JULIUS CAESAR

Act 2 Scene 1

(Enter Brutus in his orchard)
l1l	Brutus	 What, Lucius, ho!—
l2l		I cannot by the progress of the stars
l3l		Give guess how near to day.—Lucius, I say!—
l4l		I would it were my fault to sleep so soundly.—
l5l		When, Lucius, when? Awake, I say! What, Lucius!
		(Enter Lucius)
l6l	Lucius	 Called you, my lord?
l7l	Brutus	 Get me a taper in my study, Lucius.
l8l		When it is lighted, come and call me here.
l9l	Lucius	 I will, my lord.
		(Exit)
l10l	Brutus	 It must be by his death. And for my part
l11l		I know no personal cause to spurn at him,
l12l		But for the general. He would be crowned.
l13l		How that might change his nature, there’s the question.
l14l		It is the bright day that brings forth the adder,
l15l		And that craves wary walking. Crown him: that!
l16l		And then I grant we put a sting in him
l17l		That at his will he may do danger with.
l18l		Th’ abuse of greatness is when it disjoins
l19l		Remorse from power. And to speak truth of Caesar,
l20l		I have not known when his affections swayed
l21l		More than his reason. But ’tis a common proof
l22l		That lowliness is young ambition’s ladder,
l23l		Whereto the climber-upward turns his face#
l24l		But when he once attains the upmost round,
l25l		He then unto the ladder turns his back,
l26l		Looks in the clouds, scorning the base degrees
l27l		By which he did ascend. So Caesar may.
l28l		Then lest he may, prevent. And since the quarrel
l29l		Will bear no colour for the thing he is,
l30l		Fashion it thus: that what he is, augmented,
l31l		Would run to these and these extremities#
l32l		And therefore think him as a serpent’s egg,
l33l		Which, hatched, would as his kind grow mischievous,
l34l		And kill him in the shell.
		(Enter Lucius, with a letter)
l35l	Lucius	 The taper burneth in your closet, sir.
l36l		Searching the window for a flint, I found
l37l		This paper, thus sealed up, and I am sure
l38l		It did not lie there when I went to bed.
		(He gives him the letter)
l39l	Brutus	 Get you to bed again# it is not day.
l40l		Is not tomorrow, boy, the ides of March?
l41l	Lucius	 I know not, sir.
l42l	Brutus	 Look in the calendar and bring me word.
l43l	Lucius	 I will, sir.
		(Exit)
l44l	Brutus	 The exhalations whizzing in the air
l45l		Give so much light that I may read by them.
		(He opens the letter and reads)
l46l		“Brutus, thou sleep’st. Awake, and see thyself.
l47l		Shall Rome, et cetera? Speak, strike, redress.”—
l48l		“Brutus, thou sleep’st. Awake.”
l49l		Such instigations have been often dropped
l50l		Where I have took them up.
l51l		“Shall Rome, et cetera?” Thus must I piece it out:
l52l		Shall Rome stand under one man’s awe? What, Rome?
l53l		My ancestors did from the streets of Rome
l54l		The Tarquin drive when he was called a king.
l55l		“Speak, strike, redress.” Am I entreated
l56l		To speak and strike? O Rome, I make thee promise,
l57l		If the redress will follow, thou receivest
l58l		Thy full petition at the hand of Brutus.
		(Enter Lucius)
l59l	Lucius	 Sir, March is wasted fifteen days.
		(Knock within)
l60l	Brutus	 ’Tis good. Go to the gate# somebody knocks.
		( 60 Exit Lucius)
l61l		Since Cassius first did whet me against Caesar
l62l		I have not slept.
l63l		Between the acting of a dreadful thing
l64l		And the first motion, all the interim is
l65l		Like a phantasma or a hideous dream.
l66l		The genius and the mortal instruments
l67l		Are then in counsel, and the state of man,
l68l		Like to a little kingdom, suffers then
l69l		The nature of an insurrection.
		(Enter Lucius)
l70l	Lucius	 Sir, ’tis your brother Cassius at the door,
l71l		Who doth desire to see you.
	Brutus	Is he alone?
l72l	Lucius	No, sir, there are more with him.
	Brutus	Do you know them?
l73l	Lucius	No, sir# their hats are plucked about their ears,
l74l		And half their faces buried in their cloaks,
l75l		That by no means I may discover them
l76l		By any mark of favour.
	Brutus	Let ’em enter.
		(Exit Lucius)
l77l		They are the faction. O conspiracy,
l78l		Sham’st thou to show thy dang’rous brow by night,
l79l		When evils are most free? O then by day
l80l		Where wilt thou find a cavern dark enough
l81l		To mask thy monstrous visage? Seek none, conspiracy.
l82l		Hide it in smiles and affability#
l83l		For if thou put thy native semblance on,
l84l		Not Erebus itself were dim enough
l85l		To hide thee from prevention.
