And I will strive with things impossible;

Yea, get the better of them. What's to do?

Bru. A piece of work that will make sick men whole.
Lig. But are not some whole, that we must make sick?
Bru. That must we also. What it is, my Caius,

I shall unfold to thee, as we are going,

To whom it must be done.

Lig. Set on your foot;

And, with a heart new-fired, I follow you,
To do I know not what: but it sufficeth,
That Brutus leads me on.

Bru. Follow me then.

[Exeunt.

SCENE II.-The same. A Room in CESAR'S Palace.

Thunder and lightning. Enter CÆSAR, in his night-gown. Cas. Nor heaven, nor earth, have been at peace to-night: Thrice hath Calphurnia in her sleep cried out, Help, ho! they murder Casar!-Who's within ?

Serv. My lord?

Enter a SERVANT.

Cas. Go bid the priests do present sacrifice,

And bring me their opinions of success.

Serv. I will, my lord.

Enter CALPHURNIA.

[Exit.

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

Cas. Caesar shall forth: The things that threatened 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 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.

Cas. 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. Cas. Cowards die many times before their deaths;

* Never paid regard to omens.

† Clashed.

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 a SERVANT.

What say the augurers?

Serv. They will not have you to stir forth to-day.
Plucking the entrails of an offering forth,

They could not find a heart within the beast.
Cas. 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 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 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 say, you are not well to-day:
Let me upon my knee, prevail in this.

Cas. Mark Antony shall say, I am not well;
And, for thy humour, I will stay at home.

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.

Cas. 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 to tell grey-beards 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.

Cas. 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.
Calphurnia here, my wife, stays me at home:
She dreamt to-night she saw my statua,
Which like a fountain, with a hundred spouts,
Did run pure blood; and many lusty Romans

Came smiling, and did bathe their hands in it.
And these does she apply for warnings, portents,
And 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 bath'd,
Signifies that from you great Rome shall suck
Reviving blood; and that great men shall press
For tinctures, stains, relics, and cognizance.
This by Calphurnia'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, for some one to say,

Break up the senate till another time,

When Casar's wife shall meet with better dreams.
If Cesar hide himself, shall they not whisper,

Lo, Casar 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.

Cas. How foolish do your fears seem now, Calphurnia! I am ashamed I did yield to them.—

Give me my robe, for I will go :

Enter PUBLIUS, Brutus, LigariUS, METELLUS, Casca,
TREBONIUS, and CINNA.

And look where Publius is come to fetch me.

Pub. Good morrow, Cæsar.

Cas. Welcome, Publius.

What Brutus, are you stirr'd so early too?—
Good-morrow, Casca.-Caius Ligarius,
Cæsar was ne'er so much your enemy,

As that same ague which hath made you lean.-
What is 't o'clock ?

Bru. Cæsar, 'tis strucken eight.

Cas. I thank you for your pains and courtesy.

Enter ANTONY.

See! Antony, that revels long o'nights,

Is, notwithstanding, up :

Good morrow, Antony.

Ant. So to most noble Cæsar.

Cæs. 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;

* Subordinate.

Remember that you call on me to-day:

Be near me, that I may remember you.

Treb. Cæsar, I will:-and so near will I be,

That your best friends shall wish I had been farther.

[Aside.

Cas. Good friends, go in, and taste some wine with me;

[Exeunt.

And we, like friends, will straightway go together.
Bru. That every like is not the same, O Cæsar,
The heart of Brutus yearns to think upon!

*

SCENE III.-The same. A street near the Capitol.

Enter ARTEMIDORUS, reading a Paper.

Art. Cæsar, beware of Brutus; take heed of Cassius; come not near Casca; have an eye to Cinna; trust not Trebonius; mark well Metellus Cimber; Decius Brutus loves thee not; thou hast wronged Caius Ligarius. There is but one mind in all these men, and it is bent against Cæsar. If thou be'st not immortal, look about you: Security gives way to conspiracy. The mighty gods defend thee! Thy lover,† Artemidorus.

Here will I stand, till Cæsar pass along,

And as a suitor will I give him this.

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

If thou read this, O Cæsar, thou may'st live;

If not, the fates with traitors do contrive.

[Exit.

SCENE IV.-The same. Another part of the same street

before the house of Brutus.

Enter PORTIA and LUCIUS.

Por. I pr'ythee, boy, run to the senate-house;

Stay not to answer me, but get thee gone:

Why dost thou stay?

Luc. To know my errand, madam.

Por. I would have had thee there, and here again, Ere I can tell thee what thou should'st do there.

O constancy, be strong upon my side!

Set a huge mountain 'tween my heart and tongue!
I have a man's mind, but a woman's might.

How hard it is for women to keep counsel !

Art thou here yet?

Luc. Madam, what should I do?

Run to the Capitol, and nothing else?

And so return to you, and nothing else?

Por. Yes, bring me word, boy, if thy lord look well,

For he went sickly forth: And take good note,

What Cæsar doth, what suitors press to him.

Hark, boy! what noise is that?

Luc. I hear none, madam.

Por. Pr'ythee, listen well;

I heard a bustling rumour, like a fray,

And the wind brings it from the Capitol.

Luc. Sooth, madam, I hear nothing.

Enter SOOTHSAYER.

Por. Come hither, fellow;

Which way hast thou been?

Sooth. At mine own house, good lady.
Por. What is't o'clock?

Sooth. About the ninth hour, lady.

Por. Is Cæsar yet gone to the Capitol?

Sooth. Madam, not yet; I go to take my stand,

To see him pass on to the Capitol.

Por. Thou hast some suit to Cæsar, hast thou not?
Sooth. That I have, lady: if it will please Cæsar

To be so good to Cæsar as to hear me,

I shall beseech him to befriend himself.

Por. Why, knowest thou any harm's intended towards him? Sooth. None that I know will be, much that I fear may chance. Good-morrow to you. Here the street is narrow:

The throng that follows Cæsar at the heels,
Of senators, of prætors, common suitors,
Will crowd a feeble man almost to death:
I'll get me to a place more void, and there
Speak to great Cæsar as he comes along.

Por. I must go in.-Ah me! how weak a thing
The heart of women is! O Brutus !
The heavens speed thee in thine enterprise!
Sure, the boy heard me :-Brutus hath a suit,
That Cæsar will not grant.-O, I grow faint:-
Run, Lucius, and commend me to my lord;
Say, I am merry, come to me again,
And bring me word what he doth say to thee.

ACT III.

[Exit.

[Exeunt.

SCENE I-The same. The Capitol; the Senate sitting. A Crowd of People in the Street leading to the Capitol; among them ARTEMIDORUS, and the SOOTHSAYER. Flourish. Enter CÆSAR, BRUTUS, CASSIUS, CASCA, DECIUS, METELLUS, TREBONIUS, CINNA, ANTONY, LEPIDUS, POPILIUS, PUBLIUS, and others.

Cas. The ides of March are come.
Sooth. Ay, Cæsar; but not gone.
Art. Hail, Cæsar, read this schedule.

Dec. Trebonius doth desire you to o'er-read,

At your best leisure, this, his humble suit.

Art. O, Cæsar, read mine first; for mine's a suit
That touches Cæsar nearer: Read it, great Cæsar.
Cas. What touches us ourself, shall be last served.
Art. Delay not, Cæsar; read it instantly.
Cas. What, is the fellow mad?

Pub. Sirrah, give place.