A mangled shadowo: perchance ?, to-morrow
You'll serve another master.

I look on you,
As one that takes his leave. Mine honest friends,
I turn you not away; but, like a master
Married to your good service, stay till death :
Tend me to-night two hours, I ask no more,
And the gods yield you for’t 8!
Eno.

- What mean you, sir, To give them this discomfort ? Look, they weep';: And I, an ass, am onion-ey'do; for shame, Transform us not to women. Ant.

Ho, ho, ho?!

6

or if, A mangled shadow:] Or if you see me more, you will see me a mangled shadow, only the external form of what I was.

JOHNSON. The thought is, as usual, taken from Sir Thomas North's translation of Plutarch : “ So being at supper, as it is reported) he commaunded his officers and household seruauntes that waited on him at his bord, that they shold fill his cuppes full, and make as much of him as they could : for said he, you know not whether you shall doe so much for me to morrow or not, or whether you shall serue an other maister : and it may be

you

shall see me no more, but a dead bodie. This notwithstanding, perceiuing that his frends and men fell a weeping to heare him say so, to salue that he had spoken, he added this more vnto it; that he would not leade them to battell, where he thought not rather safely to returne with victorie, than valliantly to dye with honor."

STEEVENS. 17 - perchance,] To complete the verse, might we not readnay, perchance, &c. ? Nay, on this occasion, as on many others, would be used to signify-Not only so, but more. STEEVENS.

8 And the gods yield you for’t !] i. e. reward you. See a note on Macbeth, vol. xi. p. 7, n. 1; and another on As You Like It, vol. vi. p. 500, n. 2.

STEEVENS. onion-ey'd ;] I have my eyes as full of tears as if they had been fretted by onions. Johnson. So, in The Birth of Merlin, 1662 :

“ I see something like a peeld onion ;

“ It makes me weep again.” STEEVENS. See p. 188, n. 2. Malone. | Ant. Ho, ho, ho !] i. e, stop, or desist. Antony desires his

Now the witch take me, if I meant it thus !
Grace grow where those drops fall?! My hearty

friends, You take me in too dolorous a sense: For I spake to you for your comfort: did desire .

you

crys ho.”

followers to cease weeping. So, in Chaucer—The Knightes Tale, v. 1706, edit. 1775 :

“ This duk his courser with his sporres smote,
“ And at a stert he was betwix hem two,
“And pulled out a swerd, and cried, ho!

* No more, up peine of lesing of your hed." But Mr. Tyrwhitt, in a note on ver. 2535 of the Canterbury Tales, doubts whether this interjection was used except to command a cessation of fighting. The succeeding quotations, however, will, while they illustrate an obscurity in Shakspeare, prove that ho was by no means so confined in its meaning. Gawin Douglas translates—“ Helenum, farique vetat Saturnia Juno,". (Æneid, 1. iii. v. 380,)

“ The douchter of auld Saturn Juno

“ Forbiddis Helenus to speik it, and In the Glossary to the folio edition of this translation, Edinb. 1710, it is said that “ Ho is an Interjection commanding to desist or leave off.”

It occurs again in Langham's Letter concerning Queen Elizaheth's Entertainment at Killingworth Castle, 1575, 12mo. p. 61, cited in The Reliques of Antient Poetry : “ Heer was no ho in devout drinkyng.”

And in The Myrrour of good Maners, compyled in Latyn by Domynike Mancyn, and translated into Englishe by Alexander Bereley, Prest, imprynted by Rychard Pynson, bl. 1. no date, fol. Ambition is compared to

“ The sacke insaciable,
“ The sacke without botome, which never can say ho."

Holt White. These words may have been intended to express an hysterical laugh, in the same way as Cleopatra exclaims

Ha! ha! “ Give me to drink mandragora." See p. 207. Boswell. 2 Grace grow where those drops fall !] So, in K. Richard II. :

“ Here did she drop a tear; here, in this place,
“ I'll set a bank of rue, sour herb of grace.” Steevens.
I spake to you -] Old copy, redundantly:

“ For I spake to you —." STEEVENS.

To burn this night with torches : Know, my hearts,
I hope well of to-morrow ; and will lead you,
Where rather I'll expect victorious life,
Than death and honour. Let's to supper; come,
And drown consideration.

