Enter a Meffenger.

Mef. Mark Antony is come into the field.
Caf. Go, charge, Agrippa;

Plant thofe, that have revolted, in the Van,
That Antony may seem to spend his fury
Upon himself.

[Exeunt.

Eno. Alexas did revolt, and went to Jewry on
Affairs of Antony; there did perfwade

Great Herod to incline himself to Cæfar,
And leave his mafter Antony. For this pains,
Cafar hath hang'd him: Canidius, and the rest,
That fell away, have entertainment, but
No honourable truft: I have done ill,
Of which I do accufe myself fo forely,
That I will joy no more.

Enter a Soldier of Cæfar's.

Sold. Enobarbus, Antony

Hath after thee fent all thy treasure, with
His bounty over-plus. The meffenger
Came on my guard, and at thy tent is now
Unloading of his mules.

Eno. I give it you.

Sold. Mock me not, Enobarbus,

I tell you true; beft, you see fafe't the bringer
Out of the hoft: I must attend mine office,
Or would have done't myself. Your Emperor
Continues ftill a Jove.

Eno. I am alone the villain of the earth,
And feel, I am so most. O Antony,

[Exit.

Thou Mine of bounty, how wouldst thou have paid
My better fervice, when my turpitude

Thou doft fo crown with gold! This bows my heart;
If fwift thought break it not, a fwifter mean

Shall out-ftrike thought; but thought will do't, I feel. no, I will go feek

I fight against thee!

Some ditch, where I may die; the foul'st best fits

My latter part of life.

[Exit.

SCENE,

SCENE, before the Walls of Alexandria.

Alarum. Drums and Trumpets. Enter Agrippa.

Agr. REtire, we have engag'd our felves too far:

Cafar himfelf has work, and our oppreffion

Exceeds what we expected.

Alarum. Enter Antony, and Scarus wounded.

[Exit.

Scar. O my brave Emperor! this is fought indeed; Had we done fo at firft, we had droven them home With clouts about their heads.

Ant. Thou bleed'it apace.

Scar. I had a wound here that was like a T, But now 'tis made an H.

Ant. They do retire.

Scar. We'll beat 'em into bench-holes; I have yet Room for fix fcotches more..

Enter Eros.

Eros. They're beaten, Sir, and our advantage serves For a fair victory.

Scar. Let us fcore their backs,

And fnatch 'em up, as we take hares, behind;

"Tis fport to maul a runner.

Ant. I will reward thee

Once for thy fprightly comfort, and ten-fold
For thy good valour. Come thee on.

Scar. I'll halt after.

(Exeunt.

Alarum. Enter Antony again in a March, Scarus

with others.

Ant. We've beat him to his camp; (28) run one be

fore,

And let the Queen know of our Gefts; te morrow,

Before

And let the Queen know of our Guests.] What Guests was the Queen to know of? Antony was to fight again on the morrow; and he had not yet faid a Word of marching to Alexandria,

and

Before the fun fhall fee's, we'll fpill the blood
That has to day escap'd. I thank you all;
For doughty-handed are you, and have fought
Not as you ferv'd the cause, but as't had been
Each man's like mine; you've fhewn yourselves all

Hectors.

Enter the city, clip your wives, your friends,
Tell them your feats, whilft they with joyful tears
Wash the congealment from your wounds, and kifs
The honour'd gafhes whole. Give me thy hand,

Enter Cleopatra.

To this great Faiery I'll commend thy acts,

[To Scarus.

Make her thanks bless thee. O thou day o'th' world,
Chain mine arm'd neck; leap thou, attire and all,
Through proof of harness, to my heart, and there
Ride on the pants triumphing.

Cleo. Lord of Lords!

Oh, infinite virtue! com'ft thou fmiling from
The world's great fnare uncaught?

Ant. My nightingale!

