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The same. A street.
[Thunder and lightning. Enter from opposite sides, CASCA, with his sword
drawn, and CICERO]
CICERO
, ,
, ,
,
Good ev|en, Cas|ca: brought | you Cae|sar home?
,
, ,
, ,
Why are | you breath|less, and | why stare | you so?
CASCA
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, ,
Are not | you moved,| when all | the sway | of
earth
,
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Shakes, like | a thing | unfirm?| O Cic|ero,
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,
I have / seen temp|ests, when | the scold|ing
winds
,
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Have rived | the knot|ty oaks,| and I | have seen
2 ,
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The ambi|tious o|cean swell,| and rage,| and foam,
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, , 2 ,
To be | exalt|ed with | the threat|ening clouds:
,
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But nev|er till | tonight,| never | till now,
,
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,
Did I | go through | a temp|est drop|ping fire.
,
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, x
Either | there is | a civ|il strife | in heaven,
, ,
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Or else | the world,| too sau|cy with | the gods,
,
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Incens|es them | to send | destruc|tion.
CICERO
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T T T ,
Why,|| saw you | any|thing more wond|erful?
CASCA
,
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,
A com|mon slave,| you know | him well | by sight,
,
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Held^up | his left | hand, which | did flame |
and burn
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Like twen|ty torch|es joined;| and yet | his hand,
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Not sens|ible | of fire,| remained | unscorched.
, ,
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Besides,| I have | not since | put up | my sword,
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x
Against | the cap|itol | I met | a lion,
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Who glazed | upon | me, and | went sur|ly by,
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Without | annoy|ing me.| and there | were drawn
,
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, x
Upon | a heap,| a hund|red ghast|ly women,
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Trans^form|ed with | their fear,| who swore,| they
saw
T T . T ,
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Men, all in fire,| walk^up | and down | the streets.
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And yest|erday,| the bird | of night | did sit,
T . T T
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Eene at noon-day,| upon | the mark|et-place,
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Hooting,| and shriek|ing. When | these prod|igies
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Do so | conjoint|ly meet,| let^not | men say,
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These are | their reas|ons, they | are na|tural:
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For I | believe,| they are | porten|tous things
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Unto | the clim|ate, that | they point | upon.
CICERO
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Indeed,| it is | a strange-|dispos|ed time:
,
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But men | may construe | things aft/er their |
fashion,
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Clean from | the pur|pose of | the things | themselves.
, , ,
, , 2->
Come Cae/sar to | the Cap|itol | tomor||row?
CASCA
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He doth:| for he | did bid | Anton|ius
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2->
Send^word | to you,| he would | be there |
tomor||row.
CICERO
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Good night | then, Cas|ca: \\
,
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This dis|turbed | sky is | not to | walk in.
CASCA
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Farewell | Cicero. \\
[Exit CICERO. Enter CASSIUS]
CASSIUS
,
Who's there?
CASCA
,
A
Rom|an.
CASSIUS
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Cas|ca by | your voice.
CASCA
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Your ear | is good.
,
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Cassius,| what night | is
this?
CASSIUS
,
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A ve|ry pleas|ing night | to hon|est men.
CASCA
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Who ev|er knew | the heav|ens men|ace so?
CASSIUS
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Those that | have known | the earth | so full |
of faults.
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For my | part, I | have walked | about | the
streets,
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Submit|ting me | unto | the peril|ous night;
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And thus | unbrac|ed, Cas|ca, as | you see,
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Have bared | my bos|om to | the thund|er-stone:
, 2 T
T T ,
x
And when the | cross blue light|ning seemed | to
open
,
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The breast | of heaven,| I did | present | myself
, 2 ,
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Even | in the aim | and ve|ry flash | of it.
CASCA
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, , x
But where|fore did | you so | much tempt | the
heavens?
, 2 ,
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It is the | part of | men, to | fear and | tremble,
,
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When the / most migh|ty gods,| by tok|ens send
,
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Such dread|ful her|alds, to | aston|ish us.
