Page images
PDF
EPUB

Vol. Not fo, my lord.

Bow. Nay, I am fure it is, Volumnius.
Thou fee'ft the world, Volumnius, how it goes;
Our enemies have beat us to the pit:
[Alarum.
It is more worthy, to leap in ourselves,
Than tarry 'till they pufh us. Good Volumnius,
Thou know'it, that we two went to fchool together;
Even for that our love of old, I pray thee,
Hold thou my fword's hilt, whilit I run on it.

Vol. That's not an office for a friend, my lord.
[Alavum hill.
Cli. Fly, fly, my lord; there is no tarrying here,
Bru. Farewel to you;-and you; and you,
Volumnias.-

Strato, thou haft been all this while afleep;
Farewel to thee too, Strato.-Countrymen,
My heart doth jov, that yet, in all my life,
I found no man, but he was true to me.
I shall have glory by this lofing day,
More than Octavius, and Mark Antony,
By this vile conquest shall attain unto.
So, fare you well at once; for Brutus' tongue
Hath almoft ended his life's hiftory:
Night hangs upon mine eyes; my bones would reft,
That have but labour'd to attain this hour.

[Alaram, Cry within, Fly, fly, fly. Cli. Fly, my lord, fly. [Exeant Glitus, Dar and Vol. Bra. Hence, I will follow.

I pr'ythee, Strato, ftay thou by thy lord:
Thou art a fellow of a good refpect;
Thy life hath had fome imack of honour in it:
Hold then my fword, and turn away thy face,
While I do run upon it. Wilt thou, Strato?

Stra. Give me your hand firft: Fare you well,
my lord,

Bru, Farewel, good Strato. Cæfar, now bestill;

1 kill'd not thee with half fo good a will.

[He runs on bis fword, and dies. Alarum. Retreat. Enter Octavius, Antony, Messala, Lucilius, and the Army.

07a, What man is that? [mafter? Mf. My mafter's man. Strato, where is thy Stra. Free from the bondage you are in, Meffala; The conquerors can but make a fire of him: For Brutus only overcame himself, And no man elfe hath honour by his death.

Luc. So Bratus should be found. I thank thee,
Brutus,

That thou hait prov'd Lucilius' faying true.
0.74. All that ferv'd Brutus, I will entertain them.
Fellow, wilt thou beftow thy time with me?
Stra, Ay, if Messala will prefer me to you,
Oria, Do fo, good Metfala.
Mef. How died my mafter, Strato?
Stra. I held the fword, and he did run on it.
Mef. Octavius, then take him to follow thee,

That did the latest fervice to my matter.

Ant. This was the nobleft Roman of them all :
All the confpirators, fave only he,
Did that they did in envy of great Cæfar;
He, only, in a general honeft thought,
And common good to all, made one of them.
His life was gentle; and the elements
So mix'd in him, that nature might stand up,
And fay to all the world, This was a man !

09a. According to his virtue let us ufe him,
With all refpect, and rites of burial.
Within my tent his bones to-night shall lie,
Moft like a foldier, order'd honourably.-
So, call the field to rett: and let's away,
To part the glories of this happy day.

1

[Excunt

ANTONY

[blocks in formation]

Ambassfadors from Antony to Cæfar, Captains, Soldiers, Messengers, and other Attendants.
The SCENE is dispersed in feveral parts of the Roman Empire.

[blocks in formation]

That o'er the files and musters of the war [turn,
Have glow'd like plated Mars, now bend, now
The office and devotion of their view
Upon a tawny front: his captain's heart,
Which in the scuffles of great fights hath burst
The buckles on his breaft, reneges all temper;
And is become the bellows and the fan,

To cool a 2 gypsy's luft. - Look, where they come!
Flourish. Enter Antony and Cleopatra, with their
trains; Eunuchs fanning ber.
Take but good note, and you shall fee in him
The triple 3 pillar of the world transform'd
Into a strumpet's fool: behold and fee.

Cleo. If it be love indeed, tell me how much. Ant. There's beggary in the love that can be reckon'd.

Cleo. I'll fet a bourn 4 how far to be belov'd.

Ant. Then must thou needs find out new hea

ven, new earth.

Enter a Messenger.

Mes. News, my good lord, from Rome.
Ant. Grates me:-The fum 5.

Cleo. Nay, hear them, Antony:

Fulvia, perchance, is angry; or, who knows If the scarce-bearded Cæfar have not fent His powerful mandate to you, "Do this, or this "Take in that kingdom, and enfranchise that; "Perform 't, or else we damn thee.