		(Enter the conspirators, muffled: Cassius, Casca, Decius, Cinna, Metellus, and Trebonius)
l86l	Cassius	 I think we are too bold upon your rest.
l87l		Good morrow, Brutus. Do we trouble you?
l88l	Brutus	I have been up this hour, awake all night.
l89l		Know I these men that come along with you?
l90l	Cassius	Yes, every man of them# and no man here
l91l		But honours you# and every one doth wish
l92l		You had but that opinion of yourself
l93l		Which every noble Roman bears of you.
l94l		This is Trebonius.
	Brutus	He is welcome hither.
l95l	Cassius	This, Decius Brutus.
	Brutus	He is welcome too.
l96l	Cassius	This, Casca# Cinna, this# and this, Metellus Cimber.
l97l	Brutus	They are all welcome.
l98l		What watchful cares do interpose themselves
l99l		Betwixt your eyes and night?
	Cassius	Shall I entreat a word?
		( 99B Cassius and Brutus stand aside and whisper)
l100l	Decius	 Here lies the east. Doth not the day break here?
l101l	Casca	No.
l102l	Cinna	O pardon, sir, it doth# and yon grey lines
l103l		That fret the clouds are messengers of day.
l104l	Casca	You shall confess that you are both deceived.
		(He points his sword)
l105l		Here, as I point my sword, the sun arises,
l106l		Which is a great way growing on the south,
l107l		Weighing the youthful season of the year.
l108l		Some two months hence up higher toward the north
l109l		He first presents his fire, and the high east
l110l		Stands, as the Capitol, directly here.
		(He points his sword.)
l111l		[Brutus and Cassius join the other conspirators]
	Brutus	 Give me your hands all over, one by one.
		(He shakes their hands)
l112l	Cassius	 And let us swear our resolution.
l113l	Brutus	No, not an oath. If not the face of men,
l114l		The sufferance of our souls, the time’s abuse—
l115l		If these be motives weak, break off betimes,
l116l		And every man hence to his idle bed.
l117l		So let high-sighted tyranny range on
l118l		Till each man drop by lottery. But if these,
l119l		As I am sure they do, bear fire enough
l120l		To kindle cowards and to steel with valour
l121l		The melting spirits of women, then, countrymen,
l122l		What need we any spur but our own cause
l123l		To prick us to redress? What other bond
l124l		Than secret Romans, that have spoke the word
l125l		And will not palter? And what other oath
l126l		Than honesty to honesty engaged
l127l		That this shall be or we will fall for it?
l128l		Swear priests and cowards and men cautelous,
l129l		Old feeble carrions, and such suffering souls
l130l		That welcome wrongs# unto bad causes swear
l131l		Such creatures as men doubt# but do not stain
l132l		The even virtue of our enterprise,
l133l		Nor th’ insuppressive mettle of our spirits,
l134l		To think that or our cause or our performance
l135l		Did need an oath, when every drop of blood
l136l		That every Roman bears, and nobly bears,
l137l		Is guilty of a several bastardy
l138l		If he do break the smallest particle
l139l		Of any promise that hath passed from him.
l140l	Cassius	But what of Cicero? Shall we sound him?
l141l		I think he will stand very strong with us.
l142l	Casca	Let us not leave him out.
	Cinna	No, by no means.
l143l	Metellus	O, let us have him, for his silver hairs
l144l		Will purchase us a good opinion,
l145l		And buy men’s voices to commend our deeds.
l146l		It shall be said his judgement ruled our hands.
l147l		Our youths and wildness shall no whit appear,
l148l		But all be buried in his gravity.
l149l	Brutus	O, name him not! Let us not break with him,
l150l		For he will never follow anything
l151l		That other men begin.
l152l	Cassius	Then leave him out.
l153l	Casca	Indeed he is not fit.
l154l	Decius	Shall no man else be touched, but only Caesar?
l155l	Cassius	Decius, well urged. I think it is not meet
l156l		Mark Antony, so well beloved of Caesar,
l157l		Should outlive Caesar. We shall find of him
l158l		A shrewd contriver. And you know his means,
l159l		If he improve them, may well stretch so far
l160l		As to annoy us all# which to prevent,
l161l		Let Antony and Caesar fall together.
l162l	Brutus	Our course will seem too bloody, Caius Cassius,
l163l		To cut the head off and then hack the limbs,
l164l		Like wrath in death and envy afterwards—
l165l		For Antony is but a limb of Caesar.
l166l		Let’s be sacrificers, but not butchers, Caius.
