SCENE 1.-The Plains of Philippi. It proves not so; their battles are at band; Ant. Tut, I am in their bosoms, and I know Enter a MESSENGER. Meis. Prepare you, generals: The enemy comes on in gallant show; Ant. Octavius, lead your battle softly on. Oct. Upon the right hand I, keep thou the Ant. Why do you cross me in this exigent [March. Dram. Ester BRUTUS, CASSIUS, and their ermy; LUCILIUS, TITINIUS, MESSALA, and others. Bru. They stand, and would have parley. Oct. Mark Antony, shall we give sign of bat Ant. No, Cesar, we will answer on their charge. Make furth, the generals would have some words. bet. Sur not until the signal. I was not born to die on Brutus' sword. Bru. Oh! if thou wert the noblest of thy strain, Young man, thou could'st not die more honourable. Cas. A peevish school-boy, worthless of such Join'd with a masker and a reveller. Oct. Come, Antony; away.- [Exeunt OCTAVIUS, ANTÓNY, Cas. Why now, blow, wind; swell, billow; The storm is up, and all is on the hazard. Lucilius; hark, a word with you. Luc. My lord. [BRUTUS and LUCILIUS converse apart. Cas. Messala, Mes. What says my general? Cas. Messala, This is my birth-day; as this very day Was Cassius born. Give me thy hand, Messala: Bra. Words before blows: Is it so, country-Our army lies, ready to give up the ghost. men 1 Ort. Not that we love words better, as you do. Octavias. Ast. In your had strokes, Brutus, you give good words: en the hole you made in Cesar's heart, Craz, Lang live! hail, Cesar! Cas. Antony, The stare of your blows are yet unknown; for your words, they rob the Hybla bees, #ad leave them honeyless. Ant. Not stingless too. kru. Oh! yes, and soundless too; For yua have stol'n their buzzing, Antony, And, very wisely, threat before you sting. Mes. Believe not so. Cas. I but believe it partly; Cas. Now, most noble Brutus, The gods to-day stand friendly; that we may, If we do lose this battle, then is this Bru. Even by the rule of that philosophy, Ant. Villains, you did not so, when your vile But I do find it cowardly and vile, daggers That ever Brutus will go bound to Rome: Enter PINDARUS. Come hither, Sirrah : In Parthia did I take thee prisoner ; Thou should'st attempt it. Come now, keep Now be a freeman: and, with this good sword, Cas. For ever, and for ever, farewell, Brutus ! That ran through Cesar's bowels, search this If we do meet again, we'll smile indeed! If not, 'tis true this parting was well made. Bru. Why then, lead on.-Oh! that a man might know The end of this day's business ere it come ! Unto the legions on the other side: [Loud Alarum. Let them set on at once; for I perceive But cold demeanour in Octavius' wing, And sudden push gives them the overthrow. Ride, ride, Messala: let them all come down. [Exeunt. SCENE III.-The same.-Another part of the Field. Alarum.-Enter CASSIUS and TITINIUS. Who having some advantage on Octavius, Enter PINDARUS. Pin. Fly further off, my lord, fly further off; Mark Antony is in your tents, my lord! Fly therefore, noble Cassius, fly far off. Cas. This hill is far enough. Look, look, Titinius ; Are those my tents, where I perceive the fire ? Tit. They are, my lord. Cas. Titinius, if thou lov'st me, Mount thou my horse, and hide thy spurs in him, Till he have brought thee up to yonder troops, Cas. What news Pin. Titinius is? bosom. Stand not to answer; Here, take thou the hilts; [Dies. Pin. So, I am free; yet would not so have been, Durst I have done my will. O Cassius! Far from this country Pindarus shall run, Where never Roman shall take note of him. [Erit. Re-enter TITINIUS, with MESSALA. Mes. It is but change, Titinius; for Octavius Tit. These tidings will well comfort Cassius. With Pindarus his bondman, on this hill. ground? Tit. He lies not like the living. O my heart! Mes. Is not that he? Tit. No, this was he, Messala, But Cassius is no more.-O setting sun! Mistrust of my success hath done this decd. Mes. Mistrust of good success hath done Tit. Hie you, Messala, And I will seek for Pindarus the white. Alas! thou hast misconstrued every thing. Alarum. Re-enter MESSALA, with BRUTUS, young CATO, STRATO, VOLUMNIUS, and Lu. CILIUS. Bru. Where, where, Messala, doth his body lie? Mes. Lo, yonder; and Titinius mourning it. Bru. Titinius' face is upward. Cato. He is slain. Bru. O Julius Cesar, thou art mighty yet! I will proclaim my name about the field :- [Charges the Enemy. Brs. And I am Brutus, Marcus Brutus, I; Brutus, iny country's friend; know me for Brutus. CATO is [Exit, charging the Enemy. overpowered and falls. Luc. O young and noble Cato, art thon down! Why, now thou diest as bravely as Titinius; Luc. Only 1 yield to die: There is so much that thou wilt kill me straight; [Offering Money. Brutus, and be honour'd in his death. 1 Seld. We must not.-A noble prisoner! 2 Seid. Room, hol Tell Antony, Brutus is ta'en. Cli. Now is that noble vessel full of grief, That it runs over even at his eyes. Bru. Come hither, good Volumnius; list a word. Vol. What says my lord? Br. Why, this, Volummins: The ghost of Cesar hath appear'd to me Vol. Not so, my lord. Bru. Nay, i am sure it is, Volumnius. Thou see'st the world, Volumnius, how it goes; Our enemies have beat us to the pit: It is more worthy to leap in ourselves, Than tarry till they push us. Good Volumnius, Thou know'st that we two went to school together; Even for that our love of old, I pray thee, Cli. Fly, fly, my lord; there is no tarrying here. Bru. Farewell to you;-and you;—and you, Strato, thou hast been all this while asleep: Night hangs upon mine eyes; my bones would rest; That have but labour'd to attain this hour. [Alarum. Cry within; Fly, Ay, fly. Cli. Fly, my lord, fly. Bru. Hence; I will follow thee. [Exeunt CLITUS, DARDANIUS, and VOLUM NIUS. I pr'ythee, Strato, stay thou by thy lord: Hold then my sword, and turn away thy face, Bru. Farewell, good Strato.