Ant.

Alarum afar off, as at a sea-fight.

Re-enter ANTONY.

All is lost!

This foul Egyptian hath betrayed me:
My fleet hath yielded to the foe; and yonder
They cast their caps up, and carouse together
Like friends long lost.-Triple-turned whore !
't is thou

Hast sold me to this novice: and my heart
Makes only war on thee.-Bid them all fly :
For when I am revenged upon my charm,
I have done all.-Bid them all fly; be gone!
[Exit SCARUS.

O sun, thy uprise shall I see no more!
Fortune and Antony part here; even here
Do we shake hands.-All come to this?-The

hearts

That spanielled me at heels, to whom I gave
Their wishes, do discandy, melt their sweets
On blossoming Cæsar: and this pine is barked,
That overtopped them all. Betrayed I am :
O this false soul of Egypt! this grave charm,-
Whose eye becked forth my wars, and called
them home;

Whose bosom was my crownet, my chief end,-
Like a right gipsy, hath, at fast and loose,
Beguiled me to the very heart of loss.-
What, Eros, Eros!

Enter CLEOPATRA.

Ah, thou spell: avaunt!

Cleo. Why is my lord enraged against his love?

Ant. Vanish; or I shall give thee thy deserving, And blemish Cæsar's triumph. Let him take thee,

And hoist thee up to the shouting plebeians:
Follow his chariot, like the greatest spot
Of all thy sex: most monster-like, be shewn
For poor'st diminutives, to dolts; and let
Patient Octavia plough thy visage up
With her preparéd nails. [Exit CLEOPATRA.
'Tis well thou 'rt gone,

If it be well to live: but better 't were
Thou fell'st into my fury; for one death
Might have prevented many.—Eros, ho!—
The shirt of Nessus is upon me: teach me,
Alcides, thou mine ancestor, thy rage:
Let me lodge Lichas on the horns o' the moon ;
And with those hands, that grasped the heaviest

club,

Subdue my worthiest self. The witch shall die: To the Roman boy she hath sold me, and I fall

Under this plot: she dies for 't.-Eros, ho! [Exit.

SCENE XII. The same.

Another Room.

Enter ANTONY and EROS.

Ant. Eros, thou yet behold'st me?
Eros. Ay, noble lord.

Ant. Sometime we see a cloud that's dragonish;
A vapour sometime like a bear or lion,

A towered citadel, a pendant rock,

A forked mountain, or blue promontory

With trees upon 't, that nod unto the world,

And mock our eyes with air :-thou hast seen these signs?

They are black vesper's pageants.

Eros.

Ay, my lord.

Ant. That which is now a horse, even with a

thought

The rack dislimns, and makes it indistinct
As water is in water.

Eros.

It does, my lord.

Ant. My good knave, Eros, now thy captain is
Even such a body: here I am Antony;
Yet cannot hold this visible shape, my knave.
I made these wars for Egypt; and the queen
(Whose heart I thought I had, for she had mine;
Which, whilst it was mine, had annexed unto 't
A million more, now lost)-she, Eros, has
Packed cards with Cæsar, and false played my glory
Unto an enemy's triumph.

Nay, weep not, gentle Eros: there is left us
Ourselves to end ourselves.-O, thy vile lady!

Enter MARDIAN.

She hath robbed me of my sword.

Mar.

No, Antony;

My mistress loved thee, and her fortunes mingled
With thine entirely.

Ant.

Eros,

Wouldst thou be windowed in great Rome, and see Thy master thus, with pleached arms, bending down

His corrigible neck, his face subdued

To penetrative shame; whilst the wheeled seat
Of fortunate Cæsar, drawn before him, branded
His baseness that ensued?

Eros.

I would not see 't.

Ant. Come, then; for with a wound I must be

cured.

Draw that thy honest sword, which thou hast worn Most useful for thy country.

Eros.

O, sir, pardon me.

Ant. When I did make thee free, swor'st thou

not then

To do this when I bade thee? Do it at once;
Or thy precedent services are all
But accidents unpurposed. Draw, and come.
Eros. Turn from me, then, that noble coun-
tenance,

Wherein the worship of the whole world lies.
Ant. Lo thee.
[Turning from him.

Eros. My sword is drawn.
Ant.

Then let it do at once
The thing why thou hast drawn it.
Eros. My dear master,
My captain, and my emperor, let me say,
Before I strike this bloody stroke, farewell.
Ant. "Tis said, man;—and farewell.
Eros. Farewell, great chief. Shall I strike now?
Ant. Now, Eros.
Eros. Why, there then!

[Falls on his sword. Thus do I escape the sorrow

Of Antony's death.

Ant.

Thrice nobler than myself! Thou teachest me, O valiant Eros, what

[Dies.

I should, and thou couldst not. My queen and Eros Have, by their brave instruction, got upon me

A nobleness in record: but I will be

A bridegroom in my death, and run into 't
As to a lover's bed. Come, then; and, Eros,
Thy master dies thy scholar; to do thus

I learned of thee [Falls on his sword.]—How! not yet dead? not dead?—

The guard!—ho!-O, despatch me !

