And foberly did mount an arm-gaunt fleed, Who neigh'd fo high, that what I would have spoke, 5 Was beastly dumb by him. 4 -arm-gaunt feed,] i.e. his fleed worn ican and thin by much fervice in war. So Farefax, His Ball-worn feed the champron ficut before. WARD. On this note Mr. Edwards has been very lavifh of his pleafolly, and indeed has juflly cenfured the mifquotation of fullLorn for fell-worth, which means frong, but makes no attempt to explain the word in the yay. Mr. Seward, in his preface to Perument, has very elaLoiately endeavoured to prove, that an armgunt fleed is a fleed with lean fioulders. Arm is the Teutonick word for want, or peerts. Arm-gaunt may be therefore an old word, fignifying, lean for quant, ill fed. Edward's obfovation, that a worn-out horfe inot proper for ailes to mount in Lattle, is impertinent; the horfe here mentioned feems to be a pol-herie, rather than a warhife. Yet as crmgaunt feems not intended to imply any defect, it perhaps mean, a horfe fo flender that a man might clafp him, and therefore formed for expedition. Han er reads, —————çim gitt fleed. 5 ¡as beajtly DUMB ly bin.] M Thedaid reads dun b'd, put to filence. Alexas means (fays he) the Forfe mane fich a neighing that if he had spoke he could not Dave been heard. A very pretty #peech, and agreeable to the po Cla. liteness of one of Cleopatra's courtiers. Shakespear wrote, Was beaftly DONE by him. i. e. the fenfe of what I would have spoke the horfe declared, tho' in inarticulate founds. The cafe was this, Alexas came to take leave of Antony, who recommended a meffage to him to his mittrefs. Alexas then had no more to do but make his compli ments: But in that inftant Antony mounted his war-horfe, long accufomed to bear him, who no focner felt his mafter's weight, but, as is ufual for horfes of fervice, neighed in a very sprightly manner. This circumftance (fuch a one as poets and romancers when they fpeak of their hero's adventures, never fail to improve) Alexas is made to turn to a compliment on Antony, which could not but please Cleopatra. I was going, fays he, to pay my fareul compliments to Antony, to predict his future fucceffes, and to falute him with the ufual appellations of vidory, when the barfe got the start of me; and by his wishing jo bigh and Sprightly, fiewed him to be fenfible that he had a bera on bis back whom he was bearing to conqueft. But we are not to fuppole that Alexas after this did not make his fpeech, but let the hero's horfe do it for him. This was only a fmall interruption to his compliments, which, as a flattering circumftance, he mentions Cleo. What, was he fad or merry? Alex. Like to the time o' th' year, between th' ex treams Of hot and cold, he was nor fad, nor merry. Cleo. Oh well-divided difpofition! him; But note He was not fad, for he would fhine on thofe So does it no man elfe. Met' it thou my pofts? Cleo. Who's born that day, Shall die a beggar.-Ink and paper, Charmian. Char. Oh, that brave Cafar! Cleo. Be choak'd with fuch another emphafis! Say, the brave Antony. Char. The valiant Cafar. Cleo. By Ifis, I will give thee bloody teeth, If thou with Cafar paragon again My man of men. Char. By your moft gracious pardon, I fing but after you. to please his mistress. The error of dumb for done, feems to have been occafioned by the editor's miftaking the word high for loud, whereas it here fignifies sprightly. WARBURTON. The paffage feems not to deferve much care. It probably is as it was written, and means what The bald has expreffed. K 2 Clo. Cleo. My fallad days! When I was green in judgment. Cold in blood! He shall have every day a feveral greeting, To fay, as 1 faid then,- -] This puzzles the late editor, Mr. Theobald. He fays, Cleopatra may speak very naturally here with contempt of her judgment at that period: But how truly with regard to the coldness of her blood may admit fome queftion: And then employs his learning to prove, that at this cold feafon of her blood, the had feen twenty good years. But yet he thinks his author may be justified, becaufe Plutarch calls Cleopatra at thofe years, Kopn, which by ill luck proves juft the contrary; for that state which the Greeks de [Exeunt. figned by Kópn, was the very height of blood. But ShakeSpear's best juftification is reftoring his own sense, which is done merely by a different pointing. My fallad days; When I was green in judgment. Cold in blood! To Jay as I faid then. Cold in blood, is an upbraiding expoftulation to her maid. Thofe, fays fhe, were my fallad days, when I was green in judgment; but your blood is as cold as my judgment, if you have the fame opinion of things now as I had then. 7 WARBURTON. -unpeople Ægypt.] By fending out meffengers. ACT I ACT II. SCENE I SICILY. Enter Pompey, Menecrates, and Menas, POMPEY. F the great Gods be juft, they fhall affift Men. Know, worthy Pompey, That what they do delay, they not deny. Pomp. While we are fuitors to their Throne, de cays The thing we fue for. Men. We, ignorant of ourselves, Beg often our own harms, which the wife 8 The perfons are fo named powers mies in making preparation a. gainft us; which he explains afterwards, by faying Mark Antony was tied up by luft in Egypt; Cæfar, by avarice at Rome; and Lepidus employed in keeping well with both. WARBURTON. It is not always prudent to be too hafty in exclamation; the reading which Dr. Warburton rejects as nonfenfe, is in my opinion right; if delay be what they fue for, they have it, and the confolation offered becomes fuperfluous. The meaning is, While we are praying, the thing for which we pray is lofing its value. K 3 Pomp. Pomp. I fhall do well: The people love me, and the fea is mine; No wars without doors. Cafar gets mony, where Of both is flat er'd; but he neither loves, Men. Cæfar and Lepidus are in the field, Pomp. Where have you this? 'tis falle. Pomp. He dreams; I know, they are in Rome to- Looking for Antony; but all the charms of love, 2 Let witchraft join with beauty; luft with both. That fleep and feeding may prorogue his honour, |