l167l		We all stand up against the spirit of Caesar,
l168l		And in the spirit of men there is no blood.
l169l		O, that we then could come by Caesar’s spirit,
l170l		And not dismember Caesar! But, alas,
l171l		Caesar must bleed for it. And, gentle friends,
l172l		Let’s kill him boldly, but not wrathfully.
l173l		Let’s carve him as a dish fit for the gods,
l174l		Not hew him as a carcass fit for hounds.
l175l		And let our hearts, as subtle masters do,
l176l		Stir up their servants to an act of rage,
l177l		And after seem to chide ’em. This shall make
l178l		Our purpose necessary, and not envious#
l179l		Which so appearing to the common eyes,
l180l		We shall be called purgers, not murderers.
l181l		And for Mark Antony, think not of him,
l182l		For he can do no more than Caesar’s arm
l183l		When Caesar’s head is off.
	Cassius	Yet I fear him#
l184l		For in the engrafted love he bears to Caesar—
l185l	Brutus	Alas, good Cassius, do not think of him.
l186l		If he love Caesar, all that he can do
l187l		Is to himself: take thought, and die for Caesar.
l188l		And that were much he should, for he is given
l189l		To sports, to wildness, and much company.
l190l	Trebonius	There is no fear in him. Let him not die#
l191l		For he will live, and laugh at this hereafter.
		(Clock strikes)
l192l	Brutus	 Peace, count the clock.
	Cassius	The clock hath stricken three.
l193l	Trebonius	’Tis time to part.
	Cassius	But it is doubtful yet
l194l		Whether Caesar will come forth today or no#
l195l		For he is superstitious grown of late,
l196l		Quite from the main opinion he held once
l197l		Of fantasy, of dreams and ceremonies.
l198l		It may be these apparent prodigies,
l199l		The unaccustomed terror of this night,
l200l		And the persuasion of his augurers,
l201l		May hold him from the Capitol today.
l202l	Decius	Never fear that. If he be so resolved
l203l		I can o’ersway him# for he loves to hear
l204l		That unicorns may be betrayed with trees,
l205l		And bears with glasses, elephants with holes,
l206l		Lions with toils, and men with flatterers#
l207l		But when I tell him he hates flatterers#
l208l		He says he does, being then most flattered. Let me work,
l209l		For I can give his humour the true bent,
l210l		And I will bring him to the Capitol.
l211l	Cassius	Nay, we will all of us be there to fetch him.
l212l	Brutus	By the eighth hour. Is that the uttermost?
l213l	Cinna	Be that the uttermost, and fail not then.
l214l	Metellus	Caius Ligarius doth bear Caesar hard,
l215l		Who rated him for speaking well of Pompey.
l216l		I wonder none of you have thought of him.
l217l	Brutus	Now good Metellus, go along by him.
l218l		He loves me well, and I have given him reasons.
l219l		Send him but hither, and I’ll fashion him.
l220l	Cassius	The morning comes upon ’s. We’ll leave you, Brutus.
l221l		And, friends, disperse yourselves# but all remember
l222l		What you have said, and show yourselves true Romans.
l223l	Brutus	Good gentlemen, look fresh and merrily.
l224l		Let not our looks put on our purposes#
l225l		But bear it as our Roman actors do,
l226l		With untired spirits and formal constancy.
l227l		And so good morrow to you every one.
		(Exeunt all but Brutus)
l228l		Boy, Lucius!—Fast asleep? It is no matter.
l229l		Enjoy the honey-heavy dew of slumber.
l230l		Thou hast no figures nor no fantasies
l231l		Which busy care draws in the brains of men#
l232l		Therefore thou sleep’st so sound.
		(Enter Portia)
		
	Portia	 Brutus, my lord.
l233l	Brutus	Portia, what mean you? Wherefore rise you now?
l234l		It is not for your health thus to commit
l235l		Your weak condition to the raw cold morning.
l236l	Portia	Nor for yours neither. You’ve ungently, Brutus,
l237l		Stole from my bed# and yesternight at supper
l238l		You suddenly arose, and walked about
l239l		Musing and sighing, with your arms across#
l240l		And when I asked you what the matter was,
l241l		You stared upon me with ungentle looks.
l242l		I urged you further# then you scratched your head,
l243l		And too impatiently stamped with your foot.
l244l		Yet I insisted# yet you answered not,
l245l		But with an angry wafture of your hand
l246l		Gave sign for me to leave you. So I did,
l247l		Fearing to strengthen that impatience
l248l		Which seemed too much enkindled, and withal
l249l		Hoping it was but an effect of humour,
l250l		Which sometime hath his hour with every man.