CASSIUS
, ,
You are / dull, Cas|ca: \\
2
, ,
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And those sparks | of
life,| that should | be in a | Roman,
T T T , T
T T
You do want,| or else | you use not.
T T T
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You look pale,| and gaze,| and put | on fear,
,
, ,
And cast | yourself | in
wond|er, \\
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x
To see | the strange | impa|tience of | the
heavens:
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But if | you would | consid|er the / true cause,
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Why all | these fires,| why all | these glid|ing
ghosts,
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Why birds | and beasts,| from qual|ity | and kind,
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Why old | men* fool,| and child|ren cal|culate,
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Why all | these things | change from | their
ord|inance,
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Their na|tures and / preform|ed fac|ulties,
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To monst|rous qual|ity;| why you | shall find,
,
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, x
That heav|en hath | infused | them with | these
spirits,
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, ->
To make | them inst|ruments | of fear,| and
warn||ing,
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, ___ oo
Un|to some | monstrous | state.|
,
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Now could | I (Cas|ca) name | to thee | a man,
T T
T ,
___ oo
Most like this | dreadful | night,|
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That thund|ers, light|ens, op|ens graves,| and roars,
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As doth | the li|on in | the cap|itol:
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, 2 , , ,
A man | no might|ier than | thyself,| or me,
, 2
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, 2 ,
In pers|onal ac|tion; yet | prodig|ious grown,
,
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And fear|ful, as | these strange | erup|tions
are.
CASCA
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'Tis Cae|sar that | you mean:
2 , ,
Is it not,| Cassius?
CASSIUS
,
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Let it | be who | it is:| for Rom|ans now
,
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Have thews,| and limbs,| like to | their
an|cestors;
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But woe | the while,| our fath|ers' minds | are
dead,
,
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x
And we | are gov|erned with | our moth|ers'
spirits,
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2 , ,
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Our yoke,| and suf|ferance, show | us wom|anish.
CASCA
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2->
Indeed,| they say,| the sen|ators | tomor||row
, 2 ,
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Mean | to estab|lish Cae|sar as | a king:
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And he | shall wear | his crown | by sea,| and
land,
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In ev|ery place,| save^here | in It|aly.
CASSIUS
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I know | where I | will wear | this dag|ger then;
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Cassius | from bond/age will de|liver | Cassius:
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T T
Therein,| ye gods,| you make | the weak most strong;
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Therein,| ye gods,| you tyr|ants do | defeat.
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Nor sto|ny tower,| nor walls | of beat|en brass,
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Nor air|less dun|geon, nor / strong links | of iron,
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Can be | retent|ive to | the strength | of
spirit:
, 2 ,
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But life | being wea|ry of | these world|ly bars,
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Never | lacks pow/er to | dismiss | itself.
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If I | know this,| know all | the world |
besides,
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That part | of tyr|anny | that I | do bear,
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I can | shake^off | at pleas|ure.
[Thunder still]
CASCA
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So | can I:
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So ev|ery bond|man in his // own hand bears
x
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The power | to can|cel his | captiv|ity.
CASSIUS
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And why | should Cae|sar be | a tyr|ant then?
T T T ,
2 , ,
Poor man, I | know he would | not be | a wolf,
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But that | he sees | the Rom|ans are | but sheep:
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He were | no li|on, were / not Rom|ans hinds.
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Those that | with haste | will make | a migh|ty
fire,
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Begin | it with / weak straws.| What trash | is
Rome?
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What rub|bish, and / what of|fal? When | it
serves
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For the / base mat|ter to | illum|inate
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So vile | a thing | as Cae|sar. But | oh grief,
, ,
, , ,
Where hast | thou led | me? I |(perhaps)| speak
this
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Before | a wil|ling bond|man: then | I know
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My ans|wer must | be made.| But I | am armed,
,
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And dang|ers are | to me | indif|ferent.
