And he will fill thy wishes to the brim

With principalities.

Cleo. That head, my lord?

Ant. To him again; Tell him, he wears the rose

Of youth upon him; from which the world should note
Something particular: his coin, ships, legions,

May be a coward's; whose ministers would prevail
Under the service of a child, as soon

As i' the command of Cæsar: I dare him therefore
To lay his gay comparisons* apart,

And answer me declined, sword against sword,
Ourselves alone: I'll write it; follow me.

[Exeunt ANTONY and EUPHRONIUS.

Eno. Yes, like enough, high-battled Cæsar will
Unstate his happiness, and be staged to the show,t
Against a sworder.-I see, men's judgments are
A parcel of their fortunes; and things outward
Do draw the inward quality after them,

To suffer all alike. That he should dream,
Knowing all measures, the full Cæsar will
Answer his emptiness!-Cæsar, thou hast subdued
His judgment too.

Enter an ATTENDANT.

Att. A messenger from Cæsar.

Cleo. What, no more ceremony ?-See, my women !—

Against the blown rose may they stop their nose,

That kneel'd unto the buds.-Admit him, Sir.

Eno. Mine honesty, and I, begin to square. §

The loyalty, well held to fools, does make
Our faith mere folly :-Yet he, that can endure
To follow with allegiance a fallen lord,

Does conquer him that did his master conquer,
And earns a place i' the story.

Cleo. Cæsar's will?

Thyr. Hear it apart.

Enter THYREUS.

Cleo. None but friends; say boldly.

Thyr. So, haply, they are friends to Antony.
Eno. He needs as many, Sir, as Cæsar has;
Or needs not us. If Cæsar please, our master
Will leap to be his friend: For us, you know,
Whose he is, we are; and that's Cæsar's.
Thyr. So.-

Thus then, thou most renown'd; Cæsar entreats,
Not to consider in what case thou stand'st,
Further than he is Cæsar.

Cleo. Go on, right royal.

Thyr. He knows, that you embrace not Antony As you did love, but as you fear'd him.

*Circumstances of greater splendour.

+ Make an exhibition of himself.

[Aside.

Cleo. O!

Thyr. The scars upon your honour, therefore, he Does pity, as constrained blemishes,

Not as deserved.

Cleo. He is a god, and knows

What is most right: Mine honour was not yielded,
But conquer'd merely.

Eno. To be sure of that,

I will ask Antony.-Sir, Sir, thou'rt so leaky,
That we must leave thee to thy sinking, for
Thy dearest quit thee.

Thyr. Shall I say to Cæsar,

[Aside.

[Exit ENOBARBUS.

What you require of him? for he partly begs
To be desired to give. It much would please him,
That of his fortunes you should make a staff

:

To lean upon but it would warm his spirits,
To hear from me you had left Antony,

And put yourself under his shroud,

The universal landlord.

Cleo. What's your name?
Thyr. My name is Thyreus.
Cleo. Most kind messenger,

Say to great Cæsar this, In deputation

I kiss his conqu'ring hand: tell him, I am prompt
To lay my crown at his feet, and there to kneel:
Tell him, from his all-obeying* breath I hear
The doom of Egypt.

Thyr. 'Tis your noblest course.

Wisdom and fortune combating together,

If that the former dare but what it can,

No chance may shake it. Give me gracet to lay
My duty on your hand.

Cleo. Your Cæsar's father

Oft, when he hath mused of taking kingdoms in,+
Bestow'd his lips on that unworthy place,

As it rain'd kisses.

Re-enter ANTONY and ENOBARBUS.

Ant. Favours, by Jove that thunders!

What art thou, fellow ?

Thyr. One, that but performs

The bidding of the fullest § man, and worthiest

To have command obey'd.

Eno. You will be whipp'd.

Ant. Approach, there:-Ay, you kite!-Now gods and devils!

Authority melts from me: Of late, when I cried, ho!

Like boys unto a muss, kings would start forth,

And cry, Your will? Have ye no ears? I am

Enter ATTENDANTS.

Antony yet. Take hence this Jack, and whip him.

* Obeyed. Best.

+ Grant me the favour.

Scramble.

Conquering them.

Eno. 'Tis better playing with a lion's whelp, Than with an old one dying.

Ant. Moon and stars!

Whip him:-Were't twenty of the greatest tributaries
That do acknowledge Cæsar, should I find them

So saucy with the hand of she here, (What's her name,
Since she was Cleopatra ?)—Whip him, fellows,
Till, like a boy, you see him cringe his face,
And whine aloud for mercy: Take him hence.
Thyr. Mark Antony,-

Ant. Tug him away: being whipp'd,

Bring him again :-This Jack of Caesar's shall
Bear us an errand to him.-

[Exeunt ATTENDANTS, with THYREUS,

You were half blasted ere I knew you:-Ha!
Have I my pillow left unpress'd in Rome,
Forborne the getting of a lawful race,

And by a gem of women, to be abused
By one that looks on feeders ?*
Cleo. Good my lord,-

Ant. You have been a boggler ever :

But when we in our viciousness grow hard

(O misery on't!) the wise gods seelt our eyes;

In our own filth drop our clear judgments; make us
Adore our errors; laugh at us, while we strut
To our confusion.

