Enter CÆSAR, AGRIPPA, and MECENAS, with his army; CESAR reading a letter.

CÆSAR

He calls me boy; and chides, as he had power

To beat me out of Egypt; my messenger

He hath whipp'd with rods; dares me to personal combat,

Cæsar to Antony: let the old ruffian know

I have many other ways to die; meantime.

Laugh at his challenge.

MECENAS

Cæsar must think,

When one so great begins to rage, he 's hunted Even to falling. Give him no breath, but now Make boot of his distraction never anger Made good guard for itself.

CÆSAR

Let our best heads

Know, that to-morrow the last of many battles
We mean to fight within our files there are,
Of those that serv'd Mark Antony but late,
Enough to fetch him in. See it done:

And feast the army; we have store to do 't,
And they have earn'd the waste. Poor Antony!

Enter ANTONY, CLEOPATRA, ENOBARBUS,

CHARMIAN, IRAS, ALEXAS, with others.

ANTONY

He will not fight with me, Domitius.

ENOBARBUS

No.

ANTONY

Why should he not?

ACT IV, SCENE II

ENOBARBUS

He thinks, being twenty times of better fortune,

He is twenty men to one.

ANTONY

To-morrow, soldier,

By sea and land I'll fight or I will live,

Or bathe my dying honour in the blood

Shall make it live again. Woo't thou fight well?

ENOBARBUS

I'll strike, and cry << Take all ».

125

ANTONY

Well said; come on.

Call forth my household servants : let's to-night

Be bounteous at our meal.

Enter three or four SERVITORS.

Give me thy hand,

Thou hast been rightly honest; -so hast thou;

Thou, and thou, and thou: - you have serv'd me well,

And kings have been your fellows.

CLEOPATRA, aside to Enobarbus.

What means this?

ENOBARBUS, aside to Cleopatra.

'T is one of those odd tricks which sorrow shoots

Out of the mind.

ANTONY

And thou art honest too.

I wish I could be made so many men,
And all of you clapp'd up together in

An Antony, that I might do you service

So good as you have done.

ALL

The gods forbid !

ANTONY

Well, my good fellows, wait on me to-night:
Scant not my cups; and make as much of me
As when mine empire was your fellow too,
And suffer'd my command.

CLEOPATRA, aside to Enobarbus.

What does he mean?

ENOBARBUS, aside to Cleopatra.

To make his followers weep.

ANTONY

Tend me to-night;

May be it is the period of your duty:

Haply you shall not see me more; or if,

A mangled shadow perchance to-morrow
You'll serve another master.
I look on you

As one that takes his leave. Mine honest friends,

I turn you not away; but, like a master

Marri'd to your good service, stay till death:
Tend me to-night two hours, I ask no more,
And the gods yield you for 't!

ENOBARBUS

What mean you, sir,

To give them this discomfort? Look, they weep;

And I, an ass, am onion-ey'd for shame,
Transform us not to women.