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Act 2, page 1

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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

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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.

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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,

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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,

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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,

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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;

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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;

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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.

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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:

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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

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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,

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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,

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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?

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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.

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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:

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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,

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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.

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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,

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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

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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.

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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?

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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!

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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.

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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

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Act 2, page 2

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ACT II SCENE III Setting: A street near the Capitol.

Enter ARTEMIDORUS, reading a paper.

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.

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There is but one mind in all these men, and it is

bent against Caesar. If thou beest not immortal,

look about you: security gives way to conspiracy.

The mighty gods defend thee! Thy lover,

ARTEMIDORUS.'

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Here will I stand till Caesar pass along,

And as a suitor will I give him this.

My heart laments that virtue cannot live

Out of the teeth of emulation.

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

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If not, the Fates with traitors do contrive.

Exit

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Act 2, page 3

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ACT II SCENE IV Setting: Another part of the same street, before the house of BRUTUS.

Enter PORTIA and LUCIUS.

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.

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O constancy, be strong upon my side,

Set a huge mountain 'tween my heart and tongue!

I have a man's mind, but a woman's might.

How hard it is for women to keep counsel!

Art thou here yet?

LUCIUS Madam, what should I do?

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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

What Caesar doth, what suitors press to him.

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Hark, boy! what noise is that?

LUCIUS I hear none, madam.

PORTIA Prithee, listen well;

I heard a bustling rumour, like a fray,

And the wind brings it from the Capitol.

LUCIUS Sooth, madam, I hear nothing.

Enter the Soothsayer.

PORTIA Come hither, fellow: which way hast thou been?

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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.

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PORTIA Thou hast some suit 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 himself.

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

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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, common suitors,

Will crowd a feeble man almost to death:

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

Speak to great Caesar as he comes along.

Exit

PORTIA I must go in. Ay me, how weak a thing

The heart of woman is! O Brutus,

The heavens speed 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 to my lord;

Say I am merry: come to me again,

And bring me word what he doth say to thee.

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Exeunt severally.