Act IV sc. ii Enter Cæsars Hearse Calphurnia Octauian, Anthony,
Cicero, Dolobella, two Romaynes, mourners.
Calp. Set downe the hearse and let Calphurnia weepe,
Weepe for her Lord and bath his Wounds in teares: 1812
Feare of the world, and onely hope of Rome,
Thou whilest thou liuedst was Calphurnias ioye,
And being dead my ioyes are dead with thee:
Here doth my care and comfort resting lie:
Let them accompany thy mournefull hearse.
Cice. This is the hearse of vertue and renowne,
Here stroe red roses and sweete violets:
And lawrell garlands for to crowne his fame, 1820
The Princely weede of mighty conquerors:
These worthles obsequies poore Rome bestowes,
Vpon thy sacred ashes and deare hearse.
1. Rom. And as a token of thy liuing praise,
And fame immortall take this laurell wreath,
Which witnesseth thy name shall neuer die:
And with this take the Loue and teares of Rome,
For on thy tombe shall still engrauen be,
Thy losse, her griefe, thy deathes, her pittying thee,
Dolo. Vnwilling do I come to pay this debt, 1830
Though not vnwilling for to crowne desert,
O how much rather had I this bestowed,
On thee returning from foes ouerthrow,
When liuing vertue did require such meede,
Then for to crowne thy vertue being dead,
Lord. Those wreaths that in thy life our conquests crowned
And our fayre triumphes beauty glorified,
Now in thy death do serue thy hearse to adorne,
For Cæsars liuing vertues to bee crowned,
Not to be wept as buried vnder grownd, 1840
2. Ro. Thou whilest thou liuedst wast faire vertues flowre
Crowned with eternall honor and renowne,
To thee being dead, Flora both crownes and flowers,
(The cheefest vertues of our mother earth,)
Doth giue to gratulate thy noble hearse.
Let then they soule diuine vouchsafe to take,
These worthles obsequies our loue doth make.
Calp. All that I am is but despaire and greefe,
This all I giue to Celebrate thy death,
What funerall pomp of riches and of pelfe, 1850
Do you expect? Calphurnia giues her selfe.
Ant. You that to Cæsar iustly did decree
Honors diuine and sacred reuerence:
And oft him grac’d with titles well deserued,
Of Countries Father, stay of Commonwealth.
And that which neuer any bare before,
Inviolate, Holy, Consecrate, Vntucht.
Doe see this friend of Rome, this Contryes Father,
This Sonne of lasting fame and e ndles praise,
And in a mortall trunke, immortall vertue 1860
Slaughtered, profan’d, and bucherd like a beast,
By trayterous handes, and damned Paracides:
Recounte those deedes and see what he hath don,
Subdued those nations which three hundred yeares.
Remaynd vnconquered; still afflicting Rome,
And recompensed the firy Capitoll,
With many Citties vnto ashes burnt:
And this reward, these thankes you render him:
Here lyes he dead to whome you owe your liues:
By you this slaughtered body bleedes againe, 1870
Which oft for you hath bled in fearefull fight.
Sweete woundes in which I see distressed Rome,
From her pearc’d sides to powre forth streames of bloud,
Bee you a witnesse of my sad Soules griefe:
And of my teares which wounded heart doth bleede,
Not such as vse from womanish eyes proceede.
Octa. And were the deede most worthy and vnblamed,
Yet you vnworthely did do the same:
Who being partakers with his enemies,
By Cæsar all were saued from death and harme, 1880
And for the punnishment you should haue had,
You were prefer’d to Princely dignities:
Rulers and Lordes of Prouinces were you made,
Thus thanke-les men hee did preferre of nought,
That by their hands his murther might be wrought.
All at once except Anthony and Octauian.
Omnes. Reuenge, Reuenge vpon the murtherers.
Antho. Braue Lords this worthy resolution shewes,
Your deerest loue, and great affection
VVhich to this slaughtered Prince you alwaies bare, 1890
And may like bloudy chance befall my life:
If I be slack for to reuenge his death.
Octa. Now on my Lords, this body lets inter:
Amongest the monuments of Roman Kinges,
And build a Temple to his memory:
Honoring therein his sacred Deity. Exeunt omnes.
Act IV sc. iii ACT. 4. SC. 2.
Enter Cassius, and Brutus with an army.
Cassi. Now Romains proud foe, worlds common enemy,
In his greatest hight and chiefest Iollitie, 1900
In the Sacred Senate-house is done to death:
Euen as the Consecrated Oxe which soundes,
At horny alters, in his dying pride:
VVith flowry leaues and gar-lands all bedight,
Stands proudly wayting for the hasted stroke:
Till hee amazed with the dismall sound,
Falls to the Earth and staines the holy ground,
The spoyles and riches of the conquered world,
Are now but idle Trophies of his tombe:
His laurell gar-landes do but Crowne his chaire, 1910
His sling, his shilde, and fatall bloudy speare,
VVhich hee in battell oft ’gainst Rome did beare,
Now serue for nought but rusty monuments.
Bru. So Romulus when proud ambition,
His former vertue and renowne had stayned:
Did by the Senators receiue his end,
But soft what boades Titinnius hasting speede.
Enter Titinnius.
Titin. The frantike people and impatient,
By Anthonyes exhorting to reuenge: 1920
Runne madding throw the bloudy streetes of Rome,
Crying Reuenge, and murthering they goe,
All those that caused Cæsars ouerthrowe.
Cassi. The wauering people pytiyng Cæsars death,
Do rage at vs, who fore to winne their weale:
Spare not the danger of our dearest liues,
But since no safety Rome for vs affordes:
Brutus weell hast vs to our Prouinces,
I into Syre, thou into Maccedon,
Where wee will muster vp such martiall bandes, 1930
As shall afright our following enemies.
Bru. In Thessaly weele meete the Enemy,
And in that ground distaynd with Pompeys bloud,
And fruitefull made with Romane massaker,
VVeele either sacrifice our guilty foe,
To appease the furies of these howling Ghostes,
That wander restles through the sliemy ground
Or else that Thessaly bee a common Tombe:
To bury those that fight to infranchize Rome.
Titin. Brauely resolu’d, I see yong Brutus minde, 1940
Strengthned with force of vertues sacred rule:
Contemneth death, and holdes proud chance in scorne.
Bru. I that before fear’d not to do the deede,
Shalt neuer now repent it being done,
No more I Fortun’d, like the Roman Lord,
Whose faith brought death yet with immortall fame,
I kisse thee hand for doing such a deede:
And thanke my heart for this so Noble thought,
And blesse the Heauens for fauoring my attempts:
For Noble Rome, and if thou beest not free, 1950
Yet I haue done what euer lay in mee:
And worthy friend as both our thoughts conspired,
And ioyned in vnion to performe this deede,
This acceptable deede to Heauens and Rome,
So lets continue in our high resolue:
And as wee haue with honor thus begunne,
So lets persist, vntill our liues bee done.
Cassi. Then let vs go and with our warlike troopes,
Collected from our seuerall Prouinces,
Make Asia subiect to our Conquering armes. 1960
Brutus thou hast commanded the Illirian bandes:
The feared Celts and Lusitanian horse,
Parthenians proud, and Thrasians borne in warre:
And Macedon yet proud with our old actes,
With all the flowre of Louely Thessaly,
Vnder my warlike collours there shall march:
New come from Syria and from Babilon,
The warlike Mede, and the Arabian Boe,
The Parthian fighting when hee seemes to flie:
Those conquering Gauls that built their seates in Greece, 1970
And all the Costers on the Mirapont.