Yet I have fierce affections, and think, What Venus did with Mars.

O Charmian,

Cleo.
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.

SCENE II. - Rome.

[Exeunt.

never

And have my learning from some true reports,
That drew their swords with you. Did he not

Not so, not so ;

I know you could not lack, I am certain on't,
Very necessity of this thought, that I,
Your partner in the cause 'gainst which he fought,
Could not with graceful eyes attend those wars
Which 'fronted mine own peace. As for my wife,
I would you had her spirit in such another:
The third o'the world is yours; which with a snaffle
You may pace easy, but not such a wife.

Eno. 'Would we had all such wives, that the men might go to wars with the women!

Ant. So much uncurable, her garboils, Cæsar, Made out of her impatience, (which not wanted Shrewdness of policy too,) I grieving grant, Did you too much disquiet: for that, you must But say, I could not help it.

Cæs.

I wrote to you, When rioting in Alexandria; you Did pocket up my letters, and with taunts Did gibe my missive out of audience.

Ant.

Sir,

He fell upon me, ere admitted; then
Three kings I had newly feasted, and did want
Of what I was i'the morning: but, next day,
I told him of myself; which was as much
As to have ask'd him pardon: Let this fellow
Be nothing of our strife; if we contend,
Out of our question wipe him.

Cæs.

You have broken The article of your oath; which you shall never Have tongue to charge me with.

Lep.

Soft, Cæsar.

Ant. No, Lepidus, let him speak;

The honour's sacred which he talks on now,
Supposing that I lack'd it: But on, Cæsar;
The article of my oath,

Caes. To lend me arms, and aid, when I requir'd them; The which you both denied.

Ant.

Neglected, rather;

And then, when poison'd hours had bound me up

As nearly as I may, but mine honesty

From mine own knowledge.
I'll play the penitent to you:
Shall not make poor my greatness, nor my power
Work without it: Truth is, that Fulvia,
To have me out of Egypt, made wars here;
For which myself, the ignorant motive, do
So far ask pardon, as befits mine honour
To stoop in such a case.
Lep.

'Tis nobly spoken.

Mec. If it might please you, to enforce no further The griefs between ye: to forget them quite, Were to remember that the present need Speaks to atone you. Lep. Worthily spoke, Mecænas. Eno. Or, if you borrow one another's love for the instant, you may, when you hear no more words of Pompey, return it again: you shall have time to wrangle in, when you have nothing else to do.

Ant. Thou art a soldier only; speak no more. Eno. That truth should be silent, I had almost forgot.

Ant. You wrong this presence, therefore speak

Say not so, Agrippa;

If Cleopatra heard you, your reproof
Were well deserv'd of rashness.

Ant. I am not married, Cæsar: let me hear Agrippa further speak.

Agr. To hold you in perpetual amity, To make you brothers, and to knit your hearts With an unslipping knot, take Antony Octavia to his wife: whose beauty claims No worse a husband than the best of men; Whose virtue, and whose general graces, speak That which none else can utter. By this marriage, All little jealousies, which now seem great, And all great fears, which now import their dangers, Would then be nothing: truths would be but tales, Where now half tales be truths: her love to both, Would, each to other, and all loves to both, Draw after her. Pardon what I have spoke: For 'tis a studied, not a present thought, By duty ruminated.

Ant.

Will Cæsar speak? Cas. Not till he hears how Antony is touch'd With what is spoke already.

Ant.

What power is in Agrippa, If I would say, Agrippa, be it so, To make this good?

Cæs.

The power of Cæsar, and

His power unto Octavia.

[Flourish. Exeunt CESAR, ANT. and LEPIDUS. Mec. Welcome from Egypt, sir.

Eno. Half the heart of Caesar, worthy Mecenas! - my honourable friend, Agrippa! –

Agr. Good Enobarbus!

Mec. We have cause to be glad, that matters are well digested. You stay'd well by it in Egypt. Eno. Ay, sir; we did sleep day out of countenance, and made the night light with drinking.

Mec. Eight wild boars roasted whole at a breakfast, and but twelve persons there; Is this true?

Eno. This was but as a fly by an eagle: we had much more monstrous matter of feasts, which worthily deserved noting.

Mec. She's a most triumphant lady, if report be square to her.

Eno. When she first met Mark Antony, she pursed up his heart, upon the river of Cydnus.

Agr. There she appeared indeed; or my reporter devised well for her.

Eno. I will tell you:

The barge she sat in, like a burnish'd throne, Burn'd on the water: the poop was beaten gold; Purple the sails, and so perfumed, that

The winds were love-sick with them: the oars were silver;

Which to the tune of flutes kept stroke, and made
The water, which they beat, to follow faster,
As amorous of their strokes. For her own person,
It beggar'd all description: she did lie
In her pavilion, (cloth of gold, of tissue,)
O'er-picturing that Venus, where we see,
The fancy out-work nature: on each side her,
Stood pretty dimpled boys, like smiling Cupids,
With divers-colour'd fans, whose wind did seem
To glow the delicate cheeks which they did cool,
And what they undid, did.

Agr.

O, rare for Antony!

Eno. Her gentlewomen, like the Nereides,
So many mermaids, tended her i' the eyes,
And made their bends adornings: at the helm
A seeming Mermaid steers; the silken tackle
Swell with the touches of those flower-soft hands,
That yarely frame the office. From the barge
A strange invisible pérfume hits the sense
Of the adjacent wharfs. The city cast

Her people out upon her; and Antony,
Enthron'd in the market-place, did sit alone,
Whistling to the air; which, but for vacancy,
Had gone to gaze on Cleopatra too,
And made a gap in nature.

Azr.

Rare Egyptian!

Eno. Upon her landing, Antony sent to her, Invited her to supper: she replied,

It should be better, he became her guest;
Which she entreated: Our courteous Antony,
Whom ne'er the word of No woman heard speak,
Being barbar'd ten times o'er, goes to the feast;
And, for his ordinary, pays his heart,
For what his eyes eat only.

Agr.

Royal wench!

She made great Cæsar lay his sword to bed; He plough'd her, and she cropp'd.

Eno.

I saw her once
Hop forty paces through the publick street:
And having lost her breath, she spoke, and panted,
That she did make defect, perfection,
And, breathless, power breathe forth.

Mec. Now Antony must leave her utterly.
Eno. Never; he will not;

Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale
Her infinite variety: Other women

Cloy th' appetites they feed; but she makes hungry,
Where most she satisfies. For vilest things
Become themselves in her; that the holy priests
Bless her, when she is riggish.

Mec. If beauty, wisdom, modesty, can settle The heart of Antony, Octavia is

A blessed lottery to him.

Enter LEPIDUS, MECENAS, and AGRIPPA. Lep. Trouble yourselves no further: pray you, hasten Your generals after. Agr.

Sir, Mark Antony

Will e'en but kiss Octavia, and we'll follow.
Lep. Till I shall see you in your soldier's dress,
Which will become you both, farewell.
Mec.
We shall,

As I conceive the journey, be at mount
Before you, Lepidus.

Lep.

Your way is shorter, My purposes do draw me much about; You'll win two days upon me.

Mec. Agr.
Lep. Farewell.

Sir, good success! [Exeunt

Enter CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, IRAs, and ALEXAS.
Cleo. Give me some musick; musick, moody
food
Of us that trade in love.

Attend.

The musick, ho!

Enter MARDIAN.

Cleo. Let it alone; let us to billiards: Come, Charmian.

I cannot hate thee worser than I do, If thou again say, Yes.