rule?

Citizens.

You, sir; what trade are you?

2nd Cit. Truly, sir, in respect of a fine work

man,

I am but, as you would say, a cobbler.

Mar. But what trade art thou? Answer me

directly.

2nd Cit. A trade, sir, that I hope I may use with a safe conscience: which is, indeed, sir, a mender of bad soles.

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

2nd Cit. Nay, I beseech you, sir, be not out with me: yet if you be out, sir, I can mend you. Mar. What meanest thou by that? Mend me, thou saucy fellow?

2nd Cit. Why, sir, cobble you.

Flav. Thou art a cobbler, art thou?

2nd Cit. Truly, sir, all that I live by is with the awl: I meddle with no tradesman's matters, nor women's matters, but with awl. I am indeed, sir, a surgeon to old shoes: when they are in great danger, I re-cover them. As proper men as ever trod upon neats-leather have gone upon my handy-work.

Flav. But wherefore art not in thy shop to-day? Why dost thou lead these men about the streets?

2nd Cit. Truly, sir, to wear out their shoes, to get myself into more work. But indeed, sir, we make holiday to see Cæsar, 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 stones, you worse than senseless

things!

0
you hard hearts, you cruel men of Rome!
Knew you not Pompey ?-Many a time and oft
Have you climbed up to walls and battlements,
To towers and windows, yea to chimney-tops,
Your infants in your arms, and there have sat
The live-long day, with patient expectation,
To see great Pompey pass the streets of Rome :
And when you saw his chariot but appear,
Have you not made an universal shout,
That Tiber trembled underneath her banks,
To hear the replication of your sounds
Made in her concave shores?
And do you now put on your best attire;
And do you now cull out a holiday;

And do you now strew flowers in his way
That comes in triumph over Pompey's blood?—
Be gone!

Run to your houses, fall upon your knees;
Pray to the gods to intermit the plague
That needs must light on this ingratitude.
Flav. Go, go, good countrymen; and for this
fault

Assemble all the poor men of your sort;
Draw them to Tyber banks, and weep your tears
Into the channel, till the lowest stream
Do kiss the most exalted shores of all.

[Exeunt Citizens.
See, whe'r their basest metal be not moved!
They vanish, tongue-tied in their guiltiness.
Go you down that way towards the Capitol;

Be not deceived: if I have veiled my look,

I turn the trouble of my countenance
Merely upon myself. Vexed I am
Of late with passions of some difference,
Conceptions only proper to myself,

Which give some soil, perhaps, to my behaviours:
But let not therefore, my good friends be grieved
(Among which number, Cassius, be you one),
Nor construe any further my neglect,
Than that poor Brutus, with himself at war,
Forgets the shows of love to other men.

Cas. Then, Brutus, I have much mistook your passion:

By means whereof this breast of mine hath buried
Thoughts of great value, worthy cogitations.
Tell me good Brutus, can you see your face?
Bru. No, Cassius: for the eye sees not itself,
But by reflection, by some other things.

Cas. "Tis just:

Were

hear:

And since you know you cannot see yourself
So well as by reflection, I (your glass)
Will modestly discover to yourself
That of yourself which you yet know not of.
And be not jealous of me, gentle Brutus :
I a common laugher, or did use
To stale with ordinary oaths my love
To every new protester; if you know
That I do fawn on men and hug them hard,
And after scandal them; or if you know
That I profess myself in banqueting
To all the rout, then hold me dangerous.
[Flourish and shout.

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 so speed me as I love
The name of honour more than I fear death.
Cas. 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 single 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 Cæsar; so 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 gusty day,
The troubled Tyber chafing with her shores,
Cæsar said to me," Dar'st thou, Cassius, now
Leap in with me into this angry flood,
And swim to yonder point?"-Upon the word,
Accoutred as I was, I plunged in,

And bade him follow: so indeed he did.
The torrent roared, and we did buffet it
With lusty sinews; throwing it aside
And stemming it with hearts of controversy.
But ere we could arrive the point proposed,
Cæsar cried,"Help me, Cassius, or I sink."
I, as Æneas, our great ancestor,

Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder
The old Anchises bear, so from the waves of

Tyber

Did I the tired Cæsar. And this man

Is now become a god! and Cassius is

A wretched creature, and must bend his body

If Cæsar carelessly but nod on him!
He had a fever when he was in Spain,
And, when the fit was on him, I did mark
How he did shake :-'t is true, this god did shake:
His coward lips did from their colour fly;
And that same eye whose bend doth awe the world
Did lose his lustre : I did hear him groan:
Ay, and that tongue of his, that bade the Romans
Mark him, and write his speeches in their books,
Alas! it cried,-"Give me some drink, Titinius:"
As a sick girl! Ye gods, it doth amaze me
A man of such a feeble temper should
So get the start of the majestic world,
And bear the palm alone. [Shout. Flourish.

Bru. Another general shout!

