That over-topt them all. Betray'd I am.
Oh, this false foul of Egypt! this gay Charm,

Whose eye beck'd forth my wars, and call'd them home,
Whose bosom was my Crownet, my chief end,
Like a right Gipfie, hath at faft and loose
Beguil'd me to the very heart of loss.
What, Eros, Eros!

Enter Cleopatra.

Ah! thou spell! avant.

Cleo. Why is my Lord enrag'd against his Love? Ant. Vanish, or I fhall give thee thy deferving, And blemish Cæfar's Triumph. Let him take thee, And hoift thee up to the fhouting Plebeians; Follow his chariot, like the greatest spot

(51) Of all thy fex. Moft monster-like, be fhewn For poor'ft diminutives, for dolts; and let

(51) Moft monster-like be shewn

wrote

For poor' Diminutives, for Dolts:]

Patient

Both Dr. Thirlby and Mr. Warburton have fufpected, that Shakespeare for Doits: i. e. for that fmall Piece of Money, fo call'd. I fhould not be stagger'd at the Tranfgreffion against Chronology in this Point, the Coin being of much more recent Date than the Time of the Romans; because I find him in another Play make a Roman of an earlier Period mention it:

See here thefe Movers! that do prize their Honours

At a crack'd Drachm; Cushions, leaden Spoons,

Irons of a Doit,

But I have not disturb'd the Text for another Reason because, perhaps, the Poet's Meaning may be, that Cleopatra fhould become a Show, a Spectacle to the Scum and Rabble of Rome; to Blockheads, and People of the lowest Rank. Cleopatra speaks twice afterwards to the fame Effect, in this Play.

Shall they boift me up,

And fhew me to the fhouting Varlotry
Of cenfuring Rome?

And, again;

Thou, an Egyptian Puppet, halt be fhewn

In Rome as well as I: mechanick Slaves
With greafy Aprons, Rules, and Hammers fall
Uplift us to the View.

Patient Octavia plough thy vifage up

With her prepared nails. 'Tis well, thou'rt gone;
[Exit Cleopatra.

If it be well to live. But better 'twere,
Thou fell'ft into my fury; for one death
Might have prevented many. Eros, hoa!
The fhirt of Neffus is upon me; (52) teach me,
Alcides, thou mine ancestor, thy rage.

Let me lodge Lichas on the horns o'th' Moon,
And with thofe hands that grafpt the heaviest club,
Subdue my worthieft felf. The Witch fhall die;

We'll have thee, as our rarer Monsters are,

Painted upon a Pole, &c.

And, besides, our Author uses both the Words Dolts and Diminutives in other Places, fpeaking in Contempt of the Rabble.

Cref. Here come more.

Pand. Afes, fools, dolts, chaff and bran, chaff and bran; porridge after meat. Troilus and Creffida. Ab! how the poor World is pefter'd with fuch Water-flies, diminutives of Nature.

(52)

teach me,

Alcides, thou mine Ancestor, thy Rage;

Let me lodge Lichas on the horns o'th Moon,

And with thofe hands that grafp'd the heaviest Club,

Ibid.

Subdue my worthieft Self] I have long fufpected this Paffage of being faulty: for, fuppofe, Hercules could make Antony as mad as himfelf, could he make him lodge Lichas too on the Moon? Nay, and could he make him fubdue himself too, with Hercules's Hands? Then, why fhould Antony give himself that complimental Title of his worthieft Self? If the Text be indeed genuine, as it now ftands, it wants to be help'd out with a Comment; and Anthony would fay, "Teach me thy Rage, "O Hercules, that I may take the fame Vengeance on Cleopatra for "injuring me, as Thou did'ft on Lichas; and then that I may imitate "Thee too in deftroying Myself with my own Hands." the Words do not of themselves import This: and my worthieft Self I cannot but think liable to Exception. Tho' I have not disturb'd the Text, I fhould chufe to read:

teach me,

Alcides, Thou mine Ancestor, thy Rage;

Help'd thee lodge Lichas on the horns o'th' Moon,

And with thofe hands, that grafp'd the heaviest Club,

Subdue thy worthieft Self.

But

i. e. Infpire me with that Rage, which affifted Thee both to deftroy "Lichas, and to fubdue thy moft worthy Self with thy own Hands." This Senfe the Words carry naturally; and the complimental Epithet is with great Juftnefs and Propriety apply'd to Hercules, whom Antony was fond to esteem his Anceftor.

Το

To the young Roman boy fhe hath fold me, and I fall Under his plot: fhe dies for't. Eros, hoa! [Exit.

Re-enter Cleopatra, Charmian, Iras, and Mardian.

Cleo. Help me, my women! oh, he is more mad Than Telamon for his fhield; the boar of Theffaly Was never fo imboft.

Char. To th' Monument,

There lock your self, and fend him word you're dead:
The foul and body rive not more in parting,
Than Greatnefs going off.