Ant. How, my love!

Cleo. Perchance,-nay, and most like, You must not stay here longer, your difmiffion Is come from Cæfar; therefore hear it, Antony.Where's Fulvia's process ? Cæfar's, I would say?Both?

Call in the messengers. As I am Ægypt's queen, Thou blushest, Antony; and that blood of thine Is Cæfar's homager: else so thy cheek pays shame, When shrill-tongu'd Fulvia scolds. The meffengers. [arch

Ant. Let Rome in Tyber melt! and the wide Of the rang'd empire fall! Here is my space;

Ii.e. renounces. 2 Gypsy is here used both in the original meaning for an Egyptian, and in its accidental sense for a bad woman. 3 Triple is here used improperly for third, or one of three. One of the triumvirs, one of the three masters of the world. 4 i. e bound or limit. 5 i. e. be brief, fum thy business in a few words.

Kingdoms

L

Kingdoms are clay: our dungy earth alike
Feeds beatt as man the nobleness of life
Is, to do thus; when fuch a mutual pair,

[Embracing.

And fuch a twain can do't; in which, I bind,
On pain of punishment, the world to weet,
We ftand up peerless.

Cleo. Excellent falfhood!

Why did he marry Fulvia, and not love her?
I'll feem the fool I am not; Antony
Will be hinichi.

int. Bat ftirr'd by Cleopatra.-
Now, for the love of love, and his foft hours,
Let's not confound the time with conference harth:
There's not a minute of our lives should ftretch
Without fome pleafure now: What fport to-night?

Cl2. Hear the embatfadors.

Art. Fye, wrangling queen!
Whom every thing becomes, to chide, to laugh,
To weep; whose every paidion fully ftrives
To make itrelf, in thee, fair and admir'd!

No meifenger, but thine ;-And all alone,

A little I can read.

Alex. Shew him your hand.

Enter Enobarbus.

Eno. Bring in the banquet quickly; wine enough, Cleopatra's health to drink.

Char. Good fr, give me good fortune.

Soub. I make not, but forefee.

Char. Pray then, foresee me one.

Sooth. You shall be yet far fairer than you are."

Char. He means, in fleth.

Ivas. No, you shall paint when you are old.

Char. Wrinkles forbid !

Alex. Vex not his prefcience; be attentive.
Char. Huth!

Sooth. You shall be more beloving, than belov'd.
Char. I had rather heat my liver with drinking 5.
Alex. Nay, hear him.

Char. Good now, fome excellent fortune Let
me be married to three kings in a forenoon, and
widow them all! let me have a child at fifty, to
whom Herod of Jewry may do homage 61
me to marry with Octavius Cafar, and companion

To-night, we'll wander through the treets, and me with my mistress!

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

find

Sooth. You shall out-live the lady whom you

ferve.

Char. O excellent! I love long life better than figs 7,

Sooth. You have feen and prov'd a fairer former Than that which is to approach, [fortune

Char. Then, belike, my children shall have no names: Pr'ythee, how many boys and wenches must I have?

Sosth. If every of your wishes had a womb,
And foretel every with, a million 9.

Char. Out, fool! I forgive thee for a witch.
Alex, You think, none but your sheets are privy

to your wishes.

Char. Nay, come, tell Iras hers.

Alex, We'll know all our fortunes.

Fno. Mine, and most of our fortunes, to-night, hall be drunk to bed.

Ivas. There's a palm prefages chaftity, if nothing elfe.

Cbar. Even as the o'erflowing Nilus prefageth famine.

Iras. Go, you wild bedfellow, you cannot foothfay.

Char. Nay, if an oily palm be not a fruitfal prognoftication, I cannot scratch mine ear.Pr'ythee, tell her but a worky-day fortune,

1 To know. 2 But here fignifies unless. 3 Meaning, that he proves the common lyar, fame, in his cafe to be a true reporter. 4 Dr. Johnfon doubts, whether change in this place may not fignify merely to drefs, or to dress with changes of garlands; certain it is, that change of clothes in the time of Shakspeare fignified variety of them. 5 A heated liver is fuppofed to make a pimpled

