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 stay'd 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 Cydnus. Agr. There she appeared 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; In her pavilion, (cloth of gold, of tissue) 19 TO GLOW the delicate checks] All the folios read, "To glove," &c. And what they undid, did. Agr. O, rare for Antony! 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, For what his eyes eat only. Agr. Royal wench! She made great Cæsar lay his sword to bed; tended her i' the eyes, And made their bends adornings :] Few passages in Shakespeare have excited more controversy than this, the effort of the commentators apparently being, to render what was plain obscure, and to adopt almost any sense but that which is presented by the words of the poet : " tended her i' the eyes" seems to mean nothing else but tended in her sight: Mr. Barron Field truly remarks, that in "Midsummer-Night's Dream" we have the expression "gambol in his eyes," for gambol in his sight: "made their bends adornings" is probably to be understood, that they bowed with so much grace as to add to their beauty. Warburton would read adorings for "adornings;" but it is needless to detail any of the other conjectural emendations, which, through several pages, only display misapplied ingenuity. 2 That YARELY frame the office.] i. e. Readily and dexterously perform the task they undertake. See Vol. ii. p. 72, Vol. iii. p. 391. The adjective “yare' occurs several times in this play. 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, And, breathless, power breathe forth. Mec. Now Antony must leave her utterly. Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale The appetites they feed, but she makes hungry, Mec. If beauty, wisdom, modesty, can settle A blessed lottery to him. Agr. Let us go. Good Enobarbus, make yourself my guest, Eno. Humbly, sir, I thank you. [Exeunt. SCENE III. The Same. A Room in CESAR'S House. Enter CESAR, ANTONY, OCTAVIA between them; Attend ants. Ant. The world, and my great office, will sometimes Divide me from your bosom. Read not my blemishes in the world's report: Good night, sir1. Cæs. Good night. [Exeunt CESAR and OCTAVIA. Enter a Soothsayer3. 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 it in my motion, have it not in my tongue: but yet hie you to Egypt again. 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 dæmon, that thy spirit which keeps thee, is Where Cæsar's is not; but near him thy angel 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 3 I have not kept my SQUARE ;] The last part of the sentence explains the first, if explanation be needed. Respecting "square," or squire, see Vol. ii. p. 368; Vol. iii. p. 505; and Vol. iv. p. 252. Good night, sir.] In the folio, 1632, these words are assigned to Octavia; but as they may very well have been a repetition by Antony, we adhere to the distribution of the folio, 1623. 5 Enter a Soothsayer.] Every old copy makes the Soothsayer enter here : every modern copy introduces him, without any propriety, with Cæsar, Antony, and Octavia, at the opening of the scene. Is all afraid to govern thee near him, Ant. Get thee gone: Say to Ventidius, I would speak with him.— [Exit Soothsayer. He shall to Parthia.-Be it art, or hap, Enter VENTIDIUS. I' the east my pleasure lies.-O! come, Ventidius, [Exeunt. SCENE IV. The Same. A Street. Enter LEPIDUS, MECENAS, and AGRIPPA. Lep. Trouble yourselves no farther: pray you, hasten Your generals after. Agr. Sir, Mark Antony Will e'en but kiss Octavia, and we'll follow. Lep. Till I shall see you in your soldier's dress, Which will become you both, farewell. Mec. As I conceive the journey, be at Mount We shall, 6 6 at MOUNT] i. e. Mount Misenum. "Mount" is printed with a capital letter in the folio, 1623: the folio, 1632, has it "at the Mount." |