Eno. Would you praise Cæsar, say-Cæsar; go no farther.
Agr. Indeed, he plied them both with excellent praises.
Eno. But he loves Cæsar best;-Yet he loves Antony.
Ho! hearts, tongues, figures, scribes, bards, poets, cannot
Think, speak, cast, write, sing, number, ho, his love
To Antony. But as for Cæsar,

Kneel down, kneel down, and wonder.

Agr. Both he loves.

Eno. They are his shards,* and he their beetle. So.

This is to horse.-Adieu, noble Agrippa.
Agr. Good fortune, worthy soldier; and farewell.

[Trumpets.

Enter CESAR, ANTONY, LEPIDUS, and OCTAVIA. Ant. No farther, Sir.

Cas. You take from me a great part of myself;
Use me well in it.-Sister, prove such a wife

As my thoughts make thee, and as my furthest band+
Shall pass on thy approof.-Most noble Antony,
Let not the piece of virtue, which is set
Betwixt us, as the cement of our love,
To keep it builded, be the ram to batter
The fortress of it: for better might we

Have loved without this mean, if on both parts
This be not cherish'd.

Ant. Make me not offended

In your distrust.

Čas. I have said.

Ant. You shall not find,

Though you be therein curious, § the least cause
For what you seem to fear: So, the gods keep you,
And make the hearts of Romans serve your ends!
We will here part.

Cas. Farewell, my dearest sister, fare thee well;
The elements be kind to thee, and make
Thy spirits all of comfort! fare thee well.

Oct. My noble brother!

Ant. The April 's in her eyes: It is love's spring, And these the showers to bring it on.-Be cheerful. Oct. Sir, look well to my husband's house, andCæs. What,

Octavia?

Oct. I'll tell you in your ear.

Ant. Her tongue will not obey her heart, nor can

Her heart inform her tongue: the swan's down feather

That stands upon the swell at full of tide,

And neither way inclines.

Eno. Will Cæsar weep?

Agr. He has a cloud in's face.

[Aside to AGRIPPA.

Eno. He were the worse for that, were he a horse;

So is he, being a man.

Agr. Why, Enobarbus ?

* Wings.

† Bond.

Octavia.

§ Scrupulous.

When Antony found Julius Cæsar dead,
He cried almost to roaring: and he wept,
When at Philippi he found Brutus slain.

Eno. That year, indeed, he was troubled with a rheum;
What willingly he did confound,* he wailed:

Believe it, till I weep too.

Cas. No, sweet Octavia,

You shall hear from me still; the time shall not

Out-go my thinking on you.

Ant. Come, Sir, come;

I'll wrestle with you in my strength of love:
Look, here I have you; thus I let you go,

And give you to the gods.

Cas. Adieu; be happy!

Lep. Let all the number of the stars give light

To thy fair way!

Cæs. Farewell, farewell!

Ant. Farewell!

SCENE III.-Alexandria.

[Kisses OCTAVIA. [Trumpets sound. Exeunt.

A Room in the Palace.

Enter CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, IRAS, and ALEXAS.

Cleo. Where is the fellow?

Alex. Half afeard to come.

Cleo. Go to, go to:-Come hither, Sir.

Enter a MESSENGER.

Alex. Good majesty,

Herod of Jewry dare not look upon you,
But when you are well pleas'd.

Cleo. That Herod's head

I'll have; but how? when Antony is gone

Through whom I might command it.-Come thou near.

Mess. Most gracious majesty,—

Cleo. Didst thou behold

Octavia ?

Mess. Ay, dread queen.
Cleo. Where?

Mess. Madam, in Rome.

I look'd her in the face, and saw her led

Between her brother and Mark Antony.

Cleo. Is she as tall as me?

Mess. She is not, madam.

Cleo. Didst hear her speak? Is she shrill-tongued, or low? Mess. Madam, I heard her speak; she is low voiced.

Cleo. That's not so good:-he cannot like her long.

Char. Like her? O Isis! 'tis impossible.

Cleo. I think so, Charmian: Dull of tongue and dwarfish!What majesty is in her gait? Remember,

If e'er thou look'st on majesty.

Mess. She creeps;

Her motion and her station † are as one :

9

She shows a body rather than a life;

A statue, than a breather.

Cleo. Is this certain ?

Mess. Or I have no observance.

Char. Three in Egypt

Cannot make better note.

Cleo. He's very knowing,

I do perceive 't:-There's nothing in her yet:-
The fellow has good judgment.

Char. Excellent.

Cleo. Guess at her years, I pr'ythee.
Mess. Madam,

She was a widow.

Cleo. Widow ?-Charmian, hark.

Mess. And I do think she's thirty.

Cleo. Bear'st thou her face in mind? is it long or round?
Mess. Round, even to faultiness.

Cleo. For the most part too,

They are foolish that are so.-Her hair, what colour?
Mess. Brown, madam: And her forehead is as low
As she would wish it.

Cleo. There is gold for thee.

Thou must not take my former sharpness ill :

I will employ thee back again; I find thee
Most fit for business: Go, make thee ready;
Our letters are prepared.

Char. A proper man.

[Exit MESSENGER.

Cleo. Indeed, he is so: I repent me much, That so I harry'd him. Why, methinks, by him,

This creature's no such thing.

