He needs must see himself.

Cæs.

O Antony!
I have follow'd thee to this. - But we do lance
Diseases in our bodies: I must perforce
Have shown to thee such a declining day
Or look on thine; we could not stall together
In the whole world: but yet let me lament,
With tears as sovereign as the blood of hearts,
That thou, my brother, my competitor
In top of all design, my mate in empire,
Friend and companion in the front of war,
The arm of mine own body, and the heart
Where mine his thoughts did kindle, that our stars,
Unreconciliable, should divide

Our equalness to this. - Hear me, good friends, -
But I will tell you at some meeter season:

Enter a Messenger.

The business of this man looks out of him;

We'll hear him what he says. - Whence are you?

Mess. A poor Egyptian yet. The queen my mistress,

Confin'd in all she has, her monument,

Of thy intents desires instruction,

That she preparedly may frame herself

To the way she's forc'd to.

She soon shall know of us, by some of ours,
How honourable and how kindly we

Cas.

Bid her have good heart:

So the gods preserve thee!

Determine for her; for Cæsar cannot learn

Cæs. Come hither, Proculeius. Go, and say

We purpose her no shame: give her what comforts
The quality of her passion shall require,

Lest, in her greatness, by some mortal stroke

She do defeat us; for her life in Rome

Would be eternal in our triumph: go,

And with your speediest bring us what she says,

And how you find of her.

[Exit.

Pro.

Cæsar, I shall.

[Exit.

300

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.

ACT V.

Cæs. Gallus, go you along.-[Exit GALLUS.] Where's Dolabella,

To second Proculeius?

Agr. and Mec.

Dolabella!

Caes. Let him alone, for I remember now
How he's employ'd: he shall in time be ready.
Go with me to my tent; where you shall see
How hardly I was drawn into this war;
How calm and gentle I proceeded still
In all my writings: go with me, and see
What I can show in this.

[Exeunt.

SCENE II.-ALEXANDRIA. A Room in the Monument.

Enter CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, and IRAs.

Cleo. My desolation does begin to make
A better life. 'Tis paltry to be Cæsar;
Not being Fortune, he's but Fortune's knave,
A minister of her will: and it is great

To do that thing that ends all other deeds;
Which shackles accidents and bolts up change;
Which sleeps, and never palates more the dug,
The beggar's nurse and Cæsar's.

Enter, to the gates of the Monument, PROCULEIUS, Gallus, and Soldiers.

Pro. Cæsar sends greeting to the Queen of Egypt; And bids thee study on what fair demands

Thou mean'st to have him grant thee.

Cleo.

Pro. My name is Proculeius.
Cleo.

What's thy name?

Antony

Did tell me of you, bade me trust you; but

I do not greatly care to be deceiv'd,

That have no use for trusting. If your master

Would have a queen his beggar, you must tell him
That majesty, to keep decorum, must

No less beg than a kingdom: if he please
To give me conquer'd Egypt for my son,
He gives me so much of mine own as I
Will kneel to him with thanks.

Be of good cheer;

Pro.
You are fallen into a princely hand, fear nothing:
Make your full reference freely to my lord,
Who is so full of grace that it flows over

SCENE II.

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.

On all that need: let me report to him
Your sweet dependency; and you shall find
A conqueror that will pray in aid for kindness
Where he for grace is kneel'd to.

Cleo.

Pray you, tell him
I am his fortune's vassal, and I send him
The greatness he has got. I hourly learn
A doctrine of obedience; and would gladly
Look him i' the face.

Pro.

This I'll report, dear lady.

Have comfort, for I know your plight is pitied

Of him that caus'd it.

301

Gal. You see how easily she may be surpris'd: [Here PROCULEIUS and two of the Guard ascend the Monument by a ladder placed against a window, and, having descended, come behind CLEOPATRA. Some of the Guard unbar and open the gates.

Guard her till Cæsar come. [To PRO. and the Guard. Exit. Iras. Royal queen!

Char. O Cleopatra! thou art taken, queen!

Cleo. Quick, quick, good hands.

Pro.

[Drawing a dagger.

Hold, worthy lady, hold: [Seizes and disarms her.

