He fends fo poor a pinnion of his wing,
Which had fuperfluous Kings for messengers,
Not many moons gone by.

Enter Ambaffador from Antony.

Caf. Approach and speak.

Amb. Such as I am, I come from Antony: I was of late as petty to his ends,

As is the morn-dew on the myrtle leaf

To his grand fea.

Caf. Be't fo, declare thine office.

Amb. Lord of his fortunes he falutes thee, and
Requires to live in Egypt; which not granted,
He leffens his requests, and to thee fues,

To let him breathe between the heav'ns and earth,
A private man in Athens: this for him.
Next, Cleopatra does confefs thy greatness;
Submits her to thy might, and of thee craves
The circle of the Ptolemies for her heirs,
Now hazarded to thy grace.

Caf. For Antony,

I have no ears to his request. The Queen
Of audience, nor desire, shall fail; so the
From ypt drive her all-difgraced friend,
Or take his life there. This if the perform,
She shall not fue unheard. So to them both.
Amb. Fortune pursue thee!

Caf. Bring him through the bands: [Exit Ambafador.
To try thy eloquence now 'tis time; difpatch,
From Antony win Cleopatra, promife;

[To Thyreus. And, in our name, when the requires, add more, From thine invention, offers. Women are not In their best fortunes ftrong; but want will perjure The ne'er-touch'd veftal Try thy cunning, Thyreus; Make thine own edict for thy pains, which we Will anfwer as a law.

Thyr. Cafar, go.

Cef. Obferve, how Antony becomes his flaw; And what thou think'ft his very action fpeaks In every power that moves.

Thyr. Cæfar, I fhall.

[Exeunt

SCENE changes to Alexandria.

Enter Cleopatra, Enobarbus, Charmian, and Iras.

Cleo.

HAT fhall we do, Enobarbus?

WHAT

Eno. Think, and die.

Cleo. Is Antony, or we, in fault for this?

Eno. Antony only, that would make his will
Lord of his reafon. What although you fled
From that great face of war, whofe feveral ranges
Frighted each other? why fhould he follow you ?
The itch of his affection fhould not then

Have nickt his captainfhip; at fuch a point,
When half to half the world oppos'd, he being
The meered queftion. 'Twas a fhame no lefs
Than was his lofs, to course your flying flags,
And leave his navy gazing.

Cleo. Pr'ythee, peace.

Enter Antony, with the Ambassador.,

Ant. Is that his answer?

Amb. Ay, my Lord.

Ant. The Queen fhall then have courtesy, So fhe will yield us up.

Amb. He fays fo.

Ant. Let her know't.

To the boy Cæfar fend this grizzled head,
And he will fill thy wishes to the brim
With Principalities.

Cleo. Thy head, my Lord?

Aut. To him again; tell him, he wears the rofe
Of youth upon him; from which, the world fhould note
Something particular; his coin, fhips, legions,

May be a coward's, whofe minifters would prevail
Under the service of a child, as soon

As i'th' command of Cæfar. I dare him therefore
To lay his gay comparisons apart,

And answer me declin'd, fword against sword,

Ourselves alone; I'll write it, follow me. [Exit Antony.

Eno.

Eno. Yes, like enough; high-battled Cæfar will
Unftate his happiness, and be ftag'd to th' fhew
Against a fworder.- -I fee, men's judgments are
A parcel of their fortunes, and things outward
Do draw the inward quality after them,

To fuffer all alike. That he should dream,
Knowing all measures, the full Cæfar will

Answer his emptinefs!Cafar, thou haft fubdu'd
His judgment too.

Enter a Servant.

Serv. A meffenger from Cæfar.

Cleo. What, no more ceremony? fee, my women,-
Against the blown rofe may they stop their nofe,
That kneel'd unto the buds. Admit him, Sir.

Eno. (40) Mine honefty and I begin to square;
Tho' loyalty, well held, to fools does make
Our faith mere folly: yet he, that can endure
To follow with allegiance a fall'n Lord,
Does conquer him that did his master conquer,
And earns a place i'th' story.

