I told him of myself; which was as much
As to have ask'd him pardon; Let this fellow
Be nothing of our strife; if we contend,
Out of our question* wipe him.

Cæs. You have broken
The articles of your oath; which
Have tongue to charge me with.
Lep. Soft, Cæsar.

you shall never

Ant. No, Lepidus, let him speak;

The honour's sacred which he talks on now,
Supposing that I lack'd it: But on, Cæsar;

The article of my oath,

Cas. To lend me arms, and aid, when I required them; The which you both denied.

Ant. Neglected, rather;

And then, when poison'd hours had bound me up
From mine own knowledge. As nearly as I may,
I'll play the penitent to you: but mine honesty
Shall not make poor my greatness, nor my power
Work without it: Truth is, that Fulvia,
To have me out of Egypt, made wars here;
For which myself, the ignorant motive, do
So far ask pardon, as befits mine honour
To stoop in such a case.

Lep. "Tis nobly spoken.

Mec. If it might please you, to enforce no further

The griefs + between ye: to forget them quite,

Were to remember that the present need

Speaks to atone you.

Lep. Worthily spoke, Mecanas.

Eno. Or, if you borrow one another's love for the instant, you may, when you hear no more words of Pompey, return it again : you shall have time to wrangle in, when you have nothing else to do.

Ant. Thou art a soldier only; speak no more.

Eno. That truth should be silent, I had almost forgot.
Ant. You wrong this presence, therefore speak no more.
Eno. Go to then; your considerate stone. §

Cæs. I do not much dislike the matter, but

The manner of his speech: for it cannot be.

We shall remain in friendship, our conditions ||

So differing in their acts. Yet, if I knew

What hoop should hold us staunch, from edge to edge
O' the world I would pursue it.

Agr. Give me leave, Cæsar,

Cas. Speak, Agrippa.

Agr. Thou hast a sister by the mother's side,

Admired Octavia: great Mark Antony

Is now a widower.

Cas. Say not so, Agrippa;

* Conversation.

+ Grievances.

+ Reconcile.

I. e. I will be silent as a stone, but I shall consider (observe) you all. Dispositions.

If Cleopatra heard you, your reproof

Were well deserved of rashness.

Ant. I am not married, Cæsar: let me hear Agrippa further speak.

Agr. To hold you in perpetual amity,

To make you brothers, and to knit your hearts
With an unslipping knot, take Antony
Octavia to his wife: whose beauty claims
No worse a husband than the best of men;
Whose virtue, and whose general graces, speak
That which none else can utter. By this marriage,
All little jealousies, which now seem great,

And all great fears, which now import their dangers,
Would then be nothing: truths would be but tales,
Where now half tales be truths: her love to both,
Would, each to other, and all loves to both,
Draw after her. Pardon what I have spoke;
For 'tis a studied, not a present thought,
By duty ruminated.

Ant. Will Cæsar speak?

Cas. Not till he hears how Antony is touch'd With what is spoke already.

Ant. What power is in Agrippa,

If I would say, Agrippa, be it so,

To make this good?

Cas. The power of Cæsar, and His power unto Octavia.

Ant. May I never

To this good purpose, that so fairly shows,

Dream of impediment!-Let me have thy hand;
Further this act of grace; and, from this hour,
The heart of brothers govern in our loves,

And sway our great designs!

Cæs. There is my hand.

A sister I bequeath you, whom no brother

Did ever love so dearly: Let her live

To join our kingdoms, and our hearts; and never

Fly off our loves again!

Lep. Happily, amen!

Ant. I did not think to draw my sword 'gainst Pompey;

For he hath laid strange courtesies, and great,

Of late upon me: I must thank him only,

Lest my remembrance suffer ill report ;*

At heel of that, defy him.

Lep. Time calls upon us:

Of us must Pompey presently be sought,
Or else he seeks out us.

Ant. And where lies he?

Cas. About the mount Misenum.

Ant. What's his strength

By land?

* Lest I be thought unmindful.

Cas. Great, and increasing: but by sea He is an absolute master.

Ant. So is the fame.

'Would, we had spoke together! haste we for it: Yet, ere we put ourselves in arms, despatch we The business we have talk'd of.

Cas. With most gladness;

And do invite you to my sister's view,
Whither straight I will lead you.
Ant. Let us, Lepidus.

Not lack your company.

Lep. Noble Antony,

Not sickness should detain me.

[Flourish. Exeunt CESAR, ANTONY, and LEPIDUS.

Mec. Welcome from Egypt, Sir.

Eno. Half the heart of Cæsar, worthy Mecenas !-my honourable friend, Agrippa!—

Agr. Good Enobarbus!

Mec. We have cause to be glad, that matters are so well digested. You stayed well by it in Egypt.

Eno. Ay, Sir; we did sleep day out of countenance, and made the night light with drinking.

Mec. Eight wild boars roasted whole at a breakfast, and but twelve persons there; is this true?

Eno. This was but as a fly by an eagle: we had much more monstrous matter of feast, which worthily deserved noting.

Mec. She's a most triumphant lady, if report be square* to her. Eno. When she first met Mark Antony, she pursed up his heart upon the river of Cidnus.

