Enter, in procession, with music, Caesar; Antony, for the course; Calphurnia, Portia, Decius, Cicero, Brutus, Cassius and Casca; a great crowd following, among them a Soothsayer.
CAESAR
Calphurnia.
CASCA
Peace, ho! Caesar speaks.
Music ceases.
CAESAR
Calphurnia.
CALPHURNIA
Here, my lord.
CAESAR
Stand you directly in Antonius’ way,When he doth run his course. Antonius.
ANTONY
Caesar, my lord?
CAESAR
Forget not in your speed, Antonius,To touch Calphurnia; for our elders say,The barren, touched in this holy chase,Shake off their sterile curse.
ANTONY
I shall remember.When Caesar says “Do this,” it is perform’d.
CAESAR
Set on; and leave no ceremony out.
Music.
SOOTHSAYER
Caesar!
CAESAR
Ha! Who calls?
CASCA
Bid every noise be still; peace yet again!
Music ceases.
CAESAR
Who is it in the press that calls on me?I hear a tongue shriller than all the music,Cry “Caesar”! Speak. Caesar is turn’d to hear.
SOOTHSAYER
Beware the Idesthe fifteenth day of March, May, July, and October in the Roman calendar, and the thirteenth day of the other months. of March.
CAESAR
What man is that?
BRUTUS
A soothsayer bids you beware the Ides of March.
CAESAR
Set him before me; let me see his face.
CASSIUS
Fellow, come from the throng; look upon Caesar.
CAESAR
What say’st thou to me now? Speak once again.
SOOTHSAYER
Beware the Ides of March.
CAESAR
He is a dreamer; let us leave him. Pass.
Senneta ceremonial trumpet flourish marking an entrance or procession.. Exeunt all but Brutus and Cassius.
CASSIUS
Will you go see the order of the course?
BRUTUS
Not I.
CASSIUS
I pray you, do.
BRUTUS
I am not gamesome: I do lack some partOf that quick spirit that is in Antony.Let me not hinder, Cassius, your desires;I’ll leave you.
CASSIUS
Brutus, I do observe you now of late:I have not from your eyes that gentlenessAnd show of love as I was wont to have.You bear too stubborn and too strange a handOver your friend that loves you.
BRUTUS
Cassius,Be not deceived: if I have veil’d my look,I turn the trouble of my countenanceMerely upon myself. Vexed I amOf late with passions of some difference,Conceptions only proper to myself,Which give some soil perhaps to my behaviors;But let not therefore my good friends be grieved(Among which number, Cassius, be you one)Nor construe any further my neglect,Than that poor Brutus, with himself at war,Forgets the shows of love to other men.
CASSIUS
Then, Brutus, I have much mistook your passion;By means whereof this breast of mine hath buriedThoughts of great value, worthy cogitations.Tell me, good Brutus, can you see your face?
BRUTUS
No, Cassius, for the eye sees not itselfBut by reflection, by some other thing.
CASSIUS
’Tis just:And it is very much lamented, Brutus,That you have no such mirrors as will turnYour hidden worthiness into your eye,That you might see your shadow. I have heardWhere many of the best respect in Rome,(Except immortal Caesar) speaking of Brutus,And groaning underneath this age’s yoke,Have wish’d that noble Brutus had his eyes.
BRUTUS
Into what dangers would you lead me, Cassius,That you would have me seek into myselfFor that which is not in me?
CASSIUS
Therefore, good Brutus, be prepared to hear;And since you know you cannot see yourselfSo well as by reflection, I, your glass,Will modestly discover to yourselfThat of yourself which you yet know not of.And be not jealous on me, gentle Brutus:Were I a common laugher, or did useTo stale with ordinary oaths my loveTo every new protester; if you knowThat I do fawn on men, and hug them hard,And after scandal them; or if you knowThat I profess myself in banqueting,To all the rout, then hold me dangerous.
Flourish and shout.
BRUTUS
What means this shouting? I do fear the peopleChoose Caesar for their king.
CASSIUS
Ay, do you fear it?Then must I think you would not have it so.
BRUTUS
I would not, Cassius; yet I love him well,But wherefore do you hold me here so long?What is it that you would impart to me?If it be aught toward the general good,Set honour in one eye and death i’ the other,And I will look on both indifferently;For let the gods so speed me as I loveThe name of honour more than I fear death.
