Ant. Nay, my good fellows, do not please sharp Of Cæsar seek your honour, with your safety.-O' fate Cleo. They do not go together. Ant.
To grace it with your sorrows: bid that welcome Which comes to punish us, and we punish it Seeming to bear it lightly. Take me up: I have led you oft; carry me now, good friends, And have my thanks for all.
[Exeunt bearing Antony. SCENE XIII.-The same. A monument. En- ter above, Cleopatra, Charmian, and Iras. Cleo. O Charmian, I will never go from hence. Char. Be comforted, dear madam. Cleo. No, I will not: All strange and terrible events are welcome, But comforts we despise; our size of sorrow, Proportion'd to our cause, must be as great
Gentle, hear me None about Cæsar trust, but Proculeius. Cleo. My resolution, and my hands, I'll trust; None about Cæsar.
Ant. The miserable change now at my end, Lament nor sorrow at: but please your thoughts, Wherein I liv'd, the greatest prince o'the world, In feeding them with those my former fortunes The noblest: and do now not basely die, Nor cowardly; put off my helmet to My countryman, a Roman, by a Roman Valiantly vanquish'd. Now, my spirit is going; I can no more. [Dies
Noblest of men, woo't die ? Hast thou no care of me? shall Í abide
In this dull world, which in thy absence is No better than a stye ?-O, see, my women, The crown o'the earth doth melt:-My lord!—
As that which makes it.-How now? is he dead? 0, wither'd is the garland of the war,
Dio. His death's upon him, but not dead. Look out o'the other side your monument, His guard have brought him thither.
Enter Antony, borne by the Guard.
Cleo. O thou sun, Burn the great sphere thou mov'st in!-darklingi
The varying shore o'the world!-0 Antony! Antony, Antony !-Charmian, help; help, Iras; Help, friends below; let's draw him hither. Ant.
Not Cæsar's valour hath o'erthrown Antony, But Antony's hath triumph'd on itself.
The soldier's pole is fallen; young boys, and girls, Are level now with men: the odds is gone, And there is nothing left remarkable Beneath the visiting moon.
[She faints Char. O, quietness, lady! Iras. She is dead too, our sovereign. Char. Lady,-
Cleo. So it should be, that none but Antony Should conquer Antony; but wo 'tis so! Ant. I am dying, Egypt, dying; only I here importune death a while, until Of many thousand kisses the poor last I lay upon thy lips.-
Cleo. I dare not, dear (Dear my lord, pardon,) I dare not, Lest I be taken: not the imperious show
Of the full-fortun'd Cæsar ever shall
Be brooch'd with me; if knife, drugs, serpents,
Edge, sting, or operation, I am safe: Your wife Octavia, with her modest eyes, And still conclusion,' shall acquire no honour Demuring upon me.-But come, come, Antony,- Help me, my women,—we must draw thee up ;- Assist good friends.
O, quick, or I am gone. Cleo. Here's sport, indeed!-How heavy weighs my lord!
Our strength is all gone into heaviness, That makes the weight: Had I great Juno's power, The strong-wing'd Mercury should fetch thee up, And set thee by Jove's side. Yet come a little,- Wishers were ever fools ;-0, come, come, come; [They draw Antony up. And welcome, welcome! die where thou hast liv'd: Quicken with kissing; had my lips that power, Thus would I wear them out.
A heavy sight! Ant. I am dying, Egypt, dying: Give me some wine, and let me speak a little. Cleo. No, let me speak; and let me rail so high, That the false house-wife Fortune break her wheel, Provok'd by my offence. Ant.
Char. Peace, peace, Iras.
Cleo. No more, but e'en a woman; and commanded
By such poor passion as the maid that milks, And does the meanest chares.-It were for me To throw my sceptre at the injurious gods; To tell them that this world did equal theirs, Till they had stolen our jewel. All's but naught; Patience is sottish; and impatience does Become a dog that's mad: Then is it sin, To rush into the secret house of death,
Ere death dare come to us ?-How do you, women? What, what? good cheer! Why, how now, Charmian?
My noble girls!-Ah, women, women! look, Our lamp is spent, it's out :-Good sirs, take heart:- [To the guard below. We'll bury him: and then, what's brave, what's noble,
Let's do it after the high Roman fashion, And make death proud to take us. Come, away: This case of that huge spirit now is cold. Ah, women, women! come; we have no friend But resolution, and the briefest end.
[Exeunt; those above bearing off An- tony's body.
SCENE I-Cæsar's camp before Alexandria. Enter Cæsar, Agrippa, 'Dolabella, Mæcenas, Gallus, Proculeius, and others.
Cæs. Go to him, Dolabella, bid him yield; Being so frustrate, tell him, he mocks us by The pauses that he makes."
