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 [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 ANTONY's Body.
What is't thou say'st? Der. I say, O Cæsar, Antony is dead. Caes. The breaking of so great a thing should make A greater crack: The round world should have shook Lions into civil streets,
The gods rebuke me, but it is a tidings To wash the eyes of kings.
And strange it is, That nature must compel us to lament Our most persisted deeds.
Waged equal with him. Agr. A rarer spirit never Did steer humanity: but you gods will give us Some faults to make us mend. Cæsar is touch'd. Mec. When such a spacious mirror's set before him, He needs must see himself.
I have follow'd thee to this: But we do lance Diseases in our bodies: I must perforce Have shown to thee such a declining day, Or look on thine; we could not stall together In the whole world: but yet let me lament, With tears as sovereign as the blood of hearts, That thou, my brother, my competitor In top of all design, my mate in empire, Friend and companion in the front of war, The arm of mine own body, and the heart Where mine his thoughts did kindle,
Unreconciliable, should divide And citizens to their dens. - The death of Antony Our equalness to this. Is not a single doom; in the name lay
He is dead, Cæsar; Not by a public minister of justice, Nor by a hired knife; but that self hand, Which writ his honour in the acts it did, Hath, with the courage which the heart did lend it, Splitted the heart. — This is his sword,
I robb'd his wound of it; behold it stain'd With his most noble blood.
Hear me, good friends, But I will tell you at some meeter season;
Enter a Messenger. The business of this man looks out of him, We'll hear him what he says. Whence are you Mess. A poor Egyptian yet. The queen my mistress,
Confin'd in all she has, her monument, Of thy intents desires instruction;
That she preparedly may frame herself 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. Cæs. 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.
Cæsar, I shall. [Exit PROCULEIUS. Cas. Gallus, go you along. -Where's Dolabella, To second Proculeius? [Exit GALLUS.
Cæs. 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.
Alexandria. A Room in the Monument.
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 9, 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 Egypt; 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.
A doctrine of obedience; and would gladly Look him i' the face.
Pro. 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. Erit GALLUS.
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!
Pro. O, temperance, lady! Cleo. Sir, I will eat no meat, I'll not drink, sir; If idle talk 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 chástis'd with the sober eye Of dull Octavia. Shall they hoist me up, And show me to the shouting varletry 1 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!
Pro. Be of good cheer; 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
It shall content me best: be gentle to her. To Cæsar I will speak what you shall please,
On all that need: Let me report to him
Your sweet dependancy: and you shall find A conqueror, that will pray in aid for kindness, Where he for grace is kneel'd to.
I am his fortune's vassal, and I send him The greatness he has got. I hourly learn
I understand not, madam. Cleo. I dream'd, there was an emperor Antony;O, such another sleep, that I might see
Cleo. His face was as the heavens; and therein stuck
We will extenuate rather than enforce: If you apply yourself to our intents, (Which towards you are most gentle,) you shall find A benefit in this change; but if you seek To lay on me a cruelty, by taking Antony's course, you shall bereave yourself
and moon; which kept their course, and Of my good purposes, and put your children lighted
A sun, The little O, the earth.
Dol. Most sovereign creature,- Cleo. His legs bestrid the ocean: his rear'd arm Crested the world: his voice was propertied As all the tuned spheres, and that to friends; But when he meant to quail 2 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: 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.
Cleo. I thank you, sir. Know you, what Cæsar means to do with me? Dol. I am loath to tell you what I would you knew. Cleo. Nay, pray you, sir,
Dol. Though he be honourable, Cleo. He'll lead me then in triumph? Dol.
To that destruction which I'll guard them from, If thereon you rely. I'll take my leave.
Cleo. And may; through all the world: 'tis yours: and we
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 reserv'd
To myself nothing. Speak the truth, Seleucus. Sel. Madam,
I had rather seel 5 my lips, than, to my peril, Speak that which is not.
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? thou shalt
Go back, I warrant thee; but I'll catch thine eyes, Though they had wings: Slave, soul-less villain,dog! O rarely base!
Cæs. Good queen, let us entreat you. Cleo. O Cæsar, what a wounding shame is this; That thou, vouchsafing here to visit me,
Madam; he will; Doing the honour of thy lordliness
To one so meek, that mine own servant should Parcel the sum of my disgraces by That I some lady trifles have reserv'd, Addition of his envy! Say, good Cæsar, Immoment toys, things of such dignity As we greet modern 7 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
Thou wouldst have mercy on me. Cæs.
Forbear, Seleucus. [Exit SELEUCUs.
Cleo. Be it known, that we, the greatest, are mis
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