Touch their effects in this: thyself art coming Within. A way there, a way for Cæsar! Re-enter CESAR and his Train. Dol. O sir, you are too sure an augurer; That you did fear is done. Cæs. Bravest at the last, She levell'd 38 at our purposes, and, being royal, 37 After Cleopatra had dined, she sent a certain table [letter] written and sealed unto Cæsar, and commanded them all to go out of the tombs where she was, but the two women; then she shut the door to her. Cæsar, when he received this table, and began to read her lamentation and petition, requesting him that he would let her be buried with Antonius, found straight what she meant, and thought to have gone thither himself: howbeit, he sent one before in all haste that might be, to see what it was. Her death was very sudden: for those whom Cæsar sent unto her ran thither in all haste possible, and found the soldiers standing at the gate, mistrusting nothing, nor understanding of her death. But, when they had opened the doors, they found Cleopatra stark-dead, laid upon a bed of gold, attired and arrayed in her royal robes, and one of her two women, which was called Iras, dead at her feet; and her other woman, called Charmian, half dead, and trembling, trimming the diadem which Cleopatra wore upon her head. One of the soldiers, seeing her, angrily said unto her, "Is this well done, Charmian?" "Very well," she said again, "meet for a princess descended from the race of so many noble kings." She said no more, but fell down dead hard by the bed. - PLUTARCH. 88 To level is, properly, to take aim, hence to hit. Shakespeare repeatedly 1 Guard. A simple countryman, that brought her figs : This was his basket. Cæs. I Guard. Poison'd, then. O Cæsar, This Charmian lived but now; she stood and spake : I found her trimming up the diadem On her dead mistress; tremblingly she stood, Cæs. O noble weakness! If they had swallow'd poison, 'twould appear In her strong toil of grace. Dol. Here, on her breast, There is a vent of blood, and something blown; 39 The like is on her arm. I Guard. This is an aspic's trail; and these fig-leaves uses the substantive level for range or line of aim; as he also often uses aim for guess; and guess gives the right sense of level here. 39 Blown for swollen or puffed. See page 150, note 4.- Plutarch: "Some say that they found two little pretty bitings in her arm, scant to be discerned; the which it seemeth Cæsar himself gave credit unto, because in his triumph he carried Cleopatra's image with an aspic biting of her arm. And thus goeth the report of her death. Now Cæsar, though he was marvellous sorry for the death of Cleopatra, yet wondered at her noble mind and courage, and therefore commanded she should be nobly buried, and laid by Antonius; and willed also that her two women should have honourable burial." 40 Alexandria was supplied with water brought from the Nile in underground canals; which may be the caves meant. See Critical Notes. Cæs. Most probable That so she died; for her physician tells me Of easy ways to die.41 — Take up her bed; No grave upon the Earth shall clip in it And then to Rome.-Come, Dolabella, see [Exeunt. 41 To pursue conclusions is to try experiments. See Hamlet, page 166, note 36. Plutarch's account of the matter is as follows: "Cleopatra was very careful in gathering all sorts of poisons together, to destroy men. Now, to make proof of those poisons which made men die with least pain, she tried it upon condemned men in prison. For, when she saw the poisons that were sudden and vehement, and brought speedy death with grievous torments; and, in contrary manner, that such as were more mild and gentle had not that quick speed and force to make one die suddenly; she afterwards went about to prove the stinging of snakes and adders, and made some to be applied unto men in her sight, some in one sort, some in another. So, when she had daily made divers and sundry proofs, she found none of them all she had proved so fit as the biting of an aspic, the which causeth only a heaviness of the head, without swooning or complaining, and bringeth a great desire also to sleep, with a little sweat in the face; and so by little and little taketh away the senses and vital powers, no living creature perceiving that the patients feel any pain." CRITICAL NOTES. ACT I., SCENE I. Page 40. Whom every thing becomes, to chide, to laugh, To weep; whose every passion fully strives, &c.- The original has who instead of whose. Corrected in the second folio. ACT I., SCENE 2. P. 41. O, that I knew this husband, which, you say, must charge his horns with garlands!—The original has change instead of charge. Corrected by Theobald and Warburton. P. 43. Dear goddess, hear that prayer of the people.—Mr. P. A. Daniel would read "prayer of thy people." And so I suspect it should be. P. 43. Saw you my lord?-So the second folio. The first has Save. P. 44. O, then we bring forth weeds When our quick minds lie still; &c.—The original has windes. Corrected by Warburton. The two words were apt to be confounded. P. 45. From Sicyon, ho, the news!-The original reads "From Scicion how the newes?" Corrected by Dyce. P. 46. Ten thousand harms, more than the ills I know, My idleness doth hatch. - Ho, Enobarbus! Re-enter ENOBARBUS. -The original makes Enobarbus enter directly after hatch, and then has "How now Enobarbus," after his re-entrance. But it is clear that Antony calls Enobarbus from another room, and he returns upon the call. Corrected partly by Capell, and partly by Dyce; the latter noting as follows: "In all probability the author's manuscript had 'How Enobarbus,' to which some transcriber or the original compositor, who did not understand what was meant, added now. How frequently occurs as the old spelling of ho." P. 46. Under a compelling occasion, let women die. The original reads "Under a compelling an occasion." The cause of our expedience to the Queen, And get her leave to part. -The original has love instead of leave. Corrected by Pope. The same misprint occurs elsewhere. To such whose place is under us, requires Our quick remove from hence. -The original has places and require. Corrected in the second folio. ACT I., SCENE 3. P. 53. Now, by my sword, &c. -So the second folio. The first omits my. P. 53. How this Herculean Roman does become The carriage of his chafe.· - As this passage is something obscure and doubtful, Staunton substitutes chief for chafe, taking chief as referring to Hercules, from whom Antony claimed descent. This is certainly plausible, perhaps more: still I am apt to think that chafe is right. See foot-note 15. Sit laurell'd victory!—So the second folio. The first has "Sit Lawrell victory." |