Imatges de pàgina
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Shall die a Beggar. Ink and Paper, Charmian.
Welcome my good Alexas. Did I, Charmian,
Ever love Cafar fo?

Char. Oh that brave Cafar!

Cleo. Be choak'd with fuch another Emphasis, Say the brave Antony.

Char. The valiant Cafar.

Cleo. By Ifis, I will give thee bloody Teeth, If thou with Cafar Paragon again

My Man of Men.

Char. By your moft gracious Pardon,

I Sing but after you.

Cleo. My Sallad 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 fhall have every Day feveral greetings, or I'll unpeople

Æpypt.

[Exeunt.

ACT II. SCENE I.

SCENE in Sicily.

Enter Pompey, Menecrates, and Menas.

F the

Pom The Deeds of jufteft Men.

great Gods be juft, they shall affift

Mene. Know, worthy Pompey,

That which they do delay, they not deny.

Pom. While we are Suitors to their Throne, decays

The thing we fue for.

Mene. We, ignorant of our felves,

Beg often our own harms, which the wife Powers
Deny us for our good; fo find we profit

By lofing of our Prayers.

Pom. I fhall do well:

The People love me, and the Sea is mine;

My Powers are Crefcent, and my auguring hope
Says it will come to th' full. Mark Antony
In Egypt fits at Dinner, and will make

No

No Wars without Doors. Cafar gets Mony where
He lofes Hearts; Lepidus flatters both,

Of both is flatter'd; but he neither loves,
Nor either cares for him.

Mene. Cafar and Lepidus are in the Field,
A mighty ftrength they carry.

Pom. Where have you this? 'Tis false.
Mene. From Silvins, Sir.

Pom. He dreams; I know they are in Rome together
Looking for Antony: But all the Charms of Love,
Salt Cleopatra, foften thy wand Lip,

Let Withcraft join with Beauty; Luft with both,
Tie up the Libertine in a Field of Feafts,
Keep his Brain fuming; Epicurean Cooks,
Sharpen with cloylefs fawce his Appetite;
That fleep and feeding may prorogue
his Honour,
Even 'till a lethied Dulnefs-

How now Varrius?

Ester Varrius.

Var. This is most certain, that I fhall deliver:
Mark Antony is every hour in Rome

Expected. Since he went from Egypt, 'tis
A fpace for farther travel.

Pom. I could have given less matter

A better Ear. Menas, I did not think

This amorous Surfeiter would have donn'd his Helm
For fuch a petty War; his Soldierfhip

Is twice the other twain: But let us rear
The higher our Opinion, that our stirring
Can from the lap of Egypt's Widow pluck
The near Luft-wearied Antony.

Mene. I cannot hope,

Cafar and Antony fhall well greet together:
His Wife that's dead, did trefpaffes to Cafar,

His Brother warr'd upon him, although I think'

Not mov'd by Antony.

Pom. I know not, Menas,

How leffer Enmities may give way to greater.
Were't not that we ftand up against them all,

'Twere pregnant they should square between themselves; For they have entertained caufe enough

B 4

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To draw their Swords; but how the fear of us
May cement their Divifions, and bind up
The petty Difference, we yet not know.
Be't as our Gods will have't; it only stands
Our lives upon, to use our strongest hands.
Come, Menas.

SCENE II. Rome.

Enter Enobarbus and Lepidus.

Lep. Good Enobarbus, 'tis a worthy deed,

And shall become you well, to intreat your Captain
To foft and gentle Speech.

Eno. I fhall entreat him

To answer like himfelf; if Cafar move him,
Let Antony look over Cafar's Head,

And fpeak as loud as Mars.

By Jupiter,

Were I the wearer of Antonio's Beard,

I would not shave't to day.

Lep. 'Tis not a time for private Stomaching.

[Exeunt.

Eno. Every time ferves for the matter that is then born in't
Lep. But fmall to greater Matters must give way.

