Julius Caesar (8 page)

And look where Publius is come to fetch me.

PUBLIUS
    Good morrow, Caesar.

CAESAR
    Welcome, Publius.—

What, Brutus, are you stirred so early too?—

Good morrow, Casca.— Caius Ligarius,

Caesar was ne’er so much your enemy

As that same
ague
¹¹⁸
which hath made you lean.—

What is’t o’clock?

BRUTUS
    Caesar, ’tis strucken eight.

CAESAR
    I thank you for your pains and courtesy.

See, Antony, that revels long o’nights,

Is
notwithstanding up
¹²³
.— Good morrow, Antony.

ANTONY
    So to most noble Caesar.

CAESAR
    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.

Remember that you call on me today:

Be near me, that I may
remember
¹³⁰
you.

TREBONIUS
    Caesar, I will:— and so near will I be

That your best friends shall wish I had been further.

CAESAR
    Good friends, go in, and taste some wine with me,

And we,
like friends
¹³⁴
, will straightway go together.

BRUTUS
    
That every like is not the same
¹³⁵
, O Caesar,

The heart of Brutus
earns
¹³⁶
to think upon.

ARTEMIDORUS
    ‘Caesar, 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
⁵
against Caesar. If

thou be’st not immortal, look about you:
security
gives
way
⁶

to conspiracy. The mighty gods defend thee. Thy
lover
⁷
,

Artemidorus.’

Here will I stand till Caesar pass along,

And as a
suitor
¹⁰
will I give him this.

My heart laments that virtue cannot live

Out of
the
teeth
of
emulation
¹²
.

If thou read this, O Caesar, thou mayst live;

If not, the Fates with traitors do
contrive
¹⁴
.

PORTIA
    I prithee, boy, run to the senate house.

Stay not to answer me, but get thee gone.

Why dost thou stay?

LUCIUS
    To know my errand, madam.

PORTIA
    I would have had thee there and here again

Ere I can tell thee what thou shouldst do there.—

O
constancy
⁷
, be strong upon my side,

Set a huge mountain ’tween my heart and tongue:

I have a
man’s
⁹
mind, but a woman’s might.

How hard it is for women to keep
counsel
¹⁰
.—

Art thou here yet?

LUCIUS
    Madam, what should I do?

Run to the Capitol, and nothing else?

And so return to you, and nothing else?

PORTIA
    Yes, bring me word, boy, if thy lord look well,

For he went sickly forth: and
take good note
¹⁶

What Caesar doth, what suitors press to him.

Hark, boy, what noise is that?

LUCIUS
    I hear none, madam.

PORTIA
    Prithee listen well:

I heard a
bustling rumour
like a
fray
²¹
,

And the wind brings it from the Capitol.

LUCIUS
    
Sooth
²³
, madam, I hear nothing.

PORTIA
    Come hither, fellow. Which way hast thou been?

SOOTHSAYER
    At mine own house, good lady.

PORTIA
    What is’t o’clock?

SOOTHSAYER
    About the ninth hour, lady.

PORTIA
    Is Caesar yet gone to the Capitol?

SOOTHSAYER
    Madam, not yet. I go to take my stand

To see him pass on to the Capitol.

PORTIA
    Thou hast some
suit
³¹
to Caesar, hast thou not?

SOOTHSAYER
    That I have, lady, if it will please Caesar

To be so good to Caesar as to hear me:

I shall beseech him to
befriend
³⁴
himself.

PORTIA
    Why, know’st thou any harm’s intended towards him?

SOOTHSAYER
    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 Caesar at the heels,

Of senators, of
praetors
⁴⁰
, common suitors,

Will crowd a feeble man almost to death:

I’ll get me to a place more
void
⁴²
, and there

Speak to great Caesar as he comes along.

PORTIA
    I must go in. Ay me! How weak a thing

The heart of woman is.— O Brutus,

The heavens
speed
⁴⁶
thee in thine enterprise.—

Sure, the boy heard me. Brutus hath a suit

That Caesar will not grant. O, I grow faint.—

Run, Lucius, and
commend me
⁴⁹
to my lord,

Say I am merry. Come to me again,

And bring me word what he doth say to thee.

CAESAR
    The Ides of March are come.

SOOTHSAYER
    Ay, Caesar, but not gone.

