Look here, and, at thy fovereign leisure, read Cleo. O moft falfe love! Where be the facred vials thou fhould't fill As you fhall give the advice: Now, by the fire, That quickens Nilus' flime, I go from hence, Thy foldier, fervant; making peace. or war, As thou affect'ft. Cleo. Cut my lace, Charmian, come; But let it be. I am quickly ill, and well: Ant. My precious queen, forbear; And give true evidence to his love, which stands I pr'ythee, turn afide, and weep for her; Ant. You'll heat my blood; no more. Cleo. You can do better yet; but this is meetly. Ant. Now, by my sword,— Cleo. And target,-Still he mends But this is not the beft: Look, pr'ythee, Charmian, How this Herculean Roman does become The carriage of his chafe. Ant. I'll leave you, lady. Cleo. Courteous lord, one word. Sir, you and I must part,-but that's not it; And I am all forgotten. Ant. But that your royalty Holds idleness your subject, I should take you To bear fuch idleness so near the heart As Cleopatra this. But, fir, forgive me; And all the gods go with you! upon your sword Be ftrew'd before your feet! Ant. Let us go. Come; That thou, refiding here, go'st yet with me, Away. [Exeunt. SCENE IV. Rome. An Apartment in Cæsar's house. Enter OCTAVIUS, CÆSAR, LEPIDUS, and Attendants. Caf. You may fee, Lepidus, and henceforth know, It is not Cæfar's natural vice to hate One great competitor: From Alexandria This is the news; He fishes, drinks, and wastes Than Than Cleopatra; nor the queen of Ptolemy More womanly than he hardly gave audience, or Vouchfaf'd to think he had partners: You shall find there A man, who is the abstract of all faults That all men follow. Lep. I must not think, there are Evils enough to darken all his goodness : His faults, in him, feem as the spots of heaven, Caf. You are too indulgent: Let us grant, it is not Amifs to tumble on the bed of Ptolemy; To give a kingdom for a mirth; to fit And keep the turn of tippling with a slave; To reel the streets at noon, and stand the buffet With knaves that smell of fweat: fay, this becomes him, (As his composure must be rare indeed, Whom these things cannot blemish,) yet muft Antony No way excufe his foils, when we do bear So great weight in his lightness. If he fill Call on him for't: but, to confound fuch time, Lep. Enter a Meffenger. Here's more news. Mef. Thy biddings have been done; and every hour, Moft Moft noble Cæfar, shalt thou have report Caf. I fhould have known no less : It hath been taught us from the primal state, That he, which is, was wifh'd, until he were ; And the ebb'd man, ne'er lov'd, till ne'er worth love, Goes to, and back, lackeying the varying tide, Mef. Cæfar, I bring thee word, Menecrates and Menas, famous pirates, Make the fea ferve them; which they ear and wound They make in Italy; the borders maritime Lack blood to think on't, and flush youth revolt: Taken as feen; for Pompey's name ftrikes more, Leave thy lafcivious waffels. When thou once Did famine follow; whom thou fought'ft against, Which beasts would cough at: thy palate then did deign The roughest berry on the rudest hedge; Yea, like the ftag, when fnow the pafture fheets, The The barks of trees thou brow fed'ft; on the Alps, (It wounds thine honour, that I fpeak it now,) So much as lank'd not. Lep. It is pity of him. Caf. Let his fhames quickly Drive him to Rome: 'Tis time we twain Did show ourselves i' the field; and, to that end, Thrives in our idleness. Lep. To-morrow, Cæfar, I fhall be furnish'd to inform you rightly Caf. Till which encounter, It is my business too. Farewell. Lep. Farewell, my lord: What you shall know mean time Of ftirs abroad, I fhall befeech you, fir, Enter CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, IRAS, and MARDIAN. Cleo. Charmian,― Char. Madam. Cleo. Ha, ha ! Give me to drink mandragora. C Char |