It not couce'd me.

Ant. My being in Egypt, Cesar,

What was't to you?

Ces. No more than my residing here at Rome
Might be to you in Egypt: Yet, if you there
Did practise on my state, your being in Egypt
Might be my question. T

Ant. How intend you, practis'd?

C'es. You may be pleas'd to catch at mine
intent,
[ther,
By what did here befal me. Your wife, and bro-
Made wars upon me; and their contestation
Was theme for you, you were the word of war.
Ant. You do mistake your business; my bro-
ther never

Did urge me in bis act: I did enquire it;
And have my learning from some true reports,
That drew their swords with you. Did he

rather

ot

Discredit may authority with yours;
And nutke the wars alike against my stomach,
Having alike your cause? Of this, iny letters
Before did satisfy you. If you'll patch a quarrel,
As matter whole you have not to make it with,
It must not be with this.

Ces. You praise yourself

By laying defects of judginent to me; but
You patch'd up your excuses.

Aat. Not so, not so;

I know you could not lack, I am certain on't
Very necessity of this thought, that I,

Your partner in the cause 'gainst which he

fought,

Could not with grateful eyes attend those wars Which 'fronted mine own peace. As for my wife,

I would you had her spirit in such another :

Of what I was 'the morning; but, next day,
I told him of myself; which was as much
As to have ask'd him pardon: Let this fellow
Be nothing of our strife; if we contend,
Out of our question* wipe him.

Ces. You have broken

The article of your oath which you shall never
Have tongue to charge me with.

Lep. Soft, Cesar.

Ant. No, Lepidus, let him speak :

The honour's sacred which he talks on now,
Supposing that I lack'd it: But on, Cesar;
The article of my oath,-

Ces. To lend me arms and aid, when 1 re
quir'd them;

The which you both denied.

Ant. Neglected, rather;

And then, when poison'd hours had bound me up
From mine own knowledge. As nearly as 1 may,
I'll play the penitent to you: but mine honesty
Shall not make poor my greatness, nor iny power
Work without it: Truth is, that Fulvia,

To have me out of Egypt, made wars liere ;
For which myself, the ignorant move, do
So far ask pardon, as bents miue honour
To stoop in such a case.

Lep. 'Tis nobly spoken.

1

Mec. If it might please you to enforce no
finther

The griefs between ye, to forget them quite,
Were to remember that the present need
Speaks to atone you.

Lep. Worthily spoke, Mecanas.

Eno. Or, if you borrow one another's love for the instant, you may, when you hear no amore words of Pompey, return it again: you shall have time to wrangle in, when you have nothing else to do.

Ant. Thou art a soldier only; speak no more. Eno. That truth should be silent, I had almost forgot.

Ant. You wrong this presence, therefore speak

no more.

Eno. Go to then; your considerate stone.
Ces. I do not much dislike the inatter, but
The manner of his speech: for it cannot be,
We shall remain in friendship, our conditions
So differing in their acts. Yet, if I knew
What hoop should hold us staunch, from edge to
edge

O'the world I would pursue it.

Agr. Give me leave, Cesar,-
Ces. Speak, Agrippa.

Agr. Thou hast a sister by the mother's side,
Admir'd Octavia: great Mark Antony
Is now a widower.

Ces. Say not so, Agrippa;

If Cleopatra heard you, your reproof
Were well deserv'd of rashness.

Ant. I am not married, Cezar: let me hear
Agrippa further speak.

Agr. To hold you in perpetual amity,

To make you brothers, and to knit your hearts, 3

The third o'the world is yours; which, with a with an unslipping knot, take Antony

snaffle ¶

You may pace easy, but not such a wife.

Exe. 'Would we had all such wives, that the men might go to wars with the women!

Ant. So much incurable, her garboils, Cesar,
Made out of her impatience, (which not wanted
Shrewdness of policy too,) 1 grieving grant,
Did you too much disquiet: for that, you must
But say, I could not help it.

Ces. I wrote to you,

When rioting in Alexandria: you

Did pocket up my letters, and with taunts
Did gibe my missive out of audience.
Ant. Sir,

He fell upon me, ere admitted; then

Three kings I had newly feasted, and did want

Ant, Will Cesar speak?

Ces. Not till he bears how Antony is touch d With what is spoke already.

Aut. What power is in Agrippa,

If I would say, Agrippa, be it so,

To make this good?

Ces. The power of Cesar, and His power unto Octavia.

Aut. May I never

To this good purpose, that so fairly shows,
Dream of impediment!-Let me have thy hand:
Further this act of grace; and, from this hour,
The heart of brothers govern in our loves,
And sway our great designs!

