Julius Caesar (8 page)
Authors: William Shakespeare
Enter Brutus, Ligarius, Metellus, Casca, Trebonius, Cinna and Publius
And look where Publius is come to fetch me.
PUBLIUS
Good morrow, Caesar.
CAESAR
Welcome, Publius.—
What, Brutus, are you stirred so early too?—
Good morrow, Casca.— Caius Ligarius,
Caesar was ne’er so much your enemy
As that same
ague
118
which hath made you lean.—
What is’t o’clock?
BRUTUS
Caesar, ’tis strucken eight.
CAESAR
I thank you for your pains and courtesy.
Enter Antony
See, Antony, that revels long o’nights,
Is
notwithstanding up
123
.— Good morrow, Antony.
ANTONY
So to most noble Caesar.
CAESAR
Bid them prepare within:
To Calpurnia or to a Servant
I am to blame to be thus waited for.—
[
Exit Calpurnia or a Servant
]
Now, Cinna, now, Metellus, what, Trebonius,
I have an hour’s talk in store for you.
Remember that you call on me today:
Be near me, that I may
remember
130
you.
TREBONIUS
Caesar, I will:— and so near will I be
Aside
That your best friends shall wish I had been further.
CAESAR
Good friends, go in, and taste some wine with me,
And we,
like friends
134
, will straightway go together.
BRUTUS
That every like is not the same
135
, O Caesar,
Aside
The heart of Brutus
earns
136
to think upon.
Exeunt
running scene 4
Enter Artemidorus
Reading a paper
ARTEMIDORUS
‘Caesar, beware of Brutus, take heed of Cassius,
come not near Casca, have an eye to Cinna, trust not
Trebonius, mark well Metellus Cimber, Decius Brutus loves
thee not, thou hast wronged Caius Ligarius. There is but
one mind in all these men, and it is
bent
5
against Caesar. If
thou be’st not immortal, look about you:
security
gives
way
6
to conspiracy. The mighty gods defend thee. Thy
lover
7
,
Artemidorus.’
Here will I stand till Caesar pass along,
And as a
suitor
10
will I give him this.
My heart laments that virtue cannot live
Out of
the
teeth
of
emulation
12
.
If thou read this, O Caesar, thou mayst live;
If not, the Fates with traitors do
contrive
14
.
Exit
running scene 5
Enter Portia and Lucius
PORTIA
I prithee, boy, run to the senate house.
Stay not to answer me, but get thee gone.
Why dost thou stay?
LUCIUS
To know my errand, madam.
PORTIA
I would have had thee there and here again
Ere I can tell thee what thou shouldst do there.—
O
constancy
7
, be strong upon my side,
Aside
Set a huge mountain ’tween my heart and tongue:
I have a
man’s
9
mind, but a woman’s might.
How hard it is for women to keep
counsel
10
.—
Art thou here yet?
LUCIUS
Madam, what should I do?
Run to the Capitol, and nothing else?
And so return to you, and nothing else?
PORTIA
Yes, bring me word, boy, if thy lord look well,
For he went sickly forth: and
take good note
16
What Caesar doth, what suitors press to him.
Hark, boy, what noise is that?
LUCIUS
I hear none, madam.
PORTIA
Prithee listen well:
I heard a
bustling rumour
like a
fray
21
,
And the wind brings it from the Capitol.
LUCIUS
Sooth
23
, madam, I hear nothing.
Enter the Soothsayer
PORTIA
Come hither, fellow. Which way hast thou been?
SOOTHSAYER
At mine own house, good lady.
PORTIA
What is’t o’clock?
SOOTHSAYER
About the ninth hour, lady.
PORTIA
Is Caesar yet gone to the Capitol?
SOOTHSAYER
Madam, not yet. I go to take my stand
To see him pass on to the Capitol.
PORTIA
Thou hast some
suit
31
to Caesar, hast thou not?
SOOTHSAYER
That I have, lady, if it will please Caesar
To be so good to Caesar as to hear me:
I shall beseech him to
befriend
34
himself.
PORTIA
Why, know’st thou any harm’s intended towards him?
SOOTHSAYER
None that I know will be
Much that I fear may chance.
Good morrow to you. Here the street is narrow:
The throng that follows Caesar at the heels,
Of senators, of
praetors
40
, common suitors,
Will crowd a feeble man almost to death:
I’ll get me to a place more
void
42
, and there
Speak to great Caesar as he comes along.
