Char.

You think of him too much.

Cleo. O, 'tis treason!

Char.

Madam, I trust, not so.

Cleo. Thou, eunuch, Mardian

Mar.

What's your highness' pleasure?

Cleo. Not now to hear thee sing: I take no pleasure

In aught an eunuch has. 'Tis well for thee,
That, being unseminar'd, thy freer thoughts

May not fly forth of Egypt. Hast thou affections?
Mar. Yes, gracious madam.

Cleo. Indeed?

Mar. Not in deed, madam; for I can do nothing, But what in deed is honest to be done;

Yet have I fierce affections, and think

What Venus did with Mars.

Cleo.

O, Charmian!

Where think'st thou he is now? Stands he, or sits he? Or does he walk? or is he on his horse ?

O, happy horse to bear the weight of Antony!

Do bravely, horse, for wot'st thou whom thou mov'st? The demi-Atlas of this earth, the arm

And burgonet' of men.-He's speaking now,

Or murmuring, "Where 's my serpent of old Nile ?"
For so he calls me. Now I feed myself

With most delicious poison:-think on me,
That am with Phoebus' amorous pinches black,
And wrinkled deep in time? Broad-fronted Cæsar,
When thou wast here above the ground, I was
A morsel for a monarch; and great Pompey
Would stand, and make his eyes grow in my brow:
There would he anchor his aspect, and die
With looking on his life.

Alex.

Enter ALEXAS.

Sovereign of Egypt, hail! Cleo. How much unlike art thou Mark Antony; Yet, coming from him, that great medicine hath With his tinct gilded thee.

How goes it with my brave Mark Antony?

Alex. Last thing he did, dear queen,

He kiss'd, the last of many doubled kisses,-
This orient pearl :-his speech sticks in my heart.
Cleo. Mine ear must pluck it thence.

Alex.

Good friend, quoth hé,

1 Helmet.

Say, "the firm Roman to great Egypt sends
This treasure of an oyster; at whose foot,
To mend the petty present, I will piece

Her opulent throne with kingdoms: all the east,"
Say thou, "shall call her mistress."
So he nodded,
And soberly did mount an arm-girt1 steed,

Who neigh'd so high, that what I would have spoke
Was boastfully dumb'd by him.

Cleo.

What! was he sad, or merry?

Alex. Like to the time o' the year between the ex

tremes

Of hot and cold he was nor sad, nor merry.

Cleo. O well-divided disposition !-Note him,
Note him, good Charmian, 't is the man; but note him:
He was not sad, for he would shine on those
That make their looks by his he was not merry
Which seem'd to tell them, his remembrance lay
In Egypt with his joy; but between both:
O heavenly mingle !-Be'st thou sad, or merry,
The violence of either thee becomes,

So does it no man else.-Met'st thou my posts?
Alex. Ay, madam, twenty several messengers.
Why do you send so thick?

Cleo.

Who's born that day
When I forget to send to Antony,

Shall die a beggar.-Ink and paper, Charmian.--
Welcome, my good Alexas.-Did I, Charmian,
Ever love Cæsar so?

Char.

O, that brave Cæsar!

Cleo. Be chok'd with such another emphasis !

Say, the brave Antony.

Char.

The valiant Cæsar!

Cleo. By Isis, I will give thee bloody teeth,

If thou with Cæsar paragon again

My man of men.

Char.

I sing but after you.

Cleo.

By your most gracious pardon,

My sallad days,

When I was green in judgment :-cold in blood,

To say as I said then !-But come, away:

Get me ink and paper;

He shall have every day a several greeting,
Or I'll unpeople Egypt.

1 arm-gaunt: in f. e. 2 beastly in f. e.

[Exeunt.

ACT II.

SCENE I.-Messina. A Room in POMPEY'S House.

Enter POMPEY, MENECRATES, and MENAS.

Pom. If the great gods be just, they shall assist The deeds of justest men.

Mene.

Know, worthy Pompey,

That what they do delay, they not deny.

Pom. Whiles we are suitors to their throne, decays The thing we sue for.

Mene.

We, ignorant of ourselves, Beg often our own harms, which the wise powers Deny us for our good; so find we profit

By losing of our prayers.

Pom.

