If I myself, there is no hour so fit

As Cæsar's death's hour; nor no1 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,3
Now, whilst your purpled hands do reek and smoke,
Fulfil your pleasure. Live a thousand years,
I shall not find myself so apts to die:
No place will please me so, no means of death,
As here by Cæsar, 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 act,
You see we do, yet see you but our hands
And this the bleeding businesss they have done:
Our hearts you see not; they are pitiful,
And pity to the general wrong of Rome
As fire drives out fire, so pity pity-*

11

160

170

Hath done this deed on Cæsar. For your part,1
To you our swords have leaden points, Mark Antony,
Our arms, no strength of malice;12† and our hearts,
Of brothers' temper, do receive you in1s
With all kind love, good thoughts, and reverence.
Cas. Your voice14 shall be as strong as any man's
In the disposing of new dignities.15

Bru. Only be patient, till we have appeased
The multitude, beside themselves with fear, 180
And then we will deliver16 you the cause,

*I. e. as the pain of a burn is supposed to be driven out by applying heat to it, so our pity for Rome drives out our pity for Cæsar. It is a common though erroneous idea that if one is burnt slightly, the pain is taken away by holding the burnt part close to a fire. The homoeopathic principle of curing diseases by small doses of poisons which would produce the same diseases ir. healthy persons, and the prevention of disease by inoculation are similar ideas, and often prove efficacious. (The first "fire" is here a dissyllable).

†This is Capell's emendation for "our arms in strength of malice; and," etc., which would mean either "made strong by hatred" or "made strong by the deed of malice they have done." The arms powerful for evil are contrasted with their tender hearts. Above, Brutus says: "Yet see you but our hands our hearts you see not.'

Why I, that did love Cæsar when I struck him,
Have thus proceeded.1

Ant. I doubt not of your wisdom.
Let each man render2 me his bloody hand:
First, Marcus Brutus, will I shake with you;
Next, Caius Cassius, do I take your hand;
Now, Decius Brutus, yours; now, yours,
Metellus;

Yours, Cinna; and, my valiant Casca, yours;
Though last, not least in love, yours, good
Trebonius.

Gentlemen all,-alas, what shall I say?

My credits now stands on such slippery ground
That one of two bad ways you must conceit me,*
Either a coward or a flatterer.

That I did love thee, Cæsar, O, 'tis true:
If then thy spirit look upon us now,
Shall it not grieve thee, dearer than thy death,
To see thy Antony making his peace,
Shaking the bloody fingers of thy foes,
Most noble! in the presence of thy corse?"
Had I as many eyes as thou hast wounds,
Weeping as fast as they stream forth thy blood
It would become me better than to close
In terms of friendship with thine enemies.
Pardon me, Julius! Here wast thou bay'd,s
brave hart;

Here didst thou fall; and here thy hunters
stand,

Sign'd in thy spoil, and crimson'd in thy lethe.10*

*Lethe is properly one of the rivers in the Lower World, whose waters the souls of the dead drank of and were thereby rendered oblivious of all that they had done or seen before. The commentators take it in this passage, however, to mean "death," and to be coined from the Latin lethum (death), the word lethal, in the sense of deadly, being common. But might it not, after all, have its original sense? The conspirators have "crimsoned" themselves in the river of Cæsar's blood, which has made them forget their former selves: they are now going to live a totally new life; like the souls of the dead who have drunk of the waters of Lethe, they have done with the past, they have buried it in oblivion. We must remember that it is Antony who is speaking, and that he is no great friend of the conspirators.

O world, thou wast the forest to this hart;1
And this, indeed, O world, the heart1 of thee.
How like a deer, strucken by many princes,
Dost thou here lie!

Cas. Mark Antony,-
Ant. Pardon me, Caius Cassius:
The enemies of Cæsar shall say this;
Then, in a friend, it is cold modesty.3

Cas. I blame you not for praising Cæsar so;
But what compact mean you to have with us?
Will you be picked in number of our friends;
Or shall we on, and not depend on you?

Ant. Therefore I took your hands; but was,
indeed,

Sway'd from the point, by looking down on
Cæsar.

