Enter CÆSAR, ANTONY, and DOLABELLA. My lustful folly rather! But 'tis well, In which I passed so many seas of dangers, Dol. Be still Cæsar, Who ever loved to exercise his fate, Fall not alone: let the king and his sister They both are guilty! Reason may assure you, Or shake one dart, or sword, aimed at your safety, Without their warrant. Casar. For the young king, I know not How he may be misled; but for his sister, Unequalled Cleopatra, 'twere a kind Of blasphemy to doubt her: Ugly treason Durst never dwell in such a glorious building; Nor can so clear and great a spirit as her's is Admit of falsehood. Ant. Let us seize on him then; And leave her to her fortune. Dol. If he have power, Use it to your security, and let His honesty acquit him; if he be false, Cæsar. He comes, and I Shall do as I find cause. Enter PTOLOMY, ACHOREUS, and APOLLODO RUS. Ptol. Let not great Cæsar To you my guest, to me! I am contemned, Provided that I fell a sacrifice To gain you safety! That this is not feigned, I now had led them on, and given fair gloss Casar. This pleads your excuse, Achor. If they've any touch The authority of our gods, to call them back Apol. This part of the palace Is yet defensible; we may make it good 'Till your powers rescue us. Casar. Cæsar besieged? Oh, stain to my great actions! 'Twas my custom To be first in the chase; nor walls, nor bulwark SCENE II. Enter PHOTINUS, Achillas, SEPTIMIUS, and Soldiers. Pho. There's no retiring now; we are broke in; The deed past hope of pardon. If we prosper, To dare, and power to do, gave the first difference Achil. The deed is bloody, If we conclude in Ptolomy's death. Had her walls watered with a crimson shower, Drained from a brother's heart; nor was she raised To this prodigious height, that overlooks Pho. Well said, Septimius! Thou now art right again. Achil. But what course take we For the princess Cleopatra ? Pho. Let her live A while, to make us sport; she shall authorize Leave me to work her. Achil. I will undertake For Ptolomy. Sept. Cæsar shall be my task; Enter above, CÆSAR, PTOLOMY, ACHOREUS, As they desired a parley. Pho. I am proud yet I have brought them to capitulate. Ptol. Now, Photinus? Pho. Now, Ptolomy! Ptol. No addition! Pho. We are equal, ODL Though Cæsar's name were put into the scale, In which our worth is weighed. Casar. Presumptuous villain! Upon what grounds hast thou presumed to raise Pho. On those, by which Thou didst presume to pass the Rubicon Think on that, Cæsar! Cæsar. Oh, the gods! be braved thus? And be compelled to bear this from a slave, That would not brook great Pompey his superior! Achil. Thy glories now have touched the highest point, And must descend. Pho. Despair, and think we stand The champions of Rome, to wreak her wrongs, Upon whose liberty thou hast set thy foot. Sept. And that the ghosts of all those noble That by thy sword fell in this civil war, Ant. Darest thou speak, and remember Pho. There's no hope to 'scape us! If that, against the odds we have upon you, Ant. Let us die nobly; [Exeunt PHO. ACHIL. SEPT And rather fall upon each other's sword, Than come into these villains' hands. Casar. That fortune, Which to this hour hath been a friend to Cæsar, Though for a while she cloathe her brow with frowns, Will smile again upon me: Who will pay her Her best of works in me? or suffer him, Her sovereign lord, to end ingloriously low, SCENE III. Enter SEPTIMIUS. Sept. I feel my resolution melts again, And that I am not knave alone, but fool, In all my purposes. This devil Photinus Employs me as a property, and, grown useless, Will shake me off again: He told me so, When I killed Pompey; nor can I hope better, When Cæsar is dispatched. Services done For such as only study their own ends, Too great to be rewarded, are returned With deadly hate: I learned this principle In his own school. Yet still he fools me; well; And yet he trusts me: Since I in my nature Was fashioned to be false, wherefore should I, That killed my general, and a Roman, one To whom I owed all nourishments of life, Be true to an Egyptian? To save Cæsar, And turn Photinus' plots on his own head, (As it is in my power) redeem my credit, And live, to lie, and swear again in fashion, Oh, 'twere a master-piece! Ha! curse me! Cæsar? How's he got off? Enter CESAR, PTOLOMY, ANTONY, DOLABELLA, ACHOReus, ApollodoRUS, and Soldiers. Casar. The fire has took, And shews the city like a second Troy ; Make spoil of all: Only Achillas' troops I'll lead you like a thunderbolt! Sept. Stay, Cæsar. Casar. Who's this? the dog Septimius? Dol. You barked but now; fawn