Caf. What is't thou say'st?

Der. I fay, oh Cafar, Antony is dead.

Caf. The breaking of fo great a thing should make A greater crack in nature.

The round world

Should have fhook lions into civil ftreets,

And citizens to their dens. The death of Antony
Is not a fingle doom, in that name lay

A moiety of the world.

Der. He is dead, Cafar,

Not by a publick minister of justice,

Nor by a hired knife: but that felf-hand

Which writ his honour in the acts it did,

Hath with the courage which the heart did lend it

Splitted the heart it felf.

This is his fword,

I robb'd his wound of it: behold it ftain'd

With his moft noble blood.

Caf. Look you fad, friends?

The Gods rebuke me but it is a tiding

To wash the eyes of Kings.

Agr. And strange it is,

That nature must compel us to lament

Our most persisted deeds.

Mec. His taints and honours

Weigh'd equal in him.

Agr. A rarer fpirit never Did fteer humanity; but you, Some faults to make us men. Mec. When fuch a fpacious He needs must see himself. Caf. O Antony!

I've follow'd thee to this

Gods, will give us Cæfar is touch'd. mirror's fet before him,

but we do launce

Diseases in our bodies. I muft perforce

Have fhewn to thee fuch a declining day,

Or 'look'd' on thine; we could not ftall together
In the whole world. But yet let me lament
With tears as fovereign as the blood of hearts,
That thou my brother, my competitor,

A a 3
5 look

In

In top of all defign, my mate in empire,
Friend and companion in the front of war,
The arm of mine own body, and the heart
Where mine its thoughts did kindle; that our stars
Unreconcilable fhould divide

Our equalnefs to this. Hear me, good friends
But I will tell you at fome meeter feafon.

The bufinefs of this man looks out of him,

We'll hear him what he fays. 7'/Now whence are you? Enter an Ægyptian.

Egypt. A poor gyptian yet; the Queen my mistress Confin'd in all fhe has (her monument)

Of thy intents desires instruction,

That the preparedly may frame her felf
To th' way he's forc'd to.

Caf. Bid her have good heart;

She foon fhall know of us, by fome of ours,
How honourably and how kindly we
Determine for her. For Cafar cannot live
To be ungentle.

Egypt. May the Gods preferve thee!

Caf. Come hither, Proculeius, go and fay

We purpose her no fhame; give her what comforts
The quality of her paffion fhall require;
Left in her greatnefs by fome mortal stroke
She do defeat us: for her life in Rome

8

Would be eternaling our triumph. Go,

And with your speedieft bring us what fhe fays,
And how you find of her.

Pro. Cæfar, I fhall.

Caf. Gallus, go you along; where's Dolabella,

To fecond Proculeius?

All. Dolabella!.

[Exit.

[Exit Proculeius.

[Exit Gallus.

Caf. Let him alone; for I remember now How he's employ'd: he fhall in time be ready. Go with me to my tent, where you fhall fee How hardly I was drawn into this war,

6 have divided 7 Whence 8 eternal in

How

How calm and gentle I proceeded still
In all my writings. Go with me, and fee
What I can fhew in this.

S CEN E II.

The Monument.

[Exeunt.

Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, Iras, Mardian, and
Seleucus, above.

Y defolation does begin to make

Cleo MY

A better life; 'tis paltry to be Cefar:
Not being fortune, he's but fortune's knave,
A minifter of her will; and it is great,

To do that thing that ends all other deeds,
Which fhackles accidents, and bolts up change,
9 'Which makes us fleep, nor palate more the dug
O' th' beggar's nurfe and Cæfar's.

Enter Proculeius, and Gallus, below.

Pro. Cæfar fends greeting to the Queen of Egypt,
And bids thee study on what fair demands

Thou mean'ft to have him grant thee.

Cleo. What's thy name?

Pro. My name is Proculeius.

