I have follow'd thee to this ;-But we do lance ftars, Unreconciliable, should divide Our equalness to this 2.---Hear me, good friends,---| Enter an Egyptian. The bufinefs of this man looks out of him, Confin'd in all fhe has, her monument, Caf. Bid her have good heart; She foon fhall know of us, by fome of ours, Egypt. So the gods preferve thee! [Exit. [Exeunt In all my writings: Go with me, and fee SCENE II. Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, and Iras. 15 To do that thing that ends all other deeds; Enter, below, Proculeius, Gallus, &c. And bids thee study on what fair demands Pro. My name is Proculeius. Did tell me of you, bade me truft you; but 25I do not greatly care to be deceiv'd, That have no ufe for trufting. If your master Pro. Be of good cheer; You are fallen into a princely hand, fear nothing: Caf. Come hither, Proculeius; Go, and say, Cleo. Pray you, tell him I am his fortune's vaffal, and I fend him The greatnefs he has got 5. I hourly learn A doctrine of obedience; and would gladly 45 Look him i' the face. 50 [Exit Gallus. Caf. Let him alone, for I remember now Char. O Cleopatra! thou art taken, queen! 55 Cleo. Quick, quick, good hands. [Drawing a dagger. Proculeius rufes in, and difarms the Queen. * i. e. bis taints and bonours were an equal match; were opposed to each other in just proportions, like the counterparts of a wager. 2 That is, fhould have made us, in our equality of fortune, difagree to a pitch like this, that one of us must die. 3 i. e. the fervant of fortune. 4 i. e. Voluntary death produces a state which has no longer need of the grofs and terrene fuftenance, in the ufe of which Cæfar and the beggar are on a level. 5 Praying in aid is a law term, used for a petition made in a court of justice for the calling in of help from another that hath an interest in the cause in question. I allow him to be my conqueror. Pr Come hither, come! come, come, and take a Pro. O, temperance, tady! Cles. Sir, I will eat no meat, I'll not drink, fir; I'll not fleep neither: This mortal houfe I'll ruin, Of cenfuring Rome? Rather a ditch in Ægypt Pro. You do extend Thefe thoughts of horror further than you shall Enter Dolabella. Del. Proculeius, What thou haft done thy mafter Cæfar knows, Pro. So, Dolabella, It shall content me beft: be gentle to her.--- If you'll employ me to him. Cleo. Say, I would die. Dol. Moft fovereign creature,-- Cleo. His legs beftrid the ocean; his rear'd arm 5 But when he meant to quail and shake the orb, Dol. Cleopatra,————— [man Cleo. Think you there was, or might be, fuch a 15 As this I dream`d of? Dol. Gentle madam, no. Cleo. You lye, up to the hearing of the gods. Dol. Hear me, good madam: Your lofs is as yourself, great; and you bear it By the rebound of yours, a grief that shoots Cico. I thank you, fir. 30 Know you, what Cæfar means to do with me? Dol. I am loth to tell you what I would you Cleo. Nay, pray you, fir,-- 35 Dol. Though he be honourable,-- Cleo. He'll lead me then in triumph? Dol. Madam, he will; I know it. All. Make way there,---Cæfar. [knew. Enter Cæfar, Gallus, Mecanas, Proculeius, and Attendants. Caf. Which is the queen of Ægypt? [To Cleopatra. 40 Dol. It is the emperor, madam. [Exit Proculeius. Del. Most noble emprefs, you have heard of me? Del. Affuredly, you know me. Cæfar. Arife, you fhall not kneel: I pray you, rife; rife, Ægypt. [Cleo. kneels. Will have it thus; my master and my lord Cles. No matter, fir, what I have heard or 45I must obey. known. [dreams; Caf. Take to you no hard thoughts: Cleo. Sole fir o' the world, I cannot project 5 mine own caufe fo well Caf. Cleopatra, know, We will extenuate rather than enforce: 1 Once may mean fometimes. The meaning of Cleopatra feems to be this: If idle talking be fometimes neceffary to the prolongation of life, why I will not fleep, for fear of talking idly in my flerts i. e. the little orb or circle. 3 Plates probably mean, filver money. 4 The word piece is a terr appropriated to works of art. Here Nature and Fancy produce each their piece, and the piece done by Nature had the preference. Antony was in reality paft the fize of dreaming; he was more by Nature than Fancy could present in sleep. 5 To project a cause is to reprefent a caule; to project it will, is to plan or contrive a scheme of defence. (Which towards you are most gentle) you shall findf Cleo. And may, through all the world: 'tis Your 'fcutcheons, and your signs of conqueft, fhall Hang in what place you please. Here, my good lord. Caf. You shall advise me in all for Cleopatra. I am poffefs'd of: 'tis exactly valued; [lord, Cleo. This is my treasurer; let him fpeak, my To myself nothing. Speak the truth, Seleucus. I had rather feel my lips, than, to my peril, Cleo. What have I kept back? [known. 