ACT II BRU. That must we also. What it is, my Caius,
I shall unfold to thee, as we are going,

Sc. I

To whom it must be done.

LIG.

Set on your foot;

And, with a heart new-fir'd, I follow you,
To do I know not what: but it sufficeth
That Brutus leads me on.

BRU.

330

Follow me, then. [exeunt.

SCENE II. CESAR'S House.

Thunder and lightning. Enter CESAR, in his
nightgown.1

CES. Nor Heaven nor Earth have been at peace to-night:
Thrice hath Calpurnia in her sleep cried out
Help, ho! they murder Cæsar! Who's within?

SERV. My Lord?

Enter a Servant.

CES. Go bid the Priests do present sacrifice,

And bring me their opinions of success.

SERV. I will, my Lord.

Enter CALPURNIA.

[exit.

CAL. What mean you, Cæsar? think you to walk forth?
You shall not stir out of your house to-day.

CES. Cæsar shall forth: the things that threaten me
Ne'er look'd but on my back; when they shall see
The face of Cæsar, they are vanished.

CAL. Cæsar, I never stood on ceremonies,

Yet now they fright me. There is one within,
Besides the things that we have heard and seen,
Recounts most horrid sights seen by the Watch.
A lioness hath whelped in the streets;

And graves have yawn'd, and yielded up their dead;
Fierce fiery warriors fought upon the clouds,

In ranks and squadrons and right form of war,
Which drizzled blood upon the Capitol;

The noise of battle hurtled in the air;

1 i.e. dressing-gown.

20

Horses did neigh, and dying men did groan;

And Ghosts did shriek and squeal about the streets.
O Cæsar, these things are beyond all use,

And I do fear them!

CÆS.

What can be avoided

Whose end is purpos'd by the mighty Gods?

Yet Cæsar shall go forth; for these predictions
Are to the world in general as to Cæsar.

CAL. When beggars die, there are no Comets seen;

30

The Heavens themselves blaze forth the death of
Princes.

CES. Cowards die many times before their deaths;

The valiant never taste of death but once.

Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,

It seems to me most strange that men should fear;
Seeing that death, a necessary end,

Will come when it will come.

Re-enter Servant.

What say the Augurers?

SERV. They would not have you to stir forth to-day.

Plucking the entrails of an offering forth,
They could not find a heart within the beast.
CES. The Gods do this in shame of cowardice :
Cæsar should be a beast without a heart,
If he should stay at home to-day for fear.
No; Cæsar shall not: Danger knows full well

That Cæsar is more dangerous than he:

We are two lions litter'd in one day,

And I the elder and more terrible;
And Cæsar shall go forth.

Your wisdom is consum'd in confidence!

Do not go forth to-day: call it my fear

That keeps you in the house, and not your own.
We'll send Mark Antony to the Senate-house;
And he shall say you are not well to-day:
Let me, upon my knee, prevail in this.
CAS. Mark Antony shall say I am not well;
And, for thy humour, I will stay at home.

ACT II
Sc. II

1

Here's Decius Brutus, he shall tell them so.
DEC. Cæsar, all hail! good morrow, worthy Cæsar:
I come to fetch you to the Senate-house.
CES. And you are come in very happy time

To bear my greeting to the Senators,

And tell them that I will not come to-day.

Cannot, is false; and that I dare not, falser:
I will not come to-day. Tell them so, Decius.
CAL. Say he is sick.

CÆS.

Shall Cæsar send a lie?

Have I in conquest stretch'd mine arm so far,

To be afeard to tell graybeards the truth?

Decius, go

tell them Cæsar will not come.

DEC. Most mighty Cæsar, let me know some cause,

Lest I be laugh'd at when I tell them so.
CES. The cause is in my will; I will not come :
That is enough to satisfy the Senate.

