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Caf. I have eyes upon him,

And his affairs come to me on the wind.

Where is he now?

Оa. My lord, in Athens.

Caf. No, my most wronged fifter: Cleopatra Hath nodded him to her. He hath given his empire Up to a whore, who now are levying

'The kings o' the earth for war? He hath affembled
Bocchus the king of Libya; Archelaus
Of Cappadocia, Philadelphus king

Of Paphlagonia; the Thracian king Adallas;
King Malchus of Arabia; king of Pont;
Herod of Jewry; Mithridates king

Of Comagene; Polemon and Amintas,
The kings of Mede, and Lycaonia,
With a more larger lift of fcepters.
Ota. Ay me, moft wretched,

That have my heart parted betwixt two friends,
That do afflict each other!

Caf. Welcome hither:

Your letters did with-hold our breaking forth,
Till we perceiv'd, both how you were wronged,
And we in negligent danger. Cheer your heart:
Be you not troubled with the time, which drives
O'er your content thefe ftrong neceffities;
But let determin'd things to deftiny

Hold unbewail'd their way. Welcome to Rome:
Nothing more dear to me. You are abus'd
Beyond the mark of thought: and the high Gods,

him; this is abfurd. We must read,

Being an obftruct 'tween bis luft and him.

i. e. his wife being an obftruction, a bar to the profecution of his wanton pleafures with Cleopatra.

6

WARBURTON.

Mr. Upton remarks, that there are fome errours in this enu. meration of the auxiliary kings; but it is probable that the au thour did not much wish to be accurate.

JOHNSON.
Το

To do you justice, make their ministers

Of us, and those that love you. Be of comfort; And ever welcome to us.

Agr. Welcome, lady.

Mec. Welcome, dear madam.

Each heart in Rome does love and pity you:
Only the adulterous Antony, most large
In his abominations, turns you off,

And gives his potent regiment to a trull,
That noises it against us.

Qa. Is it fo, fir?

Caf. It is most certain. Sifter, welcome : Pray you, Be ever known to patience, my dearest fifter!

SCENE VII.

[Exeunt.

Antony's camp near the promontory of Altium.
Enter Cleopatra and Enobarbus.

Cleo. I will be even with thee, doubt it not.
Eno. But why, why, why?

Cleo. Thou haft forefpoke my being in these wars; And fay'st, it is not fit.

Eno. Well, is it, is it?

Cleo. Is't not denounc'd against us? Why should

not we

Be there in person?

Eno. [Afide.] Well, I could reply:

If we should ferve with horfe and mares together,

7-potent regiment-] Regiment, is government, authority; he puts his power and his empire into the hands of a false woman. It may be obferved, that trull was not, in our author's time, a term of mere infamy, but a word of flight contempt, as wench is JOHNSON. -forefpoke my being-] To forefpeak, is to contradic, to speak againfi, as forbid is to order negatively.

now.

8

JOHNSON.

The

The horse were merely loft; the mares would bear
A foldier, and his horse.

Cleo. What is't you say?

Eno. Your prefence needs must puzzle Antony; Take from his heart, take from his brain, from his

time,

What should not then be fpared. He is already
Traduc'd for levity; and 'tis said in Rome,
That Photinus an eunuch, and your maids,
Manage this war.

Cleo. Sink Rome; and their tongues rot

That speak against us! A charge we bear i' the war ;
And, as the prefident of my kingdom, will

Appear there for a man. Speak not against it;
I will not stay behind.

Enter Antony and Canidius.

Eno. Nay, I have done here comes the emperor. Ant. Is it not strange, Canidius,

That from Tarentum, and Brundufium,

He could fo quickly cut the Ionian sea,

And take in Toryne?-You have heard on't, fweet? Cleo. Celerity is never more admired

Than by the negligent.

Ant. A good rebuke,

Which might have well becom'd the best of men

To taunt at flackness. Canidius, we

Will fight with him by fea.

Cleo. By fea! what else?

Can. Why will my lord do fo?

Ant. For that he dares us to❜t.

Eno. So hath my lord dar'd him to fingle fight. Can. Ay, and to wage this battle at Pharfalia, Where Cæfar fought with Pompey: But thefe offers, Which ferve not for his vantage, he shakes off, And fo fhould you.

Eno.

Eno. Your fhips are not well mann'd :
Your mariners are muleteers, reapers, people
Ingroft by fwift imprefs. In Cæfar's fleet
Are thofe that often have 'gainst Pompey fought:
Their fhips are yare; yours, heavy': no difgrace
Shall fall you for refufing him at sea,
Being prepar'd for land.

Ant. By fea, by sea.

Eno. Moft worthy fir, you therein throw away
The abfolute foldiership you have by land;
Diftract your army, which doth most confift
Of war-mark'd footmen: leave unexecuted
Your own renowned knowledge; quite forego
The way which promises affurance; and
Give up yourself merely to chance and hazard,
From firm fecurity.

Ant. I'll fight at fea.

Cleo. I have fixty fails, Cæfar none better.
Ant. Our overplus of shipping will we burn;
And, with the reft full mann'd, from the head of
Actium

Beat the approaching Cæfar. But if we fail,
We then can do't at land.

Thy business?

Enter a Messenger.

Mef. The news is true, my lord; he is defcried: Cæfar has taken Toryne.

Ant. Can he be there in perfon? 'tis impoffible. Strange, that his power fhould be.-Canidius, Our nineteen legions thou fhalt hold by land,

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Their fhips are yare; your's heavy-] So in fir Tho. North's Plutarch. Cæfar's fhips were not built for pomp, high and great, &c. but they were light of yarage." Yare generally fignifies, dextrous, manageable.

STEEVENS

And

And our twelve thousand horfe. We'll to our ship; Away, my Thetis !

Enter a Soldier.

How now, worthy foldier?

Sold. Oh noble emperor, do not fight by sea;
Truft not to rotten planks: do you misdoubt
This fword, and these my wounds? Let the Egyptians
And the Phoenicians go a ducking; we

Have us'd to conquer standing on the earth,
And fighting foot to foot.

Ant. Well, well, away.

I

[Exeunt Antony, Cleopatra, and Enobarbus. Sold. By Hercules, I think, I am i' the right. Can. Soldier, thou art: but his whole action grows Not in the power on't: So our leader's led,

And we are women's men.

Sold. You keep by land

The legions and the horfe whole, do you not?
Can. Marcus Octavius, Marcus Jufteius,
Publicola, and Cælius, are for fea:

But we keep whole by land. This speed of Cæfar's
Carries beyond belief.

His

Sold. While he was yet in Rome,

2

power went out in such distractions, as

Beguil'd all spies.

Can. Who's his lieutenant, hear you?

Sold. They fay, one Taurus.

Can. Well I know the man.

'By Hercules, I think, I am i' the right.

Can. Soldier, thou art; but his whole action grows

Not in the power on't :-] That is, his whole conduct becomes,

ungoverned by the right, or by reafon.

JOHNSON. 2-diftractions-] Detachments; feparate bodies. JOHNSON.

Enter

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