ACT III. SCENE I.
SCENE The Capitol.
Flourish. Enter Cæfar, Brutus, Caffius, Caska, Decjus, Metellus, Trebonius, Cinna, Antony, Lepidus, Artemidorus, and Popilius.
HE Ides of March are come.
Sooth. Ay, Cafar, but not gone.
Art. Hail, Cafar: Read this Schedule.
Dec. Trebonius doth defire you to o'er-read,
At your best leisure, this his humble Suit.
Art. O Cafar, read mine first; for mine's a Suit
That touches Cafar nearer. Read it, great Cafar.
Caf. What touches us our felf, shall be last serv'd.
Art. Delay not, Cafar, read it instantly.
Caf. What, is the Fellow mad?
Caf. What, urge you your Petitions in the Street?
Pop. I wish your Enterprize to Day may thrive.
Caf. What Enterprize, Popilius?
Pop. Fare you well.
Bru. What faid Popilius Lena?
Caf. He wish'd to Day our Enterprize might thrive:
I fear our Purpose is discovered.
Bru. Look how he makes to Cafar; mark him.
Caf. Caska, be fudden, for we fear prevention.
Brutus, what shall be done? If this be known,
Caffius or Cafar never shall turn back,
For I will flay my self.
Bru. Caffius be constant:
Popilius Lena speaks not of our Purposes.
For look he smiles, and Cafar doth not change.
Caf. Trebonius knows his time; for look you, Brutus,
He draws Mark Antony out of the way.
Dec. Where is Metellus Cimber? Let him go,
And presently prefer his Suit to Cafar.
Bru. He is addrest; press near, and second him.
Cin. Caska, you're the first that rears your Hand.
Caf. Are we all ready? What is now amiss,
That Cafar and his Senate must redress ?
Met. Most high, most mighty, and most puissant Cafar,
Metellus Cimber throws before thy Seat,
An humble Heart.
Caf. I must prevent thee, Cimber ;
These Couchings, and these lowly Curtsies
Might fire the Blood of ordinary Men,
And turn Pre-Ordinance, and first Decree,
Into the lane of Children. Be not fond,
To think, that Cafar bears such Rebel Blood,
That will be thaw'd from the true Quality,
With that which melteth Fools; I mean sweet Words,
Low-crooked-curtsies, and base Spaniel Fawning.
Thy Brother by Decree is banished;
If thou dost bend, and pray, and fawn for him,
I spurn thee like a Cur out of my way.
Know, Cafar doth not wrong, nor without Caufe
Will he be satisfied.
Met. Is there no Voice more worthy than my own,
To found more sweetly in great Cafar's Ear,
For the repealing of my banish'd Brother ?
Bru. I kiss thy Hand, but not in flattery, Cafar;
Defiring thee, that Publius Cimber may
Have an immediate Freedom of Repeal.
Caf. What Brutus!
Caf. Pardon, Cafar, Cafar, Pardon;
As low as to thy Foot doth Caffius fall,
To beg Enfranchisement for Publius Cimber.
Caf. I could be well mov'd, if I were as you;
If I could pray to move, Prayers would move me:
But I am constant as the Northern Star,
Of whose true, fixt, and resting Quality,
There is no fellow in the Firmament;
The Skies are painted with unnumbred sparks,
They are all Fire, and every one doth shine,
But there's but one in all doth hold his place.
So, in the World, 'tis furnish'd well with Men,
And Men are Flesh and Blood, and apprehenfive;
Yet in the number, I do know but one
That unassailable holds on his Rank,
Unshak'd of Motion: and that I am he,
Let me a little shew it, even in this ;
That I was constant Cimber should be banish'd,
And constant do remain to keep him so.
Caf. Hence! wilt thou lift up Olympus?
Dec. Great Cafar -
Caf. Do not, Brutus, bootless kneel.
Cask. Speak Hands for me.
Caf. Et tu Brute Then fall Cafar.
Cin. Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is deadRun hence, proclaim, cry it about the StreetsCaf. Some to the common Pulpits, and cry out,
Liberty, Freedom, and Enfranchisement.
Bru. People and Senators, be not affrighted;
Fly not, stand still, Ambition's Debt is paid.
Cask. Go to the Pulpit, Brutus.
Dec. And Caffius too.
Cin. Here, quite confounded with this Mutiny.
