Imatges de pàgina
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Than could his war refifted.

CAS.-Antony,

Leave thy lafcivious waffails: When thou once
Wert beaten from Modena, where thou flew'st
Hirtius and Pansa, confuls, at thy heel

Did famine follow; whom thou fought'ft againft,
Though daintily brought up, with patience more
Than favages could fuffer: thou did'st drink
The ftale of horses, and the gilded puddle
Which beafts would cough at: thy palate then did deign
The roughest berry on the rudeft hedge;

Yea, like the ftag, when fnow the pasture fheets,
The barks of trees thou browfed'ft: on the Alps,
It is reported, thou did'ft eat ftrange flesh,
Which fome did die to look on: And all this
(It wounds thine honour, that I speak it now)
Was born fo like a foldier, that thy cheek
So much as lank'd not.

LEP. 'Tis pity of him.

CAS. Let his fhames quickly

Drive him to Rome: Time is it, that we twain
Did fhew ourselves i'the field; and, to that end,
Affemble we immediate council: Pompey
Thrives in our idleness.

LEP. -To-morrow, Cafar,

I fhall be furnish'd to inform you rightly
Both what by fea and land I can be able,
To 'front this prefent time.

CAS.Till which encounter,

It is my business too. Farewel.

LEP. Farewel, my lord: What you shall know mean time Of ftirs abroad, I fhall befeech you, fir,

To let me be partaker..
CAS.-Doubt not, fir;

I knew it for my bond.

[Exeunt.

SCENE V. Alexandria. A Room in the Palace. Enter CLEOPATRA, fupporting herself on Iras; CHARMIAN, and MARDIAN, following.

CLE. Charmian,

CHA. Madam.

CLE. Ha, ha, Give me to drink mandragora.
CHA. -Why, madam ?

CLE. That I might sleep out this great gap of time, My Antony is away.

CHA. -You think of him

Too much.

CLE. O! Treafon!

CHA. -Madam, I truft, not fo.

CLE. Thou, eunuch, Mardian,—
MAR.-What's your highness' pleasure ?

CLE. Not now to hear thee fing; I take no pleasure In ought an eunuch has: "Tis well for thee,

That, being unfeminar'd, thy freer thoughts

May not fly forth of Egypt. Haft thou affections?
MAR. Yes, gracious madam.

CLE. Indeed!_O Charmian,

Where think'ft thou he is now? Stands he, or fits he?

Or does he walk? Or is he on his horfe?

O happy horse, to bear the weight of Antony!

Do bravely, horfe; For wot'ft thou whom thou mov'st ?
The demy Atlas of this earth, the arm

And burgonet of man. He's fpeaking now,
Or murmuring, Where's my ferpent of old Nile?

For fo he calls me ;-Now I feed myself
With most delicious poifon : Think on me,
That am with Phoebus' amorous pinches black,
And wrinkl'd deep in time? Broad-fronted Cæfar,
When thou waft here above the ground, I was
A morfel for a monarch: and great Pompey
Would stand, and make his eyes grow in my
There would he anchor his aspect, and die
With looking on his life.

Enter ALEXAS.

ALE. Sovereign of Egypt, hail!

brow;

CLE. How much art thou unlike Mark Antony !
Yet, coming from him, that great med'cine hath
With his tinct gilded thee.

How goes it with my brave Mark Antony?
ALE. Laft thing he did, dear Queen,
He kifs'd, the laft of many doubl'd kiffes,
This orient pearl; His fpeech fticks in my heart.
CLE. Mine ear muft pluck it thence.
ALE. Good friend, quoth he,

Say, The firm Roman to great Egypt fends
This treasure of an oifter: at whofe foot,
To mend the petty prefent, I will piece
Her opulent throne with kingdoms; All the east,
Say thou, fhall call her mistress. So he nodded,
And foberly did mount an arm-gaunt fteed;

Who neigh'd fo high, that what I would have spoke Was beastly dumb'd by him.

CLE. -What, was he fad, or merry?

ALE. Like to the time o'the year between the extreams Of hot and cold; he was nor fad, nor merry. CLE. O well-divided difpofition! Note him,

Note him, good Charmian, 'tis the man, but note him :
He was not fad; for he would shine on those
That make their looks by his: he was not merry;
Which feem'd to tell them, his remembrance lay
In Egypt with his joy: but between both :

O heavenly mingle! Be'ft thou fad, or merry,
The violence of either thee becomes;
So does it no man elfe.Met'ft thou my pofts?
ALE. Ay, madam, twenty feveral messengers:
Why do you fend fo thick?

CLE. Who's born that day
When I forget to fend to Antony,

Shall die a beggar. Ink and paper, Charmian.—
Welcome, my good Alexas.Did I, Charmian,
Ever love Cafar fo?

CHA. O that brave Cæfar!

CLE. Be choak'd with such another emphasis ! Say, the brave Antony.

CHA. The valiant Cæfar!

CLE. By Ifis, I will give thee bloody teeth,

If thou with Cafar paragon again

My man of men.

CHA.-By your most gracious pardon, I fing but after you.

CLE. My fallad days;

When I was green in judgment, cold in blood;
To fay, as I faid then! But, come, away;
Get me ink and paper: he shall have every day
A feveral greeting, or I'll unpeople Egypt.

ACT II.

[Exeunt.

SCENE I. Rome. A Room in Lepidus' Houfe.
Enter LEPIDUS, and ENOBARBUS.

LEP. Good Enobarbus, 'tis a worthy deed,
And shall become you well, to entreat your captain
To foft and gentle speech.

ENO. I fhall entreat him

To answer like himself: if Cæfar move him,
Let Antony look over Cafar's head,

And speak as loud as Mars.

By Jupiter,

Were I the wearer of Antonio's beard,

I would not fhave't to-day.

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Serves for the matter that is then born in't.

LEP. But small to greater matters must give way. ENO. Not if the fmall come first.

LEP. Your fpeech is paffion :

But, pray you, ftir no embers up. Here comes
The noble Antony.

Enter ANTONY, and Canidius.

ENO. And yonder Cæfar.

Enter CESAR, AGRIPPA, and MECENAS. ANT. If we compose well here, to Parthia :—

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That which combin'd us was moft great, and let not

A leaner action rend us.

May it be gently heard:
Our trivial difference loud,

What's amifs,
When we debate
we do commit

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