739Weighing the youthfull Season of the yeare.

740Some two moneths hence, vp higher toward the North

741He first presents his fire, and the high East

742Stands as the Capitoll, directly heere.

743Bru. Giue me your hands all ouer, one by one.

744Cas. And let vs sweare our Resolution.

745Brut. No, not an Oath: if not the Face of men,

746The sufferance of our Soules, the times Abuse;

747If these be Motiues weake, breake off betimes,

748And euery man hence, to his idle bed:

749So let high-sighted-Tyranny range on,

750Till each man drop by Lottery. But if these

751(As I am sure they do) beare fire enough

752To kindle Cowards, and to steele with valour

753The melting Spirits of women. Then Countrymen,

754What neede we any spurre, but our owne cause

755To pricke vs to redresse? What other Bond,

756Then secret Romans, that haue spoke the word,

757And will not palter? And what other Oath,

758Then Honesty to Honesty ingag'd,

759That this shall be, or we will fall for it.

760Sweare Priests and Cowards, and men Cautelous

761Old feeble Carrions, and such suffering Soules

762That welcome wrongs: Vnto bad causes, sweare

763Such Creatures as men doubt; but do not staine

764The euen vertue of our Enterprize,

765Nor th'insuppressiue Mettle of our Spirits,

766To thinke, that or our Cause, or our Performance

767Did neede an Oath. When euery drop of blood

768That euery Roman beares, and Nobly beares

769Is guilty of a seuerall Bastardie,

770If he do breake the smallest Particle

771Of any promise that hath past from him.

772Cas. But what of Cicero? Shall we sound him?

773I thinke he will stand very strong with vs.

774Cask. Let vs not leaue him out.

775Cyn. No, by no meanes.

776Metel. O let vs haue him, for his Siluer haires

777Will purchase vs a good opinion:

778And buy mens voyces, to commend our deeds:

779It shall be sayd, his iudgement rul'd our hands,

780Our youths, and wildenesse, shall no whit appeare,

781But all be buried in his Grauity.

782Bru. O name him not; let vs not breake with him,

783For he will neuer follow any thing

784That other men begin.

785Cas. Then leaue him out.

786Cask. Indeed, he is not fit.

787Decius. Shall no man else be toucht, but onely Caesar?

788Cas. Decius well vrg'd: I thinke it is not meet,

789Marke Antony, so well belou'd of Caesar,

790Should out-liue Caesar, we shall finde of him

791A shrew'd Contriuer. And you know, his meanes

792If he improue them, may well stretch so farre

793As to annoy vs all: which to preuent,

794Let Antony and Caesar fall together.

795Bru. Our course will seeme too bloody, Caius Cassius,

796To cut the Head off, and then hacke the Limbes:

797Like Wrath in death, and Enuy afterwards:

798For Antony, is but a Limbe of Caesar.

799Let's be Sacrificers, but not Butchers Caius:

800We all stand vp against the spirit of Caesar,

801And in the Spirit of men, there is no blood:

802O that we then could come by Caesars Spirit,

803And not dismember Caesar! But (alas)

804Caesar must bleed for it. And gentle Friends,

805Let's kill him Boldly, but not Wrathfully:

806Let's carue him, as a Dish fit for the Gods,

807Not hew him as a Carkasse fit for Hounds:

808And let our Hearts, as subtle Masters do,

809Stirre vp their Seruants to an acte of Rage,

810And after seeme to chide 'em. This shall make

811Our purpose Necessary, and not Enuious.

812Which so appearing to the common eyes,

813We shall be call'd Purgers, not Murderers.

814And for Marke Antony, thinke not of him:

815For he can do no more then Caesars Arme,

816When Caesars head is off.

817Cas. Yet I feare him,

818For in the ingrafted loue he beares to Caesar.

819Bru. Alas, good Cassius, do not thinke of him:

820If he loue Caesar, all that he can do

821Is to himselfe; take thought, and dye for Caesar,

822And that were much he should: for he is giuen

823To sports, to wildenesse, and much company.

824Treb. There is no feare in him; let him not dye,

825For he will liue, and laugh at this heereafter.

827Bru. Peace, count the Clocke.

828Cas. The Clocke hath stricken three.

829Treb. 'Tis time to part.

830Cass But it is doubtfull yet,

831Whether Caesar will come forth to day, or no:

832For he is Superstitious growne of late,

833Quite from the maine Opinion he held once,

834Of Fantasie, of Dreames, and Ceremonies:

835It may be, these apparant Prodigies,

836The vnaccustom'd Terror of this night,

837And the perswasion of his Augurers,

838May hold him from the Capitoll to day.

839Decius. Neuer feare that: If he be so resolu'd,

840I can ore-sway him: For he loues to heare,

841That Vnicornes may be betray'd with Trees,

842And Beares with Glasses, Elephants with Holes,

843Lyons with Toyles, and men with Flatterers.

844But, when I tell him, he hates Flatterers,

845He sayes, he does; being then most flattered.

846Let me worke:

847For I can giue his humour the true bent;

848And I will bring him to the Capitoll.

849Cas. Nay, we will all of vs, be there to fetch him.

850Bru. By the eight houre, is that the vttermost?

851Cin. Be that the vttermost, and faile not then.

852Met. Caius Ligarius doth beare Caesar hard,

853Who rated him for speaking well of Pompey;

854I wonder none of you haue thought of him.

855Bru. Now good Metellus go along by him:

856He loues me well, and I haue giuen him Reasons,

857Send him but hither, and Ile fashion him.

858Cas. The morning comes vpon's:

859Wee'l leaue you Brutus,

860And Friends disperse your selues; but all remember

861What you haue said, and shew your selues true Romans.

862Bru. Good Gentlemen, looke fresh and merrily,

863Let not our lookes put on our purposes,

864But beare it as our Roman Actors do,

865With vntyr'd Spirits, and formall Constancie,

866And so good morrow to you euery one. Exeunt.

868Boy: Lucius: Fast asleepe? It is no matter,

869Enioy the hony-heauy-Dew of Slumber:

870Thou hast no Figures, nor no Fantasies,