The Multitude, befide themselves with fear,
And then we will deliver you the Cause,
Why I, that did love Cafar when I ftrook him,
Have thus proceeded.

Ant. I doubt not of your Wisdom.

Let each Man render me his bloody Hand;
Firft, Marcus Brutus, will I shake with you;
Next, Caius Caffius, do I take your Hand;
Now Decius Brutus, yours; now yours, Metellus ;
Yours, Cinna; and my valiant Caska, yours;
Though laft, not leaft in love, yours, good Trebonius;
Gentlemen allalas, what fall I fay,

My Credit now stands on fuch flippery Ground,
That one of two bad ways you must conceit me,
Either a Coward, or a Flatterer.

That I did love thee, Cafar, O 'tis true;
If then thy Spirit look upon us now,
Shall it not grieve thee dearer than thy Death,
To fee thy Antony making his Peace,
Shaking the bloody Fingers of thy Foes,
Moft Noble! in the prefence of thy Coarfe?
Had I as many Eyes, as thou haft Wounds,
Weeping as fast as they ftream forth thy Blood,
It would become me better, than to close
In terms of Friendship with thine Enemies.
Pardon me, Julius --- here waft thou bay'd, brave Hart,
Here didft thou fall, and here thy Hunters ftand
Sign'd in thy fpoil, and crimfon'd in thy Lethe.
O World! thou waft the Foreft to this Hart,
And this indeed, O World, the Hart of thee.
How like a Deer, ftricken by many Princes,
Doft thou here lye ?

Caf. Mark Antony

Ant. Pardon me, Caius Caffius;

The Enemies of Cafar fhall fay this:
Then, in a Friend, it is cold Modefty.

Caf. I blame you not for praifing Cafar fo,
But what compact mean you to have with us?
Will you be prick'd in number of our Friends,
Or fhall we on; and not depend on you?

Ant. Therefore I took your Hands, but was indeed

Sway'd

Sway'd from the Point, by looking down on Cafar.
Friends am I with you all, and love you all,
Upon this hope, that you fhall give me Reafons,
Why, and wherein Cafar was dangerous.'

Bru. Or else were this a favage Spectacle.
Our Reasons are fo full of good regard,
That were you Antony the Son of Cafar,
You fhould be fatisfied.

Ant. That's all I seek;

And am moreover Suitor, that I may
Produce his Body to the Market-place,
And in the Pulpit, as becomes a Friend,
Speak in the Order of his Funeral.
Bru. You fhall, Mark Antony.
Caf. Brutus, a word with you

You know not what you do; do not confent
That Antony speak in his Funeral:

Know you how much the People may be mov'd
By that which he will utter?

Bru. By your Pardon,

I will my felf into the Pulpit first,

And fhew the Reason of our Cafar's Death.
What Antony fhall speak, I will protest
He speaks by leave, and by permiffion;
And that we are contented Cafar fhall
Have all true Rites, and lawful Ceremonies;
It shall advantage more, than do us wrong.
Caf. I know not what may fall, I like it not.
Bru. Mark Antony, here take you Cafar's Body;
You shall not in your Funeral Speech blame as,
But fpeak all good you can devife of Cafar,
And fay you do't by our Permiffion:
Elfe fhall you not have any hand at all
About his Funeral. And you shall speak
In the fame Pulpit whereto I am going,
After my Speech is ended.

Ant. Be it fo;

I do defire no more.

[Afide

Bru. Prepare the Body then, and follow us. [Exeunt

VOL. V.

O

Manet

Manet Antony.

Ant. O pardon me, thou bleeding piece of Earth,
That I am meek and gentle with these Butchers.
Thou art the Ruins of the nobleft Man

That ever lived in the Tide of Times.
Woe to the Hand that shed this coftly Blood!
Over thy Wounds, now do I prophefie,
(Which, like dumb Mouths, do ope their ruby Lips,
To beg the voice and utterance of my Tongue)
A Curfe fhall light upon the Limbs of Men;
Domeftick Fury, and fierce civil Strife,
Shall cumber all the parts of Italy;

Blood and Deftruction fhall be fo in ufe,
And dreadful Objects fo familiar,

That Mothers fhall but fmile, when they behold
Their Infants quartered with the Hands of War:
All Pity choak'd with Cuftom of fell Deeds,
And Cafar's Spirit ranging for Revenge,
With Ate by his fide, come hot from Hell,
Shall in thefe Confines, with a Monarch's Voice,
Cry havock, and let flip the Dogs of War,
That this foul Deed fhall fmell above the Earth
With Carrion Men, groaning for burial..

Enter Octavius's Servant.
You ferve Octavius Cafar, do you not?
Ser. I do, Mark Antony.

