[Enter Caesar, Antony (dressed for the Lupercal race) Calpurnia, Portia, Decius Brutus, Cicero, Brutus, Cassius, Casca, and a Soothsayer; after them Marullus and Flavius]
Caesar
Casca
Peace, ho! Caesar speaks.
Caesar
Calpurnia
Caesar
Stand you directly in Antonius' way,
When he doth run his course. Antonius!
Antony
Caesar
Forget not, in your speed, Antonius,
To touch Calpurnia; for our elders say,
The barren, touchèd in this holy chase,
Shake off their sterile curse.
Antony
When Caesar says 'Do this', it is performed.
Caesar
Set on, and leave no ceremony out.
[Trumpet flourish]
Soothsayer
Caesar
Casca
Bid every noise be still. Peace yet again!
Caesar
Who is it in the press that calls on me?
I hear a tongue, shriller than all the music,
Cry 'Caesar!' Speak. Caesar is turned to hear.
Soothsayer
Beware the Ides of March.
Caesar
Brutus
A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March.
Caesar
Set him before me. Let me see his face.
Cassius
Fellow, come from the throng. Look upon Caesar.
Caesar
What sayst thou to me now? Speak once again.
Soothsayer
Beware the Ides of March.
Caesar
He is a dreamer. Let us leave him. Pass.
[Trumpets sound. All exit except Brutus and Cassius.]
Cassius
Will you go see the order of the course?
Brutus
Cassius
Brutus
I am not gamesome. I do lack some part
Of that quick spirit that is in Antony.
Let me not hinder, Cassius, your desires.
Cassius
Brutus, I do observe you now of late;
I have not from your eyes that gentleness
And show of love as I was wont to have.
You bear too stubborn and too strange a hand
Over your friend that loves you.
Brutus
Be not deceived. If I have veiled my look,
I turn the trouble of my countenance
Merely upon myself. Vexed I am
Of late with passions of some difference,
Conceptions only proper to myself,
Which give some soil, perhaps, to my behaviors.
But let not therefore my good friends be grieved —
Among which number, Cassius, be you one —
Nor construe any further my neglect,
Than that poor Brutus, with himself at war,
Forgets the shows of love to other men.
Cassius
Then, Brutus, I have much mistook your passion;
By means whereof this breast of mine hath buried
Thoughts of great value, worthy cogitations.
Tell me, good Brutus, can you see your face?
Brutus
No, Cassius; for the eye sees not itself,
But by reflection, by some other things.
Cassius
And it is very much lamented, Brutus,
That you have no such mirrors as will turn
Your hidden worthiness into your eye,
That you might see your shadow. I have heard,
Where many of the best respect in Rome —
Except immortal Caesar — speaking of Brutus,
And groaning underneath this age's yoke,
Have wished that noble Brutus had his eyes.
Brutus
Into what dangers would you lead me, Cassius,
That you would have me seek into myself
For that which is not in me?
Cassius
Therefore, good Brutus, be prepared to hear.
And since you know you cannot see yourself
So well as by reflection, I, your glass,
Will modestly discover to yourself
That of yourself which you yet know not of.
And be not jealous on me, gentle Brutus.
Were I a common laugher; or did use
To stale with ordinary oaths my love
To every new protester; if you know
That I do fawn on men, and hug them hard,
And after scandal them; or if you know
That I profess myself in banqueting
To all the rout; then hold me dangerous.
[Trumpets, shouting]
Brutus
What means this shouting? I do fear the people
Choose Caesar for their king.
Cassius
Then must I think you would not have it so.
Brutus
I would not, Cassius, yet I love him well.
But wherefore do you hold me here so long?
What is it that you would impart to me?
If it be aught toward the general good,
Set honor in one eye and death i' th’ other,
And I will look on both indifferently.
For let the gods so speed me, as I love
The name of honor more than I fear death.
Cassius
I know that virtue to be in you, Brutus,
As well as I do know your outward favor.
Well, honor is the subject of my story.
I cannot tell what you and other men
Think of this life; but for my single self,
I had as lief not be as live to be
In awe of such a thing as I myself.
I was born free as Caesar, so were you;
We both have fed as well, and we can both
Endure the winter's cold as well as he.
For once upon a raw and gusty day,
The troubled Tiber chafing with her shores,
Caesar said to me ‘Dar'st thou, Cassius, now
Leap in with me into this angry flood
And swim to yonder point?' Upon the word,
Accoutred as I was, I plungèd in
And bade him follow; so indeed he did.