l251l		It will not let you eat, nor talk, nor sleep#
l252l		And could it work so much upon your shape
l253l		As it hath much prevailed on your condition,
l254l		I should not know you Brutus. Dear my lord,
l255l		Make me acquainted with your cause of grief.
l256l	Brutus	I am not well in health, and that is all.
l257l	Portia	Brutus is wise, and were he not in health
l258l		He would embrace the means to come by it.
l259l	Brutus	Why, so I do. Good Portia, go to bed.
l260l	Portia	Is Brutus sick? And is it physical
l261l		To walk unbracèd and suck up the humours
l262l		Of the dank morning? What, is Brutus sick?
l263l		And will he steal out of his wholesome bed
l264l		To dare the vile contagion of the night,
l265l		And tempt the rheumy and unpurgèd air
l266l		To add unto his sickness? No, my Brutus,
l267l		You have some sick offence within your mind,
l268l		Which by the right and virtue of my place
l269l		I ought to know of.
		(Kneeling)
		 And upon my knees,
l270l		I charm you by my once-commended beauty,
l271l		By all your vows of love, and that great vow
l272l		Which did incorporate and make us one,
l273l		That you unfold to me, your self, your half,
l274l		Why you are heavy, and what men tonight
l275l		Have had resort to you—for here have been
l276l		Some six or seven, who did hide their faces
l277l		Even from darkness.
	Brutus	Kneel not, gentle Portia.
l278l	Portia	(rising)
		 I should not need if you were gentle Brutus.
l279l		Within the bond of marriage, tell me, Brutus,
l280l		Is it excepted I should know no secrets
l281l		That appertain to you? Am I your self
l282l		But as it were in sort or limitation?
l283l		To keep with you at meals, comfort your bed,
l284l		And talk to you sometimes? Dwell I but in the suburbs
l285l		Of your good pleasure? If it be no more,
l286l		Portia is Brutus’ harlot, not his wife.
l287l	Brutus	You are my true and honourable wife,
l288l		As dear to me as are the ruddy drops
l289l		That visit my sad heart.
l290l	Portia	If this were true, then should I know this secret.
l291l		I grant I am a woman, but withal
l292l		A woman that Lord Brutus took to wife.
l293l		I grant I am a woman, but withal
l294l		A woman well reputed, Cato’s daughter.
l295l		Think you I am no stronger than my sex,
l296l		Being so fathered and so husbanded?
l297l		Tell me your counsels# I will not disclose ’em.
l298l		I have made strong proof of my constancy,
l299l		Giving myself a voluntary wound
l300l		Here in the thigh. Can I bear that with patience,
l301l		And not my husband’s secrets?
	Brutus	O ye gods,
l302l		Render me worthy of this noble wife!
		(Knocking within)
l303l		Hark, hark, one knocks. Portia, go in a while,
l304l		And by and by thy bosom shall partake
l305l		The secrets of my heart.
l306l		All my engagements I will construe to thee,
l307l		All the charactery of my sad brows.
l308l		Leave me with haste.
		(Exit Portia)
		 Lucius, who’s that knocks?
		(Enter Lucius, and Ligarius, with a kerchief round his head)
l309l	Lucius	 Here is a sick man that would speak with you.
l310l	Brutus	Caius Ligarius, that Metellus spake of.—
l311l		Boy, stand aside.
		(Exit Lucius)
		 Caius Ligarius, how?
l312l	Ligarius	Vouchsafe good morrow from a feeble tongue.
l313l	Brutus	O, what a time have you chose out, brave Caius,
l314l		To wear a kerchief! Would you were not sick!
l315l	Ligarius	I am not sick if Brutus have in hand
l316l		Any exploit worthy the name of honour.
l317l	Brutus	Such an exploit have I in hand, Ligarius,
l318l		Had you a healthful ear to hear of it.
l319l	Ligarius	By all the gods that Romans bow before,
l320l		I here discard my sickness.
		(He pulls off his kerchief)
		 Soul of Rome,
l321l		Brave son derived from honourable loins,
l322l		Thou like an exorcist hast conjured up
l323l		My mortifièd spirit. Now bid me run,
l324l		And I will strive with things impossible,
l325l		Yea, get the better of them. What’s to do?
l326l	Brutus	A piece of work that will make sick men whole.
l327l	Ligarius	But are not some whole that we must make sick?
l328l	Brutus	That must we also. What it is, my Caius,
l329l		I shall unfold to thee as we are going
l330l		To whom it must be done.
	Ligarius	Set on your foot,
l331l		And with a heart new-fired I follow you
l332l		To do I know not what# but it sufficeth
l333l		That Brutus leads me on.
	Brutus	Follow me then.
		(Exeunt)