Agr. There she appear'd indeed; or my reporter devised well for her.

Eno. I will tell you:

The barge she sat in, like a burnish'd throne,

Burn'd on the water: the poop was beaten gold;

Purple the sails, and so perfumed, that

The winds were love-sick with them: the oars were silver;

Which to the tune of flutes kept stroke, and made

The water, which they beat, to follow faster,

As amorous of their strokes. For her own person,
It beggar'd all description: she did lie
In her pavilion (cloth of gold, of tissue),
O'erpicturing that Venus, where we see,
The fancy out-work nature: on each side her,
Stood pretty dimpled boys, like smiling Cupids,
With diverse-colour'd fans, whose wind did seem
To glow the delicate cheeks which they did cool,
And what they undid, did.t

Agr. O, rare for Antony!

Eno. Her gentlewomen, like the Nereides, So many mermaids, tended her i' the eyes,

*Equal her merits.

+Added to the warmth they were intended to diminish.

And made their bends adoring: at the helm
A seeming mermaid steers; the silken tackle
Swell with the touches of those flower-soft hinds,
That yarely frame the office. From the barge
A strange invisible pérfume hits the sense
Of the adjacent wharfs. The city cast
Her people out upon her; and Antony,
Enthron'd in the market-place, did sit alone,
Whistling to the air; which, but for vacancy,
Had gone to gaze on Cleopatra too,
And made a gap in nature.

Agr. Rare Egyptian!

Eno. Upon her landing, Antony sent to her,
Invited her to supper: she replied,

It should be better, he became her guest;
Which she entreated: Our courteous Antony,
Whom ne'er the word of No woman heard speak,
Being barber'd ten times o'er, goes to the feast;
And, for his ordinary, pays his heart,
For what his eyes eat only.

Agr. Royal wench!

She made great Cæsar lay his sword to bed;
He plough'd her, and she cropp'd.

Eno. I saw her once

Hop forty paces through the public street:

And having lost her breath, she spoke, and panted,

That she did make defect, perfection,

And, breathless, power breathe forth.

Mec. Now Antony must leave her utterly.

Eno. Never; he will not;

Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale

Her infinite variety: Other women

Cloy th' appetites they feed; but she makes hungry
Where most she satisfies. For vilest things

Become themselves in her; that the holy priests

Bless her, when she's riggish.t

Mec. If beauty, wisdom, modesty, can settle

The heart of Antony, Octavia is

A blessed lottery to him.

Agr. Let us go.

Good Enobarbus, make yourself my guest,

Whilst you abide here.

Eno. Humbly, Sir, I thank you.

[Exeunt.

SCENE III.-The same. A Room in CESAR'S House.

Enter CESAR, ANTONY, OCTAVIA, between them; ATTENDANTS, and a SOOTHSAYER.

Ant. The world, and my great office, will sometimes

Divide me from your bosom.

Octa. All which time

* Dexterously perform.

+ Wanton.

Allotment.

Before the gods my knee shall bow my prayers
To them for you.

Ant. Good night, Sir.-My Octavia,

Read not my blemishes in the world's report:

I have not kept my square; but that to come

Shall all be done by the rule. Good night, dear lady.
Octa. Good night, Sir.

Cæs. Good night.

[Exeunt CESAR and OCTAVIA.

Ant. Now, sirrah! you do wish yourself in Egypt? Sooth. Would I had never come from thence, nor you Thither!

Ant. If you can, your reason?

Sooth. I see't in

My motion,* have it not in my tongue: But yet
Hie you again to Egypt.

Ant. Say to me,

Whose fortunes shall rise higher, Cæsar's, or mine?
Sooth. Cæsar's.

Therefore, O Antony, stay not by his side:

Thy demon, that's thy spirit which keeps thee, is
Noble, courageous, high, unmatchable,

Where Cæsar's is not; but near him, thy angel
Becomes a Fear, as being o'erpower'd; therefore
Make space enough between you.

Ant. Speak this no more.

Sooth. To none but thee; no more, but when to thee.

If thou dost play with him at any game,

Thou art sure to lose; and, of that natural luck,

He beats thee 'gainst the odds; thy lustre thickens,

When he shines by: I say again, thy spirit

Is all afraid to govern thee near him;

But, he away, 'tis noble.

Ant. Get thee gone :

Say to Ventidius, I would speak with him: [Exit SOOTHSAYER. He shall to Parthia.-Be it art, or hap,

He hath spoken true: The very dice obey him;

And, in our sports, my better cunning faints
Under his chance: if we draw lots, he speeds:
His cocks do win the battle still of mine.
When it is all to nought; and his quailst ever
Beat mine, inhoop'd, at odds. I will to Egypt:
And though I make this marriage for my peace,
Enter VENTIDIUS.

I' the east my pleasure lies:-O, come, Ventidius,
You must to Parthia: your commission's ready :
Follow me, and receive it.

SCENE IV.-The same. A Street.

Enter LEPIDUS, MECENAS, and AGRIPPA.

Lep. Trouble yourselves no further: pray you, hasten

Your generals after.

[Exeunt.

* Inspiration. †The ancients used to match quails as we match cocks.