Carried him back to the silent camp, And laid him as if asleep on his bed; And I saw by the light of the surgeon's lamp, Two white roses upon his cheeks,
And one just over his heart, blood-red!
And I saw in a vision how far and fleet That fatal bullet went speeding forth, Till it reached a town in the distant North, Till it reached a house in a sunny street, Till it reached a heart that ceased to beat Without a murmur, without a cry. And a bell was tolled in that far-off town, For one who had passed from cross to crown,
And the neighbors wondered that she should die.
SPEECH OF CASSIUS, INSTIGATING BRUTUS TO JOIN THE CONSPIRACY AGAINST CÆSAR.
Well, honor 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 Cæsar; 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, Cæsar said to me, "Dar'st thou, Cassius, now Leap in with me into this angry flood, And swim to yonder point?" Upon the word, Accoutred as I was, I plunged 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, Cæsar cried, Help me, Cassius, or I sink!
I, as Æneas, 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 Cæsar: and this man
Is now become a god; and Cassius is
A wretched creature, and must bend his body, If Cæsar 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 color fly;
And that same eye, whose bend doth awe the world, Did lose its 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, Titinias,
As a sick girl. Ye gods, it doth amaze me,
A man of such a feeble temper should
So get the start of the majestic world,
And bear the palm alone!
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.
Brutus and Cæsar; what should be in that Cæsar?
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 is as heavy; conjure with them, Brutus will start a spirit as soon as Cæsar. Now, in the name of all the gods at once,
Upon what meat doth this our Cæsar feed,
That he has 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? Oh, you and I have heard our fathers say
There was a Brutus once, that would have brooked
The eternal devil to keep his state in Rome,
MARK ANTONY TO THE PEOPLE ON OESAR'S DEATH.
Friends, Romans, countrymen! lend me your ears. I come to bury Cæsar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them; The good is often interred with their bones; So let it be with Cæsar! Noble Brutus Hath told you Cæsar was ambitious. If it were so, it was a grievous fault, And grievously hath Cæsar answered it! Here, under care of Brutus and the rest- For Brutus is an honorable man! So are they all-all honorable men !— Come I to speak in Cæsar's funeral.
He was my friend, faithful and just to me. But Brutus says he was ambitious,
And Brutus is an honorable man!
He hath brought many captives home to Rome, Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill.
Did this in Cæsar seem ambitious?
When that the poor have cried, Cæsar hath wept. Ambition should be made of sterner stuff!
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious,
And Brutus is an honorable man!
You all did see that, on the Lupercal,
I thrice presented him a kingly crown,
Which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition?
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And sure he is an honorable man!
I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke;
But here I am to speak what I do know.
You all did love him once-not without cause. What cause withholds you, then, to mourn for him? O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts, And men have lost their reason! Bear with me; My heart is in the coffin there with Cæsar, And I must pause till it come back to me.
But yesterday, the word of Cæsar might Have stood against the world. Now lies he there, And none so poor to do him reverence!
O masters! if I were disposed to stir Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage, I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong, Who, you all know, are honorable men!
I will not do them wrong; I rather choose To wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you, Than I will wrong such honorable men! But here's a parchment with the seal of Cæsar; I found it in his closet-'tis his will!
Let but the commons hear this testament- Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read-
And they would go and kiss dead Cæsar's wounds And dip their napkins in his sacred blood;
Yea, beg a hair of him for memory,
And, dying, mention it within their wills, Bequeathing it, as a rich legacy,
If you have tears, prepare to shed them now. You all do know this mantle; I remember The first time ever Cæsar put it on.
'Twas on a summer's evening, in his tent- That day he overcame the Nervii.
Look! in this place ran Cassius' dagger through!
See what a rent the envious Casca made!
Through this the well beloved Brutus stabbed, And, as he plucked his cursed steel away, Mark how the blood of Cæsar followed it! As rushing out of doors, to be resolved If Brutus so unkindly knocked, or no; For Brutus, as you know, was Cæsar's angel. Judge, O ye gods! how dearly Cæsar loved him; This was the most unkindest cut of all!
For when the noble Cæsar saw him stab, Ingratitude, more strong than traitors' arms,
Quite vanquished him. Then burst his mighty heart And, in his mantle muffling up his face, Even at the base of Pompey's statue-
Which all the while ran blood-great Cæsar fell! Oh, what a fall was there, my countrymen ! Then I, and you, and all of us, fell down, Whilst bloody treason flourished over us! Oh, now you weep; and I perceive you feel The dint of pity. These are gracious drops! Kind souls! what! weep you when you but behold Our Cæsar's vesture wounded? Look you here! Here is himself-marred, as you see, by traitors!
Good friends!- sweet friends! let me not stir you up To such a sudden flood of mutiny.
They that have done this deed are honorable! What private griefs they have, alas! I know not, That made them do it; they are wise and honorable, And will, no doubt, with reasons answer you.
I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts;
I am no orator, as Brutus is;
But as you know me all, a plain, blunt man,
That loves my friend-and that they know full well That gave me public leave to speak of him- For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth, Action nor utterance, nor the power of speech, To stir men's blood. I only speak right on. I tell you that which you yourselves do know;
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