The merchandise which thou hast brought from Rome,
Are all too dear for me: lie they upon thy hand,

And be undone by 'em!

[Exit Messenger.

Char.
Cleo. In praising Antony, I have disprais'd Cæsar.
Char. Many times, madam.

Good your highness, patience.

Cleo.

Lead me from hence;

I am paid for't now.

I faint. Oh Iras! Charmian !-'Tis no matter.—
Go to the fellow, good Alexas; bid him

Report the feature of Octavia, her years,
Her inclination, let him not leave out

The colour of her hair: bring me word quickly.—

Let him for ever go ?-let him not-Charmian,
Though he be painted one way like a Gorgon,
The other way he's a Mars'.-Bid you Alexas

[Exit ALEXAS.

[TO MARDIAN.

Bring me word, how tall she is.-Pity me, Charmian,
But do not speak to me.-Lead me to my chamber. [Exeunt.

SCENE VI.

Near Misenum.

Flourish. Enter POMPEY and MENAS, at one side', with drum and trumpet: at another, CÆSAR, LEPIDUS, ANTONY, ENOBARBUS, MECENAS, with Soldiers marching.

Pom. Your hostages I have, so have you mine;

And we shall talk before we fight.

Cæs.

Most meet,

The Rev. Mr. Dyce is

more, whether he is certain of the tidings he has brought. in somewhat of a dilemma here: he complains ("Remarks," p. 246) that nonsense is made of the passage by not printing" of" of't in our first edition, and yet he "strongly protests against any deviation from the old editions,”—just as if we had deviated: we gave the very words and letters of the "old editions."

6 The other WAY HE's a Mars.] Thus corruptly printed in the folio, 1623, "The other wayes a Mars."

7 Flourish. Enter Pompey and Menas, at one side,] In the old stage-direction, Menas is erroneously inserted as if he were one of the friends and followers of Cæsar. "Enter Pompey at one door with drum and trumpet: at another Cæsar, Lepidus, Antony, Enobarbus, Mecænas, Agrippa, Menas, with Soldiers marching."

That first we come to words; and therefore have we
Our written purposes before us sent,

Which, if thou hast consider'd, let us know

If 'twill tie up thy discontented sword,
And carry back to Sicily much tall youth,
That else must perish here.

Pom.
To you all three,
The senators alone of this great world,
Chief factors for the gods.-I do not know,
Wherefore my father should revengers want,
Having a son, and friends; since Julius Cæsar,
Who at Philippi the good Brutus ghosted,
There saw you labouring for him. What was it,
That mov'd pale Cassius to conspire? And what
Made the all-honour'd', honest, Roman Brutus,
With the arm'd rest, courtiers of beauteous freedom,
To drench the Capitol, but that they would
Have one man but a man? And that is it
Hath made me rig my navy, at whose burden
The anger'd ocean foams; with which I meant
To scourge th' ingratitude, that despiteful Rome
Cast on my noble father.

Cæs.

Take your time.

10

Ant. Thou canst not fear us ", Pompey, with thy sails;
We'll speak with thee at sea: at land, thou know'st
How much we do o'er-count thee.

Pom.

At land, indeed,

Thou dost o'er-count me of my father's house';
But, since the cuckoo builds not for himself,

Remain in't as thou mayst.

Lep.

(For this is from the present) how you take

The offers we have sent you.

Cæs.

Be pleas'd to tell us,

There's the point.

Ant. Which do not be entreated to, but weigh What it is worth embrac'd.

8

much TALL youth,] i. e. Much bold, courageous youth.

9 Made THE all-honour'd,] "The" is from the folio, 1632, where it was in

serted, as we may suppose, to cure the defective metre.

See Vol. iii. p. 504,

10 Thou canst not FEAR us,] i. e. Alarm, frighten us. where, as in various other places, to "fear" is made a verb transitive.

1 Thou dost O'ER-COUNT me of my father's house;] "O'er-count" is here used equivocally, as Malone remarks, with reference to the fact, stated by Plutarch, that Antony had possessed himself of the dwelling of Pompey's father.

Cæs.

To try a larger fortune.

Pom.

