1 See note, p. 768.

SCENE

IV.

Antony's House at Athens,
Enter Atony and Octacia.

[Exeunt

[it

Ant. Nay, nay, Octavia, not only that,-
That were excusable, that, and thousands more
Of semblable import,-but he hath wág'd
New wars 'gainst Pompey; made his will, and read
To public ear:

Spoke scantily of me: when perforce he could not
But pay me terms of honour, cold and sickly
He vented them; most narrow measure lent me:
When the best hint was given him, he not took it
40 Or did it from his teeth.

Octa. O my good lord,

Believe not all; or, if you must believe,
Stomach not all. A more unhappy lady,
If this division chance, ne'er stood between,
45 Praying for both parts; The good gods will mock
me presently

When I shall pray, 0, bless my lord and husband!
Undo that prayer, by crying out as loud,

O, bless my brother! Husband win, win brother, 50 Prays, and destroys the prayer; no midway Twixt these extremes at all.

Ant. Gentle Octavia,

Let your best love draw to that point, which seeks
Best to preserve it: If I lose mine honour,

55I lose myself; better I were not yours,
Than yours so branchless. But, as you requested,
Yourself shall go between us: The mean time,
I'll raise the preparation of a war

[lady,

2 This scene (says Dr. Grey) is a manifest allusion to the questions put by queen Elizabeth to Sir James Melvil, concerning his mistress, the queen of Scots.-Whoever will give himself the trouble to consult his Memoirs, will probably suppose the resemblance to be more than accidental. 3 Station, in this instance, means the act of standing. To harry, is to use roughly. i. e, disgrace,

Sha

Mec. This in the public eye? [exercise.
Cas. I' the common shew-place, where they
His sons he there proclaim'd, The kings of kings:
Great Media, Parthia, and Armenia,

He gave to Alexander; to Ptolemy he assign'd
Syria, Cilicia, and Phoenicia: She.

In the habiliments of the goddess Isis
That day appear'd; and oft before gave audience,
As 'tis reported, so.

Mec. Let Rome be thus

Informed.

Agr. Who, queasy with his insolence
Already, will their good thoughts call from him.
Cas. The people know it; and have now receiv'd
15 His accusations.

Cas. Why have you stol'n upon us thus? You
Like Casar's sister: The wife of Antony
Should have an army for an usher, and

The neighs of horse to tell of her approach,
Long ere she did appear: the trees by the way,

[Exeunt. 45 Should have borne men; and expectation fainted,
Longing for what it had not: nay, the dust
Should have ascended to the roof of heaven,
Rais'd by your populous troops: But you are come
A market-maid to Rome; and have prevented

Cas. Contemning Rome, he has done all this: 50 The ostentation of our love, which, left unshewn,

i. e. upon Cæsar's accusation. Lydia for Lybia.

i. e. an obstruction, a bar to the prosecution of his wanton pleasures with Cleopatra.

T

Cas. Welcome hither:
Your letters did withhold our breaking forth;
Till we perceived, both how you were wrong led,
And we in negligent danger. Cheer your heart:
Be you not troubled with the time, which drives
O'er your content these strong necessities;
But let determin'd things to destiny
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, 30
To do you justice, make their ministers

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

35

[wars; 50

'Regiment is used for regimen or government, by most of our ancient writers. To forspeak is to contradict, to speak against, as forbid is to order negatively.

3 E

Ant. Can he be there in person? 'tis impossible ;[ Strange, that his power should be.-Canidius, Our nineteen legions thou shalt hold by land, Andour twelve thousand horse:--We'll to our ship; Away, my Thetis!-How now, worthy soldier? Enter a Soldier.

Sold. O noble emperor, do not fight by sea;
Trust not to rotten planks: Do you misdoubt
This sword, and these my wounds? Let the
Ægyptians,

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.

[Exeunt Antony, Cleopatra, and Enobarbus. 15
Sold. By Hercules, I think, I am i' the right.
Can. Soldier,thou art: but his wholeactiongrows
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 horse whole, do you not?
Can. Marcus Octavius, Marcus Justeius,
Publicola, and Cælius, are for sea:

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

Sold. While he was yet in Rome,
His power went out in such distractions, as
Beguil'd all spies.

Can. Who's his lieutenant, hear you?
Sold. They say, one Taurus.

Can. Well I know the man.

Enter a Messenger.

Mes. The emperor calls Canidius.

Can. With news the time's with labour; and

Scar. The greater cantle of the world is lost With very ignorance; we have kiss'd away Kingdoms and provinces.

Eno. How appears the fight?

Scar. On our side like the token'd' pestilence, Where death is sure. Yon ribal'd nag of Egypt, Whom leprosy o'ertake! i' the midst of the fight,

7

20 When vantage like a pair of twins appear'd,
Both as the same, or rather ours the elder,-
The brize upon her, like a cow in June,
Hoists sails, and flies.

8

Eno. That I beheld:

25 Mine eyes did sicken at the sight, and could not Endure a further view.

Scar. She once being looft,

The noble ruin of her magic, Antony,

Claps on his sea-wing, and, like a doating mallard,
30 Leaving the fight in height, flies after her :
I never saw an action of such shame;
Experience, manhood, honour, ne'er before
Did violate so itself.

35

Eno. Alack, alack!

Enter Canidius.

Can. Our fortune on the sea is out of breath,
And sinks most lamentably. Had our general
Been what he knew himself, it had gone well:
O, he has given example for our flight,
40 Most grossly, by his own.

[night

Eno. Ay, are you thereabouts? Why then, good
Indeed.

