When my good stars, that were my former guides,
Have empty left their orbs, and shot their fires
Into the abism of hell. If he mislike

My speech, and what is done; tell him, he has
Hipparchus, my enfranchis'd bondman, whom
He may at pleasure whip, or hang, or torture,
As he shall like, to quit me : Urge it thou:
Hence, with thy stripes, begone.

Cleo. Have you done yet?

Ant. Alack, our terrene moon

Is now eclips'd; and it portends alone
The fall of Antony !

Cleo. I must stay his time.

[Exit THYREUS.

Ant. To flatter Cæsar, would you mingle eyes With one that ties his points?

Cleo. Not know me yet?

Ant. Cold-hearted toward me?

Cleo. Ah, dear, if I be so,

From my cold heart let heaven engender hail,
And poison it in the source; and the first stone
Drop in my neck as it determines, so
Dissolve my life! The next Cæsarion smite !
Till, by degrees, the memory of my womb,
Together with my brave Egyptians all,
By the discandying of this pelleted storm,
Lie graveless; till the flies and gnats of Nile
Have buried them for prey!

Ant. I am satisfied:

Cæsar sits down in Alexandria; where
I will oppose his fate. Our force by land
Hath nobly held; our sever'd navy too

Have knit again, and fleet,2 threat'ning most sea-like.
Where hast thou been, my heart?-Dost thou hear, lady?
If from the field I shall return once more
To kiss these lips, I will appear in blood ;
I and my sword will earn our chronicle;

There is hope in't yet.

Cleo. That's my brave lord!

Ant. I will be treble-sinew'd, hearted, breath'd,

And fight maliciously: for when mine hours

[8] To repay me this insult; to requite me. JOHNS.
[9] Determines, that is, dissolves. M. MASON.
[] Cesarion was son to Cleopatra by Julius Cesar.

[2] Fleet is the old word for float. TYRWHITT.

STEEV.

Were nice and lucky, men did ransome lives
Of me for jests; but now, I'll set my teeth,
And send to darkness all that stop me.-Come,
Let's have one other gaudy night: call to me
All my sad captains, fill our bowls; once more
Let's mock the midnight bell.

Cleo. It is my birth-day:

I had thought, to have held it poor; but, since my lord Is Antony again, I will be Cleopatra.

Ant. We'll yet do well.

Cleo. Call all his noble captains to my lord.

Ant. Do so, we'll speak to them; and to-night I'll force The wine peep through their scars.-Come on,my queen; There's sap in't yet. The next time I do fight,

I'll make death love me; for I will contend

Even with his pestilent scythe.

[Exeunt ANT, CLEO. and Attend.

Eno. Now he'll out-stare the lightning. To be furious,
Is, to be frighted out of fear; and in that mood,
The dove will peck the estridge; and I see still,
A diminution in our captain's brain

Restores his heart. When valour preys on reason,
It eats the sword it fights with. I will seek
Some way to leave him.

[Exit.

ACT IV.

SCENE I.-CESAR's Camp at Alexandria.

Enter CESAR,

reading a letter; AGRIPPA, MECENAS, and others.

Cas. HE calls me boy; and chides, as he had power To beat me out of Egypt: my messenger

He hath whipp'd with rods; dares me to personal combat, Cæsar to Antony: Let the old ruffian know,

I have many other ways to die; mean time,

[3] Nice-seems to be, just fit for my purpose, agreeable to my wish. So we vulgarly say of any thing that is done better than was expected, it is nice.

JOHNS,

[4] This is still an epithet bestowed on feast days in the colleges of either university. STEEV.Gawdy, or Grand Days in the Inns of court, are four in the year, Ascension day, Midsummer day, All-saints day, and Candlemas day. REED.

Laugh at his challenge."

Mec. Cæsar must think,

When one so great begins to rage, he's hunted
Even to falling.
Give him no breath, but now
Make boot of his distraction :7 Never anger
Made good guard for itself.

Cas. Let our best heads

Know, that to-morrow the last of many battles
We mean to fight :-Within our files there are
Of those that serv'd Mark Antony but late,
Enough to fetch him in. See it be done ;
And feast the army: we have store to do't,
And they have earn'd the waste. Poor Antony!

[Exeunt.

SCENE II.

Alexandria. A Room in the Palace. Enter ANTONY, CLEOPATRA, ENOBARBUS, CHARMIAN, IRAS, ALEXAS, and others.

Ant. He will not fight with me, Domitius.

