Waged equal with him '. Agr. A rarer spirit never Did steer humanity: but you, gods, will give us Cas. O Antony! [him, I have follow'd thee to this;-But we do lance stars, Unreconciliable, should divide Our equalness to this2.-Hear me, good friends,But I will tell you at some meeter season; Enter an Egyptian. The business of this man looks out of him, Confin'd in all she has, her monument, Cas. Bid her have good heart; She soon shall know of us, by some of ours, Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, and Iras. Enter, below, Proculeius, Gallus, &c. And bids thee study on what fair demands 25 Pro. My name is Proculeius. Cleo. Antony Did tell me of you, bade me trust you; but I do not greatly care to be deceiv'd, That have no use for trusting. If your master Would have a queen his beggar, you must tell him, That majesty, to keep decorum, must No less beg than a kingdom: if he please 30 To give me conquer'd Egypt for my son, He gives me so much of mine own, as I Will kneel to him with thanks. Pro. Be of good cheer; You are fallen into a princely hand, fear nothing: 35 Make your full reference freely to my lord, Who is so full of grace, that it flows over On all that need: Let me report to him Your sweet dependency; and you shall find A conqueror, that will pray in aid for kindness, Where he for grace is kneel'd to. Egypt. So the gods preserve thee! [Exit. The quality of her passion shall require; And, with your speediest, bring us what she says, Pro. Cæsar, I shall. [Exit Proculeius. Cas. Gallus, go you along.-Where's Dola bella, To second Proculeius? { All. Dolabella! Cleo. Pray you, tell him I am his fortune's vassal, and I send him The greatness he has got". I hourly learn A doctrine of obedience; and would gladly 45 Look him i' the face, 50 [Exit Gallus. Pro. This I'll report, dear lady. Have comfort; for, I know your plight is pity'd Of him that caus'd it. Aside.] You see how easily she may be surpriz'd; [Here Gallus and guard ascend the mo nument, and enter behind. Guard her, 'till Cæsar come. Iras. Royal queen! [Exit. Char. O Cleopatra! thou art taken, queen! Cleo. Quick, quick, good hands. [Drawing a dagger. Proculeius rushes in, and disarms the Queen. 1i. e. his taints and honours were an equal match; were opposed to each other in just proportions, like the counterparts of a wager. That is, should have made us, in our equality of fortune, disagree to a pitch like this, that one of us must die. 3i. e. the servant of fortune, i. e. Voluntary death produces a state which has no longer need of the gross and terrene sustenance, in the use of which Cæsar and the beggar are on a level. Praying in aid is a law term, used for a petition made in a court of justice for the calling in of help from another that hath an interest in the cause in question. I allow him to be my conqueror. [queen Come hither, come! come, come, and take a Pro. O, temperance, lady! Cleo. Sir, I will eat no meat, I'll not drink, sir; Of censuring Rome? Rather a ditch in Egypt Pro. You do extend 5 10 Dol. Most sovereign creature, Cleo. His legs bestrid the ocean; his rear'd arm Dol. Cleopatra, [man Cleo. Think you there was, or might be, such a 15 As this I dreani'd of? Dol. Gentle madam, no. Cleo. You lye, up to the hearing of the gods. Dol. Hear me, good madam: Your loss is as yourself, great; and you bear it 25 As answering to the weight: 'Would I might never O'ertake pursu'd success, but I do feel, By the rebound of yours, a grief that shoots Cleo. I thank you, sir. 30 Know you, what Cæsar means to do with me! Dol. Though he be honourable,- 35 Dol. Madam, he will; I know it. [knew. Enter Casar, Gallus, Mecanus, Proculeius, and Cas. Which is the queen of Egypt? [To Cleopatra. 40 [Exit Proculeius. Dol. It is the emperor, madam. [Cleo, kneels. I pray you, rise; rise, Ægypt. Cleo. Sir, the gods Dol. Most noble empress, you have heard of me? Dol. Assuredly, you know me. Cleo. No matter, sir, what I have heard or 45 known. [dreams; You laugh, when boys, or women, tell their Dol. I understand not, madam. Cleo. I dream'd, there was an emperor Antony;50 Dol. If it might please you, Cleo. His face was as the heavens; and therein stuck [lighted 55 A sun, and moon; which kept their course, and Will have it thus; my master and my lord Cas. Take to you no hard thoughts: Cleo. Sole sir o' the world, I cannot project' mine own cause so well Cæs. Cleopatra, know, We will extenuate rather than enforce: 1 Once may mean sometimes.-The meaning of Cleopatra seems to be this: If idle talking be sometimes necessary to the prolongation of life, why I will not sleep, for fear of talking idly in my sleep. i. e. the little orb or circle. 'Plates probably mean, silver money. 4 The word piece is a term appropriated to works of art. Here Nature and Fancy produce each their piece, and the piece done by Nature had the preference.-Antony was in reality past the size of dreaming; he was more by Nature than Fancy could present in sleep. To project a cause is to represent a cause ; to project it well, is to plan or contrive a scheme of defence. (Which towards you are most gentle) you shall find Your 'scutcheons, and your signs of conquest, shall Cas. You shall advise me in all for Cleopatra. I am possess'd of: 'tis exactly valued; [lord, Cleo. This is my treasurer; let him speak, ny To myself nothing. Speak the truth, Seleucus. I had rather seel my lips', than, to my peril, Cleo, What have I kept back? Cleo. Be it known, that we, the greatest, are misthought For things that others do; and, when we fall, We answer others' merits in our names, 5 Are therefore to be pitied. 10 15 20 [known. 