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Most fit for Bufinefs. Go, make thee ready,
Our Letters are prepar❜d.

Cher. A proper Man.

Cleo. Indeed he is fo; I repent me much

That fo I harried him. Why methinks by him,
This Creature's no fuch thing.

Char. Nothing, Madam.

Cleo. The Man hath feen fome Majefty, and fhould know.

Char. Hath he feen Majefty? Ifis elfe defend!

And ferving you fo long.

Cleo. I have one thing more to ask him yet, good Charmian s But 'tis no matter, thou shalt bring him to me

Where I will write; All may be well enough.
Char. I warrant you, Madam.

SCENE IV.

[Exeunt.

Athens.

Enter Antony and Octavia.

Ant. Nay, nay Octavia, not only that,
That were excufable, that and thoufands more
Of femblable import, but he hath wag'd

New Wars 'gainft Pompey; made his Will, and read it
To publick Ear, fpoke fcantly of me;

When perforce he could not

But pay me terms of Honour, cold and fickly
He vented them; moft narrow meafure lent me ;
When the beft hint was given him, he o'er-look'd,
Or did it from his Teeth.

Oct. Oh, my good Lord,

Believe not all, or if you must believe,
Stomach not all. A more unhappy Lady,
If this divifion chance, ne'er stood between
Praying for both parts: The good Gods will mock mè,
When I fhall praying, oh blefs my Lord and Husband,
Undo that Prayer, by crying out as loud,

Oh bless my Brother. Husband win, win Brother,
Prays, and deftroys the Prayer, no midway
Twixt these extreams at all.

Ant. Gentle Octavia,

Let your best love draw to that point which feeks

VOL, VI.

D

Beft

Beft to preserve it: if I lofe mine Honour,
I lose my felf; better I were not yours

Than yours fo branchlefs. But as you requested,
Your felf shall go between's, the mean time, Lady,
I'll raife the preparation of a War

Shall ftain your Brother, make your fooneft hafte
So your defires are yours.

Ŏct. Thanks to my Lord,

The Jove of Power make me most weak, most weak,
Your reconciler: Wars 'twixt you twain would be,
As if the World fhould cleave, and that flain Men
Should fodder up the Rift.

Ant. When it appears to you where this begins,
Turn your difpleafure that way, for our faults
Can never be fo equal, that your love

Can equally move with them. Provide your going,
Chufe your own Company, and command what coft
Your Heart has mind to.

Enter Enobarbus and Eros.

Eno. How now, Friend Eros?

Eros. There's ftrange News come, Sir.

Eno. What, Man?

[Exeunt.

Eros, Cefar and Lepidus have made War upon Pompey. Eno. This is old, what is the Succefs?

Eros. Cafar having made ufe of him in the Wars 'gainst Pompey; prefently denied him rivality, would not let him partake of the Glory of the Action, and not refting here, accufes him of Letters he had formerly wrote to Pompey. Upon his own appeal feizes him, fo the poor Third is up, 'till death enlarge his Confine.

Eno. Then would thou hadst a pair of Chaps no more, and throw between them all the food thou haft, they'll grind the other. Where's Antony?

Eros. He's walking in the Garden thus; and spurns The Rush that lyes before him. Crys, Fool Lepidus, And threats the Throat of that his Officer,

That murdred Pompey.

Eno. Our great Navy's rigg'd.

Eros. For Italy and Cefar; more Domitius,

My Lord defires you prefently; my News
I might have told hereafter.

Eno.

Eno. 'Twill be naught, but let it be; bring me to Antony."
Eros. Come, Sir.
[Exeunt,

SCENE V. Rome.

Enter Cæfar, Agrippa, and Mecenas.

Caf Contemning Rome he has done all this, and more,
In Alexandria; here's the matter of it:
I'th' Market-place on a Tribunal filver'd,
Cleopatra and himself in Chairs of Gold
Were publickly enthron'd; at the feet fat
Cafario whom they call my Father's Son,
And all the unlawful Iffue, that their luft
Since then hath made between them. Unto her,
gave the 'stablishment of Egypt, made her
Of lower Syria, Cyprus, Lydia, abfolute Queen.
Mec. This in the publick Eye?

