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You must to Parthia; your commiffion's ready:
Follow me, and receive it.

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.

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[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,
"But moody and dull melancholy ?" MALONE.

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 :-
Give me mine angle,-We'll to the river: there,
My mufick playing far off, I will betray
Tawny-finn'd fifhes; my bended hook fhall pierce
Their flimy jaws; and, as I draw them up,
I'll think them every one an Antony,

And fay, Ah, ha! you're caught.

Char. 'Twas merry, when

You wager'd on your angling; when your diver
Did hang a falt-fish on his hook 2, which he
With fervency drew up.

Cleo. That time !-O times!

I laugh'd him out of patience; and that night
I laugh'd him into patience and next morn,
Ere the ninth hour, I drunk him to his bed;
Then put my tires and mantles on him, whilst
I wore his fword Philippan 3. O! from Italy ;-

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.

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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 +,
That long time have been barren.
Mef. Madam, madam,—

Cleo. Antony's dead?

If thou fay fo, villain, thon kill'ft thy mistress:
But well and free 5,

If thou fo yield him, there is gold, and here
My blueft veins to kifs; a hand, that kings
Have lipp'd, and trembled kiffing.

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,
The gold I give thee, will I melt, and pour
Down thy ill-uttering throat.

Mef. Good madam, hear me.
Cleo. Well, go to, I will;

Ant. Yes, my lord, yes; be at Philippi kept
His ford e'en like a dancer; while I ftruck
The lean and wrinkled Caffius; &c.

That was the greatest action of Antony's life; and therefore this feems
a fine piece of flattery, intimating, that his fword ought to be denomi
nated from that illuftrious battle, in the fame manner as modern heroes
in romance are made to give their fwords pompous names. THEOBALD.
4 Ram thou thy fruitful tidings in mine ears,] Shakspeare probably
wrote, (as fir T. Hanmer obferves) Rain thou, &c. Rain agrees better
with the epithets fruitful and barren. So, in Timon:
"Rain facrificial whisp'rings in thine ear."

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,
"It is my happiness: and for thy news

"Receive a favour kings have kneel'd in vain for,
"And kiss my hand." STEEVENS.

But

But there's no goodness in thy face: If Antony
Be free, and healthful,-fo tart a favour

To trumpet fuch good tidings? If not well,
Thou should't come like a fury crown'd with fnakes,
Not like a formal man 7.

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

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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,
Pour out the pack of matter to mine ear,

9

The good and bad together: He's friends with Cæfar;
In ftate of health, thou fay'ft; and, thou fay'ft, free.
Mef. Free, madam! no; I made no fuch

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
Like balls before me; I'll unhair thy head;

[She bales him up and down.

Thou shalt be whipt with wire, and stew'd in brine,
Smarting in ling'ring pickle.

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

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