Eno. Not if the fmall come firft,

Lep. Your Speech is paffion; but pray you ftir No Embers up. Here comes the noble Antony." Enter Antony and Ventidius.

Eno. And yonder Cafar.

Enter Cæfar, Mecenas, and Agrippa.
Ant. If we compofe well here, to Parthia-
Hark, Ventidius.

Caf. I do not know; Mecanas, ask Agrippa.
Lep. Noble Friends,

That which combin'd us
A leaner Action rend us.
May it be gently heard.

was moft great, and let not
What's amifs,

When we debate

Our trivial difference loud, we do commit

Murther in healing Wounds. Then noble Partners,
The rather, for I earneftly befeech,

Touch you the fowreft points with fweeteft terms,
Nor curftness grow to th' matter.

Ant.

Ant. 'Tis fpoken well:

Were we before our Armies and to fight,

I should do thus.

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[Flourish.

Caf. Sit.

Ant. Sit, Sir.

Caf. Nay then.

Ant. I learn you take things ill, which are not fo: Or being, concern you not.

Caf. I must be laught at,

If, or for nothing, or a little, I

Should fay my felf offended, and with you
Chiefly i'th' World. More laught at, that I should
Once name you derogately: when to found your name
It not concern'd me.

Ant. My being in Egypt, Cafar, what was't to you?
Caf. No more than my refiding here at Rome
Might be to you in Egypt: yet if you there
Did practife on my ftate, your being in Ægypt
Might be my question.

t

Ant. How intend you, practis'd?

Caf. You may be pleas'd to catch at mine intent, By what did here befal me. Your Wife and Brother Made wars upon me, and their contestation

Was Theam for you, you were the word of war.

Ant. You do miftake your bufinefs, my Brother never Did urge me in his A&; I did inquire it,

And have my learning from fome true reports
That drew their Swords with you. Did he not rather
Difcredit my Authority with yours,

And make the wars alike againft my Stomach,
Having alike your caufe? Of this my Letters
Before did fatisfie you. If you patch a quarrel,
As matter whole you've not to make it with,

It must not be with this.

Caf. You praise your felf, by laying defects of judgment to me but you patch up your excufes.

Ant. Not fo, not fo:

I know you could not lack, I am certain on't,

Very neceffity of this thought, that I

Your Partner in the caufe 'gainst which he fought,

Could

Could not with graceful Eyes attend those Wars
Which fronted mine own peace. As for my Wife,
I would you had her Spirit, in fuch another,
The third o'th' World is yours, which with a Snaffle,
You may pace eafie, but not fuch a Wife.

Eno. Would we had all fuch Wives, that the Men might go to Wars with the Women.

Ant. So much uncurbable, her Garboiles Cafar
Made out of her impatience, which not wanted
Shrewdness of policy too, I grieving grant,
Did you too much difquiet, for that you muft,
But fay I could not help it.

Caf. I wrote to you,

When rioting in Alexandria you

Did pocket up my Letters: and with taunts
Did beg my Miffive out of audience.

Ant. Sir, he fell on me, e'er admitted: then
Three Kings I had newly feafted, and did want
Of what I was i'th' morning: but next day
I told him of my felf, which was as much
As to have askt him pardon. Let this Fellow
Be nothing of our ftrife: if we contend
Out of our question wipe him.

Caf. You have broken

The Article of your Oath, which you shall never
Have Tongue to charge me with.

Lep. Soft, Cafar.

Ant. No, Lepidus, let him speak,

The Honour is Sacred which he talks on now,

Suppofing that I lackt it: but on, Cafar,

The Article of my Oath.

Caf. To lend me Arms, and Aid, when I requir'd them, The which you both denied.

Ant. Neglected rather:

And then when Poisoned hours had bound me up
From mine own Knowledge; as nearly as I may,
I'll play the penitent to you. But mine honefty,
Shall not make poor my greatnefs, nor my power
Work without it. Truth is, that Fulvia,
To have me out of Egypt, made Wars here,
For which my felf, the ignorant motive, do

So

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