Ces. There is my hand.

A sister I bequeath you, whom no brother
Did ever love so dearly: Let her live

To join our kingdoms and our hearts; and never
Fly off our loves again!

Lep. Happily, amen!

Ant. I did not think to draw my sword 'gainst
Pompey,

For he hath laid strange courtesies, and great,
Of late upon me: I must thank him only,
Lest my remembrance suffer ill report:
At heel of that, defy him.

Lep. Time calls upon us:

of us must Pompey presently be sought, Or else he seeks out us.

Ant. And where lies he?

Ces. About the mount Misenum.
Aut. What's his strength

By land?

Ces. Great, and increasing: but by sea He is an absolute master.

Ant. So is the fame.

'Would we had spoke together! Haste we for it: Yet, ere we put ourselves in arms, despatch we The business we have talk'd of.

Ces. With most gladness;

And do invite you to my sister's view,

Whither straight I will lead you.

Ant. Let us, Lepidus,

Not lack your company.

Lep. Noble Antony,

Not sickness should detain me.

And what they undid, did,

Agr. Oh, rare for Antony!

Eno. Her gentlewomen, like the Nereides,
So many mermaids, tended her i'the eyes,
And made their bends adornings at the helm
A seeming Mermaid steers; the silken tackle
Swell with the touches of those flower-soft hands
That yarely frame the office. From the barge
A strange invisible pérfume bits the sense
Of the adjacent wharfs. The city cast.
Her people out upon her; and Antony,
Enthron'd in the market-place, did sit alone,
Had gone to gaze on Cleopatra too,
Whistling to the air; which, but for vacancy,
And made a gap in nature.

Agr. Rare Egyptian!

Eno. Upon her landing, Antony sent to her,
Invited her to supper: she replied,

It should be better he became her guest;
Which she entreated: Our courteous Antony,
Whom ne'er the word of No woman heard speak,
Being barber'd ten times o'er, goes to the feast;
And, for his ordinary, pays his heart,

For what his eyes eat only.

Agr. Royal wench!

She made great Cesar lay his sword to bed
He plough'd her, and she cropp'd.

Eno. I saw her once

Hop forty paces through the public street:

And having lost her breath, she spoke, and panted,
That she did make defect, perfection,

And, breathless, power breathe forth.

Mec. Now Antony must leave her utterly.
Eno. Never; he will not;

Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale
Her infinite variety: Other women

Cloy th' appetites they feed: but she makes

hungry

Where most she satisfies. For vilest things
Become themselves in her; that the holy priests
Bless her, when she's riggish. |||

Mec. If beauty, wisdom, modesty, can settle

[Flourish. Exeunt CESAR, ANTONY, and The heart of Antony, Octavia is

LEPIDUS.

Mec. Welcome from Egypt, Sir.

Eno. Half the heart of Cesar, worthy Mecanas! my honourable friend, Agiippa!Agr. Good Enobarbus !

Mec. We have cause to be glad that matters are so well digested. You staid well by it in Egypt.

A blessed lottery to him,

Good Enobarbus, make yourself my guest,
Agr. Let us go.-
Whilst you abide here.

Eno. Humbly, Sir, I thank you,

[Exeunt.

SCENE III.-The same.—A Room in CESAR'S

House.

Eno. Ay, Sir; we did sleep day out of countenance, and made the night light with drink-Enter CESAR, ANTONY, OCTAVIA between them ; ing.

Char. Good madam, keep yourself within The senators alone of this great world, The man is innocent. [yourself; Chief factors for the gods,-I do not know, Cleo. Some innocents 'scape not the thunder-Wherefore my father should revengers want, bolt.

Thou dost o'er-count me of my father's house:

Cleo. The gods confound thee! dost thou hold But, since the cuckoo builds not for himself,

The colour of her hair-bring me word quick-That call'd ine, timelier than my purpose, hither; [Exit ALEXAS.

What counts | harsh fortune casts upon my face: Bring me word how tall she is.-Pity me, Char-But in my bosom shall she never come, mian,

Exto. Sir,

I never lov'd you much: but I have prais'd yon,
When you have well deserv'd ten times as much
As I have said you did.

Pom. Enjoy thy plainness,

It nothing ill beconies thee.

Aboard my galley I invite you all :
Will you lead, lords?

Ces. Ant. Lep. Shew us the way, Sir.
Pom. Come.

[Exeunt POMPEY, CESAR, ANTONY, LEPIDUS, Soldiers, and Attendents. Men. Thy father, Pompey, would ne'er have made this treaty.-[Aside.-You and I have known, Sir.