25 Sel. Enough to purchase what you have made Caf. Nay, blush not, Cleopatra; I approve Your wifdom in the deed. Cleo. See, Cæfar! O, behold, How pomp is follow'd! mine will now be yours; Even make me wild :-O flave, of no more trust Go back, I warrant thee; but I'll catch thine eyes, [dog! 30 351 Caf. Good queen, let us intreat you. To one fo meek, that mine own fervant should [me That we remain your friend: And fo, adieu. Caf. Not fo: Adieu. [Exeunt Cæfar, and his train. Cleo. He words me, girls, he words me, that I Del. Madam, as thereto fworn by your com. I tell you this: Cæfar through Syria Cleo. Dolabella, I fhall remain your debtor. 45 Adieu, good queen; I must attend on Cæfar. [Exit. Cleo. Farewel, and thanks. Now, Iras, what think'ft thou? Thou, an Ægyptian puppet, shalt be shewn [man, 55 Or I shall fhew the cinders of my spirits [Exit Seleucus. 1 i. e. close up my lips as effectually as the eyes of a hawk are closed. 2 i. e. bafe in an uncom mon degree. 3 Or fortune. The meaning is, Begone, or I fhall exert that royal fpirit which I had in my prosperity, in fpight of the imbecility of my present weak condition. 4 Merits is in this place taken in an ill fenfe, for actions meriting cenfure. 5 Scald was a word of contempt, implying poverty, disease, and filth. Ballad Ballad us out o' tune: the quick comedians Shall be brought drunken forth, and I fhall fee Some fqueaking Cleopatra boy my greatness Iras. O the good gods! Iras. I'll never fee it; for, I am fure, my nails Are ftronger than mine eyes. Cleo. Why, that's the way Shew me, my women, like a queen ;-Go fetch but in the keeping of wife people; for, indeed, there is no goodness in the worm. Cleo. Take thou no care; it fhall be heeded. Clorun. Very good : give it nothing, I pray you, 5 for it is not worth the feeding. Cleo. Will it eat me? Clown. You must not think I am so simple, but I know, the devil himself will not eat a woman: I know, that a woman is a dish for the gods, if the 10 devil drefs her not. But, truly, these fame whorefon devils do the gods great harm in their women; for in every ten that they make, the devils mar five. 15 20 25 30 35 [Exit Guard Haft thou the pretty worm 3 of Nilus there, That kills and pains not? Clown. Truly I have him: but I would not be the party that should defire you to touch him, for 40 his biting is immortal; those, that do die of it, do feldom or never recover. Cleo. Remember'st thou any that have dy'd on't? Clown. Very many, men and women too. heard of one of them no longer than yesterday:45 a very honest woman, but something given to lye: as a woman should not do, but in the way of honefty: how the dy'd of the biting of it, what pain the felt,---Truly, she makes a very good report o the worm: But he that will believe all that they 50 fay, fhall never be faved by half that they do: But this is moft fallible, the worm's an odd worm. Cleo. Get thee hence; farewel. Clown. I wish you all joy of the worm. Clown. You must think this, look you, that the worm will do his kind 4. Cleo. Ay, ay; farewel. Clown. Look you, the worm is not to be trufted, 551 worm. Cleo. Well, get thee gone; farewel. To praife my noble act; I hear him mock I give to bafer life.---So,---have you done? [Iras dies. 1 We have before obferved, that the parts of women were acted on the stage by boys in our author's time. 2 i. e. inconstant. 3 Worm is the Teutonick word for ferpent; and in the Northern counties, the word worm is ftill given to the ferpent fpecies in general. 4 i. e. will act according to his nature. 5 i. e. make hafte, be nimble, be ready. 6 i. e. an afs without more policy than to leave the means of death within my reach, and thereby deprive his triumph of its noblest decoration. 3 F Char. Char. In this wild world 1?---So, fare thee well.] Of eyes again fo royal! Your crown's awry ; Enter the Guard, rushing in. 1 Guard. Where is the queen? 5 I [Charmian applies the afp. O, come; apace, difpatch :---1 partly feel thee. 1 Guard. Approach, ho! All's not well: Cæfar's [call him. 15 2 Guard. There's Dolabella fent from Cæfar ;--1 Guard. What work is here?---Charmian, is this well done? beguil'd. This Charmian liv'd but now; fhe stood, and spake: On her dead miftrefs; tremblingly she stood, Caf. O noble weakness! If they had fwallow'd poifon, 'twould appear By external fwelling: but the looks like sleep, As fhe would catch another Antony In her ftrong toil of grace. Del. Here, on her breast There is a vent of blood, and something blown2: The like is on her arm. 1 Guard. This is an afpick's trail; and thefe fig leaves 20 Have flime upon them, ch as the afpick leaves Upon the caves of Nile. Caf. Most probable, That fo fhe dy'd; for her phyfician tells me, 25 Of eafy ways to die.-Take up her bed; She levell'd at our purposes, and, being royal, Mr. Steevens conjectures, that our author may have written vild (i. e. vile according to ancient fpelling) for worthless. 2 i. e. fwoln. ΤΙΜΟΝ |