Shall Rome, etc. Speak, strike, redress!
Brutus, thou sleep'st: awake!"

Such instigations have been often dropped

Where I have took them up.

"Shall Rome, etc." Thus must I piece it out:

50

Shall Rome stand under one man's awe? What,

Rome?

My ancestors did from the streets of Rome

The Tarquin drive, when he was called a king. "Speak, strike, redress!" Am I entreated

To speak and strike? O Rome, I make thee promise, If the redress will follow, thou receivest

Thy full petition at the hand of Brutus!

Re-enter LUCIUS

Luc. Sir, March is wasted fifteen days.

[Knocking within.

[Exit LUCIUS.

Bru. 'Tis good. Go to the gate; somebody

knocks.
Since Cassius first did whet me against Cæsar

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

60

Are then in council, and the state of man,
Like to a little kingdom, suffers then
The nature of an insurrection.

Re-enter LUCIUS

Luc. Sir, 'tis your brother Cassius at the

door,

Who doth desire to see you.

Bru..

Is he alone?

Luc. No, sir, there are moe° with him.

Bru.

70

Do you know them? Luc. No, sir; their hats are plucked about their

ears,

And half their faces buried in their cloaks,

That by no means I may discover them

By any

Bru.

mark of favor.

Let 'em enter. [Exit LUCIUS.

O conspiracy,

Shamest thou to show thy dangerous brow by night,

They are the faction.

When evils are most free?

Where wilt thou find a cavern dark enough

O, then, by day

80

Seek none, con

To mask thy monstrous visage?

spiracy;

Hide it in smiles and affability:

For if thou path, thy native semblance on,

Not Erebus itself were dim enough
To hide thee from prevention.°

Enter the Conspirators, CASSIUS, CASCA, DECIUS,
CINNA, METELLUS CIMBER, and TREBONIUS

Cas. I think we are too bold° upon your rest:
Good morrow, Brutus; do we trouble you?

Bru. I have been up this hour, awake all night. Know I these men that come along with you?

Cas. 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

This is Trebonius.

Bru.

you.

He is welcome hither.

He is welcome too.

Cas. This, Decius Brutus.

Bru.

Cas. This, Casca; this, Cinna; and this, Metellus

Cimber.

Bru. They are all welcome.

What watchful cares do interpose themselves

Betwixt your eyes and night?

90

Cas. Shall I entreat a word?

[They whisper. 100

Dec. Here lies the east: doth not the day break

here?

Casca. No.

Cin. O, pardon, sir, it doth, and yon gray 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.

Bru. Give me your hands all over, one by one.
Cas. And let us swear our resolution.

Bru. 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 valor
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,

120

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 the 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 passed from him.

Cas. But what of Cicero? shall we sound him?

I think he will stand very strong with us.
Casca. Let us not leave him out.

Cin.

130

140

No, by no means.

Met. 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.

D