Enter Dercetas, with the sword of Antony.
Cas. Wherefore is that? and what art thou, that dar'st
Appear thus to us? Der. I am call'd Dercetas ; Mark Antony I serv'd, who best was worthy Best to be serv'd: whilst he stood up, and spoke, He was my master; and I wore my life, To spend upon his haters: If thou please To take me to thee, as I was to him I'll be to Cæsar; if thou pleasest not, 1 yield thee up my life.
What is't thou say'st? Der. I say, O Cæsar, Antony is dead. Cas. The breaking of so great a thing should make A greater crack: The round world should have shook
To the way she's forc'd to. Cæs. Bid her have good heart; She soon shall know of us, by some of ours, How honourable and how kindly we Determine for her: for Cæsar cannot live To be ungentle.
Mess. So the gods preserve thee! [Exit. Cas. Come hither, Proculeius; Go, and say, We purpose her no shame: give her what comforts The quality of her passion shall require; Lest, in her greatness, by some mortal stroke She do defeat us: for her life in Rome Would be eternal in our triumph: Go,
And, with your speediest, bring us what she says, And how you find of her. Pro. Cæsar, I shall. [Exil Pro. Cæs. Gallus, go you along.-Where's Dolabella, To second Proculeius? [Exit Gallus. 1gr. Mac. Cas. Let him alone, for I remember now How he's employed; he shall in time be ready. Go with me to my tent; where you shall see How hardly I was drawn into this war; How calm and gentle I proceeded still In all my writings: Go with me, and see What I can show in this.
SCENE II-Alexandria. A room in the monu ment. Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, and Iras. Cleo. My desolation does begin to make A better life: 'Tis paltry to be Cæsar; Not being fortune, he's but fortune's knave, A minister of her will; And it is great To do that thing that ends all other deeds; Which shackles accidents, and bolts up change; Which sleeps, and never palates more the dung, The beggar's nurse and Cæsar's.
Enter, to the gates of the monument, Proculeius, Gallus, and Soldiers.
Pro. Cæsar sends greeting to the queen of
And bids thee study on what fair demands Thou mean'st to have him grant thee.
Cleo. [Within.]
Pro. My name is Proculeius. Cleo. [Within.]
Did tell me of you, bade me trust you; but I do not greatly care to be deceiv'd, That have no use for trusting. If your master Would have a queen his beggar, you must tell him, That majesty, to keep decorum, must
No less beg than a kingdom: if he please To give me conquer'd Egypt for my son, He gives me so much of mine own, as I Will kneel to him with thanks.
Where mine his thoughts did kindle,-that our You are fallen into a princely hand, fear nothing:
Make your full reference freely to my lord, Who is so full of grace, that it flows over On all that need: Let me report to him Your sweet dependency; and you shall find A conqueror, that will pray in aid for kindness, Where he for grace is kneel'd to.
Pray you, tell him I am his fortune's vassal, and I send him The greatness he has got. I hourly learn A doctrine of obedience; and would gladly Look him i'the face.
This I'll report, dear lady. Have comfort; for, I know, your plight is pitied Of him that caus'd it.
Gal. You see how easily she may be surpris'd:
[Here Proculeius, and two of the guard, ascend the monument by a ladder placed against a window, and having descended, come behind Cleopatra. Some of the guard unbar and open the gates.
Guard her till Cæsar come.
[To Proculeius and the guard. [Exit Gall. 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.
Do not yourself such wrong, who are in this Reliev'd, but not betray'd.
That rids our dogs of languish ? Pro.
Do not abuse my master's bounty, by The undoing of yourself: let the world see His nobleness well acted, which your death Will never let come forth.
Cleo. Where art thou, death? Come hither, come! come, come, and take a queen Worth many babes and beggars!
Cleo. Sir, I will eat no meat, I'll not drink, sír ; If idle tall will once be necessary, I'll not sleep neither: This mortal house I'll ruin, Do Cæsar what he can. Know, sir, that I Will not wait pinion'd' at your master's court; Nor once be chastis'd with the sober eye Of dull Octavia. Shall they hoist me up, And show me to the shouting varletry2 Of censuring Rome? Rather a ditch in Egypt Be gentle grave to me! rather on Nilus' mud Lay me stark naked, and let the water-flies Blow me into abhorring! rather make My country's high pyramides my gibbet, And hang me up in chains!
These thoughts of horror further than you shall Find cause in Cæsar.
Pro. If shall content me best: be gentle to her.- To Cæsar I will speak what you shall please, [To Cleopatra. Say, I would die. [Exeunt Proculeius, and Soldiers. Dol. Most noble empress, you have heard of me? Cleo. I cannot tell.
