Imatges de pàgina
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Enter Antony and Enobarbus.

Ant. Set we our fquadrons on yond fide o' th' hill, In eye of Cafar's battle; from which place We may the number of the fhips behold, And fo proceed accordingly.

SCENE

[Exeunt.

VII.

Canidius, marching with his land-army one way over the Stage; and Taurus, the lieutenant of Cæfar, the other After their going in, is heard the noise of a feafight. Alarm. Enter Enobarbus.

way.

Eno. Naught, naught, all naught. I can behold no longer;

Th' Antonias, the Egyptian admiral,

With all their fixty, fly, and turn the rudder;
To fee't, mine eyes are blasted.

Enter Scarus,

Scar. Gods and Goddeffes,

All the whole Synod of them!
Eno. What's thy passion?

Scar. The greater cantle of the world is loft
With very ignorance; we have kiss'd away
Kingdoms and Provinces.

Eno. How appears the fight?

Scar. On our fide like the 7 token'd pestilence,

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Where death is fure. Yon ribauld nag of Egypt,
, Whom leprofy o'ertake! i' th' midft o' th' fight,
When vantage like a pair of twins appear'd
Both as the fame, or rather ours the elder;
'The brieze upon her, like a cow in June,
Hoifts fails, and flies.

Enc. That I beheld:

Mine eyes did ficken at the fight, and could not
Endure a further view.

Scar. She once being looft,

The noble ruin of her magick, Antony,
Claps on his fea-wing, like a doating mallard,
Leaving the fight in height, flies after her:
I never faw an action of fuch fhame;
Experience, manhood, honour, ne'er before
Did violate fo itself.

Eno. Alack, alack,

Enter Canidius.

Can. Our fortune on the fea is out of breath, And finks moft lamentably. Had our General Been what he knew himself, it had gone well: Oh, he has given example for our flight,

Moft grofly by his own.

Eno. Ay, are you thereabouts? why then, good night, indeed.

Can. Towards Peloponnefus are they fled.
Scar. 'Tis eafy to't.

And there I will attend what further comes.

8-ribauld-] A luxurious fquanderer. POPE. The word is in the old edition ribaudred, which I do not underftand, but mention it, in hopes others may raife fome hapРу conjecture.

9 Whom leprafy o'ertake! -] Ler, an epidemical distemper

of the Egyptians; to which Ho-
race probably alludes in the con-
troverted line,

Contaminato cum grege turpium
Mobo vivorum.

The brieze upon her,-] The brieze is the gad-fy, which in fummer ftings the cows, and drives them violently about.

Can.

1

Can. To Cafar will I render

My legions and my horfe; fix Kings already
Shew me the way of yielding.

Eno. I'll yet follow

The wounded chance of Antony, though my reason Sits in the wind against me.

[Exeunt, feverally. Enter Antony, with Eros and other attendants. Ant. Hark, the land bids me tread no more upon't,

It is afham'd to bear me.

I am 3 fo lated in the world,

Have loft my way for ever.
Laden with gold, take that,

Friends, come hither,
that I

I've a fhip divide it; fly,

And make your peace with Cafar.
Omnes. Fly! not we.

Ant. I've fled myself, and have inftructed cowards To run, and fhew their fhoulders.

Friends, be gone. I have myself refolv'd upon a course, Which has no need of you. Be gone, My treasure's in the harbour. Take it. Oh, I follow'd that I blufh to look upon;

My very hairs do mutiny; for the white

Reprove the brown for rashness, and they them

For fear and doating. Friends, be gone; you fhall
Have letters from me to fome friends, that will
Sweep your way for you. Pray you, look not fad,
Nor make replies of lothnefs; take the hint,
Which my despair proclaims. Let them be left,
Which leave themselves. To the fea-fide. Straight-
way

2 The wounded chance of Antony,-] I know not whether the authour, who loves to draw his images from the fports of the field, might not have written,

The wounded chafe of Antony,The allufion is to a deer wound

ed and chafed, whom all other deer avoid. I will, fays Enobarbus, foliow Antony, though chafed and wounded.

The common reading however may very well stand.

fo lated in the world.-] Alluding to a benighted traveller.

I will poffefs you of that ship and treasure.
Leave me, I pray, a little; pray you now-
Nay, do fo; for, indeed, I've lost command.
Therefore, I pray you'll fee you by and by.

4

[Sits down.

Enter Cleopatra, led by Charmion and Iras, to Antony.

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Eros. Sir, Sir.

Ant. Yes, my Lord, yes.- He at Philippi kept His fword e'en like a dancer, while I ftrook

The lean and wrinkled Caffius, and 'twas I,
That the mad Brutus ended; 7 he alone
Dealt on lieutenantry, and no practice had

In the brave fquares of war; yet now-no matter→
Cleo. Ah, ftand by.

Eros. The Queen, my Lord, the Queen

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Iras. Go to him, Madam, fpeak to him, He is unqualitied with very fhame.

Cleo. Well then, fustain me; oh!

8

Eros. Moft noble Sir, arife, the Queen approaches; Her head's declin'd, and death will feize her, but Your comfort makes the refcue.

Ant. I have offended reputation;

A most unnoble swerving

Eros. Sir, the Queen.

Ant. O whether haft thou led me, Egypt? fee, 9 How I convey my fhame out of thine eyes; By looking back on what I've left behind, 'Stroy'd in difhonour,

Cleo. Oh, my Lord, my Lord;

Forgive my fearful fails; I little thought,
You would have follow'd.

Ant. Egypt, thou knew'ft too well,

My heart was to thy rudder 'ty'd by th' ftring,
And thou should'ft towe me after. O'er my fpirit
Thy full fupremacy thou knew'ft; and that
Thy beck might from the bidding of the Gods.
Command me.

Cleo. Oh, my pardon.

Ant. Now I must

To the young man send humble treaties, dodge
And palter in the fhifts of lownefs; who,

With half the bulk o' th' world, play'd as I pleas'd,
Making and marring fortunes. You did know,
How much you were my conqueror; and that
My fword, made weak by my affection, would
Obey it on all caufe.

Cleo. O, pardon, pardon.

8-death will feize ber, but Your comfort, &c.] But has here, as once before in this play, the force of except, or unless.

9 How I convey ny fhame]

How, by looking another way, I withdraw my ignominy from your fight.

1

-ty'd by th' ftring,] That is, by the heart firing.

Ant.

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