25 Sel. Enough to purchase what you have made Cleo. See, Cæsar! O, behold, Even make me wild :-O slave, of no more trust Cas. Good queen, let us intreat you, Cas. Cleopatra, Notwhatyouhave reserv'd,norwhatacknowledg'd, [Exit Charmian. [mand, Dol. Madam, as thereto sworn by your com Which my love makes religion to obey, I tell you this: Casar through Syria Cleo, Dolabella, I shall remain your debtor. 45 Adieu, good queen; I must attend on Cæsar. To one so meek, that mine own servant should Cas. Forbear, Seleucus. [Exit Seleucus. [Exit. Cleo. Farewell, and thanks. Now, Iras, what think'st thou ? Thou, an Egyptian puppet, shalt be shewn Iras. The gods forbid ! Cleo. Nay, 'tis most certain, Iras: Saucy lictors Will catch at us, like strumpets; and scald' rhi mers i. e. close up my lips as effectually as the eyes of a hawk are closed, i, e. base in an uncommon degree. Or fortune. The meaning is, Begone, or I shall exert that royal spirit which I had in my prosperity, in spight of the imbecility of my present weak condition. 4 Merits is in this place taken in an ill sense, for actions meriting censure. Scald was a word of contempt, implying poverty, disease, and filth. Ballad Shall be brought drunken forth, and I shall see Iras. O the good gods! Iras. I'll never see it; for, I am sure, my nails Cleo. Why, that's the way To fool their preparation, and to conquer Shew me, my women, like a queen;-Go fetch 15 Euter one of the Guard. Cleo. Let him come in. What a poor instrument May do a noble deed! he brings me liberty. 2 Re-enter Guard, with a Clown bringing a basket. 3 Cleo. Avoid, and leave him. [Exit Guard. Hast thou the pretty worm 3 of Nilus there, That kills and pains not? Cleo. Well, get thee gone; farewell. Cleo. Give me my robe, put on my crown; I Immortal longings in me: Now no more [have The juice of Egypt's grape shall moist this lip:- To praise my noble act; I hear him mock 30 Clown. Truly I have him: but I would not be the party that should desire you to touch him, 40 for his biting is immortal; those, that do die of it, do seldom or never recover. [on't Cleo. Remember'st thou any that have dy'd Clown. Very many, men and women too. I heard of one of them no longer than yesterday: a very honest woman, but something given to lye: as a woman should not do, but in the way of honesty: how she dy'd of the biting of it, what pain she felt,-Truly, she makes a very good report o the worm: But he that will believe all that they say, shall never be saved by half that they do: But this is most fallible, the worm's an odd worm. Cleo. Get thee hence; farewell. Clown. I wish you all joy of the worm. Clown. You must think this, look you, that the worm will do his kind. 45 50 [Iras dies. Char. Dissolve, thick cloud, and rain; that I The gods themselves do weep! If she first meet the curled Antony, He'll make demand of her; and spend that kiss, wretch, With thy sharp teeth this knot intrinsicate Of life at once untie: poor venomous fool, Char. O eastern star! Cleo. Peace, peace! Dost thou not see my baby at my breast, 55 Char. O, break! O, break! Cleo. As sweet as balm, as soft as air, as gentle,O Antony !--Nay, I will take thee too :[Applying another asp to her arm. What should I stay[Dies. We have before observed, that the parts of women were acted on the stage by boys in our author's time. 2 i. e. inconstant. 3 Worm is the Teutonick word for serpent; and in the Northern counties, the word worm is still given to the serpent species in general. i. e. will act according to his nature. i. c. make haste, be nimble, be ready. i. e. an ass without more policy than to leave the means of death within my reach, and thereby deprive his triumph of its noblest decoration. 10 [Charmian applies the asp. O, come; apace, dispatch:-I partly teel thee. 1 Guard. Approach,ho! All's not well: Cæsar's beguil'd. [call him. 15 2 Guard. There's Dolabella sent from Cæsar;-1 Guard. What work is here ?-Charmian, is this well done? Char. It is well done, and fitting for a princess Descended of so many royal kings. Ali, soldier! Enter Dolabella. Del. How goes it here? 2 Guard. All dead. Dol. Casar, thy thoughts 20 [Charmian dies. Touch their effects in this: Thyself art coming To see perform'd the dreaded act, which thou So sought'st to hinder. Enter Cæsar and Attendants. [Within.] A way there, a way for Cæsar! Dol. O, sir, you are too sure an augurer; That you did fear, is done, Cas. Bravest at the last: Cas. Poison'd then. 1 Guard. O Cæsar, This Charmian liv'd but now; she stood, and spake: I found her trimming up the diadem On her dead mistress; tremblingly she stood, And on the sudden dropp'd. Cas. O noble weakness! If they had swallow'd poison, 'twould appear By external swelling: but she looks like sleep, As she would catch another Antony in her strong toil of grace. Dol. Here, on her breast There is a vent of blood, and something blown': The like is on her arm. Guard. This is an aspick's trail; and these fig leaves Have slime upon them, such as the aspick leaves Upon the caves of Nile, Cas. Most probable, That so she dy'd; for her physician tells me, She hath pursu'd conclusions infinite 25 Of casy ways to die.-Take up her bed; And bear her women from the monument:She shall be buried by her Antony: No grave upon the earth shall clip in it A pair so famous. High events as these 50 Strike those that make them: and their story is No less in pity, than his glory, which Brought them to be lamented. Our army shall, In solemn shew, attend this funeral; And then to Rome.-Come, Dolabella, see High order in this great solemnity. [Exeunt omnes. She leveli❜d at our purposes, and, being royal, 1 Mr. Steevens conjectures, that our author may have written vild (i. e. vile according to ancient spelling) for worthless. i. e. swoln. TIMON |