If you'll employ me to him. Cleo.
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
(1) Bound, confined. (2) Rabble. (3) Crush.
Most sovereign creature,-Cleo. His legs bestrid the ocean: his rear'd arm Crested the world: his voice was propertied As all the turned 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
Cleo. You lie, up to the hearing of the gods. But, if there be, or ever were one such, It's past the size of dreaming: Nature wants stuff To vie strange forms with fancy; yet, to imagine An Antony, were nature's piece 'gainst fancy, Condemning shadows quite.
Dol. Hear me, good madam: Your loss is as yourself, great; and you bear it As answering to the weight: 'Would I might never O'ertake pursu'd success, but I do feel, By the rebound of yours, a grief that shoots My very heart at root.
I thank you, sir. Know you, what Cæsar means to do with me? Dol. I am loath to tell you what I would you
Cleo. And may, through all the world: 'tis yours; [Our care and pity is so much upon you, That we remain your friend; And so adieu. Cleo. My master and my lord! Cæs.
Your 'scutcheons, and your signs of conquest, shall | Hang in what place you please. Here, my good lord. Cas. You shall advise me in all for Cleopatra. Cleo. This is the brief of money, plate, and jewels, I am possess'd of: 'tis exactly valued; Not petty things admitted.-Where's Seleucus? Sel. Here, madam.
Cleo. This is my treasurer; let him speak, my lord. Upon his peril, that I have reserved
To myself nothing. Speak the truth, Seleucus. Sel. Madam,
I had rather seel' my lips, than, to my peril, Speak that which is not.
Cleo. What have I kept back? Sel. Enough to purchase what you have made
Cas. Nay, blush not, Cleopatra; I approve Your wisdom in the deed.
Cleo. See, Cæsar! O, behold, How pomp is follow'd! mine will now be yours; And, should we shift estates, yours would be mine. The ingratitude of this Seleucus does Even make me wild :-O slave, of no more trust Than love that's hir'd!-What, goest thou back?
Go back, I warrant thee; but I'll catch thine eyes, Though they had wings: Slave, soul-less villain, dog!
Cæs. Cleo. O Cæsar, what a wounding shame is this; That, thou vouchsafing here to visit me, Doing the honour of thy lordliness
Good queen, let us entreat you.
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 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; [To Seleucus. Or I shall show the cinders" of my spirits Through the ashes of my chance:-Wert thou a
Not so: Adieu [Exeunt Cæsar, and his train. Cleo. He words me, girls, he words me, that I
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. Hie thee again:
I have spoke already, and it is provided; Go, put it to the haste. Char.
Behold, sir. [Exit Char. Dolabella?
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.
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.
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 quickio 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.
O the good gods! Cleo. Nay, that is certain. 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?- 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, 12 I'll give theo leave
To play till dooms-day.-Bring our crown and all. Wherefore's this noise? [Ex. Iras. A noise within. Enter one of the Guard.
Guard. Here is a rural fellow, That will not be denied your highness' presence; He brings you figs.
(11) Female characters were played by boys. (12) Job of work.
Cleo. Avoid, and leave him. [Exit Guard. Hast thou the pretty worm2 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.
Peace, peace! Dost thou not see my baby at my breast, That sucks the nurse asleep? Char. O, break! O, break! Cleo. As sweet as balm, as soft as air, as gentle,-
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 O Antony!-Nay, I will take thee too :- 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.
Re-enter Iras, with a robe, crown, &c. 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 aspic 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.
[Applying another asp to her arm. What should I stay- [Falls on a bed, and dies. Char. In this wild world?-So, fare thee well.- Now boast thee, death! in thy possession lies A lass unparallel'd.-Downy windows, close; And golden Phoebus never be beheld
Of eyes again so royal! Your crown's awry; I'll mend it, and then play.
Enter the Guard, rushing in.
1 Guard. Where is the queen? Char.
1 Guard. Cæsar hath sent- Char.
Speak softly, wake her not. Too slow a messenger. [.Applies the asp. I partly feel thee. All's not well: Co-
O, come; apace, despatch: 1 Guard. Approach, ho! sar's beguil'd.
2 Guard. There's Dolabella sent from Cæsar ;- call him.
1 Guard. What work is here ?-Charmian, is this well done,
Char. It is well done, and fitting for a princess Descended of so many royal kings. Ah, soldier!
Enter Dolabella. Dol. How goes it here? 2 Guard.
All dead. Cæsar, thy thoughts Touch their effects in this: Thyself art coming To see perform'd the dreaded act, which thou So sought's to hinder. [Within.]
A way there, way for Caesar ! Enter Caesar, and attendants. Dol. O, sir, you are too sure an augurer;
| That you did fear, is done.
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