Thyr. So.

8

Thus then, thou most renown'd, Cafar intreats,
Not to confider in what cafe thou ftand'st

Further than he is Cæfar.

Cleo. Go on.

-Right royal.

Thyr. He knows, that you embrace not Antony As you did love, but as you fear'd him.

Cleo. Oh!

[Afide

Thyr. The fcars upon your honour, therefore, he Does pity as conftrained blemishes,

Not as deferv'd.

Cleo. He is a God, and knows

What is most right.

But conquer'd meerly.

Mine honour was not yielded,

Eno. To be fure of that,

I will ask Antony-Sir, Sir, thou art fo leaky,
That we must leave thee to thy finking, for

Thy deareft quit thee.

Thyr. Shall I fay to Cafar

[Exit Enobarbus.

What you require of him? For he partly begs, To be defir'd to give. It much would please him, That of his fortunes you would make a staff

To lean upon.

But it would warm his fpirits, to hear from me
You had left Antony, and put yourself

Under his fhroud, the univerfal landlord.

Cleo. What's your name!

Thyr. My name is Thyreus.

Cleo. Moft kind meffenger,

Say to great Cæfar this; in deputation

I kifs

I kifs his conq'ring hand: tell him, I'm prompt
To lay my crown at's feet, and there to kneel.
'Tell him, that from his all-obeying breath I hear
The doom of Egypt.

Thyr. 'Tis your nobleft courfe:

Wifdom and fortune combating together,

If that the former dare but what it can,

No chance may shake it.

My duty on your hand.

Give me grace to lay

Cleo. Your Cafar's father oft,

When he hath mus'd of taking Kingdoms in,
Beftow'd his lips on that unworthy place,
As it rain'd kiffes.

SCENE X.

Enter Antony, and Enobarbus.

Ant. Favours! by Jove, that thunders.

What art thou, fellow ?

[Seeing Thyreus kifs her band.

Thyr. One that but performs

The bidding of the fulleft man, and worthieft

To have command obey'd.

Eno. You will be whipp'd.

Ant. Approach there-ah, you kite!-Now, Gods

and Devils!

Like boys into a mufs, Kings would start forth, And cry, your will? Have you no ears?

I'm Antony yet. Take hence this Jack, and whip

him.

Enter Servants.

Eno. 'Tis better playing with a lion's whelp, Than with an old one dying.

Ant. Moon and ftars!

Whip him :-Were't twenty of the greatest Tributa

ries

That do acknowledge Cafar, fhould I find them
So fawcy with the hand of She here, (what's her

name,

Since he was Cleopatra ?)-Whip him, fellows
Till, like a boy, you see him cringe his face,
And whine aloud for mercy. Take him hence.
Thyr. Mark Antony

Ant. Tug him away; being whipp'd,
Bring him again: this Jack of Cafar's fhall
Bear us an errand to him.

[Exeunt with Thyreus.

You were half blafted, ere I knew you; ha!
Have I my pillow left unpreft in Rome,
Forborn the getting of a lawful race,
And by a gem of women, to be abus'd
By one that looks on feeders ?

Cleo. Good my Lord,

Ant. You have been a boggler ever.
But when we in our vicioufnefs grow hard,

Oh mifery on't! the wife Gods feel our eyes
In our own filth, drop our clear judgments, make us
Adore our errors, laugh at's while we strut

To our confufion.

3 Like boys unto a mufs,-] i. e. a fcramble.

POPE.

4 By one that looks on feeders?] One that waits at the table while others are eating.

O 3

Cleo.

Cleo. Oh, is't come to this?

Ant. I found you as a morfel, cold upon
Dead Cæfar's trencher: nay, you were a fragment
Of Cneius Pompey's; befides what hotter hours,
Unregifter'd in vulgar fame, you have
Luxuriously pickt out. For, I am fure,

Though you can guess what temperance should be,
You know not what it is.

Cleo. Wherefore is this?

Ant. To let a fellow that will take rewards,
And fay, God quit you, be familiar with
My play fellow, your hand; this kingly feal,
And plighter of high hearts;

Upon the hill of Bafan, to out-roar

that I were

5 The horned herd, for I have favage caufe! And to proclaim it civilly, were like

A halter'd neck, which does the hangman thank

For being yare about him. Is he whipp'd?

Re-enter a Servant, with Thyreus.

Serv. Soundly, my Lord.

Ant. Cry'd he? and begg'd a' pardon?

Serv. He did afk favour.

Ant. If that thy father live, let him repent

Thou waft not made his daughter; and be thou forry To follow Cafar in his triumph, fince

Thou haft been whipp'd for following him. Henceforth,

The white hand of a lady fever thee,

Shake thou to look on't.-Get thee back to Cafar,
Tell him thy entertainment; look, thou fay,
He makes me angry with him: For he seems

5 The b rned herd,-] Is it not without pity and indignation that the reader of this great Poet meets

fo often with this low jeft, which is too much a favourite to be left out of either mirth or fury.

Proud

Proud and disdainful, harping on what I am,
Not what he knew I was. He makes me angry;
And, at this time, most easy 'tis to do't,
When my good ftars, that were my former guides,
Have empty left their orbs, and fhot their fires
Into the abysm of hell. If he mislike

My fpeech, and what is done, tell him, he has
Hipparchus my enfranchis'd bondman, whom
He may at pleasure whip, or hang, or torture,
As he fhall like, to quit me. Urge it thou..
Hence with thy ftripes, be gone. [Exit Thyreus.

Cleo. Have you done yet?

Ant. Alack, our terrene moon is now eclips'd,
And it portends alone the fall of Antony.
Cleo. I muft ftay his time.—

Ant. To flatter Cafar, would you mingle eyes
With one that ties his points?

Cleo. Not know me yet?

Ant. Cold-hearted toward me!
Cleo. Ah, dear, if I be fo,

From my cold heart let heav'n ingender hail,
And poison't in the fource, and the first stone
Drop in my neck; as it determines, fo
Diffolve my life! the next Cæfario smite!
'Till by degrees the memory of my womb,
Together with my brave Egyptians all,
7 By the difcandying of this pelletted ftorm,
Lie gravelefs; 'till the flies and gnats of Nile
Have buried them for prey!

Ant. I'm fatisfied:

Cæfar firs down in Alexandria, where

6

to quit me.-] To repay me this infult; to requite me. 7 By the difcattering of this

pelletted form,] This reading we owe firft, I prefume, to Mr. Rowe and Mr. Pope has

very faithfully fall'n into it. The
old folies read, difcandering:
from which corruption both Dr.
Thirlby and I faw, we must re-
trieve the word with which I have
reform'd the text. THEOBALD.

04

I will