Cleo. O, is it come to this?

Ant. I found you as a morsel, cold upon

Dead Cæsar's trencher: nay, you were a fragment
Of Cneius Pompey's; besides what hotter hours,
Unregister'd in vulgar fame, you have
Luxuriously pick'd out:-For I am sure,

Though you can guess what temperance should be,
You know not what it is.

Cleo. Wherefore is this?

Ant. To let a fellow that will take rewards,
And say, God quit you! be familiar with
My playfellow, your hand; this kingly seal,
And plighter of high hearts!-O, that I were
Upon the hill of Basan, to outroar

The horned herd! for I have savage cause;
And to proclaim it civilly, were like

A halter'd neck, which does the hangman thank

For being yare§ about him.-Is he whipp'd?

Re-enter ATTENDANTS, with THYREUS.

1 Att. Soundly, my lord.

Ant. Cry'd he? and begg'd he pardon?

1 Att. He did ask favour.

Ant. If that thy father live, let him repent

Thou wast not made his daughter; and be thou sorry

To follow Cæsar in his triumph, since

* Servants.

† Close up.

+ Wantonly.

§ Handy.

Thou hast been whipp'd for following him: henceforth,
The white hand of a lady fever thee,

Shake thou to look on't.-Get thee back to Cæsar,
Tell him thy entertainment: Look, thou say,
He makes me angry with him: for he seems
Proud and disdainful; harping on what I am:
Not what he knew I was: He makes me angry;
And at this time most easy 'tis to do't;

When my good stars, that were my former guides,
Have empty left their orbs, and shot their fires
Into the abism of hell. If he mislike

My speech, and what is done; tell him, he has
Hipparchus, my enfranchised bondman, whom
He may at pleasure whip, or hang, or torture,
As he shall like, to quit me: Urge it thou:
Hence, with thy stripes, begone.

Cleo. Have you done yet?

Ant. Alack, our terrenet moon

Is now eclipsed; and it portends alone
The fall of Antony!

Cleo. I must stay his time.

Ant. To fiatter Caesar, would you mingle eyes

With one that ties his points?

Cleo. Not know me yet?

Ant. Cold-hearted toward me?

Cleo. Ah, dear, if I be so,

From my cold heart let heaven engender hail,
And poison it in the source; and the first stone
Drop in my neck; as it determines,§ so
Dissolve my life! The next Cæsarion || smite!
Till, by degrees, the memory of my womb,
Together with my brave Egyptians all,
By the discandying of this pelleted storm,
Lie graveless; till the flies and gnats of Nile
Have buried them for prey!

Ant. I am satisfied.

Cæsar sits down in Alexandria; where

I will oppose his fate. Our force by land

Hath nobly held; our sever'd navy too

[Exit-THYREUS.

Have knit again, and fleet,** threat'ning most sealike.

Where hast thou been, my heart?-Dost thou hear, lady?

If from the field I shall return once more

To kiss these lips, I will appear in blood;

I and my sword will earn our chronicle;

There is hope in it yet.

Cleo. That's my brave lord!

Ant. I will be treble-sinew'd, hearted, breath'd, And fight maliciously: for when mine hours Were nicett and lucky, men did ransom lives

Of me for jests; but now, I'll set my teeth,

And send to darkness all that stop me.-Come,
Let's have one other gaudy* night: call to me
All my sad captains, fill our bowls; once more
Let's mock the midnight bell.

Cleo. It is my birth-day:

I had thought, to have held it poor; but, since my lord
Is Antony again, I will be Cleopatra.

Ant. We'll yet do well.

Cleo. Call all his noble captains to my lord.

Ant. Do so, we'll speak to them; and to-night I'll force The wine peep through their scars.-Come on, my queen; There's sap in 't yet. The next time I do fight,

I'll make death love me; for I will contend

Even with his pestilent scythe.

[Exeunt ANTONY, CLEOPATRA, and Attendants. Eno. Now he'll out-stare the lightning. To be furious,

Is, to be frighted out of fear: and in that mood,
The dove will peck the estridge; † and I see still,

A diminution in our captain's brain

Restores his heart: When valour preys on reason,
It eats the sword it fights with. I will seek
Some way to leave him.

ACT IV.

SCENE I-CESAR'S Camp at Alexandria.

[Exit.

Enter CESAR, reading a Letter; AGRIPPA, MECENAS and others.

Cæs. He calls me boy; and chides, as he had power

To beat me out of Egypt: my messenger

He hath whipp'd with rods; dares me to personal combat,
Cæsar to Antony: Let the old ruffian know,

I have many other ways to die; mean time,

Laugh at his challenge.

Mec. Cæsar must think

When one so great begins to rage, he's hunted
Even to falling. Give him no breath, but now
Make boot of his distraction: Never anger
Made good guard for itself.

Cæs. Let our best heads

Know, that to-morrow the last of many battles
We mean to fight:-Within our files there are
Of those that served Mark Antony but late,
Enough to fetch him in. See it be done;
And feast the army: we have store to do't,
And they have earn'd the waste. Poor Antony!

[Exeunt.

Take advantage.