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ANTONY and CLEOPATRA.

A C T I.

SCENE, the Palace at Alexandria in Ægypt.

Enter Demetrius and Philo.

PHILO.

*AY, but this dotage of our General
O'er-flows the meafure; thofe hisgoodlyeyes,
That o'er the files aud mufters of the war,
Have glow'd like plated Mars, now bend,

now turn,

The office and devotion of their view
Upon a tawny front. His captain's heart,
Which in the fcuffles of great fights hath burft
The buckles on his breaft, reneges all temper;
And is become the bellows, and the fan,
To cool a Gypfy's luft. Look, where they come!

Flourish. Enter Antony, and Cleopatra, her Ladies in the Train, Eunuchs fanning her.

Take but good note, and you fhall fee in him
The triple pillar of the world transform'd

Into

Into a Strumpet's fool. Behold, and fee.

Cleo. If it be love, indeed, tell me, how much? Ant. There's beggary in the love that can be reckon'd. Cleo. I'll fet a bourn how far to be belov'd.

Ant. Then muft thou needs find out new heav'n, new earth.

Enter a Messenger.

Mef. News, my good Lord, from Rome.
Ant. It grates me. Tell the fum.
Cleo. Nay, hear it, Antony.

Fulvia, perchance, is angry; or who knows,
If the scarce-bearded Cafar have not fent

His powerful mandate to you,

"Do this, or this; "Take in that Kingdom, and infranchise that; "Perform't, or else we damn thee.

Ant. How, my love?

Cleo. Perchance, (nay, and moft like,)

You must not ftay here longer, your difmiffion
Is come from Cæfar; therefore hear it, Antony.
Where's Fulvia's Procefs? Cafar's? I'd fay, both?
Call in the Meffengers; as I'm Egypt's Queen,
Thou blusheft, Antony, and that blood of thine
Is Cafar's homager: elfe, fo thy cheeks pay fhame,
When thrill-tongu'd Fulvia fcolds. The Meffengers-
Ant. Let Rome in Tyber melt, and the wide arch
Of the rais'd Empire fall! here is my space;
Kingdoms are clay; our dungy earth alike

Feeds beaft as man; the nobleness of life

Is to do thus; when fuch a mutual Pair, [Embracing. And fuch a twain can do't; in which, I bind (On pain of punishment) the world to weet,

We stand up peerless.

Cleo. Excellent falfhood !

Why did he marry Fulvia, and not love her?
I'll feem the fool, I am not. Antony

Will be himself.

Ant. But ftirr'd by Cleopatra.

Now for the love of love, and his foft hours,

Let's

Let's not confound the time with conference harfh; There's not a minute of our lives fhould ftretch Without fome pleasure now: what sport to-night? Cleo. Hear the Ambaffadors.

Ant. Fy, wrangling Queen!

Whom every thing becomes, to chide, to laugh,
To weep: whofe every paffion fully ftrives
To make itfelf in thee fair and admir'd.

No Meffenger, but thine;and all alone,
To-night we'll wander through the streets, and note
The qualities of people. Come, my Queen,
Last night you did defire it. Speak not to us.

[Exeunt, with their Train.

Dem. Is Cæfar with Antonius priz'd so slight; Phil.. Sir, fometimes, when he is not Antony, He comes too fhort of that great property Which still should go with Antony.

Dem. I'm forry,

That he approves the common lyar, Fame,
Who fpeaks him thus at Rome; but I will hope
Of better deeds to-morrow. Reft you happy!

[Exe.

Enter Enobarbus, Charmian, Iras, Alexas, and a Soothsayer.

Char. Alexas, fweet Alexas, moft any thing Alexas, almoft moft abfolute Alexas, where's the Soothsayer that you prais'd fo to th' Queen? (1) Oh! that I knew this husband, which you fay, muft charge his horns with garlands.

