3 Pleb. The noble Brutus is afcended: Silence.

Bru. Be patient till the laft.

m

Romans, country-men, and lovers, hear me for my cause; and be filent, that you may hear: believe me for mine honour; and have refpect to mine honour, that you may believe: cenfure me in your wisdom; and awake your fenfes, that you may the better judge. If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of Cafar's, to him I fay, that " Brutus' love to Cafar was no lefs than his: If then that friend demand, why Brutus rofe 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 flaves; than that Cafar were dead, to live all free-men? As Cæfar loy'd 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 flew him: There are 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 bondman? If any, fpeak; for him 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? If any, fpeak; for him have I offended, I paufe for a reply.

All. None, Brutus, none, qa

1.

Bru. Then none have I offended. I have done no more to Cæfar than you shall do to Brufus. The question of his death is inroll'd in the capitol his glory not extenuated,

wherein he was worthy; nor his offences enforc'd, for which he' fuffer'd death.

Enter Mark Antony with Cæfar's body.” SỰ 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 common-wealth; as which of you shall not? With this I depart, That as I flew my beft lover for the good of Rome, I have the fame dagger for myself, when it fhall please my country to need my death.

All. Live, Brutus, live, live!

Pleb. Bring him with triumph home unto his houfe.

2 Pleb. Give him a ftatue with his ancestors,

3 Pleb. Let him be Cafar. "

4 Pleb. Cafar's better parts Shall be crown'd in Brutus.

1 Pleb. We'll bring him to his houfe with fhouts and clamour's,

Bru. My countrymen, cu ca

2 Pleb. Peace! filence! Brutus fpeaks.

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 fpeech
Tending to Cæfar's glories, which Mark Antony
By our permiffion is allow'd to make.

I do intreat you, not a man depart, Frui
SavedI alone till Antony Have (poke.

in : fol a. "

▸ P. and H. read, Live, Brutus, Vide 714 P. H. and C. read Shall now be omitting the other low): Ils bus _ crown'd, &c.

1 Pleb.

Pleb. Stay, ho! and let us hear Mark Antony. 3 Pleb. Let him go up into the public chair; We'll hear him: Noble Antony, go up.

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

4 Pleb. What does he fay of Brutus ?

3 Pleb. He fays, for Brutus' fake

He finds himself beholding to us all.

4 Pleb. 'Twere best" he speak no harm of Brutus here.

1 Pleb. This Cafar, was a tyrant.

3 Pleb. Nay, that's certain:

We are bleft that Rome is rid of him.

2 Pleb. Peace; let us hear what Antony can say. Ant. You gentle Romans,

All. Peace, ho! let us hear him.

Ant. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your cars;
I come to bury Cæfar, 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 Cafar.

The noble Brutus

.? 心

Here begins the fixth scene in P. bolden). And perhaps the very reason H. W. and J.RO

why Shakespeare makes the fourth Ples The three firft fo's and C. bebolding beian afk the question, What does be fag for bebolden. of Brutus was, that the third Plebeian, by repeating what Antony had said, might make this blunder.

So the three first fo's and C; the rest, bebolden for bebolding. Thus we fee that all the editions put the fame word into Antony's and the third Plebejan's

The three laft fo's omit be.
The three laft fo's, R. P. and H.

The fourth f. and R.'s octavo, the

mouth; by which means, I fancy, a glad for bleft. G. inferts via before piece of humour is loft: bebolden is` bleßt. spoken properly by Antony; but when it comes to be repeated by the Plebeian, it migrates into bebolding (a word at this day used by some of the vulgar for be

for their.

The

P. and all after, except E. ̧ omit

Hath

Hath told you Cæfar was ambitious:
If it were fo, it was a grievous fault;
And grievously hath Cafar 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 Cæfar's funeral.

He was my friend, faithful and just to me;
But Brutus fays, he was ambitious;

And Brutus is an honourable man.

He hath brought many captives home to Rome,
Whose ranfoms did the general coffers fill;
Did this in Cafar seem ambitious?

When that the poor have cry'd, Cafar hath wept;
Ambition fhould be made of fterner ftuff:
Yet Brutus fays, he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.
You all did fee that on the Lupercal

I thrice presented him a kingly crown,

Which he did thrice refufe: Was this ambition?

Yet Brutus fays, he was ambitious;

And fure he is an honourable man.

I speak not to difprove what Brutus fpoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know.

You all did love him once, not without caufe,
What cause withholds you then to mourn for him?
O judgment, thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have loft their reafon!-Bear with me;
My heart is in the coffin there with Cafar,
And I muft pause till it come back to me.

2 P. and H at for on.

Pleb.

↑ Pleb. Methinks there is much reason in his sayings.

2 Pleb. If thou confider rightly of the matter, Gafar has had great wrong.

3 Pleb. Has he, b mafters?

I fear there will a worse come in his place.

4 Pleb. Mark'd ye his words? He would not take the.

crown;

Therefore 'tis certain he was not ambitious.

1 Pleb. If it be found fo, fome will dear abide it.

2 Pleb. Poor foul! his eyes are red as fire with weeping. 3 Pleb. There's not a nobler man in Rome than Antony. 4 Pleb. Now mark him, he begins again to speak.

с

Ant. But yesterday the word of Cafar might

Have flood against the world; now lyes he there,
And none fo poor to do him reverence.

O mafters, if I were difpos'd to ftir
Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,
I should do Brutus wrong, and Caffius wrong,
Who, you all know, are honourable men:
I will not do them wrong; I rather choose
Το wrong the dead, to wrong myfelf and you,
Than I will wrong fuch honourable men.

But here's a parchinent, with the feal of Cafar,
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)

1...

a The three laft fo's, and all after except C, make this fpeech a part of the firft Plebeian's foregoing speech.

C. inferts my before mafters.

error, I fuppofe, of the prefs, but which
c T.'s duodecimo òmits agaiz,;
has crept into the editions of W. and
J.

And