Eno. No.

Ant. Why should he not?

Eno. He thinks, being twenty times of better fortune, He is twenty men to one.

Ant. To-morrow, soldier,

By sea and land I'll fight: or I will live,

Or bathe my dying honour in the blood

Shall make it live again. Woo't thou fight well?
Eno. I'll strike; and cry, Take all.8

Ant. Well said; come on.

Call forth my household seryants; let's to-night,

[5] What a reply is this to Antony's challenge? 'tis acknowledged that he should die under the unequal combat; but if we read

He hath many other ways to die: mean time,

I laugh at his challenge.

In this reading we have poignancy, and the very repartee of Cæsar. Let's hear Plutarch. After this, Antony sent a challenge to Cesar, to fight him hand to hand, and received for answer, that he might find several other ways to end his life. UPTON.-Most indisputably this is the sense of Plutarch, and given so in the modern translations; but Shakspeare was misled by the ambiguity of the old one. FARMER.

[8] Let the survivor take all. No composition, victory or death. JOHN.

Enter Servants.

Be bounteous at our meal.-Give me thy hand,

Thou hast been rightly honest ;-so hast thou ;-
And thou;-and thou,-and thou:-you have serv'd
me well,

And kings have been your fellows.
Cleo. What means this?

Eno. [Aside.] 'Tis one of those odd tricks, which sorrow, shoots

Out of the mind.

Ant. And thou art honest too.

I wish, I could be made so many men ;
And all of you clapp'd up together in
An Antony; that I might do you service,
So good as you have done.

Serv. The gods forbid!

Ant. Well, my good fellows, wait on me to-night : Scant not my cups; and make as much of me, As when mine empire was your fellow too,

And suffer'd my command.

Cleo. What does he mean?

Eno. To make his followers weep.
Ant. Tend me to-night;

May be, it is the period of your duty;

Haply, you shall not see me more; or if,

A mangled shadow: perchance, to-morrow.

You'll serve another master.

I look on you,

As one that takes his leave. Mine honest friends,

I turn you not away; but, like a master

Married to your good, service, stay till death:

Tend me to-night two hours, I ask no more,
And the gods yield you for't!

Eno. What mean you, sir,
To give them this discomfort?
And I, an ass, am onion-ey'd
Transform us not to womer..
Ant. Ho, ho, ho !2

Look, they weep;
for shame,

[1] I have my eyes as full of tears as if they had been fretted by onions.

JOHNS.

[2] That is, stop, or desist. So, in Chaucer, The Knightes Tale, v. 1706, edit. 1775

This duk his courser with his sporres smote,
And at a stert he was betwix hem two,

And pulled out a swerd, and cried, ho!
No more, up peine of lesing of your bed."

And in Myrrour of good Manners, Ambition is compared to

"The sacke insatiable,

The sacke without bottome, which never can say ho."

31*

VOL. VI.

H. WHITE

Now the witch take me, if I meant it thus !

Grace grow where those drops fall! My hearty friends, You take me in too dolorous a sense :

I spake to you for comfort; did desire you

To burn this night with torches: Know, my hearts,
I hope well of to-morrow; and will lead you,
Where rather I'll expect victorious life,

Than death and honour.3 Let's to supper; come,
And drown consideration.

SCENE III.

[Exeunt.

The same. Before the Palace Enter two Soldiers to their guard. 1 Sold. Brother, good-night: to-morrow is the day. 2 Sold. It will determine one way: fare you well. Heard you of nothing strange about the streets? 1 Sold. Nothing: What news?

2 Sold. Belike, 'tis but a rumour :

Good night to you.

1 Sold. Well, sir, good night.

Enter two other Soldiers,

2 Sold. Soldiers,

Have careful watch.

3 Sold. And you: Good night, good night.

[The first two place themselves at their posts. 4 Sold. Here we : [They take their posts.] and if

to-morrow

Our navy thrive, I have an absolute hope
Our landmen will stand up.

3 Sold. 'Tis a brave army,

And full of purpose.

[Music of hautboys under the stage.

4 Sold. Peace, what noise?

1 Sold. List, list!

2 Sold. Hark!

1 Sold. Music i'the air.

3 Sold. Under the earth. 4 Sold. It signs well,+

Does't not?

3 Sold. No.

1 Sold. Peace, I say.

What should this mean?

[3] That is, an honourable death. UPTON.

[] That is, it is a good sign, it bodes well, &c. STEEV.