Art. None that I know will be, much that I fear Good morrow to you. Here the ftreet is narrow: The throng, that follows Cæfar at the heels, Of Senators, of Prætors, common Suitors, Will crowd a feeble Man almost to death: I'll get me to a place more void, and there Speak to great Cæfar as he comes along.

[Exit.

Por. I must go in-aye me! how weak a thing
The heart of woman is! O Brutus! Brutus !
The heavens speed thee in thine enterprize!
Sure, the Boy heard me:-Brutus hath a Suit,
That Cæfar will not grant.-O, I grow faint:
Run, Lucius, and commend me to my Lord;
Say, I am merry; come to me again,
And bring me word what he doth say to thee.

ACT III.

[Exeunt feverally.

SCENE I.

The Street before the Capitol; and the Capitol open.

Flourish. Enter Cæfar, Brutus, Caffius, Cafca, Decius, Metellus, Trebonius, Cinna, Antony, Lepidus, Artemidorus, Popilius, Publius, and the Sooth-fayer.

CÆSAR.

THE Ides of March are come.

Sooth. Ay, Cafar, but not gone.

Art. Hail, Cafar: read this schedule.
Dec. Trebonius doth defire you to o'er-read,
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, great Cefar.
Caf. What touches us our felf, fhall be last serv'd.
Art. Delay not, Cafar, read it inftantly.
Caf. What, is the fellow mad?

Pub.

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 wish'd, to day our enterprize 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 myself.

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; prefs near, and fecond him. Cin. Cafca, you are the first that rears your hand. Caf. Are we all ready? what is now amifs, That Cafar and his Senate muft redress?

Met. Moft high, moft mighty, and moft puiffant

Cæfar,

Metellus Cimber throws before thy feat

An humble heart.

Cef. I must prevent thee, Cimber;

These couchings and these lowly curtefies 'Might ftir the blood of ordinary men,

[Kneeling:

1 Might fire the blood of ordinary men,] It is plain we should read,

Stir the blood

Submiffion does not fire the blood, but melt it to compaffion; or, as he fays juft after, thaw it. So afterwards in this play he says, The power of speech to STIR mens bloods.

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 curtfies, 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, Cefar 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 Cafar's ear,
For the repealing of my banifh'd brother?

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

Caf. Pardon, Cæfar; Cæfar, pardon;
As low as to thy foot doth Caffius fall,
To beg enfranchisement for Publius Cimber.

Caf. I could be well mov'd, if I were as you;
If I could pray to move, prayers would move me:
But I am conftant as the northern ftar,
Of whose true, fixt, and refting 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.
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 a little fhew it, even in this;

2 And turn pre-ordinance-] Pre-ordinance, for ordinance already established.

That

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

Cim. O Cafar

Caf. Hence! wilt thou lift up Olympus?
Dec. Great Cæfar

Cef. Doth not Brutus bootless kneel?
Cafe. Speak hands for me.

[They ftab Cæfar.

Cef. Et tu, Brute?-then fall Cæfar!

[Dies.

Cin. Liberty! freedom! Tyranny is dead Run hence, proclaim, cry it about the ftreets Caf. Some to the common Pulpits, and cry out, Liberty, freedom, and enfranchisement.

Bru. People, and Senators! be not affrighted; Fly not, ftand ftill. Ambition's debt is paid. Caf. 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 some friends 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 fo; and let no man abide this deed, But we the Doers.

Caf. Where is Antony?

Tre. Fled to his House 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

And drawing days out, that men ftand 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.

3

Cafc. Stoop, Romans, stoop;

And let us bathe our hands in Cafar's blood
Up to the elbows, and befmear our fwords;
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 Scene be acted o'er,

In States unborn, and accents yet unknown?

Bru, How many times fhall Cæfar bleed in fport, That now on Pompey's Bafis lies along,

No worthier than the duft?

Caf. So oft as that shall be,

So often shall 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 boldeft, and beft hearts of Rome.
Enter a Servant.

Bru. Soft, who comes here? A friend of Antony's. Ser. Thus, Brutus, did my master bid me kneel; Thus did Mark Antony bid me fall down; [kneeling. And, being proftrate, thus he bad me fay.

Brutus is noble, wife, valiant and honeft;

3 In all the editions this fpeech is afcribed to Brutus, than which nothing is more inconfiftent with his mild and philofohical character. But (as I often find fpeeches in the later editions put into wrong mouths, different from the first published by the author) I think this liberty not unreasonable. Mr. Pope.

Cafar