ANTONY

Gentle Octavia,

Let your best love draw to that point, which seeks Best to preserve it: if I lose mine honour,

I lose myself: better I were not yours

Than yours so branchless. But, as you requested, Yourself shall go between 's: the mean time, lady, I'll raise the preparation of a war

Shall stain your brother: make your soonest haste; your desires are yours.

So

OCTAVIA

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 should cleave, and that slain men Should solder up the rift.

ANTONY

When it appears to you where this begins,
Turn your displeasure that way; for our faults
Can never be so equal, that your love

Can equally move with them. Provide your going;
Choose your own company, and command what cost
Your heart has mind to.

Exeunt.

Antony and Cleopatra.

1 2

:

Cæsar, having made use of him in the wars 'gainst Pompey, presently denied him rivality; would not let him partake in the glory of the action and not resting here, accuses him of letters he had formerly wrote to Pompey; upon his own appeal, seizes him: so the poor third is up, till death enlarge his confine.

ENOBARBUS

Then, world, thou hast a pair of chaps, no more;
And throw between them all the food thou hast,
They'll grind the one the other.
Where's Antony?

EROS

He 's walking in the garden thus; and spurns

The rush that lies before him; cries, « Fool Lepidus ! »>

And threats the throat of that his officer

That murder'd Pompey.

ENOBARBUS

Our great navy 's rigg'd.

EROS

For Italy and Cæsar. More, Domitius;
My lord desires you presently: my news
I might have told hereafter.

ENOBARBUS

'T will be naught:

But let it be. Bring me to Antony.

Contemning Rome, he has done all this, and more,
In Alexandria here 's the manner of 't:
I' th' market-place, on a tribunal silver'd,
Cleopatra and himself in chairs of gold
Were publicly enthron'd at the feet sat
Cæsarion, whom they call my father's son,
And all the unlawful issue that their lust
Since then hath made between them. Unto her
He gave the stablishment of Egypt; made her

Of lower Syria, Cyprus, Lydia,

Absolute queen.

MECENAS

This in the public eye?

CÆSAR

I' th' common show-place, where they exercise. His sons he there proclaim'd the kings of kings : Great Media, Parthia, and Armenia,

He gave to Alexander; to Ptolemy he assign'd Syria, Cilicia and Phoenicia she

In the habiliments of the goddess Isis

That day appear'd; and oft before gave audience, As 't is reported, so.

Inform'd.

MECENAS

Let Rome be thus

AGRIPPA

Who, queasy with his insolence.

Already, will their good thoughts call from him.

CÆSAR

The people know it; and have now received.

His accusations.

AGRIPPA

Who does he accuse?

CÆSAR

Cæsar and that, having in Sicily

Sextus Pompeius spoil'd, we had not rated him His part o' th' isle: then does he say, he lent me Some shipping unrestor'd lastly, he frets

That Lepidus of the triumvirate

Should be depos'd; and, being, that we detain

All his revenue.

AGRIPPA

Sir, this should be answer'd.

CÆSAR

'Tis done already, and the messenger gone.

I have told him, Lepidus was grown too cruel;

That he his high authority abus'd,

And did deserve his change 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.

MECENAS

He'll never yield to that.

CÆSAR

Nor must not then be yielded to in this.

Enter OCTAVIA with her train.

OCTAVIA

Hail, Cæsar, and my lord! hail, most dear Cæsar!

Why have you stol'n upon us thus? You come not

Like Cæsar's sister : the wife of Antony

Should have an army for an usher, and

The neighs of horse to tell of her approach

Long ere she did appear; the trees by the way