The torrent roared, and we did buffet it
With lusty sinews, throwing it aside,
And stemming it with hearts of controversy.
But ere we could arrive the point proposed,
Caesar cried 'Help me, Cassius, or I sink!'
I, as Aeneas, our great ancestor,
Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder
The old Anchises bear, so from the waves of Tiber
Did I the tirèd Caesar. And this man
Is now become a god, and Cassius is
A wretched creature, and must bend his body,
If Caesar carelessly but nod on him.
He had a fever when he was in Spain,
And when the fit was on him I did mark
How he did shake. 'Tis true, this god did shake!
His coward lips did from their color fly,
And that same eye whose bend doth awe the world
Did lose his lustre. I did hear him groan —
Ay, and that tongue of his that bade the Romans
Mark him, and write his speeches in their books,
Alas, it cried 'Give me some drink, Titinius,'
As a sick girl. Ye gods, it doth amaze me
A man of such a feeble temper should
So get the start of the majestic world
[Shouts. Trumpets sound.]
Brutus
I do believe that these applauses are
For some new honors that are heaped on Caesar.
Cassius
Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world
Like a colossus, and we petty men
Walk under his huge legs and peep about
To find ourselves dishonorable graves.
Men at some time are masters of their fates.
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.
'Brutus' and 'Caesar' — what should be in that 'Caesar'?
Why should that name be sounded more than yours?
Write them together, yours is as fair a name.
Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well.
Weigh them, it is as heavy. Conjure with 'em,
'Brutus' will start a spirit as soon as 'Caesar'.
Now in the names of all the gods at once,
Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed
That he is grown so great? Age, thou art shamed!
Rome, thou hast lost the breed of noble bloods!
When went there by an age, since the great flood,
But it was famed with more than with one man?
When could they say, till now, that talked of Rome,
That her wide walls encompassed but one man?
Now is it Rome indeed, and room enough,
When there is in it but one only man.
O, you and I have heard our fathers say
There was a Brutus once that would have brooked
Th'eternal devil to keep his state in Rome
Brutus
That you do love me, I am nothing jealous.
What you would work me to, I have some aim.
How I have thought of this, and of these times,
I shall recount hereafter. For this present,
I would not —so with love I might entreat you —
Be any further moved. What you have said
I will consider; what you have to say
I will with patience hear, and find a time
Both meet to hear and answer such high things.
Till then, my noble friend, chew upon this:
Brutus had rather be a villager
Than to repute himself a son of Rome
Under these hard conditions as this time
Cassius
That my weak words have struck but thus much show
[Re-enter Caesar and his train of followers.]
Brutus
The games are done and Caesar is returning.
Cassius
As they pass by, pluck Casca by the sleeve,
And he will, after his sour fashion, tell you
What hath proceeded worthy note today.
Brutus
I will do so. But, look you, Cassius,
The angry spot doth glow on Caesar's brow,
And all the rest look like a chidden train.
Calpurnia's cheek is pale, and Cicero
Looks with such ferret and such fiery eyes
As we have seen him in the Capitol,
Being crossed in conference by some senators.
Cassius
Casca will tell us what the matter is.
Caesar
Antony
Caesar
[Privately to Antony] Let me have men about me that are fat,
Sleek-headed men and such as sleep a-nights.
Yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look;
He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous.
Antony
Fear him not, Caesar, he's not dangerous;
He is a noble Roman and well given.
Caesar
Would he were fatter! But I fear him not;
Yet if my name were liable to fear,
I do not know the man I should avoid
So soon as that spare Cassius. He reads much,
He is a great observer, and he looks
Quite through the deeds of men. He loves no plays.
As thou dost, Antony; he hears no music;
Seldom he smiles, and smiles in such a sort
As if he mocked himself and scorned his spirit
That could be moved to smile at anything.
Such men as he be never at heart's ease
Whiles they behold a greater than themselves,
And therefore are they very dangerous.
I rather tell thee what is to be feared
Than what I fear; for always I am Caesar.
Come on my right hand, for this ear is deaf,
And tell me truly what thou think'st of him.
[Trumpets sound Caesar's exit. Caesar exits with all his followers except Casca.]
Casca
You pull'd me by the cloak. Would you speak with me?