CASCA
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You speak | to Cas|ca, and | to such | a man,
, 2 ,
T T T
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That is no | fleering | tell-tale. Hold,| my
hand:
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Be fac|tious for | redress | of all | these griefs,
,
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And I | will set | this foot | of mine | as far,
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As who | goes farth|est.
CASSIUS
,
, ,
There's | a bar|gain made.
T T T , 2 ,
, 2->
Now know you,| Casca,| I have moved | alrea||dy
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, 2->
Some cert|ain of | the nob|lest-mind|ed Rom||ans
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To und|ergo,| with me,| an ent|erprise,
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Of hon|ora|ble-dang|erous cons|equence;
,
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And I | do know | by this,| they stay | for me
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In Pom|pey's porch:| for now | this fear|ful
night,
,
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There is | no stir,| or walk|ing in | the streets;
,
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And the | comple|xion of | the el|ement
,
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In fav|or's, like | the work | we have | in hand,
,
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Most bloo|dy, fie|ry, and / most ter|rible.
CASCA
T T . T ,
, ,
Stand close awhile,| for here | comes^one | in
haste.
CASSIUS
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, , ,
'Tis Cin|na, I | do know | him by | his gait,
,
, , ,
,
He is | a friend.| Cinna,| where* haste | you so?
[Enter CINNA]
CINNA
, ,
, ,
, ->
To find | out you:| Who's that, Metel|lus
Cim||ber?
CASSIUS
, 2
, ,
, ,
No,| it is Cas|ca, one | incor|porate
,
, , 2 , ,
To our | attempts.| Am I not | stayed for,|
Cinna?
CINNA
2 , 2
I am glad | on it.
, ,
, ,
What | a fear|ful night | is this?
,
,
, , ,
There's two | or three | of us have // seen
strange sights.
CASSIUS
, 2 , ,
Am I not | stayed for?| Tell me.
CINNA
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,
Yes, you | are. O | Cassius, (tri with
prev)
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If you | could but | win the | noble | Brutus
, ,
To our | party-- \\
CASSIUS
, 2 ,
, , ,
Be you con|tent. Good*| Cinna,| take this |
paper,
, ,
, ,
,
And look | you lay | it in | the praet|or's
chair,
,
, , ,
,
Where Brut|us may | but find | it: and / throw
this
, ,
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,
In at | his wind|ow; set | this up | with wax
,
, ,
, ,
Upon | old^Brut|us' sta|tue: all | this done,
,
, , ,
x
Repair | to Pom|pey's porch,| where you | shall
find us.
, ,
, , 2
,
Is De|cius Brut|us and | Trebon|ius there?
CINNA
,
, , ,
,
All, but | Metel|lus Cim|ber, and / he's gone
, ,
, , 2 ,
To seek | you at | your house.| Well, I will |
hie,
<- ,
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,
And || so be|stow these | papers | as you | bade me.
CASSIUS
T T . T
, , ,
That done, repair | to Pom|pey's the|ater.
[Exit CINNA]
, ,
, ,
,
Come Cas/ca, you | and I | will yet,| ere* day,
, ,
, , ,
See Brut|us at | his house:| three parts / of him
,
, ,
, ,
Is ours | alrea|dy, and | the man | entire
, ,
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,
Upon | the next | encount|er, yields | him ours.
CASCA
,
, , , ,
O, he | sits high / in all | the peo|ple's
hearts:
, ,
, ,
,
And that | which would | appear | offense | in
us,
, ,
, ,
,
His count|enance,| like rich|est al|chemy,
,
, ,
, ,
Will change | to vir|tue, and | to worth|iness.
CASSIUS
,
, , ,
,
Him, and | his worth,| and our / great need | of him,
,
, ,
, ,
You have / right well | conceit|ed: Let | us go,
,
, ,
, ,
For it | is aft|er mid|night, and / ere day,
,
, ,
, ,
We will | awake | him, and | be sure | of him.
[Exeunt]