-Cesar, now be still: I kill'd not thee with half so good a will. Mes. My master's man.-Strato, where is thy master? Stra. Free from the bondage you are in, Messala; The conquerors can but make a fire of him; H For Brutus only overcame himself, That thou hast prov'd Lucilius' saying true. Fellow, wilt thou bestow thy time with me? Stra. Ay, if Messala will prefer + me to you. Oct. Do so, Messala. Mes. How died my master, Strato ? Stra. I held the sword, and he did run on it. Mes. Octavius, then take him to follow thee, That did the latest service to my master. Ant. This was the noblest Roman of them all = All the conspirators, save only he, Did that they did in envy of great Cesar: Oct. According to his virtue let us use him, With all respect and rites of burial. (Ereunt. ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. LITERARY AND HISTORICAL NOTICE. THIS play is supposed to have been written in the year 1608; and some of its incidents may have been borrowed from a production of Daniel's, called "The Tragedie of Cleopatra," which was entered on the books of the, Stationers' Company in the year 1593. It rapidly condenses the events of a considerable period, commencing with the triple partition of the empire at the death of Brutus, B. C. 41, and terminating with the final overthrow of the Prolemean dynasty, B. C. 23. Its historical features are, upon the whole, accurately drawn ; and the sentiments of many of the characters are literally copied from Plutarch and other biographers.---An` tony's illest connection with Cleopatra, his brutal treatment of the amiable Octavia, and his absurd assump-" tion of despotic power in bequeathing the Roman provinces to a degraded progeny, were the ostensible grounds of the rupture which ended in his death, and united the whole extent of Roman conquest under one imperial sceptre. The character of Cleopatra, the fascinating, dexterous, and incontinent Egyptian, abounds in portical beauty; and the rough soldier's description of her passage down the Cydnus, has ever been considered a luxuriant specimen of glowing oriental description. But it is in the portrait of Antony that the discriminating reader will chiefly discover the pencil of a master. It is a choice finish to the outline of his character, as given in the play of Julius Cesar. He was then "a masker and a reveller," of comely person, lively Wit, and tusinuating address :---but the fire of youth, and the dictates of ambition, restrained his licentious cravings within tolerable bounds. In the decline of life, and in the lap of voluptuousness, with wealth at his command, and monarchs at his footstool, we find him alternately playing the fool, the hero, or the barbarian, triding away the treasures of the East in sensuality and indolence, and destroying a noble army by cowardice and obstinacy. Still, the rays of inherent greatness occasionally gleam through a cloud of ignoble propenties, and glimmerings of Roman greatness partially reclaim a carcer of the most doting effeminacy. The philosophy of his mind, and the cool superiority of maturer years, are admirably pourtrayed in the first reCriminatory scene with Octavius Cesar, who, notwithstanding the flattery of historians," was deceitful, meanspirited, proud, and revengeful."---Dr. Johnson says: "This play keeps curiosity always busy, and the pas Bans always interested. The continual hurry of the action, the variety of incidents, and the quick succession of one passage to another, call the mind forwards without intermission from the first act to the last. But the power of delighting is derived principally from the frequent changes of the scene; for, except the femi sine arts (some of which are too low) which distinguish Cleopatra, no character is very strongly discrimi mazed. Upton, who did not easily miss what he desired to find, has discovered that the language of Antony la. with great skill and learning, made pompous and superb, according to his real practice. But I think his diction not distinguishable from that of others: the most tumid speech in the play is that which Cesar makes to Antuny." Triumvirs. MENAS, MENECRATES, VARRIUS, Friends of TAURUS, Lieutenant-general to Cesar. CANIDIUS, Lieutenant-general to Antony. EUPHRONIUS, an Ambassador from Antony to Cesar. Friends of Antony. ALEXAS, MARDIAN, SELFUCUs, and DIOMEDES, Friends to Cesar. Attendants on Cleopatra. A SOOTHSAYER. A CLOWN. CLEOPATRA, Queen of Egypt. OCTAVIA, Sister to Cesar, and wife to Antony. Officers, Soldiers, Messengers, and other SCENE, changes to several Parts of the Roman Empire. ACT L Upon a tawny front: his captain's heart, WEVE L-Alexandria.-A Room in CLEO-The buckles on his breast, reneges all temper; PATRA'S Palace. Enter DEMETRIUS and PHILO. Be cup glow “of like plated Mars, now bend, now turn, And is become the bellows and the fan To cool a gypsy's lust. Look where they come! • Renounces. |