Artemidorus
'Caesar, beware of Brutus; take heed of Cassius;
come not near Casca; have an eye to Cinna; trust not
Trebonius; mark well Metellus Cimber: Decius Brutus
loves thee not: thou hast wronged Caius Ligarius. There
is but one mind in all these men, and it is bent against
Caesar. If thou beest not immortal, look about you: security
gives way to conspiracy. The mighty gods defend
thee!
Thy lover, Artemidorus.'
Here will I stand till Caesar pass along,
And as a suitor will I give him this.
My heart laments that virtue cannot live
Out of the teeth of emulation.
If thou read this, O Caesar, thou mayst live;
If not, the Fates with traitors do contrive.
Modern translation & notes
In plain English
I'll wait here until Caesar walks by, and as a petitioner I'll hand him this letter warning him of the conspiracy. It breaks my heart that goodness can't survive when envy is so vicious. If you read this, Caesar, you'll live; if not, the Fates are working with the traitors.
What’s happening
Artemidorus of Cnidos, a teacher of rhetoric and friend to Caesar, has learned of the assassination plot and written a letter naming all the conspirators. He now waits along Caesar's route to the Senate, desperate to intercept him. This brief soliloquy creates dramatic tension — the audience knows the warning exists but fears Caesar won't receive it in time.
Worth knowing
Plutarch records that Artemidorus really did attempt to warn Caesar with a written letter listing the conspirators' names. In the historical account, Caesar tried to read it but was surrounded by petitioners; he handed it over without opening it.
Playing the moment
This speech should feel urgent but controlled — Artemidorus is a scholar, not a soldier. Play the anxiety beneath the composed surface. The line 'If thou read this, O Caesar' should carry genuine pleading. The final couplet can settle into grim fatalism, as Artemidorus senses the likely outcome. Some actors deliver the letter as a physical action mid-speech, clutching it like a talisman. The tone bridges the conspirators' cold calculation with the populace's horror.