Or foizon, follow: The higher Nilus fwells, Lep. You have ftrange ferpents there. Lep. Your ferpent of Egypt is bred now of your mud by the operation of your fun: fo is your crocodile. Ant. They are so. Pom. Sit, and fome wine.-A health to Lepidus. Lep. I am not fo well as I fhould be, but I'll ne'er out, Eno. Not till you have flept; I fear me, you'll be in, till then. Lep. Nay, certainly, I have heard, the Ptolemies' pyramifes are very goodly things; without contradiction, I have heard that. Men. Pompey, a word. Pom. Say in mine ear: What is't? [Afide. Men. Forfake thy feat, I do beseech thee, captain, [Afide And hear me speak a word. Pom. Forbear me till anon.-This wine for Lepidus. Or foizon, follow:] Foixon is a French word fignifying plenty, abundance. I am told that it is ftill in common ufe in the North. See Vol. I. p. 40, n. 6. MALONE. STEEVENS. 7 I bave beard the Ptolemies' pyramifes are very goodly things;] Pyramis for pyramid was in common ufe in our authour's time. So, in Bishop Corbet's Poems, 1647: "Nor need the chancellor boaft, whose pyramis "Above the hoft and altar reared is." From this word Shakspeare formed the English plural, pyramifes, to mark the indiftinct pronunciation of a man nearly intoxicated, whofe tongue is now beginning to "fplit what it speaks.' In other places he has introduced the Latin plural #yramides, which was constantly used by our ancient writers. So, in this play : "My country's high fyramides-". Again, in Sir Afton Cockain's Poems, 1658: "Neither advife I thee to pafs the feas, "To take a view of the pyramides." Again, in Braithwaite's Survey of Hiftories, 1614: "Thou art now for building a fecond pyramides in the air." MALONE. Lep. Lep. What manner o'thing is your crocodile ? Ant. It is fhaped, fir, like it felf; and it is as broad as it hath breadth: it is just so high as it is, and moves with its own organs: it lives by that which nourisheth it; and the elements once out of it, it tranfmigrates. Lep. What colour is it of? Ant. Of its own colour too. Lep. 'Tis a ftrange ferpent. Ant. 'Tis fo. And the tears of it are wet *. Ant. With the health that Pompey gives him, else he is a very epicure. Pom. [to Menas afide.] Go, hang, fir hang! Tell me of that? away! Do as I bid you.-Where's this cup I call'd for? Pom. I think, thou'rt mad. The matter? [Afide. [rifes, and walks afide. Men. I have ever held my cap off to thy fortunes. Pom. Thou haft ferv'd me with much faith: What's elfe to say? Be jolly, lords. Ant. Thefe quick-fands, Lepidus, Keep off them, for you fink. Men. Wilt thou be lord of all the world? Pom. What fay'ft thou? Men. Wilt thou be lord of the whole world? That's twice. Pom. How fhall that be? Men. But entertain it, And, though thou think me poor, I am the man Will give thee all the world. Pom. Haft thou drunk well? Men. No, Pompey, I have kept me from the cup. Thou art, if thou dar'ft be, the earthly Jove: Whate'er the ocean pales, or fky inclips, Is thine, if thou wilt have it. the tears of it are wet.] "Be your tears wet ?" fays Lear to Cordelia, A& IV. Scene vii. MALONE. 8 or fky inclips,] i. e. embraces. STEEVENS. Pom. 494 Pom. Shew me which way. Men. These three world-harers, thefe competitors, And, when we are put off, fall to their throats: Pom. Ah, this thou should't have done, And not have spoke on't! In me, 'tis villany; I'll never follow thy pall'd fortunes more. [Afide. Who feeks, and will not take, when once 'tis offer'd, Pom. This health to Lepidus. Ant. Bear him afhore. I'll pledge it for him, Pompey. Eno. Here's to thee, Menas. Men. Enobarbus, welcome. Pom. Fill, till the cup be hid. Eno. There's a strong fellow, Menas. [Pointing to the attendant who carries off Lepidus. Men. Why? Eno. He bears The third part of the world, man; See'ft not? 9-Let me cut the cable;] So, in the old tranflation of Plutarch: "Now in the middest of the feast, when they