There is a vent of blood, and something blown :
The like is on her arm.

1 Guard. This is an aspic's trail: and these figleaves

Have slime upon them, such as the aspic leaves
Upon the caves of Nile.

Most probable

Cæs.
That so she died; for her physician tells me
She hath pursued conclusions infinite

Of easy ways to die.-Take up her bed;
And bear her women from the monument:-
She shall be buried by her Antony:
No grave upon the earth shall clip in it
A pair so famous. High events as these
Strike those that make them; and their story is
No less in pity than his glory, which
Brought them to be lamented. Our army shall,
In solemn show, attend this funeral;
And then to Rome.-Come, Dolabella, see
High order in this great solemnity.

49

[Exeun.

ACT 1.-SCENE I.

RENEAGUES all temper"-i. e. Renounces. This is usually spelled reneges. Coleridge suggested the orthography here adopted, which is the old spelling, and besides gives the proper pronunciation, as in league. Stevens proposed to read reneyes, a word used by Chaucer in the same sense; but we have the word in the form here used, in LEAR.

"TRIPLE pillar of the world"-" Triple" is here used in the sense of third, or one of three-one of the Triumvirs, the three masters of the world. So in ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL, we have a "triple eye" for a third eye. The industry of the commentators has not found any similar use of the word, in any other old author.

"GRATES me"-i. e. Offends me; is grating to me. "The SUM"-i. e. What is the amount of your tidings?

"-hear THEM"-i. e. The news, which word, in the Poet's age, still retained its plural use.

"TAKE IN that kingdom"-"Take in," it has been elsewhere observed, signifies subdue, conquer.

"Where's Fulvia's PROCESS"-A word used with technical accuracy. "Process" here means summons. "Lawyers call that the processe by which a man is called into the court, and no more. To serve with processe is to cite, to summon."-MINSHEW.

“— RANG'D empire"-Capell, the most neglected of the commentators, properly explains this-"Orderly ranged-whose parts are now entire and distinct, like a number of well-built edifices." He refers to a passage in CORIOLANUS:

Bury all which yet distinctly ranges,
In heaps and piles of ruin.

"-to WEET"-i. e. To know.

"BUT stirr'd by Cleopatra"-Johnson explains this as if "but" had the meaning of except-Antony will be himself, unless Cleopatra keeps him in commotion. M. Mason objects to this, and interprets the passage, "if but stirred by Cleopatra." Knight, dissenting from both, considers the obvious meaning to be, "Antony accepts Cleopatra's belief of what he will be. He will be himself, but still under the influence of Cleopatra; and to show what that influence is, he continues, Now, for the love of Love,' etc."

"To-night we'll wander through the streets," etc.

Plato writeth that there are four kinds of flattery: but Cleopatra divided it into many kinds. For she (were it in sport, or in matters of earnest) still devised sundry new delights to have Antonius at commandment, never leaving him night nor day, nor once letting him go out of her sight. For she would play at dice with him, drink with him, and hunt commonly with him, and also be with him when he went to any exercise or activity of body. And sometime also, when he would go up and down the city disguised like a slave in the night, and would peer into poor men's windows and their shops, and scold and brawl within the house, Cleopatra would be also in a chambermaid's array, and amble up and down the streets with him, so that oftentimes Antonius bare away both mocks and blows. Now, though most men misliked this manner, yet the Alexandrians were commonly glad of this jollity, and liked it well, saying, very gallantly and wisely, that Antonius showed them a comical face, to wit, a merry counte grim look.-NORTH'S Plutarch. nance; and the Romans a tragical face, that is to say, a

SCENE II.

"Enter Charmian, Iras, Alexas," etc. Shakespeare followed Plutarch, and appears to have been anxious to introduce every incident and every per sonage he met with in his historian. Plutarch mentions

amprias, his grandfather, as authority for some of the ories he relates of the profuseness and luxury of Antoy's entertainments at Alexandria. In the stage-direcon of scene ii. act 1, in the old copy, Lamprias, Ramus, and Lucilius, are made to enter with the rest; but hey have no part in the dialogue, nor do their names ppear in the list of Dramatis Personæ.

Stevens adds that, in the multitude of the characers, these characters seem to have been forgotten.

"let me have a child at fifty"-"This (says Stevens) s one of Shakespeare's natural touches. Few circumtances are more flattering to the fair sex, than breeding it an advanced period of life. Charmian wishes for a son too who may arrive at such power and dominion that the proudest and fiercest monarchs of the earth may be brought under his yoke. It should be remembered that Herod of Jewry was a favourite character in the mysteries of the old stage, and that he was always represented a fierce, haughty, blustering tyrant."

— As he flattered”—“ As” for as if.