you so soon? What I'll deliver is for Cæsar's safety, Ant. Good from a mouth like thine, That never belched but blasphemy and treason, On festival days! Sept. I'm an altered man, Altered indeed; and I will give you cause To say I am a Roman. Dol. Rogue, I grant thee. To me alone, but bound by terrible oaths A dismal vault, whose dreadful mouth does open Ant. If you believe him, He'll bury us alive. Dol. I'll fly in th' air first. Sept. Then in the dead of night, I'll bring you back Into a private room, where you shall find What follows? Sept. Fall me fairly on their throats: Their heads cut off and shorn, the multitude Will easily disperse. Casar. Oh, devil! away with him! Make way for us: And that it may appear 1 Sold. Here's a belt; Though I die for it, I'll use it. 2 Sold. 'Tis too good To truss a cur in. Sept. Save me! here is gold. 1 Sold. If Rome. [Exit. Were offered for thy ransom, it could not help thee. 2 Sold. Hang not an arse! 1 Sold. Goad him on with thy sword! Thou dost deserve a worser end; and may All such conclude so, that their friends betray! [Exeunt, SCENE IV. Enter severally, Arsinoe, Eros, and CLEO PATRA. Ars. We are lost! Eros. Undone ! Ars. Confusion, fire and swords, Sept. Trust me, I'll make the passage smooth And fury in the soldiers' face more horrid, and easy, For your escape. Ant. I'll trust the devil sooner, And make a safer bargain. Sept. I am trusted With all Photinus' secrets. Ant. There's no doubt then, Thou wilt be false. Sept. Still to be true to you. Circle us round! And with a masculine constancy deride Nay, grant they had slaved my body, my free mind, Like to the palm-tree walling fruitful Nile, Shall grow up straighter, and enlarge itself, Spite of the envious weight that loads it with. Think of thy birth, Arsinoe; common burdens Fit common shoulders: Teach the multitude, By suffering nobly what they fear to touch at, The greatness of thy mind does soar a pitch, Their dim eyes, darkned by their narrow souls, Cannot arrive at. Enter PHOTINUS. Eros. Oh, a man in arms! His weapon drawn too! Cleo. Though upon the point Death sat, I'll meet it, and out-dare the danger. Pho. Keep the watch strong; and guard the passage sure, That leads unto the sea. Cleo. What sea of rudeness Breaks in upon us? or what subject's breath Upon that sovereignty, thou shouldst bow to! Be swallowed up, remember who I am, ness From running headlong on to thy confusion. Pho. Plead my pardon! To you I bow; but scorn as much to stoop thus Cleo. How durst thou, being The scorn of baseness, nourish such a thought! Pho. They, that have power, are royal; and those base, That live at the devotion of another. What birth gave Ptolomy, or fortune Cæsar, To which all hearts, with mine, gladly pay tri bute, Photinus' name had long since been as great Hymen, tho' blessing a new married pair, My wants in that kind others shall supply, Cleo. Baser than thy birth! Can there be gods and hear this, and no thunder Ram thee into the earth! Pho. They are asleep, Religious fools shake at. Yet to assure thee, In that I am the mistress of my fate, Pho. I will tame That haughty courage, and make it stoop too. I was born to command, and I will die so. Enter ACHILLAS, and Soldiers, with the body of PTOLOMY. Pho. The king dead? This is a fair entrance to Our future happiness. Ars. Oh, my dear brother! Cæsar. Look on your Cæsar! banish fear, my fairest ; Cleo. Weep not, Arsinoe, (common women do You now are safe! But still pursued by us: When, on the sudden, He turned his head, and from his eyes flew terror, Which struck in us no less fear and amazement, Than if we had encounter'd with the lightning, Hurled from Jove's cloudy brow. Cleo. 'Twas like my Cæsar! Achil. We fallen back, he made on; and, as our fear Had parted from us with his dreadful looks, Sce. By Venus, not a kiss 'Till our work be done! The traitors once dispatched, To it, and we'll cry aim. [Exeunt CESAR and train. Cleo. Farewell again!-Arsinoe! How now, Eros? Ever faint-hearted? Eros. But that I am assured Cleo. He is all honour; Nor do I now repent me of my favours, Enter CESAR, SCEVA, ANTONY, DOLABELLA, and Soldiers, with the heads. Ars. He's come back. Casar. Pursue no further; curb the soldiers" fury! See, beauteous mistress, their accursed heads, That did conspire against us. Sce. Furies plague them! They had too fair an end, to die like soldiers: Pompey fell by the sword; the cross or halter Should have dispatched them. Cæsar. Ail's but death, good Sceva; Be therefore satisfied. And now, my dearest, Look upon Cæsar, as he still appeared, |