I lose myself: better I were not yours,

Than yours so branchless. But, as you requested, Yourself shall go between us: The mean time, lady, I'll raise the preparation of a war

Shall stain 2 your brother; Make your soonest haste; your desires are yours.

So

Oct.

Thanks to my lord.

The Jove of power make me most weak, most weak, Your reconciler! Wars 'twixt you twain would be As if the world should cleave, and that slain men Should solder3 up the rift.4

Ant. When it appears to you where this begins, Turn your displeasure that way; for our faults Can never be so equal, that your love

Can equally move with them.

Provide your going;

Choose your own company, and command what cost Your heart has mind to.

[Exeunt.

The same

SCENE V.

Another Room in the same.

Enter ENOBARBUS and EROS, meeting.

Eno. How now, friend Eros?

Eros. There's strange news come, sir.

Eno. What, man?

Eros. Cæsar and Lepidus have made wars upon

Pompey.

Eno. This is old; What is the success?

Eros. Cæsar, having made use of him in the wars

4

2 Disgrace. 3 Cement, close. Opening. 5 What follows

❝ i. e. Lepidus.

8

'gainst Pompey, presently denied him rivality;7 would not let him partake in the glory of the action: and not resting here, accuses him of letters he had formerly wrote to Pompey; upon his own appeal, seizes him: So the poor third is up, till death enlarge his confine. Eno. Then, world, thou hast a pair of chaps, no more; And throw between them all the food thou hast, They'll grind the one the other. Where's Antony?

Eros. He's walking in the garden-thus; and spurns The rush that lies before him; cries, Fool, Lepidus! And threats the throat of that his officer,

That murder'd Pompey.

Eno.

Our great navy's rigged.

Eros. For Italy, and Cæsar. More, Domitius; My lord desires you presently: my news

I might have told hereafter.

Eno.

"Twill be naught:

[Exeunt.

But let it be.-Bring me to Antony.

Eros. Come, sir.

SCENE VI.

Rome. A Room in Cæsar's House.

Enter CESAR, AGRIPPA, and MECENAS.

Cas. Contemning Rome, he has done all this: And more;

In Alexandria,-here's the manner of it,

I' the market place, on a tribunal silver'd,
Cleopatra and himself in chairs of gold
Were publickly enthron'd; at the feet, sat

Cæsarion, whom they call my father's son;
And all the unlawful issue, that their lust
Since then hath made between them. Unto her
He gave the 'stablishment of Egypt; made her
Of lower Syria, Cyprus, Lydia,

Absolute queen.

Mec.

This in the publick eye!

Cas. I' the common show-place, where they exercise. His sons he there proclaim'd, The kings of kings: Great Media, Parthia, and Armenia,

He gave to Alexander; to Ptolemy he assign'd
Syria, Cilicia, and Phœnicia: She

In the habiliments of the goddess Isis

That day appear'd; and oft before gave audience As 'tis reported, so.

Mec. Inform'd.

Let Rome be thus

Agr. Who, queasy with his insolence Already, will their good thoughts call from him. Cas. The people know it; and have now receiv'd His accusations.

Agr.

Whom does he accuse?

Cas. Cæsar: and that, having in Sicily

Sextus Pompeius spoil'd, we had not rated' him
His part o'the isle: then does he say, he lent me
Some shipping unrestor'd: lastly, he frets,
That Lepidus of the triumvirate

Should be depos'd; and, being, that we detain
All his revenue.

Agr.

Sir, this should be answer'd.

Cas, 'Tis done already, and the messenger gone.

I have told him, Lepidus was grown too cruel;
That he his high authority abus'd,

And did deserve his change; for what I have conquer'd,

I grant him part; but then, in his Armenia,

And other of his conquer'd kingdoms, I

Demand the like.

Mec.

He'll never yield to that.

Cæs. Nor must not then be yielded to in this.

Enter OCTAVIA,

Oct. Hail, Cæsar, and my lord! hail, most dear
Cæsar!

Cæs. That ever I should call thee, cast-away!
Oct. You have not call'd me so, nor have you cause.
Cas. Why have you stol'n upon us thus ? You come

not

way,

Like Cæsar's sister: The wife of Antony
Should have an army for an usher, and
The neighs of horse to tell of her approach,
Long ere she did appear; the trees by the
Should have borne men; and expectation fainted,
Longing for what it had not: nay, the dust
Should have ascended to the roof of heaven,
Rais'd by your populous troops: But you are come
A market-maid to Rome; and have prevented
The ostent of our love, which, left unshown
Is often left unlov'd: we should have met you
By sea, and land; supplying every stage

With an augmented greeting.

Oct.

Good my lord,

To come thus was I not constrain'd, but did it

2 Show, token.

1

On my free-will. My lord, Mark Antony
Hearing that you prepar'd for war, acquainted
My grieved ear withal; whereon, I begg'd
His pardon for return.

Cæs.

Which soon he granted,

Being an obstruct' 'tween his lust and him.

Oct. Do not say so, my lord.

Cæs.

I have eyes upon him,

And his affairs come to me on the wind.

Where is he now?

Oct.

My lord, in Athens.

Cas. No, my most wronged sister; Cleopatra Hath nodded him to her. He hath given his empire Up to a whore; who now are levying

The kings o'the earth for war: He hath assembled Bocchus, the king of Lybia; Archelaus,

Of Cappadocia; Philadelphos, king

Of Paphlagonia; the Thracian king, Adallas:
King Malchus of Arabia; king of Pont;
Herod of Jewry; Mithridates, king
Of Comagene; Polemon and Amintas,
The kings of Mede, and Lycaonia, with a
More larger list of scepters.

Oct.

Ah me, most wretched,

That have my heart parted betwixt two friends,

That do afflict each other!

Cæs. Welcome hither: Your letters did withhold our breaking forth; Till we perceiv'd, both how you were wrong led, And we in negligent danger. Cheer your heart: Be you not troubled with the time, which drives

3 Obstruction..