But, for your private satisfaction,

Because I love you, I will let you know:
Calpurnia here, my wife, stays me at home:
She dream'd to-night she saw my statua,
Which, like a fountain with an hundred spouts,
Did run pure blood; and many lusty Romans
Came smiling, and did bathe their hands in it:
And these she plies for warnings, and portents,
Of evils imminent; and on her knee
Hath begg'd that I will stay at home to-day.
DEC. This dream is all amiss interpreted:
It was a vision fair and fortunate.

press

Your statue spouting blood in many pipes,
In which so many smiling Romans bath'd,
Signifies that from you great Rome shall suck
Reviving blood; and that great men shall
For tinctures, stains, relics, and cognizance.
This by Calpurnia's dream is signified.
CAS. And this way have you well expounded it.
DEC. I have, when you have heard what I can say ;
And know it now: The Senate have concluded

60

70

80

90

To give, this day, a crown to mighty Cæsar.

If

you shall send them word you will not come,
Their minds may change. Besides, it were a mock
Apt to be render'd, for some one to say
Break up the Senate till another time,

When Caesar's wife shall meet with better dreams.

If Cæsar hide himself, shall they not whisper

Lo, Cæsar is afraid?

Pardon me, Cæsar; for my dear dear love

To your proceeding bids me tell you this;

And reason to my love is liable.

CAS. How foolish do your fears seem now, Calpurnia!
I am ashamed I did yield to them.

Give me my robe, for I will

go:

Enter PUBLIUS, BRUTUS, LIGARIUS, METELLUS, Casca,
TREBONIUS, and CINNA.

And look where Publius is come to fetch me.

PUB. Good morrow, Cæsar.

CES.

Welcome, Publius.

ΙΙΟ

What, Brutus, are you stirr'd so early too?

Good morrow, Casca. Caius Ligarius,

Cæsar was ne'er so much your enemy

As that same ague which hath made you lean.
What is 't o'clock?

ACT II
Sc. II

See! Antony, that revels long o' nights,

Is notwithstanding up. Good morrow, Antony. ANT. So to most noble Cæsar.

CÆS.

Bid them prepare within:

I am to blame to be thus waited for.
Now, Cinna: now, Metellus: what, Trebonius!
I have an hour's talk in store for you:
Remember that you call on me to-day;
Be near me, that I may remember you.
TREB. Cæsar, I will; [aside.] and so near will I be,
That your best friends shall wish I had been further.

Sc. II

ACT II CES. Good Friends, go in, and taste some wine with me;
And we, like friends, will straightway go together.
BRU. [aside.] That every like is not the same, O Cæsar,
The heart of Brutus yearns to think upon!

[exeunt.

SCENE III. The Same. A Street near the Capitol.
Enter ARTEMIDORUS, reading a paper.

ARTEM. Cæsar, beware of Brutus; take heed of Cassius;
come not near Casca; have an eye to Cinna; trust not
Trebonius; mark well Metellus Cimber; Decius Brutus
loves thee not; thou hast wrong'd Caius Ligarius.
There is but one mind in all these men, and it is bent
against Cæsar. If thou be'st not immortal, look about
you: security gives way to conspiracy.
Gods defend thee! Thy lover,

The mighty

ARTEMIDORUS.

Here will I stand till Cæsar pass along,
And as a suitor will I give him this.
My heart laments that Virtue cannot live
Out of the teeth of Emulation.

If thou read this, O Cæsar, thou may'st live:
If not, the Fates with traitors do contrive.

ΤΟ

[exit.

SCENE IV. The Same. Another Part of the same
Street, before the House of BRUTUS.

Enter PORTIA and LUCIUS.

POR. I pr'ythee, Boy, run to the Senate-house:

Stay not to answer me, but get thee gone.

Why dost thou stay?

Luc.
To know my errand, Madam.
POR. I would have had thee there, and here again,
Ere I can tell thee what thou should'st do there.
O Constancy, be strong upon my side!

Set a huge mountain 'tween my heart and tongue!
I have a man's mind, but a woman's might.