Cannot make better note.

Cle. He's very knowing,

I do perceive 't-There's nothing in her yet:

The fellow has good judgement.

Char. Excellent.

Cico. Guefs at her years, I pr'ythee.

Mef. Madam, he was a widow.

Cles. Widow?-Charmian, hark.

Mef. And I do think, he's thirty.

See note

6, p. 768.

SCENE

IV.

Antony's Houfe at Athens.

Enter Antony and Octavia.

[Exeunt.

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

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

Oca. O my good lord,

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

me presently

When I fhall pray, 0, blefs my lord and husband!
Undo that prayer, by crying out as loud,
O, bless my brother! Hufband win, win brother,
50 Prays, and destroys the prayer; no midway
Twixt these extremes at all.

55

Ant. Gentle Octavia,

Let your best love draw to that point, which feeks
Beft to preferve it: If I lofe mine honour,

I lofe myfelf: better I were not yours,

Than yours fo branchlefs. But, as you requested,
Yourfelf fhall go between us: The mean time, lady,
I'll raife the preparation of a war

by queen Elizabeth to Sir James Melvil, concerning his miftrefs, the queen of Scots. Whoever will
give himfelf the trouble to confult his Memoirs, will probably fuppofe the refemblance to be more than
3 Station, in this instance, means the act of flanding. ♦ To barry, is to use roughly.

2 This fcene (fays Dr. Grey) is a manifeft allufion to the queftions put

accidental.

si.e. disgrace.

Shall

Shall stain your brother: Make your foonest hafte ;|
So your defires are yours.

Ofta. Thanks to my lord.

The Jove of power make me most weak, most weak,
Your reconciler! Wars 'twixt you twain would be
As if the world fhould cleave, and that flain men
Should folder up the rift.

Ant. When it appears to you where this begins,
Turn your displeasure that way; for our faults
Can never be fo equal, that your love
Can equally move with them. Provide your going;
Choose your own company, and command what coft
Your heart has mind to.

[Excunt.

[Pompey.20

Eros. Cæfar and Lepidus have made wars upon
Eno. This is old; What is the fuccefs?

Eros. Cæfar, having made use of him in the wars
'gainst Pompey, presently denied him rivality;
would not let him partake in the glory of the 25
action and not refting here, accuses him of letters
he had formerly wrote to Pompey; upon his own
appeal 3, feizes him: So the poor third is up,
death enlarge his confine.

'till

Agr. Whom does he accufe?

Caf. Cæfar: and that, having in Sicily
Sextus Pompeius fpoil'd, we had not rated him
His part o' the ifle: then does he fay, he lent me
Some shipping unreftor'd: laftly, he frets,
That Lepidus of the triumvirate

Should be depos'd; and, being, that we detain
All his revenue.

I

Agr. Sir, this should be answer'd.

Caf. 'Tis done already, and the messenger gone. have told him, Lepidus was grown too cruel; That he his high authority abus'd,

[quer❜d, And did deserve his change: for what I have conI grant him part; but then, in his Armenia,

Eno. Then 'would thou hadst a pair of chaps, 30 And other of his conquer'd kingdoms, I
Demand the like.

no more;

And throw between them all the food thou haft,
They'll grind the other. Where is Antony?

Eros. He's walking in the garden-thus; and]

fpurns

The rush that lies before him : cries, Fool, Lepidus!
And threats the throat of that his officer,

'That murder'd Pompey.

Eno. Our great navy's rigg'd.

[come not

Eros. For Italy, and Cæfar. More, Domitius; 40 Caf. Why have you ftol'n upon us thus? You

My lord defires you prefently: my news

I might have told hereafter.

Eno. "Twill be naught:

But let it be.-Bring me to Antony.

Eros. Come, fir.

SCENE VIII.
Rome. Cafur's House.

Like Cæfar's fifter: The wife of Antony
Should have an army for an usher, and

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

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

Enter Cafar, Agrippa, and Mæcenas.

Caf. Contemning Rome, he has done all this : 50 The oftentation of our love, which, left unfhewn,

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

Eno. Moft worthy fir, you therein throw away
The abfolute foldiership you have by land;
45 Distract 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,

[wars; 50 From firm security.

Mef. The news is true, my lord; he is descried; 160 Cæfar has taken Toryne.

Regiment is ufed for regimen or government, by most of our ancient writers. entradict, to speak againft, as forbid is to order negatively.

3 E

Ant. Can he be there in perfon? 'tis impoffible;
Strange, that his power should be.-Canidius,
Our nineteen legions thou fhalt hold by land,
And our twelve thousand horfe :--We'll to our fhip;
Away, my Thetis !-How now, worthy földier?
Enter á Soldier.

Sold. O noble emperor, do not fight by fea;
Truft not to rotten planks: Do you mifdoubt
This fword, and these my wounds? Let the
Ægyptians,

And the Phoenicians, go a-ducking; we
Have us'd to conquer, ftanding on the earth,
And fighting foot to foot.

Ant. Well, well, away.

[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 horse 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.

Sold. While he was yet in Rome,

His power went out in such distractions, as
Beguil'd all fpies.

