Not Erebus itself were dim enough

To hide thee from prevention.

Enter the conspirators, muffled: Cassius, Casca, Decius, Cinna, Metellus, and Trebonius

CASSIUS

I think we are too bold upon your rest.

Good morrow, Brutus. Do we trouble you?

BRUTUS

I have been up this hour, awake all night.

Know I these men that come along with you?

CASSIUS

Yes, every man of them; and no man here

But honours you; and every one doth wish

You had but that opinion of yourself

Which every noble Roman bears of you.

This is Trebonius.

BRUTUS He is welcome hither.

CASSIUS

This, Decius Brutus.

BRUTUS He is welcome too.

CASSIUS

This, Casca; Cinna, this; and this, Metellus Cimber.

BRUTUS They are all welcome.

What watchful cares do interpose themselves

Betwixt your eyes and night?

CASSIUS Shall I entreat a word?

Cassius and Brutus ⌈stand aside and⌉ whisper

DECIUS

Here lies the east. Doth not the day break here?

CASCA No.

CINNA

O pardon, sir, it doth; and yon grey lines

That fret the clouds are messengers of day.

CASCA

You shall confess that you are both deceived.

He points his sword

Here, as I point my sword, the sun arises,

Which is a great way growing on the south,

Weighing the youthful season of the year.

Some two months hence up higher toward the north

He first presents his fire, and the high east

Stands, as the Capitol, directly here.

He points his sword. ⌈Brutus and Cassius join the other conspirators⌉

BRUTUS

Give me your hands all over, one by one.

He shakes their hands

CASSIUS

And let us swear our resolution.

BRUTUS

No, not an oath. If not the face of men,

The sufferance of our souls, the time’s abuse—

If these be motives weak, break off betimes,

And every man hence to his idle bed.

So let high-sighted tyranny range on

Till each man drop by lottery. But if these,

As I am sure they do, bear fire enough

To kindle cowards and to steel with valour

The melting spirits of women, then, countrymen,

What need we any spur but our own cause

To prick us to redress? What other bond

Than secret Romans, that have spoke the word

And will not palter? And what other oath

Than honesty to honesty engaged

That this shall be or we will fall for it?

Swear priests and cowards and men cautelous,

Old feeble carrions, and such suffering souls

That welcome wrongs; unto bad causes swear

Such creatures as men doubt; but do not stain

The even virtue of our enterprise,

Nor th’insuppressive mettle of our spirits,

To think that or our cause or our performance

Did need an oath, when every drop of blood

That every Roman bears, and nobly bears,

Is guilty of a several bastardy

If he do break the smallest particle

Of any promise that hath passed from him.

CASSIUS

But what of Cicero? Shall we sound him?

I think he will stand very strong with us.

CASCA

Let us not leave him out.

CINNA No, by no means.

METELLUS

O, let us have him, for his silver hairs

Will purchase us a good opinion,

And buy men’s voices to commend our deeds.

It shall be said his judgement ruled our hands.

Our youths and wildness shall no whit appear,

But all be buried in his gravity.

BRUTUS

O, name him not! Let us not break with him,

For he will never follow anything

That other men begin.

CASSIUS Then leave him out.

CASCA Indeed he is not fit.

DECIUS

Shall no man else be touched, but only Caesar?

CASSIUS

Decius, well urged. I think it is not meet

Mark Antony, so well beloved of Caesar,

Should outlive Caesar. We shall find of him

A shrewd contriver. And you know his means,

If he improve them, may well stretch so far

As to annoy us all; which to prevent,

Let Antony and Caesar fall together.

BRUTUS

Our course will seem too bloody, Caius Cassius,

To cut the head off and then hack the limbs,

Like wrath in death and envy afterwards—

For Antony is but a limb of Caesar.

Let’s be sacrificers, but not butchers, Caius.

We all stand up against the spirit of Caesar,

And in the spirit of men there is no blood.

O, that we then could come by Caesar’s spirit,

And not dismember Caesar! But, alas,

Caesar must bleed for it. And, gentle friends,

Let’s kill him boldly, but not wrathfully.

Let’s carve him as a dish fit for the gods,

Not hew him as a carcass fit for hounds.

And let our hearts, as subtle masters do,

Stir up their servants to an act of rage,

And after seem to chide ’em. This shall make

Our purpose necessary, and not envious;

Which so appearing to the common eyes,

We shall be called purgers, not murderers.

And for Mark Antony, think not of him,

For he can do no more than Caesar’s arm

When Caesar’s head is off.

CASSIUS Yet I fear him;

For in the engrafted love he bears to Caesar—