If thus thou vanishest, thou tell'st the world

It is not worth leave-taking.

Char. Dissolve, thick cloud, and rain; that I may say, The gods themselves do weep!

Cleo.

This proves me base :

If she first meet the curled Antony,

He'll make demand of her1; and spend that kiss,

Which is my heaven to have. Come, mortal wretch, † [To the Asp, which she applies to her breast.

With thy sharp teeth this knot intrinsicate

Of life at once untie: poor venomous fool,
Be angry, and despatch. O, could'st thou speak!
That I might hear thee call great Cæsar, ass
Unpolicied! 5

Char.

Cleo.

O eastern star!

Dost thou not see my baby at my breast,

That sucks the nurse asleep?

Peace, peace!

O, break! O, break!

Char.
Cleo. As sweet as balm, as soft as air, as gentle,
O Antony! Nay, I will take thee too:-

Now boast thee, death! in thy possession lies
A lass unparallel'd. — Downy windows, close;"
And golden Phoebus never be beheld

♦ He'll make demand of her;] He will enquire of her concerning me, and kiss her for giving him intelligence.

+"Come, thou mortal wretch," &c.-MALONE.

Unpolicied!] i. e. an ass without more policy than to leave the means of death within my reach, and thereby deprive his triumph of its noblest decoration.

6

Downy windows, close ;] Charmian, in saying this must be conceived to close Cleopatra's eyes; one of the first ceremonies performed toward a dead body.

Of eyes again so royal! Your crown's awry;
I'll mend it, and then play."

Enter the Guard, rushing in.

1 Guard. Where is the queen ? Char.

1 Guard. Cæsar hath sent Char.

Speak softly, wake her not.

-

Too slow a messenger. [Applies the Asp.

O, come; apace, despatch: I partly feel thee.

1 Guard. Approach, ho! All's not well: Cæsar's beguil❜d.

2 Guard. There's Dolabella sent from Cæsar ; — call

him.

1 Guard. What work is here? - Charmian, is this well done?

Char. It is well done, and fitting for a princess

Descended of so many royal kings.

Ah, soldier!

Dol. How goes it here?

2 Guard.

Dol.

[Dies.

Enter DOLABELLA.

All dead.

Cæsar, thy thoughts

Touch their effects in this: Thyself art coming
To see perform'd the dreaded act, which thou
So sought'st to hinder.

Within.

A way there, a way for Cæsar!

Enter CESAR, and Attendants.

Dol. O, sir, you are too sure an augurer; That you did fear, is done.

7 and then play.] i. e. play her part in this tragick scene by destroying herself: or she may mean, that having performed her last office for her mistress, she will accept the permission given her before, to "play till doomsday."

Cæs.

Bravest at the last:

She levell❜d at our purposes, and, being royal,

Took her own way.

The manner of their deaths?

This Charmian lived but now; she stood, and spake:

I found her trimming up the diadem

On her dead mistress; tremblingly she stood,

And on the sudden dropp'd.

Cæs.

O noble weakness!

If they had swallow'd poison, 'twould appear
By external swelling: but she looks like sleep,
As she would catch another Antony

In her strong toil of grace.

Dol.

Here, on her breast,

There is a vent of blood, and something blown: 8
The like is on her arm.

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

Have slime upon them, such as the aspick leaves

Upon the caves of Nile.

Cæs.

Most probable,

That so she died; for her physician tells me,
She hath pursu'd conclusions infinite?

Of

easy ways to die. Take

And bear her women from the monument:

She shall be buried by her Antony:

No grave upon the earth shall clip' in it

- something blown:] The flesh is somewhat puffed or swoln.

9 She hath pursu'd conclusions infinite-] To pursue conclusions,

is to try experiments.

1 shall clip] i. e. infold.

A pair so famous. High events as these
Strike those that make them; and their story is
No less in pity, than his glory2, 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.

their story is

[Exeunt.3

No less in pity, than his glory, &c.] i. e. the narrative of such events demands not less compassion for the sufferers, than glory on the part of him who brought on their sufferings.

3 This play keeps curiosity always busy, and the passions always interested. The continual hurry of the action, the variety of incidents, and the quick succession of one personage to another, call the mind forward 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 feminine arts, some of which are too low, which distinguish Cleopatra, no character is very strongly discriminated. Upton, who did not easily miss what he desired to find, has discovered that the language of Antony is, 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 Cæsar makes to Octavia.

The events, of which the principal are described according to history, are produced without any art of connection or care of disposition.

JOHNSON.

CYMBELINE.