[Exeunt.

SCENE III.

The Same. Before the Palace. .

Enter Two Soldiers, to their Guard. 1 Sold. Brother, good night : to-morrow is the

day. 2 Sold. It will determine one way: fare you well. Heard you of nothing strange about the streets ?

1 Sold. Nothing: What news? 2 Sold. Belike, 'tis but a rumour : Good night

to you.

i Sold. Well, sir, good night.

Enter Two other Soldiers. 2 Sold. Soldiers, have careful watch. 3 Sold. And you: Good night, good night.

[The first Two place themselves at their Posts. 4 Šold. Here we: [They take their Posts.] and

if to-morrow Our navy thrive, I have an absolute hope Our landmen will stand up. . 3 SOLD.

'Tis a brave army, And full of purpose.

Musick of Haut boys under the Stages.

4

death and honour.] That is, an honourable death.

UPTON. 5 Musick of Hautboys UNDER THE Stage.] This circumstance (as I collect from Mr. Warton) might have been suggested to

4 SOLD. Peace, what noise ? 1 Sold. List, list! 2 SOLD. Hark ! 1 SOLD. Musick i' the air. 3 Sold. Under the earth. 4 Sold. It signs well’, does't not ? 3 SOLD. No. 1 Soud. Peace, I say. What should this mean?

2 Sold. 'Tis the god Hercules, whom Antony lov'd, now leaves him.

1 SOLD. Walk; let's see if other watchmen do hear what we do. [They advance to another Post.

2 Sold. How now, masters ?

SOLD. How now?
How now ? do you hear this ?

[Several speaking together. 1 SOLD.

Ay; Is't not strange?

Shakspeare by some of the machineries in masques. Holinshed, describing a very curious device or spectacle presented before Queen Elizabeth, insists particularly on the secret or mysterious musick of some fictitious nymphs, "which, (he adds,) surely had been a noble hearing, and the more melodious for the varietie [novelty] thereof, because it should come secretlie and strangelie out of the earth.” Vol. iii. f. 1297. Steevens.

6 Peace, what noise ?] So, in the old translation of Plutarch: “ Furthermore, the selfe same night within little of midnight, when all the citie was quiet, full of feare, and sorrowe, thinking what would be the issue and ende of this warre; it is said that sodainly they heard a maruelous sweete harmonie of sundry sortes of instrumentes of musicke, with the crie of a multitude of people, as they had bene dauncinge, and had song as they vse in Bacchus feastes, with mouinges and turnings after the maner of the satyres : & it seemed that this daunce went through the city vnto the gate that opened to the enemies, & that all the troupe that made this noise they heard, went out of the city at that gate. Now, such as in reason sought the depth of the interpretacion of this wonder, thought that it was the god vnto whom Antonius bare singular deuotion to counterfeate and resemble him, that did forsake them." STEEVENS. 7 It signs well, &c.] i. e. it is a good sign, it bodes well, &c.

STEEVENS.

3 Sold. Do you hear, masters ? do you hear ?
1 Sold. Follow the noise so far as we have

quarter; Let's see how't will give off. Sold. [Several speaking. ] Content: 'Tis strange.

[Exeunt.

SCENE IV.

The Same. A Room in the Palace.

Enter Antony, and CLEOPATRA; CHARMIAN, and

Others, attending. Ant. Eros ! mine armour, Eros ! CLEO.

Sleep a little. Ant. No, my chuck 8.--Eros, come; mine ar

mour, Eros !

Enter Eros, with Armour.
Come, good fellow, put thine iron' on :-
If fortune be not ours to-day, it is
Because we brave her.-Come.
CLEO.

Nay, I'll help too?
What's this for ?
ANT.

Ah, let be, let be! thou art The armourer of my heart:-False, false; this,

this.

8

9

my ChuCK.] i. e. chicken, See vol. xi.

p. 157, n. 9.

STEEVENS. MY good fellow,] The necessary pronoun possessive-my, was introduced, in aid of metre, by Mr. Rowe. Steevens, Thine iron-] I think it should be rather

mine iron." Johnson. Thine iron is the iron which thou hast in thy hand, i. e. Antony's armour. MALONE.

Nay, I'll help too.] These three little speeches, which in

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2