He

Caf. I'th' common fhew-place where they exercise,
His Sons were there proclaim'd the Kings of Kings,
Great Media, Parthia, and Armenia

He gave to Alexander; to Ptolemy he affign'd,
Syria, Cilicia, and Phenicia: She

In th' Abiliments of the Goddess Ifis
That day appear'd, and oft before gave
As 'tis reported, fo.

Mec. Let Rome be thus inform'd.

Audience,

Agr. Who queafie with his Infolence already. Will their good Thoughts call from him.

Caf. The People know it,

And have now receiv'd his Accufations.

Agr. Whom do's he accufe?

Caf. Cafar, and that having in Sicily

Sextus Pompeius fpoil'd, we had not rated him His part o'th' Ifle. Then does he fay, he lent me ·Some fhipping unreftor'd. Laftly he frets

That Lepidus of the Triumvirate

Should be depos'd, and being that, we detain
All his Revenue.

Agr. Sir, this fhould be answered.

Caf. 'Tis done already, and his Messenger gone: I have told him Lepidus was grown too cruel,

D 2

That

That he his high Authority abus'd,

And did deferve his chance. For what I have conquer'd,
I grant him part; but then in his Armenia,
And other of his conquer'd Kingdoms, I

Demand the like.

Mec. He'll never yield to that,

Caf. Nor must not then be yielded to in this.
Enter Octavia with Attendants.

Oct. Hail Cafar, and my Lord! hail, most dear Cafar!
Caf. That ever I fhould call thee Caft-away.

Oct. You have not call'd me fo, nor have you caufe. Caf. Why haft thou ftoln upon me thus? you came not Like Cafar's Sifter; the Wife of Antony Should have an Army for an Ufher, and The neighs of Horfe to tell of her approach, Long e'er fhe did appear. The Trees by th'way Should have born Men, and expectation fainted Longing for what it had not. Nay, the duft Should have afcended to the Roof of Heav'n, Rais'd by your populous Troops: But you are come A Market-maid to Rome, and have prevented The oftentation of our love; which left unfhewn,, Is often left unlov'd; we fhould have met you. By Sea, and Land, fupplying every Stage With an augmented greeting.

Oct. Good, my Lord,

To come thus was I not conftrain'd, but did it
On my free Will. My Lord, Mark Antony,
Hearing that you prepar'd for War, acquainted
My grieving Ear withal; whereon I begg'd
His pardon for return.

Caf. Which foon he granted,

Being an abstract 'tween his Luft, and him.
Oct. Do not fay fo, my Lord.

Caf. I have Eyes upon him,

And his Affairs come to me on the Wind:

Where is he now?

Oct. My Lord, in Athens.

Caf. No, my moft wronged Sifter, Cleopatra

Hath nodded him to her. He hath given his Empire
Up to a Whore, who now are levying

The

The Kings o'th' Earth for War. He hath affembled,
Bochus the King of Lybia, Archilaus
Of Cappadocia, Philadelphos King

Of Paphlagonia: The Thracian King Adallas,
King Malichus of Arabia, King of Pont,
Herod of Jewry, Mithridates King
Of Comagene, Polemen and Amintas,
The King of Mede, and Lycaonia,
With a more larger Lift of Scepters.
Ot. Ay me moft wretched,

That have my Heart parted betwixt two Friends,
That do afflict each other.

Caf. Welcome hither;

Your Letters did with-hold our breaking forth
'Till we perceiv'd both how you were wrong led,
And we in negligent danger; cheer your Heart.
Be you not troubled with the time which drives
O'er your Content, thefe ftrong Neceffities,
But let determin'd things to deftiny

Hold unbewail'd their way. Welcome to Rome:
Nothing more dear to me. You are abus'd
Beyond the mark of Thought; and the high Gods
To do you Juftice, make his Minifters

Of us, and thofe that love you. Be of comfort,
And ever welcome to us.

Agr. Welcome Lady.

Mec. Welcome, dear Madam,

Each Heart in Rome does love and pity you,

Only th' adulterous Antony, most large

In his Abominations, turns you off,

And gives his potent Regiment to a Trul!
That Nofes it against us.

Oct. Is it fo, Sir?

Cef. Moft certain: Sifter, welcome; pray you Be ever known to patience. My dear'ft Sifter.

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SCENE VI. Actium.

Enter Cleopatra, and Enorbarbus.

Cleo. I will be even with thee; doubt it not.

Eno. But why, why, why?

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[Exeunt.

Cleo.

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