The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works
Page 146
I spurn thee like a cur out of my way.
Know, Caesar doth not wrong, nor without cause
Will he be satisfied.
METELLUS
Is there no voice more worthy than my own
To sound more sweetly in great Caesar’s ear
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For the repealing of my banished brother?
BRUTUS I kiss thy hand, but not in flattery, Caesar,
Desiring thee that Publius Cimber may
Have an immediate freedom of repeal.
CAESAR What, Brutus?
CASSIUS Pardon, Caesar: Caesar, pardon.
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As low as to thy foot doth Cassius fall
To beg enfranchisement for Publius Cimber.
CAESAR I could be well moved if I were as you:
If I could pray to move, prayers would move me.
But I am constant as the northern star,
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Of whose true-fixed and resting quality
There is no fellow in the firmament.
The skies are painted with unnumbered sparks:
They are all fire, and every one doth shine;
But there’s but one in all doth hold his place.
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So in the world: ’tis furnished well with men,
And men are flesh and blood, and apprehensive.
Yet in the number I do know but one
That unassailable holds on his rank
Unshaked of motion. And that I am he
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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 –
CAESAR Hence! Wilt thou lift up Olympus?
DECIUS Great Caesar –
CAESAR Doth not Brutus bootless kneel?
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CASKA Speak hands for me! [They stab Caesar.]
CAESAR Et tu, Brute? – Then fall, Caesar. [Dies]
CINNA Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead!
Run hence, proclaim, cry it about the streets.
CASSIUS Some to the common pulpits and cry out
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Liberty, freedom and enfranchisement!
BRUTUS People and senators, be not affrighted.
Fly not. Stand still. Ambition’s debt is paid.
CASKA Go to the pulpit, Brutus.
DECIUS And Cassius too.
BRUTUS Where’s Publius?
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CINNA Here, quite confounded with this mutiny.
METELLUS
Stand fast together, lest some friend of Caesar’s
Should chance –
BRUTUS Talk not of standing. Publius, good cheer.
There is no harm intended to your person,
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Nor to no Roman else. So tell them, Publius.
CASSIUS And leave us, Publius, lest that the people
Rushing on us, should do your age some mischief.
BRUTUS Do so, and let no man abide this deed
But we the doers.
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Enter TREBONIUS.
CASSIUS Where is Antony?
TREBONIUS Fled to his house amazed.
Men, wives and children stare, cry out and run,
As it were doomsday.
BRUTUS Fates, we will know your pleasures.
That we shall die we know; ’tis but the time
And drawing days out, that men stand upon.
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CASKA Why, he that cuts off twenty years of life
Cuts off so many years of fearing death.
BRUTUS Grant that, and then is death a benefit.
So are we Caesar’s friends that have abridged
His time of fearing death. Stoop, Romans, stoop,
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And let us bathe our hands in Caesar’s blood
Up to the elbows and besmear our swords.
Then walk we forth even to the market-place,
And waving our red weapons o’er our heads
Let’s all cry, ‘Peace, Freedom and Liberty.’
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CASSIUS Stoop, then, and wash. How many ages hence
Shall this our lofty scene be acted over
In states unborn and accents yet unknown?
BRUTUS How many times shall Caesar bleed in sport
That now on Pompey’s basis lies along,
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No worthier than the dust?
CASSIUS So oft as that shall be,
So often shall the knot of us be called
The men who gave their country liberty.
DECIUS What, shall we forth?
CASSIUS Ay, every man away.
Brutus shall lead, and we will grace his heels
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With the most boldest and best hearts of Rome.
Enter a Servant.
BRUTUS Soft, who comes here? A friend of Antony’s.
SERVANT Thus, Brutus, did my master bid me kneel.
Thus did Mark Antony bid me fall down,
And being prostrate thus he bade me say:
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Brutus is noble, wise, valiant and honest.
Caesar was mighty, bold, royal and loving.
Say I love Brutus and I honour him.
Say I feared Caesar, honoured him and loved him.
If Brutus will vouchsafe that Antony
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May safely come to him and be resolved
How Caesar hath deserved to lie in death,
Mark Antony shall not love Caesar dead
So well as Brutus living, but will follow
The fortunes and affairs of noble Brutus
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Thorough the hazards of this untrod state
With all true faith. So says my master Antony.
BRUTUS Thy master is a wise and valiant Roman;
I never thought him worse.
