Enter ANTONY, and taking no notice of them,
falls on his knees to CAESAR's body.
I was unable to defend thy life,
And therefore now can scarce endure my own,
Thou great good man! is all thy race of glory
Brought to this wretched end? Didft thou scorn death
In all those bloody fields, to find it here?
Oh, 'tis I feel it; thou art past the pain;
But in my heart 'tis acted o'er and o'er.
For ev'ry thought of thee, and of thy love,
Gives me fresh forrow: take my tribute here
Of fighs and tears that always fhall attend thee.
I ask your pardon, noble lords; my thoughts Were too much there, to look on aught befides. Yet think not I repent of what I faid;
For I will speak the praises of my friend,
Nor fear ev'n Heav'n, should it reply in thunder.
He was my friend, and I will still be his,
Tho' the Gods rage, and mankind meanly joins;
Who fhew regard to Heav'n in nothing else
But flighting merit, when the Gods forfake it.
Yet I, of all fufpected, and alone,
Will boldly thus embrace this precious body.
Nay, gaze not on me with fuch threat'ning looks;
Think not, that if I valu'd now my life,
I am fo foolish to expofe it thus.
What hour fo fit for me, what death fo glorious,
As here to fall with CAESAR, and by you,
The master spirits, fure, of all the world?
Kill me then quickly; kill me with those daggers
That reek in blood of him I lov'd fo well:
For, could I languish out a thousand years,
I ne'er should find myself fo fit to die:
'Tis now a pleasure, what may be a pain.
BRUTUS.
Oh! ANTONY, beg not your death of us.
You little think, when you commended CAESAR,
How much my soften'd heart approv'd your praise.
Rough tho' we feem, and tho' our hands are bloody,
Yet, ANTONY, you only fee our hands,
Which, free, as thofe of juftice, from all rage,
Have done a deed, spite of our fofter fouls.
Your friendship to dead CAESAR we esteem,
And value yours the more: then join with us
To fettle Rome firm in its ancient freedom;
And we will join with you to make you great;
As great as can confist with liberty.
Your voice fhall found as high as any man's
In the election of new magiftrates.
Only be patient till you hear the cause
Of all this feeming cruelty. You know
CAESAR us'd me as kindly as yourself.
Were I ambitious, or fought private ends,
This, fure, was not the way. Witness, you Gods!
None e'er who kill'd himself, lov'd him he flew,
Better than I lov'd CAESAR!
Hold up a while, and help me to diffemble! [Afide.
Give me your hands, I must accept your love,
Moft noble BRUTUS, and yours, CAIUS CASSIUS.
Alas! my credit ftands on flipp'ry ground;
And there's a precipice on either side.
To anfwer this your gentleness with rage,
(When you thus fpare me ev'n against my will)
That would appear but a too rough return:
Yet may not this too look like fear, or flatt'ry?
That I lov'd CAESAR, I must ever own;
That he lov'd me, his favours fhew'd too well
How fhall I do my part to him, and you?
Unless you will vouchfafe to give me reasons
Why CAESAR died; and let me bury him
(As it becomes his friend) with decent honour:
Then I'll but steep his afhes in my tears,
And in his cold urn fmother all my forrow.
BRUTUS.
'Tis juft, we grant it; take his body hence;
And I will join myself to do him honour.
Hold, BRUTUS; firft confider well of that:
The easy rabble may be mov'd against us.
Who knows how rhet'rick may prevail on fools?
We need not, CASSIUS, be fo much concern'd; Now Rome's fecure, there's no fuch thing as danger. 'Twas CAESAR's foul we fear'd, and that once gone, We cannot use his harmless corpfe too well.
But yet I fear the worst.
BRUTUS.
Befides, I'll go,
And speak before him in the market-place.
But, ANTONY, your praise must be so nice,
As not to blame our action: you may fhew
Both love to CAESAR, and efteem of us.
His speech fhall be your pattern; fo we leave y that pity which you owe your friend.
ANTONY, who ftands over the body of CAESAR, alone.
Pity indeed! but what a wretched change:
That thou shouldft move it! Thou, whose wond'rous
Was high as e'er humanity attain’d;
Yet gentle as the humbleft of mankind.
[Enter fome friends of ANTONY.
Thy vast ambition was but just, and like
The element of fire when first created,
Which foar'd above the reft, to shine more glorious,
And chear the under world with light and heat.
Thou still fhalt fhine a comet, and portend
A black and bloody scene of civil war.
Thefe wounds infpire me with prophetick skill,
Which like dumb mouths op'ning their bloody lips,
Seem to intreat the utt'rance of my tongue.
Now the whole world disturb'd, will miss thee foon;
Men fhall bemoan their master, beat their breasts,
And lay upon thy death all their misfortunes.
Wars, bloodshed, massacres, fuch horrid deeds,
And fatal fury, fhall be fo familiar,
That custom shall take off all sense of crime,
And fhame and guilt shall be but words forgot,
Loft in the boundless licence of the times.
Come, let us bear him to the market-place.
This is a jewel yet, tho' dropt by fortune;
With which we'll purchase popularity,
And fet up for ourselves in this new world.
Our tears and grief will foften their hard hearts,
Fit to receive impreffion from our words.
And when crowds liften once, there is
no fear:
They have the people's hearts, who have their ear.
[Exeunt with the body of CAESAR.
To be fung after the fourth Act.
OW great a curfe has providence
Learning, courage, eloquence,
The gentleft nature, nobleft mind,
Were intermixt in one alone;
Yet in one moment overthrown.
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