And grievously hath Cæsar answered it.
Here, under leave 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;

Def. 26.) Point out subsequent uses of the word, and show how the irony in

creases.

94. Did this, etc. What is the effect of using the interrogative form here? Point out another instance of its use in the same speech.

108. Remark on the expression "brutish beasts."

My heart is in the coffin there with Cæsar,

And I must pause till it come back to me.

First Citizen. Methinks* there is much reason in his sayings. Second Citizen. If thou consider rightly of the matter,

Cæsar has had great wrong.

Third Citizen.

Has he, masters?

I fear there will a worse come in his place.

Fourth Citizen. Marked ye his words? He would not take

the crown;

Therefore 'tis certain he was not ambitious.

110

115

First Citizen. If it be found so, some will dear abide it.
Second Citizen. Poor soul! his eyes are red as fire with weep-

120

ing.

Third Citizen. There's not a nobler man in Rome than Antony.
Fourth Citizen. Now mark him, he begins again to speak.
Antony. 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*

112. Methinks, it appears to me.
120. dear abide it: that is, will suffer
dearly for it.

*

127. so poor = so poor as.

137. commons, the people, the plebeians.

LITERARY ANALYSIS.-110. My heart... in the coffin, etc. speech? (See Def. 34.)

What figure of

III. I must pause. Why does Antony pause? Contrast the pausing of Brutus (32).

134. Than I will wrong. This is a grammatical irregularity; correspondence of terms requires the form than to wrong, etc.

125

130

135

(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*

Unto their issue.

Fourth Citizen. We'll hear the will.

140

Citizens. The will, the will! we will hear Cæsar's will.

Antony. Have patience, gentle friends; I must not read it:

It is not meet✶ you know how Cæsar loved you.
You are not wood, you are not stones, but men ;
And, being men, hearing the will of Cæsar,
It will inflame you, it will make you mad.

'Tis good you know not that you are his heirs ;
For, if you should, O, what would come of it!

You shall read us the will! Cæsar's will!

150

Fourth Citizen. Read the will! we'll hear it, Antony;

155

Antony. Will you be patient? Will you stay awhile?

I have o'ershot myself, to tell you of it.

I fear I wrong the honorable men

Whose daggers have stabbed Cæsar; I do fear it.
Fourth Citizen. They were traitors! Honorable men!
Citizens. The will! the testament!

140. napkins, handkerchiefs.

157. o'ershot myself: that is, I have l

gone too far, revealed too much.

160

LITERARY ANALYSIS.-Give the etymology of "testament " (137); of “napkins" (140); of "legacy" (143); of "meet" (148).

142-144. And, dying,... issue. What is the figure of speech? (See Def. 34.) 146. we will. What is the force of "will ?"

148. It is not meet... loved you. Analyze this sentence.

155. You shall read. What is the force of "shall ?"

157. I have o'ershot myself. What is the figure of speech? (See Def. 20.) Change into a simile. (See Def. 20, ii.) in shooting was said to be overshot.]

159. Whose daggers have stabbed Cæsar. extremely energetic? (See Def. 52, ii.) to death."

[In archery the one who was beaten

What makes this form of expression
Compare with "who have put Cæsar

Second Citizen. They were villains, murderers. The will! Read

the will!

Antony. You will compel me, then, to read the will? Then make a ring about the corpse of Cæsar,

And let me show you him that made the will.

Shall I descend? And will you give me leave?

Citizens. Come down.

Second Citizen. Descend.

[He comes down.

165

Third Citizen. You shall have leave.

170

Fourth Citizen. A ring! stand round.

First Citizen. Stand from the hearse; stand from the body.
Second Citizen. Room for Antony !-most noble Antony!
Antony. Nay, press not so upon me; stand far off.
Several Citizens. Stand back! room! bear back!

175

Antony. 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-belovéd 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 you gods, how dearly Cæsar loved him!

172. Stand from = stand away from.
175. bear back = get farther back.
1 So. the Nervil, a warlike tribe of Gaul,
whom Cæsar defeated in one of
his most closely contested and
decisive battles, B.C. 57.

186. As rushing = as if rushing.
188. Cæsar's angel: that is, was as in-
separable from him as his guar-
dian angel. Craik understands
it as "simply his best beloved,
his darling."-ROLFE.

LITERARY ANALYSIS.-178. The first time ever.

Supply the relative.

180. That day. What is the grammatical construction of "day?" (See Swinton's New English Grammar, § 105, ix. and note.)

180

185

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 statuë,*

Which all the while ran blood, great Cæsar fell.
O, what a fall was there, my countrymen !
Then I, and you, and all of us fell down,
Whilst bloody treason flourished over us.
O, 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, with traitors.
First Citizen. O piteous spectacle !
Second Citizen. O noble Cæsar!
Third Citizen. O woful day!

Fourth Citizen. O traitors, villains!

First Citizen. O most bloody sight!
Second Citizen. We will be revenged.
Citizens.

Revenge-about-seek-burn-fire-kill-slay,—let

not a traitor live!

Antony. Stay, countrymen.

First Citizen. Peace there! hear the noble Antony.

100

200

207

210

Second Citizen. We'll hear him, we'll follow him, we'll die with 215 him.

195. statuë.

The word is here pro- | 201. dint, impression, emotion.
nounced as a trisyllable.
204. marred with, mangled by.

LITERARY ANALYSIS.-Give the etymology of "statuë" (195); of "dint" (201).

187. or no. What adverb would now be used?

190. most unkindest. This is not to be flippantly condemned as a pleonasm; for, though contrary to modern usage, the doubling of comparatives and superlatives was a common idiom in Shakespeare's time: thus we have the expressions "more elder," "more better," "most boldest," most worst," etc., the adverbs being intensive.

66

Point out the figure. (See Def. 38.) What is the