Here comes his body, mourned by Mark Antony: who,

though he had no hand in his death, shall receive the benefit of his dying, a place in the commonwealth ^note; as which of you shall not? With this I depart,—that, as I slew my best lover for the good of Rome, I have the same dagger for myself, when it shall please my country to need ^notemy death.

All. ^note
Live, Brutus! live, live! ^note

First Cit.
Bring him with triumph home unto his house.

Sec. Cit.
Give him a statue with his ancestors.

Third Cit.
Let him be Cæsar.

Fourth Cit.
Cæsar's better parts
Shall ^note be crown'd ^note in Brutus. ^note

First Cit.
We'll bring him to his house with shouts and clamours. ^note

Bru.
My countrymen,— ^note

Sec. Cit.
Peace! silence! Brutus speaks.

First Cit.
Peace, ho!

Bru.
Good countrymen, let me depart alone,
And, for my sake, stay here with Antony:
Do grace to Cæsar's corpse, and grace his speech
Tending to Cæsar's glories ^note, which Mark Antony
By our permission is allow'd to make.
I do entreat you, not a man depart,
Save I alone, till Antony have spoke. [Exit. ^note

First Cit.
Stay, ho! and let us hear Mark Antony.

Third Cit.
Let him go up into the public chair;
We'll hear him. Noble Antony, go up.

Ant.
For Brutus' sake, I am beholding ^note to you. [Goes into the pulpit. ^note

Fourth Cit.
What does he say of Brutus?

Third Cit.
He says ^note, for Brutus' ^note sake,
He finds himself beholding ^note to us all.

Fourth Cit.
'Twere best he ^note speak no harm of Brutus here.

First Cit.
This Cæsar was a tyrant.

Third Cit.
Nay, that's certain:
We are blest ^note that Rome is rid of him.

Sec. Cit.
Peace! let us hear what Antony can say.

Ant.
You gentle Romans,— ^note

All. ^note
Peace, ho! let us hear him.

Ant.
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Cæsar, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones ^note;
So let it be with Cæsar. The noble ^note Brutus
Hath told you Cæsar was ambitious:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Cæsar answer'd it.
Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest,—
For Brutus is an honourable man;
So are they all, all honourable men,—
Come I to speak in Cæsar's funeral.
He was my friend, faithful and just to me:
But Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.
He hath brought many captives home to Rome,
Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:
Did this in Cæsar seem ambitious?
When that the poor have cried, Cæsar hath wept:
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:

Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.
You all did see that on ^note the Lupercal
I thrice presented him a kingly crown,
Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And, sure, he is an honourable man.
I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know.
You all did love him once, not without cause:
What cause withholds you then to mourn for him?
O judgement! thou art ^note fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason. Bear with me;
My heart is in the coffin there with Cæsar,
And I must pause till it come back'to me.

First Cit.
Methinks there is much reason in his sayings.

Sec. Cit. ^note
If thou consider rightly of the matter, ^note
Cæsar has had great wrong.

Third Cit.
Has he ^note, masters ^note?
I fear there will a worse come in his place. ^note

Fourth Cit.
Mark'd ye his words? He would not take the crown;
Therefore 'tis certain he was not ambitious.

First Cit.
If it be found so, some will dear abide it.

Sec. Cit.
Poor soul! his eyes are red as fire with weeping.

Third Cit.
There's not a nobler man in Rome than Antony.

Fourth Cit.
Now mark him, he begins again ^note to speak.

Ant.
But yesterday the word of Cæsar might
Have stood against the world: now lies he there,
And none so poor to do him reverence.
O masters, if I were disposed to stir

Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,
I should do Brutus wrong and Cassius wrong,
Who, you all know, are honourable men:
I will not do them wrong; I rather choose
To wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you,
Than I will wrong such honourable men.
But here's a parchment with the seal of Cæsar;
I found it in his closet; 'tis his will:
Let but the commons hear this testament—
Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read—
And they would go and kiss dead Cæsar's wounds
And dip their napkins in his sacred blood,
Yea ^note, beg a hair of him for memory,
And, dying, mention it within their wills,
Bequeathing it as a rich legacy
Unto their issue.

Fourth Cit.
We'll hear the will: read it, Mark Antony.

All. ^note
The will, the will! we will hear Cæsar's will.

Ant.
Have patience, gentle friends, I must not read it;
It is not meet you know how Cæsar loved you.
You are not wood, you are not stones, but men;
And, being men, hearing the will of Cæsar,
It will ^note inflame you, it will make you mad:
'Tis good you know not that you are his heirs;
For if you should, O, what would come of it!

Fourth Cit. ^note
Read ^note the will; we'll ^note hear it, Antony;
You shall read us the will, Cæsar's ^note will. ^note

Ant.
Will you be patient? will you stay awhile?
I have o'ershot myself to tell you of it:
I fear I wrong the honourable men
Whose daggers have stabb'd Cæsar; I do fear it.

Fourth Cit.
They were traitors: honourable men!

All. ^note
The will! the testament!

Sec. Cit.

They were villains, murderers: ^note the will! read the will.