(1) Ob, that I knew this Husband, which, you say, must change bis Horns with Garlands.] Changing Horns with Garlands, is, surely, a fenfeless, unintelligible, Phrafe. We must restore, in Oppofition, to all the printed Copics,

which you fay, muft charge bis Horns with Garlands. i. e. must be an honourable Cuckold, must have his Horns hung with Garlands. Charge and change frequently ufurp each other's Place in our Author's old Editions, as I have occafionally obferv'd in my Notes on other Paffages. I ought to take Notice, that Mr. Warburton likewife started this Emendation.

Alex.

Alex. Soothfayer,

Sooth. Your will?

Char. Is this the man? Is't you, Sir, that know things!

Sooth. In Nature's infinite Book of Secrecy,

A little I can read.

Alex. Shew him your hand.

Eno. Bring in the banquet quickly: wine enough, Cleopatra's health to drink.

Char. Good Sir, give me good fortune.

Sooth. I make not, but forefee.

Char. Pray then, foresee me one.

Sooth. You fhall be yet far fairer than you are.

Char. He means, in flesh.

Iras. No, you fhall paint when you are old.
Char. Wrinkles forbid!

Alex. Vex not his prefcience, be attentive.
Char. Hafh!

Sooth. You fhall be more beloving, than beloved.
Char. I had rather heat my liver with drinking.
Alex. Nay, hear him.

Char. Good now, fome excellent fortune! let me be married to three Kings in a forenoon, and widow them all; let me have a child at fifty, to whom Herod of Jewry may do homage! find me, to marry me with Octavius Cæfar, and companion me with my mistress.

Sooth. You fhall out-live the Lady whom you ferve. Char. Oh, excellent! I love long life better than figs. Sooth. You have seen, and proved, a fairer former fortune, than that which is to approach.

Char. Then, belike, my children fhall have no

names;

Pr'ythee, how many boys and wenches muft I have? South. (2) If every of your wifhes had a womb, And

(2) If every of your Wishes bad a Womb,

And foretold every Wish, a Million.] the Wishes foretold themfelves? This can

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What foretold? If never be genuine, however

And fertil every wish, a million.

Char. Out, fool! I forgive thee for a witch. Alex. You think, none but your fheets are privy to your wishes.

Char. Nay, come, tell Iras hers.

Alex. We'll know all our fortunes.

Eno. Mine, and most of our fortunes to-night, fhall be to go drunk to bed.

Iras. There's a palm prefages chastity, if nothing else. Char. Ev'n as the o'erflowing Nilus prefageth famine. Iras. Go, you wild Bedfellow, you cannot foothfay. Char. Nay, if an oily palm be not a fruitful prognoftication, I cannot fcratch mine ear. Pr'ythee, tell her but a workyday fortune.

Sooth. Your fortunes are alike.
Iras. But how, but how?

Sooth. I have faid.

give me particulars.

Iras. Am not I an inch of fortune better than fhe? Char. Well, if you were but an inch of fortune better than I, where would you chufe it?

As,

Iras. Not in my husband's nofe.

Char. (3) Our worfer thoughts heav'ns mend! AlexCome, his fortune; his fortune.

O, let him

however it has pafs'd hitherto upon the Editors. It makes the Word Womb abfolutely fuperfluous, if only the telling her Wishes beforehand would help her to the Children. The Poet certainly wrote,

If every of your Wishes had a Womb,
And fertil ev'ry Wish,

(3) Char. Our worfer Thoughts Heav'ns mend.

Alex. Come, bis Fortune, bis Fortune. O, let him marry a Woman, &c.] Whofe Fortune does Alexas call out to have told? But, in fhort, this I dare pronounce to be fo palpable and signal a Tranfpofition, that I cannot but wonder it should have flipt the Obfervation of all the Editors especially, of the Sagacious Mr. Pope, who has made this Declaration, That if, throughout the Plays, had all the Speeches been printed without the very Names

of

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