Tell him, so please him come unto this place
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He shall be satisfied; and by my honour
Depart untouched.
SERVANT I’ll fetch him presently. Exit.
BRUTUS I know that we shall have him well to friend.
CASSIUS I wish we may; but yet I have a mind
That fears him much, and my misgiving still
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Falls shrewdly to the purpose.
Enter ANTONY.
BRUTUS But here comes Antony. Welcome, Mark Antony.
ANTONY O mighty Caesar! Dost thou lie so low?
Are all thy conquests, glories, triumphs, spoils,
Shrunk to this little measure? Fare thee well.
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I know not, gentlemen, what you intend,
Who else must be let blood, who else is rank.
If I myself, there is no hour so fit
As Caesar’s death’s hour, nor no instrument
Of half that worth as those your swords, made rich
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With the most noble blood of all this world.
I do beseech ye, if you bear me hard,
Now, whilst your purple hands do reek and smoke,
Fulfil your pleasure. Live a thousand years,
I shall not find myself so apt to die.
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No place shall please me so, no mean of death,
As here by Caesar, and by you cut off,
The choice and master spirits of this age.
BRUTUS O Antony, beg not your death of us:
Though now we must appear bloody and cruel,
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As by our hands and this our present act
You see we do, yet see you but our hands
And this the bleeding business they have done:
Our hearts you see not. They are pitiful,
And pity to the general wrong of Rome –
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As fire drives out fire, so pity pity –
Hath done this deed on Caesar. For your part,
To you our swords have
leaden points, Mark Antony.
Our arms in strength of malice, and our hearts
Of brothers’ temper, do receive you in,
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With all kind love, good thoughts and reverence.
CASSIUS Your voice shall be as strong as any man’s
In the disposing of new dignities.
BRUTUS Only be patient till we have appeased
The multitude, beside themselves with fear,
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And then we will deliver you the cause
Why I, that did love Caesar when I struck him,
Have thus proceeded.
ANTONY I doubt not of your wisdom.
Let each man render me his bloody hand.
First, Marcus Brutus, will I shake with you.
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Next, Caius Cassius, do I take your hand.
Now, Decius Brutus, yours. Now yours, Metellus.
Yours, Cinna; and my valiant Caska, yours.
Though last, not least in love, yours good Trebonius.
Gentlemen all: alas, what shall I say?
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My credit 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, Caesar, O ’tis true:
If then thy spirit look upon us now,
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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,
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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 bayed, brave hart.
Here didst thou fall. And here thy hunters stand
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Signed in thy spoil and crimsoned in thy lethe.
O world, thou wast the forest to this hart,
And this indeed, O world, the heart of thee.
How like a deer, strucken by many princes,
Dost thou here lie?
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CASSIUS Mark Antony –
ANTONY Pardon me, Caius Cassius.
The enemies of Caesar shall say this:
Then, in a friend, it is cold modesty.
CASSIUS I blame you not for praising Caesar so,
But what compact mean you to have with us?
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Will you be pricked in number of our friends,
Or shall we on, and not depend on you?
ANTONY Therefore I took your hands, but was indeed
Swayed from the point by looking down on Caesar.
Friends am I with you all, and love you all,
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Upon this hope, that you shall give me reasons
Why and wherein Caesar was dangerous.
BRUTUS Or else were this a savage spectacle.
Our reasons are so full of good regard
That were you, Antony, the son of Caesar,
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You should be satisfied.
ANTONY That’s all I seek,
And am moreover suitor 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.
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BRUTUS You shall, Mark Antony.
CASSIUS Brutus, a word with you.
[aside] You know not what you do. Do not consent
That Antony speak in his funeral.
Know you how much the people may be moved
By that which he will utter.
BRUTUS By your pardon:
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I will myself into the pulpit first,
And show the reason of our Caesar’s death.
What Antony shall speak, I will protest
He speaks by leave and by permission;
And that we are contented Caesar shall
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Have all true rites and lawful ceremonies,
It shall advantage more than do us wrong.
CASSIUS I know not what may fall. I like it not.
BRUTUS Mark Antony, here, take you Caesar’s body.
You shall not in your funeral speech blame us,
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But speak all good you can devise of Caesar,
And say you do’t by our permission:
Else shall you not have any hand at all
About his funeral. And you shall speak
In the same pulpit whereto I am going,
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After my speech is ended.
ANTONY Be it so.
I do desire no more.
BRUTUS Prepare the body, then, and follow us.