Bring word, how tall fhe is.-Pity me, Charmian, But fpeak not to me.-Lead me to my chamber. [Exeunt.

SCENE VI.

Near Mifenum.

Enter Pompey and Menas, at one door, with drum and trumpet: at anotker, Cæfar, Lepidus, Antony, Enobarbus, Mecenas, with foldiers marching.

Pomp. Your hostages I have, fo have you mine; And we shall talk before we fight.

Caf. Moft meet,

That first we come to words; and therefore have we Our written purposes before us fent :

Which, if thou haft confider'd let us know

If 'twill tie up thy discontented fword;

And carry back to Sicily much tall youth,
That else must perish here.

Pomp. To you all three,

The fenators alone of this great world,
Chief factors for the Gods-I do not know
Wherefore my father fhould revengers want,
Having a fon and friends; fince Julius Cæfar,
Who at Philippi the good Brutus ghosted,
There faw you labouring for him. What was it,
That mov'd pale Caffius to confpire? And what
Made thee, all-honour'd, honeft Roman Brutus,
With the arm'd reft, courtiers of beauteous freedom,
To drench the Capitol; but that they would
Have one man, but a man? And that is it,
Hath made me rig my navy; at whose burden
The anger'd ocean foams; with which I meant
To fcourge the ingratitude that defpightful Rome
Caft on my noble father.

Caf. Take your time.

Ant.

2

1

Ant. Thou canst not fear us, Pompey, with thy

fails;

We'll speak with thee at fea. At land, thou know'st, How much we do o'er count thee.

Pomp. At land, indeed,

Thou doft o'er-count. me of my father's houfe: 3 But fince the cuckow builds not for himself, Remain in't, as thou may'st.

Lep. Be pleas'd to tell us,

(For this is from the prefent) how you take The offers we have fent you.

Caf. There's the point.

Ant. Which do not be intreated to, but weigh What it is worth, embrac'd.

Caf. And what may follow

To try a larger fortune.

Pomp. You have made me offer
Of Sicily, Sardinia; and I must

Rid all the fea of pirates: then to fend
Measures of wheat to Rome: this 'greed upon,
To part with unhack'd edges, and bear back
Our targe undinted.

Omnes. That's our offer.

Pomp. Know then,

I came before you here, a man prepar'd
To take this offer: but Mark Antony
Put me to fone impatience :-though I lofe
The praise of it by telling, you must know,
When Cæfar and your brother were at blows,
Your mother came to Sicily, and did find
Her welcome friendly.

Ant. I have heard it, Pompey;

Thou canf not fear us] Thou canst not affright us with thy
JOHNSON

numerous navy.

3 But fince the cuckow builds not for himself,] Since, like the cuckow, that feizes the nefts of other birds, you have invaded a houfe which you could not build, keep it while you can. JOHNS.

And am well studied for a liberal thanks,
Which I do owe you.

Pomp. Let me have your hand:

I did not think, fir, to have met you here.

Ant. The beds i' the east are soft: and thanks toyou That call'd me timelier than my purpose hither; For I have gain'd by it.

Caf. Since I faw you laft, There is a change upon you. Pomp. Well, I know not,

4 What counts hard fortune cafts upon my face; But in my bofom she shall never come,

To make my heart her vaffal.

Lep. Well met here.

Pomp. I hope fo, Lepidus.-Thus we are agreed I crave, our compofition may be written

And feal'd between us.

Caf. That's the next to do.

Pomp. We'll feaft each other, ere we part; and let us Draw lots who shall begin.

Ant. That I will, Pompey.

Pomp. No, Antony, take the lot:

But, firft or laft, your fine Ægyptian cookery
Shall have the fame. I have heard, that Julius Cæfar
Grew fat with feafting there.

Ant. You have heard much.
Pomp. I have fair meanings, fir.
Ant. And fair words to them.

Pomp. Then fo much have I heard :-
And I have heard, Apollodorus carried-
Eno. No more of that:-he did fo.
Pomp. What, I pray you?

Eno. A certain queen to Cæfar in a mattress. Pomp. I know thee now: how far'ft thou, foldier? Eno. Well;

• What counts bard fortune cafts, &c.] Metaphor from mak ing marks or lines in cafting accounts in arithmetick.

WARB.

And

And well am like to do; for, I perceive,
Four feafts are toward.

Pomp. Let me shake thy hand;

I never hated thee: I have seen thee fight,
When I have envied thy behaviour.

Eno. Sir,

I never lov'd you much; but I have prais'd you,
When you have well deferv'd ten times as much
As I have faid you did.

Pomp. Enjoy thy plainness,

It nothing ill becomes thee.

Aboard my galley I invite you all :

Will you lead, lords?

All. Shew us the way, fir,

Pomp. Come. [Exeunt. Manent Enob. and Menas. Men. [Afide.] Thy father, Pompey, would ne'er have made this treaty.

You and I have known, fir.

Eno. At fea, I think.

Men. We have, fir.

Eno. You have done well by water.

Men. And you by land.

Eno. I will praife any man that will praise me: though it cannot be denied what I have done by land. Men. Nor what I have done by water.

Eno. Yes, fomething you can deny for your own fafety you have been a great thief by fea. Men. And you by land.

Eno. There I deny my land-fervice. But give me your hand, Menas: if your eyes had authority, here they might take two thieves kiffing.

I will praise any man that will praife me,] The poet's art in delivering this humourous fentiment (which gives us fo very true and natural a picture of the commerce of the world) can never be fufficiently admired. The confeffion could come from none but a frank and rough character like the speaker's: and the moral lesson infinuated under it, that flattery can make its way through the moft ftubborn manners, deferves our ferious reflexion.

M 3

WARB.

Men.

Men. All men's faces are true, whatfoe'er their hands are.

Eno. But there is never a fair woman has a true face.

Men. No flander; they fteal hearts.

Eno, We came hither to fight with you.

Men. For my part, I am forry it is turn'd to a drinking. Pompey doth this day laugh away his for

tune.

Eno. If he do, fure he cannot weep it back again.

Men. You have faid, fir. We look'd not for Mark Antony here; pray you, is he married to Cleopatra ? Eno. Cæfar's fifter is called Octavia.

Men. True, fir, fhe was the wife of Caius Marcellus.

Eno. But now fhe is the wife of Marcus Antonius. Men. Pray you, fir?

Eno. 'Tis true.

Men. Then is Cæfar, and he, for ever knit together. Eno. If I were bound to divine of this unity, I would not prophesy fo.

Men. I think, the policy of that purpose made more in the marriage, than the love of the parties.

Eno. I think fo too. But you fhall find, the band, that seems to tie their friendship together, will be the very ftrangler of their amity. Octavia is of a holy, cold, and ftill converfation.

Men. Who would not have his wife fo?

Eno. Not he, that himself is not fo; which is Mark Antony. He will to his Ægyptian difh again: then fhall the fighs of Octavia blow the fire up in Cæfar; and, as I faid before, that which is the ftrength of their amity, fhall prove the immediate author of their variance. Antony will ufe his affection where it is; he married but his occafion here.

Men. And thus it may be. Come, fir, will you I have a health for you.

[aboard?

Eno.