Eno. Madam,
Cleo. Seek him, and bring him hither. Where's

Alexas ?
Alex. Here at your service. My lord approaches.

Enter Antony, with a Messenger, and Attendants. Cleo. We will not look upon him. Go with us. .

[Exeunt. Mes. Fulvia thy wife first came into the field Ant. Against my brother Lucius ?

Mef. Ay:
But foon that war had end, and the time's state
Made friends of them, jointing their force 'gainst

Cæsar,
Whofe better issue in the war from Italy,
Upon the first encounter, drave them.

Ant. Well, what worst?
Mes. The nature of bad news infects the teller.

Ant. When it concerns the fool or coward.--On.
Things, that are past, are done, with me.--'Tis thus;
Who tells me true, though in the tale lie death,
I hear him, as he flatter'd.

Mej. Labienus (this is stiff news)
Hath, with his Parthian force, 8 extended Asia;
From Euphrates his conquering banner shook,
From Syria to Lydia, and to Ionia ;
Whilft - .

Ant. Antony, thou wouldīt say,–
Mes. Oh, my lord!
Ant, Speak to me home, mince not the general

tongue ;
Name Cleopatra as she's call'd in Rome:

extended Afa;] i. e, widened or extended the bounds of the Lesser Afia.

WARB. To extend, is a term used for to seize; I know not whether that be not the sense here.

JOHNSON,

Rail

I 3

Rail thou’in Fulvia's phrase, and taunt my faults
With such full licence, as both truth and malice
Have power to utter. Oh, then we bring forth

weeds,
9 When our quick winds lie still; and our ill, told us,
Is as our earing. Fare thee well a while.

Mes. At your noble pleasure.
Ant. From Sicyon, how the news ? Speak there.
Mes. The man from Sicyon. Is there such an one?

[Exit Messenger. Attend. He stays upon your will.

Ant. Let him appear.
These strong Ægyptian fetters I must break,

Enter another Messenger.
Or lose myself in dotage. What are you

?
2 Mes. Fulvia thy wife is dead.
Ant. Where died she?

2 Mef. In Sicyon.
Her length of sickness, with what else more serious
Importeih thee to know, this bears. [Gives a Letter,
Ant. Forbear me.

[Exit Messenger.
There's a great ipirit gone! Thus did I desire it.
What our contempos do often hurl from us,
We with it our's again ; 'the present pleasure,
By revolution lowring, does become
The opposite of itself: she's good, being gone;

The

9 When cur quick winds lie fill;--] The sense is, that man, not agitated by censure, like foil not yentilated by quick winds, produces more evil than good.

JOHNSON. the present pleofure, By revolution lowring, does become

Tb: opposite of itself ;-) The allufion is to the fun's diurnal course; which rifing in the cast, and by revolution lowering, or fetting in the welf, becomes the ipposite of itself; This is an obscure passage. The explanation which Dr. War

burton

WARR

: The hand could pluck her back, that shov'd her on.
I must from this enchanting queen break off:
Ten thousand harms, more than the ills I know,
My idleness doth hatch. How now, Enobarbus?

Enter Erobarbus.

Eno. What's your pleasure, sir?
Ant. I must with haste from hence.

Eno. Why, then we kill all our women: we fee, how mortal an unkindness is to them; if they suffer our departure, death's the word.

Ani. I must be gone.

Eno. Under a compelling occasion, let women die. It were pity to cast them away for nothing; though between them and a great cause, they should be efteem'd nothing. Cleopatra, catching but the least noise of this, dies instantly; I have seen her die twenty times upon far poorer moment; I do think, there is mettle in death, which commits some loving act upon her, she hath such a celerity in dying.

Ant. She is cunning past man's thought.

Eno. Alack, sir, ro; her passions are made of nothing but the finest part of pure love. We cannot call her winds and waters, fighs and tears ; they are greater storms and tempests chan almanacks can report. This cannot be cunning in her; if it be, she makes a shower of rain as well as Jove. burton has offered is such, that I can add nothing to it; yet perhaps Shakespeare, who was less learned than his commentator, meant only, that our pleasures, as they are revolved in the mind,

JOHNSON. The band could pluck ber back, &c.] The verb could has a pecu. liar fignification in this place ; it does not denote poquer but inclination. The sense is, ibe hand ebar drove her of would now zvika lingly pluck her back again.

REVISAL. poorer moment ;] For less reason ; upon meaner motives.

JOHNSON. 1 4

Ant.

turn to pain.

2

Ant. 'Would I had never seen her!

Eno. Oh, fir, you had then left unseen a wonderful piece of work ; which, not to have been blest withal, would have discredited your travel. Ant. Fulvia is dead. Eno. Sir! Ant. Fulvia is dead. Eno. Fulvia ? Ant. Dead.

Eno. Why, sir, give the Gods a thankful facrifice. When it pleaseth their Deities to take the wife of a man from him, 4 it shews to man the tailors of the earth; comforting therein, that when old robes are worn out, there are members to make new. If there were no more women but Fulvia, then had you indeed a cut, and the case were to be lamented : this grief is crowned with consolation ; your old smock brings forth a new petticoat:-And, indeed, the tears live in an onion that should water this forrow.

Ant. The business, she hath broached in the state, Cannot endure my absence.

Eno. And the business, you have broached here, cannot be without you; especially that of Cleopatra's, which wholly depends on your abode.

Ant. No more light answers. Let our officers Have notice what we purpose: I shall break

4 it shews to man the tailors of the earth, comforting therein, &c.] I have printed this after the original, which, though harsh and obfcure, I know not how to amend. Sir Tho. Hanmer reads, They thew to man the tailors of the eartb comforting him therein. I I think the pafrage, with somewhat less alteration, for alteration is always dangerous, may stand thus; It fews to men the tailors of the earib, comforting them, &c.

Johnson, The meaning is this. As the Gods have been pleased to take away your wife Fulvia, fo they have provided you with a new one in Cleopatra; in like manner as the tailors of the earth, when your old garments are worn out, accommodate you with new ones. ANONYMOUS.

s The cause of our expedience to the queen,
And
get

her leave to part. For not alone
The death of Fulvia, with more urgent touches,
Do strongly speak to us; but the letters too
Of

many our contriving friends in Rome ? Petition us at home. Sextus Pompeius Hath given the dare to Cæsar, and commands The empire of the sea. Our Nippery people (Whose love is never link'd to the deserver, Till his deserts are past) begin to throw Pompey the Great and all his dignities Upon his son, who, high in name and power, Higher than both in blood and life, stands up For the main soldier ; whose quality, going on, The sides o’che world may danger. Much is breeding, Which, like the 8 courser's hair, hath yet but life, And not a serpent's poison. 'Say, our pleasure To such whose places under us, requires Our quick remove from hence. Eno. I shall do't.

[Exeunt.

6

5 The cause of our expedience..]Expedience for expedition. Warb.

- more urgent rouches,} Things that touch me more fenfibly, more pressing motives.

Johnson. ? Petition us at home. -] With us at home ; call for us to reside at home.

JOHNSON. -lhe courfir's bair, &c.] Alludes to an old idle notion that the hair of a horse dropt into corrupted water, will turn to an animal.

Pope. -Say, our pleasure To such whole places under us require

Our quick remove from bence.) Such is this passage in the first copy. The late editors have all altered it, or received it altered in filence thus :

Say, our pleasure,
To fuch whoje place is under us, requires

Our quick remove from bence.
This is hardly sense. I believe we should read,

Their quick remove from hence. Tell our design of going away to those, who being by their places obliged to attend us, must remove in halte.

JOHNSON. SCENE