图书图片
PDF
ePub

Cleo. O Cæsar! what a wounding shame is this; That thou, vouchsafing here to visit me,

Doing the honour of thy lordliness

To one so meek, that mine own servant should
Parcel the sum of my disgraces by

Addition of his envy!

Say, good Cæsar,
That I some lady trifles have reserv'd,

Immoment toys, things of such dignity
As we greet modern friends' withal; and say,
Some nobler token I have kept apart

For Livia, and Octavia, to induce

Their mediation, must I be unfolded

With one that I have bred? The gods! it smites me Beneath the fall I have. Pr'ythee, go hence;

Or I shall show the cinders of my spirits

[To SELEUCUS.

Through th' ashes of my chance.-Wert thou a man, Thou would'st have mercy on me.

Cæs.

Forbear, Seleucus.

[Exit SELEUCUS.

Cleo. Be it known, that we, the greatest, are mis

thought

For things that others do; and when we fall,

We answer others' merits in our name,

Are therefore to be pitied.

Cæs.

Cleopatra,

Not what you have reserv'd, nor what acknowledg'd, Put we i' the roll of conquest: still be it yours,

Bestow it at your pleasure; and believe,

Cæsar's no merchant, to make prize with you

Of things that merchants sold. Therefore be cheer'd; Make not your thoughts your prisons: no, dear queen; For we intend so to dispose you, as

Yourself shall give us counsel. Feed, and sleep:

7

MODERN friends-] i. e. common friends; a use of the word of which we have had various previous examples. See Vol. vi. p. 443, &c.

⚫ WITH one that I have bred?] We should now say, " By one," &c.: another instance of licence in the old use of prepositions.

Our care and pity is so much upon you,
That we remain your friend; and so, adieu.
Cleo. My master, and my lord!

Cæs.

Not so.

Adieu.

[Flourish. Exeunt CAESAR, and his Train.

Cleo. He words me, girls, he words me, that I should

not

Be noble to myself: but hark thee, Charmian.

[Whispers CHARMIAN. Iras. Finish, good lady; the bright day is done, And we are for the dark.

Cleo.

Hie thee again :

I have spoken already, and it is provided;
Go, put it to the haste.

[blocks in formation]

Dol. Madam, as thereto sworn by your command,

Which my love makes religion to obey,

I tell you this: Cæsar through Syria
Intends his journey, and within three days
You with your children will he send before.
Make your best use of this; I have perform'd
Your pleasure, and my promise.

Cleo.

I shall remain your debtor.

Dol.

Dolabella,

I your servant.

Adieu, good queen; I must attend on Cæsar.

Cleo. Farewell, and thanks. [Exit DoL.] Now, Iras, what think'st thou?

Thou, an Egyptian puppet, shalt be shown

In Rome, as well as I: mechanic slaves

With greasy aprons, rules, and hammers, shall

Uplift us to the view: in their thick breaths,
Rank of gross diet, shall we be enclouded,
And forc'd to drink their vapour.

Iras.

The gods forbid !

Cleo. Nay, 'tis most certain, Iras. Saucy lictors
Will catch at us, like strumpets; and scald rhymers
Ballad us out o' tune: the quick comedians
Extemporally will stage us, and present
Our Alexandrian revels: Antony

Shall be brought drunken forth, and I shall see
Some squeaking Cleopatra boy my greatness

I' the posture of a whore.

Iras.

Cleo. Nay, that is certain.

O, the good gods!

Iras. I'll never see it; for, I am sure, my nails Are stronger than mine eyes.

Cleo.

Why, that's the way
To fool their preparation, and to conquer
Their most absurd intents.-Now, Charmian?-

Re-enter CHARMIAN.

Show me, my women, like a queen :-go fetch
My best attires;—I am again for Cydnus,
To meet Mark Antony.-Sirrah, Iras, go'.-
Now, noble Charmian, we'll despatch indeed;

And, when thou hast done this chare, I'll give thee leave

To play till dooms-day.-Bring our crown and all.

Wherefore's this noise?

Guard.

[Exit IRAS. A noise within.

Enter one of the Guard.

Here is a rural fellow,

66

SIRRAH, Iras, go.] In Vol. iv. p. 236, we have seen sirrah" used otherwise than derogatorily: here we find it also applied to a woman, but of course as a mere expletive. Steevens produced an instance from Arthur Hall's translation of Homer (from the French) where Hector addresses the "maids" of Andromache as Sirs.

That will not be denied your highness' presence:
He brings you figs.

Cleo. Let him come in. What poor an instrument
[Exit Guard.
May do a noble deed! he brings me liberty.
My resolution's plac'd, and I have nothing
Of woman in me: now from head to foot
I am marble-constant; now the fleeting moon
No planet is of mine.

Re-enter Guard, with a Clown bringing in a Basket.

Guard.

This is the man.

[Exit Guard.

Cleo. Avoid, and leave him.

Hast thou the pretty worm of Nilus there,

That kills and pains not?

Clown. Truly I have him; but I would not be the party that should desire you to touch him, for his biting is immortal: those that do die of it do seldom or

never recover.

Cleo. Remember'st thou any that have died on't?

Clown. Very many, men and women too. I heard of one of them no longer than yesterday: a very honest woman, but something given to lie, as a woman should not do but in the way of honesty, how she died of the biting of it, what pain she felt.-Truly, she makes a very good report o' the worm; but he that will believe all that they say, shall never be saved by half that they do. But this is most fallible, the worm's an odd worm.

Cleo. Get thee hence: farewell.

Clown. I wish you all joy of the worm.

Cleo. Farewell.

[Clown sets down the Basket.

Clown. You must think this, look you, that the

worm will do his kind.

Cleo. Ay, ay; farewell.

Clown. Look you, the worm is not to be trusted but

in the keeping of wise people; for, indeed, there is no goodness in the worm.

Cleo. Take thou no care: it shall be heeded.

Clown. Very good. Give it nothing, I pray you, for it is not worth the feeding.

Cleo. Will it eat me?

Clown. You must not think I am so simple, but I know the devil himself will not eat a woman: I know, that a woman is a dish for the gods, if the devil dress her not; but, truly, these same whoreson devils do the gods great harm in their women, for in every ten that they make, the devils mar five.

Cleo. Well, get thee gone: farewell.

Clown. Yes, forsooth; I wish you joy of the worm.

Re-enter IRAS, with a Robe, Crown, &c.

[Exit.

Cleo. Give me my robe, put on my crown; I have
Immortal longings in me. Now, no more
The juice of Egypt's grape shall moist this lip.-
Yare, yare, good Iras; quick.-Methinks, I hear
Antony call: I see him rouse himself

To praise my noble act; I hear him mock
The luck of Cæsar, which the gods give men
To excuse their after wrath. Husband, I come:
Now to that name my courage prove my title!
I am fire, and air; my other elements

I give to baser life.-So, have you done?
Come then, and take the last warmth of my lips.
Farewell, kind Charmian :-Iras, long farewell.

[Kisses them. IRAS falls and dies.

Have I the aspick in my lips? Dost fall?
If thou and nature can so gently part,
The stroke of death is as a lover's pinch,
Which hurts, and is desir'd. Dost thou lie still?
If thus thou vanishest, thou tell'st the world
It is not worth leave-taking.

VOL. VIII.

K

« 上一页继续 »