Alarum afar off, as at a sea-fight. Scene XI.-Alexandria. A Room in the Palace. Enter CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, IRAs, and MARDIAN. Ant. All is lost! Cleo. Help me, my women ! O, he is more mad This foul Egyptian hath betrayed me: Than Telamon for his shield: the boar of Thessaly My feet hath yielded to the foe; and yonder Was never so embossed. They cast their caps up, and carouse together Char. To the monument : Like friends long lost.—Triple-turned whore ! 't is thou There lock yourself, and send him word you are dead. Hast sold me to this novice : and my heart The soul and body rive not more in parting, Makes only war on thee.— Bid them all fly : For when I am revenged upon my charm, Than greatness going off. Cleo. To the monument.I have done all.—Bid them all fly; be gone! Mardian, go tell him I have slain myself: Say that the last I spoke was, “ Antony:” And word it, pr'y thee, piteously. Hence, Do we shake hands.-All come to this !—The Mardian ; and bring me how he takes my death.— (Exeunt. hearts That spanielled me at heels, to whom I gave Their wishes, do discandy, melt their sweets On blossoming Cæsar : and this pine is barked, SCENE XII.- The same. Another Room. That overtopped them all. Betrayed I am: O this false soul of Egypt! this grave charm, Enter Antony and Eros. Whose eye becked forth my wars, and called Ant. Eros, thou yet behold’st me? them home; Eros. Ay, noble lord. Whose bosom was my crownet, my chief end, Ant. Sometime we see a cloud that's dragonish; Like a right gipsy, hath, at fast and loose, A vapour sometime like a bear or lion, Beguiled me to the very heart of loss. A towered citadel, a pendant rock, What, Eros, Eros! A forkéd mountain, or blue promontory With trees upon 't, that nod unto the world, Enter Cleopatra. And mock our eyes with air :-thou hast seen Ah, thou spell : avaunt! these signs? Cleo. Why is my lord enraged against his They are black vesper's pageants. love? Eros. Ay, my lord. Ant. Vanish; or I shall give thee thy deserving, Ant. That which is now a horse, even with a And blemish Cæsar's triumph. Let him take thought thee, The rack dislimns, and makes it indistinct And hoist thee up to the shouting plebeians : As water is in water. Follow his chariot, like the greatest spot Eros. It does, my lord. Of all thy sex: most monster-like, be shewn Ant. My good knave, Eros, now thy captain is For poor'st diminutives, to dolts; and let Even such a body : here I am Antony; Patient Octavia plough thy visage up Yet cannot hold this visible shape, my knave. With her prepared nails. (Exit CLEOPATRA. I made these wars for Egypt; and the queen 'Tis well thou 'rt gone, (Whose heart I thought I had, for she had mine ; If it be well to live : but better 't were | Which, whilst it was mine, had annexed unto 't Thou fell’st into my fury; for one death A million more, now lost)-she, Eros, has Might have prevented many.--Eros, ho ! Packed cards with Cæsar, and false played my glory The shirt of Nessus is upon me: teach me, Unto an enemy's triumph. Alcides, thou mine ancestor, thy rage : Nay, weep not, gentle Eros: there is left us Let me lodge Lichas on the horns o’the moon; Ourselves to end ourselves.-0, thy vile lady! And with those hands, that grasped the heaviest Enter Mardian. | My mistress loved thee, and her fortunes mingled Under this plot: she dies for 't.-Eros, ho! [Exit. With thine entirely. club, Ant. Hence, saucy eunuch; peace : Ant. Eros, She hath betrayed me, and shall die the death. Wouldst thou be windowed in great Rome, and see Mar. Death of one person can be paid but once; | Thy master thus, with pleached arms, bending And that she has discharged: what thou wouldst do down Is done unto thy hand. The last she spake His corrigible neck, his face subdued Was, “ Antony! most noble Antony !" To penetrative shame; whilst the wheeled seat Then in the midst a tearing groan did break Of fortunate Cæsar, drawn before him, branded The name of Antony; it was divided His baseness that ensued ? Between her heart and lips: she rendered life, Eros. I would not see 't. Thy name so buried in her. Ant. Come, then; for with a wound I must be Ant. Dead, then? cured. Mar. Dead. Draw that thy honest sword, which thou hast worn Ant. Eros, unarm: the long day's task is done, Most useful for thy country. And we must sleep. That thou depart'st hence | Eros. O, sir, pardon me. safe Ant. When I did make thee free, swor'st thou Does pay thy labour richly: go.—[Exit Mardian. not then Off, pluck off ! To do this when I bade thee? Do it at once ; The sevenfold shield of Ajax cannot keep Or thy precedent services are all The battery from my heart. O cleave, my sides! | But accidents unpurposed. Draw, and come. Heart, once be stronger than thy continent; Eros. Turn from me, then, that noble counCrack thy frail case !-- Apace, Eros, apace. tenance, No more a soldier: bruised pieces, go; Wherein the worship of the whole world lies. You have been nobly borne.-From me awhile.-- Ant. Lo thee. [Turning from him. [Exit Eros. Eros. My sword is drawn. I will o’ertake thee, Cleopatra, and Ant. Then let it do at once Weep for my pardon. So it must be, for now The thing why thou hast drawn it. All length is torture. Since the torch is out, Eros. My dear master, Lie down and stray no further: now all labour My captain, and my emperor, let me say, Mars what it does; yea, very force entangles Before I strike this bloody stroke, farewell. Itself with strength : seal then, and all is done. Ant. 'Tis said, man ;-and farewell. Eros !- I come, my queen :-Eros!