Pompey the Great and all his diguities
Upon his fon; who high in name and power,
Higher than both in blood and life stands up,
For the main foldier; whofe quality going on,
The fides o' th' world may danger. Much is
breeding;

(8) Which, like the courfer's hair, hath yet but life,:
And not a ferpent's poifon.. Say our pleafure,
To fuch whofe place is under us, requires.

Our quick remove from hence.

Ene. I'll do't.

[Exeunt.

Enter CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, ALEXAS, and Iras.

Cleo. Where is he?

Char. I did not fee him finee.

Cleo. See where he is, who's with him, what he does-----

I did not fend you:-----if you find him fad,.
Say I am dancing: if in mirth, report.

(8) Which like the courfer's hair, &c.] This alludes to am old opinion which obtained among the vulgar, but which was too abfurd to have the fanction either of philofophersor natural hiftorians, that the hair of a horse in corrupted water would take life, and become an animal.. Perhaps I may have met with our Author's oracle for this abfurd: opinion. Holinghead, in his Defeription of Englano, Vol. Je F. 224, has this remark. Emight finally tell you how that in fenny rivers fides, if you cut a turf, and lay it with the grafs downwards upon the earth, in fuch fort as the water may touch it as it paffeth by, you thall have a brood of eels. It would feem a wonder, and yet it is believed with no lefs affurance of fome, than that an horfe hair laid in a pail full of the like water, will in afhort time fir and become a living creature. But fith the certainty of thefe, things is rather proved by few, than the certainty of them known to many, I let it pafs at this time.”———ShakeIpeare, as a Poet, had nothing to do with the truth of the experiment, fo he could furnish out a fine fimile from the re ceived tradition.

Thapi am fudden fick. Quick, and return.
Ghar. Madam, methinks, if you did love him dearly,
You do not hold the method to enforce

The like from him.

Cleo. What fhould I do, I do not?

Char. In cach thing give him way, Cleo. Thou teacheft like a fool: the him.

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[nothing! cross him in. way to lose

Char. Tempt him not fo too far. I wifh, forbear; In time we hate that which we often fear.

Enter ANTONY,

But here comes Antony..

Cleo. I'm fick, and fullen.

Ant. I am forry to give breathing to my purpofe.. Cleo. Help me away, dear Charmian, I fhall fall; It cannot be thus long, the fides of nature

Will not fuftain it..

[Seeming to faint.

Aut. Now, my dearest Queen,
Cleo. Pray you, ftand farther from me.
Ant. What's the matter?

Cleo. I know, by that fame eye, there's fome good news.

What fays the married woman? you may go;:
Would the had never given you leave to come!
Let her not fay, 'tis I that keep you here,

I have no power upon you; hers you are.

Ant. The Gods beft know

Cleo. Oh, never was there Queen

So mightily betrayed; yet at the first

I faw the treafons planted.

Ant.. Cleopatra ---

Cleo. Why fhould I think you can be mine,

and true,

Though you with fwearing fake the throned gods, Who have been falfe to Fulvia? riotous madness,

To be entangled with these mouth-made vows,*** Which break themselves in fwearing!

Ant. Molt fweet Queen-

Cleo. Nay, pray you, feek no colour for your going, But bid farewel, and go: when you fued staying, Then was the time for words; no going then ;----Eternity was in our lips and eyes,

Blifs in our brows' bent, none our parts fo poor,
But was a 'race of heaven. They are fo ftill,
Or thou, the greateft foldier of the world,
Art turned the greatest liar.

Ant. How now, Lady?

Cleo. I would I had thy inches, thoufhould't know There were a heart in Ægypt.

Ant. Hear me, Queen;

The firong neceflity of time commands
Our fervices a while; but my full heart

Remains in ufe with you.

