SCENE VII.-Field of Battle between the Camps. Alarums. Drums and trumpets. Enter AGRIPPA and others. Agr. Retire, we have engaged ourselves too far: Cæsar himself has work, and our oppression 1 Exceeds what we expected. [Exeunt. Alarums. Enter ANTONY, and SCARUS wounded. Scar. O my brave Emperor, this is fought indeed! Had we done so at first, we had driven them home With clouts about their heads.2 Ant. Thou bleed'st apace. Scar. I had a wound here that was like a T, But now 'tis made an H.3 Ant. They do retire. Scar. We'll beat 'em into bench-holes: I have yet Room for six scotches 4 more. Enter EROS. Eros. They're beaten, sir; and our advantage serves For a fair victory. Scar. Let us score their backs, And snatch 'em up, as we take hares, behind: 'Tis sport to maul a runner. 1 The force by which we are oppressed or overpowered. 2 Meaning with sore heads; clouts being used for cloths, such as wounds are dressed with. 8 In Shakespeare's time the word ache was pronounced like the letter H; which is the turning-point of the quibble in this case. - Why the wound is described as 'like a T" I am unable to explain. See The Tempest, page 68, note 87. 4 Scotches is cuts. So in Macbeth: "We have but scotch'd the snake, not kill'd it." Alarums: Enter ANTONY, marching; SCARUS, and Forces. And let the Queen know of our gests.5-To-morrow, Tell them your feats; whilst they with joyful tears Wash the congealment from your wounds, and kiss The honour'd gashes whole. - [To SCARUS.] Give me thy hand; Enter CLEOPATRA, attended. To this great fairy 6 I'll commend thy acts, Make her thanks bless thee. — [To CLEO.] O thou day o' the world, Chain mine arm'd neck; leap thou, attire and all, 5 Gests is deeds, exploits; like the Latin gesta. 6 Fairy, in former times, did not signify only a diminutive imaginary being, but an enchanter; in which sense it is used here. 7 "Proof of harness" is harness that is proof against warlike weapons. The Poet repeatedly uses harness for armour. Ride on the pants triumphing! Cleo. Lord of lords! O infinite virtue, comest thou smiling from The world's great snare uncaught? My nightingale, Ant. We've beat them to their beds. What, girl! though gray Do something mingle with our younger brown, yet ha' we A brain that nourishes our nerves, and can Get goal for goal of youth.8 Behold this man; Commend unto his lips thy favouring hand :Kiss it, my warrior: - he hath fought to-day As if a god, in hate of mankind, had Destroy'd in such a shape. Cleo. I'll give thee, friend, An armour all of gold; it was a king's. Ant. He has deserved it, were it carbuncled Bear our hack'd targets like the men that owe them :9 To camp this host, we all would sup together, And drink carouses to the next day's fate, Which promises royal peril. - Trumpeters, 8 At all plays of barriers, the boundary is called a goal: so that to win a goal is to be superior in a trial of activity. 9 The meaning is, "our targets which are hacked as the men are who own them." The poet has many such inversions. - The Plutarchian basis of this fine scene is as follows: "So Cæsar came and pitched his camp hard by the city, in the place where they run and manage their horses. Antonius made a sally upon him, and fought very valiantly, so that he drave Cæsar's horsemen back, fighting with his men into their camp. Then he came again to the palace, greatly boasting of this victory, and sweetly kissed Cleopatra, armed as he was when he came from the fight, recommending one of his men-of-arms unto her, that had valiantly fought in this skirmish. With brazen din blast you the city's ear; That heaven and earth may strike their sounds together, I Sold. If we be not relieved within this hour, We must return to th' court-of-guard:1 the night Is shiny; and they say we shall embattle By th' second hour i' the morn. 2 Sold. A shrewd one to's. This last day was Enter ENOBARBUS. [Exeunt. Eno. O, bear me witness, night, – 3 Sold. 2 Sold. Stand close, and list him. Eno. What man is this! - Be witness to me, O thou blessèd Moon, When men revolted shall upon recórd Bear hateful memory, poor Enobarbus did I Sold. Enobarbus ! 3 Sold. Peace! hark further. Eno. - O sovereign mistress of true melancholy,2 Cleopatra, to reward his manliness, gave him an armour and head-piece of clean gold: howbeit the man-at-arms, when he had received this rich gift, stole away by night, and went to Cæsar." 1 The court-of-guard is the place where the guard or sentinels muster. 2 The " sovereign mistress of true melancholy" is, I suppose, the Moon. The poisonous damp of night disponge upon me, May hang no longer on me: throw my heart Which, being dried with grief, will break to powder, Nobler than my revolt is infamous, Forgive me in thine own particular; 2 Sold. Let's speak to him. I Sold. Let's hear him, for the things he speaks May concern Cæsar. 3 Sold: Let's do so. But he sleeps. I Sold. Swoons rather; for so bad a prayer as his Was never yet for sleep. 2 Sold. Go we to him. 3 Sold. Awake, sir, awake; speak to us. 2 Sold. [Dies. Hear you, sir? 1 Sold. The hand of death hath raught him. [Drums afar off] Hark! the drums Demurely 3 wake the sleepers. Let us bear him 3 Sold. Come on, then; he may recover yet. [Exeunt with the body. Probably most of us can interpret the figure from our own remembered feelings by moonlight. So in one of Wordsworth's Sonnets: With how sad steps, O Moon, thou climb'st the sky, How silently, and with how wan a face. 8 The morning drum-beat in camp is apt to awaken a peculiar feeling which is very well expressed by demurely. |