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

Can. Well I know the man.

Enter a Messenger.

Mef. The emperor calls Canidius.

Can. With news the time's with labour; and 35

Eno. Alack, alack!

Enter Canidius.

Can. Our fortune on the fea is out of breath,
And finks moft lamentably. Had our general
Been what he knew himself, it had gone well:
O, he has given example for our flight,
40 Moft grofsly, by his own.

45

Enter Antony and Enobarbus.
Ant. Set we our fquadrons on yon' fide o' the hill, 50
In eye of Cæfar's battle; from which place
We may the number of the fhips behold,
And fo proceed accordingly.
Enter Canidius, marching with his land army one way
over the ftage; and Taurus, the lieutenant of 55
Cafar, the cther way. After their going in, is

[Exeunt.

[night

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

Can. Towards Peloponnefus are they fled.
Scar. "Tis eafy to't; and there will I attend

What further comes.

Can. To Cæfar will I render

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

The wounded chance of Antony, though my reafon
Eno. I'll yet follow
Sits in the wind against me.

[Exeunt

IX.

Enter Antony, with Eros, and other Attendants. Ant. Hark, the land bids me tread no more upon't,

2 i. e. detachments;

That is, his whole conduct becomes ungoverned by the right, or by reason. feparate bodies. 3 Which, Plutarch fays, was the name of Cleopatra s ship. 4 Cantle is a corner. 5 i. e. fpotted. The death of thofe vifited by the plague was certain when particular eruptions appeared on the ikin; and these were called God's tokens. 6 A ribald is a lewd fellow. Yo ribald nag means, Yon ftrumpet, who is common to every wanton fellow. 7 Leprosy was one of the various names by which the Lues venerea was distinguished, bef (or luff) is to bring a hip close to the wind.

It is afham'd to bear me !-Friends, come hither;
I am fo lated' in the world, that I
Have loft my way for ever :-I have a fhip
Laden with gold; take that, divide it; fly,
And make your peace with Cæfar.
Omnes. Fly! not we.

[cowards

Ant. I have fled myself; and have instructed To run, and fhew their fhoulders.-Friends, be gone :

I have myself refolv'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 fome friends, that will
Sweep your way for you. Pray you, look not fad,
Nor make replies of lothnefs: take the hint
Which my defpair proclaims; let that be left
Which leaves itfelf: to the fea-side straightway:
I will poffefs you of that ship and treasure.
Leave me, I pray, a little: pray you now:-
Nay, do fo; for, indeed, I have lost command,
Therefore I pray you :-I'll fee 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. Madam,——

[him.

30

Char. Do! Why, what else?

Cleo. Let me fit down. O Juno!

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

Eros. See you here, fir?

Art. O fye, fye, fye.

Iras. Madam; O good emprefs !-
Eros. Sir, fir,-

35

Ant. Yes, my lord, yes;-He, at Philippi, kept|
His fword even like a dancer2; while I ftruck
The lean and wrinkled Caffius; and 'twas I,
That the mad 3 Brutus ended: he alone
Dealt on lieutenantry 4, and no practice had

1401

In the brave fquares of war: Yet now-No mat

Cleo. Ah, ftand by.

[ter.

Eros. The queen, my lord, the queen.
Iras. Go to him, madam, fpeak to him;

He is unquality'd with very fhame.

-O!

Cleo. Well then,-Sustain me :-
Eras. Most noble fir, arife; the queen approaches;
Her head's declin'd, and death will feize her; but s
Your comfort makes the refcue.

Ant. I have offended reputation;

A most unnoble fwerving.

Eros. Sir, the queen.

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

We fcorn her moft, when moft fhe offers blows.
[Excunt.

S с E N E
Cafar's Camp, in Egypt.

X.

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

Dal. Cæfar, 'tis his fchoolmafter 8:

An argument that he is pluck'd, when hither
He fends fo poor a pinion of his wing,
Which had fuperfluous kings for meffengers,
Not many moons gone by.

Enter Ambafador from Antony.

Caf. 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 fea 9.

Caf. Be it fo; Declare thine office.

Amb. Lord of his fortunes he falutes thee, and 50 Requires to live in Egypt: which not granted, He leffens his requests; and to thee fues Tolet him breathe between the heavens and earth, A private man in Athens: This for him. Next, Cleopatra does confefs thy greatness; 1551Submits her to thy might! and of thee craves

1 Alluding to a benighted traveller. fword, but kept it in the fcabbard, like one who dances with a fword on, which was formerly the custom in England. 3 Nothing, fays Dr. Warburton, can be more in character, than for an infamous debauched tyrant to call the heroic love of one's country and publick liberty, madness. ◆ Meaning, perhaps, that Cæfar only fought by proxy, made war by his lieutenants, or, on the ftrength of his lieute5 i. e. except or unless. i. e. how, by looking another way, I withdraw my ignominy from your fight. 7 That is, by the heart-firing. The name of this perfon was Euphronius. 9 His grand fea may mean his full tide of prosperity. 3 E a

2 Antony means, that Cæfar never offered to draw his

nants.

The