O! you and I have heard our fathers say,

There was a Brutus once, that would have brooked
The eternal devil, to keep his state in Rome,

As easily as a king.

Bru. 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,
further moved. What you have said,

Be

any

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 would rather be a villager,

Than to repute himself a son of Rome,
Under such hard conditions as this time
Is like to lay upon us.

Cas. I am glad that my weak words

Have struck but thus much show of fire from Brutus.

LESSON CLII.`

Address of Brutus to the Romans, justifying his Assassination IBID.

of Cæsar.

ROMANS, Countrymen, and lovers, hear me for my cause; and be silent that you may hear. Believe me for mine honor; and have respect to mine honor, 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 demând why Brutus rose against Cæsar. this is my answer : that I loved Cæsar less, but that I loved Rome more.

Not

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 honor him; but as he was ambitious, I slew him. There are tears, for his love; joy, for his fortune; honor, for his valor; and death, for his ambition. - Who 's here so base that would be a bondman? if any, speak; for him have I offended. Who's here so rude, that would not be a Roman? if any, speak; for him have I offended. Who's here so vile, that will not love his country? if any, speak; for him have I offended. -I pause for a reply.

None! 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.

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 com'monwealth; 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.

LESSON CLIII.

Antony's Address to the Romans, exciting them to Revenge the Death of Cæsar.— IBID.

FRIENDS, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears:

I come to bury Cæsar, not to praise him.
The evil, that men do, lives after them;
The good is oft interrèd with their bones:
So let it be with Cæsar! The noble Brutus
Hath told you, Cæsar was ambitious.
If it were so, it was a grievous fault :-

And grievously hath Cæsar answered it.
Here, under leave of Brutus, and the rest,
(For Brutus is an honorable man,
So are they all, all honorable men);
Come I to speak in Cæsar's funeral.

He was my friend, faithful and just to me:
But Brutus says he was ambitious;

And Brutus is an honorable man.

He hath brought many captives home to Rome,
Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:
Did this in Cæsar seem ambitious?

When that the poor have cried, Cæsar hath wept:
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.

Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honorable man.

You all did see, that, on the Lupercal,

I thrice presented him a kingly crown;

Which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition? Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;

And sure he is an honorable man.

I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke;
But here I am to speak what I do know.
You all did love him once, not without cause:
What cause withholds you, then, to mourn for him?
O judgment, thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason. - Bear with me:

My heart is in the coffin there with Cæsar;
And I must pause till it come back to me.

But yesterday the word of Cresar might

Have stood against the world now lies he there,
And none so poor to do him reverence.

O Masters! If I were disposed to stir

Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,
I should do Brutus

wrong,

and Cassius wrong,

Who, you all know, are honorable men.

I will not do them wrong.

I rather choose

To wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you,
Than I will wrong such honorable men.

But here's a parchment, with the seal of Cæsar;

I found it in his closet: 't is his will.

Let but the commons hear this testament
(Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read),
And they would go and kiss dead Cæsar's wounds,
And dip their napkins in his sacred blood -
Yea, beg a hair of him for memory,
And, dying, mention it within their wills,
Bequeathing it as a rich legacy,

Unto their issue.

If you have tears, prepare to shed them now.
You all do know this mantle: I remember

The first time ever Cæsar put it on ;

'Twas on a summer's evening in his tent :

That day he overcame the Nerviï:

Look! In this place ran Cassius' dagger through:-
See, what a rent the envious Casca made-
Through this, the well-beloved Brutus stabbed;
And, as he plucked his cursed steel away,
Mark how the blood of Cæsar followed it!
This was the most unkindest cut of all!
For, when the noble Cæsar saw him stab,
Ingratitude, more strong than traitors' arms,
Quite vanquished him! Then burst his mighty heart:
And, in his mantle muffling up his face,

Even at the base of Pompey's statua,t

Which all the while ran blood, great Cæsar fell.

O what a fall was there, my countrymen!

*This double superlative, like "the most straitest sect of our religion " (Acts xxvi. 5), was tolerated by the best English writers, two or three centuries ago.

Statua, for statue, is common among the old writers.

Then I and you, and all of us, fell down;
Whilst bloody treason flourished over us.
O, now you weep; and I perceive you feel
The dint of pity:- these are gracious drops.

Kind souls! What, weep you when you but behold
Our Cæsar's vesture wounded? Look

here!
ye
Here is himself-marred, as you see, by traitors.

Good friends! sweet friends! Let me not stir you up To such a sudden flood of mutiny!

They that have done this deed are honorable!

What private griefs they have, alas, I know not,
That made them do it! They are wise and honorable,
And will, no doubt, with reason answer you.

I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts!

I am no orator, as Brutus is;

But, as you know me all, a plain, blunt man,

That love my friend- and that they know full well,
That gave me public leave to speak of him!
For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth,
Action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech,
To stir men's blood:- I only speak right on;
I tell you that which you yourselves do know-
Show you sweet Cæsar's wounds, poor, poor, dumb mouths
And bid them speak for me. But, were I Brutus,
And Brutus Antony, there were an Antony,
Would ruffle up your spirits, and put a tongue
In every wound of Cæsar, that should move
The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.

LESSON CLIV.

The Tent-scene between BRUTUS and CASSIUS.

Cassius. THAT you have wronged me. doth You have condemned and noted Lucius Pella,

appear in this.