Julius Caesar (11 page)

I found it in his
closet
¹³⁴
: ’tis his will.

Let but the commons hear this testament —

Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read —

And they would go and kiss dead Caesar’s wounds,

And
dip their
napkins
¹³⁸
in his sacred blood,

Yea, beg a hair of him for memory,

And, dying, mention it within their wills,

Bequeathing it as a rich legacy

Unto their
issue
¹⁴²
.

FOURTH PLEBEIAN
    We’ll hear the will. Read it, Mark Antony.

ALL
    The will, the will! We will hear Caesar’s will.

ANTONY
    Have patience, gentle friends, I must not read it.

It is not
meet
¹⁴⁶
you know how Caesar loved you.

You are not wood, you are not stones, but men:

And being men, hearing the will of Caesar,

It will inflame you, it will make you mad;

’Tis good you know not that you are his heirs,

For if you should, O, what would come of it!

FOURTH PLEBEIAN
    Read the will. We’ll hear it, Antony.

You shall read us the will, Caesar’s will.

ANTONY
    Will you be patient? Will you stay awhile?

I have
o’ershot myself
¹⁵⁵
to tell you of it.

I fear I wrong the honourable men

Whose daggers have stabbed Caesar: I do fear it.

FOURTH PLEBEIAN
    They were traitors: honourable men?

ALL
    The will, the testament!

SECOND PLEBEIAN
    They were villains, murderers. The will, read the will.

ANTONY
    You will compel me then to read the will:

Then make a ring about the corpse of Caesar,

And let me show you him that made the will.

Shall I descend? And will you give me leave?

ALL
    Come down.

SECOND PLEBEIAN
    Descend.

THIRD PLEBEIAN
    You shall have leave.

FOURTH PLEBEIAN
    A ring. Stand round.

FIRST PLEBEIAN
    Stand
from
the
hearse
¹⁶⁹
, stand from the body.

SECOND PLEBEIAN
    Room for Antony, most noble Antony.

ANTONY
    Nay, press not so upon me. Stand
far
¹⁷¹
off.

ALL
    Stand back: room, bear back.

ANTONY
    If you have tears, prepare to shed them now.

You all do know this
mantle
¹⁷⁴
. I remember

The first time ever Caesar put it on.

’Twas on a summer’s evening in his tent,

That day he overcame the
Nervii
¹⁷⁷
.

Look, in this place ran Cassius’ dagger through:

See what a
rent
¹⁷⁹
the envious Casca made:

Through this, the well-belovèd Brutus stabbed,

And as he plucked his cursèd steel away,

Mark how the blood of Caesar followed it,

As
¹⁸³
rushing out of doors, to be resolved

If Brutus so
unkindly
¹⁸⁴
knocked or no,

For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar’s
angel
¹⁸⁵
.—

Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him.—

This was the most unkindest cut of all.

For when the noble Caesar saw him stab,

Ingratitude, more strong than traitors’ arms,

Quite vanquished him: then burst his mighty heart,

And in his mantle muffling up his face,

Even at the base of Pompey’s statue —

Which all the while ran blood — great Caesar fell.

O, what a fall was there, my countrymen!

Then I, and you, and all of us fell down,

Whilst bloody treason
flourished
¹⁹⁶
over us.

O, now you weep, and I perceive you feel

The
dint
of pity: these are
gracious
¹⁹⁸
drops.

Kind souls, what weep you when you but behold

200 Our Caesar’s
vesture
²⁰⁰
wounded? Look you here,

Here is himself,
marred
as you see
with
²⁰¹
traitors.

FIRST PLEBEIAN
    O, piteous spectacle!

SECOND PLEBEIAN
    O, noble Caesar!

THIRD PLEBEIAN
    O, woeful day!

FOURTH PLEBEIAN
    O, traitors, villains!

FIRST PLEBEIAN
    O, most bloody sight!

SECOND PLEBEIAN
    We will be revenged.

ALL
    Revenge!
About!
²⁰⁸
Seek! Burn! Fire! Kill! Slay!

Let not a traitor live!

ANTONY
    Stay, countrymen.

FIRST PLEBEIAN
    Peace there, hear the noble Antony.

SECOND PLEBEIAN
    We’ll hear him, we’ll follow him, we’ll die with him.

ANTONY
    Good friends, sweet friends, let me not stir you up

To such a sudden flood of mutiny:

They that have done this deed are honourable.

What
private griefs
²¹⁶
they have, alas, I know not,

That made them do it: they are wise and honourable

And will no doubt with reasons answer you.

I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts:

I am no
orator
²²⁰
, as Brutus is;

But as you know me all a
plain blunt
²²¹
man

That love my friend, and that they know full well

That gave me public leave to speak of him,

For I have neither
wit
²²⁴
, nor words, nor worth,

Action
²²⁵
, nor utterance, nor the power of speech,

To stir men’s blood. I only speak
right on
²²⁶
:

I tell you that which you yourselves do know,

Show you sweet Caesar’s wounds, poor poor dumb mouths,

And bid them speak for me. But were I
Brutus
²²⁹
,

And Brutus Antony, there were an Antony

Would
ruffle up
²³¹
your spirits, and put a tongue

In every wound of Caesar that should move

The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.

