I do perceiv't:-There's nothing in her yet :—
The fellow has good judgment.

Char.

Cleo. Guess at her years, I pr'ythee.

Mess.

She was a widow.

Cleo.

Excellent.

Madam,

Widow?-Charmian, hark.

Mess. And I do think, she's thirty.

Cleo. Bear'st thou her face in mind? is it long, or
Mess. Round even to faultiness.
[round?
Cleo.
For the most part too,
They are foolish that are so.-Her hair, what colour?
Mess. Brown, madam : And her forehead is as low
As she would wish it.

Cleo.
There is gold for thee.
Thou must not take my former sharpness ill:-
I will employ thee back again; I find thee
Most fit for business: Go, make thee ready;
Our letters are prepar'd.

[Exit Messenger.

Char.
A proper man.
Cleo. Indeed, he is so: I repent me much,
That so I harry'd him. Why, methinks, by him,
This creature's no such thing.

Char.

O, nothing, madam. Cleo. The man hath seen some majesty and should know. Char. Hath he seen majesty? Isis else defend,

And serving you so long!

[mian: Cleo. I have one thing more to ask him yet, good CharBut 'tis no matter; thou shalt bring him to me

Where I will write: All may be well enough.
Char. I warrant you, madam.

[Exeunt.

SCENE IV. ATHENS. A Room in ANTONY'S House.

Enter ANTONY and OCTAVIA.

Ant. Nay, nay, Octavia, not only that,

That were excusable, that, and thousands more.

Of semblable import,-but he hath wag'd

New wars 'gainst Pompey; made his will, and read it

To public ear:

Spoke scantly of me: when perforce he could not

But pay me terms of honour, cold and sickly
He vented them; most narrow measure lent me :
When the best hint was given him, he not took't,
Or did it from his teeth.

Octa.
O my good lord,
Believe not all; or, if you must believe,
Stomach not all. A more unhappy lady,
If this division chance, ne'er stood between,
Praying for both parts:

And the good gods will mock me presently,
When I shall pray, O, bless my lord and husband!
Undo that prayer, by crying out as loud,

O, bless my brother! Husband win, win brother,
Prays, and destroys the prayer; no midway
"Twixt these extremes at all.

Ant.

Gentle Octavia,

Let your best love draw to that point, which seeks
Best to preserve it: If I lose mine honour,

I lose myself: better I were not yours,

Than yours so branchless. But, as you requested, Yourself shall go between us: The mean time, lady, I'll raise the preparation of a war

Shall stain your brother; Make your soonest haste; So your desires are yours.

Ŏcta. Thanks to my lord. The Jove of power make me most weak, most weak, Your reconciler! Wars 'twixt you twain would be As if the world should cleave, and that slain men' Should solder up the rift.

Ant. When it appears to you where this begins, Turn your displeasure that way; for our faults Can never be so equal, that your love

Can equally move with them. Provide your going;
Choose your own company, and command what cost
Your heart has mind to.
[Exeunt.

SCENE V. The same.

Another Room in the same.

Enter ENOBARBUS and EROS, meeting.

Eno. How now, friend Eros?

Eros. There's strange news come, sir.

D

Eno. What, man?

Eros. Cæsar and Lepidus have made wars upon Pompey.

Eno. This is old; What is the success?

Eros. Cæsar, having made use of him in the wars 'gainst Pompey, presently denied him rivality; would not let him partake in the glory of the action: and not resting here, accuses him of letters he had formerly wrote to Pompey; upon his own appeal, seizes him: So the poor third is up, till death enlarge his confine. Eno. Then, world, thou hast a pair of chaps, no more; And throw between them all the food thou hast, They'll grind the one the other. Where's Antony? Eros. He's walking in the garden-thus; and spurns The rush that lies before him; cries, Fool, Lepidus! And threats the throat of that his officer, That murder'd Pompey.

Eno.

Our great navy's rigged.
More, Domitius;

Eros. For Italy, and Cæsar.
My lord desires you presently: my news

I might have told hereafter.

