Mess. And I do think, she's thirty.

Cleo. Bear'st thou her face in mind? is it long, or

round?

Mess. Round even to faultiness.

For the most part too,

Cleo.
They are foolish that are so.-Her hair, what colour?
Mess. Brown, madam; And her forehead is as low†
As she would wish it.

Cleo.
There is gold for thee.
Thou must not take my former sharpness ill:-
I will employ thee back again; I find thee
Most fit for business: Go, make thee ready;
Our letters are prepar'd.

Char.

Cleo. Indeed, he is so:

[Exit Messenger.

A proper man.

I repent me much,

That so I harry'd him. Why, methinks, by him,
This creature's no such thing.

Char.

O, nothing, madam.

Cleo. The man hath seen some majesty, and should

know.

Char. Hath he seen majesty? Isis else defend,

And serving you so long!

Cleo. I have one thing more to ask him yet, good

Charmian:

But 'tis no matter; thou shalt bring him to me

Where I will write: All may be well enough.

Char. I warrant you, madam.

+"her forehead as low "-MALONE.

[Exeunt.

so I harry'd him.] To harry, is to use roughly, harass, subdue; or literally, to hunt. Hence the word harrier. King James threatened the Puritans that "he would harry them out of the land."

Mr. Malone omits the O.

SCENE IV.

Athens. A Room in Antony's House.

Enter ANTONY and OCTAVIA.

Ant. Nay, nay, Octavia, not only that,― That were excusable, that, and thousands more Of semblable import,—but he had wag'd

New wars 'gainst Pompey; made his will, and read it
To publick ear:

Spoke scantly of me; when perforce he could not
But pay me terms of honour, cold and sickly
He vented them; most narrow measure lent me :
When the best hint was given him, he not took't,
Or did it from his teeth'.

Octa.
O my good lord,
Believe not all; or, if you must believe,
Stomach not all. A more unhappy lady,
If this division chance, ne'er stood between,
Praying for both parts:

+And the good gods will mock me presently,
When I shall pray, 0, bless my lord and husband!
Undo that prayer, by crying out as loud,

O, bless my brother! Husband win, win brother,
Prays and destroys the prayer; no midway

"Twixt these extremes at all.

Ant.

Gentle Octavia,

Let your best love draw to that point, which seeks
Best to preserve it: If I lose mine honour,

I lose myself: better I were not yours,

Than yours so branchless. But, as you requested, Yourself shall go between us: The mean time, lady,

1 Or did it from his teeth.] Whether this means, as we now say, in spite of his teeth, or, that he spoke through his teeth, so as to be purposely indistinct, is uncertain.

+ Mr. Malone omits and.

I'll raise the preparation of a war

Shall stain your brother; Make your soonest haste;
So your desires are yours.

Octa.

Thanks to my lord.

The Jove of power make me most weak, most weak,
Your reconciler! Wars 'twixt you twain would be 2
As if the world should cleave, and that slain men
Should solder up the rift.

Ant. When it appears to you where this begins,
Turn your displeasure that way; for our faults
Can never be so equal, that your love

Can equally move with them. Provide your going;
Choose your own company, and command what cost
Your heart has mind to.

[Exeunt.

SCENE V.

The same.

Another Room in the same.

Enter ENOBARBUS and EROS, meeting.

Eno. How now, friend Eros?

Eros. There's strange news come, sir.

Eno. What, man?

Eros. Cæsar and Lepidus have made wars upon Pompey.

Eno. This is old; What is the success?

Eros. Cæsar, having made use of him in the wars 'gainst Pompey, presently denied him rivality; would not let him partake in the glory of the action: and not resting here, accuses him of letters he had formerly wrote to Pompey; upon his own appeal, seizes him: So the poor third is up, till death enlarge his confine.

3

Wars 'twixt you twain would be, &c.] The sense is, that war between Cæsar and Antony would engage the world between them, and that the slaughter would be great in so extensive a commotion.

3

rivality;] Equal rank.

4 upon his own appeal,] To appeal, in Shakspeare, is to accuse; Cæsar seized Lepidus without any other proof than Cæsar's accusation.

Eno. Then, world, thou hast a pair of chaps, no more: And throw between them all the food thou hast, They'll grind the one the other. Where's Antony? Eros. He's walking in the garden-thus; and spurns The rush that lies before him; cries, Fool, Lepidus! And threats the throat of that his officer,

Enter CESAR, AGRIPPA, and MECENAS.

Cæs. Contemning Rome, he has done all this: And

more;

In Alexandria,-here's the manner of it,-
I'the market-place, on a tribunal silver'd,
Cleopatra and himself in chairs of gold
Were publickly enthron'd: at the feet, sat
Cæsarion, whom they call my father's son;
And all the unlawful issue, that their lust
Since then hath made between them. Unto her
He gave the 'stablishment of Egypt; made her
Of Lower Syria, Cyprus, Lydia,

Absolute queen.

Mec.

This in the publick eye?

Cæs. I'the common show-place, where they exercise.

5

More, Domitius;] I have something more to tell you, which I might have told at first, and delay'd my news. Antony requires your presence.

His sons he there proclaim'd, The kings of kings:
Great Media, Parthia, and Armenia,

He gave to Alexander; to Ptolemy he assign'd
Syria, Cilicia, and Phoenicia: She

In the habiliments of the goddess Isis

That day appear'd; and oft before gave audience
As 'tis reported, so.

Mec. Inform'd.

Let Rome be thus

Agr. Who, queasy with his insolence

Already, will their good thoughts call from him.
Cæs. The people know it; and have now receiv'd
His accusations.

Agr.

Whom does he accuse?

Caes. Cæsar: and that, having in Sicily

Sextus Pompeius spoil'd, we had not rated him
His part o'the isle: then does he say, he lent me
Some shipping unrestor'd: lastly, he frets,
That Lepidus of the triumvirate

Should be depos'd; and, being, that we detain
All his revenue.

Agr.

Sir, this should be answer'd.

Caes. 'Tis done already, and the messenger gone. I have told him, Lepidus was grown too cruel; That he his high authority abus'd,

And did deserve his change; for what I have conquer'd, I grant him part; but then, in his Armenia,

And other of his conquer'd kingdoms, I

Demand the like.

Mec.

He'll never yield to that.

Cæs. Nor must not then be yielded to in this.

Enter OCTAVIA.

Oct. Hail, Cæsar, and my lord! hail, most dear Cæsar! Cæs. That ever I should call thee, cast-away!

Oct. You have not call'd me so, nor have you cause. Caes. Why have you stol'n upon us thus? You come

VOL. VII.

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M