Agr. Let us go. Good Enobarbus make yourself my guest, Eno. Humbly, sir, I thank you. [Exeunt. SCENE III. The same. A Room in Cæsar's House. Enter CESAR, ANTONY, OCTAVIA between them; Attendants, and a Soothsayer. Ant. The world, and my great office, will sometimes Divide me from your bosom. Octa. Ant. Good night, sir.-My Octavia, Read not my blemishes in the world's report: I have not kept my square; but that to come Shall all be done by the rule. Good night, dear lady.Octa. Good night, sir.5 wrote allottery, but there is no reason for this assertion. The ghost of Andrea, in The Spanish Tragedy, says: "Minos in graven leaves of lottery "Drew forth the manner of my life and death." Farmer. Lottery for allotment. Henley. - shall bow my prayers-] The same construction is found in Coriolanus, Act I, sc. i: "Shouting their emulation." Again, in King Lear, Act II, sc. ii: "Smile you my speeches?" Modern editors have licentiously read: bow in prayers. Steevens. 5 Ant. Good night, dear lady. Octa. Good night, sir.] These last words, which in the only authentick copy of this play are given to Antony, the modern editors have assigned to Octavia. I see no need of change. He addresses himself to Cæsar, who immediately replies, Good night. Malone. I have followed the second folio, which puts these words (with sufficient propriety) into the mouth of Octavia. Steevens. Antony has already said "Good night, sir," to Cæsar, in the three first words of his speech. The repetition would be absurd. The editor of the second folio appears, from this and numberless other instances, to have had a copy of the first folio corrected by the players, or some other well-informed person. Ritson. Cas. Good night." [Exeunt CES. and OCTA. Ant. Now, sirrah! you do wish yourself in Egypt? Sooth. 'Would I had never come from thence, nor you Thither!6 Ant. If you can, your reason? Sooth. I see 't in My motion, have it not in my tongue :7 But yet Hie you again to Egypt. Ant. Say to me, Whose fortunes shall rise higher, Cæsar's, or mine? Therefore, O Antony, stay not by his side: Thy dæmon, that 's thy spirit which keeps thee, is Where Cæsar's is not; but, near him, thy angel 6 'Would I had never come from thence, nor you Thither!] Both the sense and grammar require that we should read hither, instead of thither. To come hither is English, but to come thither is not. The soothsayer advises Antony to hie back to Egypt, and for the same reason wishes he had never come to Rome; because when they were together, Cæsar's genius had the ascendant over his. M. Mason. 7 I see 't in My motion, have it not in my tongue :] i. e. the divinitory agitation. Warburton. Mr. Theobald reads, with some probability, I see it in my Malone. notion. 8 Hie you again to Egypt.] Old copy, unmetrically: Hie you to Egypt again. Steevens. 9 Becomes a Fear,] Mr. Upton reads: Becomes afear'd, The common reading is more poetical. Johnson, A Fear was a personage in some of the old moralities. Beaumont and Fletcher allude to it in The Maid's Tragedy, where Aspasia is instructing her servants how to describe her situation in needle-work: and then a Fear: "Do that Fear bravely, wench." Spenser had likewise personified Fear, in the 12th canto of the third Book of his Fairy Queen. In the sacred writings Fear is also a person; "I will put a Fear in the land of Egypt." Exodus. The whole thought is borrowed from Sir T. North's translation of Plutarch: "With Antonius there was a soothsayer or VOL. XIII. Ꮓ Ant. Speak this no more. Sooth. To none but thee; no more, but when to thee. If thou dost play with him at any game, Thou art sure to lose; and, of that natural luck, He beats thee 'gainst the odds; thy lustre thickens,1 Is all afraid to govern thee near him; But, he away, 'tis noble. Ant. Get thee gone: Say to Ventidius, I would speak with him:-[Exit Sooth. He hath spoken true: The very dice obey him ; astronomer of Egypt, that coulde cast a figure, and iudge of men's natiuities, to tell them what should happen to them. He, either to please Cleopatra, or else for that he founde it so by his art, told Antonius plainly, that his fortune (which of it selfe was excellent good, and very great) was altogether blemished, and obscured by Cæsar's fortune: and therefore he counselled him vtterly to leaue