JULIUS CÆSAR,

JULIUS CESAR, OCTAVIUS CÆSAR, M. ANTONIUS,

PERSONS REPRESENTED.

M. EMIL. LEPIDUS,

}

Triumvirs after the Death
of Julius Cæfar

CICERO, PUBLIUS, POPILIUS LENA, Senators.

BRUTUS,

CASSIUS,

CASCA,

FLAVIUS, and MARULLUS, Tribunes.
ARTEMIDORUS, a Sophift of Cnidos.
A Soothsayer.

CINNA, a Poet: Another Poet.

LUCILIUS, TITINIUS, MESSALA, Young CATO,
and VOLUMNIUs; Friends to Brutus and Caffius.
VARRO, CLITUS, CLAUDIUS, STRATO, LUCIUS,
DARDANIUS; Servants to Brutus.

Confpirators against Julius PINDARUS, Servant to Caffius.

Cafar.

CALPHURNIA, Wife to Cafar.
PORTIA, Wife to Brutus.

CINNA,

Plebeians, Senators, Guards, Attendants, &c.

SCENE, for the three firft Alts, at Rome: afterwards at an Island near Mutina; at Sardis; and near Philippi.

ACT I.

Enter Flavius, Marullus, and certain Commoners.

Flav.

ENCE; home, you idle creatures,

HE get you home:

Is this a holiday? What! know you not,
Being mechanical, you ought not walk,
Upon a labouring day, without the fign

Flav. Thou art a cobler, art thou?

Cob. Truly, fir, all that I live by is, with the awl: I meddle with no trade,-man's matters, nor 5 fir, a furgeon to old fhoes; when they are in great woman's matters, but with awl. I am, indeed, danger, I recover them. As proper men as ever trod upon neats-leather, have gone upon my handywork.

Flau. But wherefore art not in thy shop to-day?

Of your profeffion?-Speak, what trade art thou? 10 Why dost thou lead these men about the streets?

Car. Why, fir, a carpenter.

Mar. Where is thy leather apron, and thy rule?
What doft thou with thy best apparel on ?→→→
You, fir; what trade are you?

Cab. Truly, fir, in respect of a fine workman, 15
I am but, as you would fay, a cobler.

Mar. But what trade art thou? Anfwer me directly.

Cob. A trade, fir, that, I hope, I may use with a fafe confcience; which is, indeed, fir, a mender 20 of bad foals.

Flav. What trade, thou knave? thou naughty knave, what trade?

Cob. Truly, fir, to wear out their shoes, to get myfelf into more work. But, indeed, fir, we make holiday, to fee Cæfar, and to rejoice in his triumph.

Mar. Wherefore rejoice? What conquest brings
he home?

What tributaries follow him to Rome,
To grace in captive bonds his chariot wheels?
You blocks, you ftones, you worse than fenfelefs

things!

O, you hard hearts, you cruel men of Rome,
Knew you not Pompey? Many a time and oft
Have you climb'd up to walls and battlements,
To towers and windows, yea, to chimney-tops,
25 Your infants in your arms, and there have fat
The live-long day, with patient expectation,
To fee great Pompey pass the streets of Rome:
And when you saw his chariot but appear,
3 B 3

Cob. Nay, I beseech you, fir, be not out with me: Yet, if you be out, fir, I can mend you. Mar. What meanest thou by that? Mend me, thou faucy fellow? Cob. Why, fir, cobble you.

Have

Draw them to Tyber banks, and weep your tears 15 Let me not hinder, Caffius, your defires;

These growing feathers pluck'd from Cæfar's wing, 30 (Among which number, Caffius, be you one)

2 This perfon was not Decius, but Decimus Brutus. have before obferved, that Sennet appears to be a particular tune or mode of martial mufick. is alien, unfamiliar. 5 i. e. with a fluctuation of discordant opinions and defires.

Caf. Ay, do you fear it?

