Ant. Sometime, we see a cloud that's dragonish '; A vapour, sometime, like a bear, or lion, A tower'd citadel, a pendent rock, A forked mountain or blue promontory With trees upon't, that nod unto the world, And mock our eyes with air: Thou hast seen these signs; They are black vesper's pageants2. Eros. Ay, my lord. Ant. That, which is now a horse, even with a thought, The rack dislimns 3, and makes it indistinct, As water is in water. Eros. It does, my lord. Ant. My good knave, Eros, now thy captain is Even such a body: here I am Antony; 1 Ηδη ποτ' ἀναβλέψας εἶδες νεφέλην Κενταύρω ὁμοίαν Η παρδάλει, ἣ λύκω, ἣ ταύρω. Aristophanes, Neo. v. 345. Chapman's Mons. D'Olive. 'Like to a mass of clouds, that now seem like And then a mouse.' like empty clouds, In which our faulty apprehensions forge Bussy D'Ambois. 2 The beauty both of the expression and the allusion is lost, unless we recollect the frequency and the nature of these shows in Shakspeare's age. The following apposite passage from a sermon, by Bishop Hall, is cited by Mr. Boswell :-'I feare some of you are like the pageants of your great solemnities, wherein there is a show of a solid body, whether of a lion, or elephant, or unicorne; but if they be curiously look'd into, there is nothing but cloth, and sticks, and ayre.' 3 i. e. the fleeting away of the clouds destroys the picture.' 4 Knave was familiarly used for servant. Thus in A Mery Geste of Robyn Hoode: I shall thee lende lyttle John my man, For he shall be thy knave.' But it had already begun to have no favourable signification wher Baret published his Alvearie, in 1573. Yet cannot hold this visible shape, my knave. Nay, weep not, gentle Eros; there is left us With thine entirely. Ant. Hence, saucy eunuch; peace; She hath betray'd me, and shall die the death. Mar. Death of one person can be paid but once; And that she has discharg'd: What thou would'st do, Is done unto thy hand; the last she spake Was Antony! most noble Antony! Then in the midst a tearing groan did break The name of Antony; it was divided Between her heart and lips: she render'd life, Thy name so buried in her. Ant. Mar. Dead then? Dead. Ant. Unarm, Eros; the long day's task is done, And we must sleep:-That thou depart'st hence safe, 5 To pack the cards' was to put them together in an unfair manner. It is often used metaphorically, for contriving together The poet meant to say, that Cleopatra, engaged in false by collusion, played the great game they were to deceive another. ly, so as to sacrifice Antony's fame to that of his enemy. There is (triomphe, Fr.) was then popular; it was a rude prototype an equivoque between trump and triumph. The game of trump whist. of Does pay thy labour richly; Go.-Off, pluck off; [Exit MARDIAN. sides! The sevenfold shield of Ajax cannot keep Itself with strength: Seal then9, and all is done.-- Eros. What would my lord? Ant. Since Cleopatra died, 6 The battery from my heart' means 'the battery proceeding from my heart, which is strong enough to break through the sevenfold shield of Ajax; I wish it were strong enough to cleave my sides and destroy me.' 7 i. e. the thing that contains thee. 8 Steevens thinks that the poet wrote life, and not length. But length may signify extension or protraction of life. 9 A passage in King Henry V. explains this: ' And so espous'd to death, with blood he seal'd A testament of noble-ending love.' 10 Warburton remarks that Dido and Æneas were not likely to be found thus lovingly associated,' where souls do couch on flowers.' Either the poet forgot Virgil's celebrated description in the sixth book of the Eneid, or confounded Æneas with Sichæus inadvertently. 11 I have liv'd in such dishonour, that the gods Disgrace and horror, that, on my command, Eros. The gods withhold me! Shall I do that, which all the Parthian darts, Though enemy, lost aim, and could not? : Ant. Eros, Would'st thou be window'd in great Rome, and see 11 ‹ Less noble mind' must be accepted as if it was written less nobly minded. The termination bly is often written ble by old writers, and is frequently to be found so in Shakspeare. To mind or purpose is a verb extensively used in former times. We have it in the Third Part of King Henry VI.: 'Belike she minds to play the amazon.' And in another place: 'But if you mind to hold your true obedience.' So Baret:-'I am fully purposed, minded, or determined so to do.' The passage in North's Plutarch, which Shakspeare copied, runs thus :— I am sorrie that having beene so great a captaine and emperour, I am indeed condemned to be judged of lesse corage and noble MINDE than a woman.' 12 i. e. arms folded in each other. 13 Corrigible for corrected, and afterwards penetrative for penetrating. So Virgil has penetrabile frigus' for penetrans frigus,' in his Georgicks. Of fortunate Cæsar, drawn before him, branded Eros. I would not see't. Ant. Come then; for with a wound I must be cur'd. Draw that thy honest sword, which thou hast worn Most useful for thy country. Eros. O, sir, pardon me. Ant. When I did make thee free, swor'st thou not then To do this when I bade thee? Do it at once; But accidents unpurpos'd. Draw, and come. Eros. Turn from me then that noble countenance, Wherein the worship 15 of the whole world lies. Ant. Lo thee. Eros. My sword is drawn. Ant. [Turning from him. Then let it do at once The thing why thou hast drawn it. My dear master, Eros. Eros. Farewell, great chief. Shall I strike now? Of Antony's death. Ant. [Dies. Thrice nobler than myself! Thou teachest me, O valiant Eros, what I should, and thou could'st not. My queen and Eros Have, by their brave instruction, got upon me A nobleness in record: But I will be 14 Branded with baseness the poor wretch that followed.' 15 i. e. the honour, the dignity. |