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Most noble Cæsar, shalt thou have report
How 'tis abroad. Pompey is strong at sea;
And it appears, he is belov'd of those

That only have fear'd Cæsar: to the ports
The discontents repair; and men's reports
Give him much wrongfd.

Oct. I should have known no less:—

It hath been taught us from the primal state,
That he which is, was wish'd until he were;

And the ebb'd man ne'er lov'd, till ne'er worth love,
Comes dear'd, by being lack'd. This common body,
Like to a vagabond flag upon the stream,

Goes to, and back, lacqueying the varying tide,
To rot itself with motion.

Enter another Messenger.

Mess. Cæsar, I bring thee word,
Menecrates, and Menas, famous pirates,

Make the sea serve them; which they ear and wound
With keels of every kind. Many hot inroads
They make in Italy; the borders maritime

Lack blood to think on't, and flush youth revolt:
No vessel can peep forth, but 'tis as soon
Taken as seen; for Pompey's name strikes more
Than could his war resisted.

Oct. Antony,

Leave thy lascivious wassals: When thou once
Wert beaten from Modena, where thou slew'st
Hirtius and Pansa, consuls, at thy heel

Did famine follow; whom thou fought'st against,
Though daintily brought up, with patience more
Than savages could suffer: thou didst drink
The gilded puddle,

Which beasts would cough at: thy palate then did deign

The roughest berry on the rudest hedge;

Yea, like the stag, when snow the pasture sheets,
The barks of trees thou browsed'st: on the Alps,

It is reported, thou didst eat strange flesh,
Which some did die to look on: And all this
(It wounds thine honour that I speak it now)
Was borne so like a soldier, that thy cheek
So much as lank'd not.

Lep. 'Tis pity of him.

Oct. Let his shames quickly

Drive him to Rome: Time is it, that we twain
Did show ourselves i' the field; and, to that end,
Assemble we immediate council: Pompey
Thrives in our idleness.

Lep. To-morrow, Cæsar,

I shall be furnish'd to inform you rightly
Both what by sea and land I can be able
To 'front this present time.

Oct. Till which encounter,
It is my business too. Farewell.

Lep. Farewell, my lord: What you shall know mean time

Of stirs abroad, I shall beseech you, sir,

To let me be partaker.

Oct. Doubt not, sir;

I knew it for my bond.

[Exeunt.

SCENE V.

Alexandria.

A Room in the Palace.

Enter Cleopatra, supporting herself on Iras;
Charmian and Mardian, following.

Cleo. Charmian,—

Char. Madam.

Cleo. Ha! ha! Give me to drink mandragora.

Char. Why, madam ?

Cleo. That I might sleep out this great gap of time, My Antony is away.

Char. You think of him

Too much.

Cleo. Indeed!—O Charmian,

Where think'st thou he is now? Stands he, or sits he?
Or does he walk? Or is he on his horse?—

O, happy horse, to bear the weight of Antony!
Do bravely, horse; for wot'st thou whom thou

mov'st?

The demy Atlas of this earth, the arm

And burgonet of man.—He's speaking now,

Or murmuring, "Where's my serpent of old Nile ?"
For so he calls me:—Now I feed myself
With most delicious poison.

Enter Alexas.

Alexas. Sovereign of Egypt, hail!

Cleo. How much art thou unlike Mark Antony! Yet, coming from him, that great medicine hath With his tinct gilded thee.—

How goes it with my brave Mark Antony ?
Alexas. Last thing he did, brave queen,
He kiss'd the last of many doubled kisses,
This orient pearl; his speech sticks in my heart.
Cleo. Mine ear must pluck it thence.
Alexas. Good friend, quoth he,

Say, The firm Roman to great Egypt sends
This treasure of an oyster: at whose foot,
To mend the petty present, I will piece

Her opulent throne with kingdoms; all the east,
Say thou, shall call her mistress. So he nodded,
And soberly did mount an arm-gaunt steed;
Who neigh'd so high, that what I would have spoke
Was beastly dumb'd by him.

Cleo. What, was he sad or merry?

Alexas. Like to the time o'the year between the ex

tremes

Of hot and cold; he was nor sad nor merry.

Cleo. O, well divided disposition!—Note him, Note him, good Charmian, 'tis the man, but note him:

He was not sad; for he would shine on those
That make their looks by his: he was not merry;
Which seem'd to tell them, his remembrance lay
In Egypt with his joy: but between them both:
O, heavenly mingle!—Be'st thou sad, or merry,
The violence of either thee becomes;

So does it no man else.—Met'st thou my posts?
Alexas. Ay, madam, twenty several messengers:
Why do you send so thick ?

Cleo. Who's born that day

When I forget to send to Antony,

Shall die a beggar.—Ink and paper, Charmian.—
But, come, away;

Get me ink and paper: he shall have every day
A several greeting, or I'll unpeople Egypt. [Exeunt.

ACT THE SECOND.

SCENE I.

Rome.

A Room in Lepidus' House.

Enter Lepidus and Enobarbus.

Lep. Good Enobarbus, 'tis a worthy deed,

And shall become you well, to entreat your captain To soft and gentle speech.

D

Enob. I shall entreat him

To answer like himself: if Cæsar move him,
Let Antony look over Cæsar's head,
And speak as loud as Mars. By Jupiter,
Were I the wearer of Antonio's beard,
I would not shave 't to-day.
Lep. 'Tis not a time
For private stomaching.

Enob. Every time

Serves for the matter that is then born in't.

Lep. But small to greater matters must give way. Enob. Not if the small come first.

Lep. Your speech is passion:

But, pray you, stir no embers up. Here comes
The noble Antony.

Enter Antony and Canidius.

Enob. And yonder Cæsar.

Enter OCTAVIUS CESAR, AGRIPPA, and MECENAS.

Ant. If we compose well here, to Parthia :—

Hark you, Canidius,—

Oct. I do not know,

Mecanas; ask Agrippa.

Lep. Noble friends,

That which combin'd us was most great, and let not A leaner action rend us. What's amiss

May it be gently heard: When we debate

Our trivial difference loud, we do commit

Murder in healing wounds: Then, noble partners, (The rather, for I earnestly beseech)

Touch you the sourest points with sweetest terms, Nor curstness grow to the matter.

Ant. 'Tis spoken well:

Were we before our armies, and to fight,

I should do thus.

Oct. Welcome to Rome.

Ant. Thank you.

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