Can. Towards Peloponnesus are they fled.
Scar. 'Tis easy to't; and there will I attend

45 What further comes.

Can. To Cæsar will I render

My legions and my horse; six kings already
Shew me the way of yielding.

Eno. I'll yet follow

50 The wounded chance of Antony, though my reason Sits in the wind against me.

[Exeunt.

way over the stage; and Taurus, the lieutenant 55 Enter Antony, with Eros, and other Attendants. of Casar, the other way. After their going in, Ant. Hark,thelandbids me tread no moreupon't,

That is, his whole conduct becomes ungoverned by the right, or by reason. i. e. detachments; separate bodies. 3 Which, Plutarch says, was the name of Cleopatra's ship. 4 Cantle is a corner. i. e. spotted. The death of those visited by the plague was certain when particular eruptions appeared on the skin; and these were called God's tokens. A ribald is a lewd fellow. Yon ribald nag means, Yon strumpet, who is common to every wanton fellow. Leprosy was one of the various names by which the Lues venerea was distinguished. The brize is the gad-fly. loof (or luff) is to bring a ship close to the wind.

7

It is asham'd to bear me !-Friends, come hither;[
I am so lated' in the world, that I

Have lost my way for ever:-I have a ship
Laden with gold; take that, divide it: fly,
And make your peace with Cæsar.
Omnes. Fly! not we.

[cowards Ant. I have fled myself; and have instructed To run, and shew their shoulders.-Friends, be gone:

I have myself resolv'd upon a course,
Which has no need of you; be gone:
My treasure's in the harbour, take it.-0,
I follow'd that I blush to look upon:
My very hairs do mutiny; for the white
Reprove the brown for rashness, and they them
For fear and doating.-Friends, be gone; you shall
Have letters from me to some friends, that will
Sweep your way for you. Pray you, look not sad,
Nor make replies of lothness: take the hint
Which my despair proclaims; let that be left
Which leaves itself: to the sea-side straightway
I will possess you of that ship and treasure.
Leave me, I pray, a little: pray you now :-
Nay, do so; for, indeed, I have lost command,
Therefore I pray you:-I'll see you by-and-by.
Enter Eros,and Cleopatra, led by Charmian and Iras.
Eros. Nay, gentle madam, to him:-Comfort
Iras. Do, most dear queen.
Char. Do! Why, what else?
Cleo. Let me sit down. O Juno!

Ant. No, no, no, no, no.

Eros. See you here, sir?
Ant. O fye, fye, fye.

Char. Madam,

Iras. Madam; O good empress!-
Eros. Sir, sir,-

[him.

Ant. Yes, my lord, yes;-He, at Philippi, kept
His sword even like a dancer'; while I struck
The lean and wrinkled Cassius; and 'twas I,
That the mad3 Brutus ended: he alone
Dealt on lieutenantry, and no practice had
In the brave squares of war: Yet now-No mat-
Cleo. Ah, stand by.

:-0!

[ter.

Eros. The queen, my lord, the queen.
Iras. Go to him, madam, speak to him;
He is unquality'd with very shame.
Cleo. Well then,-Sustain me :-
Eros. Most noble sir, arise; the queen approach-
Her head's declin'd, and death will seize her, but
Your comfort makes the rescue.

Ant. I have offended reputation;

A most unnoble swerving.
Eros. Sir, the queen.

[es;

Ant. O, whither hast thou led me, Egypt? See
How I convey my shame out of thine eyes,

:

15

20

25

30

35

Cleo. O, my pardon.

Ant. Now, I must

To the young man send humble treaties, dodge
And pafter in the shifts of lowness; who
With half the bulk of the world play'd as I pleas'd,
Making, and marring fortunes. You did know
How much you were my conqueror; and that
My sword, made weak by my affection, would
Obey it on all cause.

Cleo. Pardon, pardon.

Ant. Fall not a tear, I say; one of them rates
All that is won and lost: Give me a kiss;
Even this repays me.-We sent our school-master,
Is he come back?-Love, I am full of lead :-
Some wine, there, and our viands:-Fortune
knows,

We scorn her most, when most she offers blows.
[Exeunt.

SCENE X.

Casar's Camp, in Egypt.

Enter Cæsar, Dolabella, Thyreus, with others.
Cas. Let him appear that's come from An-
tony.-
Know you him?

Dol. Cæsar, 'tis his school-master":
An argument that he is pluck'd, when hither
He sends so poor a pinion of his wing,

40 Which had superfluous kings for messengers,
Not many moons gone by.

Enter Ambassador from Antony.

Cæs. Approach, and speak.

Amb. Such as I am, I come from Antony:

45I was of late as petty to his ends,
As is the morn-dew on the myrtle leaf
To his grand sea'.

Cæs. Be it so; Declare thine office.

Amb. Lord of his fortunes he salutes thee, and 50 Requires to live in Egypt: which not granted, He lessens his requests; and to thee sues

To let him breathe between the heavens and earth,
A private man in Athens: This for him.
Next, Cleopatra does confess thy greatness;
[55]Submits her to thy might! and of thee craves

'Alluding to a benighted traveller. 2 Antony means, that Cæsar never offered to draw his
sword, but kept it in the scabbard, like one who dances with a sword on, which was formerly the
custom in England. 'Nothing, says Dr. Warburton, can be more in character, than for an infamous
debauched tyrant to call the heroic love of one's country and public liberty, madness. Meaning,
perhaps, that Cæsar only fought by proxy, made war by his lieutenants, or, on the strength of his
lieutenants. i. e. except or unless. i. e. how, by looking another way, I withdraw my'
ignominy from your sight. "That is, by the heart-string.
The name of this person was
Euphronius. ? His grand sea may mean his full tide of prosperity.

The