Next, Cleopatra does confess thy greatness;
Submits her to thy might; and of thee craves
The circle of the Ptolemies for her heirs,
Now hazarded to thy grace.

Cæs.

For Antony,

The queen

2

I have no ears to his request.
Of audience, nor desire, shall fail; so she
From Egypt drive her all-disgraced friend,
Or take his life there. This if she perform,
She shall not sue unheard. So to them both.
Eup. Fortune pursue thee!

Cæs.

Bring him through the bands.

[Exit EUPHRONIUS.

To try thy eloquence, now 'tis time; despatch.
From Antony win Cleopatra; promise,

[To THYREUS. And in our name, what she requires; add more, From thine invention, offers. Women are not,

In their best fortunes, strong; but want will perjure
The ne'er-touched vestal. Try thy cunning, Thyreus ;
Make thine own edict for thy pains, which we
Will answer as a law.

Thyr.

Cæsar, I go.

Cæs. Observe how Antony becomes his flaw; And what thou think'st his very action speaks

3

In

every power that moves.

Thyr.

Cæsar, I shall. [Exeunt.

SCENE XI. Alexandria. A Room in the Palace.

Enter CLEOPATRA, ENOBARBUS, CHARMIAN, and IRAS. Cleo. What shall we do, Enobarbus?

Eno.

Think, and die.1

Cleo. Is Antony, or we, in fault for this?

1 The diadem, the crown.

2 Friend here means paramour.

3 "Note how Antony conforms himself to this breach in his fortune." 4 To think, or take thought, was anciently synonymous with to grieve.

Eno. Antony only, that would make his will
Lord of his reason. What though you fled
From that great face of war, whose several ranges
Frighted each other? Why should he follow?
The itch of his affection should not then

Have nicked' his captainship. At such a point,
When half to half the world opposed, he being
The mered question; 2 'twas a shame no less
Than was his loss, to course your flying flags,
And leave his navy gazing.

Cleo.

Pr'ythee, peace.

Enter ANTONY, with EUPHRONIUS.

Ant. Is this his answer?

Eup.

Ay, my lord.

Ant. The queen shall then have courtesy, so she

Will yield us up.

Eup. He says so.

Ant.

Let her know it.—

To the boy Cæsar send this grizzled head,
And he will fill thy wishes to the brim

With principalities.

Cleo.

That head, my lord?

Ant. To him again. Tell him, he wears the rose Of youth upon him; from which the world should note Something particular. His coin, ships, legions

May be a coward's; whose ministers would prevail
Under the service of a child, as soon

As i' the command of Cæsar. I dare him therefore

To lay his gay comparisons apart,

And answer me declined,3 sword against sword,
Ourselves alone. I'll write it; follow me.

[Exeunt ANTONY and EUPHRONIUS.

1 i. e. set the mark of folly upon it. So in the Comedy of Errors :—

His man with scissors nicks him like a fool."

2 i. e. he being the object to which this great contention is limited or by which it is bounded.

3 His gay comparisons may mean those circumstances of splendor and power in which he, when compared with me, so much exceeds me. "I require of Cæsar not to depend on that superiority which the comparison

Eno. Yes, like enough, high-battled Cæsar will
Unstate his happiness, and be staged to the show,'
Against a sworder.-I see, men's judgments are
A parcel of their fortunes; and things outward
Do draw the inward quality after them,
To suffer all alike. That he should dream,
Knowing all measures, the full Cæsar will
Answer his emptiness!-Cæsar, thou hast subdued
His judgment too.

Att.

Enter an Attendant.

A messenger from Cæsar.

Cleo. What, no more ceremony?-See, my women!— Against the blown rose may they stop their nose, That kneeled unto the buds.-Admit him, sir.

Eno. Mine honesty, and I, begin to square." [Aside.
The loyalty, well held to fools, does make
Our faith mere folly ;-yet he that can endure
To follow with allegiance a fallen lord,

Does conquer him that did his master conquer,
And earns a place i' the story.

Enter THYREUS.

