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him marry a Woman that cannot go, sweet Ifis, I be feech thee; and let her die too, and give him a worfe; and let worfe follow worft, 'till the worst of all follow him laughing to his Grave, fifty-fold a Cuckold! good Ifis, hear me this prayer, though thou deny me a matter of more weight; good Ifis, I beseech thee!

Iras. Amen, dear Goddefs, hear that prayer of the people! for, as it is a heart-breaking to fee a handfome man loofe-wiv'd, fo it is a deadly forrow to behold a foul knave uncuckolded; therefore, dear Ifis, keep decorum, and fortune him accordingly.

Char. Amen!

Alex. Lo, now! if it lay in their hands to make me a cuckold, they would make themfelves whores, but they'd do't.

Enter Cleopatra.

Eno. Hufh! here comes Antony.

Char. Not he, the Queen.

Cleo. Saw you my Lord?

Eno. No, Lady.

Cleo. Was he not here?

Char. No, Madam.

Cleo. He was difpos'd to mirth,

A Roman thought hath ftruck him.

but on the fudden Enobarbus,

the very Names of the Perfons, He believes, one might have applied them with Certainty to every Speaker. But in how many Inftances has Mr. Pope's Want of Judgment falfified this Opinion! The Fact is evidently this. Alexas brings a Fortune-teller to Iras and Charmian, and fays Himself, We'll know all our Fortunes. Well; the Soothfayer begins with the Women; and fome Joaks pafs upon the Subject of Husbands and Chastity: After which, the Women hoping for the Satisfaction of having fomething to laugh at in Alexas's Fortune, call to him to hold out his Hand, and with heartily he may have the Prognoftication of Cuckoldom upon him. The whole Speech, therefore, must be plac'd to Charmian. There needs no ftronger Proof of This being a true Correction, than the Obfervation which Alexas immediately fubjoins on their Wishes and Zeal to hear him abused,

Eno. Madam.

Cleo. Seek him, and bring him hither; where's Alexas?

Alex. Here at your fervice; my Lord approaches.

Enter Antony with a Messenger, and Attendants. Cleo. We will not look upon him; go with us.

[Exeunt. Mef. Fulvia thy Wife first came into the field. Ant. Against my brother Lucius?

Mef. Ay, but foon that war had end, and the time's ftate

Made friends of them, jointing their force 'gainst
Cefar:

Whofe better iffue in the war from Italy,
Upon the first encounter, drave them.

Ant. Well, what worst?

Mef. The nature of bad news infects the teller. Ant. When it concerns the fool or coward; on. Things, that are past, are done, with me. 'Tis thus ; Who tells me true, though in the tale lye death, I hear, as if he flatter'd.

Mef. Labienus (this is stiff news)

Hath, with his Parthian force, extended Afia;
From Euphrates his conquering banner shook,
From Syria to Lydia, and Ionia;

Whilft

Ant. Antony, thou wouldst fay

Mef. Oh, my Lord!

Ant. Speak to me home, mince not the gen'ral tongue;

Name Cleopatra as fhe's call'd in Rome.

Rail thou in Fulvia's phrafe, and taunt my faults

With fuch full licence, as both truth and malice

Have power to utter. Oh, then we bring forth weeds,
When our quick winds lye ftill; and our ill, told us,
Is as our earing; fare thee well a while.

Mef. At your noble pleasure.

Ant. From Sicyon, how the news? speak there;

Mef.

Mef. The Man from Sicyon, is there fuch an one? [Exit firft Meffenger.

Attend. He stays upon your will.

Ant. Let him appear;

Thefe ftrong Egyptian fetters I must break,
Or lofe myself in dotage. What are you?

Enter another Messenger, with a Letter.

2 Mef. Fulvia thy wife is dead.

Ant. Where died she?

2 Mef. In Sicyon.

Her length of fickness, with what else more serious
Importeth thee to know, this bears.

Ant. Forbear me.

[Exit fecond Meffenge.

There's a great fpirit gone! thus did I defire it.

