Tre. O pardon, sir, it doth; and yon grey lines,
That fret the clouds, are messengers of day
Casca. You shall confess that you are both de
Here, as I point my hand, the sun arises;
Which is a great way growing on the south,
Weighing the youthful season of the year.
Some two months hence, up higher toward the north
He first presents his fire; and the high east
Stands, as the Capitol, directly here.
[BRUTUS and CASSIUS advance.
Bru. Give me your hands all over, one by one.
Cas. And let us swear our resolution.
Bru. No, not an oath; if not the faiths of men,
The sufferance of our souls, the time's abuse,-
If these be motives weak, break off betimes,
And every man hence to his idle bed;
So, let high-sighted tyranny range on,
Till each man drop by lottery. But if these,
As I am sure they do, bear fire enough
To kindle cowards, and to steel with valour
The melting spirits of women; then, countrymen,
What need we any spur, but our own cause,
To prick us to redress ?-
Unto bad causes swear
Such creatures as men doubt: but do not stain
The even virtue of our enterprize,
Nor the insuppressive mettle of our spirits,
To think, that, or our cause, or our performance,
Did need an oath; when every drop of blood,
That every Roman bears, and nobly bears,
Is guilty of a several bastardy,
If he do break the smallest particle
Of any promise that hath pass'd from him.
Cas. But what of Cicero? Shail we sound him?
I think, he will stand very strong with us.
Met. Let us not leave him out.
Cin. No, by no means.
Tre. O, let us have him; for his silver hairs
Will purchase us a good opinion,
And buy men's voices to commend our deeds.
Bru. O, name him not; let us not break with him;
For he will never follow any thing
That other men begin.
Cas. Then, leave him out.
Casca. Indeed, he is not fit.
Dec. Shall no man else be touch'd but only Cæsar? Cas. Decius, well urged :-I think, it is not meet,
Mark Antony, so well beloved of Cæsar,
Should outlive Cæsar: We shall find of him
A shrewd contriver; and, you know, his means,
If he improves them, may well stretch so far,
As to annoy us all; which to prevent,
Let Antony and Cæsar fall together.
Bru. Our course will seem too bloody, Caius Cas
To cut the head off, and then hack the limbs;
Like wrath in death, and envy afterwards:
Let us be sacrificers, but not butchers, Caius.
We all stand up against the spirit of Cæsar;
And in the spirit of men there is no blood :
Oh, that we then could come by Cæsar's spirit,
And not dismember Cæsar! But, alas,
Cæsar must bleed for it! And, gentle friends,
Let's kill him boldly, but not wrathfully;
Let's carve him as a dish fit for the gods,
Not hew him as a carcass fit for hounds :-
And for Mark Antony, think not of him;
For he can do no more than Cæsar's arm,
When Cæsar's head is off.
Cas. Yet I do fear him:
For, in the engrafted love he bears to Cæsar,Casca. There is no fear in him; let him not die; For he will live, and laugh at this hereafter.
Bru. Peace! count the clock.
Cas. The clock hath stricken three.
Tre. 'Tis time to part.
Cas. But it is doubtful yet,
Whe'r Cæsar will come forth to-day, or no;
For he is superstitious grown of late,
Quite from the main opinion he held once
Of fantasy, of dreams, and ceremonies;
It may be, these apparent prodigies,
The unaccustom'd terror of this night,
And the persuasion of his augurers,
May hold him from the Capitol to-day.
Dec. Never fear that: If he be so resolved,
I can o'ersway him; for he loves to hear
That unicorns may be betray'd with trees,
Lions with toils, and men with flatterers:
But, when I tell him, he hates flatterers,
He says, he does; being then most flatter'd.
Let me work;
For I can give his humour the true bent;
And I will bring him to the Capitol.
Cas, Nay, we will all of us be there to fetch him. Bru. By the eighth hour: Is that the uttermost ? Casca. Be that the uttermost, and fail not then. Tre. Caius Ligarius doth bear Cæsar hard, Who rated him for speaking well of Pompey: I wonder, none of you have thought of him.
Bru. Now, good Trebonius, go along by him: He loves me well, and I have given him reasons; Send him but hither, and I'll fashion him.
Cas. The morning comes upon us: We'll leave you, Brutus:
And, friends, disperse yourselves: But, all, remember What you have said, and show yourselves true Ro
Bru. Good gentlemen, look fresh and merrily:
Let not our looks put out our purposes;
But bear it, as our Roman actors do,
With untired spirits, and formal constancy:
And so, good-morrow to you every one.
[Exeunt all but BRUTUS, muffling their faces
in their gowns again.
Enter PORTIA, as they are taking leave of BRUTUS. Por. Brutus, my lord!
Bru. Portia, what mean you? Wherefore rise you
It is not for your health, thus to commit
Your weak condition to the raw cold morning.
Por. Nor for yours neither. You've ungently,
Stole from my bed: And yesternight, at supper,
You suddenly arose, and walk'd about,
Musing, and sighing, with your arms across :
And, when I ask'd you what the matter was,
You stared upon me with ungentle looks,
And, with an angry wafture of your hand,
Gave sign for me to leave you: So I did;
Fearing to strengthen that impatience
Which seem'd too much enkindled. Dear my lord,
Make me acquainted with your cause of grief.
Bru. I am not well in health, and that is all.
Por. Brutus is wise, and, were he not in health,
He would embrace the means to come by it.
Bru. Why, so I do: -Good Portia, go to bed.
Por. Is Brutus sick?
And will he steal out of his wholesome bed,
And tempt the rheumy and unpurged air
To add unto his sickness? No, my Brutus;
You have some sick offence within your mind,
Which, by the right and virtue of my place,
I ought to know of: And, upon my knees,
I charm you, by my once commended beauty,
By all your vows of love, and that great vow
Which did incorporate and make us one,
That you unfold to me, yourself, your half,
Why you are heavy; and what men to-night
Have had resort to you: for here have been
Some six or seven, who did hide their faces
Even from darkness.
Bru. [Raising her.] Kneel not, gentle Portia.
Por. I should not need, if you were gentle Brutus.
Within the bond of marriage, tell me, Brutus,
Is it excepted, I should know no secrets
That appertain to you? Am I yourself,
But, as it were, in sort, or limitation;
To keep with you at meals, comfort your bed,
And talk to you sometimes? Dwell I but in the sub-
Of your good pleasure? If it be no more,
Portia is Brutus' harlot, not his wife.
Bru. You are my true and honourable wife:
As dear to me, as are the ruddy drops
That visit my sad heart.
Por. If this were true, then should I know this se
I grant, I am a woman; but, withall,
A woman that Lord Brutus took to wife:
I grant I am a woman; but, withall,
I a woman well reputed; Cato's daughter.
Think you, I am no stronger than my sex,
Being so father'd and so husbanded?
Tell me your counsels, I will not disclose them:
I have made strong proof of my constancy,
Giving myself a voluntary wound
Here, in the thigh: Can I bear that with patience,
And not my husband's secrets?
Bru. O, ye gods,
Render me worthy of this noble wife!
Lucius, who is that knocks?
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