57. Julius Caesa ACT2 . SC.

1
He is welcome hither.
BRUTUS
CASSIUS 105
This. Decius Brutus.
He is welcotne too.
BRUTUS
CASSIUS
This, Casca; this, Cinna; and this. Metellus Cimber.
BRUTUS They are all welcome.
What watchful cares do interpose themselves
Betwixt your eyes and night? 110 CASSIUS Shall I entreat a
word?
CBrutus and CassiusÄ whisper.
Here lies the east; doth not the day break here? CASCA
No.
CINNA
O pardon. sir. it doth; and yon gray lines
That fret the clouds are messengers of day.
CASCA
You shall confess that you are both deceived. 115
Here. as I point my sword, the sun arises,
Which is a great way growmg on the south,
Weighing the youthful season of the year.
Some two months hence, up higher toward the
120
He first presents his fire, and the high east
Stands, as the Capitol, directly here
BRUT'S. rcomingforward with CassiusÄ
Give me your hands all over, one by one.
CASSIUS
 Julius Caesar

And let us swear our resolution.

BRUTUS

No, an oath. If not the face of men,

The sufferance of our souls. the time's abvse If 125
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— 130
59 As I am sure they do—bear fire enough ACT x SC.

To kindle cowards and to steel with valor

The melting spirits of women. then. countrymen,
What need we any spur but our own cause
To prick us to redress? What other bond 135
Than secret Romans that have spoke the word
And will not palter? And what other oath
Than honesty to honesty engaged
That this shall be or we will fall for it?
Swear priests and cowards and men cautelous, 140
Old feeble carrions, and such suffering souls
That welcome wrongs; unto bad causes swear
Such creatures as men doubt; but do not stain
The even virtue of our enterprise,
Nor th' insuppressive mettle of our spirits, 145
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 150
Of any promise that hath passed from him.
CASSIUS
But what of Cicero? Shall we sound him? I
think he will stand very strong with us.
CASCA
Let us not leave him out.
CINNA No. by no means. 155

METELLUS
O, let us have him, for his silver hairs
Will purchase us a good opinion
 Julius Caesar

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.
61 Julius Caesar ACT 2 SC
O, name him not! Let us not
break with him, For he will
never follow anything That
other men begin.
CASSIUS Then leave him out. 165
CASCA Indeed, he is not fit.
DECIUS
Shall no man else be touched, but only Caesar?
CASSIUS
Decius, well urged. I think it is not meet
Mark Antony, so well beloved Of Caesar,
Should outlive Caesar. We shall find of him 170
A shrewd contriver; and, you know, his
nrans, If he improve them. may well stretch
so far As to annoy us all; which to prevent.
Let Antony and Caesar fall together.
BRUTUS
Our course will seem too bloody, Caius Cassius, 175
To cut the head off and then hack the
limbs, Like wrath in death and envy
afterwards; For Antony is but a limb
ofCaesar.
Let's be sacrificers, but not butchers, Caius.
We all stand up against the spirit of Caesar, 180
And in the spirit of men there is no blood.
O. that we then could come by Caesar's spirit
And not dismember Caesar! But, alas,
Caesar 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, 185
Not hew him as a carcass fit for hounds.
And let our hearts, as subtle rnasters do,
 Julius Caesar
Stir up their servants to an act of rage
And after seem to chide •em. This shall make
Our purpose necessary and not envious; 190
Which so appearing to the common eyes,
We shall be called purgers, not murderers.
ACT
X SC.

And for Mark Antony, think not of him,

For he can do no more than Caesar's arm
When Caesar's head is off.
ASSIUS Yet I fear him,
For in the engrafted love he bears to
Caesar— IRUTUS
Alas, good Cassius, do not think of him.
If he love Caesar, all that he can do 2 Is to himself:
take thought and die for Caesar.
And that were much he should,
for he is given To sports, to
wildness, and much company.
TREBONIUS

There is no fear in him. Let him not die,

For he will live and laugh at this hereafter. 205

Clock
strikes.
BRUTUS

Peace, count the clock.

