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. Eros. For Italy, and Cæsar. My lord desires you presently: my news Our great navy's rigg'd. More, Domitius; "Twill be naught; [Exeunt. I might have told hereafter. Eno. But let it be.-Bring me to Antony. Eros. Come, sir. SCENE VI. Rome. A Room in CÆSAR'S House. Enter CESAR, AGRIPPA, and MECENAS. Cæs. Contemning Rome, he has done all this, and more, In Alexandria: here's the manner of it. Absolute queen. Mec. This in the public eye? Cæs. I' the common show-place, where they exercise. His sons he there proclaim'd, the kings of kings: 10 His sons HE THERE proclaim'd,] The old copies have hither for "he there," and king for "kings." Modern editors have introduced an amendment by Steevens without acknowledgment, and as if it were the text of the folio, 1623. VOL. VIII. F Great Media, Parthia, and Armenia, He gave to Alexander; to Ptolemy he assign'd In the habiliments of the goddess Isis That day appear'd; and oft before gave audience, Mec. Inform'd. Agr. Let Rome be thus Who, queasy with his insolence. Already, will their good thoughts call from him. Agr. Whom does he accuse? Cæs. Cæsar; and that, having in Sicily Sextus Pompeius spoil'd, we had not rated him Should be depos'd; and, being that, we detain Agr. Sir, this should be answer'd. Cæs. '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, with her Train'. Oct. Hail, Cæsar, and my lord! hail, most dear Cæsar! 1 — with her train.] So say the old copies, and there can be no possiblo Cas. That ever I should call thee cast-away! Oct. You have not call'd me so, nor have you cause. Cæs. Why have you stol'n upon us thus? You come not Like Cæsar's sister: the wife of Antony Should have an army for an usher, and The neighs of horse to tell of her approach, Oct. Good my lord, To come thus was I not constrain'd, but did it Cæs. Which soon he granted, Being an obstruct' 'tween his lust and him. Oct. Do not say so, my lord. Cæs. I have eyes upon him, And his affairs come to me on the wind. Where is he now? Oct. My lord, in Athens. Cæs. No, my most wronged sister; Cleopatra Hath nodded him to her: he hath given his empire reason for following the example of modern editors by omitting the words. It must have been a small train, she had not "an army for an usher," as appears by what follows, but she was not wholly unattended, according to the practice of the stage when the folio, 1623, was printed. 2 Being an OBSTRUCT-] The folio, 1623, and the other folios, have abstract ; no doubt a mere misprint. Up to a whore; who now are levying The kings o' the earth for war. He hath assembled Of Cappadocia; Philadelphos, king Of Paphlagonia; the Thracian king, Adallas: Oct. Cæs. Nothing more dear to me. Beyond the mark of thought; Welcome to Rome; and the high gods, To do you justice, make his ministers Of us and those that love you3. Best of comfort; And ever welcome to us. Agr. Welcome, lady. Mec. Welcome, dear madam. Each heart in Rome does love and pity you : Only the adulterous Antony, most large of us and those that love you.] Our text is that of the folio, 1632, which merely alters makes of the folio, 1623, to "make:" "his" refers to "justice," and not to the gods, as all modern editors, since Capell's time, seem to have supposed, reading "make them ministers," or "make their ministers," &c. The sense therefore is, that the gods, in order to right Octavia, make ministers of justice of Cæsar, and of those that love Octavia. No other change seems required, and the smallest is usually the best. In his abominations, turns you off, And gives his potent regiment* to a trull, Oct. Is it so, sir? Cæs. Most certain. Sister, welcome: pray you, Be ever known to patience. My dearest sister! [Exeunt. SCENE VII. ANTONY'S Camp, near the Promontory of Actium. Cleo. I will be even with thee, doubt it not. Cleo. Thou hast forspoke my being in these wars, And say'st, it is not fit. Eno. Well, is it, is it? Cleo. If not denounc'd against us, why should not we Be there in person? Eno. [Aside.] Well, I could reply: If we should serve with horse and mares together, Cleo. What is't you say? Eno. Your presence needs must puzzle Antony; Take from his heart, take from his brain, from's time, What should not then be spar'd. He is already Traduc'd for levity; and 'tis said in Rome, ✦ — his potent REGIMENT-] In the time of Shakespeare, "regiment," was most frequently used in the sense of government or rule. When, in "Richard III." Richmond says, "The Earl of Pembroke keeps his regiment," (Vol. v. p. 476,) he means his command generally, and not that the Earl was the colonel of a certain number of men, now called " a regiment." The same remark will apply to Richmond's direction (p. 479), “Good lords, conduct him to his regiment,” speaking of Lord Stanley. 5 Thou hast FORSPOKE-] i. e. Thou hast spoken against, or forbidden; a not unusual sense of the word. |