Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
Act 3 - Scene 1
Rome. Before the Capitol; the Senate sitting above.
Caesar : [To the Soothsayer The ides of March are come.
Soothsayer : Ay, Caesar; but not gone.
Artemidorus : Hail, Caesar! read this schedule.
Decius Brutus : Trebonius doth desire you to o'erread,
[p]At your best leisure, this
his humble suit.
Artemidorus : O Caesar, read mine first; for mine's a suit
[p]That touches Caesar
nearer: read it, great Caesar.
Caesar : What touches us ourself shall be last served.
Artemidorus : Delay not, Caesar; read it instantly.
Caesar : What, is the fellow mad?
Publius : Sirrah, give place.
Cassius : What, urge you your petitions in the street?
[p]Come to the
Capitol.
[p][CAESAR goes up to the Senate-House, the
rest]
[p]following
Popilius : I wish your enterprise to-day may thrive.
Cassius : What enterprise, Popilius?
Popilius : Fare you well.
Brutus : What said Popilius Lena?
Cassius : He wish'd to-day our enterprise might thrive.
[p]I fear our purpose is
discovered.
Brutus : Look, how he makes to Caesar; mark him.
Cassius : Casca, be sudden, for we fear prevention.
[p]Brutus, what shall be
done? If this be known,
[p]Cassius or Caesar never shall turn
back,
[p]For I will slay myself.
Brutus : Cassius, be constant:
[p]Popilius Lena speaks not of our
purposes;
[p]For, look, he smiles, and Caesar doth not change.
Cassius : Trebonius knows his time; for, look you, Brutus.
[p]He draws Mark
Antony out of the way.
Decius Brutus : Where is Metellus Cimber? Let him go,
[p]And presently prefer his suit
to Caesar.
Brutus : He is address'd: press near and second him.
Cinna : Casca, you are the first that rears your hand.
Caesar : Are we all ready? What is now amiss
[p]That Caesar and his senate must
redress?
Metellus Cimber : Most high, most mighty, and most puissant Caesar,
[p]Metellus Cimber
throws before thy seat
[p]An humble heart,--
Caesar : I must prevent thee, Cimber.
[p]These couchings and these lowly
courtesies
[p]Might fire the blood of ordinary men,
[p]And turn
pre-ordinance and first decree
[p]Into the law of children. Be not
fond,
[p]To think that Caesar bears such rebel blood
[p]That will be
thaw'd from the true quality
[p]With that which melteth fools; I mean,
sweet words,
[p]Low-crooked court'sies and base
spaniel-fawning.
[p]Thy brother by decree is banished:
[p]If thou dost
bend and pray and fawn for him,
[p]I spurn thee like a cur out of my
way.
[p]Know, Caesar doth not wrong, nor without cause
[p]Will he be
satisfied.
Metellus Cimber : Is there no voice more worthy than my own
[p]To sound more sweetly in
great Caesar's ear
[p]For the repealing of my banish'd brother?
Brutus : I kiss thy hand, but not in flattery, Caesar;
[p]Desiring thee that
Publius Cimber may
[p]Have an immediate freedom of repeal.
Caesar : What, Brutus!
Cassius : Pardon, Caesar; Caesar, pardon:
[p]As low as to thy foot doth Cassius
fall,
[p]To beg enfranchisement for Publius Cimber.
Cassius : I could be well moved, if I were as you:
[p]If I could pray to move,
prayers would move me:
[p]But I am constant as the northern
star,
[p]Of whose true-fix'd and resting quality
[p]There is no fellow
in the firmament.
[p]The skies are painted with unnumber'd
sparks,
[p]They are all fire and every one doth shine,
[p]But there's
but one in all doth hold his place:
[p]So in the world; 'tis furnish'd
well with men,
[p]And men are flesh and blood, and
apprehensive;
[p]Yet in the number I do know but one
[p]That
unassailable holds on his rank,
[p]Unshaked of motion: and that I am
he,
[p]Let me a little show it, even in this;
[p]That I was constant
Cimber should be banish'd,
[p]And constant do remain to keep him so.
Cinna : O Caesar,--
Caesar : Hence! wilt thou lift up Olympus?
Decius Brutus : Great Caesar,--
Caesar : Doth not Brutus bootless kneel?
Casca : Speak, hands for me!
[p][CASCA first, then the other Conspirators
and]
[p]BRUTUS stab CAESAR
Caesar : Et tu, Brute! Then fall, Caesar.
Cinna : Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead!
[p]Run hence, proclaim, cry it
about the streets.
Cassius : Some to the common pulpits, and cry out
[p]'Liberty, freedom, and
enfranchisement!'
Brutus : People and senators, be not affrighted;
[p]Fly not; stand stiff:
ambition's debt is paid.
Casca : Go to the pulpit, Brutus.
Decius Brutus : And Cassius too.
Brutus : Where's Publius?
Cinna : Here, quite confounded with this mutiny.
Metellus Cimber : Stand fast together, lest some friend of Caesar's
[p]Should chance--
Brutus : Talk not of standing. Publius, good cheer;
[p]There is no harm
intended to your person,
[p]Nor to no Roman else: so tell them,
Publius.
Cassius : And leave us, Publius; lest that the people,
[p]Rushing on us, should
do your age some mischief.
Brutus : Do so: and let no man abide this deed,
[p]But we the doers.
Cassius : Where is Antony?