ARTEMIDORUS
    Hail, Caesar. Read this
schedule
³
.

DECIUS
    Trebonius doth desire you to
o’erread
⁴
—

At your best leisure — this his humble suit.

ARTEMIDORUS
    O Caesar, read mine first, for mine’s a suit

That
touches Caesar nearer
⁷
. Read it, great Caesar.

CAESAR
    What touches us ourself shall be last
served
⁸
.

ARTEMIDORUS
    Delay not, Caesar, read it instantly.

CAESAR
    What, is the fellow mad?

PUBLIUS
    
Sirrah
, give
place
¹¹
.

CASSIUS
    What, urge you your petitions in the street?

Come to the Capitol.

POPILIUS
    I wish your enterprise today may thrive.

CASSIUS
    What enterprise, Popilius?

POPILIUS
    Fare you well.

BRUTUS
    What said Popilius Lena?

CASSIUS
    He wished today our enterprise might thrive:

I fear our purpose is discoverèd.

BRUTUS
    Look how he
makes to
²⁰
Caesar: mark him.

CASSIUS
    Casca, be
sudden
, for we fear
prevention
²¹
.

Brutus, what shall be done? If this be known,

Cassius or Caesar never shall
turn back
²³
,

For I will slay myself.

BRUTUS
    Cassius, be
constant
²⁵
:

Popilius Lena speaks not of our purposes,

For look, he smiles, and
Caesar
²⁷
doth not change.

CASSIUS
    Trebonius knows his time: for look you, Brutus.

He draws Mark Antony out of the way.

DECIUS
    Where is Metellus Cimber? Let him go

And presently
prefer
³¹
his suit to Caesar.

BRUTUS
    He is
addressed
: press near and
second
³²
him.

CINNA
    Casca, you are the first that
rears
³³
your hand.

CAESAR
    Are we all ready? What is now amiss

That Caesar and his senate must redress?

METELLUS
    Most high, most mighty and most
puissant
³⁶
Caesar,

Metellus Cimber throws before thy
seat
³⁷

An humble heart—

CAESAR
    I must prevent thee, Cimber.

These couchings
and these
lowly courtesies
⁴⁰

Might
fire
⁴¹
the blood of ordinary men,

And
turn
pre-ordinance and first decree
⁴²

Into the
lane
of children. Be not
fond
⁴³

To think that Caesar bears such
rebel blood
⁴⁴

That will be thawed from the true
quality
⁴⁵

With that which melteth fools — I mean
sweet
⁴⁶
words,

Low-crookèd
curtsies and base
spaniel-fawning
⁴⁷
.

Thy brother by decree is banishèd:

If thou dost bend and
pray
⁴⁹
and fawn for him,

I
spurn
thee like a
cur
⁵⁰
out of my way.

Know, Caesar doth not wrong, nor without
cause
⁵¹

Will he be
satisfied
⁵²
.

METELLUS
    Is there no voice more worthy than my own

To sound more sweetly in great Caesar’s ear

For the
repealing
⁵⁵
of my banished brother?

BRUTUS
    I kiss thy hand, but not in flattery, Caesar,

Desiring thee that Publius Cimber may

Have an immediate
freedom of repeal
⁵⁸
.

CAESAR
    What, Brutus?

CASSIUS
    Pardon, Caesar: Caesar, pardon.

As low as to thy foot doth Cassius fall,

To beg
enfranchisement
⁶²
for Publius Cimber.

CAESAR
    I could be well moved if I were as you:

If I could
pray to move
⁶⁴
, prayers would move me.

But I am constant as the
northern star
⁶⁵
,

Of whose true-fixed and
resting
⁶⁶
quality

There is no
fellow
in the
firmament
⁶⁷
.

The skies are painted with unnumbered
sparks
⁶⁸
,

They are all fire and every one doth shine:

But there’s but one in all doth hold his place.

So in the world: ’tis furnished well with men,

And men are flesh and blood, and
apprehensive
⁷²
;

Yet in the number I do know but one

That unassailable
holds on his rank
⁷⁴
,

Unshaked
of motion
⁷⁵
. And that I am he,

Let me a little show it, even in this:

That I was constant Cimber should be banished,

And constant do remain to keep him so.

CINNA
    O Caesar—