JULIUS CAESAR

Act 2 Scene 4

(Enter Portia and Lucius)
l1l	Portia	 I prithee, boy, run to the Senate House.
l2l		Stay not to answer me, but get thee gone.—
l3l		Why dost thou stay?
	Lucius	To know my errand, madam.
l4l	Portia	I would have had thee there and here again
l5l		Ere I can tell thee what thou shouldst do there.
l6l		(Aside)
		 O constancy, be strong upon my side#
l7l		Set a huge mountain ’tween my heart and tongue.
l8l		I have a man’s mind, but a woman’s might.
l9l		How hard it is for women to keep counsel!
l10l		(To Lucius)
		 Art thou here yet?
	Lucius	Madam, what should I do?
l11l		Run to the Capitol, and nothing else?
l12l		And so return to you, and nothing else?
l13l	Portia	Yes, bring me word, boy, if thy lord look well,
l14l		For he went sickly forth# and take good note
l15l		What Caesar doth, what suitors press to him.
l16l		Hark, boy, what noise is that?
l17l	Lucius	I hear none, madam.
l18l	Portia	Prithee, listen well.
l19l		I heard a bustling rumour, like a fray,
l20l		And the wind brings it from the Capitol.
l21l	Lucius	Sooth, madam, I hear nothing.
		(Enter the Soothsayer)
l22l	Portia	 Come hither, fellow. Which way hast thou been?
l23l	Soothsayer	At mine own house, good lady.
l24l	Portia	What is ’t o’clock?
l25l	Soothsayer	About the ninth hour, lady.
l26l	Portia	Is Caesar yet gone to the Capitol?
l27l	Soothsayer	Madam, not yet. I go to take my stand
l28l		To see him pass on to the Capitol.
l29l	Portia	Thou hast some suit to Caesar, hast thou not?
l30l	Soothsayer	That I have, lady. If it will please Caesar
l31l		To be so good to Caesar as to hear me,
l32l		I shall beseech him to befriend himself.
l33l	Portia	Why, know’st thou any harms intended towards him?
l34l	Soothsayer	None that I know will be# much that I fear may chance.
l35l		Good morrow to you.
		(He moves away)
		 Here the street is narrow.
l36l		The throng that follows Caesar at the heels,
l37l		Of senators, of praetors, common suitors,
l38l		Will crowd a feeble man almost to death.
l39l		I’ll get me to a place more void, and there
l40l		Speak to great Caesar as he comes along.
		(Exit)
l41l	Portia	(aside)
		 I must go in. Ay me! How weak a thing
l42l		The heart of woman is! O Brutus,
l43l		The heavens speed thee in thine enterprise!—
l44l		Sure the boy heard me.
		(To Lucius)
		 Brutus hath a suit
l45l		That Caesar will not grant.
		(Aside)
		 O, I grow faint!
l46l		(To Lucius)
		 Run, Lucius, and commend me to my lord.
l47l		Say I am merry. Come to me again,
l48l		And bring me word what he doth say to thee.
		(Exeunt severally)