SCENE V.

Antony's Camp near Alexandria.

Trumpets found. Enter ANTONY, and EROS; a Soldier meeting them.

Sold. The gods make this a happy day to Antony! Ant. 'Would, thou and those thy fcars had once prevail'd

To make me fight at land!

Sold. Had'ft thou done fo,

The kings that have revolted, and the foldier
That has this morning left thee, would have fill
Follow'd thy heels.

Ant. Who's gone this morning?

Sold. Who?

One ever near thee: Call for Enobarbus,

He shall not hear thee; or from Cæfar's camp

Say, I am none of thine.

Ant. What fay'ft thou?

Ant. Go, Eros, fend his treasure after; do it;
Detain no jot, I charge thee: write to him.
(I will subscribe) gentle adieus, and greetings:
Say, that I wish he never find more cause

6 The gods make this a bappy day to Antony !] 'Tis evident, as Dr. Thirlby likewife conjectured, by what Antony immediately replies, that this line fhould not be placed to Eros, [as it is in the old copy] but to the foldier, who, before the battle of Actium, advised Antony to try his fate at land. THEOBALD.

The fame mistake has, I think, happened in the next two fpeeches, which are alfo given in the old copy to Eros. I have given them to the foldier, who would naturally reply to what Antony faid. Antony's words, "What fayft thou" compared with what follows, fhew that the fpeech beginning, "Who? One ever near thee," &c. belongs to the foldier. This regulation was made by Mr. Capell. MALONE. Nn 2

Το

To change a mafter.-O, my fortunes have
Corrupted honeft men :-Difpatch.-Enobarbus!

SCENE VI.

Cæfar's Camp before Alexandria.

[Exeunt.

Flourish. Enter CESAR, with AGRIPPA, ENOBARBUS, and Others.

Caf. Go forth, Agrippa, and begin the fight:

Our willis, Antony be took alive';

Make it so known.

Agr. Cæfar, I fhall.

[Exit AGRIPPA,

Caf. The time of universal peace is near:
Prove this a profperous day, the three-nook'd world
Shall bear the olive freely.

7 Our will is, Antony be took alive;] It is obfervable with what judgment Shakspeare draws the character of Octavius. Antony was his hero; fo that the other was not to thine: yet being an historical character, there was a neceffity to draw him like. But the ancient hiftorians, his flatterers, had delivered him down fo fair, that he feems ready cut and dried for a hero. Amidst thefe difficulties Shakfpeare has extricated himself with great addrefs. He has admitted all thofe great ftrokes of his character as he found them, and yet has made him a very unamiable character, deceitful, mean-fpirited, narrow-minded, proud, and revengeful. WARBURTON.

Shall bear the olive freely.] So, in King John:
"Now these her princes are come home again,
"Come the three corners of the world in arms,
"And we shall fhock them."

So Lilly in Euphues and bis England, 1580: "The island is in fashion three-corner'd," &c. MALONE.

Dr. Warburton fays that the words-fhall bear the olive freely, mean, that the olive fhall fpring up every where fpontaneously without culture; but he mistakes the fenfe of the paffage. To bear does not mean to produce, but to carry; and the meaning is, that the world shall then enjoy the bleffings of peace, of which olive branches were the emblems. The fuccefs of Auguftus could not fo change the nature of things, as to make the olive tree grow without culture in all climates, but it shut the gates of the temple of Janus. MASON.

I doubt whether Mr. Mason's explication of the word bear be just. The poet certainly did not intend to fpeak literally; and might only mean, that, fhould this prove a profperous day, there would be no occafion to labour to effect a peace throughout the world; it would take place without any effort or negotiation. MALONE.

Enter

Enter a Meffenger.

Mef. Antony

Is come into the field.

Caf. Go, charge Agrippa

Plant those that have revolted in the van,
That Antony may seem to spend his fury

Upon himself.

[Exeunt CESAR and his Train.

Eno. Alexas did revolt; and went to Jewry, on
Affairs of Antony; there did perfuade
Great Herod to incline himself to Cæfar,
And leave his mafter Antony: for this pains,
Cæfar hath hang'd him. Canidius, and the reft
That fell away, have entertainment, but
No honourable truft. I have done ill;
Of which I do accuse myself so forely,

That I will joy no more.

Enter a Soldier of Cæfar's.

