SCENE V. Changes to a Camp. Trumpets found. Enter Antony, and Eros; a foldier meeting them. 2 * Sold. The Gods make this a happy day to Antony! Ant. 'Would, thou and those thy fcars had once prevail'd To make me fight at land! Eros. Hadft thou done fo, The kings, that have revolted, and the foldier, Ant. Who's gone this morning? Eros. Who? One ever near thee. Call for Enobarbus, He shall not hear thee; or from Cæfar's camp Ant. What fay'st thou? Sold. Sir, He is with Cæfar. Eros. Sir, his chefts and treasure He has not with him. Ant. Is he gone? Sold. Moft certain. Ant. Go, Eros, fend his treasure after; do it, 2 Eros. The Gods make this a happy day to Antony!] 'Tis evident, as Dr. Thirlby likewife conjectured, by what Antony immediately replies, that this line fhould not be placed to Eros, but to the foldier, who, before the battle of Actium, advised Antony to try bis fate at land. THEOB. To To change a mafter. Oh, my fortunes have Corrupted honeft men! Dispatch. Enobarbus! SCENE VI. CESAR's CAMP. [Exeunt. Enter Cafar, Agrippa, with Enobarbus and Dolabella. · Caf. Go forth, Agrippa, and begin the fight: + Our will is, Antony be took alive; Make it fo known. Agr. Cæfar, I fhall. Caf. The time of univerfal peace is near. Prove this a profperous day, the three-nook'd world Shall bear the olive freely. Enter a Messenger. Mef. Antony is come into the field. Caf. Go, charge Agrippa; Plant thofe that have revolted in the van; 3-Dispatch, my Eros.] Thus the modern editors. The old edition reads, Dispatch Enobarbus. Perhaps, it should be, -Dispatch! To Enobarbus! JOHNSON. Our will is, Antony be took alive;] It is obfervable with what judgment Shakespeare draws the character of Octavius. Antony was his hero; fo the other was not to shine: yet being an histo rical character, there was a neceffity to draw him like. But the antient hiftorians, his flatterers, had delivered him down fo fair, that he seems ready cut and dried for a hero. Amidst these diffi culties Shakespeare has extricated himself with great addrefs. He has admitted all those great ftrokes of his character as he found them, and yet has made him a very unamiable character, deceitful, mean-fpirited, narrrow-minded, proud, and revengeful. WARBURTON. s Shall bear the olive freely.] i. e. fhall fpring up every where fpontaneously and without culture. WARBURTON. That That Antony may feem to spend his fury [Exeunt. Eno. Alexas did revolt; and went to Jewry, on Affairs of Antony; there did perfuade 6 Great Herod to incline himself to Cæfar, Enter a Soldier of Cæfar's. Sold. Enobarbus, Antony Hath after thee fent all thy treasure, with Eno. I give it you. Sold. Mock not, Enobarbus. I tell you true. Best you fafed the bringer Out of the hoft; I must attend mine office, Eno. I am alone the villain of the earth, [Exit. Thou mine of bounty, how wouldst thou have paid My better service, when my turpitude Thou doft fo crown, with gold! 7 This blows my heart; If fwift thought break it not, a fwifter mean Shall perfuade] The old copy has diffuade, perhaps rightly. JOHNSON. ↑ —This blows my heart;] All the latter editions have, This bows my heart; I have given the original word again the place from which I think Shall out-strike thought; but thought will do't, I feel. I fight against thee!-No: I will go feek Some ditch, where I may die; the foul'ft best fits My latter part of life. SCENE VII. Before the Walls of Alexandria. [Exit. Alarm. Drums and Trumpets. Enter Agrippa. Agr. Retire, we have engag'd ourselves too far: Cæfar himself has work, and our oppreffion 8 Exceeds what we expected. Alarm. Enter Antony, and Scarus wounded. [Exit. Scar. O my brave emperor! this is fought indeed! Had we done fo at first, we had driven them home With clouts about their heads. Ant. Thou bleed'it apace. Scar. I had a wound here that was like a T, But now 'tis made an H. Ant. They do retire. Scar. We'll beat 'em into bench-holes; I have Room for fix fcotches more. Enter Eros. yet Eros. They are beaten, fir, and our advantage ferves For a fair victory. it unjustly excluded. This generofity, (fays Enobarbus) fwells my heart, fo that it will quickly break, if thought break it not, a fwifter mean. JOHNSON. 8 -and our oppreffion.] Oppreffion for oppofition, WARB. Sir T. Hanmer has received oppofition. Perhaps rightly. JOHNSON. Scar. Scar. Let us fcore their backs, And fnatch 'em up as we take hares, behind: 'Tis sport to maul a runner. Ant. I will reward thee Once for thy fprightly comfort, and ten-fold Scar. I'll halt after. [Exeunt. Alarm. Enter Antony again in a march. Scarus with others. Ant. We have beat him to his camp; run one before, And let the queen know of our guests.-To-morrow, 9 -run one before, -] And let the queen know of our guests.What guests was the queen to know of? Antony was to fight again on the morrow; and he had not yet faid a word of marching to Alexandria, and treating his officers in the palace. We must read, And let the queen know of our gefts. i. e. res gefte; our feats, our glorious actions. A term then in common ufe. WARBURTON. This paffage needs neither correction nor explanation. Antony after his fuccefs intends to bring his officers to fup with Cleopatra, and orders notice to be given her of their guests. JOHNSON. Enter |