fell to be merie with Antonius loue vnto Cleopatra, Menas the pirate came to Pompey, and whispering in his eare, said unto him: fhall I cut the gables of the ankers, and make thee Lord not only, of Sicile and Sardinia, but of the whole empire of Rome befides? Pompey having pawfed a while vpon it, at length aunswered him: thou shouldeft haue done it, and neuer haue told it me, but now ge must content vs with that we haue. As for my felfe, 1 was neuer taught to breake my faith, nor to be counted a traitor." STEEVENS. All there is thine.] All here, may mean all in the vessel. STEEV. The modern editors read-All then is thine. MALONE. 2 thy pall'd fortunes—] Palled, is vapid, past its time of excellence; palled wine, is wine that has loft its original fprightliness. JOHNSON. Men. Men. The third part then is drunk: 'Would it were all 3, That it might go on wheels * ! Eno. Drink thou; increase the reels. Men. Come. Pom. This is not yet an Alexandrian feast. Ant. It ripens towards it.-Strike the veffels*, ho! Here is to Cæfar. Caf. I could well forbear it. It's monftrous labour, when I wash my brain, Ant. Be a child o' the time. Caf. Poffefs it, I'll make answer: but I had rather faft From all, four days, than drink fo much in one. Eno. Ha, my brave emperor! [to Ant.] Shall we dance now The Egyptian Bacchanals, and celebrate our drink? om. Let's ha't, good foldier. Pon Ant. Come, let's all take hands; Till that the conquering wine hath fteep'd our fenfe Eno. All take hands. Make battery to our ears with the loud mufick :- As 3 The third part then is drunk: 'Would it were all, &c.] The old copy reads The third part then be is drunk, &c. The context clearly fhews that the tranfcriber's ear deceived him, and that we fhould read as I have printed it,-The third part then is drunk. MALONE. That it might go on wheels!] "The World goes upon wheels," is the title of a pamphlet written by Taylor the Water-poet. MALONE. 4-Strike the vefjels,] Try whether the cafks found as empty. Jonss I believe, frike the velfels means no more than chink the veffels one against the other, as a mark of our unanimity in drinking, as we now fay, cbink glaffes. STEEVENS. 5 The bolding every man fhall bear,] In the old editions: The bolding every man fhall beat, The company were to join in the burden, which the poet ftiles, the holding. But how were they to bear this with their fides? I am perfuaded, the poet wrote: The As his ftrong fides can_volly. [Mufick plays. Enobarbus places them band in band. Come, thou monarch of the vine, Cup us, till the world go round! Caf. What would you more?-Pompey, good night. Let me request you off: our graver bufinefs Good Antony, your hand. The bolding ev'ry man fball bear, as loud. As bis ftrong fides can wolly. The breast and fides are immediately concerned in ftraining to fing as loud and forcibly as a man can. THEOBALD. Mr. Theobald's emendation is very plaufible; and yet beat I believe to have been the poet's word, however harsh it may appear at prefent. In K. Henry VIII. we find a fimilar expreflion: let the mufick knock it." STEEVENS. The bolding every man fhali beat,-] Every man fhall accompany the chorus by drumming on his fides, in token of concurrence and applause. JOHNSON. Theobald's emendation appears to me fo plaufible, and the change is fo fmall, that I have given it a place in the text, as did Mr. Steevens in his edition. MALONE. 6 with pink eyne:] Dr. Johnfon, in his Dictionary fays a pink eye is a fmall eye, and quotes this paffage for his authority. Pink eyne, however, may be red eyes: eyes inflamed with drinking, are very well appropriated to Bacchus. So, in Julius Cæfar: fuch ferret and fuch fiery eyes." So, Greene, in his Defence of Coney catching, 1592: "—like a pinkey'd ferret." Again, in a forg fung by a drunken Clown in Marius and Sylla, 1594: "Thou makeft fome to stumble, and many more to fumble, Pom |