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Julius Caesar: Act 2, Scene 2

           Thunder and lightning. Enter JULIUS
           CAESAR, in his night-gown.

      CAESAR
  1   Nor heaven nor earth have been at peace tonight:
  2   Thrice hath Calphurnia in her sleep cried out,
  3   'Help, ho! they murder Caesar!' Who's within?

           Enter a Servant.

       Servant
  4   My lord?

      CAESAR
  5   Go bid the priests do present sacrifice
  6   And bring me their opinions of success.

      Servant
  7   I will, my lord.

           Exit.

           Enter Calphurnia.

      CALPHURNIA
  8   What mean you, Caesar? think you to walk forth?
  9   You shall not stir out of your house today.

      CAESAR
 10   Caesar shall forth: the things that threaten'd me
 11   Ne'er look'd but on my back; when they shall see
 12   The face of Caesar, they are vanished.

      CALPHURNIA
 13   Caesar, I never stood on ceremonies,
 14   Yet now they fright me. There is one within,
 15   Besides the things that we have heard and seen,
 16   Recounts most horrid sights seen by the watch.
 17   A lioness hath whelped in the streets;
 18   And graves have yawn'd, and yielded up their dead;
 19   Fierce fiery warriors fought upon the clouds,
 20   In ranks and squadrons and right form of war,
 21   Which drizzled blood upon the Capitol;
 22   The noise of battle hurtled in the air,
 23   Horses did neigh, and dying men did groan,
 24   And ghosts did shriek and squeal about the streets.
 25   O Caesar! these things are beyond all use,
 26   And I do fear them.

      CAESAR
                                         What can be avoided
 27   Whose end is purposed by the mighty gods?
 28   Yet Caesar shall go forth; for these predictions
 29   Are to the world in general as to Caesar.

      CALPHURNIA
 30   When beggars die, there are no comets seen;
 31   The heavens themselves blaze forth the death
       of princes.

      CAESAR
 32   Cowards die many times before their deaths;
 33   The valiant never taste of death but once.
 34   Of all the wonders that I yet have heard.
 35   It seems to me most strange that men should fear;
 36   Seeing that death, a necessary end,
 37   Will come when it will come.

           Enter a Servant.

                                                 What say the augurers?

      Servant
 38   They would not have you to stir forth today.
 39   Plucking the entrails of an offering forth,
 40   They could not find a heart within the beast.

      CAESAR
 41   The gods do this in shame of cowardice:
 42   Caesar should be a beast without a heart,
 43   If he should stay at home today for fear.
 44   No, Caesar shall not: danger knows full well
 45   That Caesar is more dangerous than he:
 46   We are two lions litter'd in one day,
 47   And I the elder and more terrible:
 48   And Caesar shall go forth.

      CALPHURNIA
                                                Alas, my lord,
 49   Your wisdom is consumed in confidence.
 50   Do not go forth today: call it my fear
 51   That keeps you in the house, and not your own.
 52   We'll send Mark Antony to the senate-house:
 53   And he shall say you are not well today:
 54   Let me, upon my knee, prevail in this.

      CAESAR
 55   Mark Antony shall say I am not well,
 56   And, for thy humour, I will stay at home.

           Enter DECIUS.

 57   Here's Decius Brutus, he shall tell them so.

      DECIUS
 58   Caesar, all hail! good morrow, worthy Caesar:
 59   I come to fetch you to the Senate-house.

      CAESAR
 60   And you are come in very happy time,
 61   To bear my greeting to the senators
 62   And tell them that I will not come today:
 63   Cannot, is false, and that I dare not, falser:
 64   I will not come today: tell them so, Decius.

      CALPHURNIA
 65   Say he is sick.

      CAESAR
                          Shall Caesar send a lie?
 66   Have I in conquest stretch'd mine arm so far,
 67   To be afraid to tell graybeards the truth?
 68   Decius, go tell them Caesar will not come.

      DECIUS
 69   Most mighty Caesar, let me know some cause,
 70   Lest I be laugh'd at when I tell them so.

      CAESAR
 71   The cause is in my will: I will not come;
 72   That is enough to satisfy the senate.
 73   But for your private satisfaction,
 74   Because I love you, I will let you know:
 75   Calphurnia here, my wife, stays me at home:
 76   She dreamt to-night she saw my statue,
 77   Which, like a fountain with an hundred spouts,
 78   Did run pure blood: and many lusty Romans
 79   Came smiling, and did bathe their hands in it:
 80   And these does she apply for warnings, and portents,
 81   And evils imminent; and on her knee
 82   Hath begg'd that I will stay at home today.

      DECIUS
 83   This dream is all amiss interpreted;
 84   It was a vision fair and fortunate:
 85   Your statue spouting blood in many pipes,
 86   In which so many smiling Romans bathed,
 87   Signifies that from you great Rome shall suck
 88   Reviving blood, and that great men shall press
 89   For tinctures, stains, relics and cognizance.
 90   This by Calphurnia's dream is signified.

      CAESAR
 91   And this way have you well expounded it.

      DECIUS
 92   I have, when you have heard what I can say:
 93   And know it now: the senate have concluded
 94   To give this day a crown to mighty Caesar.
 95   If you shall send them word you will not come,
 96   Their minds may change. Besides, it were a mock
 97   Apt to be render'd, for some one to say
 98   'Break up the senate till another time,
 99   When Caesar's wife shall meet with better dreams.'
100   If Caesar hide himself, shall they not whisper
101   'Lo, Caesar is afraid'?
102   Pardon me, Caesar; for my dear dear love
103   To our proceeding bids me tell you this;
104   And reason to my love is liable.

      CAESAR
105   How foolish do your fears seem now, Calphurnia!
106   I am ashamed I did yield to them.
107   Give me my robe, for I will go.

           Enter BRUTUS, LIGARIUS, METELLUS,
           CASCA, TREBONIUS, CINNA, and PUBLIUS.

108   And look where Publius is come to fetch me.

      PUBLIUS
109   Good morrow, Caesar.

      CAESAR
                                          Welcome, Publius.
110   What, Brutus, are you stirr'd so early too?
111   Good morrow, Casca. Caius Ligarius,
112   Caesar was ne'er so much your enemy
113   As that same ague which hath made you lean.
114   What is 't o'clock?

      BRUTUS
                                      Caesar, 'tis strucken eight.

      CAESAR
115   I thank you for your pains and courtesy.

           Enter ANTONY.

116   See! Antony, that revels long o' nights,
117   Is notwithstanding up. Good morrow, Antony.

      ANTONY
118   So to most noble Caesar.

      CAESAR
                                            Bid them prepare within:
119   I am to blame to be thus waited for.
120   Now, Cinna: now, Metellus: what, Trebonius!
121   I have an hour's talk in store for you;
122   Remember that you call on me today:
123   Be near me, that I may remember you.

      TREBONIUS
124   Caesar, I will:

           [Aside.]

                                and so near will I be,
125   That your best friends shall wish I had been further.

      CAESAR
126   Good friends, go in, and taste some wine with me;
127   And we, like friends, will straightway go together.

      BRUTUS [Aside.]
128   That every like is not the same, O Caesar,
129   The heart of Brutus earns to think upon!

           Exeunt.