Char. Dissolve, thick cloud, and rain; that I may say, The gods themselves do weep! This proves me base: If she first meet the curled Antony, He'll make demand of her; and spend that kiss, Which is my heaven to have.-Come, mortal wretch, [to the asp, which she applies to her breast. With thy sharp teeth this knot intrinsicate Of life at once untie: poor venomous fool, Unpolicied! : : Char. O eastern star! Cleo. Peace, peace! Dost thou not see my baby at my breast, That sucks the nurse asleep? O, break! O, break! Cleo. As sweet as balm, as soft as air, as gentle, Ο Antony!-Nay, I will take thee too: [Applying another asp to her arm. What should I stay- Of eyes again so royal! Your crown's awry; Enter the Guard, rushing in. 1 Guard. Where is the queen? Char. Speak softly, wake her not. 1 Guard. Cæsar hath sentChar. Too slow a messenger. [Applies the asp. O, come; apace, despatch: I partly feel thee. 1 Guard. Approach, ho! All's not well: Cæsar'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. Touch their effects in this: Thyself art coming To see perform'd the dreaded act, which thou So sought'st to hinder. Within. A way there, way for Cæsar! Enter CESAR, and Attendants. Dol. O, sir, you are too sure an augurer; That you did fear, is done. Cæs. Brav'st at the last: She levell'd at our purposes, and, being royal, I do not see them bleed. Who was last with them? 1 Guard. A simple countryman, that brought her figs; 'This was his basket. Cas. 1 Guard. Poison'd then. O Cæsar, This Charmian liv'd but now; she stood, and spake: I found her trimming up the diadem On her dead mistress; tremblingly she stood, And on the sudden dropp'd. Cas. O noble weakness! If they had swallow'd poison, 'twould appear By external swelling: but she looks like sleep, As she would catch another Antony In her strong toil of grace. Dol. Here, on her breast, There is a vent of blood, and something blown 64 : 1 Guard. This is an aspick's trail: and these fig- Have slime upon them, such as the aspick leaves Upon the caves of Nile. Cas. Most probable, That so she died; for her physician tells me, Of easy ways to die. -Take up her bed; And bear her women from the monument: She shall be buried by her Antony: No grave upon the earth shall clip in it A pair so famous. High events as these : In solemn show, attend this funeral; High order in this great solemnity. [Exeunt. ANNOTATIONS UPON ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 1_RENEGES] Renounces, 2 The triple pillar-] Triple is here used improperly for third, or one of three. One of the triumvirs, one of the three masters of the world. WARBURTON. 3-to weet,] Το know. 4-belike, my children shall have no names:] A fairer fortune, I believe, means a more reputable one. Her answer then implies, that belike all her children will be bastards, who have no right to the name of their father's family. 5 When our quick winds lie still ;] The sense is, that man, not agitated by censure, like soil not ventilated by quick winds, produces more evil than good. JOHNSON. • Which, like the courser's hair-) Alludes to an old idle notion that the hair of a horse dropt into corrupted water, will turn to an animal. POPE. 7-a race of heaven:] i. e. had a smack or flavour of heaven. WARBURTON. This word is well explained by Dr. Warburton; the |