CES. What would you more?-Pompey, good night. Good brother, Let me request you off: our graver business Frowns at this levity.-Gentle lords, let's part; You see, we have burnt our cheeks: strong Enobarbe Is weaker than the wine; and mine own tongue Splits what it speaks: the wild disguise hath almost Antick'd us all. What needs more words? Good night. Good Antony, your hand. Ром. I'll try you o'the shore, O, Antony, ANT. And shall, sir: give's your hand. Ром. You have my father's house,'-But what? we are friends: Come, down into the boat. ENO. Take heed you fall not.— [Exeunt POMPEY, CESAR, ANTONY, and Attendants. Menas, I'll not on shore. It should be observed, however, that from the following passage in P. Holland's translation of the 11th Book of Pliny's Natural History, it appears that pink-eyed signified the smallness of eyes: "also them that were pinke-eyed and had verie small eies, they termed ocella." STEEvens. 9 90, Antony, You have my father's house,] The historian Paterculus says: "-cum Pompeio quoque circa Misenum pax inita: Qui haud absurdè, cum in navi Cæsaremque et Antonium cœna exciperet, dixit: In carinis suis se cœnam dare; referens hoc dictum ad loci nomen, in quo paterna domus ab Antonio possidebatur.” Our author, though he lost the joke, yet seems willing to commemorate the story. WARBURton. The joke of which the learned editor seems to lament the loss, could not be found in the old translation of Plutarch, and Shakspeare looked no further. See p. 111, n. 7. STEEVENs. MEN. No, to my cabin.These drums!-these trumpets, flutes! what!Let Neptune hear we bid a loud farewell To these great fellows: Sound, and be hang'd, sound out. [A Flourish of Trumpets, with Drums. ENO. Ho, says 'a !-There's my cap. the Enter VENTIDIUS, as after Conquest, with SILIUS, and other Romans, Officers, and Soldiers; dead Body of PACORUS borne before him. VEN. Now, darting Parthia, art thou struck;' and now Pleas'd fortune does of Marcus Crassus' death SIL. 1 struck;] alludes to darting. Thou whose darts have so often struck others, art struck now thyself. JOHNSON. Thy Pacorus, Orodes,] Pacorus was the son of Orodes, King of Parthia. STEEVENS. Mesopotamia, and the shelters whither O Silius, Silius, VEN. More in their officer, than person: Sossius, Which he achiev'd by the minute, lost his favour. I could do more to do Antonius good, But 'twould offend him; and in his offence SIL. Thou hast, Ventidius, That without which a soldier, and his sword, Better leave undone, &c.] Old copies, unmetrically (because the players were unacquainted with the most common ellipsis): Better to leave undone, &c. STEEVENS. when him we serve's away.] Thus the old copy, and such certainly was our author's phraseology. So, in The Winter's Tale: "I am appointed him to murder you." See also Coriolanus, Vol. XVI. p. 241, n. 1. The modern editors, however, all read, more grammatically, when he we serve, &c. MALONE. That without which-] Here again, regardless of metre, the old copies read: That without the which-. STEEVENS. 6 Grants scarce distinction. Thou wilt write to Antony? VEN. I'll humbly signify what in his name, That magical word of war, we have effected; How, with his banners, and his well-paid ranks, The ne'er-yet-beaten horse of Parthia We have jaded out o'the field. SIL. Where is he now? VEN. He purposeth to Athens: whither with what haste The weight we must convey with us will permit, We shall appear before him.-On, there; pass [Exeunt. along. SCENE II. Rome. An Ante-Chamber in Cæsar's House. Enter AGRIPPA, and ENOBARBUS, meeting. AGR. What, are the brothers parted? The other three are sealing. Octavia weeps • That without which a soldier, and his sword, Grants scarce distinction.] Grant for afford. It is badly and obscurely expressed; but the sense is this: Thou hast that, Ventidius, which if thou didst want, there would be no distinction between thee and thy sword. You would be both equally cutting and senseless. This was wisdom or knowledge of the world. Ventidius had told him the reasons why he did not pursue his advantages; and his friend, by this compliment, acknowledges them to be of weight. WARBURTON. We have somewhat of the same idea in Coriolanus: "Who, sensible, outdares his senseless sword." STEEVENS. To part from Rome: Cæsar is sad; and Lepidus, Since Pompey's feast, as Menas says, is troubled With the green sickness. AGR. 'Tis a noble Lepidus. ENO. A very fine one: O, how he loves Cæsar! AGR. Nay, but how dearly he adores Mark Antony ! ENO. Cæsar? Why, he's the Jupiter of men. AGR. What's Antony? The god of Jupiter. ENO. Spake you of Cæsar? How?" the nonpa reil! 8 AGR. O Antony! O thou Arabian bird! ENO. Would you praise Cæsar, say,-Cæsar ;go no further." 7 AGR. Indeed, he ply'd them both with excellent praises. How?] I believe, was here, as in another place in this play, printed by mistake, for ho. See also Vol. VII. p. 379, n. 1. MALOne. I perceive no need of alteration. STEEVENS. Speak you of Cæsar, he is the nonpareil; speak you of Antony, he is the Arabian bird. M. MASON. 8 -- Arabian bird!] The phoenix. JOHNSON. So, again, in Cymbeline: "She is alone the Arabian bird, and I "Have lost my wager." STEEVENS. Cæsar ;-go no further.] I suspect that this line was designed to be metrical, and that (omitting the impertinent go) we should read: Would you praise Cæsar, say-Cæsar ;—no further. STEEVENS. |