Sold. Enobarbus, Antony

Hath after thee fent all thy treasure *,

His bounty over-plus: The meffenger

with

Came on my guard; and at thy tent is now,
Unloading of his mules.

Eno. I give it you.

Sold. Mock not, Enobarbus.

I tell you true: Beft you fafed the bringer
Out of the hoft; I must attend mine office,
Or would have done't myself. Your emperor
Continues ftill a Jove.

[Exit Soldier.

9-perfuade] The old copy has diffuade, perhaps rightly. JOHNSON. It is undoubtedly corrupt. The words in the old tranflation of Plutarch are:-" for where he should have kept Herodes from revolting from him, he perfuaded him to turne to Cæfar." MALONE.

Hath after thee fent all thy treasure, &c.] So, in the old translation of Plutarch: "Furthermore, he delt very friendly and courteously with Domitius, and against Cleopatraes mynde. For, he being ficke of an agewe when he went, and tooke a little boate to go to Cæfar's campe, Antonius was very fory for it, but yet he fent after him all his caryage, trayne, and men: and the fame Domitius, as though he gaue him to vnderftand that he repented his open treafon, he died immediately after." STEEVENS.

Nn 3

Ene.

Ene. I am alone the villain of the earth,

And feel I am fo moft. O Antony,

Thou mine of bounty, how would't thou have paid

My better service, when my turpitude

Thou doft fo crown with gold! This blows my heart 3:

If swift thought break it not, a swifter mean

Shall out-ftrike thought: but thought will do't, I feel.
I fight against thee!-No: I will go feek

Some ditch, wherein to die; the foul'ft best fits
My latter part of life.

[Exit

Alarum. Drums and Trumpets. Enter AGRIPPA, and
Others.

Agr. Retire, we have engag'd ourselves too far:
Cæfar himself has work, and our oppreffion
Exceeds what we expected.

[Exeunt
Alarum. Enter ANTONY and SCARUS, wounded.
Scar. O my brave emperor, this is fought indeed!
Had we done fo at first, we had driven them home
With clouts about their heads.

Ant. Thou bleed'st apace.

2 And feel I am fo moft.] That is, and feel I am fo, more than any one elfe thinks it. MASON.

3- This blows my beart :] All the latter editions have:

-This bows my beart:

I have given the original word again the place from which I think it unjustly excluded. This generofity, (fays Enobarbus) fwells my beart, fo that it will quickly break, if thought break it not, a swifter mean. JOHNSON.

So, in A&t V.

4

"Here on her breaft

"There is a vent of blood, and fomething blown." MALONE: but thought will do't, I feel.] Thought, in this paffage, as in many others, fignifies melancholy. See p. 528, n. 2. MALONE.

5

and our oppreffion] Our oppreffion means, the force by which we

are opprefs'd or overpowered. MALONE.

Oppreffion for oppofition. WARBURTON.

Sir T. Hanmer has received oppofition. Perhaps rightly. JOHNSON.

Scar.

Scar. I had a wound here that was like a T, But now 'tis made an H.

Ant. They do retire.

Scar. We'll beat 'em into bench-holes; I have yet Room for fix fcotches more.

Enter EROS.

551

Eros. They are beaten, fir; and our advantage ferves

For a fair victory.

Scar. Let us fcore their backs,

And fnatch 'em up, as we take hares, behind; 'Tis fport to maul a runner.

Ant. I will reward thee

Once for thy fprightly comfort, and ten-fold

For thy good valour. Come thee on.

Scar. I'll halt after.

SCENE VIII.

Under the walls of Alexandria,

[Exeunt.

Alarum. Enter ANTONY, marching; SCARUS, and Forces.

Ant We have beat him to his camp: Run one before, And let the queen know of our guefts.-To-morrow, Before the fun shall fee us, we'll spill the blood That has to-day efcap'd. I thank you all; For doughty-handed are you; and have fought Not as you ferv'd the cause, but as it had been Each man's like mine; you have shewn all Hectors. Enter the city, clip your wives, your friends, Tell them your feats; whilft they with joyful tears Wafh the congealment from your wounds, and kiss The honour'd gashes whole.-Give me thy hand; [To SCARUS.

Run one before,

And let the queen know of our guests.] Antony after his fuccefs intends to bring his officers to fup with Cleopatra, and orders notice to be given of their guests. JOHNSON.

7- clip your wives,-] To clip is to embrace. STEEVENS.