Char. O, nothing, madam.

Cleo. The man hath seen some majesty, and should know.
Char. Hath he seen majesty? Isis else defend,

And serving you so long!

Cleo. I have one think more to ask him yet, good Charmian :

But 'tis no matter, thou shalt bring him to me

Where I will write: All may be well enough.

Char. I warrant you, madam.

[Exeunt.

SCENE IV-Athens. A Room in ANTONY's House.

Enter ANTONY and OCTAVIA.

Ant. Nay, nay, Octavia, not only that,―

That were excusable, that, and thousands more

Of semblable* import-but he hath waged

New wars 'gainst Pompey; made his will, and read it
To public ear:

Spoke scantly of me: when perforce he could not +
But pay me terms of honour, cold and sickly

He vented them; most narrow measure lent me :
When the best hint was given him, he not took 't,
Or did it from his teeth.

* Similar.

+ Could not help.

Indistinct, through his teeth.

Oct. O my good lord,

Believe not all; or, if you must believe,
Stomach not all. A more unhappy lady,
If this division chance, ne'er stood between,
Praying for both parts:

And the good gods will mock me presently,

When I shall pray, O, bless my lord and husband!
Undo that prayer, by crying out as loud,

O, bless my brother! Husband win, win brother,
Prays, and destroys the prayer, no mid way
"Twixt these extremes at all.

Ant. Gentle Octavia,

Let your best love draw to that point, which seeks
Best to preserve it: If I lose mine honour,

I lose myself: better I were not yours,

Than yours so branchless. But, as you requested,
Yourself shall go between us: The mean time, lady,
I'll raise the preparation of a war

Shall stain your brother; make your soonest haste;
So your desires are yours.

Oct. Thanks to my lord.

The Jove of power makes me most weak, most weak,
Your reconciler! Wars 'twixt you twain would be
As if the world should cleave, and that slain men
Should solder up the rift.

Ant. When it appears to you where this begins,
Turn your displeasure that way; for our faults
Can never be so equal, that your love

Can equally move with them. Provide your going;
Choose your own company, and command what cost
Your heart has mind to.

[Exeunt.

SCENE V-The same. Another Room in the same.

Enter ENOBARBUS and EROS, meeting.

Eno. How now, friend Eros ?

Eros. There's strange news come, Sir.

Eno. What, man?

Eros. Cæsar and Lepidus have made wars upon Pompey.
Eno. This is old; What is the success? §

Eros. Cæsar, having made use of him in the wars 'gainst Pompey, presently denied him rivality; ¶ would not let him partake in the glory of the action: and not resting here, accuses him of letters he had formerly wrote to Pompey; upon his own appeal, ** seizes him: So the poor third is up, till death enlarge his confine.

Eno. Then, world, thou hast a pair of chaps, no more;
And throw between them all the food thou hast,
They'll grind the one the other. Where's Antony?
Eros. He's walking in the garden-thus; and spurns
The rush that lies before him; cries, Fool, Lepidus!

† Disgrace.

* Resent.
What follows. II. e. Lepidus. ¶ Equal rank.

+ Opening.
** Accusation.

And threats the throat of that his officer,

That murder'd Pompey.

Eno. Our great navy's rigged.

Eros. For Italy, and Cæsar. More, Domitius;

My lord desires you presently: my news

I might have told hereafter.

Eno. "Twill be naught:

But let it be.-Bring me to Antony.

Eros. Come, Sir.

[Exeunt.

SCENE VI-Rome. A Room in CESAR's House.

Enter CESAR, AGRIPPA, and MECENAS.

Cas. Contemning Rome, he has done all this: And more; In Alexandria, here's the manner of it,I' the market place, on a tribunal silver'd, Cleopatra and himself in chairs of gold Were publicly enthroned: at the feet, sat Cæsarion, whom they call my father's son; And all the unlawful issue, that their lust Since then hath made between them.

Unto her

He gave the 'stablishment of Egypt; made her
Of Lower Syria, Cyprus, Lydia,

Absolute queen.

Mec. This in the public eye?

Cas. I' the common show-place, where they exercise.

His sons he there proclaim'd, the kings of kings:

Great Media, Parthia, and Armenia,

He gave to Alexander; to Ptolemy he assign'd

Syria, Cilicia, and Phoenicia : She

In the habiliments of the goddess Isis

That day appear'd; and oft before gave audience
As 'tis reported, so.

Mec. Let Rome be thus

Inform'd.

*

Agr. Who, queasy with his insolence

Already, will their good thoughts call from him.
Cas. The people know it; and have now received
His accusations.

Agr. Whom does he accuse ?

Cas. Cæsar: and that, having in Sicily

Sextus Pompeius spoil'd, we had not rated + him

His part o' the isle: then does he say, he lent me
Some shipping unrestor'd lastly, he frets,
That Lepidus of the triumvirate

Should be deposed; and, being, that we detain
All his revenue.

Agr. Sir, this should be answer'd.

Cas. 'Tis done already, and the messenger gone.

I have told him, Lepidus was grown too cruel:

That he his high authority abused,

And did deserve his change; for what I have conquer'd,
I grant him part; but then, in his Armenia,