Julius Caesar | Page 9

O Rome, I make thee promise,?If the redress will follow, thou receivest?Thy full petition at the hand of Brutus!
[Re-enter Lucius.]
LUCIUS.?Sir, March is wasted fifteen days.
[Knocking within.]
BRUTUS.?'Tis good. Go to the gate, somebody knocks.--
[Exit Lucius.]
Since Cassius first did whet me against Caesar?I have not slept.?Between the acting of a dreadful thing?And the first motion, all the interim is?Like a phantasma or a hideous dream:?The genius and the mortal instruments?Are then in council; and the state of man,?Like to a little kingdom, suffers then?The nature of an insurrection.
[Re-enter Lucius].
LUCIUS.?Sir, 'tis your brother Cassius at the door,?Who doth desire to see you.
BRUTUS.?Is he alone?
LUCIUS.?No, sir, there are more with him.
BRUTUS.?Do you know them?
LUCIUS.?No, sir, their hats are pluck'd about their ears,?And half their faces buried in their cloaks,?That by no means I may discover them?By any mark of favor.
BRUTUS.?Let 'em enter.--
[Exit Lucius.]?They are the faction.--O conspiracy,?Shamest thou to show thy dangerous brow by night,?When evils are most free? O, then, by day?Where wilt thou find a cavern dark enough?To mask thy monstrous visage? Seek none, conspiracy;?Hide it in smiles and affability:?For if thou pass, thy native semblance on,?Not Erebus itself were dim enough?To hide thee from prevention.
[Enter Cassius, Casca, Decius, Cinna, Metellus Cimber, and?Trebonius.
CASSIUS.?I think we are too bold upon your rest:?Good morrow, Brutus; do we trouble you?
BRUTUS.?I have been up this hour, awake all night.?Know I these men that come along with you?
CASSIUS.?Yes, every man of them; and no man here?But honors you; and every one doth wish?You had but that opinion of yourself?Which every noble Roman bears of you.?This is Trebonius.
BRUTUS.?He is welcome hither.
CASSIUS.?This Decius Brutus.
BRUTUS.?He is welcome too.
CASSIUS.?This, Casca; this, Cinna; and this, Metellus Cimber.
BRUTUS.?They are all welcome.--?What watchful cares do interpose themselves?Betwixt your eyes and night?
CASSIUS.?Shall I entreat a word?
[BRUTUS and CASSIUS whisper apart.]
DECIUS.?Here lies the east: doth not the day break here?
CASCA.?No.
CINNA.?O, pardon, sir, it doth, and yon grey lines?That fret the clouds are messengers of day.
CASCA.?You shall confess that you are both deceived.?Here, as I point my sword, the Sun arises;?Which is a great way growing on the South,?Weighing the youthful season of the year.?Some two months hence, up higher toward the North?He first presents his fire; and the high East?Stands, as the Capitol, directly here.
BRUTUS.?Give me your hands all over, one by one.
CASSIUS.?And let us swear our resolution.
BRUTUS.?No, not an oath: if not the face of men,?The sufferance of our souls, the time's abuse--?If these be motives weak, break off betimes,?And every man hence to his idle bed;?So let high-sighted tyranny range on,?Till each man drop by lottery. But if these,?As I am sure they do, bear fire enough?To kindle cowards, and to steel with valour?The melting spirits of women; then, countrymen,?What need we any spur but our own cause?To prick us to redress? what other bond?Than secret Romans, that have spoke the word,?And will not palter? and what other oath?Than honesty to honesty engaged,?That this shall be, or we will fall for it??Swear priests, and cowards, and men cautelous,?Old feeble carrions, and such suffering souls?That welcome wrongs; unto bad causes swear?Such creatures as men doubt: but do not stain?The even virtue of our enterprise,?Nor th' insuppressive mettle of our spirits,?To think that or our cause or our performance?Did need an oath; when every drop of blood?That every Roman bears, and nobly bears,?Is guilty of a several bastardy,?If he do break the smallest particle?Of any promise that hath pass'd from him.
CASSIUS.?But what of Cicero? Shall we sound him??I think he will stand very strong with us.
CASCA.?Let us not leave him out.
CINNA.?No, by no means.
METELLUS.?O, let us have him! for his silver hairs?Will purchase us a good opinion,?And buy men's voices to commend our deeds:?It shall be said, his judgment ruled our hands;?Our youths and wildness shall no whit appear,?But all be buried in his gravity.
BRUTUS.?O, name him not! let us not break with him;?For he will never follow any thing?That other men begin.
CASSIUS.?Then leave him out.
CASCA.?Indeed, he is not fit.
DECIUS.?Shall no man else be touch'd but only Caesar?
CASSIUS.?Decius, well urged.--I think it is not meet,?Mark Antony, so well beloved of Caesar,?Should outlive Caesar: we shall find of him?A shrewd contriver; and you know his means,?If he improve them, may well stretch so far?As to annoy us all: which to prevent,?Let Antony and Caesar fall together.
BRUTUS.?Our course will seem too bloody, Caius Cassius,?To cut the head off, and then hack the limbs,?Like wrath in death, and envy afterwards;?For Antony is but a limb of Caesar.?Let us be sacrificers, but not butchers, Caius.?We all stand up against the spirit of Caesar;?And in the spirit of men there is no blood:?O, that we then could come by Caesar's spirit,?And not dismember Caesar! But, alas,?Caesar must bleed for it! And, gentle friends,?Let's kill him boldly, but not wrathfully;?Let's carve him as a dish fit for the gods,?Not hew him as