[people

Then must I think you would not have it so.
Bru. I would not, Caffius; yet I love him well:-
But wherefore do you hold me here so long?
What is it that you would impart to me?
If it be aught toward the general good,

Set honour in one eye, and death i' the other,
And I will look on both indifferently:
For, let the gods fo fpeed me, as I love
The name of honour more than I fear death.
Caf. I know that virtue to be in you, Brutus,
As well as I do know your outward favour.
Well, honour is the subject of my story.-
I cannot tell, what you and other men
Think of this life; but, for my fingle self,

I had as lief not be, as live to be

In awe of such a thing as I myself.

I was born free as Cæfar; fo were you :
We both have fed as well; and we can both
Endure the winter's cold, as well as he.
For once, upon a raw and gufty day,
The troubled Tyber chafing with his shores,
Cæfar faid to me, Dar'ft thou, Caffius, now
Leap in with me into this angry flood,
Ard faim to yonder point ?-Upon the word,
Accoutred as I was, I plunged in,

And bade him follow: fo, indeed, he did.
The torrent roar'd; and we did buffet it
With lufty finews; throwing it aside,
And stemming it with hearts of controversy.
But ere we could arrive the point propos'd,
Cæfar cry'd, Help me, Caffius, or I fink.

5

10

15

Bru. Another general shout!

I do believe, that these applauses are

For fome new honours that are heap'd on Cæfar.
Caf. Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow
world,

Like a Coloffus; and we petty men
Walk under his huge legs, and peep about
To find ourselves difhonourable graves.
Men at fome time are mafters of their fates:
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.
Brutus, and Cæfar: What should be in that Cæfar?
Why should that name be founded more than yours?
Write them together, yours is as fair a name;
Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well:
Weigh them, it is as heavy; conjure with them,
Brutus will start a spirit as foon as Cæfar.
Now in the names of all the gods at once,

Upon what meat doth this our Cæfar feed,

zo,That he is grown fo great? Age, thou art sham'd:
Rome, thou haft loft the breed of noble bloods!
When went there by an age, fince the great flood,
But it was fam'd with more than with one man?
When could they fay, 'till now, that talk'd of Rome,
That her wide walls encompass'd but one man?
25
Now is it Rome indeed, and room enough,
When there is in it but one only man.

30

O! you and I have heard our fathers say, [brook'd
There was a Brutus 2 once, that would have
The eternal devil to keep his ftate in Rome,
As eafily as a king.

Bru. That you do love me, I am nothing jealous;
What you would work me to, I have fome aim:
How I have thought of this, and of thefe times,

35 fhall recount hereafter; for this prefent,

4c

I, as Æneas, our great ancestor,

Did from the flames of Troy upon his fhoulder
The old Anchifes bear, fo, from the waves of Tyber

1501

He had a fever when he was in Spain,
And, when the fit was on him, I did mark
How he did shake: 'tis true, this god did shake:
His coward lips did from their colour fly;
And that fame eye, whofe bend doth awe the world,
Did lofe his luftre: I did hear him groan :
Ay, and that tongue of his, that bade the Romans 55
Mark him, and write his speeches in their books,
Alas! it cry'd, Give me fome drink, Titinius,
As a fick girl. Ye gods, it doth amaze me,
A man of fuch a feeble temper should

So get the start of the majestick world,

And bear the palm alone. [Sbout. Flourish.

I would not, fo with love I might intreat you,
Be any further mov'd. What you have faid,
will confider; what you have to fay,

I will with patience hear; and find a time
Both meet to hear, and answer, fuch high things.
Till then, my noble friend, chew upon this 3;
Brutus had rather be a villager,

Than to repute himself a son of Rome

Under fuch hard conditions as this time

Is like to lay upon us.

Caf. I am glad, that my weak words

Have ftruck but thus much fhew of fire from
Brutus.

Re-enter Cæfar and bis train.

Bru. The games are done, and Cæfar is re

turning.

