Where think'st thou he is now? Stands he, or fits Or does he walk? or is he on his horfe?

[he? Oh happy horse, to bear the weight of Antony! Do bravely, horfe; for wot'ft thou whom thou. mov'ft?

The demy Atlas of this earth, the arm

And burgonet of man. He's speaking now,

Or murmuring," where's my ferpent of old Nile ?"
(For fo he calls me.) Now I feed myself
With most delicious poifon. Think on me,
That am with Phoebus' amorous pinches black,
And wrinkled deep in time! Broad-fronted * Cæfar
When thou waft here above the ground, I was
A morfel for a monarch; and great Pompey
Would stand and make his eyes grow in my brow;
There would he anchor his aspect, and die
With looking on his life..

Enter Alexas.

Alex. Sov'reign of Egypt, hail!

Cleo. How much art thou unlike Mark Antony? Yet coming from him, that great med'cine hath With his tinct gilded thee +..

How goes it with my brave Mark Antony?
Alex. Laft thing he did, dear Queen,
He kifs'd, the laft of many doubled kiffes,
This orient pearl.-His fpeech fticks in my heart..
Cleo. Mine ear muft pluck it thence..

Alex. Good friend, quoth he,

Say, The firm Roman to great Egypt fends
This treasure of an oyster, at whofe foot,
To mend the petty prefent, I will piece

Her opulent throne with kingdoms. All the east,
Say thou, hall call her mistress. So he nodded;

* Mr Seward, in his preface to Beaumont and Fletcher, hath given good reafons to induce us to believe that the Poet wrote, -Bald-fronted Cæfar.

+ Alluding to the philofopher's ftone, which, by its touch, converts bafe metal into gold. The alchemifts call the matter, whatever it may be, by which they per form tranfmutation, a medicine. Johnson.

And foberly did mount an arm-gaunt fteed;Who neigh'd fo high, that what I would have spoke Was beaftly done by him.

Cleo. What, was he fad or merry?

Alex. Like to the time o' th' year between th

extremes

Of hot and cold, he was nor fad nor merry.
Cleo. Oh well-divided difpofition!

Note him, good Charmian.'Tis the man. But note him:

He was not fad, for he would fhine on those
That make their looks by his; he was not merry,
Which feem'd to tell them, his remembrance lay
In Egypt with his joy; but between both.
Oh heav'nly mingle! be'ft thou fad or merry,
The violence of either thee becomes,

So does it no man elfe. Met'ft thou my posts?
Alex. Ay, Madam, twenty feveral meffengers.
Why do you fend fo thick?

Cleo. Who's born that day

When I forget to fend to Antony,

Shall die a beggar.-Ink and paper, Charmian. -Welcome, my good Alexas.-Did I, Charmian, Ever love Cæfar fo?

Char. Oh, that brave Cæfar!

Cleo. Be choak'd with fuch another emphafis!

Say, the brave Antony.

Char. The valiant Cæfar.

Cleo. By Ifis, I will give thee bloody teeth, If thou with Cæfar paragon again

My man of men.

Char. By your most gracious pardon,

I fing but after you.

Cleo. My fallad days!

When I was green in judgment. Cold in blood!

To fay, as I faid then.-But come away,

Get me ink and paper;

He fhall have every day a feveral greeting,

Or I'll unpeople Ægypt.

[Exeunt.

ACT II.

SCENE L

SICILY.

Enter Pompey, Menecrates, and Menas.
Pompey.

F the great gods be juft, they fhall affift
The deeds of juftest men.

Is The

Men. Know, worthy Pompey,

That what they do delay, they not deny.

Pomp. While we are fuitors to their throne, de

The thing we fue for.

Men. We, ignorant of ourfelves,

[cays

Beg often our own harms, which the wife powers.

Deny us for our good; so find we profit

By lofing of our prayers.

