Cæs.
Nor heav'n, nor earth, have been at peace to night;
Thrice hath Calphurnia in her sleep cry'd out,
“Help, ho! they murder Cæsar.” Who's within? Enter a Servant.

Ser.
My lord?—

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

Ser.
I will, my lord. [Exit. Enter Calphurnia.

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 threatned me,
Ne'er lookt 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 upon the clouds,
In ranks and squadrons and right form of war,
Which drizzled blood upon the Capitol:
The noise of battle hurtled in the air;
Horses did neigh, and dying men did groan;

And Ghosts 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 purpos'd 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 heav'ns themselves blaze forth the death of Princes.

&wlquo;Cæs.
&wlquo;Cowards die many times before their deaths,
&wlquo;The valiant never taste of death but once:
&wlquo;Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,
&wlquo;It seems to me most strange, that men should fear:
&wlquo;Seeing that death, a necessary end,
&wlquo;Will come, when it will come.&wrquo; Enter a Servant.
What say the Augurs?

Ser.
They would not have you to stir forth to day.
Plucking the entrails of an Offering forth,
They could not find a heart within the beast. [Exit Servant.

Cæs.
The Gods do this in shame of cowardise:
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 (a) ^note were two lions litter'd in one day,
And I the elder and more terrible;
And Cæsar shall go forth.

Cal.
Alas, my lord,
Your wisdom is consum'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 send Mark Antony to the Senate-house,

And he will 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.

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