Julius Caesar (4 page)

CASSIUS
    Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world

Like a
Colossus
¹⁴²
, and we petty men

Walk under his huge legs and peep about

To find ourselves dishonourable graves.

Men
at some time
¹⁴⁵
are masters of their fates.

The fault, dear Brutus, is not in
our stars
¹⁴⁶

But in ourselves, that we are underlings.

Brutus and Caesar: what should be in that ‘Caesar’?

Why should that name
be sounded
¹⁴⁹
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
¹⁵²
with ’em,

Brutus will
start
¹⁵³
a spirit as soon as Caesar.

Now in the names of all the gods at once,

Upon what
meat
¹⁵⁵
doth this our Caesar feed

That he is grown so
great
? —
Age
¹⁵⁶
, thou art shamed! —

Rome, thou hast lost the
breed of
¹⁵⁷
noble bloods! —

When went there by an age, since
the great flood
¹⁵⁸
,

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
¹⁶²
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
¹⁶⁵

Th’eternal devil to keep his
state
¹⁶⁶
in Rome

As easily as a king.

BRUTUS
    That you do love me, I am
nothing jealous
¹⁶⁸
:

What you would
work
me to, I have some
aim
¹⁶⁹
:

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
¹⁷²
—

Be any further
moved
¹⁷³
. 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
¹⁷⁶
things.

Till then, my noble friend, chew upon this:

Brutus had rather be a villager

Than to
repute
¹⁷⁹
himself a son of Rome

Under these hard conditions as this time

Is
like
¹⁸¹
to lay upon us.

CASSIUS
    I am glad that my weak words

Have struck but thus much show of fire from Brutus.

BRUTUS
    The games are done, and Caesar is returning.

CASSIUS
    As they pass by, pluck Casca by the sleeve,

And he will,
after
¹⁸⁶
his sour fashion, tell you

What hath proceeded
worthy
¹⁸⁷
note today.

BRUTUS
    I will do so: but look you, Cassius,

The angry spot doth glow on Caesar’s brow,

And all the rest look like a
chidden
¹⁹⁰
train:

Calpurnia’s cheek is pale, and Cicero

Looks with such
ferret
¹⁹²
and such fiery eyes

As we have seen him in the Capitol

Being
crossed
in
conference
¹⁹⁴
by some senators.

CASSIUS
    Casca will tell us what the matter is.

CAESAR
    Antonio.

ANTONY
    Caesar?

CAESAR
    Let me have men about me that are fat,

Sleek-headed
¹⁹⁹
men, and such as sleep a-nights.

Yond
²⁰⁰
Cassius has a lean and hungry look:

He thinks too much: such men are dangerous.

ANTONY
    Fear him not, Caesar, he’s not dangerous.

He is a noble Roman, and well
given
²⁰³
.

CAESAR
    
Would
²⁰⁴
he were fatter! But I fear him not:

Yet if
my name
²⁰⁵
were liable to fear,

I do not know the man I should avoid

So soon as that
spare
²⁰⁷
Cassius. He reads much,

He is a great observer, and he
looks
²⁰⁸

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
²¹¹

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
²¹⁵
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
Caesar
²¹⁸
.

Come on my right hand, for this ear is deaf,

And tell me truly what thou think’st of him.

CASCA
    You pulled me by the cloak: would you speak

with me?

BRUTUS
    Ay, Casca, tell us what hath
chanced
²²³
today

that Caesar looks so
sad
²²⁴
.

CASCA
    Why, you were with him, were you not?

BRUTUS
    I should not then ask Casca what had chanced.

CASCA
    Why, there was a
crown
²²⁷
offered him; and being

offered him, he
put it by
²²⁸
with the back of his hand, thus, and

then the people fell a-shouting.

BRUTUS
    What was the second noise for?

CASCA
    Why, for that too.

CASSIUS
    They shouted thrice: what was the last cry for?

CASCA
    Why, for that too.

BRUTUS
    Was the crown offered him thrice?

CASCA
    Ay,
marry
²³⁵
, was’t, and he put it by thrice, every time

gentler
²³⁶
than other; and at every putting-by, mine honest

neighbours shouted.

CASSIUS
    Who offered him the crown?

CASCA
    Why, Antony.

BRUTUS
    Tell us the manner of it, gentle Casca.

