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Julius Caesar

Act II, Scene 2

CAESAR's house.
 
[Thunder and lightning. Enter CAESAR, in his night-gown]
 
CAESAR
             x           ,            ,         ,         ,
      Nor heaven,| nor earth,
Have been | at peace | tonight:
         ,           ,  ,          2      ,            ,
      Thrice hath | Calpur/nia,| in her sleep | cried^out,
             ,         ,       ,         ,         ,
      Help,^ho:| they murd|er Cae|sar. Who's | within?
 
[Enter a Servant]
 
SERVANT
My lord.
 
CAESAR
          ,           ,          ,        ,     ,
      Go bid | the priests | do pres|ent sa|crifice,
            ,          ,       ,        ,        ,
      And bring | me their | opin|ions of | success.
 
SERVANT
I will my lord.
 
[Exit SERVANT.  Enter CALPURNIA]
 
CALPURNIA
             ,         ,         ,                ,    ,
      What mean | you Cae|sar? Think | you to / walk forth?
            ,           ,     ,              ,        ,
      You shall | not stir | out of | your house | today.
 
CAESAR
       ,               ,            ,            ,          ,
      Caesar | shall forth;| the things | that threat|ened me,
              ,          ,        ,           ,           ,
      Nere looked | but on | my back:| when they | shall see
            ,        ,         ,         ,     ,
      The face | of Cae|sar, they | are van|ished.
 
CALPURNIA
       ,       ,   2       ,         ,    ,
      Caesar,| I never | stood on | cere|monies,
           ,            ,           ,         ,         ,
      Yet now | they fright | me: there | is one | within,
          ,            ,           ,          ,           ,
      Besides | the things | that we | have heard | and seen,
           ,           ,         ,       ,             ,
      Recounts | most^hor|rid sights | seen by | the watch.
         ,    ,           ,       ,          ,
      A li|oness | hath whel|ped in the | streets,
             ,             ,           ,       ,           ,
      And graves | have yawned,| and yield|ed up | their dead;
         T     Tx   T          ,        ,           ,
      Fierce fiery war|riors fought | upon | the clouds
           ,           ,                 ,     ,        ,
      In ranks | and squad|rons, and / right form | of war
              ,         ,       ,         ,    ,
      Which driz|zled blood | upon | the cap|itol:
            ,         ,       ,        ,        ,
      The noise | of bat|tle hur|tled in | the air:
       ,             ,          ,      ,          ,
      Horses | did neigh,| and dy|ing men | did groan,
             ,            ,            ,        ,           ,
      And ghosts | did shriek | and squeal | about | the streets.
         ,         ,        ,      2     T   T   T
      O Cae|sar, these | things are be|yond all use,
          ,        ,
      And I | do fear | them.
 
CAESAR
                                ,     ,    2   ,
                              What | can be a|voided
             ,        ,         ,         ,       ,
      Whose^end | is pur|posed by | the migh|ty gods?
           ,        ,          ,           ,         ,        2->
      Yet Cae|sar shall | go forth:| for these | predic||tions
       ,      2       ,         ,   2    ,       ,      2->
      Are | to the world | in gen|eral, as | to Cae||sar.
 
CALPURNIA
            ,        ,           ,        ,        ,
      When beg|gars die,| there are | no co|mets seen,
             x             ,       T     T    .    T          ,      ->
      The heavens | themselves | blaze forth the death | of prin||ces.
 
CAESAR
       ,        ,      2    ,         ,             ,
      Cow|ards die | many times | before | their deaths,
           ,   2    ,       ,          ,           ,
      The val|iant nev|er taste | of death | but once:
          ,         ,         ,       ,           ,
      Of all | the wond|ers that | I yet | have heard,
           ,               ,     ,            ,             ,
      It seems | to me / most strange | that men | should fear,
       ,              ,        ,     ,     ,
      Seeing | that death,| a ne|cessa|ry end
             ,          ,          ,      ,     2       ,   2
      Will come,| when it | will come.| What say the | augurers?
 
[Enter Servant]
 
SERVANT
             ,           ,               ,    ,        ,
      They would | not have | you to / stir forth | today.
        ,             ,         ,       ,    2     ,
      Plucking | the en|trails of | an of|fering forth,
             ,           ,        ,         ,          ,
      They could | not find | a heart | within | the beast.
 
