CES. Antonius.

ANT. Cæfar.

CAS. Let me have men about me, that are fat;
Sleek-headed men, and such as sleep o'nights :
Yond' Caffius has a lean and hungry look;
He thinks too much: fuch men are dangerous.
ANT. Fear him not, Cæfar, he's not dangerous;
He is a noble Roman, and well given.

CES. 'Would he were fatter:-But I fear him not: my name were liable to fear,

Yet if

I do not know the man I should avoid

So foon as that fpare Caffius. He reads much;
He is a great observer, and he looks

Quite through the deeds of men: he loves no plays,
As thou doft, Antony; he hears no mufick:
Seldom he smiles; and fmiles in fuch a fort,
As if he mock'd himself, and fcorn'd his fpirit
That could be mov'd to fmile at any thing.
Such men as he be never at heart's ease,
Whiles they behold a greater than themselves;
And therefore are they very dangerous.
I rather tell thee what is to be fear'd,
Than what I fear; for always I am Cæfar.
Come on my right hand, for this ear is deaf,
And tell me truly what thou think'st of him.

[Exeunt CÆSAR, and his Train, CASCA ftays behind. CASCA. You pull'd me by the cloak; Would you speak with me?

BRU. Ay, Casca; tell us what hath chanc'd to-day, That Cæfar looks fo fad.

CASCA. Why you were with him, were you not?
BRU. I fhould not then ask Casca what hath chanc'd.
CASCA. Why, there was a crown offer'd him and be-

ing offer'd him, he put it by with the back of his hand, thus; and then the people fell a' fhouting.

BRU. What was the fecond noise for?

CASCA. Why, for that too.

CAS. They shouted thrice; What was the laft cry for? CASCA. Why, for that too.

BRU. Was the crown offer'd him thrice?

CASCA. Ay, marry, was't, and he put it by thrice, every time gentler than other; and at every putting by, mine honeft neighbours shouted.

CAS. Who offer'd him the crown?

CASCA. Why, Antony.

BRU. Tell us the manner of it, gentle Cafca.

CASCA. I can as well be hang'd, as tell the manner of it: it was mere foolery, I did not mark it. I faw 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 my thinking, he would fain have had it. Then he offer'd 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 offer'd it the third time; he put it the third time by: and still as he refused it, the rabblement hooted, and clapp'd their chopp'd hands, and threw up their fweaty night-caps, and utter'd fuch a deal of stinking breath because Cæfar refused the crown, that it had almost choked Cæfar; for he fwoon'd, and fell down at it: And for mine own part, I durft not laugh, for fear of opening my lips, and receiving the bad air.

CAS. But foft, I pray you: What? did Cæfar fwoon? CASCA. He fell down in the market-place, and foam'd at mouth, and was speechless.

BRU. 'Tis very like; he hath the falling-sickness.

CAS. No, Cæfar hath it not; but you, and I, And honest Casca, we have the falling-fickness.

CASCA. I know not what you mean by that; but, I am fure, Cæfar fell down. If the tag-rag people did not clap him, and hiss him, according as he pleased, and difpleafed them, as they use to do the players in the theatre, I

am no true man.

BRU. What faid he, when he came unto himself?

CASCA. Marry, before he fell down, when he perceiv'd the common herd was glad he refufed the crown, he pluck'd me ope his doublet, and offer'd 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 fo he fell. When he came to himself again, he faid, If he had done, or faid, any thing amifs, he defired their worships to think it was his infirmity. Three or four wenches, where I stood, cried, Alas, good foul!-and forgave him with all their hearts: But there's no heed to be taken of them; if Cæfar had stabb'd their mothers, they would have done no lefs.

BRU. And after that, he came, thus fad, away?
CASCA. Ay.

CAS. Did Cicero say any thing?

CASCA. Ay, he spoke Greek.

CAS. To what effect?

CASCA. Nay, an I tell you that, I'll ne'er look you i' the face again: But thofe, that understood him, fmiled at one another, and fhook their heads: but, for mine own part, it was Greek to me. I could tell you more news too: Marullus and Flavius, for pulling scarfs off Cæfar's images, are put to filence. Fare you well. There was more foolery yet, if I could remember it.

CAS. Will you fup with me to-night, Casca?
CASCA. No, I am promised forth.

CAS. Will you

dine with me to-morrow?

CASCA. Ay, if I be alive, and your mind hold, and

your dinner worth the eating.

CAS. Good; I will expect you.

CASCA. Do fo Farewell, both.

[Exit CASCA.

BRU. What a blunt fellow is this grown to be?

He was quick mettle, when he went to school.
CAS. So is he now, in execution

Of any bold or noble enterprize,
However he puts on this tardy form.

This rudeness is a fauce to his good wit,
Which gives men stomach to digeft his words
With better appetite.

you:

BRU. And fo it is. For this time I will leave
To-morrow, 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.
CAS. I will do fo-till then, think of the world.
[Exit BRUTUS.

Well, Brutus, thou art noble; yet, I fee,
Thy honourable metal may be wrought
From that it is difpos'd: Therefore 'tis meet
That noble minds keep ever with their likes :
For who fo firm, that cannot be feduc'd?
Cæfar doth bear me hard; but he loves Brutus :
If I were Brutus now, and he were Caffius,
He should not humour me. I will this night,
In several hands, in at his windows throw,
As if they came from several citizens,
Writings, all tending to the great opinion

That Rome holds of his name; wherein obfcurely

Cæfar's ambition fhall be glanced at:

And, after this, let Cæfar feat him fure;
For we will shake him, or worse days endure,

SCENE III. The fame. A Street.

[Exit.

Thunder and lightning. Enter, from opposite fides, CASCA, with his fword drawn, and CICERO.

CIC. Good even, Casca: Brought you Cæfar home?
Why are you breathlefs? and why ftare you fo?
CASCA. Are not you mov'd, when all the sway of earth
Shakes, like a thing unfirm? O Cicero,

I have seen tempefts, when the fcolding winds
Have riv'd the knotty oaks; and I have seen
The ambitious ocean fwell, and rage, and foam,
To be exalted with the threat'ning clouds:
But never till to-night, never till now,
Did I go through a tempest dropping fire.
Either there is a civil ftrife in heaven;
Or else the world, too faucy with the gods,
Incenses them to fend deftruction.

CIC. Why, faw you any thing more wonderful?
CASCA. A common flave (you know him well by fight,)
Held up his left hand, which did flame, and burn
Like twenty torches join'd; and yet his hand,
Not fenfible of fire, remain'd unfcorch'd.
Befides, (I have not fince put up my fword,)
Against the Capitol I met a lion,

Who glar'd upon me, and went furly by,
Without annoying me: And there were drawn
Upon a heap a hundred ghastly women,

Transformed with their fear; who swore, they saw

Men, all in fire, walk up and down the streets.
And, yesterday, the bird of night did fit,