Met. Stand fast together, lest some Friend of Casar's
Bru. Talk not of standing. Publius, good Cheer,
There is no harm intended to your Person,
Nor to no Roman else; fo tell them, Publius.
Caf. And leave us, Publius, left that the People
Rushing on us, should do your Age some Mischief.
Bru. Do so, and let no Man abide this Deed,
Caf. Where is Antony?
Tre. Fled to his House amaz'd,
Men, Wives, and Children, stare, cry out, and run,
As it were Dooms-day,
Bru. Fates, we will know your Pleasures;
That we shall die, we know; 'tis but the time
And drawing Days out, that Men stand upon.
Cask. Why he that cuts off twenty Years of Life,
Cuts off so many Years of fearing Death.
Bru. Grant that, and then is Death a Benefit.
So are we Casar's Friends, that have abridg'd
His time of fearing Death. Stoop Romans, stoop,
And let us bathe our Hands in Casar's Blood,
Up to the Elbows, and besmear our Swords;
Then walk we forth even to the Market-place,
And waving our red Weapons o'er our Heads,
Let's all cry Peace! Freedom! and Liberty!
Caf. Stoop then, and wash
How many Ages hence
[Dipping their Swords in Cæfar's Blood.
Shall this our lofty Scene be acted over,
In States unborn, and Accents yet unknown?
Bru. How many times shall Cæfar bleed in sport,
That now on Pompey's Basis lyes along,
No worthier than the Duft ?
Caf. So oft as that shall be,
So often shall the Knot of us be call'd,
The Men that gave their Country Liberty.
Dec. What, what shall we forth?
Caf. Ay, every Man away.
Brutus shall lead, and we will grace his Heels
With the most bold, and the best Hearts of Rome.
Bru. Soft, who comes here? a Friend of Antony's.
Ser. Thus, Brutus, did my Master bid me Kneel;
Thus did Mark Antony bid me fall down,
And being proftrate, thus he bad me say,
Brutus is Noble, Wife, Valiant and Honeft;
Cafar was Mighty, Bold, Royal and Loving;
Say, I love Brutus, and I honour him;
Say, I fear'd Cafar, honour'd him, and lov'd him.
If Brutus will vouchsafe, that Antony
May safely come to him, and be refolv'd
How Cafar hath deserv'd to lye in Death,
Mark Antony Thall not love Cafar dead
So well as Brutus living; but will follow
The Fortunes and Affairs of noble Brutus,
Thorough the hazards of this untrod State,
With all true Faith. So says my Master Antony.
Bru. Thy Master is a wife and valiant Roman,
I never thought him worfe.
Tell him, fo please him come unto this place, /
He shall be fatisfied, and by my Honour
Ser. I'll fetch him presently.
Bru. I know that we shall have him well to Friend.
Caf. I wish we may; but yet have I a mind
That fears him much; and my misgiving still
Falls shrewdly to the purpose.
Bru. But here comes Antony;
Welcome, Mark Antony.
Ant. O mighty Cafar! dost thou lye so low?
Are all thy Conquests, Glories, Triumphs, Spoils,
Shrunk to this little Measure?
Fare thee well.
I know not, Gentlemen, what you intend,
Who else must be let blood, who else is rank;
If I my felf, there is no Hour so fit
As Cafar's Deaths Hour; norno Instrument
Of half that worth, as those your Swords, made rich
With the most noble Blood of all this World.
I do beseech ye, if you bear me hard,
Now, whilst your purpled Hands do reek and smoak,
Fulfil your Pleasure. Live a thousand Years,
I shall not find my felf so apt to die :
No Place will please me so, no mean of Death,
As here by Cafar, and by you cut off,
The Choice and Master Spirits of this Age.
Bru. O Antony! Beg not your Death of us;
Though now we must appear bloody and cruel,
As, by our Hands, and this our present A&,
You fee we do; yet see you but our Hands,
And this, the bleeding Business they have done.
Our Hearts you fee not, they are pitiful;
And pity to the general wrong of Rome,
As Fire drives out Fire, fo Pity, Pity,
Hath done this deed on Cafar. For your part,
To you, our Swords have leaden Points, Mark Antony,
Our Arms in strength of Malice, and our Hearts
Of Brothers temper, do receive you in,
With all kind Love, good Thoughts, and Reverence.
Caf. Your Voice shall be as strong as any Man's,
In the disposing of new Dignities.
Bru. Only be patient 'till we have appeas'd
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