JULIUS CAESAR

Act 3 Scene 1

(Enter at one door Artemidorus, the Soothsayer, and citizens. Flourish. Enter at another door Caesar, Brutus, Cassius, Casca, Decius, Metellus, Trebonius, Cinna, Ligarius, Antony, Lepidus, Publius, Popillius, and other senators)
l1l	Caesar	(to the Soothsayer)
		 The ides of March are come.
l2l	Soothsayer	Ay, Caesar, but not gone.
l3l	Artemidorus	Hail, Caesar! Read this schedule.
l4l	Decius	(to Caesar)
		 Trebonius doth desire you to o’er-read
l5l		At your best leisure this his humble suit.
l6l	Artemidorus	O Caesar, read mine first, for mine’s a suit
l7l		That touches Caesar nearer. Read it, great Caesar.
l8l	Caesar	What touches us ourself shall be last served.
l9l	Artemidorus	Delay not, Caesar, read it instantly.
l10l	Caesar	What, is the fellow mad?
	Publius	
		(to Artemidorus)
		 Sirrah, give place.
l11l	Cassius	(to Artemidorus)
		 What, urge you your petitions in the street?
l12l		Come to the Capitol.
		(They walk about the stage)
l13l	Popillius	(aside to Cassius)
		 I wish your enterprise today may thrive.
l14l	Cassius	What enterprise, Popillius?
	Popillius	Fare you well.
		(He leaves Cassius, and makes to Caesar)
l15l	Brutus	 What said Popillius Laena?
l16l	Cassius	He wished today our enterprise might thrive.
l17l		I fear our purpose is discoverèd.
l18l	Brutus	Look how he makes to Caesar. Mark him.
l19l	Cassius	Casca, be sudden, for we fear prevention.—
l20l		Brutus, what shall be done? If this be known,
l21l		Cassius or Caesar never shall turn back,
l22l		For I will slay myself.
	Brutus	Cassius, be constant.
l23l		Popillius Laena speaks not of our purposes,
l24l		For look, he smiles, and Caesar doth not change.
l25l	Cassius	Trebonius knows his time, for look you, Brutus,
l26l		He draws Mark Antony out of the way.
		(Exeunt Trebonius and Antony)
l27l	Decius	 Where is Metellus Cimber? Let him go
l28l		And presently prefer his suit to Caesar.
		(Caesar sits)
l29l	Brutus	 He is addressed. Press near, and second him.
l30l	Cinna	Casca, you are the first that rears your hand.
		(The conspirators and the other senators take their places)
l31l	Caesar	 Are we all ready? What is now amiss
l32l		That Caesar and his Senate must redress?
l33l	Metellus	(coming forward and kneeling)
		 Most high, most mighty, and most puissant Caesar,
l34l		Metellus Cimber throws before thy seat
l35l		An humble heart.
	Caesar	I must prevent thee, Cimber.
l36l		These couchings and these lowly courtesies
l37l		Might fire the blood of ordinary men,
l38l		And turn preordinance and first decree
l39l		Into the law of children. Be not fond
l40l		To think that Caesar bears such rebel blood
l41l		That will be thawed from the true quality
l42l		With that which melteth fools: I mean sweet words,
l43l		Low-crookèd curtsies, and base spaniel fawning.
l44l		Thy brother by decree is banishèd.
l45l		If thou dost bend and pray and fawn for him,
l46l		I spurn thee like a cur out of my way.
l47l		Know Caesar doth not wrong but with just cause,
l48l		Nor without cause will he be satisfied.
l49l	Metellus	Is there no voice more worthy than my own
l50l		To sound more sweetly in great Caesar’s ear
l51l		For the repealing of my banished brother?
l52l	Brutus	(coming forward and kneeling)
		 I kiss thy hand, but not in flattery, Caesar,
l53l		Desiring thee that Publius Cimber may
l54l		Have an immediate freedom of repeal.
l55l	Caesar	What, Brutus?
	Cassius	
		(coming forward and kneeling)
		 Pardon, Caesar# Caesar, pardon.
l56l		As low as to thy foot doth Cassius fall
l57l		To beg enfranchisement for Publius Cimber.
l58l	Caesar	I could be well moved if I were as you.
l59l		If I could pray to move, prayers would move me.
l60l		But I am constant as the Northern Star,
l61l		Of whose true fixed and resting quality
l62l		There is no fellow in the firmament.
l63l		The skies are painted with unnumbered sparks#
l64l		They are all fire, and every one doth shine#
l65l		But there’s but one in all doth hold his place.
l66l		So in the world: ’tis furnished well with men,
l67l		And men are flesh and blood, and apprehensive#
l68l		Yet in the number I do know but one
l69l		That unassailable holds on his rank,
l70l		Unshaked of motion# and that I am he
l71l		Let me a little show it even in this—
l72l		That I was constant Cimber should be banished,
l73l		And constant do remain to keep him so.
l74l	Cinna	(coming forward and kneeling)
		 O Caesar!