6 Herod was always one of the perfonages in the mysteries of our early flage, on which he was conftantly reprefented as a fierce, haughty, blustering tyrant, fo that Herod of Jewry became a common proverb, expreffive of turbulence and rage. Thus Hamlet fays of a ranting player, that he out-herods Herod." The meaning then is, Charmian wishes for a fon, who may arrive to fuch power and dominion, that the prondest and fierceft monarchs of the earth may be brought under his yoke, 7 A proverbial expreffion. & A fairer fortune may mean, a more reputable one. Heranfwer then implies, that behike all her children will be battards, who have no right to the name of their father's fami ly. 9 The meaning is, If you had as many wombs as you will have wishes, and I should foretel all thofe wishes, I fshould toretel a million of children. It is an ellipfis very frequent in converiation; - I should shame you, ard tell all; that is, and if I should tell all. And is for and if, which was anciently, and is itill provincially used for if.

face.

Seotu not ventilated by 4 Could for would.

Sooth. Your fortunes are alike.

Iras. But how, but how? give me particulars.

Sooth. I have faid.

Iras. Am I not an inch of fortune better than The?

Char. Well, if you were but an inch of fortune better than I, where would you choose it?

Iras. Not in my husband's nofe.

Char. Our worfer thoughts heavens mend! Alexas, come, his fortune, his fortune. - O let him marry a woman that cannot go, sweet Ifis, I beseech thee! And let her die too, and give him a worse! and let worse follow worse, 'till the worst of all follow him laughing to his grave, fiftyfold a cuckold! Good Ifis, hear me this prayer, though thou deny me a matter of more weight; good Ifis, I beseech thee !

Iras. Amen. Dear goddess, hear that prayer of the people! for, as it is a heart-breaking to fee a handfome man loofe-wiv'd, so it is a deadly forrow to behold a foul knave uncuckolded; Therefore, dear Ifis, keep decorum, and fortune him accordingly.

[blocks in formation]

Afia,

Hath, with his Parthian force, extended
From Euphrates his conquering banner shook,
From Syria, to Lydia, and to Ionia;
Whilst

Ant. Antony, thou wouldst say,-
Mef. O my lord!

[tongue;
Ant. Speak to me home, mince not the general
Name Cleopatra as the's call'd in Rome:
Rail thou in. Fulvia's phrase; and taunt my faults
With fuch full licence, as both truth and malice
Have power to utter. O, then we bring forth
weeds,

When our quick winds lie still2; and our ills told us,
Is as our earing. Fare thee well a while.
Mes. At your noble pleafure.
[Exit.
Ant. From Sicyon how the news? Speak there.
1 Att. The man from Sicyon,-Is there fuch an
2 Att. He stays upon your will.
[one?
Ant. Let him appear.-
These strong Ægyptian fetters I must break,
Enter a second Meffenger.
Or lose myself in dotage. - What are you?
2 Mes. Fulvia thy wife is dead.
Ant. Where died she?

2 Mef. In Sicyon:

Her length of fickness, with what elfe more ferious
Importeth thee to know, this bears. [Gives a letter.
Ant. Forbear me.-
[Exit Meffenger.
There's a great spirit gone! Thus did I defire it :
What our contempts do often hurl from us,
We wish it ours again; the present pleasure,
By revolution 3 lowering, does become

The oppofite of itself: she's good, being gone; (on.
The hand could 4 pluck her back, that show'd her
1 must from this enchanting queen break off;
Ten thousand harms, more than the ills I know,
My idleness doth hatch.-How now! Enobarbus!

Enter Enobarbus.

Eno. What's your pleafure, fir?

Ant. I must with hafte from hence.

Eno. Why, then we kill all our women: We fee how mortal an unkindness is to them; if they fuffer our departure, death's the word. Ant. I must be gone.

Eno. Under a compelling occafion, let women die: It were pity to caft thern away for nothing; though, between them and a great caufe, they should be esteem'd nothing. Cleopatra, catching but the leaft noise of this, dies instantly; I have seen her die twenty times upon far poorer moment 5: I do think, there is meetle in death, which commits fome loving act upon her, the hath fuch a celerity in dying.

Ant. She is cunning patt man's thought.

Eno. Alack, fir, no; her pailions are made of nothing but the finest part of pure love: We cannot call her winds and waters, fighs and tears; they are greater storms and tempefts than almanacks can report this cannot be cunning in her;

I i. e. feized. 2 The sense is, that man, not agitated by cenfure, like foil quick winds, produces more evil than good. 3 i. e. by change of circumstances, Could, would, and should, are very often indifcriminately ufed in the old plays. reafon; upon meaner motives.

5 i. e. for lefs

« PreviousContinue »