Luc. Sir, 'tis your brother Cassius at the door,

Who doth desire to see you.

Bru. Is he alone?

Luc. No, Sir, there are more with him.

Bru. Do you know them?

Luc. No, Sir; their hats are plucked about their ears, That by no means I may discover them

By any mark of favour.

[Exit LUCIUS.

Sham'st thou to show thy dangerous brow by night,
When evils are most free? O, then, by day

Where wilt thou find a cavern dark enough

To mask thy monstrous visage? Seek none, conspiracy; Hide it in smiles and affability:

For if thou path thy native semblance on,

Not Erebus itself were dim enough

To hide thee from prevention.

Enter CASSIUS, CASCA, DECIUS, CINNA, METELLUS
CIMBER, and TREBONIUS.

Cas. I think we are too bold upon your rest:
Good morrow, Brutus. Do we trouble you?
Bru. I have been up this hour; awake all night.
Know I these men that come along with you ?
Cas. Yes, every man of them; and no man here
But honours you: and every one doth wish
You had but that opinion of yourself
Which every noble Roman bears of you.

Bru. Give me your hands all over, one by one.
Cas. And let us swear our resolution.

Bru. No, not an oath: If not the face of men,
The sufferance of our souls, the time's abuse,-
If these be motives weak, break off betimes,
And every man hence to his idle bed;
So let high-sighted tyranny range on,

Till each man drop by lottery.

But if these,

As I am sure they do, bear fire enough

To kindle cowards, and to steel with valour
The melting spirits of women; then, countrymen,
What need we any spur, but our own cause,
To prick us to redress?-But do not stain
The even virtue of our enterprise,

Nor the insuppressive mettle of our spirits,
To think that, or our cause, or our performance,
Did need an oath; when every drop of blood
That every Roman bears, and nobly bears,
Is guilty of a several bastardy,

If he do break the smallest particle

Of any promise that hath passed from him.

Cas. But what of Cicero ? Shall we sound him?

I think, he will stand very strong with us.

Casca. Let us not leave him out.

Cin. No, by no means.

Met. O let us have him; for his silver hairs
Will purchase us a good opinion,

And buy men's voices to commend our deeds;
It shall be said his judgment ruled our hands;
Our youths, and wildness, shall no whit appear,
But all be buried in his gravity.

Bru. O name him not; let us not break with him; For he will never follow anything

That other men begin.

Cas. Then leave him out.

Casca. Indeed he is not fit.

Dec. Shall no man else be touched but only Cæsar ? Cas. Decius, well urged :—I think it is not meet Mark Antony, so well beloved of Cæsar,

Should outlive Cæsar: We shall find of him
A shrewd contriver; and you know his means,
If he improve them, may well stretch so far
As to annoy us all which to prevent,

Let Antony and Cæsar fall together.

Bru. Our course will seem too bloody, Caius Cassius,

To cut the head off, and then hack the limbs ;

Like wrath in death, and envy afterwards:

For Antony is but a limb of Cæsar.

Let us be sacrificers, but not butchers, Caius.
We all stand up against the spirit of Cæsar;
And in the spirit of men there is no blood :
O that we then could come by Cæsar's spirit,
And not dismember Cæsar! But, alas,
Cæsar must bleed for it! And, gentle friends,
Let's kill him boldly, but not wrathfully;
Let's carve him as a dish fit for the gods,
Not hew him as a carcase fit for hounds :
And let our hearts, as subtle masters do,
Stir up their servants to an act of rage,
And after seem to chide them. This shall make
Our purpose necessary, and not envious :
Which so appearing to the common eyes,
We shall be called purgers, not murderers.
And for Mark Antony, think not of him;
For he can do no more than Cæsar's arm,
When Cæsar's head is off.

Cas. Yet I fear him :

For in the ingrafted love he bears to Cæsar,

Bru. Alas, good Cassius, do not think of him: If he love Cæsar, all that he can do

Is to himself,-take thought, and die for Cæsar :
And that were much he should; for he is given
To sports, to wildness, and much company.

