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 honour-
able,

And will, no doubt, with reasons answer you.
I come not, friends, to steal 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 publick leave to speak of him.
For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth,

2 For I have neither wit,] [Old copy-writ.] So, in King Henry VI. P. II:

"Now, my good lord, let's fee the devil's writ.” i. e. writing. Again, in Hamlet: " the law of writ and the liberty."-The editor of the second folio, who altered whatever he did not understand, fubftituted wit for writ. Wit in our author's time had not its prefent fignification, but meant understanding. Would Shakspeare make Antony declare himself void of common intelligence? MALONE.

The firft folio (and, I believe, through a mistake of the prefs) has writ, which in the fecond folio was properly changed into-wit. Dr. Johnson, however, fuppofes that by writ was meant a "penned and premeditated oration."

But the artful speaker, on this fudden call for his exertions, was furely defigned, with affected modefty, to represent himself as one who had neither quit, (i. e. ftrength of understanding) perfuafive language, weight of character, graceful action, harmony of voice &c. (the ufual requifites of an orator) to influence the minds of the people. Was it neceffary, therefore, that, on an occafion fo precipitate, he fhould have urged that he had brought no written speech in his pocket? fince every perfon who heard him muft have been

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 sweet Cæfar's wounds, poor, poor dumb mouths,

And bid them speak 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 rise and mutiny.
CIT. We'll mutiny.

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

3. CIT. Away then, come, feek the confpirators. ANT. Yet hear me, countrymen; yet hear me speak.

CIT. Peace, ho! Hear Antony, most noble An

tony.

ANT. Why friends, you go to do you know not what:

Wherein hath Cæfar thus deferv'd your loves?
Alas, you know not :-I must tell you then :-
You have forgot the will I told you of.

Cır. Moft true;-the will;-let's stay, and hear the will.

ANT. Here is the will, and under Cæfar's feal. To every Roman citizen he gives,

aware that the interval between the death of Cæfar, and the time prefent, would have been inadequate to fuch a compofition, which indeed could not have been produced at all, unlefs, like the indictment of Lord Haftings in King Richard III. it had been got ready through a premonition of the event that would require it.

What is ftyled the devil's writ in K. Henry VI. P. II. is the depofition of the dæmon, written down before witneffes on the stage. I therefore continue to read with the fecond folio, being unambi tious of reviving the blunders of the firft. STEEVENS,

To every several man, seventy five drachmas.' 2. CIT. Most noble Cæfar!-We'll revenge his death.

3. CIT. O royal Cæfar!

ANT. Hear me with patience.
CIT. Peace, ho!

4

ANT. Moreover, he hath left you all his walks, His private arbours, and new-planted orchards, On this fide Tiber; he hath left them you, And to your heirs for ever; common pleasures, To walk abroad, and recreate yourselves. Here was a Cæfar: When comes fuch another? 1. CIT. Never, never :-Come, away, away: We'll burn his body in the holy place,

And with the brands fire the traitors' houfes.'

3 ferventy-five drachmas.] A drachma was a Greek coin, the fame as the Roman denier, of the value of four festerces, 7d. ob. STEEVENS.

4 On this fide Tiber;] The scene is here in the Forum near the Capitol, and in the most frequented part of the city; but Cæfar's gardens were very remote from that quarter:

Trans Tiberim longe cubat is, prope Cæfaris hortos, fays Horace and both the Naumachia and gardens of Cæfar were feparated from the main city by the river; and lay out wide, on a line with Mount Janiculum. Our author therefore certainly

wrote:

On that fide Tiber;

and Plutarch, whom Shakspeare very diligently ftudied, in The Life of Marcus Brutus, fpeaking of Cæfar's will, exprefsly fays, That he left to the publick his gardens, and walks, beyond the Tiber. THEOBALD.

This emendation has been adopted by the fubfequent editors; but hear the old tranflation, where Shakspeare's fudy lay." He bequeathed unto every citizen of Rome feventy-five drachmas a man, and he left his gardens and arbours unto the people, which he had on this fide of the river Tiber." FARMER.

5-fire the traitors' houfes.] Thus the old copy. The more modern editors read-fire all the traitor's houses; but fire was then

Take up the body.

2. CIT. Go, fetch fire.

3. CIT. Pluck down benches.

4. CIT. Pluck down forms, windows, any thing. [Exeunt Citizens, with the body.

ANT. Now let it work: Mischief, thou art afoot, Take thou what courfe thou wilt!-How now, fellow?

Enter a Servant.

SERV. Sir, Octavius is already come to Rome. ANT. Where is he?

SERV. He and Lepidus are at Cæfar's house. ANT. And thither will I ftraight to visit him: He comes upon a wifh. Fortune is merry, And in this mood will give us any thing.

SERV. I heard him fay, Brutus and Caffius Are rid like madmen through the gates of Rome. ANT. Belike, they had fome notice of the people, How I had mov'd them. Bring me to Octavius. [Exeunt.

SCENE III."

The fame. A Street.

Enter CINNA the Poet.

CIN. I dreamt to-night, that I did feast with Cæfar,"

pronounced, as it was fometimes written, fier. So, in Humors Ordinary, a collection of Epigrams:

Oh rare compound, a dying horfe to choke,

"Of English fier and of Indian fmoke!" STEEVENS.

• Scene III.] The fubject of this fcene is taken from Plutarch. STEEVENS.

And things unluckily charge my fantafy:*
I have no will to wander forth of doors,'
Yet fomething leads me forth.

Enter Citizens.

1. CIT. What is your name?
2. CIT. Whither are you going?
3. CIT. Where do you dwell?

4. CIT. Are you a married man, or a bachelor? 2. Cır. Answer every man directly.

1. CIT. Ay, and briefly.

4. CIT. Ay, and wifely.

3. CIT. Ay, and truly, you were best.

CIN. What is my name? Whither am I going? Where do I dwell? Am I a married man, or a ba-· chelor? Then to answer every man directly, and briefly, wifely, and truly. Wisely I fay, I am a bachelor.

2. CIT. That's as much as to fay, they are fools that marry:-You'll bear me a bang for that, I fear. Proceed; directly.

CIN. Directly, I am going to Cæfar's funeral. 1. CIT. As a friend, or an enemy?

CIN. As a friend.

2. Cir. That matter is answer'd directly.

I dreamt to-night, that I did feaft &c.] I learn from an old black letter treatise on Fortune-telling &c. that to dream" of being at banquets, betokeneth misfortune" &c. STEEVENs.

8 things unluckily charge my fantafy:] i. e. circumstances oppress my fancy with an ill-omen'd weight. STEEVENS.

9 I have no will to wander forth of doors, &c.] Thus, Shylock: "I have no mind of feafting forth to night:

"But I will go." STEEVENS.