Hie you again to Egypt. ANT. 8 Say to me, Whose fortunes shall rise higher, Cæsar's, or mine? Therefore, O Antony, stay not by his side: Where Cæsar's is not; but, near him, thy angel Mr. Theobald reads, with some probability, I see it in my notion. MALONE. • Hie you again to Egypt.] Old copy, unmetrically: Hie you to Egypt again. STEEVENS. • Becomes a Fear,] Mr. Upton reads: Becomes afear'd, The common reading is more poetical. JOHNSON. A Fear was a personage in some of the old moralities. Beaumont and Fletcher allude to it in The Maid's Tragedy, where Aspasia is instructing her servants how to describe her situation in needle-work: and then a Fear: "Do that Fear bravely, wench.”. Spenser had likewise personified Fear, in the 12th canto of the third Book of his Fairy Queen. In the sacred writings Fear is also a person: "I will put a Fear in the land of Egypt." Exodus. The whole thought is borrowed from Sir T. North's translation of Plutarch: "With Antonius there was a soothsayer or astronomer of Egypt, that coulde cast a figure, and iudge of men's natiuities, to tell them what should happen to them. He, either to please Cleopatra, or else for that he founde it so by his art, told Antonius plainly, that his fortune (which of it selfe was excellent good, and very great) was altogether blemished, and obscured by Cæsars fortune: and therefore he counselled him vtterly to leaue his company, and to get him as farre from him as he could. For thy Demon said he, (that is to say, the good angell and spirit that keepeth thee) is affraied of his : and ANT. Speak this no more. SOOTH. To none but thee; no more, but when to thee. If thou dost play with him at any game, Thou art sure to lose; and, of that natural luck, He beats thee'gainst the odds; thy lustre thickens,' When he shines by: I say again, thy spirit Is all afraid to govern thee near him; 2 But, he away, 'tis noble. ANT. Get thee gone: Say to Ventidius, I would speak with him : [Exit Soothsayer. He shall to Parthia.-Be it art, or hap, He hath spoken true: The very dice obey him; And, in our sports, my better cunning faints Under his chance: if we draw lots, he speeds: His cocks do win the battle still of mine, When it is all to nought; and his quails ever being coragious and high when he is alone, becometh fearfull and timerous when he commeth neere vnto the other." STEEVENS. Our author has a little lower expressed his meaning more plainly: "I say again, thy spirit "Is all afraid to govern thee near him." We have this sentiment again in Macbeth : "My genius is rebuk'd; as, it is said, "Mark Antony's was by Cæsar's." The old copy reads that thy spirit. The correction, which was made in the second folio, is supported by the foregoing pas-. sage in Plutarch, but I doubt whether it is necessary. MALONE. thy lustre thickens,] So, in Macbeth: 1 66 - light thickens,-." STEEVENS. * But, he away,] Old copy-alway. Corrected by Mr. Pope. MALONE. his quails-] The ancients used to match quails as we match cocks. JOHNSON. Beat mine, inhoop'd, at odds. I will to Egypt: And though I make this marriage for my peace, Enter VENTIDIUS. I' the east my pleasure lies :-O, come, Ventidius, So, in the old translation of Plutarch: "For, it is said, that as often as they two drew cuts for pastime, who should haue any thing, or whether they plaied at dice, Antonius alway lost. Oftentimes when they were disposed to see cockefight, or quailes that were taught to fight one with another, Cæsars cockes or quailes did euer ouercome." STEEVENS. ✦inhoop'd, at odds.] Thus the old copy. Inhoop'd is inclosed, confined, that they may fight. The modern editions read: Beat mine, in whoop'd-at odds. JOHNSON. Shakspeare gives us the practice of his own time; and there is no occasion for in whoop'd-at, or any other alteration. John Davies begins one of his Epigrams upon Proverbs: "He sets cocke on the hoope, in, you would say; "For cocking in hoopes is now all the play." FARmer. The attempt at emendation, however, deserves some respect; as, in As you like it, Celia says: "-and after that out of all whooping." STEEVENS. At odds was the phraseology of Shakspeare's time. So, in Mortimeriados, by Michael Drayton, no date: "She straight begins to bandy him about, "At thousand odds, before the set goes out." MALONE. inhoop'd, Quails are put in a broad hoop to fight. See Dowe's Illustrations, Vol. II. p. 87. HARRIS. SCENE IV. The same. A Street. Enter LEPIDUS, MECENAS, and AGRIPPA. LEP. Trouble yourselves no further: pray you, hasten Your generals after. AGR. Sir, Mark Antony Will e'en but kiss Octavia, and we'll follow. LEP. Till I shall see you in your soldier's dress, Which will become you both, farewell. MEC. We shall, As I conceive the journey, be at mount5 LEP. My purposes do draw me much about; You'll win two days upon me. MEC. AGR. LEP. Farewell. Your way is shorter, Sir, good success! [Exeunt. -at mount-] i. e. Mount Misenum. STEEvens. Our author probably wrote-a'the mount. MALONE. SCENE V. Alexandria. A Room in the Palace. Enter CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, IRAs, and CLEO. Give me some musick; musick, moody food Of us that trade in love. ATTEND. The musick, ho! Enter MARDIAN. CLEO. Let it alone; let us to billiards:" Come, Charmian. CHAR. My arm is sore, best play with Mardian. CLEO. As well a woman with an eunuch play'd, As with a woman;-Come, you'll play with me, sir? G musick, moody food-] The mood is the mind, or mental disposition. Van Haaren's panegyrick on the English begins, Grootmoedig Volk, [great-minded nation.] Perhaps here is a poor jest intended between mood the mind and moods of musick. JOHNSON. Moody, in this instance, means melancholy. Cotgrave explains moody, by the French words, morne and triste. 7 So, in The Comedy of Errors: "Sweet recreation barr'd, what doth ensue, STEEVENS. "But moody and dull melancholy?" MALONE. let us to billiards:] This is one of the numerous anachronisms that are found in these plays. This game was not known in ancient times. MALONE. |