ACT 4

Scene 1
Enter Antony Octavius, and Lepidus.
ANTONY

These many, then, shall die; their names are

pricked.
OCTAVIUS

Your brother too must die. Consent you, Lepidus?

LEPIDUS
I do consent.
OCTAVIUS Prick him down, Antony.
LEPIDUS
Upon condition Publius shall not live,
Who is your sister's son, Mark Antony.
ANTONY

He shall not live; look, with a spot I damn him.

But, Lepidus, go you to Caesar's house;
Fetch the willhither, and we shall determine 10
How to cut off some charge in legacies.
LEPIDUS
What, shall I find you here?
OCTAVIUS Or here, or at the Capitol. Lepidus exits.
ANTONY

This is a slight, unmeritable man,

Meet to be sent on errands. Is it fit, 15
The threefold world divided, he should stand
One of the three to share it?
141
 ACT 4. SC. I
143 Julius Caesar

OCTAVIUS So you thought him

And took his voice who should be pricked to die
In our black sentence and proscription. 20
ANTONY
Octavius, I have seen more days than you,
And, though we lay these honors on this man
To ease ourselves of diverse sland'rous loads,
He shall but bear them as the ass bears gold,
To groan and sweat under the business, 25
Either led or driven, as we point the way:
And having brought our treasure where we will,
Then take we down his load and turn him off
(Like to the empty ass) to shake his ears
And graze in commons. 30
OCTAVIUS You may do your will,
But he's a tried and valiant soldier.
ANTONY
So is my horse, Octavius, and for that
Ido appoint him store of provender.
It is a creature that I teach to fight, 35
To wind, to stop, to run directly on,
His corporal motion governed by my spirit;
And, in some taste, is Lepidus but so.
He must be taught and trained and bid go forth
Abarren-spirited fellow, one that feeds 40
On objects, arts, and imitations
Which, out of use and staled by other men,
Begin his fashion. Do not talk of him
But as a property. And now, Octavius,
Listen great things. Brutus and Cassius 45
Are levying powers. We must straight make head.
Therefore let our alliance be combined,
Our best friends made, our means stretched;
And let us presently go sit in council
How covert matters may be best disclosed 50
And open perils surest answerèd.
 ACT 4. SC. 2
145 Julius Caesar

OCTAVIUS
Let us do so, for we are at the stake
And bayed about with many enemies,
And some that smile have in their hearts, Ifear,
Millions of mischiefs. 55
They exit.

(Scene 21

Drum. Enter Brutus, Lucilius, Lucius, and the Army.

Titinius and Pindarus meet them.

BRUTUS Stand ho!

LUCILIUS Give the word, ho, and stand!
BRUTUS
What now, Lucilius, is Cassius near?
LUCILIUS
He is at hand, and Pindarus is come
To do yousalutation from his master.
BRUTUS

He greets me well.-Your master, Pindarus,

In his own change or by ill officers,
Hath given me some worthy cause to wish
Things done undone, but if he be at hand
10
Ishall be satisfied.
PINDARUS Ido not doubt
But that my noble master will appear
Such as he is, full of regard and honor.
BRUTUS

He is not doubted. ´Brutus and Lucilius walk aside.

A word, Lucilius, 15

How he received you. Let me be resolved.

LUCILIUs
With courtesy and with respect enough,
But not with such familiar instances
Nor with such free and friendly conference 20
As he hath used of old.
 ACT 4. SC. 2
147 Julius Caesar

BRUTUS Thou hast described

A
hot friend cooling. Ever note, Lucilius,
When love begins to sicken and decay
It useth an enforcèd ceremony.
There are no tricks in plain and simple faith; 25
But hollow men, like horses hot at hand,
Make gallant show and promise of their mettle,
Low march within.
But when they should endure the bloody spur,
They fall their crests and, like deceitful jades,
Sink in the trial. Comes his army on? 30
LUCILIUS
They mean this night in Sardis to be quartered.
The greater part, the horse in general,
Are come with Cassius.

Enter Cassius and his powers.

BRUTUS Hark, he is arrived.
March gently on to meet him. 35
CASSIUS Stand ho!

