You must to Parthia; your commiffion's ready: SCENE IV. The fame. A Street: [Exeunt. Enter LEPIDUS, MECENAS, and AGRIPPA. Lep. Trouble yourselves no farther: pray you, haften Your generals after. Agr. Sir, Mark Antony Will e'en but kifs Octavia, and we'll follow. Lep. Till I fhall fee you in your foldier's drefs, Which will become you both, farewel. Mec. We fhall, As I conceive the journey, be at mount? Before you, Lepidus. Lep. Your way is fhorter, My purposes do draw me much about ; You'll win two days upon me. Mec. Agr. Sir, good success! Lep. Farewel. [Exeunt. Enter CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, IRAS, and ALEXAS. Cleo. Give me fome musick; mufick, moody food * Of us that trade in love. Attend. The mufick, ho! 7-at mount] i. e. Mount Mifenum. STEEVENS, Our authour probably wrote-a'the mount. MALONE. 8-mufick, moody food-] The mood is the mind, or mental difpofition. Van Haaren's panegyrick on the English begins, Grootmoedig Volk [great-minded nation]. Perhaps here is a poor jeft intended between mood the mind and moods of mufick. JOHNSON. Moody, in this inftance, means melancholy. Cotgrave explains moody, by the French words, morne and trifle. STEEVENS. So, in the Comedy of Errors: "Sweet recreation barr'd, what doth enfue, Enter Enter MARDIAN. Cleo. Let it alone; let us to billiards : come, Charmian. Char. My arm is fore, best play with Mardian. Cleo. As well a woman with an eunuch play'd, As with a woman ;-Come, you'll play with me, fir ? Mar. As well as I can, madam. Cleo. And when good will is fhew'd, though it come too fhort, The actor may plead pardon. I'll none now :- And fay, Ah, ha! you're caught. Char. 'Twas merry, when You wager'd on your angling; when your diver Cleo. That time !-O times! I laugh'd him out of patience; and that night Enter 9-let us to billiards:] This is one of the numerous anachronisms that are found in thefe plays. This game was not known in ancient times. MALONE. Tawny-finn'd fishes;] Old Copy.-Tawny fine fishes. Corrected by Mr. Theobald. MALONE. 2 Did bang a falt-fish, &c.] This circumftance is likewife taken from fir Thomas North's tranflation of the life of Antony in Plutarch. STEEVENS. I wore bis ford Philippan.-] We are not to fuppofe, nor is there any warrant from hiftory, that Antony had any particular sword fo called. The dignifying weapons, in this fort, is a cuftom of much more recent date. This therefore feems a compliment à pofteriori. We find Antony, afterwards, in this play, boafting of his own prowess at Philippi. Ant. Enter a Meffenger. Ram thou thy fruitful tidings in mine ears +, Cleo. Antony's dead? If thou fay fo, villain, thon kill'ft thy mistress: If thou fo yield him, there is gold, and here Mef. Firft, madam, he is well. Cleo. Why, there's more gold. But, firrah, mark; We ufe To fay, the dead are well: bring it to that, Mef. Good madam, hear me. Ant. Yes, my lord, yes; be at Philippi kept That was the greatest action of Antony's life; and therefore this feems Again, in the Tempeft: 661 Heavens rain grace!" STEEVENS, I fufpect no corruption. The term employed in the text is much is the style of the speaker; and is fupported incontestably by a paffage in Julius Cæfar: 66 - I go to meet "The noble Brutus, thrusting this report "Into bis ears." MALONE. 5 But well and free, &c.] This fpeech is but coldly imitated by B. and Fletcher in The Falfe One: "Cleop What of him? fpeak of ill, Apollodonus, "Receive a favour kings have kneel'd in vain for, But But there's no goodness in thy face: If Antony To trumpet fuch good tidings? If not well, Mef. Will't please you hear me? Cleo. I have a mind to ftrike thee, ere thou speak'ft: Yet, if thou fay, Antony lives, is well, Or friends with Cæfar, or not captive to him, I'll fet thee in a fhower of gold, and hail Rich pearls upon thee. Mef. Madam, he's well. Cleo. Well faid. Mef. And friends with Cæfar. Cleo. Thou art an honeft man. Mef. Cæfar and he are greater friends than ever. Cleo. Make thee a fortune from me. Mef. But yet, madam, Cleo. I do not like but yet, it does allay The good precedence; fye upon but yet: But yet is as a gaoler to bring forth If Antony Be free and bealtıkful,-fo tart a favour To trumpet fuch good tidings?] Í fufpect a word was omitted at the prefs, and that Shakipeare wrote, -If Antony Be free, and healthful, needs fo tart a favour, &c. MALONE. 7 Not like a formal man.] Decent, regular. JoHNSON. By a formal man, Shakspeare means, a man in bis fenjes. Informal women, in Meafure for Meafure, is used for women befide shemselves. STEEVENS. A formal man, I believe, only means, a man in form, i. e. shape. You fhould come in the form of a fury, and not in the form of a man. So, in Amad World my Mafters, by Middleton, 1608: "The very devil aflum'd thee formally." i. e. affumed thy form. MALONE. Yet, if thou fay, Antony lives, is well, Or friends with Cæfar, &c.] The old copy reads 'tis well. MALONE. We furely fhould read-is well. The meffenger is to have his reward, if he fays, that Antony is alive, in health, and either friends with Cæfar, or not captive to him. TYRWHITT. Some Some monftrous malefactor. Pr'ythee, friend, 9 The good and bad together: He's friends with Cæfar; He's bound unto Octavia. Cleo. For what good turn? Mef. For the best turn i' the bed. Cleo. I am pale, Charmian. Mef. Madam, he's married to Octavia. report: Cleo. The most infectious peftilence upon thee! Mef. Good madam, patience. Cleo. What fay you ?-Hence, [Strikes him down. [Strikes him again. Horrible villain! or I'll fpurn thine eyes [She bales him up and down. Thou shalt be whipt with wire, and stew'd in brine, Mef. Gracious madam, I, that do bring the news, made not the match. Cleo. Say, 'tis not fo, a province I will give thee, And make thy fortunes proud: the blow thou hadst Shall make thy peace, for moving me to rage; And I will boot thee with what gift beside Thy modefty can beg. Mef. He's married, madam. Cleo. Rogue, thou haft liv'd too long. Mef. Nay, then I'll run : [draws a dagger. What mean you, madam? I have made no fault. [Exit. Char. Good madam, keep yourself within yourself; The man is innocent. Cleo. Some innocents 'scape not the thunderbolt. 9 Pour out the pack-] I believe our authour wrote-tby pack. The, thee, and thy, are frequently confounded in the old copy. MALONE. 1-draws a dagger.] The old copy-Draw a knife. STEEVENS. See Vol. IV. p. 297, n. 8. MALONE. VOL. VII. I i Melt |