Enter DERCETAS and Guard. 1st Guard. What's the noise? Ant. I have done my work ill, friends: O, make an end

Of what I have begun.

2nd Guard.

The star is fallen.

1st Guard. And time is at his period.

All. Alas, and woe!

Ant. Let him that loves me strike me dead.

1st Guard. Not I.

Ant. Art thou there, Diomed? Draw thy sword, and give me

Sufficing strokes for death.

Dio.

Most absolute lord,

My mistress Cleopatra sent me to thee.

Ant. When did she send thee?

Dio. Now, my lord.

Ant. Where is she?

Dio. Locked in her monument. She had a

prophesying fear

Of what hath come to pass: for when she saw

(Which never shall be found) you

did suspect She had disposed with Cæsar, and that your rage Would not be purged, she sent you word she was

dead:

But, fearing since how it might work, hath sent
Me to proclaim the truth; and I am come,
I dread, too late.

Ant. Too late, good Diomed.-Call my guard,

I pr'y thee.

Dio. What, ho! the emperor's guard! The guard! what, ho!

Come your lord calls.

Enter some of the Guard.

Ant. Bear me good friends, where Cleopatra

bides:

'Tis the last service that I shall command you.

1st Guard. Woe, woe, are we, sir, you may not live to wear

All your true followers out.

All.

Most heavy day!

Ant. Nay, good my fellows, do not please

sharp fate

To grace it with your sorrows: bid that welcome
Which comes to punish us, and we punish it
Seeming to bear it lightly. Take me up :
I have led you oft: carry me now, good friends,
And have my thanks for all.

[Exeunt, bearing ANTONY.

SCENE XIII.-The same. A Monument. Enter above, CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, and IRAS. Cleo. O Charmian, I will never go from hence.

Char. Be comforted, dear madam.
Cleo.
No, I will not:

All strange and terrible events are welcome;
But comforts we despise: our size of sorrow,
Proportioned to our cause, must be as great

Enter DIOMEDES.

As that which makes it.-How now; is he dead?
Dio. His death 's upon him, but not dead.
Look out o' the other side your monument;
His guard have brought him hither.

Enter ANTONY, borne by the Guard.
Cleo.

O sun, Burn the great sphere thou mov'st in! darkling stand

The varying shore o' the world!—O Antony!
Antony, Antony !—Charmian, help; help, Iras;
Help, friends below: let's draw him hither.
Ant.
Peace:

Not Cæsar's valour hath o'erthrown Antony;
But Antony's hath triumphed on itself.

Cleo. So it should be, that none but Antony Should conquer Antony: but woe 't is so! Ant. I am dying, Egypt, dying: only I here impórtune death awhile, until Of many thousand kisses the

I lay upon thy lips.

Cleo.

I dare not, dear

poor last

(Dear my lord, pardon); I dare not,
Lest I be taken. Not the imperious show
Of the full-fortuned Cæsar ever shall

Be brooched with me: ifknife, drugs, serpents, have
Edge, sting, or operation, I am safe :
Your wife Octavia, with her modest eyes
And still conclusion, shall acquire no honour
Demurring upon me.-But come, come, Antony :-
Help me, my women,- -we must draw thee up :-
Assist, good friends.

Ant.

O quick, or I am gone.

Cleo. Here's sport indeed!-How heavy weighs my lord!

Our strength is all gone into heaviness:
That makes the weight!-Had I great Juno's power,
The strong-winged Mercury should fetch thee up,
And set thee by Jove's side. Yet come a little :-
Wishers were ever fools:-O, come, come, come;
[They draw ANTONY up.
And welcome, welcome! die where thou hast lived:
Quicken with kissing: had my lips that power,
Thus would I wear them out.
A heavy sight!

All.

Ant. I am dying, Egypt, dying:
Give me some wine, and let me speak a little.

Cleo. No, let me speak; and let me rail so high That the false housewife Fortune break her wheel, Provoked by my offence.

I robbed his wound of it: behold it stained
With his most noble blood.

Cæs. Look you sad, friends?
The gods rebuke me, but it is tidings
To wash the eyes of kings.

Agr.

And strange it is

That nature must compel us to lament
Our most persisted deeds.

Mec.

His taints and honours

Waged equal with him

Agr.

A rarer spirit never

Did steer humanity: but you, gods, will give us Some faults will make us men.-Cæsar is touched. [Aside.

Mec. When such a spacious mirror's set before

him,

He needs must see himself.

Cæs.

O Antony,

I have followed thee to this!-But we do lance
Diseases in our bodies: I must perforce
Have shewn to thee such a declining day,
Or look on thine; we could not stall together
In the whole world: but yet let me lament,
With tears as sovereign as the blood of hearts,
That thou, my brother, my competitor
In top of all design, my mate in empire,
Friend and companion in the front of war,
The arm of mine own body, and the heart
Where mine his thoughts did kindle,-that our stars
Unreconcileable, should divide

Our equalness to this.-Hear me, good friends,-
But I will tell you at some meeter season:

Enter a Messenger.

The business of this man looks out of him; We'll hear him what he says.-Whence are you?