Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

ANT. You gentle Romans,

CIT. Peace, ho! let us hear him.

ANT. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Cæfar, not to praise him.

The evil, that men do, lives after them;

The good is oft interred with their bones;
So let it be with Cæfar. The noble Brutus

Hath told you, Cæfar was ambitious:

If it were fo, it was a grievous fault;
And grievously hath Cæfar anfwer'd it.
Here, under leave of Brutus, and the rest,
(For Brutus is an honourable man;
So are they all, all honourable men ;)
Come I to speak in Cæfar's funeral.
He was my friend, faithful and just to me :
But Brutus fays, he was ambitious;

And Brutus is an honourable man.

He hath brought many captives home to Rome,
Whose ranfoms did the general coffers fill:
Did this in Cæfar feem ambitious?

When that the poor have cried, Cæfar hath

Ambition fhould be made of fterner ftuff:

Yet Brutus fays, he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.
You all did fee, that, on the Lupercal,
I thrice presented him a kingly crown,

wept :

Which he did thrice refufe. Was this ambition?
Yet Brutus fays, he was ambitious;

And, fure, he is an honourable man.

I fpeak not to difprove what Brutus fpoke,
But here I am to fpeak what I do know.

You all did love him once, not without caufe;

What caufe withholds you then to mourn for him?

O judgement, thou art fled to brutish beafts,
And men have loft their reafon!-Bear with me;
My heart is in the coffin there with Cæfar,
And I must pause till it come back to me.

1 CIT. Methinks, there is much reason in his fayings. 2 CIT. If thou confider rightly of the matter,

Cæfar has had great wrong.

3 CIT. Has he, masters?

I fear, there will a worfe come in his place.

[crown;

4 CIT. Mark'd ye his words? He would not take the Therefore, 'tis certain, he was not ambitious.

1 CIT. If it be found fo, fome will dear abide it.

2 CIT. Poor foul! his eyes are red as fire with weeping. 3 CIT. There's not a nobler man in Rome, than Antony. 4 CIT. Now mark him, he begins again to fpeak. ANT. But yesterday the word of Cæfar might Have ftood against the world: now lies he there, And none fo poor to do him reverence.

O masters! If I were difpos'd to ftir

Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,
I should do Brutus wrong, and Caffius wrong,
Who, you all know, are honourable men:

I will not do them wrong; I rather choose

To

wrong the dead, to wrong myself, and you, Than I will wrong fuch honourable men.

But here's a parchment, with the feal of Cæfar,
I found it in his clofet, 'tis his will:

Let but the commons hear this teftament,
(Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read,)
And they would go and kifs dead Cæfar's wounds,
And dip their napkins in his facred blood;
Yea, beg a hair of him for memory,

And, dying, mention it within their wills,

Bequeathing it, as a rich legacy,

Unto their iffue.

4 CIT. We'll hear the will: Read it, Mark Antony. CIT. The will, the will; we will hear Cæfar's will. ANT. Have patience, gentle friends, I must not read it; It is not meet you know how Cæfar lov'd you. You are not wood, you are not stones, but men ; And, being men, hearing the will of Cæfar, It will inflame you, it will make you mad: 'Tis good you know not that you are his heirs ; For if you fhould, O, what would come of it! 4 CIT. Read the will; we will hear it, Antony; You fhall read us the will; Cæfar's will.

ANT. Will you be patient? Will you stay a while? I have o'er-fhot myself, to tell you of it.

I fear, I wrong the honourable men,

Whofe daggers have ftabb'd Cæfar: I do fear it.

4 CIT. They were traitors: Honourable men! CIT. The will! the teftament !

2 CIT. They were villains, murderers: The will! read the will!

ANT. You will compel me then to read the will ?
Then make a ring about the corpfe of Cæfar,
And let me show you him that made the will.

Shall I defcend? And will you give me leave?
CIT. Come down.

2 CIT. Defcend.

[He comes down from the pulpit.

3 CIT. You shall have leave.

4 CIT. A ring; ftand round.

I CIT. Stand from the hearfe, ftand from the body. 2 CIT. Room for Antony ;-most noble Antony. ANT. Nay, prefs not fo upon me; ftand far off. CIT. Stand back! room! bear back!

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

The first time ever Cæfar put it on;

'Twas on a fummer's evening, in his tent;
That day he overcame the Nervii :—

Look! in this place, ran Caffius' dagger through:
See, what a rent the envious Cafca made:
Through this, the well-beloved Brutus ftabb'd;
And, as he pluck'd his cursed steel away,
Mark how the blood of Cæfar follow'd it;
As rushing out of doors, to be refolv'd
If Brutus fo unkindly knock'd, or no ;
For Brutus, as you know, was Cæfar's angel:
Judge, O you gods, how dearly Cæfar lov'd him!
This was the most unkindeft cut of all:
For when the noble Cæfar faw him stab,
Ingratitude, more ftrong than traitors' arms,
Quite vanquish'd him: then burft his mighty heart;
And, in his mantle muffling up his face,

Even at the base of Pompey's ftatua,

Which all the while ran blood, great Cæfar fell.

O, what a fall was there, my countrymen !
Then I, and you, and all of us fell down,
Whilft bloody treason flourish'd over us.
O, now you weep; and, I perceive, you feel
The dint of pity: thefe are gracious drops.
Kind fouls, what, weep you, when you but behold
Our Cæfar's vefture wounded? Look you here,
Here is himself, marr'd, as you fee, with traitors.
1 CIT. O piteous fpectacle!

2 CIT. O noble Cæfar!

3 CIT. O woful day!

4

CIT. O traitors, villains!

R. iiij

I CIT. O most bloody fight!

2 CIT. We will be reveng'd: revenge; about,—seek,— burn,-fire,-kill,-flay!-let not a traitor live.

ANT. Stay, countrymen.

I CIT. Peace there: Hear the noble Antony.
2 CIT. We'll hear him, we'll follow him, we'll die with him.
ANT. Good friends, fweet friends, let me not ftir you up
To fuch a fudden flood of mutiny.

They, that have done this deed, are honourable;
What private griefs they have, alas, I know not,
That made them do it; they are wife, and honourable,
And will, no doubt, with reasons answer you.

I come not, friends, to fteal 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 ftir men's blood: I only speak right on;

I tell you that, which you yourselves do know;
Show you fweet Cæfar's wounds, poor, poor dumb mouths,
And bid them fpeak for me: But were I Brutus,
And Brutus Antony, there were an Antony
Would ruffle up your fpirits, and put a tongue
In every wound of Cæfar, that should move
The ftones of Rome to rife and mutiny,

CIT. We'll mutiny.

I CIT. We'll burn the house of Brutus.

3

CIT. Away, then, come, feek the conspirators. ANT. Yet hear me, countrymen; yet hear me speak. CIT. Peace, ho! Hear Antony, moft noble Antony. ANT. Why friends, you go to do you know not what:

« AnteriorContinuar »