CASSIUS The clock hath stricken

TREBONIUS

'Tis time to part.

CASSIUSWhether Caesar will But come it is forth
doubtful today yetor no,
For he is superstitious
grown of late, Quite from
the main opinion he held
once Of fantasy, of
dreams, and ceremonies.
It may be these apparent prodigies,
The unaccustomed terror
of this night, And the
persuasion of his augurers
May hold him from the Capitol today.
DECIUS

Never fear that. If he be so resolved,

I can o'ersway him, for he loves to hear
That unicorns may be
betrayed with trees, And
bears with glasses, elephants
with holes, Lions with toils,
and men with flatterers.
 But when I tell him he hates flatterers,
He says he does, being then most flatteréd 225
Let me work,
For I can give his humor the true bent.
And I will bring him to the Capitol.
CASSIUS
Nay. we will all of us be there to fetch him.
BRUTUS
By the eighth hour. is that the uttermost? 230

Be that the uttermost, and fail not then.

METELLUS
Caius Ligarius doth bear Caesar hard,
Who rated him for speaking well of Pompey.
I wonder none of you have thought of him.
BRUTUS
Now, good Metellus, go along by him. 235
He loves me well, and I have given him reasons.
Send him but hither, and I'll fashion him.
CASSIUS
The morning comes upon •s. We'll leave you, Brutus.

And, friends. disperse yourselves, but all remember What 240

you have said, and show yourselves true
Romans.
BRUTUS
Good gentlemen. look fresh and rnerrily.
Let not our looks put on our purposes,
But bear it, as our Roman actors do, 245
With untired spirits and formal constancy. And
so good morrow to you every one.
All but Brutus exit.
Boy! Lucius!—Fast asleep? It is no matter.
Enjoy the honey-heavy dew of slumber.
Thou hast no figures nor no fantasies 250
 Acr se

Which busy care draws in the brains of men.

Therefore thou sleep•st so sound.

Enter Portia.

PORTIA Brutus, my lord.

BRUTUS
Portia! What mean you? Wherefore rise you now?
It is not for your health thus to commit 255
Your weak condition to the raw cold moming.

Nor for yours neither. You've ungently, Brutus,

Stole from my bed. And yestemight at supper
You suddenly arose and walked about.
Musing and sighing, with your arms across, 260
And when I asked you what the matter
was, You stared upon me with ungentle
looks.
I urged you further; then you scratched your head
And too impatiently stamped with your foot.
Yet I insisted; yet you answered not, 265
But with an angry wafture of your hand
Gave sign for me to leave you. So I did,
Fearing to strengthen that impatience
Which seemed too much enkindled. and withal
Hoping it was but an effect of humor, 270
Which sometime hath his hour with every man
It will not let you eat nor talk nor sleep,
And could it work so much upon your shape
As it hath much prevailed on your condition,
I should not know you Brutus. Dear my lord, 275
Make me acquainted with your cause of grief.
BRUTUS
I am not well in health, and that is all.
 Julius Caesar
PORTIA
Brutus is wise and, were he not in health,
He would embrace the means to come by it.
BRUTUS
Why so I do. Good Portia. go to bed. 280
PORTIA

Is Brutus sick? And is it physical

To walk unbracéd and suck up the humors
Of the dank morning? What. is Brutus sick,
And will he steal out of his wholesome bed
To dare the vile contagion of the night 285
And tempt the rheumy and unpurgéd air
To add unto rhisn sickness? No. my Brutus,
You have some sick offense within your mind,
Which by the right and virtue of my place
I ought to know of. rShe kneels-I And upon my

I charm you, by my once commended beauty,

By all your vows of love, and that great vow
Which did incorporate and make us one,
That you unfold to me, your self, your half,
Why you are heavy, and what men tonight 295
Have had resort to you; for here have been
Some six or seven who did hide their
faces Even from darkness.
BRUTUS
Kneel not, gentle Portia.
PORTIA Ole lifts her up.7
I should not need, if you were gentle Brutus.
Within the bond of marriage, tell me, Brutus,
Is it excepted I should know no secrets
That appertain to you? Am I your self
But, as it were, in sort or limitation,
To keep with you at meals. comfort your bed, 305
And talk to you sometimes? Dwell I but in the
 suburbs
Of your good pleasure? If it be no more,
Portia is Brutus' harlot, not his wife.
 Julius Caesar

Acr 2 sc

BRUNS
You are my true and honorable
wife, As dear to me as are the
ruddy drops That visit my sad
heart.

