The same.

SCENE III.

A Room in Cæsar's House.

Enter CESAR, ANTONY, OCTAVIA between them ; Attendants, and a Soothsayer.

Ant. The world, and my great office, will sometimes Divide me from your bosom.

Octa.

All which time

1

Before the gods my knee shall bow my prayers
To them for you.

Ant.

Good night, sir.-My Octavia, Read not my blemishes in the world's report:

I have not kept my square; but that to come Shall all be done by the rule. Good night, dear lady.

Octa. Good night, sir.

Cæs. Good night.

[Exeunt CESAR and OCTAVIA. Ant. Now, sirrah! you do wish yourself in Egypt? Sooth. 'Would, I had never come from thence,

Thither!

nor you

Ant. If you can, your reason ?
Sooth.

I see't in

My motion, have it not in my tongue: But yet

Hie you again to Egypt.

Ant.

Say to me,

Whose fortunes shall rise higher, Cæsar's, or mine?

Sooth. Cæsar's.

Therefore, O Antony, stay not by his side:

Thy dæmon, that's thy spirit which keeps thee, is Noble, courageous, high, unmatchable,

Where Cæsar's is not; but near him, thy angel

1 The same construction is found in Coriolanus, Act i. Sc. 1, Shouting their emulation.' And in King Lear, Act ii. Sc. 2, Smile you my speeches?'

Becomes a Fear, as being o'erpower'd; therefore Make space enough between you.

Ant.

Speak this no more. Sooth. To none but thee; no more, but when to thee. If thou dost play with him at any game,

Thou art sure to lose; and, of that natural luck, He beats thee 'gainst the odds: thy lustre thickens 3, When he shines by: I say again, thy spirit

Is all afraid to govern thee near him;

Get thee gone:

Say to Ventidius, I would speak with him:

[Exit Soothsayer. He shall to Parthia.-Be it art, or hap, He hath spoken true: The very dice obey him: And, in our sports, my better cunning faints Under his chance: if we draw lots, he speeds: His cocks do win the battle still of mine, When it is all to nought; and his quails ever Beat mine, inhoop'd, at odds. I will to Egypt: And though I make this marriage for my peace,

Enter VENTIDIUS.

4

I'the east my pleasure lies :-O, come, Ventidius, You must to Parthia; your commission's ready: Follow me, and receive it. [Exeunt.

2 A Fear was a personage in some of the old Moralities. See Troilus and Cressida, Act iii. Sc. 2, note 13. The whole thought is borrowed from North's translation of Plutarch.

3 So in Macbeth, 'light thickens.'

Shakspeare derived this from Plutarch. The ancients used to match quails as we match cocks. Julius Pollux relates that a circle was made in which the birds were placed, and he whose quail was first driven out of this circle lost the stake. We are told by Mr. Marsden that the Sumatrans practise these quail combats. The Chinese have always been extremely fond of quail fighting. Mr. Douce has given a print, from an elegant Chinese miniature painting, which represents some ladies engaged at this amusement, where the quails are actually inhooped. See Illustrations of Shakspeare, vol. ii. p. 87.

SCENE IV. The same. A Street.

Enter LEPIDUS, MECENAS, and AGRIPPA.

Lep. Trouble yourselves no further: pray you, hasten

Your generals after.

Agr.

Sir, Mark Antony

Will e'en but kiss Octavia, and we'll follow.
Lep. Till I shall see you in your soldier's dress,
Which will become you both, farewell.

Mec.
As I conceive the journey, be at mount1
Before you, Lepidus.

Lep.

My purposes do draw me much about;

We shall,

Your way is shorter,

Sir, good success!

[Exeunt.

You'll win two days upon me.

Mec. Agr.

Lep. Farewell.

SCENE V. Alexandria. A Room in the Palace.

Enter CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, IRAS, and

ALEXAS.

Cleo. Give me some musick; musick, moody food Of us that trade in love.