Eno. At sea, I think.
Men. We have, Sir.

Eno. You have done well by water.
Men. And you by land.

Eno. 1 will praise any man that will praise me: though it cannot be denied what I have done by land.

Men. Nor what I have done by water.

Eno. Yes, something you can deny for your own safety: you have been a great thief by sea. Men. And you by land.

Eno. There I deny my land service. But give me your hand, Menas: If our eyes had authority, here they might take two thieves kissing.

Men. All men's faces are true, whatsoe'er their hands are.

Eno. But there is never a fair woman has a true face.

Men. No slander; they steal hearts. Eno. We came hither to fight with you. Men, For my part, I am sorry it is turned to a drinking. Pompey doth this day laugh away his fortune.

Eno. If he do, sure, he cannot weep it back again.

Men. You have said, Sir. We looked not for Mark Antony: Pray you, is he married to Cleopatra?

Eno. Cesar's sister is call'd Octavia.

Men. True, Sir; she was the wife of Caius Marcellus.

Eno. But she is now the wife of Marcus Antonius.

Men. Pray you, Sir?

Eno. 'Tis true.

Mx. Then is Cesar, and he, for ever knit together.

Eno. If I were bound to divine of this unity, I would not prophesy so.

Men. I think the policy of that purpose made more in the marriage, than the love of the parties.

SCENE VII.-On Board POMPEY's Galley,
lying near Misenum.

Music. Enter two or three SERVANTS with a
Banquet.

1 Serv. Here they'll be, man: Some o'their plants are ill-rooted already, the least wind i'the world will blow them down.

2 Serv. Lepidus is high-coloured.

1 Serv. They have made him drink almsdrink.

2 Serv. As they pinch one another by the disposition, he cries out, no more; reconciles them to his entreaty, and himself to the drink.

1 Serv. But it raises the greater war between him and his discretion.

2 Serv. Why, this is to have a name in great men's fellowship; I had as lief have a reed that will do me no service, as a partizan ‡ I could not heave.

1 Serv. To be called into a huge sphere, and not to be seen to move in't, are the holes where eyes should be, which pitifully disaster the cheeks.

A Sennet sounded. Enter CESAR, ANTONY,
MECENAS,
POMPEY, LEPIDUS, AGRIPPA,
ENOBARBUS, MENAS, with other Captains.
Ant. Thus do they, Sir: [To CESAR.] They
take the flow o'the Nile.

By certain scales i'the pyramid; they know,
By the height, the lowness, or the mean, § if
dearth,

Or foizon, follow; The higher Nilus swells,
The more it promises; as it ebbs, the seedsinan
Upon the slime and ooze scatters his grain,
And shortly comes to harvest.

Lep. You have strange serpents there.
Ant. Ay, Lepidus.

Lep. Your serpent of Egypt is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun: so is your crocodile.

Ant. They are so.

Pom. Sit, and some wine.-A health to Le

pidus.

Lep. I am not so well as I should be, but 'I'll ne'er out.

Eno. Not till you have slept; I fear me, you'll be in, till then.

Lep. Nay, certainly, I have heard the Ptolemies' pyramises ¶ are very goodly things; without contradiction, I have heard that...

Men. Pompey, a word.

[Aside.

Pom. Say in mine ear: What is't?
Men. Forsake thy seat, I do beseech thee,
captain,
[Aside.

And hear me speak a word.

Pom. Forbear me till anon.-
This wine for Lepidus.

Lep. What manner o'thing is your crocodile ? Ant. It is shaped, Sir, like itself; and it is as broad as it hath breadth: it is just so high as it is, and moves with its own organs it lives by that which nourisheth it; and the elements once

Eao. I think so too. But you shall find the band that seems to tie their friendship toge-out of it, it transmigrates. ther, will be the very strangler of their amity : Octavia is of a holy, cold, and still conversation. +

Men. Who would not have his wife so?

Eno. Not be that himself is not so; which is Mark Antony. He will to his Egyptian dish again: then shall the sighs of Octavia blow the fire up in Cesar: and, as I said before, that which is the strength of their amity, shall prove the immediate author of their variance. Antony ↑ Behaviour.

• Been acquainted.

Lep. What colour is it of?
Ant. Of its own colour too.
Lep. "Tis a strange serpent.

Ant. 'Tis so. And the tears of it are wet,
Ces. Will this description satisfy him?
Ant. With the health that Pompey gives him,
else he is a very epicure.

Pom. [To MENAS aside.] Go, hang, Sir, hang
Tell me of that? away!

• Desert.
| Plenty.

+ Feet.

1 Pike.

Middle.

Pyramids.