If this were true. then should I know this secret.

I grant L am a woman, but withal
A woman that Lord Brutus took to Wife.
L grant I am a woman, but withal
A woman well-reputed, Cato's daughter.
Think you I am no stronger than my sex.
Being so fathered and so husbanded? 320 Tell rne your counsels; I will
not disclose 'em.
I have made strong proof of my constancy.
Giving myself a voluntary wound
Here, in the thigh. Can I bear that with patience,
And not my husband's secrets? 325
BRUTUS O you gods,
Render me worthy Of this noble wife! Knock.
Hark. hark. one knocks. Portia. go in awhile,
And by and by thy bosom shall partake
The secrets of my heart
All my engagements I will construe to thee, 330 All the charactery of
my sad brows.
Leave me with haste
Portia exits. Lucius. who •s that knocks?
Enter Lucius and Ligarius.
 Julius Caesar

Here is a sick man that would speak with you.

BRUTUS
Caius Ligarius. that Metellus spoke of.—
Boy, stand aside.

LIGARIUS Caius Ligarius, how" rLuctus exits.Ä

e good morrow from a feeble tongue
 Julius Caesar

BRUTUS
O. what a time have you chose out, brave Caius,
To wear a kerchief. Would you were not sick!
UGARIUS
I am not sick, if Brutus have in hand
Any exploit worthy the nanw of honor.
BRUNS
Such an exploit have I in hand, Liganus,
Had you a healthful ear to hear of it. 345
LIGARIUS
By all the gods that Romans bow before,
I here discard my sickness.
Ole takes offhis kemhief.l
Soul of Rome,
Brave son derived from honorable loins,
Thou like an exorcist hast conjured up 350
My mortifiéd spirit. Now bid me run,
And I will strive with things impossible.
Yea. get the better of them. What's to do?
BRUNS
A piece ofwork that will make sick men whole.
LIGARIUS

But are not some whole that we must make sick? 355
BRUTUS
That must we also. What it is, my Caius,
I shall unfold to thee as we are going To
whom it must be done.
LIGARIUS Set on your foot,
And with a heart new-fired I follow you 360 To do I know not
what; but it sufftceth
 Julius Caesar
That Brutus leads me on. Thunder. BRUTUS Follow
me then.
They exit.
ACT SC. 2
75
rscene 21
Thunder and lightning. Enter Julius Caesar in his nightgown.

Nor heaven nor Earth have been at peace tonight. Thrice hath
Calphumia in her sleep cried out
"Help ho, they murder Caesar!"—Who's within?

Enter a Senant.
SERVANT My lord.
CAESAR
Go bid the priests do present sacrifice, 5
And bring me their opinions of success.
SERVANT I will, my lord. He exits.

Enter Calphurnia.

CALPHURNIA
What mean you, Caesar? Think you to walk forth?
You shall not stir out of your house today.
10
Caesar shall forth. The things that threatened me
Ne'er looked but on my back. When they shall
see The face of Caesar, they are vanishéd.
CALPHURNIA
Caesar, I never stood on ceremonies,
 Julius Caesar
Yet now they fright me. There is one within, 15
Besides the things that we have heard and seen,
Recounts most horrid sights seen by the watch.
A lioness hath whelpéd in the streets,
And graves have yawned and yielded up their dead.
Fierce fiery warriors rfoughtl upon the clouds 20
In ranks and squadrons and right form of war,
Which driuled blood upon the Capitol.
The noise of battle hurtled in the air,
Horses rdidl neigh, and dying men did groan,