Pomp. I fhall do well:

The people love me, and the fea is mine;

My pow'r's a crefcent, and my auguring hope
Says, it will come to th' full. Mark Antony
In Egypt fits at dinner, and will make

No wars without doors. Cæfar gets money, where
He lofes hearts; Lepidus flatters both,

Of both is flatter'd ; but he neither loves,
Nor either cares for him.

Men. Cæfar and Lepidus are in the field;
A mighty ftrength they carry.

Pomp. Where have you this? 'tis falfe.
Men. From Silvius, Sir.

Pomp. He dreams; I know they are in Rome together,

Looking for Antony: but all the charms of love,
Salt Cleopatra, foften thy wan lip!

Let witchcraft join with beauty; luft with both.
Tie up the libertine in a field of feafts,
Keep his brain fuming; Epicurean cooks,
Sharpen with cloylefs fawce his appetite;

That fleep and feeding may prorogue his honour,.
Even 'till a Lethe'd dulnefs-

Or, being, concern you not.
Caf. I must be laugh'd at,

If, or for nothing, or a little, I

Should fay myself offended, and with you
Chiefly i' th' world; more laugh'd at, that I should
Once name you derogately, when to found

Your name it not concern'd me.

Ant. My being in Egypt, Cæfar, what was't to you?

Caf. No more than my refiding here at Rome Might be to you in Egypt; yet, if you there Did practise on my ftate, your being in Ægypt Might be my queftion.

Ant. How intend you, practis'd?

Caf. You may be pleas'd to catch at mine intent, By what did here befal Your wife and brother Made wars upon me; and their conteftation Was theme for you, you were the word of war. Ant. You do mistake your bufinefs; my brother Did urge me in his act*: I did inquire it, [never And have my learning from fome true reports + That drew their fwords with you. Did he not raDifcredit my authority with yours,

[ther

And make the wars alike again my ftomach,
Having alike your caufe ? Of this, my letters
Before did fatisfy you. If you'll patch a quarrel,
As matter whole you've not to make it with,
It must not be with this.

Caf. You praife yourself,

By laying defects of judgment to me: but
You patch up your excufes.

Ant. Not fo, not se;

I know you could not lack, I'm certain on't,
Very neceflity of this thought, that I,

Your partner in the caule 'gainst which he fought,

Could not with grateful eyes attend thofe wars,

i. e. never did make ufe of my name as a pretence

for the war. Warburton

+ Reports for reporters. Upton.

May it not be read thus,

Hating alike our caufe? Johnson.

25

Which fronted mine own peace. As for my wife,
I would you had her tpirit in fuch another;
The third o' th' world is yours, which with a fnaffle
You may pace eafy, but not fuch a wife.

Eno. Would we had all fuch wives, that the men might go to wars with the women!

Ant. So much uncurbable her garboils, Cæfar, Made out of her impatience, which not wanted Shrewdness of policy too, I grieving grant, Did you too much difquiet: for that you muft "But fay, I could not help it.

Caf. I wrote to you,

When rioting in Alexandria, you

Did pocket up my letters; and with taunts
Did gibe my millive out of audience.

Ant. Sir, he fell on me ere admitted; then
Three kings I had newly feafted, and did want
Of what I was i' th' morning; but, next day,
I told him of myfelf, which was as much
As to have afk'd him pardon. Let this fellow
Be nothing of our ftrife; if we contend,
Out of our question wipe him.

· Caf. You have broken

The article of your oath, which you fhall never
Have tongue to charge me with.

Lep. Soft, Cæfar..

Ant. No, Lepidus, let him speak;

The honour's facred which he talks on now,

Suppofing that I lack'd it.

The article of my oath.

But, on, Cæfar.

Caf. To lend me arms and aid, when I requir'd The which you both dený'd.

Ant. Neglected rather;

[them,

And then when poifon'd hours had bound me up
From mine own knowledge. As nearly as I may,
I'll play the peniten! to you; but mine honefty
Shall not make poor my greatnefs; nor my power
Work without it. Truth is, that Fulvia,
To have me out of Egypt, made wars here;
For which myself, the ignorant motive, do