Cleo. [Afide. Excellent falfhood!

Why did he marry Fulvia, and not love her ?
I'll feem the fool, I am not. Antony.
Will be himself.

Ant. But ftirr'd by Cleopatra.

Now for the love of love, and his soft hours,

Let's not confound the time with conference harsh : There's not a minute of our lives should stretch Without fome pleasure now: What fport to-night? Cleo. Hear the embassadors.

Ant. Fy, wrangling queen!

Whom every thing becomes; to chide, to laugh,
To weep: whofe every paffion fully strives
To make itself, in thee, fair and admir'd!
No meffenger, but thine;-and all alone,
To-night, we'll wander through the streets, and note
The qualities of people. Come, my queen,
Last night you did defire it :-Speak not to us.

[Exeunt, with their train.

Dem. Is Cæfar with Antonius priz'd so flight? Phil. Sir, fometimes, when he is not Antony, He comes too fhort of that great property Which still should go with Antony.

Dem. I am full forry,

That he approves the common liar, who
Thus fpeaks of him at Rome: But I will hope
Of better deeds to-morrow. Reft you happy?
[Exeunt.

-Antony

Will be himself.

Ant. But firr'd by Cleopatra.] But, in this paffage, feems to have the old Saxon fignification of without, unless, except. Antony, fays the queen, will recollect his thoughts. Unless kept, he replies, in commotion by Cleopatra.

JOHNSON.

SCENE

SCENE II.

Another part of the palace.

Enter Charmian, Iras, Alexas, and a Soothsayer. Char. Alexas, fweet Alexas, moft any thing Alexas, almost most abfolute Alexas, where's the foothfayer that you prais'd fo to the queen? Oh! that I knew this husband, which you fay, muft change his horns with garlands.

Alex. Soothfayer,—

Sooth. Your will?

2

Char. Is this the man ?-Is't you, fir, that know things?

Sooth. In Nature's infinite book of fecrecy,

A little I can read.

Alex. Shew him your hand.

Enter Enobarbus.

Eno. Bring in the banquet quickly: wine enough Cleopatra's health to drink.

Char. Good fir, give me good fortune,

Sooth. I make not, but forefee.

Char. Pray then, foresee me one.

Sooth. You fhall be yet fairer than you are.

Char. He means, in flesh.

Iras. No, you shall paint when you are old.
Char. Wrinkles forbid !

Alex. Vex not his prescience; be attentive,
Char. Hufh!

1

change bis borns with garlands.] This is corrupt; the true reading evidently is, muft CHARGE his horns with garlands, i. e. make him a rich and honourable cuckold, having his horns hung about with garlands.. WARBURTON.

Sir Thomas Hanmer reads, not improbably, change for horns his garlands. I am in doubt, whether to change is not merely to dress, or to dress with changes of garlands. JOHNSON.

VOL. VIII.

I

Sooth.

Sooth. You fhall be more beloving, than beloved. 3 Char. I had rather heat my liver with drinking. Alex. Nay, hear him.

4

Char. Good now, fome excellent fortune! Let me be married to three kings in a forenoon, and widow them all, let me have a child at fifty, to whom Herod of Jewry may do homage! find me, to marry with Octavius Cæfar, and companion me with my mistress.

Sooth. You fhall out-live the lady whom you serve. Char. Oh, excellent! I love long life better than figs.

Sooth. You have seen and proved a fairer former fortune, than that which is to approach.

Char. Then, belike, my children shall have no

6

names:

Pr'ythee, how many boys and wenches must I have? Sooth. If every of your wishes had a womb, and foretel every wish, a million.

Char.

3 I had rather beat my liver-] To know why the lady is fo averfe from beating her liver, it must be remembered, that a heated liver is fuppofed to make a pimpled face. JOHNSON. 4 to whom Herod of Jewry may do homage!] Herod paid homage to the Romans, to procure the grant of the kingdom of Judea. STEEVENS.

5 Then, belike, my children shall have no names :] If I have already had the best of my fortune, then I fuppofe I shall never name children, that is, I am never to be married. However, tell me the truth, tell me, how many boys and wenches? JOHNSON.