Cleo. Antony

Did tell me of you, bad me truft you, but

I do not greatly care to be deceiv'd,

That have no use for trufting. If your mafter

Would have a Queen his beggar, you must tell him,
That majefty, to keep decorum, muft

No lefs beg than a kingdom: if he please
To give me conquer'd Egypt for my fon,
He gives me fo much of mine own, as I
Will kneel for to him with thanks.

Pro. Be of good cheer:

You're fall'n into a princely hand, fear nothing;

A a 4

9 Which fleeps, and never palates more the dung

Make

(The beggar's nurfe, and Cefars). ... old edit. Warb, emend. 2 kneel to

Make your full ref'rence freely to my Lord,
Who is fo full of grace, that it flows over
On all that need. Let me report to him
Your sweet dependency, and you shall find
A conqu'ror that will pray in aid a for kindness,
Where he for grace is kneel'd to.

Cleo. Pray you tell him,

I am his fortunes vaffal, and I 3 'bend to
The greatness he has got. I hourly learn
A doctrine of obedience, and would gladly
Look him i' th' face.

Pro. This I'll report, dear Lady.

Have comfort, for I know your plight is pity'd
Of him that caus'd it.

4 'Gall. You fee how eafily fhe may be furpriz'd.
[They enter the Monument by a ladder.

Pro. Guard her 'till Cæfar come,

Iras. Oh royal Queen,

Char. Oh Cleopatra, thou art taken, Queen.
Cleo. Quick, quick, good hands.

Pro. Hold, worthy Lady, hold:

[Drawing a dagger.

Do not your felf fuch wrong, who are in this
Reliev'd, but not betray'd.

Cleo What, of death too, that rids our dogs of languish?
Pro. Do not abufe my mafter's bounty, by

Th' undoing of your felf: let the world fee

His nobleness well acted, which your death
Will never let come forth.

Cleo. Where art thou, death?

Come hither, come: oh come, and take a Queen

Worth many babes and beggars.

Pro. Oh, temperance, Lady!

Cleo. Sir, I will eat no meat, I'll not drink, Sir: If idle talk will once be s'acceffary,`

This mortal houfe I'll ruin,

I'll not fleep neither.

Do Cafar what he can.

Know, Sir, that I

Will

(a) Praying in aid is a Law-term used for a petition made in a Court of fuftice for the calling in of help from another that hath an interest in the caufe in queftion.

3 fend him

4

Char.... old edit. Theob. emend. 5 neceffary,

Will not wait pinion'd at your master's Court,
Nor once be chaftis'd with the fober eye
Of dull Octavia. Shall they hoift me up,
And fhew me to the fhouting varletry
Of cens'ring Rome? rather a ditch in Ægypt
Be gentle grave to me! rather on Nilus' mud
Lay me ftark-naked, and let the water-flies
Blow me into abhorring! rather make

My country's 'higheft Pyramid my gibbet,
And hang me up in chains!

Pro. You do extend

These thoughts of horror further than you shall
Find caufe in Cefar.

Dol. Proculeius,

Enter Dolabella.

What thou hast done my mafter Cafar knows,
And he hath fent for thee: as for the Queen,
I'll take her to my guard.

Pro. So, Dolabella,

It shall content me beft; be gentle to her:

To Cæfar I will speak what you shall please, [To Cleopatra,
If you'll employ me to him.

Cleo. Say, I would die. [Exeunt Proculeius and Gallus.
Dol. Most noble Empress, you have heard of me.
Cleo. I cannot tell.

Dol. Affuredly you know me.

Cleo. No matter, Sir, what I have heard or known: You laugh when boys or women tell their dreams;

Is't not your trick?

Dol. I understand not, Madam.

Cleo. I dreamt there was an Emp❜ror Antony;

Oh fuch another fleep, that I might fee

But fuch another man!

Dol. If it might please ye

Cleo. His face was as the heav'ns, and therein stuck A fun and moon, which kept their courfe, and lighted The 'little orb o' th'` earth.

8 little o' th' or little O o' th' ... old edit. Warb. emend.

Dol.