I do believe that these applauses are
For some new honours that are heaped on Cæsar.
Cas. Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow
world

Like a Colossus; and we petty men
Walk under his huge legs, and peep about
To find ourselves dishonourable graves.
Men at some time are masters of their fates:
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.
Brutus and Cæsar: what should be in that Cæsar?
Why should that name be sounded 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 soon as Cæsar: [Shout.

Now in the names of all the gods at once,
Upon what meat doth this our Cæsar feed,
That he is grown so great? Age, thou art shamed:
Rome, thou has lost the breed of noble bloods!
When went there by an age, since the great flood,
But it was famed with more than with one man?
When could they say till now, that talked of Rome,
That her wide walks encompassed but one man?
Now is it Rome indeed, and room enough,
When there is in it but one only man.
O! you and I have heard our fathers say,
There was a Brutus once, that would have brooked
The eternal devil to keep his state in Rome,
As easily as a king.

Bru. That you do love me, I am nothing jealous; What you would work me to, I have some aim: How I have thought of this, and of these times, I shall recount hereafter: for this present,

I would not, so with love I might entreat you,
Be any further moved. What you have said,
I will consider; what you have to say,
I will with patience hear; and find a time
Both meet to hear and answer such high things.
Till then, my noble friend, chew upon this:
Brutus had rather be a villager,

Than to repute himself a son of Rome
Under these hard conditions as this time

Is like to lay upon us.

Cas. I am glad that my weak words

Have struck but thus much show of fire from Brutus.

Re-enter CESAR and his Train.

Bru. The games are done, and Cæsar is returning.

:

Cas. As they pass by, pluck Casca by the sleeve; And he will, after his sour fashion, tell you What hath proceeded worthy note to day. Bru. I will do so.—But look you, Cassius, The angry spot doth glow on Cæsar's brow, And all the rest look like a chidden train: Calphurnia's cheek is pale: and Cicero Looks with such ferret and such fiery eyes As we have seen him in the Capitol, Being crossed in conference by some senators. Cas. Casca will tell us what the matter is. Cas. Antonius:

Ant. Cæsar.

Cas. Let me have men about me that are fat; Sleekheaded men, and such as sleep o'nights: Yond' Cassius has a lean and hungry look : He thinks too much: such men are dangerous. Ant. Fear him not, Cæsar; he's not dangerous: He is a noble Roman, and well given.

Cæs. 'Would he were fatter:-but I fear him not: Yet if my name were liable to fear,

I do not know the man I should avoid
So soon as that spare Cassius. He reads much;
He is a great observer, and he looks

Quite through the deeds of men: he loves no plays,
As thou dost, Antony; he hears no music:
Seldom he smiles; and smiles in such a sort
As if he mocked himself, and scorned his spirit
That could be moved to smile at anything.
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 feared,
Than what I fear; for always I am Cæsar.
Come on my right hand (for this ear is deaf),
And tell me truly what thou think'st of him.
[Exeunt CESAR and his Train. CASCA stays
behind.

Casca. You pulled me by the cloak: would you speak with me?

Bru. Ay, Casca: tell us what hath chanced to-day,

That Cæsar looks so sad?

Casca. Why, you were with him, were you not? Bru. I should not then ask Casca what hath chanced.

Casca. Why, there was a crown offered him: and being offered him, he put it by with the back of his hand, thus: and then the people fell a-shouting.

Bru. What was the second noise for?
Casca. Why, for that too.

Cas. They shouted thrice: what was the last
cry for?

Casca. Why, for that too.

Bru. Was the crown offered him thrice?

Casca. Ay, marry, was 't, and he put it by thrice; every time gentler than other: and at every putting by, mine honest neighbours shouted.

Cas. Who offered him the crown?
Casca. Why, Antony.

Bru. Tell us the manner of it, gentle Casca. Casca. I can as well be hanged as tell the manner of it: it was mere foolery; I did not mark it. I saw Mark Antony offer him a crown; yet 't was not a crown neither, 't was one of these coronets;-and, as I told you, he put it by once but for all that, to my thinking he would fain have had it. Then he offered it to him again; then he put it by again: but to my thinking he was very loath to lay his fingers off it. And then he offered it the third time; he put it the third time by: and still, as he refused it, the rabblement hooted, and clapped their chapped hands, and threw up their sweaty nightcaps, and uttered such a deal of stinking breath because Cæsar refused the crown, that it had almost choked Cæsar; for he swooned and fell down at it and for mine own part, I durst not laugh, for fear of opening my lips and receiving the bad air.

Cas. But soft, I pray you :-what! did Cæsar

swoon?

Casca. He fell down in the market-place, and foamed at mouth and was speechless.

Bru. 'Tis very like: he hath the falling

sickness.

Cas. No, Cæsar hath it not; but you and I, And honest Casca, we have the falling-sickness.

Casca. I know not what you mean by that; but I am sure Cæsar fell down. If the tag-rag people did not clap him and hiss him, according as he pleased and displeased them, as they use to do the players in the theatre, I am no true

man,

Bru. What said he when he came unto himself? Casca. Marry, before he fell down, when he