CAESAR
            ,         ,         ,         ,      ,
      The gods | do this | in shame | of cow|ardice:
       ,               ,       ,          ,        ,
      Caesar | should be | a beast | without | a heart
          ,            ,         ,       ,          ,
      If he | should stay | at home | today | for fear:
          ,     2       ,     ,         T     T    T
      No Cae|sar shall not;| danger | knows full well
            ,             ,   ,      ,          ,
      That Cae|sar is / more dang|erous | than he.
                ,   ,      ,              ,   ,
      We are / two li|ons lit|tered in / one day,
          ,        ,             ,   ,     ,
      And I | the eld|er and / more ter|rible,
           ,               ,   ,
      And Cae|sar shall / go forth.
 
CALPURNIA
                                      ,         ,
                                    Alas | my lord,
            ,       ,        ,         ,      ,
      Your wis|dom is | consumed | in con|fidence:
          ,         ,        ,      ,            ,
      Do not | go forth | today:| call it | my fear,
             ,          ,         ,          ,          ,
      That keeps | you in | the house,| and not | your own.
              ,      ,   ,          2     ,        ,
      We'll send | Mark An/tony | to the sen|ate house,
           ,          ,         ,          ,       ,
      And he | shall say | you are | not well | today:
           ,     ,         ,         ,         ,
      Let me | upon | my knee,| prevail | in this.
 
CAESAR
            ,    ,          ,       ,         ,
      Mark An|tony | shall say | I am | not well,
           ,         ,      ,          ,         ,
      And for | thy hum|or, I | will stay | at home.
              ,   2   ,        ,           ,          ,
      Here's De|cius Brut|us, he | shall tell | them so.
 
[Enter DECIUS BRUTUS]
 
DECIUS BRUTUS
       ,     2        ,           ,        ,        ,
      Caesar, all | hail: good | morrow | worthy | Caesar,
          ,         ,          ,        ,        ,
      I come | to fetch | you to | the sen|ate house.
 
CAESAR
           ,          ,        ,     ,       ,
      And you | are come | in ve|ry hap|py time,
           ,         ,        ,        ,     ,
      To bear | my gree|ting to | the sen|ators,
            ,           ,        ,          ,       ,
      And tell | them that | I will | not come | today:
       ,            ,      ,      2      ,         ,
      Cannot,| is false:| and that I | dare not,| falser:
          ,          ,       ,      ,      2      ,  2
      I will | not come | today,| tell them so | Decius.
 
CALPURNIA
       ,            ,
      Say he | is sick.
 
CAESAR
                              ,        ,       ,
                       Shall Cae|sar send | a lie?
           ,       ,            ,             ,        ,
      Have I | in con|quest stretched | mine^arm | so far,
          ,      ,          ,      T    T    .    T
      To be | afraid | to tell | graybeards the truth:
       ,  2         ,           ,              ,    ,
      Decius,| go tell | them, Cae|sar will / not come.
 
DECIUS BRUTUS
             ,      ,       ,                 ,    ,
      Most^migh|ty Cae|sar let | me know* / some cause,
           ,         ,           ,        ,          ,
      Lest^I | be laughed | at when | I tell | them so.
 
CAESAR
            ,         ,        ,        ,          ,
      The cause | is in | my will,| I will | not come,
        ,          ,         ,     ,        ,      ->
      That is | enough | to sat|isfy | the se||nate.
       ,     ,          ,         ,      ,
      But | for your | private | satis| faction,
          ,         ,         ,         ,          ,
      Because | I love | you, I | will let | you know.
          ,   2    ,         ,      ,             ,
      Calpur|nia here | my wife,| stays me | at home:
             ,         ,          ,        ,    ,
      She dreamt | tonight,| she saw | my sta|tue,
              ,        ,         ,       ,          ,
      Which like | a fount|ain with | a hund|red spouts
       .   T    T    T          ,     ,      ,      ->
      Did run pure blood:| and ma|ny lus|ty Ro||mans
        ,     ,           2      ,             ,         ,
      Came | smiling,| and did bathe | their hands | in it:
            ,       ,     2    ,         ,              ,     ,   ->
      And these | does she ap|ply for | warnings | and por||tents,
            ,        ,  2           ,         ,
      And | evils | imminent;| and on | her knee
              ,          ,          ,         ,       ,
      Hath begged,| that I | will stay | at home | today.
 
DECIUS BRUTUS
             ,         ,       ,       ,      ,
      This dream | is all | amiss | inter|preted,
          ,       ,         ,         ,      ,
      It was | a vis|ion, fair | and for|tunate:
            ,        ,         ,         ,      ,
      Your sta|tue spout|ing blood | in man|y pipes,
           ,         ,     ,        ,         ,
      In which | so ma|ny smi|ling Rom|ans bathed,
       ,      ,                ,            ,            ,
      Signi|fies, that | from you | great^Rome | shall suck
         ,        ,           ,           ,            ,
      Revi|ving blood,| and that | great^men | shall press
            ,            ,      ,            ,      ,
      For tinc|tures, stains,| relics,| and cog|nizance.
        ,           ,    2     ,         ,      ,
      This by | Calpur|nia's dream | is sig|nified.
 
