At your best leifure, this his humble fuit.

Art. O Cafar, read mine firft; for mine's a fuit
That touches Cafar nearer. Read it, Cæfar.

Cef. What touches us our felf shall be last ferv'd.
Art. Delay not, Cafar, read it inftantly.
Caf. What, is the fellow mad?

Pub Sirrah, give place.

Caf. What, urge you your petitions in the street?
Come to the Capitol.

Pop. I wish your enterprize to-day may thrive.
Caf. What enterprize, Popilius?

Pop. Fare you well.

Bru. What faid Popilius Lena?

Caf. He wifh'd to-day our enterprise might thrive:
I fear our purpose is discovered.

Bru. Look how he makes to Cafar; mark him.
Caf. Cafca, be fudden, for we fear prevention.
Brutus, what fhall be done? if this be known,
Caffius or Cæfar never fhall turn back,
For I will flay my self.

Bru. Caffius, be conftant:

Popilius Lena fpeaks not of our purpose;

For look he fmiles, and Cæfar doth not change.

Caf. Trebonius knows his time; for look you, Brutus,

He draws Mark Antony out of the way.

Dec. Where is Metellus Cimber? let him go,

And presently prefer his fuit to Cæfar.

Bru. He is addreft; press near, and fecond him.
Cin. Cafea, you are the first that 'rear` your hand.
Caf. Are you all ready? what is now amifs,

That Cæfar and his Senate muft redrefs?

Met. Moft high, most mighty, and moft puiffant Cæfar, Metellus Cimber throws before thy feat

An humble heart.

Caf. I muft prevent thee, Cimber;

Thefe crouchings and thefe lowly curtefies

Might fire the blood of ordinary men,

[Kneeling.

And

And turn pre-ordinance and firft decree
Into the lane of children. Be not fond,
To think that Cæfar bears fuch rebel blood,
That will be thaw'd from the true quality
With that which melteth fools; I mean fweet words,
Low-crooked-curt'fies, and base spaniel fawning..
Thy brother by decree is banifhed;

If thou doft bend, and pray, and fawn for him,
I fpurn thee like a cur out of my way.

Know, Cafar doth not wrong, nor without caufe
Will he be fatisfied.

Met. Is there no voice more worthy than my own,
To found more fweetly in great Cæfar's ear,
For the repealing of my banifh'd brother?

Bru. I kifs thy hand, but not in flattery, Cafar;
Defiring thee, that Publius Cimber may
Have an immediate freedom of repeal.
Caf. What, Brutus!

Caf. Pardon, Celar, Cæjar, pardon ;
As low as to thy foot doth Caffius fall,

To beg enfranchifement for Publius Cimber.

Cef. I could be well mov'd, if I were as yoù; If I could pray to move, prayers would move me: But I am conftant as the northern ftar, a

Let me a little fhew it, even in this;

That I was conflant Cimber fhould be banish'd,
And conftant do remain to keep him fo.

Cin. O Cafar

Caf. Hence! wilt thou lift up Olympus?

(a)

northern ftar,

Of whofe true, fixt, and refting quality,
There is no fellow in the firmament;
The skies are painted with unnumber'd fparks,
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 furnifh'd well with men,
And men are flesh and blood, and apprehenfive;
Yet in the number, I do know but one
That unaffailable holds on his rank,.
Unfhak'd of motion: and that I am he,
Let me, &'c.

Dec.

Dec. Great Cæfar

[They ftab Cæfar.

Caf. Ei tu Brute?

then fall Cafar!

[Dies.

Caf. Do not, Brutus, bootlefs kneel.
Cafe. Speak hands for me.

Cin. Liberty! freedom! Tyranny is dead
Run hence, proclaim, cry it about the streets -
Caf. Some to the common pulpits, and cry out,
Liberty, freedom, and enfranchifement.

Bru. People and Senators! be not affrighted;
Fly not, ftand still. Ambition's debt is paid.
Cafc. Go to the pulpit, Brutus.

Dec. And Caffius too.

Bru. Where's Publius?

