Melt Egypt into Nile2! and kindly creatures
Turn all to ferpents !-Call the flave again;

Though I am mad, I will not bite him :-Call.
Char. He is afeard to come.

Cleo. I will not hurt him :

These hands do lack nobility, that they ftrike
A meaner than myself3; fince I myself
Have given myself the caufe.-Come hither, fir
Re-enter Meffenger.

Though it be honeft, it is never good

To bring bad news: Give to a gracious meffage
An hoft of tongues; but let ill tidings tell
Themfelves, when they be felt.

Mef. I have done my duty.

Cleo. Is he married?

I cannot hate thee worfer than I do,

If thou again fay, Yes.

Mel. He is married, madam.

Cleo. The gods confound thee! doft thou hold there fill?

2 Melt Egypt into Nile! So, in the first scene of this play: "Let Rome in Tyber melt," &c. STEEVENS.

3 Thefe bands do lack nobility, that they ftrike

A meaner than myself; This thought feems to be borrowed from the laws of chivalry, which forbad a knight to engage with his inferior.

So, in Albumazar:

"Stay; understand'ft thou well the points of duel?
"Art born of gentle blood, and purè defcent?-
"Was none of all thy lineage hang'd, or cuckold?
Baftard, or baftinado'd? is thy pedigree

As long and wide as mine?for otherwife

"Thou wert moft unworthy, and 'twere lofs of honour
"In me to fight." STEEVENS.

Perhaps here was intended an indirect cenfure of Queen Elizabeth, for her unprincely and unfeminine treatment of the amiable Earl of Effex. The play was probably not produced till after her death, when a ftroke at her proud and paffionate demeanour to her courtiers and maids of honour (for her Majefty used to chaftife them too) might be fafely hazarded. In a fubfequent part of this fcene there is (as Dr. Grey has obferved) an evident allufion to Elizabeth's inquiries concerning the perfon of her rival, Mary, Queen of Scots. MALONE.

My

Mef. Should I lie, madam?

Cleo. O, I would, thou didft;

So half my Egypt were fubmerg'd*, and made
A ciftern for fcal'd fnakes! Go, get thee hence;
Had'ft thou Narciffus in thy face, to me

Thou would't appear most ugly. He is married?
Mef. I crave your highnefs' pardon.

Cleo. He is married?

Mef. Take no offence, that I would not offend you:
To punish me for what you make me do,
Seems much unequal: He is married to Octavia.

Cleo. O, that his fault should make a knave of thee, That art not what thou'rt fure ofs !-Get thee hence:

The

-were fubmerg'd,] Submerg'd is whelm'd under water. So, in the Martial Maid, by B. and Fletcher:

❝fpoil'd, loft, and fubmerg'd in the inundation, &c."

STEEVENS.

5 That art not what thou'rt sure of !-] For this, which is not eafily understood, fir Thomas Hanmer has given:

That say'st but what thou'rt fure of!

1 am not fatisfied with the change, which, though it affords fenfe, exhibits little fpirit. I fancy the line confifts only of abrupt starts.

O that this fault fhould make a knave of thee,

That art-not what? Thou'rt fure on't.Get thee hence: That bis fault fhould make a knave of thee that art-but what shall I fay thou art not? Thou art then sure of this marriage.Get thee hence.

JOHNSON.

I fufpect, the editors have endeavoured to correct this paffage in the wrong place. Cleopatra begins now a little to recollect herself, and to be ashamed of having ftruck the fervant for the fault of his mafter. She then very naturally exclaims,

"O, that his fault should make a knave of thee,
"That art not what thou'rt fore of !"

for fo I would read, with the change of only one letter.-Alas, is it not
ftrange, that the fault of Antony should make thee appear to me a knave,
thee, that art innocent, and art not the cause of that ill news, in confe-
quence of which thou art yet fore with my blows!

If it be faid, that it is very harfh to fuppofe that Cleopatra means to fay to the messenger, that be is not himself that information which he brings, and which has now made him fmart, let the following paffage in Coriolanus answer the objection:

"Left you should chance to whip your information,

"And beat the meffenger that bids beware

"Of what is to be dreaded."

The

.

The merchandise, which thou haft brought from Rome,
Are all too dear for me; Lie they upon thy hand,
And be undone by 'em!
[Exit Meffenger,

Char. Good your highnefs, patience.

Cleo. In praifing Antony, I have disprais'd Cæfar.
Char. Many times, madam.

Cleo. I am paid for it now. Lead me from hence,
I faint; O Iras, Charmian,-'Tis no matter :-
Go to the fellow, good Alexas; bid him
Report the feature of Octavia, her years,
Her inclination, let him not leave out
The colour of her hair :-bring me word quickly..

[Exit Alexas.

Let him for ever go:-Let him not-Charmian,
Though he be painted one way like a Gorgon,
The other way he's a Mars:-Bid you Alexas

[To Mardian.