-Stay for me: Eros. Farewell, great chief. Shall I strike now? Where souls do couch on flowers we'll hand in hand, Ant. Now, Eros. And with our sprightly port make the ghosts gaze: Eros. Why, there then!— [Falls on his sword. Dido and her Æneas shall want troops, Thus do I escape the sorrow And all the haunt be ours.—Come, Eros, Eros! Of Antony's death. [Dies. Ant. Thrice nobler than myself! Re-enter Eros. Thou teachest me, O valiant Eros, what Eros. What would my lord ? I should, and thou couldst not. My queen and Eros Ant. Since Cleopatra died, Have, by their brave instruction, got upon me I have lived in such dishonour that the gods A nobleness in record: but I will be Detest my baseness. I, that with my sword A bridegroom in my death, and run into 't Quartered the world, and o'er green Neptune's As to a lover's bed. Come, then; and, Eros, back Thy master dies thy scholar; to do thus With ships made cities, condemn myself, to lack I learned of thee [Falls on his sword. ]-How! not The courage of a woman: less noble mind yet dead? not dead?- Enter Dercetas and Guard. Ant. I have done my work ill, friends : 0, make And horror, that, on my command, thou then an end 1st Guard. And time is at his period. Eros. The gods withhold me! All. Alas, and woe! Shall I do that which all the Parthian darts, Ant. Let him that loves me strike me dead. Though enemy, lost aim, and could not? 1st Guard. Not I. (Which never shall be found) you did suspect She had disposed with Cæsar, and that your rage Would not be purged, she sent you word she was dead: I pr'y thee. guard! what, ho! Come : your lord calls. Enter some of the Guard. Ant. Bear me good friends, where Cleopatra bides : 'T is the last service that I shall command you. 1st Guard. Woe, woe, are we, sir, you may not live to wear All. Most heavy day! sharp fate [Exeunt, bearing ANTONY. Scene XIII.—The same. A Monument. Enter above, CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, and Iras. Cleo. O Charmian, I will never go from hence. Char. Be comforted, dear madam. Cleo. No, I will not: All strange and terrible events are welcome; But comforts we despise: our size of sorrow, Proportioned to our cause, must be as great Enter DIOMEDES. As that which makes it.—How now; is he dead? Dio. His death 's upon him, but not dead. Look out o' the other side your monument; His guard have brought him hither. Enter Antony, borne by the Guard. Cleo. Osun, Burn the great sphere thou mov'st in! darkling stand Ant. Peace : Cleo. So it should be, that none but Antony Ant. I am dying, Egypt, dying: only Cleo. I dare not, dear Ant. O quick, or I am gone. my lord! [They draw ANTONY up. And welcome, welcome ! die where thou hast lived : Quicken with kissing : had my lips that power, Thus would I wear them out. All. A heavy sight! Ant. I am dying, Egypt, dying: Cleo. No, let me speak; and let me rail so high That the false housewife Fortune break her wheel, Provoked by my offence. Ant. One word, sweet queen: Of Cæsar seek your honour with your safety.-0! Cleo. They do not go together, Ant. Gentle, hear me: Cleo. My resolution and my hands I 'll trust : None about Cæsar. Ant. The miserable change now at my end Lament nor sorrow at: but please your thoughts In feeding them with those my former fortunes, Wherein I lived the greatest prince o' the world, The noblest : and do now not basely die, Nor cowardly ; put off my helmet To my countryman:-a Roman, by a Roman Valiantly vanquished. Now my spirit is going ! I can no more. [Dies. Char. O, quietness, lady! manded Charmian? My noble girls!—Ah, women, women! look, Our lamp is spent; it's out.—Good sirs, take heart. [ To the Guard below. We'll bury him: and then, what 's brave, what's noble, Let's do it after the high Roman fashion, And make death proud to take us. Come, away: This case of that huge spirit now is cold. Ah, women, women! come: we have no friend But resolution and the briefest end. [Exeunt ; those above bearing off Antony's body. Scene I.—Cæsar's Camp before Alexandria. Enter CÆSAR, AGRIPPA, DOLABELLA, Mecænas, Gallus, Proculeius, and others. Cæs. Go to him, Dolabella ; bid him yield: Being so frustrate, tell him he mocks us by The pauses that he makes. Dol. Cæsar, I shall. (Exit Dolabella. Enter Dercetas, with the sword of Antony. Cæs. Wherefore is that? and what art thou that dar'st Appear thus to us? Der. I am called Dercetas : Cæs. What is 't thou sayst? make Der. He is dead, Cæsar; Not by a public minister of justice, Nor by a hired knife: but that self hand Which writ his honour in the acts it did, Hath, with the courage which the heart did lend it, Splitted the heart. This is his sword; I robbed his wound of it: behold it stained Cæs. Look you sad, friends? Agr. And strange it is Mec. His taints and honours Agr. A rarer spirit never Did steer humanity: but you, gods, will give us Some faults will make us men.-Cæsar is touched. [Aside. Mec. When such a spacious mirror 's set before him, He needs must see himself. Cæs. O Antony, I have followed thee to this!—But we do lance Diseases in our bodies : I must perforce Have shewn to thee such a declining day, Or look on thine; we could not stall together In the whole world : but yet let me lament, With tears as sovereign as the blood of hearts, That thou, my brother, my competitor In top of all design, my mate in empire, Friend and companion in the front of war, The arm of mine own body, and the heart Where mine his thoughts did kindle,—that our stars Unreconcileable, should divide Our equalness to this.—Hear me, good friends, But I will tell you at some meeter season : Enter a Messenger. The business of this man looks out of him ; We'll hear him what he says.- Whence are you? |