CASCA
    I can as well be hanged as tell the manner of it: it

was
mere
²⁴²
foolery, I did not mark it. I saw Mark Antony offer

him a crown — yet ’twas not a crown neither, ’twas one of

these
coronets
²⁴⁴
— and as I told you, he put it by once: but for

all that, to my thinking, he would
fain
²⁴⁵
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
²⁴⁸

as he refused it, the
rabblement
²⁴⁹
hooted, and clapped their

chopped
hands, and threw up their sweaty
nightcaps
²⁵⁰
, and

uttered such a deal of stinking breath because Caesar

refused the crown that it had almost choked Caesar, for he

swooned and fell down at it. And for mine own part, I
durst
²⁵³

not laugh, for fear of opening my lips and receiving the bad

air.

CASSIUS
    But
soft
²⁵⁶
, I pray you: what, did Caesar swoon?

CASCA
    He fell down in the market-place, and foamed at

mouth, and was speechless.

BRUTUS
    ’Tis very
like
— he hath
the falling sickness
²⁵⁹
.

CASSIUS
    No, Caesar hath it not: but you, and I,

And honest Casca,
we have the falling sickness
²⁶¹
.

CASCA
    I know not what you mean by that, but I am sure

Caesar fell down. If the
tag-rag
²⁶³
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
²⁶⁵
man.

BRUTUS
    What said he when he came unto himself?

CASCA
    Marry, before he fell down, when he perceived the

common herd was glad he refused the crown, he
plucked me
²⁶⁸

ope
his
doublet
and offered them his throat to cut:
an
²⁶⁹
I had

been
a man of any occupation
, if I would not have
taken him
²⁷⁰

at a word, I
would
²⁷¹
I might go to hell among the rogues. And

so he fell. When he came to himself again, he said if he had

done or said anything amiss, he desired their worships to

think it was his infirmity. Three or four wenches where I

stood cried ‘Alas, good soul!’ and forgave him with all their

hearts: but there’s no heed to be taken of them; if Caesar had

stabbed
²⁷⁷
their mothers, they would have done no less.

BRUTUS
    And after that he came thus sad away.

CASCA
    Ay.

CASSIUS
    Did Cicero say anything?

CASCA
    Ay, he spoke Greek.

CASSIUS
    To what effect?

CASCA
    Nay, and I tell you that, I’ll ne’er look you i’th’face

again. But those that understood him smiled at one another,

and shook their heads: but, for mine own part, it was
Greek to
²⁸⁵

me. I could tell you more news too: Murellus and Flavius, for

pulling scarves off Caesar’s images, are
put to silence
²⁸⁷
. Fare

you well. There was more foolery yet, if I could remember it.

CASSIUS
    Will you sup with me tonight, Casca?

CASCA
    No, I am
promised forth
²⁹⁰
.

CASSIUS
    Will you dine with me tomorrow?

CASCA
    Ay, if I be alive, and your
mind hold
²⁹²
, and your

dinner worth the eating.

CASSIUS
    Good, I will expect you.

CASCA
    Do so. Farewell, both.

BRUTUS
    What a
blunt
²⁹⁶
fellow is this grown to be!

He was
quick mettle
²⁹⁷
when he went to school.

CASSIUS
    So is he now, in execution

Of any bold or noble enterprise,

However he puts on this
tardy
³⁰⁰
form.

This
rudeness
is a sauce to his good
wit
³⁰¹
,

Which gives men
stomach
³⁰²
to digest his words

With better appetite.

BRUTUS
    And so it is. For this time I will leave you:

Tomorrow if you please to speak with me,

I will come
home to you
³⁰⁶
: or if you will,

Come home to me, and I will wait for you.

CASSIUS
    I will do so. Till then, think of
the world
³⁰⁸
.

Well, Brutus, thou art
noble
³⁰⁹
: yet I see

Thy honourable
mettle
may be
wrought
³¹⁰

From
that it is disposed
: therefore it is
meet
³¹¹

That noble minds keep ever with
their likes
³¹²

For
who
³¹³
so firm that cannot be seduced?

Caesar doth
bear me hard
³¹⁴
, but he loves Brutus.

If I were Brutus now, and he were Cassius,

He should not humour me
³¹⁶
. I will this night

In
several hands
³¹⁷
in at his windows throw,

As if they came from several citizens,

Writings all
tending to
³¹⁹
the great opinion

That Rome holds of his name — wherein
obscurely
³²⁰

Caesar’s ambition shall be
glanced
³²¹
at.

And after this let Caesar
seat him sure
³²²
,

For we will shake him, or worse days endure.