Friends am I with you all and love you all,
Upon this hope," that you shall give me reasons
Why and wherein Cæsar was dangerous.

Bru. Or else were this a savage spectacle.
Our reasons are so full of good regard,
That were you, Antony, the son of Cæsar,
You should be satisfied.

And am moreover suitorio 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 shall, Mark Antony.
Cas.

Brutus, a word with you,[Aside to Brutus] You know not what you do;

do not consent

That Antony speak in1s his funeral.

Know you how much the people may be moved
By that which he will utter?

Bru.

By your pardon;
I will myself into the pulpit first,
And show the reason of our Cæsar's death:
What Antony shall speak, I will protestis
He speaks by leave and by permission;

And that we are contented Cæsar shall
Have all true rites and lawful ceremonies.
It shall advantage more than do us wrong.1
Cas. I know not what may fall; I like it not.
Bru. Mark Antony, here, take you Cæsar's
body.

You shall not in your funeral speech blame us,
But speak all good you can devise of Cæsar,
And say, you do't by our permission;3
Else shall you not have any hand at all
About his funeral: and you shall speak
In the same pulpit whereto I am going,
After my speech is ended.

Ant.

I do desire no more.

Be it so;

Bru. Prepare the body, then, and follow us. [Exeunt all but ANTONY.

Ant. O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of

earth,

240

250

That I am meek and gentle with these butchers!
Thou art the ruins of the noblest man
That ever livéd in the tide of times.3
Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood!
Over thy wounds now do I prophesy,-
Which, like dumb mouths, do opes their ruby 260
lips,

*

To beg the voice and utterance of my tongue-
A curse shall light upon the limbs of men;'
Domestic fury and fierce civil strife,"
Shall cumbers all the parts of Italy;
Blood and destruction shall be so in use,
And dreadful objects so familiar

That mothers shall but smile when they behold
Their infants quarter' dio with the hands of war;
All pity choked12 with custom of13 fell14 deeds:

*I.e. men shall be struck with paralysis, lameness, blindness, and all sorts of bodily infirmities. There is nothing uncommon in invoking curses on a person's limbs," and certainly no reason to alter the text as some have suggested. Bodily infirmities are even nowadays considered by the vulgar to be a judgment or curse of heaven.

And Cæsar's spirit, ranging1 for revenge,
With Até2 by his side come hot from hell,
Shall in these cónfines3 with a monarch's voice
Cry "Havoc!" and let slips the dogs of war,
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrions men, groaning for burial.

Enter a SERVANT.

You serve Octavius Cæsar, do you not?
Serv. I do, Mark Antony.

Ant. Cæsar did write for him to come to
Rome.

270

Serv. He did receive his letters, and is coming;
And bid me say to you by word of mouth,- 280
O Cæsar!-
[Seeing the body.

Ant. Thy heart is big,10 get thee apart and

weep.

Passion, I see, is catching; for mine eyes,
Seeing those beads of sorrow stand in thine,
Began to water. Is thy master coming?

Serv. He lies to-night within seven leagues
of Rome.

Ant. Post back with speed, and tell him what
hath chanced:

Here is a mourning Rome, a dangerous Rome,
No Rome1 of safety for Octavius yet;

Hie13 hence, and tell him so. Yet, stay awhile; 290
Thou shalt not back, 14 till I have borne this

corse15

Into the market-place:16 there shall I try,
In my oration, how the people take
The cruel issue of these bloody men;
According to the which is thou shalt discourse
To young Octavius of the state of things.
Lend me your hand.19

[Exeunt with CESAR'S body.

SCENE II. Rome. The Forum.

Enter BRUTUS and CASSIUS, and a throng ofCITIZENS.
Citizens. We will be satisfied;20 let us be

satisfied.

1scouring the
land
2the goddess of

revenge
3this district.
Cf. Latin
finis, which
in the plural
means terri-
tories
4i. e. "'no
quarter!"
Sunleash

i. e. famine,
sword, and..
fire. Cf.
Henry V.,
Prologue, l. 7
so that
Brotting
'crying for
10 swollen, burst-
ing with sor-