Trebonius : Fled to his house amazed:
[p]Men, wives and children stare, cry out
and run
[p]As it were doomsday.
Brutus : Fates, we will know your pleasures:
[p]That we shall die, we know;
'tis but the time
[p]And drawing days out, that men stand upon.
Cassius : Why, he that cuts off twenty years of life
[p]Cuts off so many years
of fearing death.
Brutus : Grant that, and then is death a benefit:
[p]So are we Caesar's
friends, that have abridged
[p]His time of fearing death. Stoop,
Romans, stoop,
[p]And let us bathe our hands in Caesar's blood
[p]Up
to the elbows, and besmear our swords:
[p]Then walk we forth, even to
the market-place,
[p]And, waving our red weapons o'er our
heads,
[p]Let's all cry 'Peace, freedom and liberty!'
Cassius : Stoop, then, and wash. How many ages hence
[p]Shall this our lofty
scene be acted over
[p]In states unborn and accents yet unknown!
Brutus : How many times shall Caesar bleed in sport,
[p]That now on Pompey's
basis lies along
[p]No worthier than the dust!
Cassius : So oft as that shall be,
[p]So often shall the knot of us be
call'd
[p]The men that gave their country liberty.
Decius Brutus : What, shall we forth?
Cassius : Ay, every man away:
[p]Brutus shall lead; and we will grace his
heels
[p]With the most boldest and best hearts of Rome.
Brutus : Soft! who comes here? A friend of Antony's.
Servant : Thus, Brutus, did my master bid me kneel:
[p]Thus did Mark Antony bid
me fall down;
[p]And, being prostrate, thus he bade me say:
[p]Brutus
is noble, wise, valiant, and honest;
[p]Caesar was mighty, bold,
royal, and loving:
[p]Say I love Brutus, and I honour him;
[p]Say I
fear'd Caesar, honour'd him and loved him.
[p]If Brutus will vouchsafe
that Antony
[p]May safely come to him, and be resolved
[p]How Caesar
hath deserved to lie in death,
[p]Mark Antony shall not love Caesar
dead
[p]So well as Brutus living; but will follow
[p]The fortunes and
affairs of noble Brutus
[p]Thorough the hazards of this untrod
state
[p]With all true faith. So says my master Antony.
Brutus : Thy master is a wise and valiant Roman;
[p]I never thought him
worse.
[p]Tell him, so please him come unto this place,
[p]He shall be
satisfied; and, by my honour,
[p]Depart untouch'd.
Servant : I'll fetch him presently.
Brutus : I know that we shall have him well to friend.
Cassius : I wish we may: but yet have I a mind
[p]That fears him much; and my
misgiving still
[p]Falls shrewdly to the purpose.
Brutus : But here comes Antony.
[p][Re-enter ANTONY]
[p]Welcome, Mark Antony.
Brutus : O Antony, beg not your death of us.
[p]Though now we must appear
bloody and cruel,
[p]As, by our hands and this our present act,
[p]You
see we do, yet see you but our hands
[p]And this the bleeding business
they have done:
[p]Our hearts you see not; they are pitiful;
[p]And
pity to the general wrong of Rome--
[p]As fire drives out fire, so
pity pity--
[p]Hath done this deed on Caesar. For your part,
[p]To you
our swords have leaden points, Mark Antony:
[p]Our arms, in strength
of malice, and our hearts
[p]Of brothers' temper, do receive you
in
[p]With all kind love, good thoughts, and reverence.
Cassius : Your voice shall be as strong as any man's
[p]In the disposing of new
dignities.
Brutus : Only be patient till we have appeased
[p]The multitude, beside
themselves with fear,
[p]And then we will deliver you the
cause,
[p]Why I, that did love Caesar when I struck him,
[p]Have thus
proceeded.
Cassius : Mark Antony,--
Cassius : I blame you not for praising Caesar so;
[p]But what compact mean you
to have with us?
[p]Will you be prick'd in number of our
friends;
[p]Or shall we on, and not depend on you?
Brutus : Or else were this a savage spectacle:
[p]Our reasons are so full of
good regard
[p]That were you, Antony, the son of Caesar,
[p]You should
be satisfied.
Brutus : You shall, Mark Antony.
Cassius : Brutus, a word with you.
[p][Aside to BRUTUS]
[p]You know not what you
do: do not consent
[p]That Antony speak in his funeral:
[p]Know you
how much the people may be moved
[p]By that which he will utter?
Brutus : By your pardon;
[p]I will myself into the pulpit first,
[p]And show
the reason of our Caesar's death:
[p]What Antony shall speak, I will
protest
[p]He speaks by leave and by permission,
[p]And that we are
contented Caesar shall
[p]Have all true rites and lawful
ceremonies.
[p]It shall advantage more than do us wrong.
Cassius : I know not what may fall; I like it not.
Brutus : Mark Antony, here, take you Caesar's body.
[p]You shall not in your
funeral speech blame us,
[p]But speak all good you can devise of
Caesar,
[p]And say you do't by our permission;
[p]Else shall you not
have any hand at all
[p]About his funeral: and you shall speak
[p]In
the same pulpit whereto I am going,
[p]After my speech is ended.
Brutus : Prepare the body then, and follow us.
Servant : I do, Mark Antony.
Servant : He did receive his letters, and is coming;
[p]And bid me say to you by
word of mouth--
[p]O Caesar!--
Servant : He lies to-night within seven leagues of Rome.
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Next: Act 3 - Scene 2