CAESAR
            ,          ,          ,        ,       ,
      And this | way have | you well | expoun|ded it.
 
DECIUS BRUTUS
          ,          ,           ,          ,        ,
      I have,| when you | have heard | what I | can say:
              x      ,          ,         ,       ,
      And know it | now, the | senate | have con|cluded
           ,          ,        ,          ,      ,      ->
      To give | this day,| a crown | to migh|ty Cae||sar.
       ,      2        ,           ,          ,          ,
      If | you shall send | them word | you will | not come,
              ,            ,         ,          ,        ,
      Their minds | may change.| Besides,| it were | a mock
       ,           ,                 ,  ,        ,
      Apt to | be rend|ered, for / someone | to say,
             ,        ,         ,      ,        ,
      Break^up | the sen|ate, till | anoth|er time:
            ,          ,            ,          ,         ,
      When Cae|sar's wife | shall meet | with bet|ter dreams.
          ,        ,         ,            ,          ,      ->
      If Cae|sar hide | himself,| shall they | not whis||per
       ,    ,        ,    ___    oo
      Lo | Caesar | is a|fraid?|
       ,    2      ,        ,         T    T    T
      Pardon me | Caesar,| for my | dear dear love
          ,        ,          ,         ,          ,
      To our | procee|ding, bids | me tell | you this:
           ,       ,        ,        ,   ,
      And reas|on to | my love | is li|able.
 
CAESAR
           ,        ,          ,           ,        ,    2  ->
      How fool|ish do | your fears | seem now | Calpur||nia?
      ,           ,   ,         ,          ,
      I | am a/shamed I | did yield | to them.
        ,            ,        ,         ,
      Give me | my robe,| for I | will go.
      <-      ,            ,    ,         ,         ,         o
        And look || where Pu|blius | is come | to fetch | me.
 
[Enter PUBLIUS, BRUTUS, LIGARIUS, METELLUS, CASCA, TREBONIUS, and CINNA]
 
PUBLIUS
            ,       ,
      Good mor|row Cae|sar.
 
CAESAR
                             ,        ,     ,
                            Wel|come Pub|lius.
            ,        ,           ,          ,      ,
      What Brut|us, are | you stirred | so ear|ly too?
            ,       ,       ,    2   ,    ,
      Good mor|row Cas|ca: Cai|us Ligar|ius,
       ,             ,         ,          ,   ,
      Caesar | was nere | so much | your en|emy,
                  ,  ,       ,            ,          ,
      As that / same ag|ue which | hath made | you lean.
             x         ,
      What is it | o'clock?
 
BRUTUS
                             ,               ,        ,
                            Caesar,| 'tis struck|en eight.
 
[Enter ANTONY]
 
CAESAR
          ,          ,           ,           ,     ,
      I thank | you for | your pains | and court|esy.
       ,    ,              ,        ,          ,
      See, An/tony | that rev|els long | at nights
          ,        ,        ,         ,       ,    2  ->
      Is not|withstand|ing up.| Good mor|row Ant||ony.
 
ANTONY
       ,     2      ,      ,
      So | to most^nob|le Cae|sar.
 
CAESAR
                                   ,        2    ,          ,  ->
                                  Bid | them prepare || within:
      ,   2       ,     2           ,       ,
      I am to | blame to be | thus wai|ted for.
           ,       ,       ,         ,        ,      ->
      Now Cin|na, now | Metel|lus: what | Trebo||nius,
      ,               ,      ,         ,          ,
      I | have an / hour's talk | in store | for you:
         ,        ,          ,        ,      ,
      Remem|ber that | you call | on me | today:
           ,          ,       ,       ,       ,
      Be near | me, that | I may | remem|ber you.
 
TREBONIUS
       ,           ,         ,     ,            ,
      Caesar | I will:| and so | near will | I be,
                    ,     ,              ,     2      ,     ,
      That your / best friends | shall wish | I had been | further.
 
CAESAR
              ,          ,         ,            ,          ,
      Good friends | go in,| and taste | some wine | with me
       .   T    T     T               ,         ,      ,       2->
      And we (like friends)| will straight|way go | togeth|er.
 
BRUTUS
            ,       ,        ,          ,       ,      2->
      That eve|ry like | is not | the same,| O Cae||sar,
            ,         ,         ,          ,       ,
      The heart | of Brut|us yearns | to think | upon.
 
[Exeunt]

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