Cæs.
Nor heaven nor earth have been at peace to-night ^note:
Thrice hath Calpurnia in her sleep cried out,
‘Help, ho! they murder Cæsar!’ Who's within? Enter a Servant.

Serv.
My lord?

Cæs.
Go bid the priests do present sacrifice,
And bring me their opinions of success.

Serv.
I will, my lord. [Exit. Enter Calpurnia.

Cal.
What mean you, Cæsar? think you to walk forth?
You shall not stir out of your house to-day.

Cæs.
Cæsar shall forth: the things that threaten'd ^note me
Ne'er look'd but on my back; when they shall see
The face of Cæsar, they are vanished.

Cal.
Cæsar,I never stood on ceremonies,
Yet now they fright me. There is one within,
Besides the things that we have heard and seen,
Recounts most horrid sights seen by the watch.
A lioness hath whelped in the streets;
And graves have yawn'd, and yielded up their dead;
Fierce fiery warriors fight ^note upon the clouds,
In ranks and squadrons and right form of war,
Which drizzled blood upon the Capitol;
The noise of battle hurtled ^note in the air,
Horses did neigh ^note and dying men did groan,
And ghosts ^note did shriek and squeal about the streets.
O Cæsar! these things are beyond all use,
And I do fear them.

Cæs.
What can be avoided
Whose end is purposed by the mighty gods?
Yet Cæsar shall go forth; for these predictions
Are to the world in general as to Cæsar.

Cal.
When beggars die, there are no comets seen;
The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes.

Cæs.
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 necessary end,
Will come when it will come. Re-enter ^note Servant.
What say the augurers ^note?

Serv.
They would not have you to stir ^note forth to-day.
Plucking the entrails of an offering forth, ^note
They could not find a heart within the beast.

Cæs.
The gods do this in shame of cowardice:
Cæsar should be a beast without a heart
If he should stay at home to-day for fear.
No, Cæsar shall not: danger knows full well
That Cæsar is more dangerous than he:
We are ^note two lions litter'd in one day,
And I the elder and more terrible:
And Cæsar shall go forth. ^note

Cal.
Alas, my lord,
Your wisdom is consumed in confidence.
Do not go forth to-day: call it my fear
That keeps you in the house and not your own.
We'll send Mark Antony to the senate-house,
And he shall ^note say you are not well to-day:
Let me, upon my knee, prevail in this.

Cæs.
Mark Antony shall say I am not well,
And, for thy humour, I will stay at home. ^note Enter Decius.
Here's Decius Brutus, he shall tell them so.

Dec.
Cæsar, all hail! good morrow, worthy Cæsar:
I come to fetch you to the senate-house.

Cæs.
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, falser:
I will not come to-day: tell them so, Decius.

Cal.
Say he is sick.

Cæs.
Shall Cæsar send a lie?

Have I in conquest stretch'd mine arm so far,
To be afeard ^note to tell graybeards the truth?
Decius, go tell them Cæsar will not come.

Dec.
Most mighty Cæsar, let me know some cause,
Lest I be laugh'd at when I tell them so.

Cæs.
The cause is in my will: I will not come;
That is enough to satisfy the senate.
But, for your private satisfaction,
Because I love you, I will let you know.
Calpurnia here, my wife, stays me at home:
She dreamt to-night ^note she saw my statua,
Which like ^note a fountain with an ^note hundred spouts
Did run pure blood, and many lusty Romans
Came smiling and did bathe their hands in it:
And these does she apply ^note for warnings and portents ^note
And ^note evils imminent, and on her knee
Hath begg'd that I will stay at home to-day.

Dec.
This dream is all amiss interpreted;
It was a vision fair and fortunate:
Your statue spouting blood in many pipes,
In which so many smiling Romans bathed,
Signifies that from you great Rome ^note shall suck
Reviving blood, and that great men shall press ^note
For tinctures, stains, relics and cognizance ^note.
This by Calpurnia's dream is signified.

Cæs.
And this way have you well expounded it.

Dec.
I have, when you have heard what I can say:
And know it now: the senate have concluded
To give this day a crown to mighty Cæsar.

If you shall send them word you will not come,
Their minds may change. Besides, it were a mock
Apt to be render'd ^note, for some one to say
‘Break up the senate till another time,
When Cæsar's wife shall meet with better dreams.’
If Cæsar hide himself, shall they not whisper
‘Lo, ^note Cæsar is afraid’?
Pardon me, Cæsar, for my dear dear love
To your proceeding bids me tell you this,
And reason to my love is liable.

Cæs.
How foolish do your fears seem now, Calpurnia!
I am ashamed ^note I did yield to them. ^note
Give me my robe, for I will go. Enter Publius, Brutus, Ligarius, Metellus, Casca, Trebonius, and Cinna. ^{note note}
And look where Publius is come to fetch me.

Pub.
Good morrow, Cæsar.

Cæs.
Welcome, Publius.
What, Brutus, are you stirr'd so early too?
Good morrow, Casca. Caius ^note Ligarius,
Cæsar was ne'er so much your enemy
As that same ague which hath made you lean.
What is't o' ^noteclock?

Bru.
Cæsar, 'tis strucken ^note eight.

Cæs.
I thank you for your pains and courtesy. Enter Antony.
See! ^note Antony, that revels long o' nights ^note,
Is notwithstanding up. Good morrow, Antony.

^note

Ant.
So to most noble Cæsar.

Cæs.
Bid them prepare within ^note:
I am to blame ^note 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.
Cæsar, I will. [Aside ^note] And so near will I be,
That your best friends shall wish I had been further.

Cæs.
Good friends, go in and taste some wine with me;
And we like friends will straightway go together.

Bru. [Aside ^note]
That every like is not the same, O Cæsar,
The heart of Brutus yearns ^note to think upon! [Exeunt. ^note

Previous section

Next section