Julius Caesar Act 4 Scene 1
A house in Rome.
The Original
Plain Modern English
Enter Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus.
Antony
These many, then, shall die; their names are pricked.
Antony
These men, then, will die. Their names are marked.
Octavius
Your brother too must die. Consent you, Lepidus?
Octavius
Your brother has to die too. Do you agree, Lepidus?
Lepidus
I do consent.
Lepidus
I agree.
Octavius
Prick him down, Antony.
Octavius
Mark him down, Antony.
Lepidus
Upon condition Publius shall not live,
Who is your sister's son, Mark Antony.
Lepidus
On condition that Publius doesn't live —
your sister's son, Mark Antony. (Three men trading nephews and brothers across a table.)
Antony
He shall not live; look, with a spot I damn him.
But, Lepidus, go you to Caesar's house;
Fetch the will hither, and we shall determine
How to cut off some charge in legacies.
Antony
He won't live. Look — with one mark I condemn him.
But Lepidus, go to Caesar's house.
Fetch the will, and we'll work out
how to trim back some of the bequests. (The will he read aloud to win the mob. He is now editing it.)
Lepidus
What, shall I find you here?
Lepidus
Will I find you here?
Octavius
Or here, or at the Capitol.
Octavius
Here, or at the Capitol.
Lepidus exits.
Antony
This is a slight, unmeritable man,
Meet to be sent on errands. Is it fit,
The threefold world divided, he should stand
One of the three to share it?
Antony
This is a trivial man of no real worth,
fit only for running errands. Is it right
that with the world split three ways, he should be
one of the three sharing it?
Octavius
So you thought him
And took his voice who should be pricked to die
In our black sentence and proscription.
Octavius
You thought well enough of him
when you took his vote on who should be marked for death
in our death list just now.
Antony
Octavius, I have seen more days than you,
And, though we lay these honors on this man
To ease ourselves of diverse sland'rous loads,
He shall but bear them as the ass bears gold,
To groan and sweat under the business,
Either led or driven, as we point the way;
And having brought our treasure where we will,
Then take we down his load and turn him off
(Like to the empty ass) to shake his ears
And graze in commons.
Antony
Octavius, I've lived longer than you,
and though we heap these honours on the man
to shift various loads of blame off ourselves,
he'll carry them the way a donkey carries gold:
groaning and sweating under the weight,
led or driven wherever we point.
And once he's carried our treasure where we want it,
we take the load off and turn him loose,
like an unloaded donkey, to shake his ears
and graze on common land.
Octavius
You may do your will,
But he's a tried and valiant soldier.
Octavius
Do as you like,
but he's a proven, brave soldier.
Antony
So is my horse, Octavius, and for that
I do appoint him store of provender.
It is a creature that I teach to fight,
To wind, to stop, to run directly on,
His corporal motion governed by my spirit;
And, in some taste, is Lepidus but so.
He must be taught and trained and bid go forth—
A barren-spirited fellow, one that feeds
On objects, arts, and imitations
Which, out of use and staled by other men,
Begin his fashion. Do not talk of him
But as a property. And now, Octavius,
Listen great things. Brutus and Cassius
Are levying powers. We must straight make head.
Therefore let our alliance be combined,
Our best friends made, our means stretched;
And let us presently go sit in council
How covert matters may be best disclosed
And open perils surest answerèd.
Antony
So is my horse, Octavius — and for that
I make sure he's well fed.
He's an animal I train to fight,
to turn, to stop, to charge straight ahead,
his body's movement governed by my will.
And to some degree Lepidus is just the same.
He has to be taught and trained and told to go —
a man with no spirit of his own, who feeds
on trends, styles and imitations
that other men have used and worn out,
and only then adopts them. Don't speak of him
except as a tool. — And now, Octavius,
listen to serious matters. Brutus and Cassius
are raising armies. We must gather forces at once.
So let's consolidate our alliance,
secure our best allies, stretch our resources,
and go into council immediately
to work out how hidden threats can best be uncovered
and open dangers most surely met.
Octavius
Let us do so, for we are at the stake
And bayed about with many enemies,
And some that smile have in their hearts, I fear,
Millions of mischiefs.
Octavius
Let's do that — we're like a bear tied to a stake,
surrounded by baying enemies,
and some who smile at us carry, I fear,
millions of injuries in their hearts.
They exit.