Can never be so equal, that your love

Can equally move with them. Provide your going;
Choose your own company, and command what cost
Your heart has mind to.

[Exeunt.

SCENE V.

The same.

Another Room in the same.

Enter ENOBARBUS and EROS, meeting.

Eno. How now, friend Eros? ·

Eros. There's strange news come, sir.

Eno. What, man?

Eros. Cæsar and Lepidus have made wars upon Pom

pey.

Eno. This is old; What is the success?

h

Eros. Cæsar, having made use of him in the wars 'gainst Pompey, presently denied him rivality; would not let him partake in the glory of the action: and not resting here, accuses him of letters he had formerly wrote to Pompey; upon his own appeal, seizes him: So the poor third is up, till death enlarge his confine.

Eno. Then, world, thou hast a pair of chaps, no more: And throw between them all the food thou hast, They'll grind the one the other. Where's Antony? Eros. He's walking in the garden-thus; and spurns The rush that lies before him; cries, Fool, Lepidus! And threats the throat of that his officer, That murder'd Pompey.

i

rivality;] Equal rank.-JOHNSON.

upon his own appeal,] To appeal, in Shakspeare, is to accuse; Cæsar seized Lepidus without any other proof than Cæsar's accusation.-JOHNSON. More, Domitius;] I have something more to tell you which I might have told at first, and delay'd my news. Antony requires your presence.JOHNSON.

k

SCENE VI.

Rome. A Room in Cæsar's House.

Enter CESAR, AGRIPPA, and MECENAS.

[more;

Cas. Contemning Rome, he has done all this: And In Alexandria, here's the manner of it, I' the market-place, on a tribunal silver'd, Cleopatra and himself in chairs of gold Were publickly enthron'd: at the feet, sat Cæsarion, whom they call my father's son; And all the unlawful issue, that their lust Since then hath made between them. Unto her He gave the 'stablishment of Egypt; made her Of Lower Syria, Cyprus, Lydia,

Absolute queen.

Mec.

This in the publick eye?

Cas. I' the common show-place, where they exercise. His sons he there proclaim'd, The kings of kings:

Great Media, Parthia, and Armenia,

He gave to Alexander; to Ptolemy he assign'd
Syria, Cilicia, and Phoenicia: She

In the habiliments of the goddess Isis

That day appear'd; and oft before gave audience
As 'tis reported, so.

Mec. Inform'd.

Let Rome be thus

Agr. Who, queasy with his insolence

Already, will their good thoughts call from him.
Cas. The people know it; and have now receiv'd
His accusations.

Agr.

Whom does he accuse?

Cas. Cæsar: and that, having in Sicily

Sextus Pompeius spoil'd, we had not rated him
His part o' the isle: then does he say, he lent me
Some shipping unrestor'd: lastly, he frets,
That Lepidus of the triumvirate

Should be depos'd; and, being, that we detain
All his revenue.

Agr.

Sir, this should be answer'd.

Cas. 'Tis done already, and the messenger gone.

I have told him, Lepidus was grown too cruel;
That he his high authority abus'd,

And did deserve his change; for what I have conquer'd, I grant him part; but then, in his Armenia,

And other of his conquer'd kingdoms, I

Demand the like.

Mec.

He'll never yield to that.

Cas. Nor must not then be yielded to in this.

Enter OCTAVIA.

Oct. Hail, Cæsar, and my lord! hail, most dear Cæsar! Cas. That ever I should call thee, cast-away!

Oct. You have not call'd me so, nor have you cause. Cas. Why have you stol'n upon us thus? You come not Like Cæsar's sister: The wife of Antony

Should have an army for an usher, and

The neighs of horse to tell of her approach,

Long ere she did appear; the trees by the way,
Should have borne men; and expectation fainted,
Longing for what it had not: nay, the dust
Should have ascended to the roof of heaven,
Rais'd by your populous troops: But you are come
A market-maid to Rome; and have prevented
The ostentation' of our love, which, left unshown
Is often left unlov'd: we should have met you
By sea, and land; supplying every stage

With an augmented greeting.

Good my lord,

Oct.
To come thus was I not constrain'd, but did it
On my free-will. My lord, Mark Antony,
Hearing that you prepar'd for war, acquainted
My grieved ear withal; whereon, I begg'd
His pardon for return,

Cas.

Which soon he granted,

Being an obstruct 'tween his lust and him.

Oct. Do not say so, my lord.

ostentation—]i. e. Display: this is the reading of the old copy, for which

Mr. Steevens has substituted ostent for the sake of the metre.

Cas.

I have eyes upon him,

And his affairs come to me on the wind.

Where is he now?

Oct.

My lord, in Athens.

Cas. No, my most wronged sister; Cleopatra

Hath nodded him to her. He hath given his empire

Up to a whore; who now are levying

The kings o' the earth for war: He hath assembled
Bocchus, the king of Libya; Archelaus,

Of Cappadocia ; Philadelphos, king

Of Paphlagonia; the Thracian king, Adallas :
King Malchus of Arabia; king of Pont;
Herod of Jewry; Mithridates, king
Of Comagene; Polemon and Amintas,
The kings of Mede, and Lycaonia, with a
More larger list of scepters.

Oct.

Ah me, most wretched, That have my heart parted betwixt two friends, That do afflict each other!

Cas.

Welcome hither:

Your letters did withhold our breaking forth;
Till we perceiv'd, both how you were wrong led,
And we in negligent danger. Cheer your heart:
Be you not troubled with the time, which drives
O'er your content these strong necessities;
But let determin'd things to destiny

Hold unbewail'd their way.

Welcome to Rome :
Nothing more dear to me. You are abus'd

Beyond the mark of thought: and the high gods,
To do you justice, make them ministers

Of us, and those that love you. Best of comfort;
And ever welcome to us.

Agr.

Welcome, lady.

Mec. Welcome, dear madam.

Each heart in Rome does love and pity you:

Only the adulterous Antony, most large
In his abominations, turns you off;

And gives his potent regiment to a trull,
That noises it against us.

m

regiment] i. e. Government, authority; he puts his power and his

Oct. Is it so, sir?

Cas. Most certain. Sister, welcome: Pray you, Be ever known to patience: My dearest sister!

[Exeunt.

SCENE VII.

Antony's Camp, near to the Promontory of Actium.
Enter CLEOPATRA and ENOBARBUS.

Cleo. I will be even with thee, doubt it not.
Eno. But why, why, why?

Cleo. Thou hast forspoke" my being in these wars;
And say'st, it is not fit.

Eno.

Well, is it, is it?

Cleo. Is't not? Denounce against us, why should not we Be there in person?

Eno. [aside.] Well, I could reply :

If we should serve with horse and mares together,
The horse were merely lost, the mares would bear
A soldier, and his horse.

Cleo.

What is't you say?

Eno. Your presence needs must puzzle Antony; Take from his heart, take from his brain, from his time, What should not then be spar'd. He is already

Traduc'd for levity; and 'tis said in Rome,

That Photinus an eunuch, and your maids,

Manage this war.

Cleo.

Sink Rome; and their tongues rot,

That speak against us! A charge we bear i' the war,
And, as the president of my kingdom, will

Appear there for a man. Speak not against it;
I will not stay behind.

Eno.

Here comes the emperor.

Nay, I have done :

empire into the hands of a false woman.-It may be remarked, that trull was not in our author's days a term of mere infamy, but a word of slight contempt. -JOHNSON.