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Men. For this,

[Aside.

I'll never follow thy pall'd fortunes3 more.—
Who seeks, and will not take, when once 'tis offer'd,
Shall never find it more.

Pom.

This health to Lepidus.

Ant. Bear him ashore.-I'll pledge it for him,

Pompey.

Eno. Here's to thee, Menas.

Men.

Enobarbus, welcome.

Pom. Fill, till the cup be hid.

Eno. There's a strong fellow, Menas.

[Pointing to the Attendant who carries off

Men.

Eno.

LEPIDUS.

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The third part of the world, man; See'st not?

Men. The third part then is drunk: 'Would it were all,

That it might go on wheels!

Eno. Drink thou; increase the reels.

Men. Come.

Pom. This is not yet an Alexandrian feast.

Ant. It ripens towards it.-Strike the vessels,* ho! Here is to Cæsar.

Cæs.

I could well forbear it.

It's monstrous labour, when I wash my brain,
And it grows fouler.

Ant.

Be a child o' the time.

Cæs. Possess it, I'll make answer: but I had ra

ther fast

From all, four days, than drink so much in one,

3 thy pall'd fortunes-] Palled, is vapid, past its time of excellence; palled wine, is wine that has lost its original sprightliJOHNSON.

ness.

4 Strike the vessels,] i. e. chink the vessels one against the other, as a mark of our unanimity in drinking, as we now say, chink glasses.

Eno. Ha, my brave emperor!

[To ANTONY.

Let's ha't, good soldier.

Shall we dance now the Egyptian Bacchanals,

And celebrate our drink?

Pom.

Ant. Come, let us all take hands;

Till that the conquering wine hath steep'd our sense

In soft and delicate Lethe.

Eno.

All take hands.

Make battery to our ears with the loud musick:-
The while, I'll place you: Then the boy shall sing;
The holding every man shall bear, as loud
As his strong sides can volley.

[Musick plays. ENOBARBUS places them hand

in hand.

SONG.

Come, thou monarch of the vine,
Plumpy Bacchus, with pink eyne:
In thy vats our cares be drown'd;
With thy grapes our hairs be crown'd;
Cup us, till the world go round;
Cup us, till the world go round!

Cæs. What would you more?-Pompey, good
night. Good brother,

Let me request you off: our graver business
Frowns at his levity.-Gentle lords, let's part;
You see, we have burnt our cheeks: strong Eno-
barbe

Is weaker than the wine; and mine own tongue
Splits what it speaks: the wild disguise hath almost

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The holding every man shall bear,] To bear the burden, or, as it is here called, the holding of a song, is the phrase at this day. with pink eyne:] Dr. Johnson, in his Dictionary, says a pink eye is a small eye, and quotes this passage for his authority. Pink eyne, however, may be red eyes: eyes inflamed with drinking, are very well appropriated to Bacchus.

Antick'd us all. What needs more words? Good

night.

Good Antony, your hand.

Pom.

I'll try you o'the shore.

O, Antony,

Ant. And shall, sir: give's your hand.

Pom.

You have my father's house,-But what? we are

friends:

Come, down into the boat.

Eno.

Take heed you fall not.

[Exeunt POMPEY, CÆSAR, ANT. and Attendants. Menas, I'll not on shore.

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.

Men.

Ho!-noble captain!

Come.

[Exeunt.

ACT III.

SCENE I. A Plain in Syria.

Enter VENTIDIUS, as after Conquest, with SILIUS, and other Romans, Officers, and Soldiers; the dead Body of PACORUS borne before him.

Ven. Now, darting Parthia, art thou struck; and now

Pleas'd fortune does of Marcus Crassus' death

Make me revenger.-Bear the king's son's body

Before our army:-Thy Pacorus, Orodes,"
Pays this for Marcus Crassus.

Sil.

Noble Ventidius,

Whilst yet with Parthian blood thy sword is warm,
The fugitive Parthians follow; spur through Media,
Mesopotamia, and the shelters whither

The routed fly: so thy grand captain Antony
Shall set thee on triumphant chariots, and
Put garlands on thy head.

O Silius, Silius,

Ven.
I have done enough: A lower place, note well,
May make too great an act: For learn this, Silius;
Better leave undone, than by our deed acquire
Too high a fame, when him we serve's away.
Cæsar, and Antony, have ever won

More in their officer, than person: Sossius,
One of my place in Syria, his lieutenant,
For quick accumulation of renown,

Which he achiev'd by the minute, lost his favour.
Who does i' the wars more than his captain can,
Becomes his captain's captain: and ambition,
The soldier's virtue, rather makes choice of loss,
Than gain, which darkens him.

I could do more to do Antonius good,

But 'twould offend him; and in his offence
Should my performance perish.

Sil.

Thou hast, Ventidius,

That without which a soldier, and his sword,
Grants scarce distinction." Thou wilt write to
Antony?

7 Thy Pacorus, Orodes,] Pacorus was the son of Orodes, King of Parthia.

8 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.

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 along. [Exeunt.

SCENE II.

Rome. An Ante-Chamber in Cæsar's House.

Enter AGRIPPA, and ENOBARBUS, meeting.

Agr. What, are the brothers parted?

Eno. They have despatch'd with Pompey, he is

gone;

The other three are sealing. Octavia weeps
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 nonpareil!
Agr. O Antony! O thou Arabian bird!?

Eno. Would you praise Cæsar, say,-Cæsar;go no further.

Agr. Indeed, he ply'd them both with excellent praises.

Arabian bird!] The phoenix.

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