his company, and to get him as farre from him as he could. For thy Demon said he, (that is to say, the good angell and spirit that keepeth thee) is affraied of his: and being coragious and high when he is alone, becometh fearfull and timerous when he commeth neere vnto the other." Steevens. Our author has a little lower expressed his meaning more plainly: I say again, thy spirit "Is all afraid to govern thee near him.” We have this sentiment again in Macbeth : My genius is rebuk'd; as, it is said, "Mark Antony's was by Cæsar's." The old copy reads-that thy spirit. The correction, which was made in the second folio, is supported by the foregoing passage in Plutarch, but I doubt whether it is necessary. Malone. thy lustre thickens,] So, in Macbeth : 1 66 Steevens. light thickens, —.” 2 But, he away,] Old copy-alway. Corrected by Mr. Pope. Malone. 3' his quails-] The ancients used to match quails as we match cocks. Johnson. So, in the old translation of Plutarch: "For, it is said, that as often as they two drew cuts for pastime, who should haue any thing, or whether they plaied at dice, Antonius alway lost. Often Beat mine, inhoop'd, at odds. I will to Egypt: I' the east my pleasure lies:-O, come, Ventidius, [Exeunt. SCENE IV. The same. A Street. Enter LEPIDUS, MECENAS, and AGRIPPA. Lep. Trouble yourselves no further: pray you, hasten Your generals after. Agr. Sir, Mark Antony Will e'en but kiss Octavia, and we 'll follow. Lep. Till I shall see you in your soldier's dress, Which will become you both, farewel. Mec. As I conceive the journey, be at mounts Lep. My purposes do draw me much about; Mec. Agr. Lep. Farewel We shall, Your way is shorter, Sir, good success! [Exeunt. times when they were disposed to see cockefight, or quailes that were taught to fight one with another, Cæsars cockes or quailes did euer ouercome." Steevens. 4 inhoop'd, at odds.] Thus the old copy. Inhoop'd is inclosed, confined, that they may fight. The modern editions read: Beat mine, in whoop'd-at odds. Johnson. Shakspeare gives us the practice of his own time; and there is no occasion for in whoop'd at, or any other alteration. John Davies begins one of his Epigrams upon Proverbs: "He sets cocke on the hoope, in, you would say; “For cocking in hoopes is now all the play." Farmer. The attempt at emendation, however, deserves some respect; 26, in As You Like It, Celia and after that out of all whooping." Steevens. says: At odds was the phraseology of Shakspeare's time. So, in Mortimeriados, by Michael Drayton, no date: 5 "She straight begins to bandy him about, "At thousand odds, before the set goes out." Malone. at mount-] i. e. Mount Misenum. Our author probably wrote-a' the mount. Steevens. Malone. SCENE V. Alexandria. A Room in the Palace. Enter CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, IRAS, and ALEXAS. Cleo. Give me some musick; musick, moody food Of us that trade in love. Attend. The musick, ho! Enter MARDIAN. Cleo. Let it alone; let us to billiards :7 Come, Charmian. Char. My arm is sore, best play with Mardian. Cleo. As well a woman with an eunuch play'd, As with a woman;-Come, you'll play with me, sir? Mar. As well as I can, madam, Cleo. And when good will is show'd, though it come too short, The actor may plead pardon. I'll none now:- And say, Ah, ha! you 're caught. 6 musick, moody food-] The mood is the mind, or men tal disposition. Van Haaren's panegyrick on the English begins, Grootmoedig Volk, [great-minded nation.] Perhaps here is a poor jest intended between mood the mind and moods of musick. Johnson Moody, in this instance, means melancholy. Cotgrave explains moody, by the French words, morne and triste. Steevens. So, in The Comedy of Errors: "Sweet recreation barr'd, what doth ensue, "But moody and dull melancholy?" Malone. 7 let us to billiards :] This is one of the numerous ana chronisms that are found in these plays. The game was not known in ancient times. Malone. 8 And when good will is show'd, though it come too short, The actor may plead pardon.] A similar sentiment has already appeared in A Midsummer Night's Dream: 9 "For never any thing can be amiss, "When simpleness and duty tender it." Stevens. Tawny-finn'd fishes;] The first copy reads: Tawny fine fishes, Johnson. Corrected by Mr. Theobald. Malone. |