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Thy beck might from the bidding of the Gods

Command me.

Cleo. Oh, my pardon !

Ant. Now I must

To the

young man fend humble treaties, dodge And palter in the fhift of lowness, who

With half the bulk o' th' world play'd as I pleas'd,
Making and marring fortunes. You did know
How much you were my conqueror, and that
My fword, made weak by my affection, would
Obey it on all caufe.

Cleo. Oh! pardon, pardon!

Ant. Fall not a tear, I fay; one of them rates
All that is won and loft: give me a kifs,
Even this repays me. We fent our schoolmaster,
Is he come back? Love, I am full of lead;
Some wine there, and our viands: fortune knows,
We scorn her moft, when moft she offers blows.

[Exeunt.

SCENE IX. Cæfar's Camp. Enter Cæfar, Agrippa, Dolabella, Thyrëus, with others. Caf. Let him appear that's come from Antony.

Know you him?

Dol. Cæfar, 'tis his schoolmaster,

An argument that he is pluckt, when hither
He fends fo poor a pinnion of his wing,
Which had fuperfluous Kings for meffengers,

Not many moons gone by.

Enter Ambaffador from Antony.

Caf. Approach and speak.

Amb. Such as I am, I come from Antony:

I was of late as petty to his ends,

As is the morn-dew on the myrtle leaf

To the grand fea.

Caf. Be't fo, declare thine office.

Amb. Lord of his fortunes he falutes thee, and
Requires to live in Ægypt; which not granted,
He leffens his requests, and to thee fues

To let him breathe between the heav'ns and earth
A private man in Athens: this for him.
Next, Cleopatra does confess thy greatness;

Submits

Submits her to thy might, and of thee craves

The circle of the Ptolemies for her heirs,
Now hazarded to thy grace.
Caf. For Antony,

I have no ears to his requeft.

The Queen

Of audience nor defire shall fail, fo fhe

From Egypt drive her all-difgraced friend,
Or take his life there. This if the perform,
She shall not fue unheard. So to them both.
Amb. Fortune purfue thee!

Caf. Bring him through the bands. [Exit Ambajador. To try thy eloquence now 'tis time, difpatch,

From Antony win Cleopatra, promise,

[To Thyrëus. And in our name; when the requires, add more As thine invention offers. Women are not

In their best fortunes ftrong; but want will perjure
The ne'er-touch'd veftal. Try thy cunning, Thyrus,
Make thine own edict for thy pains, which we
Will answer as a law.

Thyr. Cæfar, I go.

Cal. Obferve how Antony becomes his flaw, And what thou think'ft his very action speaks In every power that moves.

Thyr. Cæfar, I fhall.

SCENE X.

Enter Cleopatra,

[Exeunt.

ALEXANDRIA.

nobarbus, Charmian, and Iras.

Cleo. What shall we do, nobarbus ?

no. Drink, and die.*

Cleo. Is Antony, or we, in fault for this?

Eno. Antony only, that would make his will

Lord of his reaton.

What although you fled

From that great face of war, whofe feveral ranges
Frighted each other? why fhould he follow you?
The itch of his affection fhould not then

*This reply of Enobarbus feems grounded upon a particularity in the conduct of Antony and Cleopatra which is related by Plutarch: that after their defeat at A um they intituted a fociety of friends who enter'd into engagement to die with them, not abating in the mean time any part of that luxury, excels, and riot, in which they had lived before.

Have nickt his captainship at such a point,
When half to half the world oppos'd, he being
The meered queftion. 'Twas a shame no less
Than was his lofs, to course your flying flags,
And leave his navy gazing.

Cleo. Pr'ythee peace.

Enter Antony, with the Ambassador.

Ant. Is that his answer?

Amb. Ay, my Lord.

Ant. The Queen

Shall then have courtefie, fo fhe will yield

Us up.

Amb. My Lord, he fays fo.

Ant. Let her know't.

To the boy Cæfar fend this grizled head,
And he will fill thy wishes to the brim
With principalities.

Cleo. That head, my Lord ?