"EXTENDED Asin from EUPHRATES"-i. e. Seized upon-an adaptation to a general sense of a phrase peculiar to the ancient English law; one process of seizing or levying upon land, to satisfy judgments, being called an extent, or extendi facias, "because (says Blackstone) the sheriff was to cause the lands to be appraised to their full extended value." In North's " Plutarch," we find that Labienus had "overrun Asia from Euphrates." Nearly all Shakespeare's contemporaries make the second syllable of Euphrates" short. Drayton, for example

64

That gliding go in state, like swelling Euphrates. "When our quick MINDS lie still"-In the old folios, our quick winds." Warburton proposed, and Malone and other editors have adopted, the correction of "quick minds." If we adopt this reading, the sense will beWhen our pregnant minds lie idle and untilled, they produce weeds; but the telling us of our faults is, as it were, ploughing, (earing being the old word for tilling, still preserved in our English Bible,) and thus destroys the weeds. The old reading is preserved by Johnson, who explains the sense-"that man not agitated by censure is like soil not ventilated by high winds, and produces more evil than good." Knight retains the same reading:-"Before we adopt a new reading we must be satisfied that the old one is corrupt. When, then, do we bring forth weeds?' In a heavy and moist season, when there are no quick winds' to mellow the earth, to dry up the exuberant moisture, to fit it for the plough. The Poet knew the old proverb of the worth of a bushel of March dust; but the winds of March,' rough and unpleasant as they are, he knew also produced this good. The quick winds then are the voices which bring us true reports to put an end to our inaction. When these winds lie still, we bring forth weeds. But the metaphor is carried further: the winds have rendered the soil fit for the plough; but the knowledge of our own faults, or ills, is as the ploughing itself— the caring."

Collier supposes winds to mean wints, which (says he) "in Kent and Sussex is an agricultural term, meaning two furrows ploughed by going to one end of the field and back again. Our quick winds' is, therefore, to be understood as our productive soil." Judge Blackstone had long before conjectured quick winds to be a corruption of some provincial word, signifying arable land. Yet that the first and most obvious explanation gives the idea in the Poet's mind, is indicated by a similar passage in HENRY VI., (Part III. :)—

For what doth cherish weeds but gentle air? A dozen commentators have exercised their sagacity on this passage, of which the reader has here the substance.

"The opposite of itself"-Warburton says, "The allusion is to the sun's diurnal course, which, rising in the east, and by revolution lowering, or setting, in the west, becomes the opposite of itself." But, taking revolution

simply as a change of circumstances, the passage may mean, (and this is the interpretation of Stevens,) that the pleasure of to-day becomes subsequently a painthe opposite of itself.

"The hand cOULD pluck her back"-" Could" is here used in that peculiar sense, which indicates not power, but inclination and will, if there was ability-apparently an elliptical expression-a very idiomatic, but by no means unusual sense, and not peculiar (as Stevens pronounces it to be) to the old writers. He thus says: My hand, which drove her off, would now willingly pluck her back, if it were possible.”

"— our EXPEDIENCE"-i. e. Our expedition. These words were used by Shakespeare indiscriminately.

So Antony loves;and says:-"This passage is usually printed with a colon after well; and, so pointed, it is interpreted by Capell, 'such is Antony's love, fluctuating and subject to sudden turns, like my health.' The punctuation of the original seems more consonant with the rapid and capricious demeanour of Cleopatra—I am quickly ill, and I am well again, so that Antony loves."

Collier's comment is, "I am quickly well or ill, according as Antony loves me."

“Belong to EGYPT"-i. e. The queen of Egypt. "this HERCULEAN Roman"-Antony traced his descent from Anton, a son of Hercules.

the "laurel victory" of the first edition; remarking that "the use of the substantive adjectively was a peculiarity of the poetry of Shakespeare's time, which has been revived with advantage in our own day."

SCENE IV.

"ONE great COMPETITOR"-" Competitor" is always used by Shakespeare, both in this play and in the Two GENTLEMEN OF VERONA, for associate; one uniting with others in striving together for the same end or object. "One" is the original reading, which Johnson altered to ours-a plausible conjecture; yet the old reading strikes me as the preferable sense. Octavius denies that it is his nature to hate any great associate power.

"his COMPOSURE"-i. e. Composition, in modern language.

"excuse his SOILS"-The original has foils, which (says Collier) means the foibles which injure his character." But I find no authority for any such use of the word, while "soils" is constantly used by Shakespeare in this very manner. Thus in HAMLET" No soil doth besmirch the virtue of his will." In LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST-"The only soil of his fair virtue's gloss." The change of the long ƒ for the f, is common in old books and manuscripts.