Exit
PORTIA
I must go in. Ay me! How weak a thing
The heart of woman is.— O Brutus,
The heavens
speed
46
thee in thine enterprise.—
Sure, the boy heard me. Brutus hath a suit
That Caesar will not grant. O, I grow faint.—
Run, Lucius, and
commend me
49
to my lord,
Say I am merry. Come to me again,
And bring me word what he doth say to thee.
Exeunt
[
separately
]
running scene 6
Flourish. Enter Caesar, Brutus, Cassius, Casca, Decius, Metellus, Trebonius, Cinna, Antony, Lepidus, Artemidorus, Publius [Popilius Lena] and the Soothsayer
CAESAR
The Ides of March are come.
To the Soothsayer
SOOTHSAYER
Ay, Caesar, but not gone.
ARTEMIDORUS
Hail, Caesar. Read this
schedule
3
.
DECIUS
Trebonius doth desire you to
o’erread
4
—
At your best leisure — this his humble suit.
ARTEMIDORUS
O Caesar, read mine first, for mine’s a suit
That
touches Caesar nearer
7
. Read it, great Caesar.
CAESAR
What touches us ourself shall be last
served
8
.
ARTEMIDORUS
Delay not, Caesar, read it instantly.
CAESAR
What, is the fellow mad?
To Artemidorus
CASSIUS
What, urge you your petitions in the street?
Come to the Capitol.
Caesar and his train move on
To Cassius
POPILIUS
I wish your enterprise today may thrive.
CASSIUS
What enterprise, Popilius?
POPILIUS
Fare you well.
Moves toward Caesar
BRUTUS
What said Popilius Lena?
CASSIUS
He wished today our enterprise might thrive:
I fear our purpose is discoverèd.
BRUTUS
Look how he
makes to
20
Caesar: mark him.
CASSIUS
Casca, be
sudden
, for we fear
prevention
21
.
Brutus, what shall be done? If this be known,
Cassius or Caesar never shall
turn back
23
,
For I will slay myself.
BRUTUS
Cassius, be
constant
25
:
Popilius Lena speaks not of our purposes,
For look, he smiles, and
Caesar
27
doth not change.
CASSIUS
Trebonius knows his time: for look you, Brutus.
He draws Mark Antony out of the way.
[
Exeunt Antony and Trebonius
]
DECIUS
Where is Metellus Cimber? Let him go
Caesar sits?
And presently
prefer
31
his suit to Caesar.
BRUTUS
He is
addressed
: press near and
second
32
him.
CINNA
Casca, you are the first that
rears
33
your hand.
CAESAR
Are we all ready? What is now amiss
That Caesar and his senate must redress?
METELLUS
Most high, most mighty and most
puissant
36
Caesar,
Comes forward Kneels
Metellus Cimber throws before thy
seat
37
An humble heart—
CAESAR
I must prevent thee, Cimber.
These couchings
and these
lowly courtesies
40
Might
fire
41
the blood of ordinary men,
And
turn
pre-ordinance and first decree
42
Into the
lane
of children. Be not
fond
43
To think that Caesar bears such
rebel blood
44
That will be thawed from the true
quality
45
With that which melteth fools — I mean
sweet
46
words,
Low-crookèd
curtsies and base
spaniel-fawning
47
.
Thy brother by decree is banishèd:
If thou dost bend and
pray
49
and fawn for him,
I
spurn
thee like a
cur
50
out of my way.
Know, Caesar doth not wrong, nor without
cause
51
Will he be
satisfied
52
.
METELLUS
Is there no voice more worthy than my own
To sound more sweetly in great Caesar’s ear
For the
repealing
55
of my banished brother?
BRUTUS
I kiss thy hand, but not in flattery, Caesar,
Kneels
Desiring thee that Publius Cimber may
Have an immediate
freedom of repeal
58
.
CAESAR
What, Brutus?
CASSIUS
Pardon, Caesar: Caesar, pardon.
As low as to thy foot doth Cassius fall,
Kneels
To beg
enfranchisement
62
for Publius Cimber.
CAESAR
I could be well moved if I were as you:
If I could
pray to move
64
, prayers would move me.
But I am constant as the
northern star
65
,
Of whose true-fixed and
resting
66
quality
There is no
fellow
in the
firmament
67
.
The skies are painted with unnumbered
sparks
68
,
They are all fire and every one doth shine:
But there’s but one in all doth hold his place.
So in the world: ’tis furnished well with men,
And men are flesh and blood, and
apprehensive
72
;
Yet in the number I do know but one
That unassailable
holds on his rank
74
,
Unshaked
of motion
75
. And that I am he,
Let me a little show it, even in this:
That I was constant Cimber should be banished,
And constant do remain to keep him so.
CINNA
O Caesar—
