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No Rome of fafety for Octavius yet;

Hie hence, and tell him fo. Yet, ftay a while;
Thou shalt not back, till I have borne this corfe
Into the market-place: there fhall I try,
In my oration, how the people take
The cruel iffue of thefe bloody men;
According to the which, thou fhalt difcourfe
To young Octavius of the state of things.
Lend me your hand. [Exeunt, with CESAR's body.

SCENE II.

The fame. The Forum.

Enter BRUTUS, and CASSIUS, and a throng of
Citizens.

CIT. We will be fatisfied; let us be fatisfied. BRU. Then follow me, and give me audience, friends.

Caffius, go you into the other street,

And part the numbers.

Thofe that will hear me fpeak, let them ftay here; Those that will follow Caffius, go with him;

And publick reasons shall be rendered

Of Cæfar's death.

I. CIT.

I will hear Brutus fpeak.

6 No Rome of fafety &c.] If Shakspeare meant to quibble on the words Rome and room, in this and a former paffage, he is at leaft countenanced in it by other authors:

So, in Heywood's Rape of Lucrece, 1638:

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You fhall have my room,

My Rome indeed, for what I feem to be,
"Brutus is not, but born great Rome to free."

STEEVENS.

2. CIT. I will hear Caffius; and compare their reasons,

When feverally we hear them rendered.

[Exit CASSIUS, with fome of the Citizens. BRUTUS goes into the roftrum.

7

3. CIT. The noble Brutus is afcended: Silence! BRU. Be patient till the last. Romans, countrymen, and lovers! hear me for my caufe; and be filent, that you may hear: believe me for mine honour; and have refpect to mine honour, that you may believe: cenfure me in your wifdom; and awake your fenfes, that you may the better judge. If there be any in this affembly, any dear friend of Cæfar's, to him I say, that Brutus' love to Cæfar was no less than his. If then

7 - countrymen, and lovers! &c.] There is no where, in all Shakspeare's works a ftronger proof of his not being what we call a fcholar than this; or of his not knowing any thing of the genius of learned antiquity. This fpeech of Brutus is wrote in imitation of his famed laconic brevity, and is very fine in its kind; but no more like that brevity, than his times were like Brutus's. The ancient laconic brevity was fimple, natural, and eafy; this is quaint, artificial, gingling, and abounding with forced antithefes. În a word, a brevity, that for its falfe eloquence would have fuited any character, and for its good fenfe would have become the greatest of our author's time; but yet, in a ftile of declaiming, that fits as ill upon Brutus as our author's trowfers or collar-band would have done. WARBURTON.

I cannot agree with Warburton that this fpeech is very fine in its kind. I can fee no degree of excellence in it, but think it a very paltry fpeech for fo great a man, on fo great an occafion. Yet Shakspeare has judicioufly adopted in it the ftyle of Brutus-the pointed fentences and laboured brevity which he is faid to have affected. M. MASON.

This artificial jingle of fhort fentences was affected by moft of the orators in Shakipeare's time, whether in the pulpit or at the bar. The fpeech of Brutus may therefore be regarded rather as an imitation of the falfe eloquence then in vogue, than as a speci men of laconick brevity. STEEVENS.

that friend demand, why Brutus rose against Cæfar, this is my anfwer,-Not that I loved Cæfar lefs, but that I loved Rome more. Had you rather Cæfar were living, and die all flaves; than that Cæfar were dead, to live all free men? As Cæfar loved me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honour him: but, as he was ambitious, I flew him: There is tears, for his love; joy, for his fortune; honour, for his valour; and death, for his ambition. Who is here fo base, that would be a bondman? If any, fpeak; for him have I offended. Who is here fo rude, that would not be a Roman? If any, fpeak; for him have I offended. Who is here fo vile, that will not love his country? If any, fpeak; for him have I offended. I paufe for a reply.

CIT. None, Brutus, none.

[Several Speaking at once. BRU. Then none have I offended. I have done no more to Cæfar, than you should do to Brutus. The question of his death is enroll'd in the Capitol : his glory not extenuated, wherein he was worthy; nor his offences enforced, for which he fuffer'd death.

Enter ANTONY and Others, with Cæfar's body.

Here comes his body, mourn'd by Mark Antony: who, though he had no hand in his death, shall receive the benefit of his dying, a place in the commonwealth; As which of you fhall not? With this I depart; That, as I flew my beft lover for the good of Rome, I have the fame dagger for myself, when it fhall please my country to need my death.

- as I flew my beft lover-] Sce p. 207, n. 7. MALONE,

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CIT. Live, Brutus, live! live!

1. CIT. Bring him with triumph home unto his house.

2. CIT. Give him a statue with his ancestors.

3. CIT. Let him be Cæfar.

4. CIT.

Cæfar's better parts

Shall now be crown'd in Brutus."

1. CIT. We'll bring him to his house with shouts

and clamours.

BRU. My countrymen,—

2. CIT.

Peace; filence! Brutus fpeaks.

1. CIT. Peace, ho!

BRU. Good countrymen, let me depart alone, And, for my fake, stay here with Antony:

Do grace to Cæfar's corpfe, and grace his fpeech
Tending to Cæfar's glories; which Mark Antony,
By our permiffion is allow'd to make.

I do entreat you, not a man depart,
Save I alone, till Antony have spoke.

[Exit.

I. CIT. Stay, ho! and let us hear Mark Antony. 3. Cır. Let him go up into the publick chair; We'll hear him :-Noble Antony, go up.

ANT. For Brutus' fake, I am beholden to you." 4. CIT. What does he fay of Brutus? 3. GIT.

He fays, for Brutus' fake,'

9 Shall now be crown'd in Brutus.] As the present hemistich, without fome additional fyllable, is offenfively unmetrical, the adverb-now, which was introduced by Sir Thomas Hanmer, is here admitted. STEEVENS.

2

-beholden to you.] Throughout the old copies of Shakfpeare, and many other ancient authors, beholden is corruptly fpelt-beholding. STEEVENS.

3 He fays, for Brutus' fake,] Here we have another line rendered irregular, by the interpolated and needlefs words-He says. STEEVENS.

He finds himself beholden to us all.

4. CIT. 'Twere beft he fpeak no harm of Brutus

here.

1. CIT. This Cæfar was a tyrant.

Nay, that's certain:

3. CIT. We are blefs'd, that Rome is rid of him.

2. CIT. Peace; let us hear what Antony can say. 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 answer'd it.
Here, under leave of Brutus, and the reft,
(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 wept:
Ambition fhould be made of fterner stuff:

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,

Which he did thrice refufe. Was this ambition?

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