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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.
I' 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 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
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.

Agr.

Let Rome be thus

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?

Cæs. 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.

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,
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
A market-maid to Rome, and have prevented
The ostentation 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.

Oct.

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, I begg'd
His pardon for return.

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
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.

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

Cæs.
Welcome hither.
Your letters did withhold our breaking forth,
Till we perceiv'd, both how you were wrong led,
And we in negligent danger. Cheer your heart :
Be you not troubled with the time, which drives
O'er your content these strong necessities;
But let determin'd things to destiny
Hold unbewail'd their way.

Nothing more dear to me.

Beyond the mark of thought;

Welcome to Rome;
You are abus'd

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

[blocks in formation]

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,
That noises it against us.

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.
Enter CLEOPATRA and ENOBARBUS.

Cleo. I will be even with thee, doubt it not.
Eno. But why, why, why?

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,
The horse were merely lost; the mares would bear
A soldier, and his horse.

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.

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