How he's employ'd; he fhall in time be ready.
Go with me to my tent, where you shall see
How hardly I was drawn into this war;
How calm and gentle I proceeded ftill
In all my writings. Go with me, and fee
What I can fhew in this.

SCENE II.

Changes to the Monument.

[Exeunt.

Enter Cleopatra, Charmion, Iras, Mardian, and Seleucus, above.

Cleo. MY defolation does begin to make

A better life; 'tis paltry to be Cæfar:
Not being fortune, he's but fortune's knave,
A minister of her Will, and it is great
To do that thing, that ends all other deeds;
Which fhackles accidents, and bolts up change;
Which fleeps, and never palates more the Dung;
The beggar's nurfe, and Cæfar's.

2

Enter

-Fortune's knave,] The is occafioned by the lofs of a

fervant of fortune.

3

and it is great To do that thing that ends all

other deeds Which hackles accidents, and

bolt's up change; Which fleeps, and never palates more the DUNG:

The beggar's nurfe, and Cæfar's.] The action of Suicide is here faid, to Shackle accidents; to bolt up change; to be the beggar's nurse, and Cæfar's. So far the defcription is intelligible. But when it is faid, that it fleeps and never palates more the Dung, we find neither fenfe nor propriety; which

whole line between the third and fourth, and the corrupt reading of the laft word in the fourth. We should read the paffage thus, and it is great

To do that thing that ends all
other deeds;

Which hackles accidents, and
bolts up change;
[Lulls wearied nature to a found
repofe]

(Which fleeps, and never palates
more the DUGG:)

The beggar's nurse, and Cæfar's. That this line in hooks was the fubftance of that loft, is evident from its making fenfe of all the

reft:

Enter Proculeius.

Pro. Cæfar fends Greeting to the Queen of Egypt, And bids thee ftudy on what fair demands Thou mean'ft to have him grant thee.

Cleo. What's thy name?

Pro. My name is Proculeius.

Cleo. Antony

Did tell me of you, bade me truft you, but

I do not greatly care to be deceiv'd,

That have no ufe for trufting. If your mafter
Would have a Queen his beggar, you must tell him,
That Majefty, to keep decorum, muft

No lefs beg than a Kingdom; if he please.
To give me conquer'd Egypt for my Son,
He gives me fo much of mine own, as I
Will kneel to him with thanks.

Pro. Be of good cheer.

You're fall'n into a princely hand. Fear nothing;
Make your full ref'rence freely to my Lord,
Who is fo full of grace, that it flows over

culty of the paffage, if any difficulty there be, arifes only from this, that the act of suicide, and the ftate which is the effect of fuicide, are confounded. Voluntary death, fays fhe, is an act which bolts up change; it produces a state,

Which fleeps, and never palates more the dung,

The beggar's nurse, and Cæfar's. Which has no longer need of the grofs and terrene fuftenance, in the ufe of which Cafar and the beggar are on a level.

The fpeech is abrupt, but perturbation in such a state is furely natural.

On

On all that need. Let me report to him
Your sweet dependency, and you fhall find
A conqu❜ror that will pray in aid for kindness,
Where he for grace is kneel'd to.

Cleo. Pray you, tell him,

I am his fortune's vaffal, and I fend him
The Greatness he has got. I hourly learn
A doctrine of obedience, and would gladly
Look him i' th' face.

Pro. This I'll report, dear lady.

Have comfort, for, I know, your plight is pity'd
Of him that caus'd it.

[Afide.] You fee, how eafily fhe may be furpriz'd. Here Gallus, and Guard, afcend the Monument by a Ladder, and enter at a Back-Window,

Guard her, 'till Cæfar come.

The Greatnefs he has got.
I allow him to be my conqueror;
I own his fuperiority with com-
plete fubmiffion.

• Char. You fee, how eafily she may be furpriz'd,] Here Charmion, who is fo faithful as to die with her miftrefs, by the ftupidity of the editors is made to countenance and give directions for her being furpriz'd by Cafar's meffengers. But this blunder is for want of knowing, or obferving, the hiftorical fact. When Cefar fent Proculeius to the Queen, he fent Gallus after

Iras.

him with new inftructions: and while one amufed Cleopatra with propofitions from Cæfar, through crannies of the monument; the other fcaled it by a ladder, entred at a window backward, and made Cleopatra, and thofe with. her, prifoners. I have reform'd the paffage therefore, (as, I am perfuaded, the author defign'd it;) from the authority of Plutarch. THEOBALD.