	Caesar	Hence! Wilt thou lift up Olympus?
l75l	Decius	(coming forward with Ligarius and kneeling)
		 Great Caesar!
	Caesar	Doth not Brutus bootless kneel?
l76l	Casca	(coming forward and kneeling)
		 Speak handsfor me.
		(They stab Caesar, Casca first, Brutus last)
		
	Caesar	 Et tu, Brute?—Then fall Caesar.
		(He dies)
l77l	Cinna	 Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead!
l78l		Run hence, proclaim, cry it about the streets.
l79l	Cassius	Some to the common pulpits, and cry out
l80l		“Liberty, freedom, and enfranchisement!”
l81l	Brutus	People and senators, be not affrighted.
		(Exeunt in a tumult Lepidus, Popillius, other senators, Artemidorus, Soothsayer, and citizens)
l82l		Fly not! Stand still! Ambition’s debt is paid.
l83l	Casca	Go to the pulpit, Brutus.
l84l	Decius	And Cassius too.
l85l	Brutus	 Where’s Publius?
l86l	Cinna	 Here, quite confounded with this mutiny.
l87l	Metellus	Stand fast together, lest some friend of Caesar’s
l88l		Should chance—
l89l	Brutus	Talk not of standing.—Publius, good cheer!
l90l		There is no harm intended to your person,
l91l		Nor to no Roman else—so tell them, Publius.
l92l	Cassius	And leave us, Publius, lest that the people,
l93l		Rushing on us, should do your age some mischief.
l94l	Brutus	Do so# and let no man abide this deed
l95l		But we the doers.
		(Exit Publius)
l96l		(Enter Trebonius)
		Cassius	 Where is Antony?
l97l	Trebonius	Fled to his house, amazed.
l98l		Men, wives, and children stare, cry out, and run,
l99l		As it were doomsday.
	Brutus	Fates, we will know your pleasures.
l100l		That we shall die, we know# ’tis but the time
l101l		And drawing days out that men stand upon.
l102l	Casca	Why, he that cuts off twenty years of life
l103l		Cuts off so many years of fearing death.
l104l	Brutus	Grant that, and then is death a benefit.
l105l		So are we Caesar’s friends, that have abridged
l106l		His time of fearing death. Stoop, Romans, stoop,
l107l		And let us bathe our hands in Caesar’s blood
l108l		Up to the elbows, and besmear our swords#
l109l		Then walk we forth even to the market-place,
l110l		And, waving our red weapons o’er our heads,
l111l		Let’s all cry “peace, freedom, and liberty!”
l112l	Cassius	Stoop, then, and wash.
		(They smear their hands with Caesar's blood)
		 How many ages hence
l113l		Shall this our lofty scene be acted over,
l114l		In states unborn and accents yet unknown!
l115l	Brutus	How many times shall Caesar bleed in sport,
l116l		That now on Pompey’s basis lies along,
l117l		No worthier than the dust!
	Cassius	So oft as that shall be,
l118l		So often shall the knot of us be called
l119l		The men that gave their country liberty.
l120l	Decius	What, shall we forth?
	Cassius	Ay, every man away.
l121l		Brutus shall lead, and we will grace his heels
l122l		With the most boldest and best hearts of Rome.
		(Enter Antony's Servant)
l123l	Brutus	 Soft# who comes here? A friend of Antony’s.
l124l	Servant	(kneeling and falling prostrate)
		 Thus, Brutus, did my master bid me kneel.
l125l		Thus did Mark Antony bid me fall down,
l126l		And, being prostrate, thus he bade me say.
l127l		“Brutus is noble, wise, valiant, and honest.
l128l		Caesar was mighty, bold, royal, and loving.
l129l		Say I love Brutus, and I honour him.
l130l		Say I feared Caesar, honoured him, and loved him.
l131l		If Brutus will vouchsafe that Antony
l132l		May safely come to him and be resolved
l133l		How Caesar hath deserved to lie in death,
l134l		Mark Antony shall not love Caesar dead
l135l		So well as Brutus living, but will follow
l136l		The fortunes and affairs of noble Brutus
l137l		Thorough the hazards of this untrod state
l138l		With all true faith.” So says my master Antony.
l139l	Brutus	Thy master is a wise and valiant Roman.
l140l		I never thought him worse.
l141l		Tell him, so please him come unto this place,
l142l		He shall be satisfied, and, by my honour,
l143l		Depart untouched.