Brutus
Ay, Casca; tell us what hath chanced today,
That Caesar looks so sad.
Casca
Why, you were with him, were you not?
Brutus
I should not then ask Casca what had chanced.
Casca
Why, there was a crown offered him; and being
offered him, he put it by with the back of his hand, thus;
and then the people fell a-shouting.
Brutus
What was the second noise for?
Casca
Cassius
They shouted thrice. What was the last cry for?
Casca
Brutus
Was the crown offered him thrice?
Casca
Ay, marry, was't, and he put it by thrice, every time
gentler than other, and at every putting-by mine
honest neighbors shouted.
Cassius
Who offered him the crown?
Casca
Brutus
Tell us the manner of it, gentle Casca.
Casca
I can as well be hanged as tell the manner of it. It was
mere foolery; I did not mark it. I saw Mark Antony offer
him a crown —yet 'twas not a crown neither, 'twas one
of these coronets — and, as I told you, he put it by once;
but for all that, to my thinking, he would fain have had
it. Then he offered it to him again; then he put it by again;
but, to my thinking, he was very loath to lay his fingers
off it. And then he offered it the third time; he put it the
third time by; and still as he refused it, the rabblement
hooted and clapped their chapped hands and threw up
their sweaty nightcaps, and uttered such a deal of stink-
ing breath because Caesar refused the crown that it had
almost choked Caesar, for he swooned and fell down at it.
And for mine own part, I durst not laugh, for fear of
opening my lips and receiving the bad air.
Cassius
But, soft, I pray you; what, did Caesar swoon?
Casca
He fell down in the market-place, and foamed at
mouth, and was speechless.
Brutus
'Tis very like; he hath the falling sickness.
Cassius
No, Caesar hath it not; but you and I,
And honest Casca, we have the falling sickness.
Casca
I know not what you mean by that, but I am sure
Caesar fell down. If the tag-rag people did not clap him
and hiss him, according as he pleased and displeased
them, as they use to do the players in the theatre, I am
Brutus
What said he when he came unto himself?
Casca
Marry, before he fell down, when he perceived the
common herd was glad he refused the crown, he plucked,
me, ope his doublet and offered them his throat to cut. An
I had been a man of any occupation, if I would not have
taken him at a word, I would I might go to hell among the
rogues. And so he fell. When he came to himself again, he
said, if he had done or said anything amiss, he desired
their worships to think it was his infirmity. Three or four
wenches, where I stood, cried 'Alas, good soul!' and for-
gave him with all their hearts. But there's no heed to be
taken of them; if Caesar had stabbed their mothers, they
Brutus
And after that he came thus sad away?
Casca
Cassius
Casca
Cassius
Casca
Nay, an I tell you that, I’ll ne'er look you i' th’ face
again. But those that understood him smiled at one
another and shook their heads; but, for mine own part, it
was Greek to me. I could tell you more news too: Marullus
and Flavius, for pulling scarfs off Caesar's images, are
put to silence. Fare you well. There was more foolery yet, if I
Cassius
Will you sup with me tonight, Casca?
Casca
Cassius
Will you dine with me tomorrow?
Casca
Ay, if I be alive, and your mind hold, and your dinner
Cassius
Casca
[Exit.]
Brutus
What a blunt fellow is this grown to be!
He was quick mettle when he went to school.
Cassius
So is he now in execution
Of any bold or noble enterprise,
However he puts on this tardy form.
This rudeness is a sauce to his good wit,
Which gives men stomach to digest his words
Brutus
And so it is. For this time I will leave you.
Tomorrow, if you please to speak with me,
I will come home to you; or, if you will,
Come home to me, and I will wait for you.
Cassius
I will do so. Till then, think of the world.
[Exit Brutus.]
Well, Brutus, thou art noble, yet I see
Thy honorable metal may be wrought
From that it is disposed. Therefore it is meet
That noble minds keep ever with their likes;
For who so firm that cannot be seduced?
Caesar doth bear me hard, but he loves Brutus.
If I were Brutus now, and he were Cassius,
He should not humor me. I will this night,
In several hands, in at his windows throw,
As if they came from several citizens,
Writings, all tending to the great opinion
That Rome holds of his name, wherein obscurely
Caesar's ambition shall be glancèd at.
And after this let Caesar seat him sure,
For we will shake him, or worse days endure.
[Exit.]