Do not yourself such wrong, who are in this

Reliev'd, but not betray'd.

Cleo.

What, of death too,

Cleopatra,

That rids our dogs of languish?

Pro.

Do not abuse my master's bounty by
The undoing of yourself: let the world see
His nobleness well acted, which your death
Will never let come forth.

Cleo.

Where art thou, death? Come hither, come! come, come, and take a queen Worth many babes and beggars!

Pro.

O, temperance, lady!
Cleo. Sir, I will eat no meat, I'll not drink, sir;
If idle talk will once be accessary,

I'll not sleep neither: this mortal house I'll ruin,
Do Cæsar what he can. Know, sir, that I
Will not wait pinion'd at your master's court;
Nor once be chástis d with the sober eye
Of dull Octavia. Shall they hoist me up,
And show me to the shouting varletry
Of censuring Rome? Rather a ditch in Egypt
Be gentle grave unto me! rather on Nilus' mud

Dol.

Proculeius,
What thou hast done thy master Cæsar knows,
And he hath sent for thee: as for the queen,

I'll take her to my guard.

Pro.

So, Dolabella,

It shall content me best: be gentle to her.-
To Cæsar I will speak what you shall please,

se,

[TO CLEOPATRA.

Say I would die.

[Exeunt PROCULEIUS and Soldiers.

Dol. Most noble empress, you have heard of me?

Cleo. I cannot tell.

Dol.

Assuredly you know me.

Cleo. No matter, sir, what I have heard or known. You laugh when boys or women tell their dreams; Is't not your trick?

Dol.

I understand not, madam.

Cleo. I dream'd there was an emperor Antony:

O, such another sleep, that I might see

But such another man!

Dol.

If it might please

you,

Cleo. His face was as the heavens; and therein stuck A sun and moon, which kept their course, and lighted The little O, the earth.

Dol.
Cleo. His legs bestrid the ocean: his rear'd arm
Crested the world: his voice was propertied
As all the tuned spheres, and that to friends;
But when he meant to quail and shake the orb,
He was as rattling thunder. For his bounty,
There was no winter in't; an autumn 'twas
That grew the more by reaping: his delights
Were dolpin-like; they show'd his back above
The element they liv'd in: in his livery
Walk'd crowns and crownets; realms and islands were
As plates dropp'd from his pocket.

Most sovereign creature,

SCENE II.

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.

Cleopatra,

Dol.

Cleo. Think you there was or might be such a mə As this I dream'd of?

Dol.

Gentle madam, no.

Cleo. You lie, up to the hearing of the gods.
But if there be, or ever were, one such,

It's past the size of dreaming: nature wants stuff
To vie strange forms with fancy: yet to imagine
An Antony were nature's piece 'gainst fancy,
Condemning shadows quite.

Dol.

Hear me, good madam.
Your loss is, as yourself, great; and you bear it
As answering to the weight: would I might never
O'ertake pursu'd success, but I do feel,

By the rebound of yours, a grief that smites
My very heart at root.

Cleo.

I thank you, sir.

Know you what Cæsar means to do with me?

Dol. I am loth to tell you what I would you knew.
Cleo. Nay, pray you, sir,—

Dol.

Cleo. He'll lead me, then, in triumph?

Dol.

I know it.

303

Though he be honourable,—

Madam, he will;

[Flourish within.

Within. Make way there,-Cæsar!

Enter CESAR, GALLUS, PROCULEIUS, MECENAS, SELEUCUS,

and Attendants.

Cæs. Which is the Queen of Egypt?
Dol. It is the emperor, madam.
Cæs. Arise, you shall not kneel:-
I pray you rise; rise, Egypt.

[CLEOPATRA kneels.

Cleo.
Sir, the gods
Will have it thus; my master and my lord
I must obey.

Cæs. Take to you no hard thoughts:
The record of what injuries you did us,
Though written in our flesh, we shall remember
As things but done by chance.

Cleo.

Sole sir o' the world,

I cannot project mine own cause so well
To make it clear: but do confess I have
Been laden with like frailties which before
Have often sham'd our sex.

Cæs.

Cleopatra, know We will extenuate rather than enforce :