ALL
    We’ll mutiny.

FIRST PLEBEIAN
    We’ll burn the house of Brutus.

THIRD PLEBEIAN
    Away, then, come, seek the conspirators.

ANTONY
    Yet hear me, countrymen, yet hear me speak.

ALL
    Peace ho, hear Antony, most noble Antony.

ANTONY
    Why, friends, you go to do you know not what:

Wherein
²⁴⁰
hath Caesar thus deserved your loves?

Alas, you know not. I must tell you then:

You have forgot the will I told you of.

ALL
    Most true. The will: let’s stay and hear the will.

ANTONY
    Here is the will, and under Caesar’s seal.

To every Roman citizen he gives,

To every
several
man, seventy-five
drachmas
²⁴⁶
.

SECOND PLEBEIAN
    Most noble Caesar, we’ll revenge his death.

THIRD PLEBEIAN
    O royal Caesar.

ANTONY
    Hear me with patience.

ALL
    Peace ho.

ANTONY
    Moreover, he hath left you all his walks,

His private arbours and new-planted
orchards
²⁵²
,

On this side Tiber. He hath left them you

And to your heirs for ever:
common pleasures
²⁵⁴

To walk abroad and
recreate
²⁵⁵
yourselves.

Here was a Caesar: when comes such another?

FIRST PLEBEIAN
    Never, never. Come, away, away:

We’ll burn his body in the holy place,

And with the
brands
fire
²⁵⁹
the traitors’ houses.

Take up the body.

SECOND PLEBEIAN
    Go fetch fire.

THIRD PLEBEIAN
    Pluck down benches.

FOURTH PLEBEIAN
    Pluck down
forms
,
windows
²⁶³
, anything.

ANTONY
    Now let it work.
Mischief
²⁶⁴
, thou art afoot:

Take thou what course thou wilt.—

SERVANT
    Sir, Octavius is already come to Rome.

ANTONY
    Where is he?

SERVANT
    He and Lepidus are at Caesar’s house.

ANTONY
    And thither will I
straight
²⁶⁹
, to visit him:

He comes
upon a wish
. Fortune is
merry
²⁷⁰

And in this mood will give us anything.

SERVANT
    I heard him say Brutus and Cassius

Are rid
²⁷³
like madmen through the gates of Rome.

ANTONY
    
Belike
they had some
notice of
²⁷⁴
the people

How I had moved them. Bring me to Octavius.

CINNA
    I dreamt
tonight
¹
that I did feast with Caesar,

And things
unluckily charge my fantasy
²
:

I have no will to wander
forth
³
of doors,

Yet something leads me forth.

FIRST PLEBEIAN
    What is your name?

SECOND PLEBEIAN
    Whither are you going?

THIRD PLEBEIAN
    Where do you dwell?

FOURTH PLEBEIAN
    Are you a married man or a bachelor?

SECOND PLEBEIAN
    Answer every man
directly
⁹
.

FIRST PLEBEIAN
    Ay, and briefly.

FOURTH PLEBEIAN
    Ay, and wisely.

THIRD PLEBEIAN
    Ay, and truly, you were best.

CINNA
    What is my name? Whither am I going? Where do I

dwell? Am I a married man or a bachelor? Then, to answer

every man directly and briefly, wisely and truly: wisely I say I

am a bachelor.

SECOND PLEBEIAN
    That’s as much as to say they are fools that

marry: you’ll
bear me a bang
¹⁸
for that, I fear. Proceed, directly.

CINNA
    Directly, I am going to Caesar’s funeral.

FIRST PLEBEIAN
    As a friend or an enemy?

CINNA
    As a friend.

SECOND PLEBEIAN
    That matter is answered directly.

FOURTH PLEBEIAN
    For your dwelling, briefly.

CINNA
    Briefly, I dwell by the Capitol.

THIRD PLEBEIAN
    Your name, sir, truly.

CINNA
    Truly, my name is Cinna.

FIRST PLEBEIAN
    Tear him to pieces,
he’s a conspirator
²⁷
.

CINNA
    I am Cinna the Poet, I am Cinna the Poet.

FOURTH PLEBEIAN
    Tear him for his bad verses, tear him for his

bad verses.

CINNA
    I am not Cinna the conspirator.

FOURTH PLEBEIAN
    It is no matter, his name’s Cinna.
Pluck
³²
but his

name out of his heart and
turn him going
³³
.

THIRD PLEBEIAN
    Tear him, tear him! Come, brands, ho!

Fire-brands! To Brutus’, to Cassius’, burn all! Some

to Decius’ house, and some to Casca’s; some to Ligarius’!

Away, go!