Treb. There is no fear in him; let him not die; For he will live and laugh at this hereafter. "Tis time to part.

Cas. But it is doubtful yet

Whether Cæsar will come forth to-day, or no.

Dec. Never fear that: If he be so resolved,

I can o'ersway him.

Cas. Nay, we will all of us be there to fetch him. Bru. By the eighth hour: Is that the uttermost ? Cin. Be that the uttermost, and fail not then. Met. Caius Ligarius doth bear Cæsar hard, Who rated him for speaking well of Pompey; I wonder none of you have thought of him.

Bru. Now, good Metellus, go along by him; He loves me well, and I have given him reasons; Send him but hither, and I'll fashion him.

Cas. The morning comes upon us: We'll leave you,
Brutus:-

And, friends, disperse yourselves: but all remember
What you have said, and show yourselves true Romans.
Bru. Good gentlemen, look fresh and merrily;

Let not our looks put on our purposes;

But bear it, as our Roman actors do,
With untired spirits and formal constancy:
And so, good morrow to you every one.

SHAKESPERE.

JULIUS CÆSAR.

Third Selection.

BRUTUS and CITIZENS.

Cit. The noble Brutus is ascended: silence!

Bru. Be patient till the last.

Romans, countrymen, and lovers, hear me for my cause; and be silent, that you may hear: believe me for mine honour, and have respect to mine honour, that you may believe; censure me in your wisdom; and awake your senses, that you may the better judge. If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of Cæsar's, to him I say, that Brutus' love to Cæsar was no less than his. If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Cæsar, this is my answer— -Not that I loved Cæsar less, but that I loved Rome more. Had you rather Cæsar were living, and die all slaves; than that Cæsar were dead, to live all free men? As Cæsar loved me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honour him : but, as he was ambitious, I slew him. There is tears, for his love; joy, for his fortune; honour, for his valour; and death, for his ambition. Who is here so base that would be a bondman? If any, speak; for him have I offended. Who is here so rude that would not be a Roman ? If any, speak; for him have I offended. Who is here so

vile that will not love his country? If any, speak; for him have I offended. I pause for a reply.

Cits. None, Brutus, none. (Several speaking at once). Bru. Then none have I offended. I have done no more

to Cæsar than you shall do to Brutus. The question of his death is enrolled in the Capitol: his glory not extenuated, wherein he was worthy; nor his offences enforced, for which he suffered death.

Enter ANTONY and others.

Here comes his body, mourned by Mark Antony: who, though he had no hand in his death, shall receive the benefit of his dying, a place in the commonwealth: as which of you shall not? With this I depart; That, as I slew my best lover for the good of Rome, I have the same dagger for myself, when it shall please my country to need my death.

Cit. Live, Brutus, live! live!

1 Cit. Bring him with triumph home unto his house.

2 Cit. Give him a statue with his ancestors.

3 Cit. Let him be Cæsar.

Bru. My countrymen,

2 Cit. Peace; silence! Brutus speaks.

1 Cit. Peace, ho!

Bru. Good countrymen, let me depart alone, And, for my sake, stay here with Antony:

Do grace to Cæsar's corpse, and grace

his speech Tending to Cæsar's glories; which, Mark Antony, By our permission, is allowed to make.

I do entreat you, not a man depart,
Save I alone, till Antony have spoke.

1 Cit. Stay, ho! let us hear Mark Antony.
Ant. For Brutus' sake, I am beholden to you.

4 Cit. What does he say of Brutus ?

3 Cit. He says, for Brutus' sake,

He finds himself beholden to us all.

[Exit.

4 Cit. 'Twere best he speak no harm of Brutus here. 1 Cit. This Cæsar was a tyrant.

3 Cit. Nay, that's certain :

We are blessed that Rome is rid of him.

2 Cit. Peace; let us hear what Antony can say. Ant. You gentle Romans,

Cit. Peace, ho! let us hear him.

Ant. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Cæsar, not to praise him.