Let me request you off: our graver business Splits what it speaks2: the wild disguise hath almost night.— Good Antony, your hand. Pom. I'll try you on the shore. Ant. And shall, sir. Give's your hand. Pom. O, Antony! [Exeunt POMPEY, CÆSAR, ANTONY, and Attendants. Menas, I'll not on shore. Men. Take heed you fall not. No, to my cabin3.— These drums!-these trumpets, flutes! what!— To these great fellows: sound, and be hang'd! sound out! Eno. Ho, says 'a!-There's my cap. [A Flourish. Ho!-noble captain! come. [Exeunt. 2 SPLITS what it speaks:] In the three earliest folios "splits" is spelt spleets, and we are not sure that the orthography of the word ought not to be preserved. Spleets was not the old mode of spelling "splits," and the variation might be intentional. 3 No, to my cabin, &c.] It is surprising to see with what coolness important variations from the folio, 1623, are sometimes made by modern editors, without any information as to the defects of that copy. These words, and the three lines following them, are part of the speech of Enobarbus in the folio, 1623, and there is no doubt that they belong to Menas, but it is surely fit to notice the change. It is not pointed out by Malone, (Shakspeare by Boswell, vol. xii. p. 272) whose text seems to have here been implicitly followed by later editors. ACT III. SCENE I. A Plain in Syria. Enter VENTIDIUS, as it were in triumph, with SILIUS, and other Romans, Officers, and Soldiers; the dead Body of PACORUS borne before him. Ven. Now, darting Parthia, art thou struck; and now Pleas'd fortune does of Marcus Crassus' death Make me revenger.-Bear the king's son's body Pays this for Marcus Crassus. Sil. Noble Ventidius+, Whilst yet with Parthian blood thy sword is warm, The routed fly: so thy grand captain, Antony, O Silius, Silius! Ven. More in their officer, than person: Sossius, Which he achiev'd by the minute, lost his favour. ▲ Noble VENTIDIUS,] In the prefixes of the old copies, Silius is only called Roman, and his name is not mentioned in the introductory stage-direction. Becomes his captain's captain; and ambition, The soldier's virtue, rather makes choice of loss, I could do more to do Antonius good, But 'twould offend him; and in his offence Should my performance perish. Sil. Thou hast, Ventidius, that Without the which a soldier, and his sword, Grants scarce distinction. Thou wilt write to Antony? That magical word of war, we have effected; We have jaded out o' the field. Sil. Where is he now? Ven. He purposeth to Athens; whither, with what haste The weight we must convey with us will permit, [Exeunt. SCENE II. Rome. An Ante-Chamber in CÆSAR'S House. Enter AGRIPPA, and ENOBARBUS, meeting. Agr. What are the brothers parted? Eno. They have despatch'd with Pompey: he is gone; The other three are sealing. Octavia weeps To part from Rome; Cæsar is sad; and Lepidus, Agr. Eno. A very fine one. "Tis a noble Lepidus. O, how he loves Cæsar! Agr. Nay, but how dearly he adores Mark Antony! Eno. Would you praise Cæsar, say,-Cæsar;-go no farther. Agr. Indeed, he ply'd them both with excellent praises. Eno. But he loves Cæsar best; yet he loves Antony. Ho! hearts, tongues, figures, scribes, bards, poets cannot Think, speak, cast, write, sing, number, ho! His love to Antony. But as for Cæsar, Kneel down, kneel down, and wonder. Agr. Both he loves. Eno. They are his shards, and he their beetle3. [Trumpets. So, This is to horse.-Adieu, noble Agrippa. Agr. Good fortune, worthy soldier; and farewell. Enter CESAR, ANTONY, LEPIDUS, and OCTAVIA. Ant. No farther, sir. Cæs. You take from me a great part of myself; As my thoughts make thee, and as my farthest band To keep it builded, be the ram to batter Have loved without this mean, if on both parts They are his SHARDS, and he their BEETLE.] i.e. (says Steevens) "they are the wings that raise this heavy lumpish insect from the ground." See the explanation of "shard," in connection with "beetle," in "Macbeth," Vol. vii. p. 140, note 1. Though you be therein curious, the least cause Cæs. Farewell, my dearest sister, fare thee well: Ant. The April's in her eyes; it is love's spring, And these the showers to bring it on.-Be cheerful. Octa. Sir, look well to my husband's house; and— Cæs. What, Octavia? Octa. I'll tell you in your ear. Ant. Her tongue will not obey her heart, nor can Her heart inform her tongue; the swan's down feather, That stands upon the swell at the full of tide, And neither way inclines. Eno. Will Cæsar weep? Agr. [Aside to AGRIPPA. He has a cloud in's face. Eno. He were the worse for that, were he a horse; So is he, being a man. Why, Enobarbus, Agr. He cried almost to roaring; and he wept, Eno. That year, indeed, he was troubled with a rheum; What willingly he did confound, he wail'd: Believe 't, till I weep too. Cæs. No, sweet Octavia, You shall hear from me still: the time shall not Out-go my thinking on you. Ant. Come, sir, come; |