Ant. Cafar did write for him to come to Rome.
Ser. He did receive his Letters, and is coming,
And bid me fay to you by word of Mouth-
O Cafar!

[Seeing the Body. Ant. Thy Heart is big, get thee apart and weep; Paffion I fee is catching, for mine Eyes,

Seeing those Beads of Sorrow ftand in thine,

Began to water. Is thy Mafter coming?

Ser. Helyesto Night within feven Leagues of Rome.

Ant. Poft back with fpeed, and tell him what hath chanc'd. Here is a mourning Rome, a dangerous Rome,

No Rome of Safety for Octavius yet ;.

Hie hence, and tell him fo. Yet stay a while,
Thou shalt not back, 'till I have born this Coarfe
Into the Market-place: There fhall I try

In my Oration, how the People take
The cruel iffue of thefe bloody Men;
According to the which, thou shalt difcourfe
To young Octavius of the ftate of things.

Lend me your Hand.

[Exeunt with Cæfar's Body.

SCENE II. The Forum.

Enter Brutus, and goes into the Pulpit; and Caffius, with the Plebeians.

Pleb. We will be fatisfied; let us be fatisfied.

Bru. Then follow me, and give me Audience, Friends. Caffius, go you into the other Street,

And part the Numbers:

Thofe that will hear me fpeak, let 'em ftay here;
Thofe that will follow Caffius, go with him,

And publick Reafons fhall be rendred

Of Cafar's Death.

I Pleb. I will hear Brutus fpeak.

2 Pleb. I will hear Caffius, and compare their Reasons, When feverally we hear them rendred.

[Exit Caffius with fome of the Plebeians. 3 Pleb. The Noble Brutus is afcended: Silence. Bru. Be Patient 'till the laft.

Romans, Country-men, and Lovers, hear me for my Cause, and be filent, that you may hear. Believe me for mine Honour, and have respect to mine Honour, that you may believe. Cenfure me in your Wisdom, and awake your Senfes, that you may the better judge. If there be any in this Affembly, any dear Friend of Cafar's, to them I fay, That Brutus love to Cafar was no less than his. If then, that Friend demand, why Brutus rose against Cafar, this is my Answer: Not that I lov'd Cafar lefs, but that I lov'd Rome more. Had you rather Cafar were living, and dye all Slaves; than that Cafar were dead, to live all Free-men? As Cafar lov'd me, I weep for him; as he was Fortunate, I rejoyce at it; as he was Valiant, I honour him; but as he was Ambitious, I flew him. There is Tears for his Love, Joy for his Fortune, Honour for his Valour, and Death for his Ambition. Who is here fo bafe that would be a Bond-man? If any, fpeak; for him

O 2

have

have I offended. Who is here fo rude, that would not be a Roman? If any, fpeak; for him have I offended. Who is here fo vile, that will not love his Country? Ifany, speak; for him have I offended. I paufe for a Reply

All. None, Brutus, none.

Bru. Then none have I offended. I have done no more to Cafar than you fhall do to Brutus. The Question of his Death is inroll'd in the Capitol; his Glory not extenuated, wherein he was worthy; not his Offences enforc'd, for which he fuffered Death.

Enter Mark Antony, with Cæfar's Body.

Here comes his Body, mourn'd by Mark Antony; who though he had no hand in his Death, fhall receive the Benefit of his dying, a Place in the Commonwealth; as which of you fhall not? With this I depart, That as I flew my best Lover for the good of Rome, I have the fame Dagger for my felf, when it thall please my Country to need my Death,

All. Live, Brutus, live, live.

1 Pleb. Bring him with Triumph home unto his House. 2 Pleb. Give him a Statue with his Ancestors.

3 Pleb. Let him be Cafar.

4 Pleb. Cafar's better Parts

Shall be crown'd in Brutus.

I Pleb. We'll bring him to his House

With Shouts and Clamors.

Bru. My Countrymen

2 Pleb. Peace! Silence! Brutus fpeaks. 1 Pleb. Peace, Ho!

Bru. Good Countrymen, let me depart alone,
And, for my fake, ftay here with Antony;

Do grace to Cafar's Corps, and grace his Speech
Tending to Cafar's Glories, which Mark Antony,
By our Permiffion, is allow'd to make.
I do intreat you, not a Man depart,
Save I alone, 'till Antony have fpoke.

1 Pleb. Stay, Ho, and let us hear Mark Antony. 3 Pleb. Let him go up into the publick Chair, We'll hear him: Noble Antony, go up.

Ant. For Brutus's fake I am beholden to you.

[Exit)

4 Pleb.