We've beat them to their beds. What! Girl, though

gray

Do fomething mingle with our younger brown, yet ha'we A brain that nourishes our nerves, and can

Get goal for goal of youth. Behold this man,

(29) Commend unto his lips thy favouring hand;

Kifs

and treating his Officers in the Palace. We muft reftore, as Mr. Warburton likewise prescribes ;

And let the Queen know of our Gefts.

i. c. res gefta; our Feats, our glorious A&tions. It is a Term, that frequently occurs in Chaucer; and, after him, in Spencer 3 nor did it cease to be current for fome time after our Author's Days.

(29) Commend unto his Lips thy favouring Hand.] Antony is here recommending One of his Captains, who had fought yaliantly, to Cleopatra; and defires, he may have the Grace of kissing her Hand. But why, favouring Hand? He did not want his Captain to grow in Love with his Mistress, on Account

of

Kifs it, my warrior: he hath fought to day,
As if a God in hate of mankind had
Destroyed in such a shape.

Cleo. I'll give thee, friend,

An armour all of gold; it was a King's.

Ant. He has deserv'd it, were it carbuncled -Like holy Phabus' Car.- Give me thy hand; Through Alexandria make a jolly march;

Bear our hackt targets, like the men that owe them.
Had our great palace the capacity

To camp this hoft, we would all fup together;
And drink carowses to the next day's fate,
Which promises royal peril. Trumpeters,
With brazen din blast you the city's ear,
Make mingle with our ratling tabourines,

That heav'n and earth may strike their founds together,
Applauding our approach.

[Exeunt.

SCENE changes to Cæfar's Camp.

Enter a Centry, and his Company. Enobarbus follows. Cent.TF we be not reliev'd within this hour,

I

We must return to th' Court of Guard; the

night

Is fhiny, and, they fay, we fhall embattle
By th' fecond hour i'th' morn.

I Watch. This last day was a fhrewd one to's.
Eno. O bear me witness, night!

2 Watch. What man is this?

I Watch. Stand clofe, and lift him.

Eno. Be witnefs to me, O thou blessed moon,

When men revolted shall upon record

of the Flavour and Luscioufnefs of her Hand; but only to have a Reward of Honour from the Queen for his good Service. I therefore believe, the Poet wrote;

Commend unto his Lips thy favouring Hand.

Tho' none of the printed Copies countenance this Reading, yet nothing is more common at Press than for an ƒ to ufurp the place of an ƒ, and so vice verfâ.

Bear

Bear hateful memory; poor Enobarbus did
Before thy face repent.

Cent. Enobarbus?

3 Watch. Peace; hark further.

Eno. Oh fovereign Miftrefs of true melancholy,
The poisonous damp of night difpunge upon me,
That life, a very rebel to my will,

May hang no longer on me. Throw my heart
Against the flint and hardness of my fault,

Which, being dried with grief, will break to powder,
And finifh all foul thoughts. Oh Antony,
Nobler than my revolt is infamous,
Forgive me in thine own particular;
But let the world rank me in register
A mafter-leaver, and a fugitive:
Oh Antony! oh Antony!

1 Watch. Let's fpeak to him.

Cent. Let's hear him, for the things he speaks May concern Cæfar.

2 Watch. Let's do fo, but he fleeps.

Cent. Swoons rather, for fo bad a prayer as his Was never yet for sleep.

1 Watch. Go we to him.

2 Watch. Awake, Sir, awake, fpeak to us. 1 Watch. Hear you, Sir?

Cent. The hand of death has raught him.

[Dies:

[Drums afar off. Hark, how the drums demurely wake the fleepers : Let's bear him to the Court of Guard; he is of note. Our hour is fully out.

2 Watch. Come on then, he may recover yet.

Ant.

[Exeunt.

SCENE between the two Camps.

Enter Antony, and Scarus, with their Army.

•T

HEIR preparation is to day by fea,
We please them not by land.

Scar. For both, my Lord.

Ant. I would, they'd fight i'th' fire, or in the air,

Vo L. VII.

H

We'd