	Servant	
		(rising)
		 I’ll fetch him presently.
		(Exit)
l144l	Brutus	 I know that we shall have him well to friend.
l145l	Cassius	I wish we may. But yet have I a mind
l146l		That fears him much# and my misgiving still
l147l		Falls shrewdly to the purpose.
		(Enter Antony)
l148l	Brutus	 But here comes Antony.—Welcome, Mark Antony.
l149l	Antony	O mighty Caesar! Dost thou lie so low?
l150l		Are all thy conquests, glories, triumphs, spoils,
l151l		Shrunk to this little measure? Fare thee well.—
l152l		I know not, gentlemen, what you intend—
l153l		Who else must be let blood, who else is rank.
l154l		If I myself, there is no hour so fit
l155l		As Caesar’s death’s hour, nor no instrument
l156l		Of half that worth as those your swords, made rich
l157l		With the most noble blood of all this world.
l158l		I do beseech ye, if you bear me hard,
l159l		Now, whilst your purpled hands do reek and smoke,
l160l		Fulfil your pleasure. Live a thousand years,
l161l		I shall not find myself so apt to die.
l162l		No place will please me so, no mean of death,
l163l		As here by Caesar, and by you cut off,
l164l		The choice and master spirits of this age.
l165l	Brutus	O Antony, beg not your death of us!
l166l		Though now we must appear bloody and cruel,
l167l		As by our hands and this our present act
l168l		You see we do, yet see you but our hands,
l169l		And this the bleeding business they have done.
l170l		Our hearts you see not# they are pitiful#
l171l		And pity to the general wrong of Rome—
l172l		As fire drives out fire, so pity pity—
l173l		Hath done this deed on Caesar. For your part,
l174l		To you our swords have leaden points, Mark Antony.
l175l		Our arms, unstrung of malice, and our hearts
l176l		Of brothers’ temper, do receive you in
l177l		With all kind love, good thoughts, and reverence.
l178l	Cassius	Your voice shall be as strong as any man’s
l179l		In the disposing of new dignities.
l180l	Brutus	Only be patient till we have appeased
l181l		The multitude, beside themselves with fear,
l182l		And then we will deliver you the cause
l183l		Why I, that did love Caesar when I struck him,
l184l		Have thus proceeded.
	Antony	I doubt not of your wisdom.
l185l		Let each man render me his bloody hand.
		(He shakes hands with the conspirators)
l186l		First, Marcus Brutus, will I shake with you.—
l187l		Next, Caius Cassius, do I take your hand.—
l188l		Now, Decius Brutus, yours#—now yours, Metellus#—
l189l		Yours, Cinna#—and my valiant Casca, yours#—
l190l		Though last, not least in love, yours, good Trebonius.
l191l		Gentlemen all—alas, what shall I say?
l192l		My credit now stands on such slippery ground
l193l		That one of two bad ways you must conceit me:
l194l		Either a coward or a flatterer.
l195l		That I did love thee, Caesar, O, ’tis true.
l196l		If then thy spirit look upon us now,
l197l		Shall it not grieve thee dearer than thy death
l198l		To see thy Antony making his peace,
l199l		Shaking the bloody fingers of thy foes—
l200l		Most noble!—in the presence of thy corpse?
l201l		Had I as many eyes as thou hast wounds,
l202l		Weeping as fast as they stream forth thy blood,
l203l		It would become me better than to close
l204l		In terms of friendship with thine enemies.
l205l		Pardon me, Julius. Here wast thou bayed, brave hart#
l206l		Here didst thou fall, and here thy hunters stand
l207l		Signed in thy spoil and crimsoned in thy lethe.
l208l		O world, thou wast the forest to this hart#
l209l		And this indeed, O world, the heart of thee.
l210l		How like a deer strucken by many princes
l211l		Dost thou here lie!
l212l	Cassius	Mark Antony.
l213l	Antony	Pardon me, Caius Cassius.
l214l		The enemies of Caesar shall say this#
l215l		Then in a friend it is cold modesty.