BRUTUS Stand ho! Speak the word along.

FIRST SOLDIER Stand!
fSECOND sOLDIER Stand!
fTHIRD SOLDIER Stand! 40
CASSIUS
Most noble brother, you have done me wrong.
BRUTUS
Judge me, you gods! WrongI mine enemies?
And if not so, how should I wrong a brother?
CASSIUS
Brutus, this sober form of yours hides wrongs,
And when you do them 45
BRUTUS Cassius, be content.
Speak your griefs softly. Ido know you well.
Before the eyes of both our armies here
(Which should perceive nothing but love from us),
 149 Julius Caesar ACT 4, SC 3

Let us not wrangle. Bid them move away. S0

Then in my tent, Cassius, enlarge your griefs,
And I willgive you audience.
CASSIUS
Pindarus,
Bid our commanders lead their charges off
A little from this ground. 55
BRUTUS
(Lucius,' do you the like, and let no man
Come to our tent till we have done our conference.
Let Lucilius and Titinius guard our door.
All but Brutus and Cassius exit.

fScene 3
CASSIUS
That you have wronged me doth appear in this:
You have condemned and noted Lucius Pella
For taking bribes here of the Sardians,
Wherein my letters, praying on his side
Because I knew the man, was slighted off.
BRUTUS
You wronged yourself to write in such a case.
CASSIUS
In such a time as this it is not meet
That every nice offense should bear his comment.
BRUTUS
Let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself
Are much condemned to have an itching palm, 10
To sell and mart your offices for gold
To undeservers.
CASSIUS Ian itching palm?
You know that you are Brutus that speaks this,
Or, by the gods, this speech were else your last. 15
BRUTUS
The name of Cassius honors this corruption,
And chastisement doth therefore hide his head.
 151 Julius Caesar ACT 4. SC. 3

CASSIUS Chastisement!?
BRUTUS
Remember March; the ides of March remember.
Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake? 20
What vilain touched his body that did stab
And not for justice? What, shall one of us
That struck the foremost man of all this world
But for supporting robbers, shall we now
Contaminate our fingers with base bribes 25
And sell the mighty space of our large honors
For so much trash as may be graspèd thus?
Ihad rather be a dog and bay the moon
Than such a Roman.
CASSIUS Brutus, bait not me. 30
I'llnot endure it. You forget yourself
To hedge me in. I am a soldier, I,
Older in practice, abler than yourself
To make conditions.
BRUTUS Go to! You are not, Cassius. 35
CASSIUS Iam.
BRUTUS Isay you are not.
CASSIUS
Urge me no more. Ishall forget myself.
Have mind upon your health. Tempt me no farther.
BRUTUS Away, slight man! 40
CASSIUS
Is 't possible?
BRUTUS Hear me, for I will speak.
Must I give way and room to your rash choler?
Shall I be frighted when a madman stares?
CASSIUS
O you gods, you gods, must Iendure all this? 45
BRUTUS
All this? Ay, more. Fret tillyour proud heart break.
Go show your slaves how choleric you are
And make your bondmen tremble. Must I budge?
 153 ACT 4. SC. 3
Julius Caesar

Must I observe you? Must I stand and crouch

Under your testy humor? By the gods, 50
You shall digest the venom of your spleen
Though it do split you. For, from this day forth,
I'lluse you for my mith, yea, for my laughter,
When you are waspish.
CASSIUS Is it come to this? 55
BRUTUS

Yousay you are a better soldier.

Let it appear so, make your vaunting true,
And it shall please me well. For mine own part,
Ishall be glad to learn of noble men.
CASSIUS
Youwrong me every way, you wrong me, Brutus. 60
Isaid an elder soldier, not a better.
Did I say "better"?
BRUTUS If you did, Icare not.
CASSIUS
When Caesar lived he durst not thus have moved
65
me.
BRUTUS
Peace, peace! You durst not so have tempted him.
CASSIUS I durst not?
BRUTUS No.
CASSIUS
What? Durst not tempt him?
BRUTUS For your life you durst 70

not.
CASSIUS

Do not presume too much upon my love.

