Ant. Come, Sir, come, I'll wrestle with you in my ftrength of love. Caf. Adieu, be happy! Lep. Let all the number of the Stars give light To thy fair way! Caf. Farewel, farewel! Ant. Farewel! SCENE, changes to the Palace in Alexandria. Cleo. Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, Iras, and Alexas. HERE is the fellow? WH Alex. Half afraid to come. Cleo. Go to, go to; come hither, Sir. Enter the Meffenger as before. Alex. Good Majesty! Herod of Ferry dare not look upon you, Cleo. That Herod's head I'll have; but how? when Antony is gone, near. Mef. Most gracious Majefty,- Octavia? Mef. Ay, dread Queen. Cleo. Where? Me. In Rome, Madam. I lookt her in the face; and faw her led Between her brother and Mark Antony. Cleo. Is the as tall as me? Mef. She is not, Madam. Come Thou Cleo Didit hear her speak? is fhe fhrill-tongu'd, or low? Mef. Madam, I heard her fpeak, fhe is low-voic'd. Cleo. That's not fo good; he cannot like her long. Char. Like her? oh Ifis! 'tis impoffible. Cleo Cleo. I think fo, Charmian; dull of tongue and What Majefty is in her gate? remember, Her motion and her ftation are as one : Cleo. Is this certain? Mef. Or I have no obfervance. I do perceive't; there's nothing in her yet. Char. Excellent. Cleo. Guefs at her years, I pr'ythee. Cleo. Bear'ft thou her face in mind? it's long, of round? Mef. Round even to faultiness. Cleo. For th' most part too, They're foolish that are fo. Her hair, what colour Mef. Brown, Madam; and her forehead As low as she would with it. Cleo. There's gold for thee. Thou must not take my former sharpness ill, Char. A proper man. Cleo. Indeed, he is fo; I repent me much, This creature's no fuch thing. Char. O, nothing, Madam. Cleo. The man hath feen fome Majefty, and should know. Char. Hath he feen Majefty? Ifis elfe defend! And And ferving you fo long? Cleo. I've one thing more to ask him yet, good Charmian: But 'tis no matter, thou fhalt bring him to me Ant. SCENE changes to Athens. Enter Antony and Octavia. AY, nay, Octavia, not only That, [Exeunt. That were excufable, That and thousands more Of femblable import, but he hath wag'd New wars 'gainst Pompey; made his Will and read it To publick ear; fpoke fcantily of me; When perforce he could not But pay me terms of honour, cold and fickly He vented them; moft narrow measure lent me ; O&. Oh, my good lord, Believe not all; or, if you must believe, Stomach not all. A more unhappy lady, If this divifion chance, ne'er ftood between, Praying for both parts: the good Gods will mock me, When I fhall pray, 66 oh, bless my lord and husband!" Undo that prayer, by crying out as loud, "Oh, blefs my brother!" Husband win, win brother, Prays, and deftroys the prayer; no midway 'Twixt thefe extreams at all. Ant. Gentle Octavia, Let your best love draw to that point, which feeks I lofe my felf; better I were not yours, (19) When the best Hint was givʼn him, he o’erlook'd, Or did it from his Teeth ] The first Folio reads, not look'd. Dr. Thirlby advis'd the Emendation which I have inferted in the Text. Than Than yours fo branchlefs. But, as you requested, Shall ftrain your brother; make your foonest hafte; Oct. Thanks to my lord. The Jove of Power make me, moft weak, most weak, Your reconciler! wars 'twixt you 'twain would be As if the world should cleave, and that flain men Should folder up the rift. Ant. When it appears to you where this begins, Turn your displeasure that way; for our faults Can equally move with them. Provide your Going; Your heart has mind to. Enter Enobarbus and Eros. [Exeunt. Eno. How now, friend Eros? (20) -The mean time, Lady, I'll raise the Preparation of a War, Shall ftain your Brother ;] Thus the printed Copies unanimoufly. But, fure, Antony, whose Business here is to mollify Octavia, does it with a very ill Grace: and 'tis a very odd way of fatisfying her, to tell her, the War, he raises, shall stain, i. e. caft an Odium upon her Brother. I have no Doubt, but we must read, with the Addition only of a single Letter, Shall ftrain your Brother. i. e. Shall lay him under Conftraints; fhall put him to fuch Shifts, that he shall neither be able to make a Progrefsi againft, or to prejudice, Me. And this Emendation is precisely confonant to what Plutarch fays; that Octavius, understanding the fudden and wonderful Preparations of Antony, was not a little astonish'd at it; for he himself was in many Wants; and the People were forely opprefs'd with the great and grievous Exactions of Money. For every Perfon of Condition was oblig'd to furnish the fourth part of his Goods and Revenues; and the very Libertines (i. e. thofe, whose Fathers had once been Bondmen, and were enfranehifed) were taxed an eighth part of all their Goods to be raised at one Payment. Eres. Eros. There's strange news, come, Sir. Eno. What, man? Eros. Cefar and Lepidus have made war upon Pom pey. Eno. This is old; what is the fuccefs? Eros. Cafar, having made use of him in the wars 'gainst Pompey, prefently denied him rivalty, would not let him partake in the glory of the action; and not refting here, accufes him of letters he had formerly wrote to Pompey. Upon his own appeal, feizes him; fo the poor Third is up, 'till death enlarge his confine. Eno. Then 'would thou had'ft a pair of chaps, no more, and throw between them all the food thou haft, they'll grind the other. Where's Antony? Eros. He's walking in the garden thus; and fpurns The rush that lies before him. Crys, "fool Lepidus ! And threats the throat of that his Officer, That murder'd Pompey. Eno. Our great Navy's rigg'd. Eros. For Italy and Cæfar; more, Domitius, My lord defires you prefently; my news I might have told hereafter. Eno. 'Twill be naught; but let it be; bring me to Antony. Eros. Come, Sir. [Exeunt. SCENE changes to the Palace in Rome. Enter Cæfar, Agrippa, and Mecænas. Ontemning Rome, he has done all this, and Caf Con more, In Alexandria; here's the manner of it: I'th' market-place on a Tribunal filver'd, He Since then hath made between them. Unto her Meca |