body.

Second Citizen

    Go fetch fire.

Third Citizen

    Pluck down benches.

Fourth Citizen

    Pluck down forms, windows, any thing.

    Exeunt Citizens with the body

ANTONY

    Now let it work. Mischief, thou art afoot,
    Take thou what course thou wilt!

    Enter a Servant
    How now, fellow!

Servant

    Sir, Octavius is already come to Rome.

ANTONY

    Where is he?

Servant

    He and Lepidus are at Caesar's house.

ANTONY

    And thither will I straight to visit him:
    He comes upon a wish. Fortune is merry,
    And in this mood will give us any thing.

Servant

    I heard him say, Brutus and Cassius
    Are rid like madmen through the gates of Rome.

ANTONY

    Belike they had some notice of the people,
    How I had moved them. Bring me to Octavius.

    Exeunt