CASSIUS
I know that virtue to be in you, Brutus,As well as I do know your outward favour.Well, honour is the subject of my story.I cannot tell what you and other menThink of this life; but, for my single self,I had as lief not be as live to beIn awe of such a thing as I myself.I was born free as Caesar; so were you;We both have fed as well, and we can bothEndure the winter’s cold as well as he:For once, upon a raw and gusty day,The troubled Tiber chafing with her shores,Caesar said to me, “Dar’st thou, Cassius, nowLeap in with me into this angry flood,And swim to yonder point?” Upon the word,Accoutred as I was, I plunged in,And bade him follow: so indeed he did.The torrent roar’d, and we did buffet itWith lusty sinews, throwing it asideAnd stemming it with hearts of controversy.But ere we could arrive the point propos’d,Caesar cried, “Help me, Cassius, or I sink!”I, as Aeneas, our great ancestor,Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulderThe old Anchises bear, so from the waves of TiberDid I the tired Caesar. And this manIs now become a god; and Cassius isA wretched creature, and must bend his body,If Caesar carelessly but nod on him.He had a fever when he was in Spain,And when the fit was on him I did markHow he did shake: ’tis true, this god did shake:His coward lips did from their colour fly,And that same eye whose bend doth awe the worldDid lose his lustre. I did hear him groan:Ay, and that tongue of his, that bade the RomansMark him, and write his speeches in their books,Alas, it cried, “Give me some drink, Titinius,”As a sick girl. Ye gods, it doth amaze me,A man of such a feeble temper shouldSo get the start of the majestic world,And bear the palm alone.
Shout. Flourish.
BRUTUS
Another general shout?I do believe that these applauses areFor some new honours that are heap’d on Caesar.
CASSIUS
Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow worldLike a Colossus, and we petty menWalk under his huge legs, and peep aboutTo find ourselves dishonourable graves.Men at some time are masters of their fates:The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,But in ourselves, that we are underlings.“Brutus” and “Caesar”: what should be in that “Caesar”?Why should that name be sounded more than yours?Write them together, yours is as fair a name;Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well;Weigh them, it is as heavy; conjure with ’em,“Brutus” will start a spirit as soon as “Caesar.”Now in the names of all the gods at once,Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed,That he is grown so great? Age, thou art sham’d!Rome, thou hast lost the breed of noble bloods!When went there by an age since the great flood,But it was fam’d with more than with one man?When could they say, till now, that talk’d of Rome,That her wide walls encompass’d but one man?Now is it Rome indeed, and room enough,When there is in it but one only man.O, you and I have heard our fathers say,There was a Brutus once that would have brook’dTh’ eternal devil to keep his state in Rome,As easily as a king!
BRUTUS
That you do love me, I am nothing jealous;What you would work me to, I have some aim:How I have thought of this, and of these times,I shall recount hereafter. For this present,I would not, so with love I might entreat you,Be any further mov’d. What you have said,I will consider; what you have to sayI will with patience hear; and find a timeBoth meet to hear and answer such high things.Till then, my noble friend, chew upon this:Brutus had rather be a villagerThan to repute himself a son of RomeUnder these hard conditions as this timeIs like to lay upon us.
CASSIUS
I am glad that my weak wordsHave struck but thus much show of fire from Brutus.
Enter Caesar and his Train.
BRUTUS
The games are done, and Caesar is returning.
CASSIUS
As they pass by, pluck Casca by the sleeve,And he will, after his sour fashion, tell youWhat hath proceeded worthy note today.
BRUTUS
I will do so. But, look you, Cassius,The angry spot doth glow on Caesar’s brow,And all the rest look like a chidden train:Calphurnia’s cheek is pale; and CiceroMarcus Tullius Cicero, a celebrated Roman statesman and orator who opposes Caesar’s growing power.Looks with such ferret and such fiery eyesAs we have seen him in the Capitol,Being cross’d in conference by some senators.
CASSIUS
Casca will tell us what the matter is.
CAESAR
Antonius.
ANTONY
Caesar?
CAESAR
Let me have men about me that are fat,Sleek-headed men, and such as sleep a-nights:Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look;He thinks too much: such men are dangerous.
ANTONY
Fear him not, Caesar; he’s not dangerous;He is a noble Roman and well given.
CAESAR
Would he were fatter! But I fear him not:Yet if my name were liable to fear,I do not know the man I should avoidSo soon as that spare Cassius. He reads much,He is a great observer, and he looksQuite through the deeds of men. He loves no plays,As thou dost, Antony; he hears no music.Seldom he smiles; and smiles in such a sortAs if he mock’d himself and scorn’d his spiritThat could be mov’d to smile at anything.Such men as he be never at heart’s easeWhiles they behold a greater than themselves,And therefore are they very dangerous.I rather tell thee what is to be fear’dThan what I fear; for always I am Caesar.Come on my right hand, for this ear is deaf,And tell me truly what thou think’st of him.
Exeunt Caesar and his Train. Casca stays.
CASCA
You pull’d me by the cloak; would you speak with me?
BRUTUS
Ay, Casca, tell us what hath chanc’d today,That Caesar looks so sad.