What our contempts do often hurl from us,
We wish it ours again; the prefent pleasure,
By revolution lowring, does become
The oppofite of itself; fhe's good, being gone;
The hand could pluck her back, that fhov'd her on.
I must from this enchanting Queen break off.
Ten thousand harms, more than the ills I know,
My idleness doth hatch. How now, Enobarbus ?
Enter Enobarbus.

Eno. What's your pleasure, Sir?

Ant. I muft with hafte from hence.

We fee,

Eno. Why, then we kill all our women. how mortal an unkindness is to them; if they fuffer our departure, death's the word.

Ant. I must be gone.

Eno. Under a compelling occafion, let women die. It were pity to caft them away for nothing; though between them and a great cause, they fhould be efteem'd nothing. Cleopatra, catching but the leaft noife of this, dies inftantly; I have feen her die twenty times upon far poorer moment : I do think, there is mettle in death, which commits fome loving act upon her; fhe hath such a celerity in dying.

Ant. She is cunning paft man's thought.

Eno. Alack, Sir, no; her paffions are made of no

thing but the fineft part of pure love. We cannot call her winds and waters, fighs and tears: they are greater ftorms and tempefts than almanacks can report. This cannot be cunning in her if it be, she makes a show'r of rain as well as Jove.

:

Ant. 'Would I had never seen her!

Eno. Oh, Sir, you had then left unseen a wonderful piece of work, which, not to have been bleft withal, would have diferedited your travel.

Ant. Fulvia is dead.

Eno. Sir!

Ant. Fulvia is dead.
Eno. Fulvia?

Ant. Dead.

Eno. Why, Sir, give the Gods a thankful facrifice: when it pleafeth their Deities to take the wife of a man from him, it fhews to man the tailor of the earth: comforting therein, that when old robes are worn out, there are members to make new. If there were no more women but Fulvia, then had you indeed a cut, and the cafe were to be lamented: this grief is crowned with confolation; your old fmock brings forth a new petticoat, and, indeed, the tears live in an onion that fhould water this forrow.

Ant. The bufinefs, fhe hath broached in the state, Cannot endure my abfence.

Eno. And the bufinefs, you have broach'd here, cannot be without you; efpecially that of Cleopatra's, which wholy depends on your aboad.

Ant. No more light anfwers: let our officers
Have notice what we purpose. I fhall break
The caufe of our expedience to the Queen,
And get her leave to part. For not alone
The death of Fulvia, with more urgent touches,
Do ftrongly fpeak tus; but the letters too
our contriving friends in Rome

Of many

Petition us at home. Sextus Pompeius

Hath

giv'n the dare to Cæfar, and commands The Empire of the Sea. Our flipp'ry people, (Whofe love is never link'd to the deferver,

'Till his deferts are paft,) begin to throw
Pompey the Great and all his Dignities
Upon his fon; who high in name and pow'r,
Higher than both in blood and life, ftands up
For the main Soldier; whofe quality going on,
The fides o' th' world may danger. Much is breeding;
Which, like the courfer's hair, hath yet but life,
And not a ferpent's poison. Say, our pleasure,
To fuch whofe place is under us, requires

Our quick remove from hence.

Eno. I'll do't.

[Exeunt.

Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, Alexas, and Iras.

Cleo. Where is he?

Char. I did not fee him fince..

Cleo. See, where he is, who's with him, what he does.

I did not fend you :— -If you find him fad,
Say, I am dancing: if in mirth, report,
That I am fudden fick. Quick, and return.

Char. Madam, methinks, if you did love him dearly, You do not hold the method to enforce

The like from him.

Cleo. What fhould I do, I do not?

Char. In each thing give him way, cross him in nothing.

Cleo. Thou teacheft, like a fool: the way to lofe him. Char. Tempt him not fo, too far. I wifh, forbear; In time we hate That, which we often fear.

Enter Antony.

But here comes Antony.

Cleo. I'm fick, and fullen.

Ant. I am forry to give breathing to my purpose. Cleo. Help me away, dear Charmian, I fhall fall; It cannot be thus long, the fides of nature

Will not fuftain it.

[Seeming to faint.

Ant. Now, my dearest Queen,——————
Cleo. Pray you, ftand farther from me.

Ant.

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