Enter Thyreus.

Cleo. Cafar's will?

Thyr. Hear it apart.

Cleo. None but friends; fay boldly.
Thyr. So, haply, are they friends to Antony.
Eno. He needs as many, Sir, as Cæfar has:
Or needs not us. If Cæfar please, our master

(40) Mine bonefly and I begin to fquare;

The loyalty, well held to fools, does make

Our faith mere folly: &c.]

If I fee any thing of the Poet's fentiment in this paffage, both the text and pointing are flightly deprav'd; and, I think, I have reform'd both justly. After Enobarbus has faid, that his honefty and he begin to quarrel, (i. e. that his reafon fhews him to be mistaken in his firm adherence to Antony ;) he immediately falls into this generous reflection: "Tho' loyalty, ftubbornly preferv'd to a Master in his de"clin'd fortunes, feems folly in the eyes of fools; (i.e. men, who "have not honour enough to think more wifely ;) yet he, who can be fo obftinately loyal, will make as great a figure on record, as "the conqueror.'

Will leap to be his friend; for, as you know,
Whofe he is, we are, and that's Cafar's.
Thyr. So.

Thus then, thou most renown'd, Cæfar intreats,
Not to confider in what cafe thou ftand'ft

Further than he is Cefar.

As

C'eo. Go on ;

right royal.

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

Cleo. Oh!

Afide.

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

Not as defer'd.

Cleo. He is a God, and knows

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

Eno. To be fure of that,

I will afk Antony

Sir, thou'rt fo leaky,

That we must leave thee to thy finking, for

Thy deareft quit thee.

Thyr. Shall I fay to Cæfar

What you require of him? he partly begs,

[Exit Eno.

To be defir'd to give. It much would please him,
That of his fortunes you would 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 fhroud, the univerfal landlord. Cleo. What's your name?

Thyr. My name is Thyreus.

Cleo. (41) Moft kind meffenger,

Say to great Cæfar this; in deputation

(41) Moft kind messenger;

Say to great Cæfar this in difputation,

I kifs bis conqu'ring band :]

I kifs

Again, the pointing and text must be corrected. If the fagacious Editors can reasonably expound Difputation, here, I allow them to fee farther into a miliftone than I pretend to do. The Poet certainly wrote, (as Mr. Warburton likewise faw, we must restore ;)

Moft kind me lenger,

Say to great Cæfar this; in deputation
Akifs his conquring band:

I kifs his conqu'ring hand: tell him, I'm prompt
To lay my crown at's feet, and there to kneel.
Tell him, that from his all-obeying breath
I hear the doom of Egypt.

Thyr. 'Tis your noblest courfe :

Wisdom and fortune combating together,
If that the former dare but what it can,
No chance may shake it. Give me grace to lay
My duty on your hand.

Cleo. Your Cafar's father oft,

When he hath mus'd of taking kingdoms in,
Bestow'd his lips on that unworthy place,
As it rain'd kiffes.

Enter Antony, and Enobarbus.

Ant. Favours! by Jove, that thunders.

[Seeing Thyreus kifs her hand.

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

and Devils!

ah, you kite! now, Gods

Authority melts from me of late. When I cry'd, hoa!
Like boys unto a mufs, Kings would start forth,
And cry, your will? have you no ears?

I'm Antony yet. Take hence this Jack, and whip him.

i.e. by Proxy; I depute you to pay him that duty in my name. Our Author has employ'd this word in several other paffages.

Lent him our terror, dreft him with our love,

And giv'n his deputation all the organs

Of our own pow'r.

And that his friends by deputation

Could not fo foon be drawn.

Of all the fav'rites, that the absent King
In deputation left behind him here,

-Sometimes, great Agamemnon,
Thy topless deputation he puts on,

Meaf. for Meaf

1 Henry IV.

Ibid.

Troilus, &c. &c.

Enter