And what may follow,

You have made me offer

Of Sicily, Sardinia; and I must

Rid all the sea of pirates; then, to send
Measures of wheat to Rome: this 'greed upon,
To part with unhack'd edges, and bear back

Our targes undinted.

Cæs. Ant. Lep. That's our offer.
Pom.

came before

Know then,

you, here, a man prepar'd To take this offer; but Mark Antony

Put me to some impatience.-Though I lose
The praise of it by telling, you must know,
When Cæsar and your brother were at blows,
Your mother came to Sicily, and did find
Her welcome friendly.

Ant.

I have heard it, Pompey;

And am well studied for a liberal thanks,

Which I do owe you.

Pom.

Let me have your hand.

I did not think, sir, to have met you here. [They take hands. Ant. The beds i' the east are soft; and thanks to you, That call'd me timelier than my purpose hither,

For I have gain'd by it.

Cæs.

Since I saw you last,

Well, I know not

There is a change upon you.

Pom.

What counts harsh fortune casts upon my face,

But in my bosom shall she never come,

To make my heart her vassal.

Lep.

Well met here.

Pom. I hope so, Lepidus.—Thus we are agreed. I crave, our composition may be written,

And seal'd between us.

Cæs.

That's the next to do.

Pom. We'll feast each other, ere we part; and let us

Draw lots who shall begin.

Ant.

That will I, Pompey.

Pom. No, Antony, take the lot; but, first

Or last, your fine Egyptian cookery

Shall have the fame. I have heard, that Julius Cæsar

Grew fat with feasting there.

Ant.

You have heard much.

Pom. I have fair meanings, sir.
Ant.

And fair words to them.

Pom. Then, so much have I heard: And I have heard, Apollodorus carriedEno. No more of that:-he did so. Pom.

What, I pray you?

Eno. A certain queen to Cæsar in a mattress2.
Pom. I know thee now: how far'st thou, soldier?
Eno.

And well am like to do; for, I perceive,

Four feasts are toward.

Pom.

Well;

Let me shake thy hand:

I never hated thee. I have seen thee fight,
When I have envied thy behaviour.

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

Pom.

Enjoy thy plainness,

It nothing ill becomes thee.

Aboard my galley I invite you all:

Will you lead, lords?

Cæs. Ant. Lep. Show us the way, sir.

Pom.

Come.

[Exeunt POMPEY, CESAR, ANTONY, LEPIDUS, Soldiers

and Attendants.

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.

2 A certain queen to Cæsar in a mattress.] Editors, one after another, have been accustomed to say, with Ritson (merely taking his word for it), that this fact is derived “from the margin of North's Plutarch.' The fact is, that it is in the body of Plutarch's "Life of Julius Cæsar" (North's Transl., 1579, p. 786) in these words:" Then, having no other meane to come in to the court, without being knowen, she [Cleopatra] laid her selfe downe upon a mattresse or flockbed, which Apollodorus, her frend, tied and bound up together, like a bundel, with a great leather thong, and so tooke her up on his backe, and brought her, thus hamperd in this fardell, unto Cæsar in at the castle gate. This was the first occasion (as it is reported) that made Cæsar to love her," &c. Shakespeare, as we have repeatedly seen, did not resort to the mere marginal notes of North's "Plu tarch," but availed himself, whenever they suited him, of the most minute particulars. He saw at once what would, or would not, answer his purpose.

Men. And you by land.

Eno. I 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: have been a great thief by sea.

you

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 here: pray you, is he married to Cleopatra?

Eno. Cæsar'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.

Men. Then, is Cæsar 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.

Eno. I think so too: but you shall find, the band, that seems to tie their friendship together, 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 he, that himself is not so; which is Mark Antony. He will to his Egyptian dish again: then, shall the sighs of

No slander;] i. e. What you say is "no slander; they steal hearts."

:

♦ Then, is Cæsar and he for ever knit together?] We point this line with a note of interrogation, because Menas must intend to ask the question, whether it be so if not, he contradicts himself in his next speech, where he asserts that the union was one of more convenience than love. He asks Enobarbus whether Cæsar and Antony are for ever united by the marriage, and Enobarbus replies in the negative, which Menas immediately confirms by his opinion, "I think, the policy of that purpose," &c.