"Comes DEAR'D by being lack'd"-In the old copies, "fear'd by being lack'd," which is adhered to by the two last English editors; while the rest, from Theobald to Singer and Boswell, adopt Warburton's change, "dear'd." This not only in itself presents a much better and more natural sense, but moreover corresponds with the account given of Pompey, in the preceding speech, that he "is beloved of those that only have feared Cæsar." It is too the same with the thought similarly expressed in CORIOLANUS:-"I shall be lov'd when I am lack'd." This is much more natural than Knight's idea that, in Octavius's mind, "to be feared and to be loved were synonymous."

"Leave thy lascivious VASSALS"-The spelling of the original is vassailes. The modern reading is wassals. In three other passages of the original, where the old word wassal is used, it is spelled wassels. Wassal is employed by Shakespeare in the strict meaning of drunken revelry; and that could scarcely be called "lascivious." On the contrary, "leave thy lascivious vassals" expresses Cæsar's contempt for Cleopatra and her minions, who were strictly the vassals of Antony, the queen being one of his tributaries.-KNIGHT.

"Give me to drink MANDRAGORA"-A plant which, before the use of opium, the old physicians employed for what one of them (Gerard, Herbal.) calls "the drowsie and sleeping power thereof." So also in the old translation of Apuleius, (1566:)—"I gave him no poyson but a doling drink of mandragoras, which is of such

force, that it will cause any man to sleepe as though he were dead." (See Pliny's "Natural History," by Holland, 1601.)

"BURGONET of men"-i. e. Helmet. In HENRY VI. we have, "I wear aloft my burgonet."

"that great MEDICINE hath

With his tinct gilded thee."

The allusion is, as Johnson and Stevens have shown, to the philosopher's stone, which, by its touch, converts base metal into gold. The alchymists call the matter, whatever it be, by which they perform transmutation, a "medicine." Thus Chapman, in his "Shadow of Night," (1594:)—

O, then, thou great elixir of all treasures.

The old English poets are full of such allusions, and there is a singular agreement between the poetic use of this phrase, and an idiomatic phrase common to all the North American Indian tribes, which differing in language, some of them radically, agree in applying the title of "great medicine" to any powerful agent beyond their comprehension. This is one of those coincidences where there could be no common origin, which show how uncertain are all arguments of literary imitation, etc., drawn from mere similarity.

"And soberly did mount an ARROGANT steed," etc.

The original has “arm-gaunt steed,” which has puzzled all the critics. Knight says that "arm-gaunt, of which we have no other example, conveys the idea of a steed fierce and terrible in armour"-a sense not easily derived from the word. Collier interprets it "as applied to a horse become gaunt by bearing arms"-a more probable sense, but not suiting the context, though it agrees with Warburton's explanation of "a steed worn thin by service in war;" on which Edwards has lavished much good pleasantry, in his sprightly volume, the "Canons of Criticism." Seward, (Preface to his edition of Beaumont and Fletcher,) Edwards, and Lord Chedworth, maintain that it means thin-shouldered-" gaunt quad armos." M. Mason proposed, and very many edi tors have adopted, the change into termagant, which gives a spirited and appropriate sense. A strong objec tion to this change is that termagant must have been preceded in the text by a, not by an, as the old editions have it. This edition adopts the very ingenious conjec ture of Boaden, which is thus explained and defended by Singer:

"The epithet arrogant is the happy suggestion of Mr. Boaden, and is to be preferred both on account of its more striking propriety, and because it admits of the original article an retaining its place before it. That it is an epithet fitly applied to the steed of Antony, may be shown by high poetical authority. In the Aurace Domado" of Lope de Vega, the reader will find the fol lowing passage:—

Y el cavallo arrogante, in que subido
El hombre parecia

Monstruosa fiera que sies pies tenia. Termagant, it should be observed, is furious; 'arro gant,' which answers to the Latin ferox, is only fierce, proud. Our great Poet, of imagination all compact, is the greatest master of poetic diction the world has yet produced; he could not have any knowledge of the Spanish poet, but has anticipated him in the use of this expressive epithet. The word arrogaunt, as written in old manuscripts, might easily be mistaken for armgaunt."

ACT II.-SCENE I.

"My power's A crescent"-The old copy has "My powers are crescent." The use of it, in the next line. shows that "crescent" is a substantive. The correc by all editors except Collier. tion in the text was made by Theobald, and is received

"Salt Cleopatra, soften thy wAN'D lip!" The spelling of the early edition is wand lip, which Collier retains, as referring "to Cleopatra's power of en

chantment," and doubts whether it should not be printed wand-lip. This is forced and improbable. Waned, which, if strict metrical regularity is required, may be spelled or spoken "wan'd," refers to the age and decay of beauty, to which Cleopatra has herself before referred. Stevens quotes a similar application of the epithet from Marston, a contemporary dramatist:

Cleopatra then to seek had been

So firm a lover of her waned face.