Cin. 'Here quite confounded with this mutiny. Met. Stand faft together, left fome friend of Cafar's Should chance —

Bru. Talk not of ftanding. Publius, good cheer; There is no harm intended to your perfon,

Nor to no Roman elfe; fo tell them, Publius.

Caf. And leave us, Publius, left that the people
Rufhing on us, fhould do your age fome mischief.
Bru. Do lo, and let no man abide this deed,
But we the doers.

Caf. Where's Antony?

Treb. Fled to his houfe amaz'd.

Men, wives, and children, ftare, cry out and run,
As it were dooms-day.

Bru. Fates! we will know your pleasures;
That we fhall die, we know; 'tis but the time
And drawing days out, that men stand upon.
Caf. Why, he that cuts off twenty years of life,
Cuts off fo many years of fearing death.

Bru. Grant that, and then is death a benefit.
So are we Cafar's friends, that have abridg'd
His time of fearing death.. Stoop, Romans, ftoop,

And

And let us bathe our hands in Cafar's blood
Up to the elbows, and befmear 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!
Caf. Stoop then, and wash

how many ages hence [Dipping their fwords in Cæfar's blood.

Shall this our lofty fcene be acted o'er,

In ftates unborn, and accents yet unknown!

Cafe. How many times fhall Cafar bleed in sport, That now on Pompey's bafis lyes along,

No worthier than the duft!

Bru. So oft as that fhall be,

So often fhall the knot of us be call'd
The men that gave their country liberty.
Dec. What, fhall we forth?

Caf. Ay, every man away.

Brutus fhall lead, and we will grace his heels
With the most bold, and the beft hearts of Rome.

Enter a Servant.

Bru. Soft, who comes here?
Ser. A friend of Antony's.

Thus, Brutus, did my mafter bid me kneel;
Thus did Mark Antony bid me fall down,
And being proftrate, thus he bad me fay.
Brutus is noble, wife, valiant and honeft;
Cafar was mighty, royal, bold and loving;
Say, I love Brutus, and I honour him;

[Kneeling.

Say, I fear'd Cæfar, honour'd him, and lov'd him.
If Brutus will vouchfafe that Antony
May fafely come to him, and be refolv'd
How Cafar hath deferv'd to lye in death :
Mark Antony fhall not love Cafar dead
So well as Brutus living; but will follow
The fortunes and affairs of noble Brutus,
Thorough the hazards of this untrod ftate,
With all true faith. So fays my mafter Antony.
Bru. Thy mafter is a wife and valiant Roman,

I never

I never thought him worse.

Tell him, fo pleafe him come unto this place,
He fhall be fatisfied, and by my honour,

Depart untouch'd.

Ser. I'll fetch him presently.

[Exit Servant.

Bru. I know that we fhall have him well to friend. Caf. I wish we may : but yet have I a mind That fears him much; and my misgiving still Falls fhrewdly to the purpose.

Bru. But here comes Antony. Welcome, Mark Antony.
Ant. O mighty Cæfar! doft thou lye fo low?
Are all thy conquefts, glories, triumphs, fpoils,
Shrunk to this little measure?-fare thee well.
I know not, gentlemen, what you intend,
Who else must be let blood, who elfe is rank;
If I my felf, there is no hour fo fit

As Cafar's death's hour; nor no inftrument
Of half that worth as thofe your fwords, made rich
With the moft noble blood of all this world.

I do befeech ye, if you bear me hard,

Now whilst your purpled hands do reek and fmoak,
Fulfil your pleasure. Live a thousand

years, I fhall not find myself fo apt to die:

No place will please me fo, no means of death,
As here by Cafar, and by you cut off,
The choice and mafter spirits of this age.
Bru: O Antony! beg not your death of us:
Though now we muft appear bloody and cruel,
As, by our hands and this our present act,
You fee we do; yet fee you but our hands,
And this the bleeding bufinefs they have done :
Our hearts you fee not, they are pitiful;
And pity to the general wrong of Rome,
(As fire drives out fire, fo pity, pity)

Hath