Ant. To him again, tell him he wears the rofe
Of youth upon him; from which, the world fhould note
Something particular; his coin, fhips, legions,

May be a coward's, whofe minifters would prevail
Under the service of a child, as foon

As i' th' command of Cæfar. I dare him therefore
To lay his gay caparisons apart,

And answer me declin'd, fword against fword,

Our felves alone; I'll write it, follow me. [Exit Antony.
Eno. Yes, like enough: high-battled Cæfar will

Unftate his happiness, and be ftag'd to th' fhew
Against a sworder. I fee mens judgments are
A parcel of their fortunes, and things outward
Do draw the inward quality after them
To fuffer all alike. That he should dream,
Knowing all measures, the full Cæfar will
Answer his emptiness! Cæfar, thou hast subdu'd
His judgment too.

Enter a Servant.

Ser. A meffenger from Cefar.

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Cleo. What, no more ceremony? fee, my women —

Against the blown rofe may they ftop their nose,

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VII,

That

That kneel'd unto the buds. Admit him, Sir.
Eno. Mine honefty and I begin to fquare;
Tho' loyalty well held, to fools does make
Our faith meer folly; yet he that can endure
To follow with allegiance a fall'n lord,
Do's conquer him that did his mafter conquer,
And earns a place i'th'story.

Cleo Cafar's will ?

Thyr. Hear it apart.

Enter Thyreus,

Cleo. None here but friends; fay boldly.
Thyr. So haply are they friends to Antony.

no. He needs as many, Sir, as Cæfar has
Or needs not us. If Cafar pleafe, our mafter
Will leap to be his friend for as you know,
Whose he is, we are, and that's Cæfar's.
Thyr. So.

Thus then, thou most renown'd; Cæfar intreats
Not to confider in what cafe thou ftand'ft
Further than he is Cæfar.

Cleo. Go on; right royal.

Thyr. He knows that you embrace not Antony

As you did love, but as you fear'd him.

Cleo. Oh!

Thyr. The fears upon your honour therefore he

Do's pity, as conftrained blemishes,

Not as deferv'd.

Cleo. He is a God, and knows

What is most right. Mine honour was not yielded,

But conquer'd meerly.

Eno. To be fure of that,

I will afk Antony. Sir, thou'rt fo leaky

That we must leave thee to thy finking, for

Thy deareft quit thee.

Thyr. Shall I fay to Cæfar

What you require of him he partly begs

[Afide.

[Afide,

[Afide.

[Exit Anob.

To be defir'd to give. It much would please him,
That of his fortunes you would make a staff
To lean upon. But it would warm his fpirits,
To hear from me you had left Antony,

And

And put your felf under his fhrowd, the great,

The univerfal landlord.

Cleo. What's your name?

Thyr. My name is Thyrëus.
Cleo. Moft kind meffenger,

Say to great Cæfar this; in deputation

I kiss his conqu'ring hand: tell him, I'm prompt
To lay my crown at's feet, and there to kneel.
Tell him, that from his all-obeying breath
I hear the doom of Ægypt.

Thyr. It is your nobleft courfe :
Wisdom and fortune combating together,
If that the former dare but what it can,
No chance may shake it. Give me grace to lay
My duty on your hand.

Cleo. Your Cafar's father,

When he hath mus'd of taking kingdoms in,
Beftow'd his lips on that unworthy place,
As it rain'd kiffes.

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Thyr. One that but performs

The bidding of the fulleft man, and worthieft

To have command obey'd.

Eno. You will be whipp'd.

Ant. Approach there

devils!

ah you kite! now, Gods and

Authority melts from me of late. When I
Cry'd, Hoa! like boys unto a mufs, Kings would
Start forth, and cry, Your will? have you no cars?
I'm Antony yet. Take hence this jack and whip him.
Enter Servants.

Eno. 'Tis better playing with a lion's whelp,
Than with an old one dying.

Ant. Moon and ftars!

Whip him were't twenty of the greatest Tributaries
That do acknowledge Caefar, fhould I find them

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