thee! And let her die too, and give him a worse! and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his grave, fifty-fold a cuckold! Good Ifis, hear me this prayer, though thou deny me a matter of more weight; good Ifis, I befeech thee!

Iras. Amen, dear goddess, hear that prayer of the people! for as it is a heart-breaking to fee a handfome man loose-wiv'd, so it is a deadly forrow to behold a foul knave uncuckolded; therefore, dear Ifis, keep decorum, and fortune him accordingly!

Char. Amen!

Alex. Lo, now! if it lay in their hands to make me a cuckold, they would make themselves whores, but they'd do't.

Enter Cleopatra.

Eno. Hufh! here comes Antony.
Char. Not he, the queen.

Cleo. Saw you my lord?

Eno. No, lady.

Cleo. Was he not here?

Char. No, Madam.

Cleo. He was difpos'd to mirth; but on the fudden A, Roman thought hath ftruck him.-Enobarbus,

believes one might have applied them with certainty to every speaker. But in how many inftances has Mr. Pope's want of judgment falfified this opinion? The fact is evidently this; Alexas brings a fortune-teller to Iras and Charmian, and fays himself, We'll know all our fortunes. Well; the foothfayer begins with the women; and fome jokes pafs upon the fubject of hufbands and chastity: after which, the women hoping for the fatisfaction of having fomething to laugh at in Alexas's fortune, call him to hold out his hand, and with heartily that he may have the prognoftication of cuckoldom upon him. The whole fpeech, therefore, must be plac'd to Charmian. There needs no ftronger proof of this being a true correction, than the observation which Alexas immediately fubjoins on their wishes and zeal to hear him abused. THEOBALD.

Eno.

!

Cleo. Seck him, and bring him hither. Where's
Alexas?

Alex. Here at your fervice. My lord approaches.

Enter Antony, with a Messenger, and Attendants.

Cleo. We will not look upon him. Go with us.
[Exeunt.
Mef. Fulvia thy wife first came into the field
Ant. Against my brother Lucius?

Mef. Ay:

But foon that war had end, and the time's state
Made friends of them, jointing their force 'gainst
Cæfar,

Whofe better iffue in the war from Italy,
Upon the first encounter, drave them.
Ant. Well, what worst?

Mef. The nature of bad news infects the teller.
Ant. When it concerns the fool or coward.-On.
Things, that are paft, are done, with me.-'Tis thus;
Who tells me true, though in the tale lie death,
I hear him, as he flatter'd.

Mef. Labienus (this is ftiff news)

8

Hath, with his Parthian force, extended Afia;
From Euphrates his conquering banner shook,
From Syria to Lydia, and to Ionia

Whilft

Ant. Antony, thou wouldst say,—

Mef. Oh, my lord!

Ant. Speak to me home, mince not the general

tongue;

Name Cleopatra as fhe's call'd in Rome:

extended Afia;] i. e. widened or extended the bounds
WARB.

of the Leffer Afia.
To extend, is a term used for to feize; I know not whether that

be not the fense here.

1 3

JOHNSON.
Rail

Rail thou in Fulvia's phrafe, and taunt my faults With fuch full licence, as both truth and malice Have power to utter. Oh, then we bring forth weeds,

• When our quick winds lie ftill; and our ill, told us, Is as our earing. Fare thee well a while.

Mef. At your noble pleasure.

Ant. From Sicyon, how the news? Speak there.
Mef. The man from Sicyon.-Is there fuch an one?
[Exit Meflenger.
Attend. He ftays upon your will.

Ant. Let him appear.―

Thefe ftrong Egyptian fetters I must break,

Enter another Messenger.

Or lose myself in dotage. What are you? 2 Mef. Fulvia thy wife is dead.

Ant. Where died fhe?