A fairer fortune, I believe, means-a more reputable one. Her anfwer then implies, that belike all her children will be bastards, who have no right to the name of their father's family. STEEV. If every of your wishes bad a womb,

And foretold every wish, a million.] This nonfense should be reformed thus,

If ev'ry of your wishes had a womb,

And fertil ev'ry wish,

WARBURTON.

For foretel, in ancient editions, the latter copies have foretold. Foretel favours the emendation, which is made with great acutenefs; yet the original reading may, I think, ftand. If you bad as

many

Char. Out, fool! I forgive thee for a witch. Alex. You think, none but your sheets are privy to your wishes.

Char. Nay, come, tell Iras hers.

Alex. We'll know all our fortunes.

Eno. Mine, and most of our fortunes to-night, fhall be, drunk to bed.

Iras. There's a palm prefages chastity, if nothing elfe.

Char. Even as the o'erflowing Nilus prefageth fa

mine.

Iras. Go, you wild bedfellow, you cannot foothfay. Char. Nay, if an oily palm be not a fruitful prognoftication, I cannot fcratch mine ear.-Pr'ythee, tell her but a worky-day fortune.

Saoth. Your fortunes are alike.

Iras. But how, but how? Give me particulars.
Sooth. I have faid.

Iras. Am I not an inch of fortune better than fhe? Char. Well, if you were but an inch of fortune better than I, where would you chuse it?

Iras. Not in my husband's nofe.

"Char. Our worfer thoughts heavens mend! Alexas,-come, his fortune; his fortune.-O, let him marry a woman that cannot go, fweet Ifis, I befeech

thee!

many wombs as you will have wishes, and I fhould foretel all thofe wifhes, 1 bould foretel a million of children. It is an ellipfis very frequent in converfation; I should shame you, and tell all; that is, and if I fhould tell all. And is for and if, which was anciently, and is fill provincially used for if. JOHNSON.

7 Char. Our worfer thoughts heav'ns mend. Alex. Come, his fortune, his fortune. O, let him marry a woman, &c.] Whofe fortune does Alexas call out to have told? But, in fhort, this I dare pronounce to be fo palpable and fignal a tranfpofition, that I cannot but wonder it fhould have flipt the obfervation of all the editors; efpecially of the fagacious Mr. Pope, who has made this declaration, That if, throughout the plays, had all the Speeches been printed without the very names of the perfons, he

I 2

believes

thee! And let her die too, and give him a worse ! and let worse follow worfe, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his grave, fifty-fold a cuckold! Good Ifis, hear me this prayer, though thou deny me a matter of more weight; good Ifis, I befeech thee!

Iras. Amen, dear goddefs, hear that prayer of the people! for as it is a heart-breaking to see a handfome man loose-wiv'd, so it is a deadly forrow to behold a foul knave uncuckolded; therefore, dear Isis, keep decorum, and fortune him accordingly! Char. Amen!

Alex. Lo, now! if it lay in their hands to make me a cuckold, they would make themselves whores, but they'd do't.

Enter Cleopatra.

Eno. Huh! here comes Antony.

Char. Not he, the queen.

Cleo. Saw you my lord?

Eno. No, lady.

Cleo. Was he not here?
Char. No, Madam.

Cleo. He was difpos'd to mirth; but on the fudden A Roman thought hath ftruck him.-Enobarbus,

believes one might have applied them with certainty to every Speaker. But in how many inftances has Mr. Pope's want of judgment falfified this opinion? The fact is evidently this; Alexas brings a fortune-teller to Iras and Charmian, and fays himself, We'll know all our fortunes. Well; the foothfayer begins with the women; and fome jokes pafs upon the subject of hufbands and chastity: after which, the women hoping for the fatisfaction of having fomething to laugh at in Alexas's fortune, call him to hold out his hand, and wish heartily that he may have the prognoftication of cuckoldom upon him. The whole fpeech, therefore, muft be plac'd to Charmian. There needs no ftronger proof of this being a true correction, than the obfervation which Alexas immediately fubjoins on their wishes and zeal to hear him abused. THEOBALD

Eno.