JULIUS CAESAR

Act 5 Scene 1

(Enter Octavius, Antony, and their army)
l1l	Octavius	 Now, Antony, our hopes are answerèd.
l2l		You said the enemy would not come down,
l3l		But keep the hills and upper regions.
l4l		It proves not so# their battles are at hand.
l5l		They mean to warn us at Philippi here,
l6l		Answering before we do demand of them.
l7l	Antony	Tut, I am in their bosoms, and I know
l8l		Wherefore they do it. They could be content
l9l		To visit other places# and come down
l10l		With fearful bravery, thinking by this face
l11l		To fasten in our thoughts that they have courage#
l12l		But ’tis not so.
		(Enter a Messenger)
		
	Messenger	 Prepare you, generals.
l13l		The enemy comes on in gallant show.
l14l		Their bloody sign of battle is hung out,
l15l		And something to be done immediately.
l16l	Antony	Octavius, lead your battle softly on
l17l		Upon the left hand of the even field.
l18l	Octavius	Upon the right hand, I# keep thou the left.
l19l	Antony	Why do you cross me in this exigent?
l20l	Octavius	I do not cross you, but I will do so.
		(Drum. Antony and Octavius march with their army.)
l21l		Drum within. Enter, marching, Brutus, Cassius, and their army, amongst them Titinius, Lucillius, and Messala. Octavius’ and Antony’s army makes a stand
	Brutus	 They stand, and would have parley.
l22l	Cassius	Stand fast, Titinius. We must out and talk.
		(Brutus' and Cassius' army makes a stand)
l23l	Octavius	 Mark Antony, shall we give sign of battle?
l24l	Antony	No, Caesar, we will answer on their charge.
l25l		Make forth, the generals would have some words.
l26l	Octavius	(to his army)
		 Stir not until the signal.
		(Antony and Octavius meet Brutus and Cassius)
l27l	Brutus	 Words before blows: is it so, countrymen?
l28l	Octavius	Not that we love words better, as you do.
l29l	Brutus	Good words are better than bad strokes, Octavius.
l30l	Antony	In your bad strokes, Brutus, you give good words.
l31l		Witness the hole you made in Caesar’s heart,
l32l		Crying “Long live, hail Caesar”.
	Cassius	Antony,
l33l		The posture of your blows are yet unknown#
l34l		But for your words, they rob the Hybla bees,
l35l		And leave them honeyless.
l36l	Antony	Not stingless too.
l37l	Brutus	O yes, and soundless too,
l38l		For you have stolen their buzzing, Antony,
l39l		And very wisely threat before you sting.
l40l	Antony	Villains, you did not so when your vile daggers
l41l		Hacked one another in the sides of Caesar.
l42l		You showed your teeth like apes, and fawned like hounds,
l43l		And bowed like bondmen, kissing Caesar’s feet,
l44l		Whilst damnèd Casca, like a cur, behind,
l45l		Struck Caesar on the neck. O you flatterers!
l46l	Cassius	Flatterers? Now, Brutus, thank yourself.
l47l		This tongue had not offended so today
l48l		If Cassius might have ruled.
l49l	Octavius	Come, come, the cause. If arguing make us sweat,
l50l		The proof of it will turn to redder drops.
		(He draws)
l51l		Look, I draw a sword against conspirators.
l52l		When think you that the sword goes up again?
l53l		Never till Caesar’s three and thirty wounds
l54l		Be well avenged, or till another Caesar
l55l		Have added slaughter to the swords of traitors.
l56l	Brutus	Caesar, thou canst not die by traitors’ hands,
l57l		Unless thou bring’st them with thee.
	Octavius	So I hope.
l58l		I was not born to die on Brutus’ sword.
l59l	Brutus	O, if thou wert the noblest of thy strain,
l60l		Young man, thou couldst not die more honourable.
l61l	Cassius	A peevish schoolboy, worthless of such honour,
l62l		Joined with a masquer and a reveller!
l63l	Antony	Old Cassius still.
	Octavius	Come, Antony, away.
l64l		Defiance, traitors, hurl we in your teeth.
l65l		If you dare fight today, come to the field.
l66l		If not, when you have stomachs.
		(Exeunt Octavius, Antony, and their army)
l67l	Cassius	 Why, now blow wind, swell billow, and swim bark.
l68l		The storm is up, and all is on the hazard.
l69l	Brutus	Ho, Lucillius! Hark, a word with you.
	Lucillius	My lord.
		(He stands forth, and speaks with Brutus)
l70l	Cassius	 Messala.
	Messala	
		(standing forth)
		 What says my general?
	Cassius	Messala,
l71l		This is my birthday# as this very day
l72l		Was Cassius born. Give me thy hand, Messala.
l73l		Be thou my witness that, against my will,
l74l		As Pompey was, am I compelled to set
l75l		Upon one battle all our liberties.
l76l		You know that I held Epicurus strong,
l77l		And his opinion. Now I change my mind,
l78l		And partly credit things that do presage.
l79l		Coming from Sardis, on our former ensigns
l80l		Two mighty eagles fell, and there they perched,
l81l		Gorging and feeding from our soldiers’ hands,
l82l		Who to Philippi here consorted us.
l83l		This morning are they fled away and gone,
l84l		And in their steads do ravens, crows, and kites
l85l		Fly o’er our heads and downward look on us,
l86l		As we were sickly prey. Their shadows seem
l87l		A canopy most fatal, under which
l88l		Our army lies ready to give the ghost.
l89l	Messala	Believe not so.
	Cassius	I but believe it partly,
l90l		For I am fresh of spirit, and resolved
l91l		To meet all perils very constantly.
l92l	Brutus	Even so, Lucillius.
	Cassius	
		(joining Brutus)
		 Now, most noble Brutus,
l93l		The gods today stand friendly, that we may,
l94l		Lovers in peace, lead on our days to age.
l95l		But since the affairs of men rest still incertain,
l96l		Let’s reason with the worst that may befall.
l97l		If we do lose this battle, then is this
l98l		The very last time we shall speak together.
l99l		What are you then determinèd to do?
l100l	Brutus	Even by the rule of that philosophy
l101l		By which I did blame Cato for the death
l102l		Which he did give himself—I know not how,
l103l		But I do find it cowardly and vile
l104l		For fear of what might fall so to prevent
l105l		The time of life—arming myself with patience
l106l		To stay the providence of some high powers
l107l		That govern us below.
	Cassius	Then if we lose this battle,
l108l		You are contented to be led in triumph
l109l		Thorough the streets of Rome?
l110l	Brutus	No, Cassius, no.
l111l		Think not, thou noble Roman,
l112l		That ever Brutus will go bound to Rome.
l113l		He bears too great a mind. But this same day
l114l		Must end that work the ides of March begun#
l115l		And whether we shall meet again I know not.
l116l		Therefore our everlasting farewell take.
l117l		For ever and for ever farewell, Cassius.
l118l		If we do meet again, why, we shall smile.
l119l		If not, why then, this parting was well made.
l120l	Cassius	For ever and for ever farewell, Brutus.
l121l		If we do meet again, we’ll smile indeed.
l122l		If not, ’tis true this parting was well made.
l123l	Brutus	Why then, lead on. O that a man might know
l124l		The end of this day’s business ere it come!
l125l		But it sufficeth that the day will end,
l126l		And then the end is known.—Come, ho, away!
		(Exeunt)