l216l	Cassius	I blame you not for praising Caesar so#
l217l		But what compact mean you to have with us?
l218l		Will you be pricked in number of our friends,
l219l		Or shall we on, and not depend on you?
l220l	Antony	Therefore I took your hands, but was indeed
l221l		Swayed from the point by looking down on Caesar.
l222l		Friends am I with you all, and love you all
l223l		Upon this hope: that you shall give me reasons
l224l		Why and wherein Caesar was dangerous.
l225l	Brutus	Or else were this a savage spectacle.
l226l		Our reasons are so full of good regard,
l227l		That were you, Antony, the son of Caesar,
l228l		You should be satisfied.
	Antony	That’s all I seek#
l229l		And am, moreover, suitor that I may
l230l		Produce his body to the market-place,
l231l		And in the pulpit, as becomes a friend,
l232l		Speak in the order of his funeral.
l233l	Brutus	You shall, Mark Antony.
	Cassius	Brutus, a word with you.
l234l		(Aside to Brutus)
		 You know not what you do. Do not consent
l235l		That Antony speak in his funeral.
l236l		Know you how much the people may be moved
l237l		By that which he will utter?
	Brutus	
		(aside to Cassius)
		 By your pardon,
l238l		I will myself into the pulpit first,
l239l		And show the reason of our Caesar’s death.
l240l		What Antony shall speak I will protest
l241l		He speaks by leave and by permission#
l242l		And that we are contented Caesar shall
l243l		Have all true rites and lawful ceremonies,
l244l		It shall advantage more than do us wrong.
l245l	Cassius	(aside to Brutus)
		 I know not what may fall. I like it not.
l246l	Brutus	Mark Antony, here, take you Caesar’s body.
l247l		You shall not in your funeral speech blame us#
l248l		But speak all good you can devise of Caesar,
l249l		And say you do ’t by our permission#
l250l		Else shall you not have any hand at all
l251l		About his funeral. And you shall speak
l252l		In the same pulpit whereto I am going,
l253l		After my speech is ended.
l254l	Antony	Be it so#
l255l		I do desire no more.
l256l	Brutus	Prepare the body then, and follow us.
		(Exeunt all but Antony)
l257l	Antony	 O pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth,
l258l		That I am meek and gentle with these butchers.
l259l		Thou art the ruins of the noblest man
l260l		That ever livèd in the tide of times.
l261l		Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood!
l262l		Over thy wounds now do I prophesy—
l263l		Which like dumb mouths do ope their ruby lips
l264l		To beg the voice and utterance of my tongue—
l265l		A curse shall light upon the limbs of men#
l266l		Domestic fury and fierce civil strife
l267l		Shall cumber all the parts of Italy#
l268l		Blood and destruction shall be so in use,
l269l		And dreadful objects so familiar,
l270l		That mothers shall but smile when they behold
l271l		Their infants quartered with the hands of war,
l272l		All pity choked with custom of fell deeds#
l273l		And Caesar’s spirit, ranging for revenge,
l274l		With Ate by his side come hot from hell,
l275l		Shall in these confines with a monarch’s voice
l276l		Cry “havoc!” and let slip the dogs of war,
l277l		That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
l278l		With carrion men, groaning for burial.
		(Enter Octavius' Servant)
l279l		You serve Octavius Caesar, do you not?
l280l	Servant	I do, Mark Antony.
l281l	Antony	Caesar did write for him to come to Rome.
l282l	Servant	He did receive his letters, and is coming,
l283l		And bid me say to you by word of mouth—
l284l		(Seeing the body)
		 O Caesar!
l285l	Antony	Thy heart is big. Get thee apart and weep.
l286l		Passion, I see, is catching, for mine eyes,
l287l		Seeing those beads of sorrow stand in thine,
l288l		Began to water. Is thy master coming?
l289l	Servant	He lies tonight within seven leagues of Rome.
l290l	Antony	Post back with speed and tell him what hath chanced.
l291l		Here is a mourning Rome, a dangerous Rome,
l292l		No Rome of safety for Octavius yet.
l293l		Hie hence and tell him so.—Yet stay awhile.
l294l		Thou shalt not back till I have borne this corpse
l295l		Into the market-place. There shall I try
l296l		In my oration how the people take
l297l		The cruel issue of these bloody men#
l298l		According to the which thou shalt discourse
l299l		To young Octavius of the state of things.
l300l		Lend me your hand.
		(Exeunt with Caesar's body)