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You shall not ftir out of your house to day.

Caf. Cæfar fhall forth; the things, that threatned

me,

Ne'er lookt but on my back when they shall fee
The face of Cæfar, they are vanished.

Cal. Cafar, I never ftood on ceremonies,
Yet now they fright me: there is one within,
(Befides the things that we have heard and feen)
Recounts most horrid fights feen by the Watch.
A lionefs hath whelped in the streets,

And Graves have yawn'd, and yielded up their dead;
Fierce fiery warriors fight upon the clouds,
In ranks and fquadrons and right form of war,
Which drizzled blood upon the Capitol :
The noise of battle hurtled in the air;
Horfes did neigh, and dying men did groan;
And Ghosts did fhriek, and fqueal about the streets.
O Cafar! these things are beyond all use,
And I do fear them.

Caf. What can be avoided,

Whofe end is purpos'd by the mighty Gods?
Yet Cæfar fhall go forth: for thefe predictions
Are to the world in general, as to Cafar.

Cal. When Beggars die, there are no comets feen; The heav'ns themselves blaze forth the death of Princes Caf. Cowards die many times before their deaths, The valiant never taste of death but once :

Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,
It seems to me most strange, that men should fear:
Seeing that death, a neceffary end,

Will come, when it will come.

Enter a Servant.

What fay the Augurs?

Ser. They would not have you to ftir forth to day. Plucking the entrails of an Offering forth,

They could not find a heart within the beaft.

[Exit Serwant. Caf The Gods do this in fhame of cowardise: Cafar fhould be a beaft without a heart,

If he should stay at home to day for fear.
No, Cafar fhall not; Danger knows full well,
That Cafar is more dangerous than he.
(9) We were two lions litter'd in one day,
And I the elder and more terrible;
And Cæfar fhall go forth.

Cal. Alas, my lord,

Your wifdom is confum'd in confidence:
Do not go forth to day; call it my fear,

That keeps you in the house, and not your own.
We'll fend Mark Antony to the Senate house,
And he will fay, you are not well to day:
Let me, upon my kuee, prevail in this.

Caf. Mark Antony fhall fay, I am not well;
And, for thy humour, I will stay at home.
Enter Decius.

Here's Decius Brutus, he fhall tell them fo.

Dec. Cæfar, all hail! good morrow, worthy Cafar ; I come to fetch you to the Senate house.

Caf. And you are come in very happy time,
To bear my Greeting to the Senators,
And tell them that I will not come to day :
Cannot, is false; and that I dare not, falfer;
I will not come to day; tell them fo, Decius.
Cal. Say, he is fick.

Caf. Shall Cafar fend a lye?

Have I in conqueft ftretcht mine arm fo far,
To be afraid to tell Grey-beards the truth?
Decius, go tell them, Cafar will not come.

Dec. Moft mighty Cafar, let me know fome cause,

Left I be laugh'd at, when I tell them fo.

Caf. The caufe is in my will, I will not come;

-We beare

(9) We heard two Lions-] The first Folio The Copies have been all corrupt, and the Paffage, of course, unintelligible. But the flight Alteration, I have made, restores Senfe to the whole; and the Sentiment will neither be unworthy of Shakespeare, nor the boast too extravagant for Cafar in a Vein of Vanity to utter: that He and Danger were two Twinwhelps of a Lion, and He the Elder, and more terrible of the Two.

That

That is enough to satisfie the Senate.
But for your private fatisfaction,
Because I love you, I will let

you know.

Calphurnia here, my wife, stays me at home:
She dreamt laft night, fhe faw my Statue,
Which, like a fountain, with an hundred spouts,
Did run pure blood: and many lufty Romans
Came fmiling, and did bathe their hands in it.
These the applies for warnings and portents,
And evils imminent; and on her knee
Hath begg'd, that I will flay at home to day.
Dec. This Dream is all amifs interpreted ;
It was a Vifion fair and fortunate:

Your Statue, fpouting blood in many pipes,
In which so many smiling Romans bath'd,
Signifies, that from You great Rome shall fuck
Reviving blood; and that Great Men shall prefs
For tinctures, ftains, relicks, and cognisance.
This by Calphurnia's Dream is fignify'd.