Eno.

"Twill be naught:

[Exeunt.

But let it be.-Bring me to Antony.

Eros. Come, sir.

SCENE VI. ROME. A Room in CESAR's House.

Enter CESAR, AGRIPPA, and MECENAS.

[more;

Cæs. Contemning Rome, he has done all this: And In Alexandria,-here's the manner of it, l'the market-place, on a tribunal silver'd, Cleopatra and himself, in chairs of gold, Were publicly enthron'd: at the feet, sat Cæsarion, whom they call my father's son; And all the unlawful issue, that their lust Since then hath made between them.

Unto her He gave the 'stablishment of Egypt; made her Of lower Syria, Cyprus, Lydia,

Absolute queen.

Mec.

This in the public eye?

Cæs. I'the common show-place, where they exer

cise.

His sons he there proclaim'd, The kings of kings:
Great Media, Parthia, and Armenia,

He gave to Alexander; to Ptolemy he assign'd
Syria, Cilicia, and Phoenicia: She

In the habiliments of the goddess Isis

That day appear'd; and oft before gave audience,
As 'tis reported, so.

Mec. Inform'd.

Let Rome be thus

Agr. Who, queasy with his insolence Already, will their good thoughts call from him. Cas. The people know it; and have now receiv'd

His accusations.

Agr.

Whom does he accuse?

Cas. Cæsar: and that, having in Sicily
Sextus Pompeius spoil'd, we had not rated him
His part o'the isle: then does he say, he lent me
Some shipping unrestor'd: lastly, he frets,
That Lepidus of the triumvirate

Should be depos'd; and, being, that we detain
All his revenue.

Agr.

Sir, this should be answer'd.

Cas. "Tis done already, and the messenger gone. I have told him, Lepidus was grown too cruel; That he his high authority abus'd,

And did deserve his change; for what I have conquer'd, I grant him part; but then, in his Armenia,

And other of his conquer'd kingdoms, I

Demand the like.

Mec.

He'll never yield to that.

Cæs. Nor must not then be yielded to in this.

Enter OCTAVIA.

Octa. Hail, Cæsar, and my lord! hail, most dear Cæsar!

Cas. That ever I should call thee, cast-away! Octa. You have not call'd me so, nor have you cause. Cas. Why have you stol'n upon us thus? You come Like Cæsar's sister: The wife of Antony

[not

Should have an army for an usher, and

A

The neighs of horse to tell of her approach,
Long ere she did appear; the trees by the way,
Should have borne men; and expectation fainted,
Longing for what it had not: nay, the dust
Should have ascended to the roof of heaven,
Rais'd by your populous troops: But you are come
market-maid to Rome; aud have prevented
The ostent of our love, which, left unshown,
Is often left unlov'd; we should have met you
By sea, and land; supplying every stage
With an augmented greeting.
Octa.
Good, my lord,
To come thus was I not constrain'd, but did it
On my free-will. My lord, Mark Antony,
Hearing that you prepar'd for war, acquainted
My grieved ear withal; whereon, Í begg'd
His pardon for return.

Cas.
Being an obstruct 'tween his lust and him.
Octa. Do not say so, my lord.

Which soon he granted,

I have eyes upon him,

Cæs.
And his affairs come to me on the wind..

Where is he now?

Octa.

My lord, in Athens.

Cas. No, my most wrong'd sister; Cleopatra
Hath nodded him to her. He hath given his empire
Up to a whore; who now are levying

The kings o'the earth for war: He hath assembled
Bocchus, the king of Lybia; Archelaus,

Of Cappadocia; Philadelphos, king

Of Paphlagonia; the Thracian king, Adallas:
King Malchus of Arabia; king of Pont;
Herod of Jewry; Mithridates, king
Of Comagene; Polemon and Amintas,
The kings of Mede, and Lycaonia, with a
More larger list of sceptres.

Octa.

Ah me, most wretched, That have my heart parted betwixt two friends, That do afflict each other!

Cæs.

Welcome hither: