Enter à Meffenger.

Mef. Mark Antony is come into the field.
Caf. Go, charge, Agrippa;

Plant thofe, that have revolted, in the van,
That Antony may feem to spend his fury
Upon himfelf.

[Exeunt

Eno. Alexas did revolt, and went to Jewry on
Affairs of Antony; there did perfuade
Great Herod to incline himself to Cafar,
And leave his mafter Antony. For this pains,
Cafar 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 accufe myself fo forely,
That I will joy no more.

Enter a Soldier of Cæfar's.

Sold. Enobarbus, Antony

Hath after thee fent all thy treasure, with
His bounty over-plus. The meffenger
Came on my guard, and at thy tent is now
Unloading of his mules.

Eno. I give it you.

Sold. Mock me not, Enobarbus,

I tell you true; beft, you fee fafe't the bringer
Out of the hoft: I must attend mine office,
Or would have done't myfelf. Your Emperor
Continues ftill a Jove.

Eno. I am alone the villain of the earth,
And feel, I am so most. O Antony,

[Exit.

Thou mine of bounty, how wouldft thou have paid
My better service, when my turpitude...

Thou doft fo crown with gold! this bows my heart;
If fwift 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, where I may die; the foul'ft beft fits
My latter part of life.

[Exit.

SCENE,

SCENE, before the Walls of Alexandria.

Alarm. Drums and Trumpets. Enter Agrippa. Agr. Etire, we have engag'd ouffelves too far: Cæfar himself has work, and our oppreffion Exceeds what we expected.

R

[Exit.

Scar. O my brave Emperor! this is fought indeed; Had we done fo at first, we had droven them home With clouts about their heads.

Ant. Thou bleed'ft apace.

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.

Eros. They're beaten, Sir, 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.

"Scar. I'll halt after.

Come thee on.

[Exeunt.

Alarm. Enter Antony again in a March,

Scarus with others.

Ant. We've beat him to his camp; (28) run one before, And let the Queen know of our Gefts; te-morrow,

Before

(28)

One before,

And let the Queen know of our Guests.] What Guests was the Queen to know of? Antony was to fight again on the morrow; and he had not yet faid a Word of marching to Alexandria, and

treating

Before the fun fhall fee's, 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't had been
Each man's like mine; you've fhewn yourfelves all Hectors.
Enter the city, clip your wives, your friends,
Tell them your feats, whilft they with joyful tears
Wash the congealment from your wounds, and kiss
The honour'd gafhes whole. Give me thy hand,
[To Scarus.

Enter Cleopatra.

To this great fairy I'll commend thy acts,

Make her thanks blefs thee. O thou day o'th' world, Chain mine arm'd neck; leap thou, attire and all, Through proof of harnefs, to my heart, and there Ride on the pants triumphing.

Cleo. Lord of Lords!

Oh, infinite virtue! com'ft thou smiling from
The world's great fnare uncaught?

Ant. My nightingale!

We've beat them to their beds. What! girl, though gray
Do fomething mingle with our younger brown, yet ha'we
A brain that nourishes our nerves, and can

Get goal for goal of youth. Behold this man,
(29) Commend unto his lips thy favouring hand;
Kifs it, my warrior: he hath fought to-day,

As

treating his Officers in the Palace. We must reftore, as Mr. Warburton likewife prescribes;

And let the Queen know of our Gefts.

i. e. res gefta; our Feats, our glorious Actions. It is a Term, that frequently occurs in Chaucer; and, after him, in Spencer; nor did it cease to be current for fome time after our Author's Days.

(2) Commend unto his Lips thy favouring Hand.] Antony is here recommending One of his Captains, who had fought valiantly, to Cleopatra; and defires, he may have the Grace of kiffing her Hand. But why, favouring Hand? He did not want his Captain to grow in Love with his Miftrefs, on Account of the Flavour.

and

As if a God in hate of mankind had
Deftroyed in fuch a fhape.

Cleo. I'll give thee, friend,

An armour all of gold; it was a King's.

Ant. He has deferv'd it, were it carbuncled Like holy Phabus Car. Give me thy hand; Through Alexandria make a jolly march;

Bear our hackt targets, like the men that owe them.
Had our great palace the capacity

To camp this hoft, we would all fup together;
And drink carowses to the next day's fate,
Which promises royal peril. Trumpeters,
With brazen din blaft you the city's ear,
Make mingle with our ratling tabourines,

That heav'n and earth may strike their founds together,
Applauding our approach.

[Exeunt.

SCENE changes to Cæfar's Camp.

Enter a Centry, and his Company. Enobarbus follows.

Cent.

I

F we be not reliev'd within this hour,

We must return to th' court of guard; the
night

Is fhiny, and, they fay, we fhall embattle
By th' fecond hour i'th' morn.

I Watch. This last day was a fhrewd one to's.
Eno. O bear me witnefs, night!

2 Watch. What man is this?

1 Watch. Stand clofe, and lift him.

Eno. Be witnefs to me, O thou bleffed moon,

When men revolted fhall upon record

and Luscioufness of her Hand; but only to have a Reward of Honour from the Queen for his good Service. I therefore believe, the Poet wrote;

Commend unto his Lips thy favouring Hand.

Though none of the printed Copies countenance this Reading, yet nothing is more common at Prefs than for an fto ufurp the place of anƒ, and fo vice versa.

Bear

Bear hateful memory; poor Enobarbus did
Before thy face repent.

Cent. Enobarbus?

3

Watch, Peace; hark further.

Eno. O fovereign miftrefs of true melancholy, The poisonous damp of night difpunge upon me, That life, a very rebel to my will,

May hang no longer on me.

Throw my heart

Against the flint and hardness of my fault,

Which being dried to grief, will break to powder,
And finish all foul thoughts. O Antony,

Nobler than my revolt is infamous,
Forgive me in thine own particular;
But let the world rank me in register
A mafter leaver, and a fugitive:
Oh Antony! oh Antony!

I Watch. Let's speak to him.

Cent. Let's hear him, for the things he fpeaks

May concern Cæfar.

2 Watch. Let's do fo, but he fleeps.

[Dies.

Cent. Swoons rather, for fo bad a prayer as his Was never yet for fleep.

I Watch. Go we to him.

2 Watch. Awake, Sir, awake, speak to us. 1 Watch. Hear you, Sir?

Cent. The hand of death has raught him.

[Drums afar off. Hark, how the drums demurely wake the fleepers : Let's bear him to the Court of Guard; he is of note: Our hour is fully out.

2 Watch. Come on then, he may recover yet.

SCENE between the two Camps.

[Exeunt.

Enter Antony, and Scarus, with their Army.

Art. Their preparation is to-day by fea,

We please them not by land.

Scar. For both, my Lord.

Ant. I would, they'd fight i'th' fire, or in the air,

We