书城英文图书加拿大学生文学读本(第5册)
35240400000054

第54章 FOR A‘THAT AND A’THAT(3)

Ant.Friends,Romans,countrymen,lend me your ears;I come to bury C?sar,not to praise him.

The evil that men do lives after them;The good is oft interred with their bones;So let it be with C?sar.The noble Brutus Hath told you,C?sar was ambitious:

If it were so,it was a grievous fault,And grievously hath C?sar answer’d it.

Here,under leave of Brutus and the rest,For Brutus is an honourable man;So are they all,all honourable menCome I to speak in C?sar‘s funeral.

He was my friend,faithful and just to me:But Brutus says he was ambitious;And Brutus is an honourable man.

He hath brought many captives home to Rome,Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:

Did this in C?sar seem ambitious?

When that the poor have cried,C?sar hath wept:Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:

Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;And Brutus is an honourable man.You all did see that on the LupercalI thrice presented him a kingly crown,Which he did thrice refuse:was this ambition?Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;And,sure,he is an honourable man.

I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,But here I am to speak what I do know.

You all did love him once,not without cause:

What cause withholds you then to mourn for him?O judgment,thou art fled to brutish beasts,And men have lost their reason!Bear with me;My heart is in the coffin there with C?sar,And I must pause till it come back to me.

1Cit .Methinks there is much reason in his sayings.

2Cit .If thou consider rightly of the matter,C?sar has had great wrong.

3Cit .Has he,masters?

I fear there will a worse come in his place.

4Cit .Mark’d ye his words?He would not take the crown;Therefore ‘t is certain he was not ambitious.

1Cit .If it be found so,some will dear abide it.

2Cit .Poor soul!his eyes are red as fire with weeping.3Cit .There’s not a nobler man in Rome than Antony.4Cit .Now mark him,he begins again to speak.

Ant .But yesterday the word of C?sar might Have stood against the world:now lies he there,And none so poor to do him reverence.

Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,I should do Brutus wrong,and Cassius wrong,Who,you all know,are honourable men;I will not do them wrong;I rather chooseTo wrong the dead,to wrong myself,and you,Than I will wrong such honourable men.

But here’s a parchment,with the seal of C?sar;I found it in his closet,‘t is his will:

Let but the commons hear this testament,Which,pardon me,I do not mean to read,And they would go and kiss dead C?sar’s wounds,And dip their napkins in his sacred blood,Yea,beg a hair of him for memory,And,dying,mention it within their wills,Bequeathing it as a rich legacyUnto their issue.

4Cit .We‘ll hear the will:read it,Mark Antony.

All .The will,the will!we will hear C?sar’s will.

Ant .Have patience,gentle friends,I must not read it;It is not meet you know how C?sar lov‘d you.

You are not wood,you are not stones,but men;And,being men,hearing the will of C?sar,It will inflame you,it will make you mad:

’Tis good you know not that you are his heirs;For,if you should,O,what would come of it!4Cit .Read the will;we‘ll hear it,Antony;You shall read us the will,C?sar’s will.

Ant .Will you be patient?will you stay awhile?I have o‘ershot myself to tell you of it.

Whose daggers have stabb’d C?sar;I do fear it.

4Cit .They were traitors:honourable men!

All .The will!the testament!

2Cit .They were villains,murderers:the will!read the will!

Ant .You will compel me,then,to read the will?

Then make a ring about the corpse of C?sar,And let me show you him that made the will.Shall I descend?and will you give me leave?

All .Come down.

2Cit .Descend.

3Cit .You shall have leave.

4Cit .A ring;stand round.

1Cit .Stand from the hearse,stand from the body.2Cit .Room for Antony!most noble Antony.Ant .Nay,press not so upon me;stand far off.

All .Stand back!room!bear back!

Ant .If you have tears,prepare to shed them now.You all do know this mantle;I rememberThe first time ever C?sar put it on;‘T was on a summer’s evening,in his tent,That day he overcame the Nervii :Look!in this place ran Cassius‘dagger through:

See,what a rent the envious Casca made:Through this,the wellbeloved Brutus stabb’d;And,as he pluck‘d his cursed steel away,Mark how the blood of C?sar follow’d it,As rushing out of doors,to be resolv‘dIf Brutus so unkindly knock’d,or no;For Brutus,as you know,was C?sar‘s angel:Judge,O you gods,how dearly C?sar lov’d him!This was the most unkindest cut of all;For when the noble C?sar saw him stab,Ingratitude,more strong than traitors‘arms,Quite vanquish’d him:then burst his mighty heart;And,in his mantle muffling up his face,Even at the base of Pompey‘s statue,Which all the while ran blood,great C?sar fell.

O,what a fall was there;my countrymen!Then I,and you,and all of us fell down,Whilst bloody treason flourish’d over us.O,now you weep.and I perceive,you feel The dint of pity:these are gracious drops.

Kind souls,what,weep you,when you but behold Our C?sar‘s vesture wounded?Look you here.Here is himself,marr’d,as you see,with traitors.

1Cit .O piteous spectacle!

2Cit .O noble C?sar!3Cit .O woeful day!

4Cit .O traitors,villains!

1Cit .O most bloody sight!2Cit .We will be revenged.

All .Revenge!About,seek,burn,fire,kill,slay!

him.

Let not a traitor live!

Ant .Stay,countrymen.

1Cit .Peace there!Hear the noble Antony.

2Cit .We‘ll hear him,we’ll follow him,we‘ll die withAnt .Good friends,sweet friends,let me not stir you upTo such a sudden flood of mutiny.

They that have done this deed are honourable;What private griefs they have,alas!I know not,That made them do it;they are wise and honourable,And will,no doubt,with reasons answer you.

I come not,friends,to steal away your hearts:I am no orator,as Brutus is;But as you know me all,a plain blunt man,That love my friend;and that they know full well That gave me public leave to speak of him.