Cleo. Cæsar's will?

Thyr. Hear it apart.

Cleo.
Thyr. So, haply, are they friends to Antony.
Eno. He needs as many, sir, as Cæsar has;
Or needs not us. If Cæsar please, our master
Will leap to be his friend. For us, you know,
Whose he is, we are; and that's Cæsar's.

None but friends; say boldly.

Thyr.

So.

Thus, then, thou most renowned; Cæsar entreats,
Not to consider in what case thou stand'st,

Further than he is Cæsar.4

of our different fortunes may exhibit, but to answer me man to man in

this decline of my age and power."

1 i. e. be exhibited, like conflicting gladiators, to the public gaze.

2 i. e. are of a piece with them.

3 To square is to quarrel.

4 Thus the second folio. The first folio has, ".

than he is

Cleo.

Go on; right royal.

Thyr. He knows that you embrace not Antony As you did love, but as you feared him.

Cleo.

O!

Thyr. The scars upon your honor, therefore, he Does pity, as constrained blemishes,

Not as deserved.

Cleo.

He is a god, and knows

What is most right. Mine honor was not yielded,
But conquered merely.

Eno.

To be sure of that, [Aside.

I will ask Antony.-Sir, sir, thou'rt so leaky,
That we must leave thee to thy sinking, for
Thy dearest quit thee.

[Exit ENOBARBus.

Shall I say to Cæsar

Thyr.
What you require of him? for he partly begs
To be desired to give. It much would please him
That of his fortunes you should make a staff
To lean upon; but it would warm his spirits,
To hear from me you had left Antony,

And put yourself under his shroud,

The universal landlord.

Cleo.

What's your name?

Thyr. My name is Thyreus.
Cleo.

Most kind messenger,

Say to great Cæsar this in disputation,2

Cæsar's," which brings obscurity with it. We have a clear meaning in the present reading:-"Cæsar entreats, that at the same time you consider your desperate fortunes, you would consider he is Cæsar; that is, generous and forgiving, able and willing to restore them." Malone thinks that the previous speech, which is given to Enobarbus, was intended for Cleopatra.

1 Shakspeare probably wrote embraced.

2 Warburton suggests that we should read, "in deputation," i. e. 66 as my deputy, say to great Cæsar this," &c. The old punctuation of this line has been altered in the modern editions: the passage has been made obscure by printing it thus:—

"Say to great Cæsar this, In disputation

I kiss his conquering hand.”

The following passage in King Henry IV. Part I. seems to support Warburton's emendation:

"Of all the favorites that the absent king

In deputation left behind him here."

I kiss his conquering hand. Tell him, I am prompt
To lay my crown at his feet, and there to kneel;
Tell him, from his all-obeying1 breath I hear
The doom of Egypt.

Thyr.
'Tis your noblest course.
Wisdom and fortune combating together,

If that the former dare but what it can,

2

No chance may shake it. Give me grace to lay
My duty on your
on your hand.

Cleo.

Your Cæsar's father

Oft, when he hath mused of taking kingdoms in,
Bestowed his lips on that unworthy place,

As it rained kisses.

Ant.

Re-enter ANTONY and ENOBARBUS.

Favors, by Jove that thunders!

One, that but performs

What art thou, fellow?

Thyr.

3

The bidding of the fullest man, and worthiest
To have command obeyed.

Eno.

You will be whipped.

Ant. Approach, there ;-Ay, you kite!-Now, gods

and devils!

4

Authority melts from me. Of late, when I cried, Ho!
Like boys unto a muss, kings would start forth,
And cry, Your will? Have you no ears? I am

Enter Attendants.

Antony yet. Take hence this Jack, and whip him.
Eno. 'Tis better playing with a lion's whelp,
Than with an old one dying.

Ant.

Moon and stars!

Whip him.-Were't twenty of the greatest tributaries That do acknowledge Cæsar, should I find them

1 i. e. breath which all obey. Obeying for obeyed.

2 Grant me the favor.

3 The most complete and perfect.

4 A muss is a scramble.