Imay do that Ishall be sorry for.
BRUTUS
You have done that you should be sorry for.
75
There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats,
For Iam armed so strong in honesty
That they pass by me as the idle wind,
 ACT 4. SC. 3
155 Julius Caesar

Which I respect not. Idid send to you

For certain sums of gold, which you denied me,
For Ican raise no money by vile means. 80
By heaven, I had rather coin my heart
And drop my blood for drachmas than to wring
From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash
By any indirection. Idid send
To you for gold to pay my legions, 85
Which you denied me. Was that done like Cassius?
Should I have answered Caius Cassius so?
When Marcus Brutus grows so covetous
To lock such rascal counters from his friends,
Be ready, gods,with allyour thunderbolts; 90
Dash him to pieces!
CASSIUS I denied you not.
BRUTUS You did.
CASSIUS
I did not. He was but a fool that brought
My answer back. Brutus hath rived my heart. 95
A friend should bear his friend's infirmities,
But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.
BRUTUS
Ido not, till you practice them on me.
CASSIUS
You love me not.
BRUTUS Ido not like your faults. 100
CASSIUS
A friendly eye could never see such faults.
BRUTUS
A flatterer 's would not, though they do appear
As huge as high Olympus.
CASSIUS
Come, Antony, and young Octavius, come!
Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius, 105
For Cassius is awcary of the world
Hated by one he loves, braved by his brother,
 ACT 4. SC. 3
157 Julius Caesar

Checked like a bondman, all his faults observed,

Set in a notebook, learmed and conned by rote
To cast into my teeth. 0, I could weep 110
My spirit from mine eyes! There is my dagger,
fOfering his dagger to Brutus.
And here my naked breast; within, a heart
Dearer than Pluto's mine, richer than gold.
If that thou be'st a Roman, take it forth.
Ithat denied thee gold will give my heart. 115
Strike as thou didst at Caesar, for I know
When thou didst hate him worst, thou lovedst him
better
Than ever thou lovedst Cassius.
BRUTUS Sheathe your 120
dagger.
Be angry when you will, it shall have scope.
Do what you will, dishonor shall be humor.
O Cassius, you are yokèd with a lamb
That carries anger as the flint bears fire, 125
Who, much enforcèd, shows a hasty spark
And straight is cold again.
CASSIUS Hath Cassius lived
To be but mirth and laughter to his Brutus
When grief and blood ill-tempered vexeth him? 130
BRUTUS

When I spoke that, I was ill-tempered too.

CASSIUS
Do you confess so much? Give me your hand.
BRUTUS
And my heart too. ´They clasp hands.
CASSIUS O Brutus!
BRUTUS What's the matter? 135
CASSIUS

Have not you love enough to bear with me

When that rash humor which my mother gave me
Makes me forgetful?
 ACT 4. SC 3
159 Julius Caesar

BRUTUS Yes, Cassius, and from

henceforth 140
When youare over-earnest with your Brutus,
He'llthink your mother chides, and leave you so.
Enter a Poet followed by Lucilius, Titinius, and Lucius.
POET
Let me go in to see the Generals.
There is some grudge between 'em; 'tis not meet
They be alone. 145
LUCILIUS You shall not come to them.
POET Nothing but death shall stay me.
CASSIUS How now, what's the matter?
POET

For shame, you generals, what do you mean?

Love and be friends as two such men should be, 150
For Ihave seen more years, I'm sure, than ye.
CASSIUS
Ha, ha, how vilely doth this cynic rhyme!
BRUTUS
Get you hence, sirrah! Saucy fellow, hence!
CASSIUS
Bear with him, Brutus. Tis his fashion.
BRUTUS
I'Il know his humnor when he knows his time. 155
What should the wars do with these jigging fools?
Companion, hence!
CASSIUS Away, away, be gone! Poet exits.
BRUTUS
Lucilius and Titinius, bid the commanders
Prepare to lodge their companies tonight. 160
CASSIUS
And come yourselves, and bring Messala with you
Immediately to us. Lucilius and Titinius exit.l
BRUTUS Lucius, a bowl of wine. Lucius exits.