Caf. As they pafs by, pluck Casca by the fleeve:
And he will, after his four fashion, tell you
What hath proceeded, worthy note, to-day.

Bru. I will do fo:-But, look you, Caffius,
The angry fpot doth glow on Cæfar's brow,
And all the reft look like a chidden train:
Calphurnia's cheek is pale; and Cicero
Looks with fuch ferret 4 and fuch fiery eyes,
60 As we have seen him in the Capitol,
Being crofs'd in conference by fome fenators.

! That is, to invite every new protefter to my affection by the ftale or allurement of customary «Yins. 2 i. e. Lucius Junius Brutus. 3 . e. ruminate on this. 4 A ferret has red eyes.

3B4

Caf

Caf. Cafca will tell us what the matter is.
Caf. Antonius.

Ant. Cæfar.

Caf. Let me have men about me, that are fat;
Sleek-headed men, and such as fleep o' nights:
Yon Caffius has a lean and hungry look;

He thinks too much : fuch men are dangerous.
Ant. Fear him not, Cæfar, he's not dangerous;
He is a noble Roman, and well given.

and ftill as he refus'd it, the rabblement hooted, and clapp'd their chopt hands, and threw up their fweaty night-caps, and utter'd fuch a deal of ftinking breath becaufe Cæfar refus'd the crown, that 5t had almoft choak'd Cæfar; for he fwooned, and fell down at it: And for mine own part, I durft not laugh, for fear of opening my lips, and receiving the bad air.

Caf. 'Would he were fatter:-But I fear him 10

not:

Yet if my name were liable to fear,

I do not know the man I should avoid

So foon as that spare Caffius. He reads much;
He is a great obferver, and he looks

Quite through the deeds of men: he loves no plays,
As thou doft, Antony; he hears no musick :
Seldom he fmiles; and smiles in such a fort,
As if he mock'd himself, and fcorn'd his fpirit
That could be mov'd to smile at any thing.
Such men as he be never at heart's ease,
Whiles they behold a greater than themselves;
And therefore are they very dangerous.
I rather tell thee what is to be fear'd,
Than what I fear; for always I am Cæfar.
Come on my right hand, for this ear is deaf,
And tell me truly what thou think'st of him.
[Exeunt Cæfar, and his train.

Marent Brutus and Caffius: Cafea to them.

15

Caf. But, foft, I pray you: What? did Cæfar fwoon?

Casca. He fell down in the market-place, and foam'd at mouth, and was fpeechless.

Bru. "Tis very like; he hath the falling-ficknefs.

Caj. No, Cæfar hath it not; but you, and I, And honeft Cafca, we have the falling-fickness. Cafea. I know not what you mean by that; but, I am fure, Cæfar fell down. If the tag-rag people did not clap him, and hifs him, according as he 20 pleas'd, and difpleas'd them, as they use to do the players in the theatre, I am no true man.

Bru. What faid he, when he came unto himself? Cafea. Marry, before he fell down, when he perceiv'd the common herd was glad he refus'd 25 the crown, he pluck'd me ope his doublet, and offer'd them his throat to cut.-An I had been a man of any occupation, if I would not have taken him at word, I would I might go to hell among the rogues :-and fo he fell. When he

Cafea. You pull'd me by the cloak; Would 30 came to himself again, he faid, If he had done, or

you speak with me?

Bru. Ay, Cafca; tell us what hath chanc'd to-day, That Cæfar looks fo fad.

Cafca. Why you were with him, were you not?

faid, any thing amiss, he defir'd their worships to think it was his infirmity. Three or four wenches, where I ftood, cry`d, Alas, good foul!-and forgave him with all their hearts: But there's no

Bru. I fhould not then afk Cafca what had 35 heed to be taken of them: if Cæfar had ftabb'd

1 i. e. Had I been a mechanick, one of the Plebeians, to whom he offered his throat.

Which