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Cle. He's very knowing,

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

Cha. Excellent.

Cle. Guefs at her years, I pr'ythee.
Mef. Her years, madam ?
She was a widow :

Cle. Widow t-Charmian, hark.
Mef. And I do think, fhe's thirty.
Cle. Bear'ft thou her face

In mind? is't long, or round?

Mef. Round, even to faultinefs.

Cle. For the most part too, they are foolish that are fo.

Her hair, what colour?

Mef. Brown, madam; and her forehead

As low as he would with it.

Cle. There's gold for thee.

Thou must not take my former fharpness ill

I will employ thee back again; I find thee

Moft fit for bufinefs: go, make thee ready, while
Our letters are prepar❜d.

Cha. A proper man.

[Exit Messenger.

Cle. Indeed, he is fo: I repent me much

That fo I harry'd him.

Why, methinks, by him,

This creature's no fuch thing.

Cha. O, nothing, madam.

Cle. The man hath feen fome majefty, and should

know.

Cha. Hath he feen majesty? Ifis elfe defend,

And ferving you fo long!

Cle. I have one thing more to ask him yet, good

Charmian:

But 'tis no matter; thou fhalt bring him to me
Where I will write: all may be well enough.
Cha. I warrant you, madam.

[Exeunt t

In this fhort fcene Shakespeare thows intimate knowledge of the feelings and caprice of fuch a woman as Cleopatra; one fo filled with vanity and ambition; her questions and conclufione, in her own favour, are admirably thrown out,

SCENE IV. Athens. A Room in Antony's Houfe. Enter Antony, and Octavia.

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Ant. Nay, nay, Octavia, not only that,-
That were excufable, that, and thousands more
Of femblable import,-but he hath wag'd

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

Spoke fcant❜ly of me: when perforce he could not,
But pay me terms of honour, cold and fickly
He vented them; moft narrow measure lent me :
When the best hint was given him, he not took't,
Or did it from his teeth.

O. O my good lord,

Believe not all; or, if you must believe,
Stomach not all. A more unhappy lady,

If this divifion chance, ne'er ftood between,

Praying for both parts: the good gods will mock me,
When I fhall pray, 0, blefs my husband! presently
Undo that prayer, by crying out as loud,

O, bless my brother! Hufband win, win brother,
Prays, and deftroys the prayer; no midway
'Twixt these extremes at all.

Ant. Gentle Octavia,

Let your best love draw to that point, which feeks
Beft to preserve it: if I lofe mine honour,

I lofe myself better I were not yours,

Than yours fo branchlefs. But, as you requested,
Yourself fhall go between us: the mean time, lady,
I'll raife the preparation of a war

Shall ftrain your brother: make your foonest hafte;
So
defires are yours.

Thanks to my lord.

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

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

Can

Can equally move with them.

Provide your going;

Choose your own company, and command what coft
Your heart has mind to.

[Exeunt.

"SCENE V. The fame. Another Room in the fame*.

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66

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"Enter Eros, and Enobarbus, meeting.

"Eno. How now, friend Eros?

"Ero. There's ftrange news come, fir.

"Ena. What, man?

"Ero. Cefar and Lepidus have made wars upon "Pompey

Eno. This is old; what is the fuccefs?

"Ero. Cefar, having made use of him in the wars gainst Pompey, prefently deny'd him rivalty; would not let him partake in the glory of the action: and not refting here, accufes him of letters he had formerly wrote to Pompey; upon his appeal, seizes him: fo the poor third is up, 'till death enlarge his confine.

Eno. Then, world, thou haft a pair of chaps, no 66 more;

"And throw between them all the food thou hast, "They'll grind the one the other.-Where is Antony? "Ero. He's walking in the garden thus; and spurns "The rush that lies before him: cries, Fool Lepidus ! "And threats the throat of that his officer, "That murder'd Pompey.

"Eno. Our great navy's rigg'd.

"Ero. For Italy, and Cæfar. More, Domitius; "My lord defires you prefently: my news

"I might have told hereafter.

"Eno. 'Twill be naught:

"But let it be.-Bring me to Antony.

"Ero. Come, fir.

[Exeunt.

This little fcene feems calculated merely to give Ottavia fome time for her journey; but the breaches of unity are fo frequent and fo violent in this piece, that fuch a point is of little confideration,

SCENE VI. Rome. A Room in Cæfar's Houfe. Enter Cæfar, Mecænas, and Agrippa.

Caf. Contemning Rome, he has done all this: and

more;

In Alexandria, here's the manner of it,—
I' the market-place, on a tribunal filver'd,
Cleopatra and himself in chairs of gold
Were publicly enthron'd: at the feet, fat
Cafarion, whom they call my father's fon;
And all the unlawful iffue, that their luft
Since then hath made between them.

Unto her

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

Abfolute queen.

Mec. This in the public eye?

Caf. I' the common fhew-place, where they exercife.

His fons he there proclaim'd, The kings of kings:

Great Media, Parthia, and Armenia,

He gave to Alexander; to Ptolemy he affign'd

Syria, Cilicia, and Phœnicia: The

In the habiliments of the goddess Ifis

That day appear'd; and oft before gave audience,

As 'tis reported, fo.

Mec. Let Rome be thus

Inform'd.

Agr. Who, queafy with his infolence

Already, will their good thoughts call from him.
Caf. The people know it; and have now receiv'd
His accufations.

Agr. Whom does he accuse?

Caf. Cæfar and that having in Sicily

Sextus Pompeius fpoil'd, we had not rated him

His part o'the ifle: then does he fay, he lent me
Some fhipping unreftor'd: lastly, he frets,

That Lepidus of the triumvirate

Should be depos'd; and, being, that we detain
All his revenue.

Agr. Sir, this should be answer’d.

Caf. 'Tis done already, and the meffenger gone, I have told him, Lepidus was grown too cruel;

VOL. VI.

P

That

That he his high authority abus'd,

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

And other of his conquer'd kingdoms, I

Demand the like.

Mec. He'll never yield to that.

Caf. Nor must not then be yielded to in this.

Enter Octavia.

Oa. Hail, Cefar, and my lord'! hall, moft dear
Cafar!

Caf. That ever I fhould call thee, caft-away.

Qa. You have not call'd me fo, nor have you caufe. Caf. Why haft thou ftoin upon us thus? You come not Like Cafar's fifter: the wife of Antong

Should have an army for an ufher, and
The neighs of horfe to tell of her approach,
Long ere fhe did appear: the trees by the way
Should have born men; and expectation fainted,
Longing for what it had not: nay, the duft
Should have ascended to the roof of heaven +,
Rais'd by your populous troops: but you are come
A market-maid to Rome; and have prevented
The oftent of our love, which, left unfhewn,
Is often left unlov'd: we should have met you
By fea, and land; fupplying every stage
With an augmented greeting.

Oa. Good my lord,

To come thus was I not conftrain'd, but did it
On my free will. My lord Mark Antony,
Hearing that you prepar'd for war, acquainted
My grieving ear withal; whereon, I begg'd
His pardon for return.

Caf. Which foon he granted,

Being an obftruct 'tween his luft and him.
Oa. Do not fay fo, my lord,

There is great exaltation of idea and fplendor of expreffion in this addrefs to Octavia: though external pomp is to found fenfe very immaterial, yet royal characters, without it, would lofe much of their confequence,

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