He however suggests that the word is wan'd-grown wan, or pale, as in HAMLET: His visage wan'd."

"I would not shave't to-day"—i. e. I would meet him undressed, without any show of respect. Plutarch mentions that Antouy, "after the overthrow he had at Modena. suffered his beard to grow at length, and never clipt it, that it was marvellous long." Malone thinks that this was in Shakespeare's thoughts.

"If we COMPOSE"-i. e. Agree, come to agreement; as afterwards-"I crave our composition may be written."

"Sit, sir"-A note of admiration is put here by Stevens, who thinks that Antony means to resent the invitation of Cæsar that he should be seated, as such invitation implied superiority. We agree with Malone and Knight, that they desire each other to be seated; and that Cesar puts an end to the bandying of compliments by taking his seat.

"THEME for you"-This passage has been misunderstood, erroneously explained, and considered corrupt. Its meaning evidently is, "You were the theme or subject for which your wife and brother made their contestation; you were the word of war." Mason supposed some words had been transposed, and that the passage ought to stand thus:

and for contestation

Their theme was you; you were the word of war.

"some true REPORTS"—" Reports," for reporters. It was not an uncommon poetic license, among the old dramatists, thus to use the neuter noun for the personal one derived from it; as in RICHARD III. we find wrongs used for wrong-doers.

"As matter WHOLE you have to make it with," etc. This is the reading of the original; but the ordinary reading, from the time of Rowe, has been

As matter whole you have not to make it with. We doubt the propriety of departing from the text, and the meaning appears to us-If you will patch a quarrel so as to seem the whole matter you have to make it with, you must not patch it with this complaint. "Whole" is opposed to patch.-KNIGHT.

"Could not with graceful eyes attend those wars Which FRONTED mine own peace."

That is-Could not look graciously upon them; could not approve them. "Fronted" is affronted, opposed.

"The honour's sacred which he talks on now," etc. "The theme of honour which he now speaks of, namely, the religion of an oath, for which he supposes me not to have a due regard, is sacred; it is a tender point, and touches my character nearly. Let him, therefore, urge his charge, that I may vindicate myself."

This is Malone's interpretation, and generally adopted in modern editions. But I rather agree with Mason, that "now" does not refer to " talks," but that he says,

Admitting that I was negligent, and then lacked fidelity to my word, that honour is now sacred." He accordingly excuses his fault, demands pardon, and tenders reparation.

66

your considerate stone"-This is probably an allusion to the old saying, "as silent as a stone," which is a frequent comparison among our ancient writers. Enobarbus says, A solemn silence and gravity are my part."

So she furnished herself with a world of gifts, store of gold and silver, and of riches and other sumptuous ornaments, as is credible enough she might bring from so great a house and from so wealthy and rich a realm as Egypt was. But yet she carried nothing with her wherein she trusted more than in herself, and in the charms and enchantment of her passing beauty and grace. Therefore, when she was sent unto by divers letters, both from Antonius himself and also from his friends, she made so light of it, and mocked Antonius so much, that she disdained to set forward otherwise but to take her barge in the river of Cydnus; the poop whereof was of gold, the sails of purple, and the oars of silver, which kept stroke in rowing after the sound of the music of flutes, hautboys, citterns, vials, and such other instruments as they played upon in the barge, And now for the person of herself, she was laid under a pavilion of cloth of gold of tissue, apparelled and attired like the goddess Venus, commonly drawn in picture; and hard by her, on either hand of her, pretty fair boys, apparelled as painters do set forth god Cupid, with little fans in their hands, with the which they fanned wind upon her. Her ladies and gentlewomen also, the fairest of them were apparelled like the Nymphs Nereides (which are the mermaids of the waters) and like the Graces; some steering the helm, others tending the tackle and ropes of the barge, out of the which there came a wonderful passing sweet savour of perfumes, that perfumed the wharf's side, pestered with innume rable multitudes of people. Some of them followed the barge all along the river-side; others also ran out of the city to see her coming in: so that in the end there ran such multitudes of people one after another to see her, that Antonius was left post alone in the market-place, in his imperial seat, to give audience; and there went a rumour in the people's mouths that the goddess Venus was come to play with the god Bacchus for the general good of all Asia. When Cleopatra landed, Autonius sent to invite her to supper to him. But she sent him word again he should do better rather to come and sup with her. Antonius, therefore, to show himself courteous unto her at her arrival, was content to obey her, and went to supper to her, where he found such passing sumptuous fare that no tongue can express it."

So many mermaids, tended her i'the eyes,
And made their bends ADORNINGS."

The last editions of Johnson and Stevens contain seve ral pages of commentary, giving various interpretations to these words. To these the later critics have added