Will kneel to him with thanks,

Pro. Be of good cheer:

You're fall'n into a princely hand, fear nothing;
Make your
full ref'rence freely to my Lord,
Who is fo full of grace, that it flows over
On all that need. Let me report to him
Your fweet dependency, and you fhall find
A conqu'ror that will pray in aid for kindness,
Where he for grace is kneel'd to.

Cleo. Pray you, tell him,

I am his fortune's vaffal, and I fend him
The greatness he has got. I hourly learn
A doctrine of obedience, and would gladly
Look him i'th' face.

Pro. This I'll report, dear lady."

Have comfort, for, I know, your plight is pity'd
Of him that caus'd it.

[Here Gallus, and Guard, afcend the Monument by
a Ladder, and enter at a back Window.

Gall. You fee, how eafily the may be furpriz'd. (34) Pro. Guard her, 'till Cafar come.

Iras. O Royal Queen!

Char. Oh Cleopatra! thou art taken, Queen..

Cleo. Quick, quick, good hands.

[Drawing a Dagger. [The Monument is open'd; Proculeius rushes in, and difarms the Queen.*

(34) Char. You fee, bow easily fhe may be furpriz'd,] Here Charmian, who is fo faithful as to die with her Mistress, by the ftupidity of the Editors is made to countenance and give Directions for her being furpriz'd by Cæfar's Meffengers. But this Blunder is for want of knowing, or obferving, the hiftorical Fact., When Cæfar fent Proculeius to the Queen, he fent Gallus after him with new Inftructions: and while one amufed Cleopatra with Propofitions from Cæfar, through Cranies of the Monument; the other fcaled it by a Ladder, entered at a Window backward, and made Cleopatra, and those with her Prisoners. I have reformed the Paf fage therefore, (as, Iam perfuaded, the Author defigned it;) from the Authority of Plutarch.

Pro.

Pro. Hold, worthy lady, hold:

Do not yourself fuch wrong, who are in this
Reliev'd, but not betray'd.

Cleo. What, of death too, that rids our dogs of languish?
Pro. Do not abuse my master's bounty, by
Th' undoing of yourfelf! let the world fee
His nobleness well acted, which your death
Will never let come forth.

Cleo. Where art thou, death?

Come hither, come: oh come, and take a Queen
Worth many babes and beggars.

Pro. Oh, temperance, lady!

Cleo. Sir, I will eat no meat, Pll not drink, Sir:
If idle talk will once be neceffary, *

I'll not fleep neither. This mortal houfe I'll ruin,
Do Cæfar what he can. Know, Sir, that I
Will not wait pinion'd at your master's court,
Nor once be chaftis'd with the fober eye
Of dull Octavia. Shall they hoift me up,
And fhew me to the fhouting varletry
Of cens'ring Rome? rather a ditch in Egypt
Be gentle grave unto me! rather on Nilus mud
Lay me ftark nak'd, and let the water-flies
Blow me into abhorring! rather make

My country's high Pyramides my gibbet,
And hang me up in chains!

Pro. You do extend

*

Thefe thoughts of horror further than you' fhall
Find caufe in Cæfar.

Enter Dolabella.

Dol. Proculeius,

What thou haft done thy mafter Caefar, knows,
And he hath fent for thee: as for the Queen,
I'll take her to my guard.

Pro. So, Dolabella,

It shall content me beft; be gentle to her;
To Cefar I will fpeak what you fhall pleafe,
If you'll employ me to him.....

Clea.

Cleo. Say, I would die. [Exit Proculeus.
Dol. Most noble Emprefs, you have heard of me.
Cleo. I cannot tell.

Dol, Affuredly, you know me sh

Cleo. No matter, Sir, what I have heard or known ; You laugh, when boys or women tell their dreams ;1. Is't not your trick?

V

11

Dol. I understand not, Madam.

70

Cleo. I dreamt, there was an Emp'ror Antony; Oh fuch another fleep, that I might fee

But fuch another man!

Dol. If it might please ye

Cleo. His face was as the heav'ns; and therein tuck A Sun and Moon, which kept their course, and lighted

(35)

The little O o'th' Earth.

Dol. Moft fovereign creature!.

Cleo. His legs beftrid the ocean, his rear'd arm
Crefted the world; his voice was propertied
As all the tuned Spheres, when that to friends:
But when he meant to quail, and shake the Orb,
He was as ratling thunder. For his bounty, (36)

A

(35) A Sun and Moon which kept their Course, and lighted The little o'th' Earth.

