Rome. A Public Place.
 Enter CAESAR, ANTONY stripped for the course, CALPURNIA, PORTIA,
 DECIUS, CICERO, BRUTUS, CASSIUS, CASCA, a SOOTHSAYER,
 and a great CROWD; after them MARULLUS and FLAVIUS.

Caesar	Calpurnia!

Casca					Peace, ho! Caesar speaks.

Caesar											Calpurnia!

Calpurnia	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 you speed, Antonius,
	To touch Calpurnia; for our elders say
	The barren touchd in this holy chase
	Shake off their sterile curse.

Antony										I shall remember.
	When Caesar says "Do this", it is performed.

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 turned to hear.

Soothsayer	Beware the ides 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 sayst thou to me now? Speak once again.

Soothsayer	Beware the ides of March.

Caesar	He is a dreamer; let us leave him. Pass.
													[Sennet.
									 [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 part
	Of that quick spirit that is 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 gentleness
	And show of love as I was wont to have.
	You bear too stubborn and too strange a hand
	Over your friend that loves you.

Brutus											Cassius,
	Be not deceived. If I have veiled my look,
	I turn the trouble of my countenance
	Merely upon myself. Vexd I am
	Of late with passions of some difference,
	Conceptions only proper to myself,
	Which give some soil, perhaps, to my behaviours;
	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 buried
	Thoughts of great value, worthy cogitations.
	Tell me, good Brutus, can you see your face?

Brutus	No, Cassius; for the eye sees not itself
	But by reflection, by some other things.

Cassius	'Tis just;
	And it is very much lamented, Brutus,
	That you have no such mirrors as will turn
	Your hidden worthiness into your eye
	That you might see your shadow. I have heard,
	Where many of the best respect in Rome,
	Except immortal Caesar, speaking of Brutus,
	And groaning underneath this age's yoke,
	Have wished that noble Brutus had his eyes.

Brutus	Into what dangers would you lead me, Cassius,
	That you would have me seek into myself
	For that which is not in me?

Cassius	Therefore, good Brutus, be prepared to hear;
	And since you know you cannot see yourself
	So well as by reflection, I, your glass,
	Will modestly discover to yourself
	That of yourself which you yet know not of.
	And be not jealous on me, gentle Brutus:
	Were I a common laughter, or did use
	To stale with ordinary oaths my love
	To every new protester; if you know
	That I do fawn on men and hug them hard,
	And after scandal them; or if you know
	That 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 people
	Choose 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'th' other,
	And I will look on both indifferently;
	For let the gods speed me as I love
	The name of honour more than I fear death.

Cassius	I know that virtue be in you, Brutus,
	As well as I know your outward favour.
	Well, honour is the subject of my story.
	I cannot tell what you and other men
	Think of this life; but, for my single self,
	I had as lief not be as live to be
	In 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 both
	Endure 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, now
	Leap in with me into this angry flood,
	And swim to yonder point?" Upon my word,
	Accoutrd as I was, I plungd in,
	And bade him follow. So indeed he did.
	The torrent roared, and we did buffet it
	With lusty sinews, throwing it aside
	And stemming it with hearts of controversy;
	But ere we could arrive the point proposed,
	Caesar cried "Help me, Cassius, or I sink!"
	I, as Aeneas, our great ancestor,
	Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder
	The old Anchises bear, so from the waves of Tiber
	Did I the tired Caesar. And this man
	Is now become a god; and Cassius is
	A 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 mark
	How 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 world
	Did lose his lustre. I did hear him groan,
	Ay, and that tongue of his that bade the Romans
	Mark 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 feeble temper should
	So get the start of the majestic world,
	And bear the palm alone.
													[Shout. Flourish.

Brutus								Another general shout!
	I do believe that these applauses are
	For some new honours that are heaped on Caesar.

Cassius	Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world
	Like a Colossus, and we petty men
	Walk under his huge legs, and peep about
	To 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 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 shamed!
	Rome, thou hast lost the breed of noble bloods!
	When went there by an age since the great flood
	But it was famed with more than with one man?
	When could they say, till now, that talked of Rome,
	That her wide walls encompassed 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 brooked
	Th' 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 moved. What you have said,
	I will consider; what you have to say,
	I will with patience hear, and find a time
	Both meet to hear and answer such high things.
	Till then, my noble friend, chew upon this:
	Brutus had rather be a villager
	Than to repute himself a son of Rome
	Under these hard conditions as this time
	Is like to lay upon us.

Cassius									I am glad
	That my weak words have struck but thus much show
	Of fire from Brutus.

                      Re-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 you
	What 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.
	Calpurnia's cheek is pale, and Cicero
	Looks with such ferret and such fiery eyes
	As we have seen him in the Capitol
	Being crossed 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 hath 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 avoid
	So soon as that spare Cassius. He reads much,
	He is a great observer, and he looks
	Quite 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 sort
	As if he mocked himself, and scorned his spirit
	That could be moved to smile at anything.
	Such men as he be never at heart's ease
	Whiles they behold a greater than themselves;
	And therefore are they very dangerous.
	I rather tell thee what it is to be feared
	Than 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.
													[Sennet.
													[Exeunt CAESAR and his TRAIN.

Casca	You pulled me by the cloak; would you speak with me?

Brutus	Ay, Casca; tell us what hath chanced today
	That Caesar looks so sad.

Casca	Why, you were with him, were you not?

Brutus	I should not then ask Casca what had chanced.

Casca	Why, there was a crown offered him; and being offered 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 offered him thrice?

Casca	Ay, marry, was't, and he put it by thrice, every time 
	gentler than other; and at every putting-by mine honest 
	neighbours shouted.

Cassius	Who offered him the crown?

Casca	Why, Antony.

Brutus	Tell us the manner of it, gentle Casca.

Casca	I can as well be hanged 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 have 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 he refused it the 
	rabblement shouted, and clapped their chopped hands, and 
	threw up their sweaty nightcaps, and uttered such a deal of 
	stinking breath because Caesar refused 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 foamed 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-rag 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 plucked me ope his 
	doublet, and offered them his throat to cut. An I had been 
	a man of my 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 desired 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 stabbed 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, an I tell you that I'll ne'er look you i'th' face 
	again. But those that understood him smiled 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 promised 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.

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 execution
	Of 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 words
	With 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.
	Well, Brutus, thou art noble; yet, I see,
	Thy honourable metal may be wrought
	From that it is disposed. Therefore it is meet
	That noble minds keep ever with their likes;
	For who so firm that cannot be seduced?
	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 opinion
	That Rome holds of his name; wherein obscurely
	Caesar's ambition shall be glancd at.
	And after this let Caesar seat him sure;
	For we will shake him, or worse days endure.
													[Exit.