Our Italy

Shines o'er with civil fwords; Sextus Pompeius
Makes his approaches to the Port of Rome.
Equality of two domestic powers [ftrength,
Breeds fcrupulous faction; the hated, grown to
Are newly grown to love: the condemned Pompey,
Rich in his father's honour, creeps apace

Into the hearts of fuch as have not thriven
Upon the prefent ftate, whofe numbers threaten;
And Quietnefs, grown fick of Reft, would purge,
By any defperate change. My more particular, (9)

(9)

-My more particular,

“And that which moit with you should save my geing,
Is Fulvia's death.]

Thus all the more modern editions: the first and fecond Folios read, fafe; all corruptedly. Antony is giving feveral reafons to Cleopatra, which make his departure from Egypt abfolutely neceffary; most of them reafons of state; but the death of Fulvia his wife was a particular and private call, which demanded his prefënce in Italy. But the printed

And that which moft with you fhould falve my going, Is Fulvia's death.

Cleo. Though age from folly could not give me freedom,

It does from childishnefs. Can Fulvia die?
Ant. She's dead, my Queen.

Look here, and at thy fovereign leifure read
The garboyls fhe awaked; at the last, best.
See when, and where fhe died.

Cleo. O moft falfe love!

Where be the facred vials thou should'st fill (10)

copies would rather make us believe that Fulvia's death fhould prevent, or fave him the trouble of going. The text, in this refpect, I dare engage, runs counter to its master's meaning. Cleopatra is jealous of Antony's abfence, and fufpicious that he is seeking colours for his going Antony replies to her doubts, with the reafons that obliged him to be abfent for a time; and tells her, that, as his wife Fulvia is dead, and fo the has no rival to be jealous of, that cir cumstance should he his beft plea and excufe, and have the greatest weight with her for his going. Who docs not fee now, that it ought to be read as I have reformed the text? My more particular,

And that which moft with you fhould falve my going,
Is Fulvia's death.

So before, in Goriolanus:

Come, go with us; speak fair, you may falve fo

Not what is dangerous prefent, but the lofs

Of what is past.

(10) Where be the facred vials thou shouldest fit!·

With forrowful water?]

This is one pregnant inftance of Shakespeare's acquaintance with antiquity. He plainly hints here at the Lacrymatories in ufe amongst the Greeks and Romans. And there is another inftance afterwards no less pregnant in this very play;

I'll humbly fignify what in his name,

That magical word of war, we have effected.

Nothing can give one a truer idea of what the Romans meant by their aufpicium ducis, than this magical word of war; for they did indeed believe there was a kind of magic in it, as we may fee by all their hiftorians. Mr Warsurton.

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With forrowful water? now I fee, I fee,
In Fulvia's death, hów mine fhall be received.
Ant. Quarrel no more, but be prepared to know
The purposes I bear; which are, or cease,
As you fhall give th' advices. By the fire
That quickens Nilus' flime, I go from hence
Thy foldier, fervant, making peace or war,
As thou affectelt.

Cleo. Cut my lace, Charmian, come;
But let it be, I'm quickly ill, and well,
So Antony loves.

Ant. My precious Queen, forbear,

And give true evidence to his love, which stands An honourable trial.

Cleo. So Fulvia told me:

I pr'ythee, turn afide, and weep for her;
Then bid adieu to me, and fay, the tears
Belong to Egypt. Good now, play one scene
Of excellent diffembling, and let it look

Like perfect honour.

Ant. You'll heat my blood; no more.

Cleo. You can do better yet; but this is meetly. Ant. Now by my fword

Cleo. And target-Still he mends:

But this is not the beft. Look, pr'ythee, Charmian, How this Herculean Roman does become

The carriage of his chafe.

To thefe Lacrymatories above mentioned, I obferve, Beaumont and Fletcher have likewise alluded in a dirge in their Two Noble Kinsmen:

Our dole more deadly looks than dying,

Balms and gums, and heavy cheers,

Sacred vials filled with tears,

And clamours through the wild air flying.

Thefe Ampulla Lacrymales are mentioned by Licetus in his book De Lucernis Antiquorum reconditis; and I have feen of them myself among the curiofities of my late learned and honoured friend Dr Woodward..