Ant.
You will compel me then to read the will? ^note
Then make a ring about the corpse of Cæsar,
And let me show you him that made the will.
Shall I descend? and will you give me leave?

All. ^note
Come down.

Sec. Cit.
Descend. [He comes down from the pulpit. ^note

Third Cit.
You shall have leave.

Fourth Cit.
A ring; stand round.

First Cit.
Stand from the hearse, stand from the body.

Sec. Cit.
Room for Antony, most noble Antony.

Ant.
Nay, press not so upon me; stand far off.

All.
Stand back. Room! Bear back.

Ant.
If you have tears, prepare to shed them now.
You all do know this mantle: I remember
The first time ever Cæsar put it on;
'Twas on a summer's evening, in his tent,
That day he overcame the Nervii:
Look, in this place ran Cassius' ^note dagger through:
See what a rent the envious Casca made:
Through this the well-beloved Brutus stabb'd;
And as he pluck'd his cursed steel away,
Mark how the blood of Cæsar follow'd it,
As rushing out of doors, to be resolved
If Brutus so unkindly knock'd, or no:
For Brutus, as you know, was Cæsar's angel:
Judge, O you gods, how dearly Cæsar loved him!
This was the most ^note unkindest cut of all;
For when the noble Cæsar saw him stab,
Ingratitude, more strong than traitors' ^note arms,
Quite vanquish'd him: then burst his mighty heart;

And, in his mantle muffling up his face,
Even at the base of Pompey's statua ^note,
Which all the while ran blood ^note, great Cæsar fell. ^note
O, what a fall was there, my countrymen!
Then I, and you, and all of us fell down,
Whilst bloody treason flourish'd over us.
O, now you weep, and I perceive you feel
The dint of pity: these are gracious drops.
Kind souls, what weep ^note you when you but behold
Our Cæsar's vesture wounded? Look you here,
Here is himself, marr'd, as you see, with ^note traitors.

First Cit.
O piteous spectacle!

Sec. Cit.
O noble Cæsar!

Third Cit.
O woful day!

Fourth Cit.
O traitors, villains!

First Cit.
O most bloody sight!

Sec. Cit.
We will ^note be revenged.

All.
Revenge! About! Seek! Burn! Fire! Kill! Slay!
Let not a traitor live! ^{note note}

Ant.

Stay, countrymen ^note.

First Cit.

Peace ^note there! hear the noble Antony.

Sec. Cit.

We'll hear him, we'll follow him, we'll die with him.

Ant.
Good friends, sweet friends, let me not stir you up
To such a sudden 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 ^note wise and honourable,

And will, no doubt, with reasons ^note 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 ^note me public leave to speak of him:
For I have neither wit ^note, nor words, nor worth,
Action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech,
To stir men's blood: I only speak right on;
I tell you that which you yourselves do know;
Show you sweet Cæsar'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 spirits, and put a tongue
In every wound of Cæsar, that should move
The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.

All.
We'll mutiny.

First Cit. ^{note note}
We'll burn the house of Brutus.

Third Cit.
Away, then! come, seek the conspirators.

Ant.
Yet hear me, countrymen; yet hear me speak.

All.
Peace, ho! Hear Antony. Most noble Antony!

Ant.
Why, friends, you go to do you know not what:
Wherein hath Cæsar thus deserved your loves?
Alas, you know not; I must tell you then:
You have forgot the will I told you of.

All.
Most true: the will! Let's stay and hear the will.

Ant.
Here is the will, and under Cæsar's seal.
To every Roman citizen he gives,
To every several man, seventy five drachmas.

Sec. Cit.
Most noble Cæsar! we'll revenge his death.

Third Cit.
O royal Cæsar!

Ant.
Hear me with patience.

All.
Peace, ho!

Ant.
Moreover, he hath left you all his walks,
His private arbours and new-planted orchards,

On this ^note side Tiber; he hath left them you,
And to your heirs for ever; common pleasures,
To walk abroad and recreate yourselves.
Here was a Cæsar! when comes such another?

First Cit.
Never, never. Come, away, away! ^note
We'll burn his body in the holy place,
And with the brands ^note fire the ^note traitors' houses.
Take up the body.

Sec. Cit.
Go fetch fire.

Third Cit.
Pluck down benches.

Fourth Cit.
Pluck down forms, windows ^note, any thing. [Exeunt ^note Citizens with the body.

Ant. ^note
Now let it work. Mischief, thou art afoot, ^note
Take thou ^note what course thou wilt. Enter a Servant. ^note
How now, fellow! ^note

Serv.
Sir, ^{note note}Octavius is already come to Rome.

Ant.
Where is he?

Serv.
He ^note and Lepidus ^note are at Cæsar's house.

Ant.
And thither will I straight to visit him:
He comes upon a wish. Fortune is merry,
And in this mood will give us any thing.

Serv.
I heard him ^note say, Brutus and Cassius

Are rid like madmen through the gates of Rome.

Ant.
Belike they had some notice of the people,
How I had moved them. Bring me to Octavius ^note. [Exeunt. ^note

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