2 Mef. In Sicyon.,

Her length of fick nefs, with what else more ferious
Importeth thee to know, this bears. [Gives a Letter,
Ant. Forbear me.-
[Exit Mellenger.
There's a great spirit gone! Thus did I defire it.
What our contempts do often hurl from us,
We wish it our's again; the present pleasure,
By revolution lowring, does become

The oppofite of itself: fhe's good, being gone;

The

When our quick WINDS lie fill;--] The fenfe is, that man, not agitated by cenfure, like foil not ventilated by quick winds, produces more evil than good. JOHNSON.

the prefent plecfure,

By revolution lowring, does become

The oppofite of itself;] The allufion is to the fun's di urnal courfe; which rifing in the east, and by revolution lowering, or fetting in the well, becomes the oppofite of itself. WARB. This is an obfcure paffage. The explanation which Dr. War

burton

The hand could pluck her back, that shov'd her on. I must from this enchanting queen break off:

Ten thousand harms, more than the ills I know,
My idleness doth hatch. How now, Enobarbus?
Enter Enobarbus.

Eno. What's your pleasure, fir ?

Ant. I muft with hafte from hence.

Eno. Why, then we kill all our women: we fee, how mortal an unkindness is to them; if they fuffer our departure, death's the word.

Ant. I must be gone.

Eno. Under a compelling occafion, let women die. It were pity to caft them away for nothing; though between them and a great caufe, they fhould be efteem'd nothing. Cleopatra, catching but the leaft noife of this, dies inftantly; I have feen her die twenty times upon far 3 poorer moment; I do think, there is mettle in death, which commits fome loving act upon her, fhe hath fuch a celerity in dying.

Ant. She is cunning paft man's thought.

Eno. Alack, fir, no; her paffions are made of nothing but the finest part of pure love. We cannot call her winds and waters, fighs and tears; they are greater ftorms and tempefts than almanacks can report. This cannot be cunning in her; if it be, fhe makes a fhower of rain as well as Jove.

burton has offered is fuch, that I can add nothing to it; yet perhaps Shakespeare, who was lefs learned than his commentator, meant only, that our pleasures, as they are revolved in the mind, turn to pain. JOHNSON.

2 The band could pluck her back, &c.] The verb could has a peculiar fignification in this place; it does not denote power but inc'ination. The sense is, the hand that drove her off would now willingly pluck her back again.

poorer moment ;] For less reason; upon meaner motives.

I 4

REVISAL.

JOHNSON.

Ant.

.

Ant. 'Would I had never feen her!

Eno. Oh, fir, you had then left unfeen a wonderful piece of work; which, not to have been blest withal, would have difcredited your travel.

Ant. Fulvia is dead.

Eno. Sir!

Ant. Fulvia is dead.
Eno. Fulvia?

Ant. Dead.

Eno. Why, fir, give the Gods a thankful facrifice. When it pleafeth their Deities to take the wife of a man from him, it fhews to man the tailors of the earth; comforting therein, that when old robes are worn out, there are members to make new. If there were no more women but Fulvia, then had you indeed a cut, and the cafe were to be lamented: this grief is crowned with confolation; your old fmock brings forth a new petticoat :-And, indeed, the tears live in an onion that should water this forrow.

Ant. The bufinefs, fhe hath broached in the ftate, Cannot endure my abfence.

Eno. And the bufinefs, you have broached here, cannot be without you; efpecially that of Cleopatra's, which wholly depends on your abode.

Ant. No more light anfwers. Let our officers Have notice what we purpose: I shall break

4 it fhews to man the tailors of the earth, comforting therein, &c.] I have printed this after the original, which, though harth and obfcure, I know not how to amend. Sir Tho. Hanmer reads, They fhew to man the tailors of the earth comforting him therein. I think the paffage, with fomewhat lefs alteration, for alteration is always dangerous, may ftand thus; It fhews to men the tailors of the earth, comforting them, &c. JOHNSON.

The meaning is this. As the Gods have been pleased to take away your wife Fulvia, jo they have provided you with a new one in Cleopatra; in like manner as the tailors of the earth, when your old garments are worn out, accommodate you with new ones. ANONYMOUS.

The