Table of Contents
ACT II SCENE II Setting: CAESAR's house.
Thunder and lightning. Enter CAESAR, in his night–gown.
| CAESAR | Nor heaven nor earth have been at peace to–night: | |
| Thrice hath Calpurnia in her sleep cried out, | ||
| Help, ho! they murder Caesar!' Who's within? | ||
| Enter a Servant. | ||
| Servant | My lord? | |
| CAESAR | Go bid the priests do present sacrifice | 5 |
| And bring me their opinions of success. | ||
| Servant | I will, my lord. | |
| Exit | ||
| Enter CALPURNIA. | ||
| CALPURNIA | What mean you, Caesar? think you to walk forth? | |
| You shall not stir out of your house to–day. | 9 | |
| CAESAR | Caesar shall forth: the things that threaten'd me | |
| Ne'er look'd but on my back; when they shall see | ||
| The face of Caesar, they are vanished. | ||
| CALPURNIA | Caesar, I never stood on ceremonies, | |
| Yet now they fright me. There is one within, | ||
| Besides the things that we have heard and seen, | 15 | |
| Recounts most horrid sights seen by the watch. | ||
| A lioness hath whelped in the streets; | ||
| And graves have yawn'd, and yielded up their dead; | ||
| Fierce fiery warriors fought upon the clouds, | ||
| In ranks and squadrons and right form of war, | 20 | |
| Which drizzled blood upon the Capitol; | ||
| The noise of battle hurtled in the air, | ||
| Horses did neigh, and dying men did groan, | ||
| And ghosts did shriek and squeal about the streets. | ||
| O Caesar! these things are beyond all use, | 25 | |
| And I do fear them. | ||
| CAESAR | What can be avoided | |
| Whose end is purposed by the mighty gods? | ||
| Yet Caesar shall go forth; for these predictions | ||
| Are to the world in general as to Caesar. | ||
| CALPURNIA | When beggars die, there are no comets seen; | 30 |
| The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes. | ||
| CAESAR | Cowards die many times before their deaths; | |
| The valiant never taste of death but once. | ||
| Of all the wonders that I yet have heard. | ||
| It seems to me most strange that men should fear; | 35 | |
| Seeing that death, a necessary end, | ||
| Will come when it will come. | ||
| Re–enter Servant. | ||
| What say the augurers? | ||
| Servant | They would not have you to stir forth to–day. | |
| Plucking the entrails of an offering forth, | ||
| They could not find a heart within the beast. | 40 | |
| CAESAR | The gods do this in shame of cowardice: | |
| Caesar should be a beast without a heart, | ||
| If he should stay at home to–day for fear. | ||
| No, Caesar shall not: danger knows full well | ||
| That Caesar is more dangerous than he: | 45 | |
| We are two lions litter'd in one day, | ||
| And I the elder and more terrible: | ||
| And Caesar shall go forth. | ||
| CALPURNIA | Alas, my lord, | |
| Your wisdom is consumed in confidence. | ||
| Do not go forth to–day: call it my fear | 50 | |
| That keeps you in the house, and not your own. | ||
| We'll send Mark Antony to the senate–house: | ||
| And he shall say you are not well to–day: | ||
| Let me, upon my knee, prevail in this. | ||
| CAESAR | Mark Antony shall say I am not well, | 55 |
| And, for thy humour, I will stay at home. | ||
| Enter DECIUS BRUTUS. | ||
| Here's Decius Brutus, he shall tell them so. | ||
| DECIUS BRUTUS | Caesar, all hail! good morrow, worthy Caesar: | |
| I come to fetch you to the senate–house. | ||
| CAESAR | And you are come in very happy time, | 60 |
| To bear my greeting to the senators | ||
| And tell them that I will not come to–day: | ||
| Cannot, is false, and that I dare not, falser: | ||
| I will not come to–day: tell them so, Decius. | ||
| CALPURNIA | Say he is sick. | |
| CAESAR | Shall Caesar send a lie? | 65 |
| Have I in conquest stretch'd mine arm so far, | ||
| To be afraid to tell graybeards the truth? | ||
| Decius, go tell them Caesar will not come. | ||
| DECIUS BRUTUS | Most mighty Caesar, let me know some cause, | |
| Lest I be laugh'd at when I tell them so. | 70 | |
| CAESAR | The cause is in my will: I will not come; | |
| That is enough to satisfy the senate. | ||
| But for your private satisfaction, | ||
| Because I love you, I will let you know: | ||
| Calpurnia here, my wife, stays me at home: | 75 | |
| She dreamt to–night she saw my statua, | ||
| Which, like a fountain with an hundred spouts, | ||
| Did run pure blood: and many lusty Romans | ||
| Came smiling, and did bathe their hands in it: | ||
| And these does she apply for warnings, and portents, | ||
| And evils imminent; and on her knee | ||
| Hath begg'd that I will stay at home to–day. | ||
| DECIUS BRUTUS | This dream is all amiss interpreted; | |
| It was a vision fair and fortunate: | ||
| Your statue spouting blood in many pipes, | 85 | |
| In which so many smiling Romans bathed, | ||
| Signifies that from you great Rome shall suck | ||
| Reviving blood, and that great men shall press | ||
| For tinctures, stains, relics and cognizance. | ||
| This by Calpurnia's dream is signified. | 90 | |
| CAESAR | And this way have you well expounded it. | |
| DECIUS BRUTUS | I have, when you have heard what I can say: | |
| And know it now: the senate have concluded | ||
| To give this day a crown to mighty Caesar. | ||
| If you shall send them word you will not come, | 95 | |
| Their minds may change. Besides, it were a mock | ||
| Apt to be render'd, for some one to say | ||
| Break up the senate till another time, | ||
| When Caesar's wife shall meet with better dreams.' | ||
| If Caesar hide himself, shall they not whisper | 100 | |
| Lo, Caesar is afraid'? | ||
| Pardon me, Caesar; for my dear dear love | ||
| To our proceeding bids me tell you this; | ||
| And reason to my love is liable. | 104 | |
| CAESAR | How foolish do your fears seem now, Calpurnia! | |
| I am ashamed I did yield to them. | ||
| Give me my robe, for I will go. |
Enter PUBLIUS, BRUTUS, LIGARIUS, METELLUS, CASCA, TREBONIUS, and CINNA.
| And look where Publius is come to fetch me. | ||
| PUBLIUS | Good morrow, Caesar. | |
| CAESAR | Welcome, Publius. | |
| What, Brutus, are you stirr'd so early too? | 110 | |
| Good morrow, Casca. Caius Ligarius, | ||
| Caesar was ne'er so much your enemy | ||
| As that same ague which hath made you lean. | ||
| What is 't o'clock? | ||
| BRUTUS | Caesar, 'tis strucken eight. | |
| CAESAR | I thank you for your pains and courtesy. | |
| Enter ANTONY. | ||
| See! Antony, that revels long o' nights, | ||
| Is notwithstanding up. 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! | 120 | |
| I have an hour's talk in store for you; | ||
| Remember that you call on me to–day: | ||
| Be near me, that I may remember you. | ||
| TREBONIUS | Caesar, I will: | |
| Aside. | ||
| and so near will I be, | ||
| That your best friends shall wish I had been further. | 125 | |
| CAESAR | Good friends, go in, and taste some wine with me; | |
| And we, like friends, will straightway go together. | ||
| BRUTUS | Aside. That every like is not the same, O Caesar, | |
| The heart of Brutus yearns to think upon! | ||
| Exeunt |