Guard her till Cæsar come". [TO PROCULEIUS and the Guard. Exit GALLUS. Iras. Royal queen! Char. O Cleopatra! thou art taken, queen!— Cleo. Quick, quick, good hands. Pro. [Drawing a Dagger. Hold, worthy lady, hold! [Seizes and disarms her. What, of death, too, Cleopatra, Do not yourself such wrong, who are in this Cleo. That rids our dogs of languish? Pro. Do not abuse my master's bounty, by Cleo. Where art thou, death? Come hither, come! come, come, and take a queen Worth many babes and beggars! Pro. O, temperance, lady! Cleo. Sir, I will eat no meat, I'll not drink, sir; I'll not sleep neither. This mortal house I'll ruin, shouting varletry Rather a ditch in Egypt Lay me stark nak'd, and let the water flies 9 Guard her till Cæsar come.] In the folio, 1623, this speech is given to Proculeius, and the editor of the folio, 1632, (not Rowe, nor Pope, as stated by Theobald, and repeated by others) perceiving that that must be an error, transferred it by another blunder to Charmian. It probably belongs to Gallus, to whom it was assigned by Malone. Blow me into abhorring! rather make Pro. You do extend These thoughts of horror farther, than you shall What thou hast done thy master Cæsar knows, I'll take her to my guard. So, Dolabella, Pro. If you'll employ me to him. Cleo. [To CLEOPATRA. Say, I would die. [Exeunt PROCULEIUS, and Soldiers. Dol. Most noble empress, you have heard of me? Cleo. I cannot tell. Dol. Assuredly, you know me. Cleo. No matter, sir, what I have heard, or known. You laugh, when boys, or women, tell their dreams; Is't not your trick? Dol. I understand not, madam. Cleo. I dream'd, there was an emperor Antony: O, such another sleep, that I might see But such another man! Dol. If it might please you,― Cleo. His face was as the heavens; and therein stuck A sun, and moon, which kept their course, and lighted The little O, the earth'. The little O, the earth.] This is substantially Theobald's amendment, the folios reading, The little o' th' earth, and he altering it to The little O o' th' earth. There seems no necessity to add to the text, especially as The little o' th' earth may, after all, be the true reading. Dol. Most sovereign creature,— Cleo. His legs bestrid the ocean; his rear'd arm Crested the world; his voice was propertied As all the tuned spheres, and that to friends; But when he meant to quail and shake the orb, He was as rattling thunder. For his bounty, There was no winter in't; an autumn 'twas?, That grew the more by reaping: his delights Were dolphin-like; they show'd his back above The element they liv'd in: in his livery Walk'd crowns, and crownets; realms and islands were As plates dropp'd from his pocket3. Dol. Cleopatra, Cleo. Think you, there was, or might be, such a man As this I dream'd of? Dol. Gentle madam, no. Cleo. You lie, up to the hearing of the gods: Dol. Hear me, good madam. Your loss is as yourself, great; and you bear it As answering to the weight: would I might never By the rebound of your's, a grief that smites 2 an AUTUMN 'twas,] "An Anthony 'twas" in the old copies: one of Theobald's certain and happy emendations. The error, doubtless, arose from autumn having been written with a capital letter. 3 AS PLATES dropp'd from his pocket.] Plate was the term in use for silver money, plata being the Spanish word for it, which about this date seems to have been introduced into English. 4 TO VIE strange forms with fancy ;] To "vie" (as explained in Vol. iii. p. 147) was a term at cards, signifying to stake or challenge. 5 ➖➖➖ a grief that SMITES My very heart at root.] "Smites" is printed suites in the folio, 1623, and the commentators have supposed that it was an error of the press for shoots; but I thank you, sir. Cleo. Know Cleo. Nay, pray you, sir, Dol. you knew. Though he be honourable,— Cleo. He'll lead me, then, in triumph? Dol. Madam, he will; I know't. Within. Make way there!-Cæsar! Enter CESAR, GALLUS, PROCULEIUS, MECÆNas, SeleuCUS, and Attendants. Cas. Which is the queen of Egypt? Dol. It is the emperor, madam. [CLEOPATRA kneels. Cæs. Arise, you shall not kneel. I pray you, rise; rise, Egypt. Cleo. Sir, the gods Will have it thus: my master and my lord I must obey. Cæs. Take to you no hard thoughts: The record of what injuries you did us, Though written in our flesh, we shall remember As things but done by chance. Cleo. Sole sir o' the world, I cannot project mine own cause so well To make it clear; but do confess I have Cæs. Cleopatra, know, We will extenuate rather than enforce : If you apply yourself to our intents, (Which towards you are most gentle) you shall find A benefit in this change; but if To lay on me a cruelty, by taking you seek surely, as Mr. Barron Field observes, it is much more likely to have been a misprint for "smites," which only varies in a single letter. The expression is then more natural, and it avoids the clash of shoots and “root.” Antony's course, you shall bereave yourself Cleo. And may through all the world: 'tis yours; and we Your scutcheons, and your signs of conquest, shall Not petty things admitted.-Where's Seleucus? Cleo. This is my treasurer: let him speak, my lord, Upon his peril, that I have reserv'd To myself nothing. Speak the truth, Seleucus. I had rather seal my lips, than to my peril Cleo. What have I kept back? Sel. Enough to purchase what you have made known. Cæs. Nay, blush not, Cleopatra; I approve Your wisdom in the deed. See, Cæsar! O, behold, Cleo. Even make me wild.-O slave, of no more trust Than love that's hir'd!-What! goest thou back? thou shalt Go back, I warrant thee; but I'll catch thine eyes, Though they had wings. Slave, soul-less villain, dog! O rarely base! Cæs. Good queen, let us entreat you. 6 I had rather SEAL my lips,] This again is one of the instances in which the commentators have understood an allusion to seeling the eyes of a hawk; but the common expression of scaling the lips requires no such explanation. |