Cleo. Nay, hear them, Antony.

Fulvia, perchance, is angry; or who knows,
If the scarce bearded Cæfar 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 most like,

You must not stay here longer, your difmiffion
Is come from Cæfar; therefore hear it, Antony.
Where's Fulvia's procefs? Cæfar's, I would fay?—
Both ?-

-Call in the meffengers.-As I am Egypt's queen,
Thou blushest, Antony; and that blood of thine
Is Cæfar's homager: elfe fo thy cheek pays fhame,
When shrill tongu'd Fulvia fcolds The meffengers-
Ant. Let Rome in Tyber melt! and the wide arch
Of the rang'd empire fall! Here is my space;
Kingdoms are clay: our dungy earth alike
Feeds beaft as man: the noblenefs 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 9 to weet,
We stand up peerless.

-and the wide arch

Of the rang'd empire fall!] Taken from the Roman custom of raifing triumphal arches to perpetuate their victories. Extremely noble. WARBURTON.

I am in doubt whether Shakespeare had any idea but of a fabrick ftanding on pillars. The later editions have all printed the raifed empire, for the ranged empire, as it was firft given.

JOHNSON. The rang'd empire is certainly right. Shakespeare ufes the

fame expreffion in Coriolanus :

Cleo. [Afide. J 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 stirr'd by Cleopatra.

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

Let's not confound the time with conference harsh : There's not a minute of our lives fhould stretch Without fome pleasure now: What sport to-night? Cleo. Hear the embassadors.

Ant. Fy, wrangling queen!

Whom every thing becomes; to chide, to laugh,
To weep: whofe every paffion fully strives
To make itself, 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,
Laft night you did defire it :-Speak not to us.

[Exeunt, with their train.

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

Dem. I am full forry,

That he approves the common liar, who
Thus fpeaks of him at Rome: But I will hope
Of better deeds to-morrow. Reft you happy?

-Antony

Will be himself.

[Exeunt.

Ant. But firr'd by Cleopatra.] But, in this paffage, feems to have the old Saxon fignification of without, unless, except. Antony, fays the queen, il recollect his thoughts. Unless kept, he replies, in commotion by Cleopatra.

JOHNSON.

SCENE

SCENE II.

Another part of the palace.

Enter Charmian, Iras, Alexas, and a Soothsayer. Char. Alexas, fweet Alexas, moft any thing Alexas, almost most abfolute Alexas, where's the foothsayer that you prais'd fo to the queen? Oh! that I knew this husband, which you fay, muft change his horns with garlands.

Alex. Soothfayer,——

Sooth. Your will?

Char. Is this the man ?-Is't you, fir, that know things?

Sooth. In Nature's infinite book of fecrecy,

A little I can read.

Alex. Shew him your hand.

Enter Enobarbus.

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

2

Char. Good fir, give me good fortune.

Sooth. I make not, but foresee.

Char. Pray then, foresee me one.

Sooth. You fhall be yet 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. Hufh!

change bis horns with garlands.] This is corrupt; the true reading evidently is, must CHARGE his horns with garlands, i. e. make him a rich and honourable cuckold, having his horns hung about with garlands. WARBURTON.

Sir Thomas Hanmer reads, not improbably, change for horns his garlands. I am in doubt, whether to change is not merely to drefs, or to dress with changes of garlands. JOHNSON.

VOL. VIII.

I

Sooth.

Sooth. You fhall be more beloving, than beloved. 3. 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 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 feen and proved a fairer former fortune, than that which is to approach.

Char. Then, belike, my children shall have no

6

names:

Pr'ythee, how many boys and wenches muft I have? Sooth. If every of your wifhes had a womb, and foretel every wish, a million.

Char.

3 I had rather beat my liver-] To know why the lady is fo averse from beating her liver, it must be remembered, that a heated liver is fuppofed to make a pimpled face. 4 to whom Herod of Jewry may do homage!] homage to the Romans, to procure the grant of the kingdom of Judea. STEEVENS.

JOHNSON. Herod paid

5 Then, belike, my children fhall have no names :] If I have already had the best of my fortune, then I fuppofe I shall never name children, that is, I am never to be married. However, tell me the truth, tell me, how many boys and wenches? JOHNSON. A fairer fortune, I believe, means-a more reputable one. Her anfwer then implies, that belike all her children will be bastards, who have no right to the name of their father's family. STEEV. If every of your wishes had a womb,

6

And foretold every wish, a million.] This nonsense should be reformed thus,

If ev'ry of your wishes had a womb,

And fertil eo'ry wish,

WARBURTON.

For foretel, in ancient editions, the latter copies have foretold. Foretel favours the emendation, which is made with great acutenefs; yet the original reading may, I think, ftand. If you bad as

many

Char. Out, fool! I forgive thee for a witch. Alex. You think, none but your sheets 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, drunk to bed.

Iras. There's a palm prefages chastity, if nothing

elfe.

Char. Even 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 worky-day fortune.

Scoth. Your fortunes are alike.

Iras. But how, but how? Give me particulars.
Scoth. I have faid.

Iras. Am I not 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?

Iras. Not in my husband's nose.

7 Char. Our worfer thoughts heavens mend! Alexas,-come, his fortune; his fortune.-O, let him marry a woman that cannot go, fweet Ifis, I befeech

thee!

many wombs as you will have wishes, and I fhould foretel all those wishes, I should foretel a million of children. It is an ellipfis very frequent in converfation; I should fhame you, and tell all; that is, and if I should tell all. And is for and if, which was anciently, and is still provincially used for if. JOHNSON.

7 Char. Our worfer thoughts bear'ns mend. Alex. Come, his 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 so palpable and fignal a tranfpofition, that I cannot but wonder it fhould have flipt the obfervation of all the editors; efpecially of the fagacious Mr. Pope, who has made this declaration, That if, throughout the plays, had all the speeches been printed without the very names of the perfons, he

I 2

believes