Caf. And this way have you well expounded it." Dec. I have, when you have heard what I can fay And know it now, the Senate have concluded To give this day a Crown to mighty Cafar. If you shall fend them word you will not come, Their minds may change. Befides, it were a mock Apt to be render'd, for fome one to say, "Break up the Senate 'till another time, "When Cafar's wife fhall meet with better Dreams : If Cafar hide himself, fhall they not whisper, "Lo, Cafar is afraid!

Pardon me, Cafar; for my dear, dear, love
To your proceeding bids me tell you this:

And reason to my love is liable.

Caf. How foolish do your Fears feem now, Cal pburnia?

I am ashamed, I did yield to them.

Give me my Robe, for I will go:

Enter Brutus, Ligarius, Metellus, Cafca, Trebonius,

Cinna and Publius.

And, look, where Publius is come to fetch me.

Pub

Pub. Good morrow, Cafar.

Caf. Welcome, Publius.

What, Brutus, are you stirr'd so early too?
Good morrow, Cafca: Caius Ligarius,
Cefar was ne'er fo much your enemy,

As that fame Ague which hath made you lean.
What is't o'clock ?

Bru. Cefar, 'tis ftrucken eight.

Caf. I thank you for your pains and courtefie.
Enter Antony.

See! Antony, that revels long o' nights,
Is notwithflanding up. Good morrow, Antony.
Ant. So to molt noble Cafar.

Caf. Bid them prepare within:

I am to blame to be thus waited for.

Now, Cinna; now, Metellus; what, Trebonius!
I have an hour's talk in store for you,
Remember, that you call on me to day;
Be near me, that I may remember you.

Treb. Cafar, I will; and fo near will I be,

[Afide. That your beft friends fhall wish I had been fur

ther.

Caf. Good Friends, go in, and tafte fome wine with

me.

And we, like Friends, will ftraightway go together.
Bru. That every like is not the fame, O Cæfar!

[Afide. The heart of Brutus yerns to think upon! [Exeunt. SCENE changes to a Street near the Capitol.

(10) Enter Artemidorus, reading a paper.

CESAR, beware of Brutus ; take beed of Caffius ;

come not near Calca; have an eye to Cinna; truft

not

(10) Enter Artemidorus,] In the Dramatis Perfona, thro' all the Editions, Artemidorus is call'd a Scotksayer. But, 'tis cor

not Trebonius; mark well Metellus Cimber; Decius Brutus loves thee not; thou haft wrong'd Caius Ligarius. There is but one mind in all these men, and it is bent against Cæfar. If thou beeft not immortal, look about thee: fecurity gives way to confpiracy. The mighty Gods defend thee!

Thy Lover, Artemidorus.

Here will I ftand, 'till Cæfar pafs along,
And as a fuitor will I give him this :

My heart laments, that virtue cannot live
Out of the teeth of emulation.

If thou read this, O Cæfar, thou may'ft live;
If not, the fates with Traitors do contrive.

Enter Porcia and Lucius.

Por. I pr'ythee, Boy, run to the Senate house;
Stay not to answer me, but get thee gone :
Why doft thou stay?

Luc. To know my errand, Madam.

[Exit,

Por. I would have had thee there, and here again,
Ere I can tell thee what thou should'st do there-
O Conftancy, be ftrong upon my fide,

Set a huge mountain 'tween my heart and tongue;
I have a man's mind, but a woman's might:
How hard is it for women to keep counsel!

Art thou here yet?

Luc. Madam, what should I do?

tain, the Poet defign'd two diftinct Characters. Artemidorus was neither Augur nor Soothfayer. 'Tis true, there was an Artemidorus, whofe Critic on Dreams we ftill have: but He did nct live 'till the Time of Antoninus. He likewife wrote, according to Suidas, of Augury and Palmistry. But thisArtemidorus, who had been Cafar's Host at Cnidos, as we learn from Plutarch, Appian, &c. did not pretend to know any thing of the Confpiracy against Cafar by Prefcience, or Prognoftication. He was a Sophift, who taught that Science in Greek at Rome; by which Means being intimate with Brutus, and those about him, he got into their Secret; and out of his old Affection for Cæfar, was defirous of acquainting him with his Danger,

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