To rush into the secret house of death,

Ere death dare come to us?-How do you, women? What, what? good cheer! Why, how now, Char

mian?

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.

ACT V. SCENE I.

Caesar's Camp before Alexandria.

Enter CESAR, AGRIPPA, DOLABELLA, MECENAS, GALLUS, PROCULEIUS, and Others.

Cas. 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.

Cas. Wherefore is that? and what art thou, that

dar'st

Appear thus to us?

Der.

I am call'd Dercetas ;

Mark Antony I serv'd, who best was worthy
Best to be serv'd: whilst he stood up, and spoke,
He was my master; and I wore my life,
To spend upon his haters: If thou please

To take me to thee, as I was to him
I'll be to Cæsar; if thou pleasest not,
I yield thee up my life.

Cæs.

What is't thou say'st?

Der. I say, O Cæsar, Antony is dead.

Cas. The breaking of so great a thing should make A greater crack: 56 The round world should have

shook

Lions into civil streets,

And citizens to their dens:-The death of Antony
Is not a single doom; in the name lay

A moiety of the world.

Der.

He is dead, Cæsar;

Not by a publick 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 robb'd his wound of it; behold it stain'd

With his most noble blood.

Cœs.

Look you sad, friends?

The gods rebuke me, but it is a tidings

To wash the eyes of kings.

Agr.

And strange it is,

That nature must compel us to lament

Our most persisted deeds.

Mec.

Waged equal with him.

Agr.

His taints and honours

A rarer spirit never

Did steer humanity: but you, gods, will give us

Some faults to make us men. Cæsar is touch'd. Mec. When such a spacious mirror's set before him,

He needs must see himself.

Cas.

O Antony!

I have follow'd thee to this;-But we do lance

Diseases in our bodies: I must perforce

Have shown 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,
Unreconciliable, 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? Mess. A poor Egyptian yet. The queen my mis

tress,

Confin'd in all she has, her monument,

Of thy intents desires instruction!

That she preparedly may frame herself
To the way she's forc'd to.

Cæs.

Bid her have good heart;

She soon shall know of us, by some of ours,
How honourable and how kindly we

Determine for her: for Cæsar cannot live

To be ungentle.

Mess.

So the gods preserve thee!

[Exit.

Cas. Come hither, Proculeius; Go, and say, We purpose her no shame: give her what comforts

The quality of her passion shall require;

Lest, in her greatness, by some mortal stroke
She do defeat us: for her life in Rome

Would be eternal in our triumph: Go,

And, with your speediest, bring us what she says,
And how you find of her.

Cas. Gallus, go you along.-Where's Dolabella,

To second Proculeius?

Agr. Mec.

Dolabella!

[Exit Proculeius.

[Exit Gallus.

Caes. Let him alone, for I remember now How he's employ'd; he shall in time be ready.

Go with me to my tent; where you shall

How hardly I was drawn into this war;
How calm and gentle I proceeded still
In all my writings: Go with me, and see
What I can show in this.

SCENE II.

see

Alexandria. A Room in the Monument.

[Exeunt.

Enter CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, and IRAS.
Cleo. My desolation does begin to make
A better life: 'Tis paltry to be Cæsar;
Not being fortune, he's but fortune's knave,
A minister of her will; And it is great
To do that thing that ends all other deeds;
Which shackles accidents, and bolts up change;
Which sleeps, and never palates more the dung,
The beggar's nurse and Cæsar's.