Shall fall you for refusing him at sea,

Being prepar'd for land.

ANTONY

By sea, by sea.

ENOBARBUS

Most worthy sir, you therein throw away
The absolute soldiership you have by land;
Distract your army, which doth most consist
Of war-mark'd footmen; leave unexecuted
Your own renowned knowledge; quite forego
The way which promises assurance; and
Give up yourself merely to chance and hazard,
From firm security.

ANTONY

I'll fight at sea.

CLEOPATRA

I have sixty sails, Cæsar none better.

ANTONY

Our overplus of shipping will we burn;

And, with the rest full-mann'd, from the head of Actium

Beat the approaching Cæsar.

But if we fail,

We then can do 't at land.

Enter a MESSENGER.

Thy business?

MESSENGER

The news is true, my lord; he is descri'd;

Cæsar has taken Toryne.

ANTONY

Can he be there in person? 't is impossible;

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Strange that his power should be. Canidius,
Our nineteen legions thou shalt hold by land,
And our twelve thousand horse. We 'll to our ship:
Away, my Thetis !

Enter a SOLDIER.

How now, worthy soldier!

SOLDIER

O noble emperor, do not fight by sea;

Trust not to rotten planks: do you misdoubt

This sword and these my wounds? Let the Egyptians And the Phoenicians go a-ducking we

Have used to conquer, standing on the earth,

And fighting foot to foot.

ANTONY

Well, well away!

Exeunt Antony, Cleopatra and Enobarbus.

SOLDIER

By Hercules, I think I am i' th' right.

CANIDIUS

Soldier, thou art; but his whole action grows
Not in the power on 't so our leader 's led,
And we are women's men.

SOLDIER

You keep by land

The legions and the horse whole, do you not?

CANIDIUS

Marcus Octavius, Marcus Justeius,

Publicola, and Cælius, are for sea:

But we keep whole by land. This speed of Cæsar's

Carries beyond belief.

SOLDIER

While he was yet in Rome,

His power went out in such distractions as

With news the time 's with labour, and throes forth,

Each minute, some.

Exeunt.

SCENE VIII

A PLAIN NEAR ACTIUM

Enter CESAR, and TAURUS, with his army, marching.

Strike not by land; keep whole provoke not battle,

Set we our squadrons on yond side o' th' hill,
In eye of Cæsar's battle; from which place
We may the number of the ships behold,
And so proceed accordingly.

Exeunt.

SCENE X

ANOTHER PART OF THE PLAIN

CANIDIUS marcheth with his land army one way over the stage; and TAURUS, the lieutenant of CESAR, the other way. After their going in, is heard the noise of a sea-fight.

Naught, naught, all naught! I can behold no longer : The Antoniad, the Egyptian admiral,

With all their sixty, fly and turn the rudder :
To see 't mine eyes are blasted.

Enter SCARUS.

SCARUS

Gods and goddesses,

All the whole synod of them!

ENOBARBUS

What's thy passion?

SCARUS

The greater cantle of the world is lost

With very ignorance; we have kiss'd away

Kingdoms and provinces.

ENOBARBUS

How appears the fight?

SCARUS

On our side like the token'd pestilence,

Where death is sure.

Yon ribaldred nag of Egypt,

Whom leprosy o'ertake! i' th' midst o' th' fight, When vantage like a pair of twins appear'd,

Both as the same, or rather ours the elder,

The breese upon her, like a cow in June,

Hoists sails and flies.

That I beheld:

ENOBARBUS

Mine eyes did sicken at the sight, and could not

Endure a further view

SCARUS

She once being loof'd,

The noble ruin of her magic, Antony,