The Egyptian queen has beaten her information. If the old copy be right, the meaning is, Strange, that his fault should make thee appear a knave, who art not that information of which thou bringeft fuch certain affurance. MALONE.

6 the feature of Octavia,] By feature feems to be meant the caft and make of her face. Feature, however, anciently appears to have fignified beauty in general. So, in Greene's Farewel to Folly, 1617: -rich thou art, featur'd thou art, feared thou art." Spenfer ufes feature for the whole turn of the body. Faery Queen, b. i. c. &;

"Thus when they had the witch difrobed quite,

"And all ner filthy feature open shown."

Again, in b. iii. c. 9:

"She alfo doft her heavy haberjeon,

Which the fair feature of ber limbs did hide."

STEEVENS

Our authour has already in As you Like it, used feature for the general

caft of face. See Vol. III. p. 185, n. 2.

MALONE.

7 Let him for ever go -] She is now talking in broken fentences, not of the mellenger, but Antony. JOHNSON.

8 The other way be's a Mars:-] In this paffage the fenfe is clear, but, I think, may be much improved by a very little alteration.

Cleopatra, in her paffion upon the news of Antony's marriage, fays: Let bim for ever go Let bim not-Charmian,

Though be be painted one way like a Gorgon,

The other way be's a Mars.

This, I think, would be more fpirited thus:

Let bim for ever go let bir-no,-Charmianz
Though be be painted, &c. TYRWHITT.

5

Bring

chamber.

[Exeunt.

"

Bring me word, how tall fhe is.-Pity me, Charmian,
But do not speak to me.-Lead me to my

SCENE VI.

Near Mifenum.

Enter POMPEY, and MENAS, at one fide, with drum and
trumpet: at another, CESAR, LEPIDUS, ANTONY,
ENOBARBUS, MECENAS, with foldiers marching.
Pom. Your hoftages I have, fo have you mine;
And we shall talk before we fight.

Caf. Moft meet,

That first we come to words; and therefore have we

Our written purposes before us fent:

Which, if thou haft confider'd, let us know

If 'twill tie up thy difcontented fword;

And carry back to Sicily much tall youth,
That elfe muft perish here.

Pom. To you all three,

The fenators alone of this great world,
Chief factors for the gods,-I do not know,
Wherefore my father should revengers want,
Having a fon, and friends; fince Julius Cæfar,
Who at Philippi the good Brutus ghosted,
There faw you labouring for him.

What was it,

That mov'd pale Caffius to conspire? And
What made all-honour'd, honeft, Roman Brutus,
With the arm'd reft, courtiers of beauteous freedom,
To drench the Capitol; but that they would
Have one man but a man? And that is it,
Hath made me rig my navy; at whofe burden
The anger'd ocean foams; with which I meant
To fcourge the ingratitude that despightful Rome
Caft on my noble father.

Caf. Take your time.

Ant. Thou canst not fear us, Pompey, with thy fails,

Thou canst not fear us— -] Thou canst not affright us with thy numerous navy. JOHNSON.

I i3

We'll

We'll speak with thee at fea: at land, thou know'ft
How much we do o'er-count thee.

Pom. At land, indeed,

Thou dost o'er. count me of my father's houfe':
But, fince the cuckoo builds not for himself,
Remain in't, as thou may'ft.

Lep. Be pleas'd to tell us,

(For this is from the prefent,) how you take The offers we have sent you.

Caf. There's the point.

Ant. Which do not be entreated to, but weigh What it is worth embrac'd.

Caf. And what may follow,

To try a larger fortune.

Pom. You have made me offer
Of Sicily, Sardinia; and I muft

Rid all the fea of pirates: then, to fend
Measures of wheat to Rome: This 'greed upon,
To part with unhack'd edges, and bear back
Our targes undinted.

Caf. Ant. Lep. That's our offer.

Pom. Know then,

At land, indeed,

Thou deft o'er-count me of my father's boufe:] At land indeed thou doft exceed me in poffeffions, having added to thy own my father's house. O'er-count feems to be used equivocally, and Pompey perhaps meant to infinuate that Antony not only out-numbered, but had over-reached, him, The circumftance here alluded to our authour found in the old tranfation of Plutarch: "Afterwards, when Pompey's houfe was put to open fale, Antonius bought it; but when they afked him money for it, he made it very ftraunge, and was offended with them."

Again: "Whereupon Antonius asked him [Sextus Pompeius,] And where fhall we fup? There, fayd Pompey; and fhewed him his admiral galley, which had fix benches of owers: that faid he is my father's boufe they have left me. He fpake it to taunt Antonius, because be bad bis father's boufe, that was Pompey the great." See p. 497, n. 7. MALONE.

2 But, fince the cuckoo builds not for bimfelf,] Since, like the cuckoo, that feizes the nefts of other birds, you have invaded a house which you could not build, keep it while you can. JOHNSON.

So, in P. Holland's translation of Pliny, b. x. ch. 9:

"Thefe (cuckows) lay alwaies in other birds' nefts." STEEV.