Attend.

The musick, ho!

Enter MARDIAN.

Cleo. Let it alone; let us to billiards 3:

Come, Charmian.

Char. My arm is sore, best play with Mardian. Cleo. As well a woman with an eunuch play'd, As with a woman;-Come, you'll play with me, sir?

1 Mount Misenum.

2 Moody here means melancholy. Cotgrave explains moody by the French words morne, triste.

3 It is scarcely necessary to remark that this is an anachronism. Billiards were not known to the ancients.

Mar. As well as I can, madam.

Cleo. And when good will is show'd, though it

come too short,

The actor may plead pardon. I'll none now:-
Give me mine angle,—We'll to the river: there,
My musick playing far off, I will betray
Tawny-finn'd fishes; my bended hook shall pierce
Their slimy jaws; and, as I draw them up,

I'll think them every one an Antony,

And say, Ah, ha! you're caught.

Char.

'Twas merry, when

You wager'd on your angling; when your diver
Did hang a salt fish on his hook, which he
With fervency drew up.

Cleo.

That time!--O times!
I laugh'd him out of patience; and that night
I laugh'd him into patience: and next morn,
Ere the ninth hour, I drunk him to his bed;
Then put my tires and mantles on him, whilst
I wore his sword Philippan5. O! from Italy;

Enter a Messenger.

Rain thou thy fruitful tidings in mine ears,
That long time have been barren.

4 This circumstance is from Plutarch: Antony had fished unsuccessfully in Cleopatra's presence, and she laughed at him. The next time therefore he directed the boatman to dive under water, and attach a fish to his hook. The queen perceived the stratagem, but affecting not to notice it, congratulated him on his success. Another time, however, she determined to laugh at him once more, and gave orders to her own people to get the start of his divers, and put some dried salt fish on his hook.

5 The battle of Philippi being the greatest action of Antony's life, it was an adroit piece of flattery to name his sword from it. It does not, however, appear to be perfectly in costume; the dignifying of weapons with names in this manner had its origin in later times. The swords of the heroes of romance have generally pompous names.

6 The old copy reads Ram thou,' &c. Rain agrees better with the epithets fruitful and barren. So in Timon :-

་

Rain sacrificial whisperings in his car.'

Mess.

Cleo. Antony's dead?—

Madam, madam,

If thou say so, villain, thou kill'st thy mistress:

But well and free,

If thou so yield him, there is gold, and here
My bluest veins to kiss; a hand, that kings
Have lipp'd, and trembled kissing.

Mess.

First, madam, he's well.

Cleo. Why, there's more gold. But, sirrah, mark;

We use

To say, the dead are well: bring it to that,
The gold I give thee, will I melt, and pour
Down thy ill-uttering throat.

Mess. Good madam, hear me.

Cleo. Well, go to, I will; But there's no goodness in thy face: If Antony Be free, and healthful,-why so tart a favour To trumpet such good tidings? If not well,

Thou should'st come like a fury crown'd with snakes, Not like a formal man".

Mess.

Will't please you hear me? Cleo. I have a mind to strike thee, ere thou speak'st: Yet, if thou say, Antony lives, is well,

Or friends with Cæsar, or not captive to him,
I'll set thee in a shower of gold, and hail

Rich pearls upon thee 8.

Mess.

Cleo.

Madam, he's well.

Well said.

Mess. And friends with Cæsar.

7 i. e. not like a man in form, not in your own proper shape. Thus in A Mad World my Masters, by Middleton, 1608 :— 'The very devil assum'd thee formally.'

8 That is, I will give thee a kingdom, it being the eastern ceremony at the coronation of their kings to powder them with gold dust and seed pearl. So Milton :

the gorgeous east, with liberal hand,

Showers on her kings barbaric pearl and gold.'

See the Life of Tunur Bec, or Tamerlane, by M. Petit de la Croix, liv. ii. c. 2.