Fourth Ple. Now mark him; he begins again to speak.
Ant. But yesterday the word of Cæsar might124
Have stood against the world; now lies he there,
And none so poor to do him reverence.
O masters, if I were dispos'd to stir
Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,128
I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong,
Who, you all know, are honourable men.
I will not do them wrong; I rather choose
To wrong the dead, to wrong myself, and you,132
Than I will wrong such honourable 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—136
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,140
And, dying, mention it within their wills,
Bequeathing it as a rich legacy
Unto their issue.
Fourth Ple. We'll hear the will: read it, Mark Antony.144
All. The will, the will! we will hear Cæsar's will!
Ant. Have patience, gentle friends; I must not read it:
It is not meet you know how Cæsar lov'd you.
You are not wood, you are not stones, but men:
And, being men, hearing the will of Cæsar,149
It will inflame you, it will make you mad.
124, 125 word . . . world: his bare assertion would have carried his point against the world
126 And there are none so humble as to show him any respect
136 commons: common people
139 napkins: handkerchiefs
