Enter Caesar, Antony for the course, Calphurnia, Portia,
Decius, Cicero, Brutus, Cassius, Casca, a Soothsayer;
after them Marullus and Flavius ⌜and Commoners.⌝CAESAR Calphurnia.CASCA Peace, ho! Caesar speaks.CAESAR Calphurnia.CALPHURNIA Here, my lord.CAESAR 5 Stand you directly in Antonius’ way When he doth run his course.—Antonius.ANTONY Caesar, my lord.CAESAR Forget not in your speed, Antonius, To touch Calphurnia, for our elders say10 The barren, touchèd in this holy chase, Shake off their sterile curse.ANTONY I shall remember. When Caesar says “Do this,” it is performed.CAESAR Set on and leave no ceremony out.⌜Sennet.⌝SOOTHSAYER 15Caesar.CAESAR Ha! Who calls?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 music20 Cry “Caesar.” Speak. Caesar is turned to hear.SOOTHSAYER Beware the ides of March.CAESAR What man is that?BRUTUS A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March.
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CAESAR Set him before me. Let me see his face.CASSIUS 25 Fellow, come from the throng.⌜The Soothsayer comes forward.⌝ 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.Sennet. All but Brutus and Cassius exit.CASSIUS 30 Will you go see the order of the course?BRUTUS Not I.CASSIUS I pray you, do.BRUTUS I am not gamesome. I do lack some part Of that quick spirit that is in Antony.35 Let me not hinder, Cassius, your desires. I’ll leave you.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.40 You bear too stubborn and too strange a hand Over your friend that loves you.BRUTUS Cassius, Be not deceived. If I have veiled my look, I turn the trouble of my countenance45 Merely upon myself. Vexèd 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 grieved50 (Among which number, Cassius, be you one)
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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,55 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 60’Tis just. 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 heard65 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,70 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,75 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 laughter, or did use To stale with ordinary oaths my love80 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
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That I profess myself in banqueting To all the rout, then hold me dangerous.Flourish and shout.BRUTUS 85 What means this shouting? I do fear the people Choose Caesar for their king.CASSIUS Ay, do you fear it? Then must I think you would not have it so.BRUTUS I would not, Cassius, yet I love him well.90 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;95 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.100 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;105 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, now110 Leap in with me into this angry flood And swim to yonder point?” Upon the word, Accoutered as I was, I plungèd in And bade him follow; so indeed he did. The torrent roared, and we did buffet it
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115 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,120 Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder The old Anchises bear, so from the waves of Tiber Did I the tired Caesar. And this man Is now become a god, and Cassius is A wretched creature and must bend his body125 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,130 And that same eye whose bend doth awe the world Did lose his luster. 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”135 As a sick girl. You gods, it doth amaze me A man of such a feeble temper should So get the start of the majestic world And bear the palm alone.Shout. Flourish.BRUTUS Another general shout!140 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 about145 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.
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“Brutus” and “Caesar”—what should be in that150 “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;155 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!160 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 walks encompassed but one man?165 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 Rome170 As easily as a king.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,175 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.180 Till then, my noble friend, chew upon this: Brutus had rather be a villager Than to repute himself a son of Rome
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Under these hard conditions as this time Is like to lay upon us.CASSIUS 185I am glad that my weak words Have struck but thus much show of fire from Brutus.Enter Caesar and his train.BRUTUS The games are done, and Caesar is returning.CASSIUS As they pass by, pluck Casca by the sleeve,190 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.195 Calphurnia’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 200Antonius.ANTONY Caesar.CAESAR Let me have men about me that are fat, Sleek-headed men, and such as sleep a-nights. Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look.205 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,
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210 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;215 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,220 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.Sennet. Caesar and his train exit
⌜but Casca remains behind.⌝CASCA 225You pulled 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 230 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 235Why, for that too.CASSIUS They shouted thrice. What was the last cry for?CASCA Why, for that too.BRUTUS Was the crown offered him thrice?CASCA Ay, marry, was ’t, and he put it by thrice, every240 time gentler than other; and at every putting-by, mine honest neighbors shouted.
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CASSIUS Who offered him the crown?CASCA Why, Antony.BRUTUS Tell us the manner of it, gentle Casca.CASCA 245I 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 my250 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 rabblement255 hooted and clapped their chopped hands and threw up their sweaty nightcaps and uttered such a deal of stinking 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,260 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 marketplace and foamed at mouth and was speechless.BRUTUS 265 ’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 not270 clap him and hiss him, according as he pleased and displeased them, as they use to do the players in the theater, I am no true man.
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BRUTUS What said he when he came unto himself?CASCA Marry, before he fell down, when he perceived275 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 so280 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 forgave him with all their hearts. But there’s no285 heed to be taken of them; if Caesar had stabbed their mothers, they would have done no less.BRUTUS And, after that, he came thus sad away?CASCA Ay.CASSIUS Did Cicero say anything?CASCA 290Ay, he spoke Greek.CASSIUS To what effect?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 mine295 own part, it was Greek to me. I could tell you more news too: Marullus and Flavius, for pulling scarves off Caesar’s images, are put to silence. Fare you well. There was more foolery yet, if I could remember it.CASSIUS 300Will you sup with me tonight, Casca?CASCA No, I am promised forth.CASSIUS Will you dine with me tomorrow?CASCA Ay, if I be alive, and your mind hold, and your dinner worth the eating.CASSIUS 305Good. I will expect you.CASCA Do so. Farewell both.He exits.
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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 execution310 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 With better appetite.BRUTUS 315 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.Brutus exits.320 Well, Brutus, thou art noble. Yet I see Thy honorable mettle 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?325 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,330 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.He exits.
