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ACT III
Sc. III

MESS. Madam, I heard her speak; she is low-voic'd.
CLEO. That's not so good. He cannot like her long.
CHAR. Like her! O Isis! 'tis impossible.

CLEO. I think so, Charmian: dull of tongue, and

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MESS. And I do think she's thirty.

CLEO. Bear'st thou her face in mind? is 't long or round?
MESS. Round even to faultiness.

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CLEO. For the most part, too, they are foolish that are so.
Her hair, what colour?

MESS. Brown, Madam; and her forehead

As low as she would wish it.

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CLEO. The man hath seen some majesty, and should ACT III

know.

CHAR. Hath he seen majesty? Isis else defend,

And serving you so long!

CLEO. I have one thing more to ask him yet, good

Charmian :

But 'tis no matter; thou shalt bring him to me Where I will write. All may be well enough. CHAR. I warrant you, Madam.

[exeunt.

Sc. III

SCENE IV. Athens. A Room in ANTONY'S House.

Enter ANTONY and OCTAVIA.

ANT. Nay, nay, Octavia, not only that—

That were excusable, that, and thousands more
Of semblable import-but he hath wag'd

New wars 'gainst Pompey; made his will, and read it
To public ear:

Spoke scantly of me: when perforce he could not
But pay me terms of honour, cold and sickly

He vented them; most narrow measure lent me :
When the best hint was given him, he not took 't,
Or did it from his teeth.1

ОСТА.

Believe not all; or,

O, my good Lord,

if you must believe,

Stomach not all. A more unhappy lady,

If this division chance, ne'er stood between,

Praying for both parts:

The good Gods will mock me presently,

When I shall pray, O, bless my Lord and husband!
Undo that prayer, by crying out as loud,

O, bless my brother! Husband win, win brother,
Prays, and destroys the prayer; no midway

"Twixt these extremes at all.

ANT.

Gentle Octavia,

Let your best love draw to that point which seeks
Best to preserve it: if I lose mine honour,

I lose myself; better I were not your's

Than your's so branchless. But, as you requested,

1 from the teeth outwards; insincerely.

ΙΟ

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Yourself shall go between's: the mean time, Lady,
I'll raise the preparation of a war

Shall stain your brother.1 Make your soonest haste;
So your desires are your's.

ОСТА.

Thanks to my Lord.

The Jove of power make me, most weak, most weak,
Your reconciler! Wars 'twixt you twain would be 30
As if the World should cleave, and that slain men
Should solder up the rift.

ANT. When it appears to you where this begins,
Turn your displeasure that way; for our faults
Can never be so equal, that your love

Can equally move with them. Provide your going;
Choose your own company, and command what cost
Your heart has mind to.

[exeunt.

SCENE V. The Same. Another Room.

Enter ENOBARBUS and EROS, meeting.

ENO. How now, Friend Eros!

EROS. There's strange news come, Sir.

ENO. What, Man?

EROS. Cæsar and Lepidus have made wars upon Pompey.
ENO. This is old: what is the success?

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II

EROS. Cæsar, having made use of him in the wars 'gainst
Pompey, presently denied him rivality; would not let
him partake in the glory of the action: and, not resting
here, accuses him of letters he had formerly wrote to
Pompey; upon his own appeal, seizes him: so the poor
third is up, till death enlarge his confine.
ENO. Then, World, thou hast a pair of chaps, no more;
And, throw between them all the food thou hast,
They 'll grind the one the other. Where's Antony?
EROS. He's walking in the garden, thus; and spurns
The rush that lies before him; cries Fool Lepidus!
And threats the throat of that his officer

That murder'd Pompey.

ENO.

Our great navy's rigg'd.

EROS. For Italy and Cæsar. More, Domitius;

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Enter CESAR, AGRIPPA, and MECENAS.

CAS. Contemning Rome, he has done all this and more
In Alexandria; here's the manner of 't:
I' the Market-Place, on a tribunal silver'd,
Cleopatra and himself in chairs of gold
Were publicly enthron'd; at the feet sat
Cæsarion, whom they call my father's son,
And all the unlawful issue that their lust
Since then hath made between them. Unto her
He gave the stablishment of Egypt; made her
Of lower Syria, Cyprus, Lydia,

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CES. I' the common show-place, where they exercise.
His sons he there proclaim'd the Kings of Kings;

Great Media, Parthia, and Armenia,

He gave to Alexander; to Ptolemy he assign'd
Syria, Cilicia, and Phoenicia: she

In the habiliments of the Goddess Isis

That day appear'd; and oft before gave audience,
As 'tis reported, so.

MEC.

Inform'd.

AGR.

Let Rome be thus

Who, queasy with his insolence

Already, will their good thoughts call from him. CES. The People know it; and have now receiv'd

His accusations.

AGR.

Who does he accuse?

CES. Cæsar: and that, having in Sicily

Sextus Pompeius spoil'd, we had not rated him
His part o' the Isle: then does he say he lent me

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ACT III

Sc. VI

Some shipping unrestor'd: lastly, he frets
That Lepidus of the Triumvirate

Should be depos'd; and, being, that we detain
All his revenue.

AGR.

Sir, this should be answer'd.

CAS. "Tis done already, and the messenger gone.

I have told him, Lepidus was grown too cruel;
That he his high authority abus'd,

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And did deserve his change: for what I have conquer'd,
I grant him part; but then, in his Armenia,

And other of his conquer'd kingdoms, I

Demand the like.

MEC.

He'll never yield to that.

CES. Nor must not, then, be yielded to in this.

Enter OCTAVIA with her Train.

OCTA. Hail, Cæsar, and my Lord! hail, most dear Cæsar!
CAS. That ever I should call thee cast-away!

OCTA. You have not call'd me so, nor have you cause.

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CAS. Why have you stol'n upon us thus? You come

not

Like Cæsar's sister: the wife of Antony

Should have an army for an usher, and

The neighs of horse to tell of her approach

Long ere she did appear; the trees by the way
Should have borne men; and expectation fainted,
Longing for what it had not; nay, the dust
Should have ascended to the roof of Heaven,
Rais'd by your populous troops. But you are come 50
A market-maid to Rome; and have prevented
The ostentation of our love, which left unshewn
Is often left unlov'd: we should have met you
By sea and land; supplying every stage
With an augmented greeting.

ОСТА.

Good my Lord,

To come thus was I not constrain'd, but did it
On my free will. My Lord, Mark Antony,
Hearing that you prepar'd for war, acquainted
My grieved ear withal: whereon I begg'd
His pardon for return.

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