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THE TRAGEDIE OF JULIUS CAESAR
THE TRAGEDIE OF JULIUS CAESAR WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Actus Primus. Scoena Prima.
Enter Flauius Murellus and certaine Commoners ouer the Stage.
Flauius. Hence: home you idle Creatures get you home:
Is this a Holiday? What know you not
(Being Mechanicall) you ought not walke
Vpon a labouring day without the signe
Of your Profession? Speake what Trade art thou?
Car. Why Sir a Carpenter
Mur. Where is thy Leather Apron and thy Rule?
What dost thou with thy best Apparrell on?
You sir what Trade are you?
Cobl. Truely Sir in respect of a fine Workman I am
but as you would say a Cobler
Mur. But what Trade art thou? Answer me directly
Cob. A Trade Sir that I hope I may vse with a safe
Conscience which is indeed Sir a Mender of bad soules
Fla. What Trade thou knaue? Thou naughty knaue
what Trade?
Cobl. Nay I beseech you Sir be not out with me: yet
if you be out Sir I can mend you
Mur. What mean'st thou by that? Mend mee thou
sawcy Fellow?
Cob. Why sir Cobble you
Fla. Thou art a Cobler art thou?
Cob. Truly sir all that I liue by is with the Aule: I
meddle with no Tradesmans matters nor womens matters;
but withal I am indeed Sir a Surgeon to old shooes:
when they are in great danger I recouer them. As proper
men as euer trod vpon Neats Leather haue gone vpon
my handy-worke
Fla. But wherefore art not in thy Shop to day?
Why do'st thou leade these men about the streets?
Cob. Truly sir to weare out their shooes to get my
selfe into more worke. But indeede sir we make Holyday
to see Caesar and to reioyce in his Triumph
Mur. Wherefore reioyce?
What Conquest brings he home?
What Tributaries follow him to Rome
To grace in Captiue bonds his Chariot Wheeles?
You Blockes you stones you worse then senslesse things:
O you hard hearts you cruell men of Rome
Knew you not Pompey many a time and oft?
Haue you climb'd vp to Walles and Battlements
To Towres and Windowes? Yea to Chimney tops
Your Infants in your Armes and there haue sate
The liue-long day with patient expectation
To see great Pompey passe the streets of Rome:
And when you saw his Chariot but appeare
Haue you not made an Vniuersall shout
That Tyber trembled vnderneath her bankes
To heare the replication of your sounds
Made in her Concaue Shores?
And do you now put on your best attyre?
And do you now cull out a Holyday?
And do you now strew Flowers in his way
That comes in Triumph ouer Pompeyes blood?
Be gone
Runne to your houses fall vpon your knees
Pray to the Gods to intermit the plague
That needs must light on this Ingratitude
Fla. Go go good Countrymen and for this fault
Assemble all the poore men of your sort;
Draw them to Tyber bankes and weepe your teares
Into the Channell till the lowest streame
Do kisse the most exalted Shores of all.
Exeunt. all the Commoners.
See where their basest mettle be not mou'd
They vanish tongue-tyed in their guiltinesse:
Go you downe that way towards the Capitoll
This way will I: Disrobe the Images
If you do finde them deckt with Ceremonies
Mur. May we do so?
You know it is the Feast of Lupercall
Fla. It is no matter let no Images
Be hung with Caesars Trophees: Ile about
And driue away the Vulgar from the streets;
So do you too where you perceiue them thicke.
These growing Feathers pluckt from Caesars wing
Will make him flye an ordinary pitch
Who else would soare aboue the view of men
And keepe vs all in seruile fearefulnesse.
Exeunt.
Enter Caesar Antony for the Course Calphurnia Portia Decius
Cicero
Brutus Cassius Caska a Soothsayer: after them Murellus and
Flauius.
Caes. Calphurnia
Cask. Peace ho Caesar speakes
Caes. Calphurnia
Calp. Heere my Lord
Caes. Stand you directly in Antonio's way
When he doth run his course. Antonio
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