I shall do well:

The people love me, and the sea is mine;

My powers are crescent, and my auguring hope
Says, it will come to the full. Mark Antony
In Egypt sits at dinner, and will make

No wars without doors: Cæsar gets money, where
He loses hearts: Lepidus flatters both,

Of both is flatter'd ; but he neither loves,
Nor either cares for him.

Men.
Cæsar and Lepidus
Are in the field: a mighty strength they carry.
Pom. Where have you this? 't is false.

Men.

From Silvius, sir.
Pom. He dreams: I know, they are in Rome together,
Looking for Antony. But all the charms of love,
Salt Cleopatra, soften thy warm1 lip!

Let witchcraft join with beauty, lust with both :
Lay' up
the libertine in a flood3 of feasts,
Keep his brain fuming; Epicurean cooks,

Sharpen with cloyless sauce his appetite,

That sleep and feeding may prorogue his honour,
Even till a Lethe'd dulness.-How now, Varrius!
Enter VARRIUS.

Var. This is most certain, that I shall deliver.
Mark Antony is every hour in Rome

Expected; since he went from Egpyt, 't is

A space for farther travel.

1 wand: in f. e. 2 Tie: in f. e. 3 field: in f. e.

Pom.

I could have given less matter

A better ear.-
-Menas, I did not think,

This amorous surfeiter would have don'd his helm
For such a petty war: his soldiership

Is twice the other twain. But let us rear
The higher our opinion, that our stirring
Can from the lap of Egypt's widow pluck
The ne'er lust-wearied Antony.

Men.
I cannot hope,
Cæsar and Antony shall well greet together:
His wife that's dead did trespasses to Cæsar;
His brother warr'd upon him, although, I think,
Not mov'd by Antony.

Pom.

I know not, Menas, How lesser enmities may give way to greater.

Were't not that we stand up against them all,

'T were pregnant they should square' between themselves;

For they have entertained cause enough

To draw their swords: but how the fear of us
May cement their divisions, and bind up

The petty difference, we yet not know.

Be it as our gods will have 't! It only stands
Our lives upon to use our strongest hands.

Come, Menas.

[Exeunt.

SCENE II.-Rome. A Room in the House of LEPIDUS.

Enter ENOBARBUS and LEPIDUS.

Lep. Good Enobarbus, 't is a worthy deed,

And shall become you well, to entreat your captain To soft and gentle speech.

I shall entreat him

Eno.
To answer like himself: if Cæsar move him,
Let Antony look over Cæsar's head,

And speak as loud as Mars. By Jupiter,

Were I the wearer of Antonius' beard,

I would not shave 't to-day.

Lep.

Eno.

For private stomaching.

'Tis not a time

Every time

Serves for the matter that is then born in 't.

Lep. But small to greater matters must give way. Eno. Not if the small come first.

1 Quarrel.

VOL. VIII.-3

Lep.

Your speech is passion:

But, pray you, stir no embers up. Here comes

The noble Antony.

Eno.

Enter ANTONY and VENTIDIUS

And yonder, Cæsar.

Enter CESAR, MECENAS, and AGRIPPA. Ant. If we compose well here, to Parthia: Hark you, Ventidius.

Cæs.

I do not know,

Mecænas; ask Agrippa.

Lep.

That which combin'd us
A leaner action rend us.

Noble friends,

was most great, and let not What's amiss,

May it be gently heard: when we debate

Our trivial difference loud, we do commit

Murder in healing wounds. Then, noble partners,
(The rather, for I earnestly beseech)

Touch you the sourest points with sweetest terms,
Nor curstness grow to the matter.

Ant.

'T is spoken well.

Were we before our armies, and to fight,

I should do thus.

Cas. Welcome to Rome.

Ant.

Cæs. Sit.

Ant. Sit, sir.

Cas. Nay, then

[Shake hands.

Thank you.

Ant. I learn, you take things ill, which are not so;

Or, being, concern you not.

Cæs.

If, or for nothing, or a little, I

I must be laugh'd at,

Should say myself offended; and with you

Chiefly i' the world: more laugh'd at, that I should Once name you derogately, when to sound your name It not concern'd me.

Ant.

What was 't to you?

My being in Egypt, Cæsar,

Cas. No more than my residing here at Rome
Might be to you in Egypt: yet, if you there
Did practise on my state, your being in Egypt
Might be my question.

Ant.

How intend you, practis'd?

Cæs. You may be pleas'd to catch at mine intent,

1 Not in f. e.