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Act 1.

JULIUS CÆSAR.

23

When evils are most free? O, then, by day,
Where wilt thou find a cavern dark enough

To mask thy monstrous visage? Seek none, conspiracy;

Hide it in smiles, and affability:

For if thou path, thy native semblance on,

Not Erebus itself were dim enough

To hide thee from prevention.

Enter CASSIUS, CASCA, DECIUS, CINNA, METELLUS
CIMBER, and TREBONIUS.

Caf. I think, we are too bold upon your reft:
Good morrow, Brutus; do we trouble you ?
Bru. I have been up this hour; awake, all night.
Know I these men, that come along with you?

Caf. Yes, every man of them; and no man here,

But honours you and every one doth wish,
You had but that opinion of yourself,

Which every noble Roman bears of you.

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What watchful cares do interpose themselves

Betwixt your eyes and night?

They are all welcome.

[They whisper.

Caf. Shall I entreat a word?

Dec. Here lies the east: Doth not the day break here? Cafca. No.

Cin. O, pardon, fir, it doth; and yon grey lines,

That fret the clouds, are messengers of day.

Cafca. You shall confess, that you are both deceiv'd.

Here, as I point my sword, the fun arifes;

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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.

Bru. Give me your hands all over, one by one.
Caf. And let us swear our refolution.

Bru. No, not an oath: If not the face of men,
The fufferance of our fouls, the time's abuse,-
If these be motives weak, break off betimes,
And every man hence to his idle bed;
So let high-fighted tyranny range on,
Till each man drop by lottery. But if these,
As I am fure 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? what other bond,
Than fecret Romans, that have spoke the word,
And will not palter? and what other oath,
Than honesty to honesty engag'd,
That this shall be, or we will fall for it?
Swear priests, and cowards, and men cautelous,
Old feeble carrions, and such suffering fouls
That welcome wrongs; unto bad causes swear
Such creatures as men doubt: but do not stain
The even virtue of our enterprize,

Nor the infuppressive 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.

Caf.

en,

e,

Caf

Bru. O, name him not; let us not brea

For he will never follow any thing

That other men begin.
Caf.

Then leave him out

Cafca. Indeed, he is not fit.
Dec. Shall no man else be touch'd, but a
Caf. Decius, well urg'd:-I think, it is
Mark Antony, so well belov'd of Cæfar,
Should outlive Cæfar: We shall find of hin
A threwd contriver: and you know, his m
If he improve them, may well stretch so far
As to annoy us all which to prevent,
Let Antony, and Cæfar, fall together.

Bru. Our course will seem too bloody, C
To cut the head off, and then hack the lim
Like wrath in death, and envy afterwards:
For Antony is but a limb of Cæfar.
Let us be facrificers, but not butchers, Cai
We all stand up against the spirit of Cæfar;
And in the spirit of men there is no blood
O, that we then could come by Cæfar's spin
And not dismember Cæfar! But, alas,
Cæfar must bleed for it! And, gentle friend
Let's kill him boldly, but not wrathfully;
Let's carve him as a dish fit for the gods,
Not hew him as a carcase fit for hounds
And let our hearts, as fubtle masters do,
Stir up their servants to an act of rage,
And after seem to chide them. This shall make
Our purpose necessary, and not envious :
Which so appearing to the common eyes,
We shall be call'd purgers, not murderers.
And for Mark Antony, think not of him;
For he can do no more than Cæfar's arm,
When Cæfar's head is off.

Caf.

Yet I do fear him :

For in the ingrafted love he bears to Cæfar,
Bru. Alas, good Caffius, do not think of him:
If he love Cæfar, all that he can do

Is to himself; take thought, and die for Cæfar:
And that were much he should; for he is given
To sports, to wildness, and much company.

Treb. There is no fear in him; let him not die;
For he will live, and laugh at this hereafter. [Clock Arikes.

Bru. Peace, count the clock.

Caf.

Treb. 'Tis time to part.
Caf.

The clock hath stricken three.

But it is doubtful yet,

Whe'r Cæfar will come forth to-day, or no :
For he is fuperftitious 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 perfuafion of his augurers,
May hold him from the Capitol-to-day.

Dec. Arikes.

hree.

De

And I will bring him to the Capitol.
Caf. Nay, we will all of us be there to
Bru. By the eighth hour: Is that the u
Cin. Be that the uttermost, and fail not
Met. Caius Ligarius doth bear Cæfar ha
Who rated him for speaking well of Pom
I wonder, none of you have thought of h
Bru. Now, good Metellus, go along by
He loves me well, and I have given him
Send him but hither, and I'll fashion him
Caf. The morning comes upon us;

Brutus:

And, friends, disperse yourselves: but al
What you have faid, and show yourselves
Bru. Good gentlemen, look fresh and r
Let not our looks put on our purposes;
But bear it as our Roman actors do,
With untir'd spirits, and formal constancy
And fo, good-morrow to you every one.

[Exeunt a

Boy! Lucius!-Fast asleep? It is no matte
Enjoy the honey-heavy dew of slumber:
Thou hast no figures, nor no fantasies,
Which bufy care draws in the brains of m
Therefore thou sleep'st so sound,

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