This line in the first edition is

given not to Charmion, but to Proculeius; and to him it certainly belongs, though perhaps misplaced. I would put it at the end of his foregoing fpeech,

Where be for grace is kneel'd to. [Afide to Gallus.] You fee, bow

eafily fhe may be furpriz'd. Then while Cleopatra makes a formal anfwer, Gallus, upon the hint given, feizes her, and Pro

culeius,

3

Iras. O Royal Queen!

Char. Oh Cleopatra! thou art taken, Queen.
Cleo. Quick, quick, good hands.

[Drawing a dagger.

The Monument is open'd; Proculeius rushes in, and

difarms the Queen.

Pro. Hold, worthy lady, hold;

Do not yourself fuch wrong, who are in this
Reliev'd, but not betray'd.

Cleo, What, of death too, that rids our dogs of 9 languish?

Pro. Do not abuse my master's bounty, by Th' undoing of yourfelf: let the world fee His Nobleness well acted, which your death Will never let come forth.

Cleo. Where art thou, Death?

Come hither, come: oh come, and take a Queen , Worth many babes and beggars.

Pro. Oh, temperance, lady!

Cleo. Sir, I will eat no meat, I'll not drink, Sir: If idle talk will once be neceffary,

culeius, interrupting the civility of his anfwer,

your plight is pity'd Of him that caus'd it, Cries out,

Guard her, 'till Cæfar comes. who are in this RELIEV'D, but not betray'd.] As plaufible as this reading is, it is corrupt. Had Shakespear ufed the word reliev'd, he would have added, and not betray'd. But that he used another word the reply fhews, What, of death too: which will not agree with relieved; but will direct us to the genuine word, which is,

BEREAV'D, but not betray'd. i. e. bereav'd of death, or of the means of deftroying yourself, but

I'H

not betray'd to your deftruction. By the particle too, in her reply, the alludes to her being before bereav'd of Antony. And thus his fpeech becomes correct, and her reply pertinent WARB

I do not think the emendation neceffary, fince the fenfe is not made better by it, and the abruptnefs of Cleopatra's answer is more forcible in the old reading. 8 For languifb, I think we may read anguish.

? Worth many babes and beg

gars. Why death wilt thou not rather feize a Queen, than employ thy force upon babes and beggars

T

If idle TALK will once be ne. ceffary,] This nonfenfe

fhould

I'll not sleep neither. This mortal house I'll ruin,
Do Cæfar what he can. Know, Sir, that I
Will not wait pinion'd at your mafter's Court,
Nor once be chaftis'd with the fober eye
Of dull Octavia. Shall they hoift me up,
And fhew me to the fhouting varletry

Of cens'ring Rome? rather a ditch in Ægypt
Be gentle Grave unto me! rather on Nilus' mud
Lay me stark naked, and let the water-flies
Blow me into abhorring! rather make

My Country's high Pyramides my gibbet,
And hang me up in chains!

Pro. You do extend

Thefe thoughts of horror further than

Find caufe in Cafar.

SCENE

III.

Enter Dolabella.

Dol: Proculeius,

What thou hast done thy mafter Cafar knows,
And he hath fent for thee; as for the Queen,
I'll take her to my guard,

Pro. So, Dolabella,

It shall content me beft. Be gentle to her.
To Cæfar I will speak what you fhall please,

fhould be reform'd thus,

If idle TIME will once be neceffary i. e. if repafe be neceffary to che rifh life, I will not fleep.

W ARBURTON,

I do not fee that the nonfenfe is made fenfe by the change. Sir T. Hanmer reads,

If idle talk will once be accef-
fary;

[To Cleopatra.

Neither is this better. I know not what to offer better than an eafy explanation. That is, I will not eat, and if it will be neceffary now for once to waste a moment in idle talk of my purpofe, I will not fleep neither. In common converfation we often ufe will be, with as little relation to futurity. As, Now I am going it will be fit for me to dine firft.

1