Cleo. To th' Monument :

Mardian, go tell him I have flain my self;
Say, that the laft I spoke was Antony;

And word it, pr'ythee, piteoufly. Hence, Mardian, And bring me how he takes my death. To th' Monu[Exeunt.

ment.

Re-enter Antony, and Eros.

Ant. Eros, thou yet behold'ft me.

Eros. Ay, noble Lord.

Ant. Sometime, we fee a cloud that's dragonifh ; A vapour, fometime, like a bear, or lion,

A tower'd citadel, a pendant rock,

A forked mountain, or blue promontory

With trees upon't, that nod unto the world,

And mock our eyes with air. Thou'ft feen these figns, They are black Vefper's pageants.

Eros. Ay, my Lord.

Ant. That, which is now a horfe, even with a thought

The Rack diflimns, and makes it indistinct

As water is in water.

Eros. It do's, my Lord.

Ant. My good knave, Eros, now thy Captain is
Even fuch a body; here I'm Antony,

Yet cannot hold this vifible fhape, my knave.
I made these wars for Egypt; and the Queen,
Whose heart I thought I had, (for fhe had mine;
Which, whilft it was mine, had annext unto't

A million more, now loft!) fhe, Eros, has

Packt cards with Cæfar, and false play'd my Glory
Unto an enemy's triumph

Nay, weep not, gentle Eros, there is left us
Our felves to end our felves.

My Mistress lov'd thee, and her fortunes mingled
With thine intirely.

Ant. Hence, fawcy Eunuch, peace, she hath betray'd

me,

And fhe fhall die the death.

Mar. Death of one perfon can be paid but once, And that she has difcharg'd. What thou would'st do, Is done unto thy hand; the last she spake

Was, Antony! most noble Antony!

Then in the midft a tearing Groan did break

The name of Antony; it was divided

Between her heart and lips; fhe rendred life,

Thy name fo buried in her.

Ant. Dead then?

Mar. Dead.

Ant. Unarm me, Eros, the long day's task is done, And we must fleep; that thou depart'ft hence fafe, Does pay thy labour richly; go.

Off, pluck off;

[Exit Mardian.

The feven-fold fhield of Ajax cannot keep

The battery from my heart. Oh cleave, my fides!
Heart, once be ftronger than thy continent,
Crack thy frail cafe! apace, Eros, apace.
No more a Soldier bruifed pieces, go;

You have been nobly borne;

[Unarming himself.

from me a while

[Exit Eros.

I will o'ertake thee, Cleopatra, and
Weep for my pardon. So't must be, for now
All length is torture; fince the torch is out,

Lye

Lye down and ftray no further. Now all labour
Marrs what it does, yea, very force entangles
It felf with ftrength; (3) feal then, and all is done.
Eros! I come, my Queen-Eros!ftay for me,
Where fouls do couch on flowers, we'll hand in hand,
And with our sprightly port make the Ghosts gaze;
(54) Dido and her Eneas fhall want troops,
And all the haunt be ours.- Come, Eros, Eros!
Enter Eros.

Eros. What would my Lord?
Ant. Since Cleopatra died,

I've liv'd in fuch difhonour, that the Gods
Detelt my baseness. I, that with my sword
Quarter'd the world, and o'er green Neptune's back,
With fhips, made cities; condemn my felf, to lack

(53) Seal then, and all is done.] Antony had offended Cleopatra with his Sufpicions; he is here about doing fomething to deferve her Pardon: and he thinks, ftabbing himself will feal That Pardon. (54) Dido and her Æneas fhall want Troops,

And all the Haunt be ours. Tho' I have not alter'd the Text, I must fubjoin Mr. Warburton's ingenious Conjecture and Comment on this Paffage. Virgil was the Inventor of the Amours of Dido and Eneas; (who, by the Bye, wrote this Tale after Antony's "Death ;), but the fame Virgil tells us, her Fondness did not reach to the "other World. She there despis'd Æneas, and return'd to her old Af"fection for Sichæus.

Tandem corripuit fefe, atque inimica refugit.

In Nemus umbriferum : Conjunx ubi pristinus illi
Refpondet curis, æquatque Sichæus amorem.

"I fay therefore, Shakespeare wrote;

Dido and her Sichæus

Æneid. VI.

"And the Allufion of Antony to Sichaus is perfectly just and fine: Si"chaus was murther'd by his Brother Pygmalion for his Wealth, on "which, his Wife Dido fled. So Antony was fought and defeated at "Actium by his Brother Octavius for his Share of the Maftership of the "World: whereon, Cleopatra fled from the Victor's Rage into Egypt.” However, on the other hand, perhaps, Shakespeare might have no Intention of copying Virgil, in making Dido return to her Affection for her Husband: Perhaps, he might chufe to make Antony mention neas, as an Anceftor: and I obferve befides, that Beaumont and Fletcher, (in their Two Noble Kinfmen; a Play, in which, it is faid, our Author had a Share:) fuppofe Dido to have retain'd her Paffion for Æneas after Death.

For in the next World will Dido fee Palamon, and then will She be out of Love with Æneas.

X 3

The