Dol.

Moft fovereign Creature!]

19 A

There

What a blessed limping Verfe thefe two Hemiftichs give us! Had none of the Editors an Ear to find the Hitch in its Pace? 'Tis true, there is but a Syllable wanting, and that, I believe verily, was but of a fingle Letter; which the firft Editors not understanding, learnedly threw it out as a Redundance. I reftore,

The little O o' th' Earth.

i. e. the little Orb or Circle. And 'tis plain, our Poet in other Paf¬ fages chufes to exprefs himfelf thus.

There was no Winter in't: an Antonie it was,

That grew the more by reaping.]

There was certainly a Contraft, both in the Thought and Terms defign'd here, which is loft in an accidental Corruption. How could an Antony grow the more by reaping? I'll venture, by a very easy

Change

There was no winter in't: An autumn 'twas,
That grew the more by reaping. His delights
Were dolphin-like, they fhew'd his back above
The element they liv'd ins in his livery

Walk'd crowns and coronets, realms and iflands were
As plates dropt from his pocket.

Dol. Cleopatra

Cleo. Think you, there was, or might be, fuch a man As this I dreamt of?

Dol. Gentle Madam, no.

Cleo. You lye, up to the hearing of the Gods; But if there be, or ever were one fuch,

It's paft the fize of dreaming: Nature wants ftuff To vie ftrange forms with fancy, yet t' imagine (37) An Antony, were nature's prize 'gainft fancy," Condemning fhadows quite.

Dol. Hear me, good Madam:

Your lofs is as yourself, great; and you bear it,
As anfw'ring to the weight : 'would, I might never
O'er-take purfu'd fuccefs, but I do feel,

By the rebound of yours, a grief that shoots
My very heart at root.

Cleo. I thank you, Sir.

Know you, what Gefar means to do with me?

Change, to reftore an exquifite fine Allufion: which carries its Reafon with it too, why there was no Winter (i.e. no Want, Barennefs,) in his Bounty.

-For bis Bounty,

There was no Winter in't; an Autumn 'twas,
That grew the more by reaping.

༣་ . T

197

I ought to take Notice, that the ingenious Dr. Thirlby likewife ftarted this very Emendation, and had mark'd it in the Margine of his Book. The Reafon of the Depravation might eafily arife from the great Similitude of the two Words in the old way of spelling, Ann tonie and Automne.

(37)

,,

Yet t' imagine

An Antony were Nature's piece, 'gainf Fancy,
Condemning Shadows quite,] "

The pointing of this obfcure Paffage was rectified, and the changing
Piece into Prize made, by Mr. Warburton.

Dol.

Dol. I'm loth to tell you, what I would you knew.
Cleo. Nay, pray you, Sir.

Dol. Though he be honourable-
Cleo. He'll lead me in triumph?
Dol. Madam, he will, I know't.
All. Make way there,Cæfar.

Enter Cæfar, Gallus, Mecenas, Proculeius, and
Attendants.

Caf. Which is the Queen of Egypt ?
Dol. It is the Emperor, Madam.
Caf. Arife, you shall not kneel:

I pray you, rife, rife, Ægypt
Cleo. Sir, the Gods

[Cleo. kneels.

Will have it thus my mafter and my Lord
I must obey.

Cef. Take to you no hard thoughts:
The record of what injuries you did us,

Though written in our fiefh; we shall remember ne As things but done by chance.

Cleo. Sole Sir o'th' world,

I cannot project mine own caufe fo well r
To make it clear, but do confefs, I havels:
Been laden with like frailties, which before
Have often fham'd our fex.

Caf Cleopatra, know,

We will extenuate rather than enforce :
If you apply yourfelf to our intents,

(Which tow'rds you are moft gentle) you fhall find
A benefit in this change; but if you feek

To lay on me a cruelty, by taking

Antony's courfe, you fhall bereave yourself
Of my good purposes, and put your children
To that deftruction which I'll guard them from,.
If thereon you rely. I'll take my leave.-

2

Cleo. And may, through all the world: 'tis yours;

and we,

Your fcutcheons, and your figns of conqueft, fhall Hang in what place you pleafe. Here, my good Lord Caf. You shall advife me in all for Cleopatra.

Cleo,