CASCA
Why, you were with him, were you not?
BRUTUS
I should not then ask Casca what had chanc’d.
CASCA
Why, there was a crown offer’d him; and being offer’d him, he put it by with the back of his hand, thus; and then the people fell a-shouting.
BRUTUS
What was the second noise for?
CASCA
Why, for that too.
CASSIUS
They shouted thrice: what was the last cry for?
CASCA
Why, for that too.
BRUTUS
Was the crown offer’d him thrice?
CASCA
Ay, marry, was’t, and he put it by thrice, every time gentler than otherthan otherwise or than in any other manner.; and at every putting-by mine honest neighbours shouted.
CASSIUS
Who offer’d him the crown?
CASCA
Why, Antony.
BRUTUS
Tell us the manner of it, gentle Casca.
CASCA
I can as well be hang’d, as tell the manner of it: it was mere foolery; I did not mark it.I saw Mark Antony offer him a crown; yet ’twas not a crown neither, ’twas one of these coronets; and, as I told you, he put it by once: but, for all that, to my thinking, he would fain have had it.Then he offered it to him again: then he put it by again: but, to my thinking, he was very loath to lay his fingers off it.And then he offered it the third time; he put it the third time by; and still, as he refus’d it, the rabblement hooted, and clapp’d their chopt hands, and threw up their sweaty night-caps, and uttered such a deal of stinking breath because Caesar refus’d the crown, that it had, almost, choked Caesar, for he swooned, and fell down at it.And for mine own part, I durst not laugh, for fear of opening my lips and receiving the bad air.
CASSIUS
But, soft! I pray you. What, did Caesar swoon?
CASCA
He fell down in the market-place, and foam’d at mouth, and was speechless.
BRUTUS
’Tis very like: he hath the falling-sickness.
CASSIUS
No, Caesar hath it not; but you, and I,And honest Casca, we have the falling-sickness.
CASCA
I know not what you mean by that; but I am sure Caesar fell down.If the tag-ragthe common rabble or lowest class of people. people did not clap him and hiss him, according as he pleased and displeased them, as they use to do the players in the theatre, I am no true man.
BRUTUS
What said he when he came unto himself?
CASCA
Marry, before he fell down, when he perceived the common herd was glad he refused the crown, he pluck’d me ope his doublet, and offer’d them his throat to cut.And I had been a man of any occupation, if I would not have taken him at a word, I would I might go to hell among the rogues. And so he fell.When he came to himself again, he said, if he had done or said anything amiss, he desir’d their worships to think it was his infirmity.Three or four wenches where I stood cried, “Alas, good soul!” and forgave him with all their hearts.But there’s no heed to be taken of them: if Caesar had stabb’d their mothers, they would have done no less.
BRUTUS
And, after that, he came thus sad away?
CASCA
Ay.
CASSIUS
Did Cicero say anything?
CASCA
Ay, he spoke Greek.
CASSIUS
To what effect?
CASCA
Nay, and I tell you that, I’ll ne’er look you i’ the face again.But those that understood him smil’d at one another and shook their heads; but for mine own part, it was Greek to me.I could tell you more news too: Marullus and Flavius, for pulling scarfs off Caesar’s images, are put to silence. Fare you well.There was more foolery yet, if I could remember it.
CASSIUS
Will you sup with me tonight, Casca?
CASCA
No, I am promis’d forth.
CASSIUS
Will you dine with me tomorrow?
CASCA
Ay, if I be alive, and your mind hold, and your dinner worth the eating.
CASSIUS
Good. I will expect you.
CASCA
Do so; farewell both.
Exit Casca.
BRUTUS
What a blunt fellow is this grown to be!He was quick mettle when he went to school.
CASSIUS
So is he now in executionOf any bold or noble enterprise,However he puts on this tardy form.This rudeness is a sauce to his good wit,Which gives men stomach to digest his wordsWith better appetite.
BRUTUS
And so it is. For this time I will leave you:Tomorrow, if you please to speak with me,I will come home to you; or, if you will,Come home to me, and I will wait for you.
CASSIUS
I will do so: till then, think of the world.
Exit Brutus.
CASSIUS
Well, Brutus, thou art noble; yet I see,Thy honourable metal may be wroughtFrom that it is dispos’d: therefore ’tis meetThat noble minds keep ever with their likes;For who so firm that cannot be seduc’d?Caesar doth bear me hard, but he loves Brutus.If I were Brutus now, and he were Cassius,He should not humour me. I will this night,In several hands, in at his windows throw,As if they came from several citizens,Writings, all tending to the great opinionThat Rome holds of his name; wherein obscurelyCaesar’s ambition shall be glanced at.And after this, let Caesar seat him sure,For we will shake him, or worse days endure.