have stabb'd Caesar; I do fear it.

4 CITIZEN. They were traitors: honourable men!

ALL. The will! the testament!

2 CITIZEN. They were villains, murderers: the will! read the
will. 155

ANTONY. You will compel me, then, to read the will?
Then make a ring about the corpse of Caesar,
And let me show you him that made the will.
Shall I descend? and will you give me leave?

[Note 150: /o'ershot myself to tell:/ gone too far in telling.
Another example of the infinitive used as a gerund. Cf. l. 103
and II, i, 135.]

[Note 152: Antony now sees that he has the people wholly with
him, so that he is perfectly safe in stabbing the stabbers
with these words.]

[Page 108]

ALL. Come down. 160

2 CITIZEN. Descend.

3 CITIZEN. You shall have leave.

[ANTONY _comes down from the pulpit_]

4 CITIZEN. A ring, stand round.

1 CITIZEN. Stand from the hearse, stand from the body.

2 CITIZEN. Room for Antony, most noble Antony. 165

ANTONY. Nay, press not so upon me: stand far off.

ALL. Stand back; room; bear back!

[Note 162: [ANTONY _comes_ ...] Ff omit.]

[Note 166: /far:/ farther. The old comparative of 'far' is
'farrer' (sometimes 'ferrar') still heard in dialect, and the
final _-er_ will naturally tend to be slurred. So _The
Winter's Tale_, IV, iv, 441, "Far than Deucalion off." So
'near' for 'nearer' in _Richard II_, III, ii, 64.]

[Page 109]

ANTONY. If you have tears, prepare to shed them now.
You all do know this mantle: I remember
The first time ever Caesar put it on; 170
'Twas 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 well-beloved Brutus stabb'd; 175
And, as he pluck'd his cursed steel away,
Mark how the blood of Caesar follow'd it,
As rushing out of doors, to be resolv'd
If Brutus so unkindly knock'd, or no;
For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar's angel: 180
Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar lov'd him!
This was the most unkindest cut of all;
For when the noble Caesar saw him stab,
Ingratitude, more strong than traitors' arms,
Quite vanquish'd him: then burst his mighty heart; 185
And, in his mantle m