him marry a woman that cannot go, fweet Ifis, I befeech thee; and let her die too, and give him a worse; and let worse follow worfe, 'till the worst of all fol- low him laughing to his grave, fifty-fold a cuckold! good fis, hear me this prayer, though thou deny me a matter of more weight; good Ifis, I beseech thee!

Iras. Amen, dear Goddefs, hear that prayer of the people! for, as it is a heart-breaking to fee a handfome man loofe-wiv'd, fo it is a deadly forrow to behold a foul knave uncuckolded; therefore, dear Ifis, keep decorum, and fortune him accordingly.

Char. Amen!

Alex. Lo, now! if it lay in their hands to make me a cuckold, they would make themselves whores, but they'd do't.

Enter Cleopatra.

Eno. Hufh! here comes Antony.
Char. Not he, the Queen.

Cleo. Saw you my Lord ?

Eno. No, Lady.

Cleo. Was he not here?

Char. No, Madam.

Cleo. He was difpos'd to mirth, but on the fudden A Roman thought hath ftruck him. Enobarbus,

of the Perfons, he believes, one might have applied them with Certainty to every Speaker. But in how many Inftances has Mr. Pope's Want of Judgment falfified this Opinion? The Fact is evidently this. Alexas brings a Fortune-teller to Iras and Charmian, and fays himfelf, We'll know all our Fortunes. Well; the Soothsayer begins with the Women; and fome Jokes pafs upon the Subject of Hufbands and Chastity: After which, the Women hoping for the Satisfaction of having fomething to laugh at in Alexas's Fortune, call to him to hold out his Hand, and with heartily he may have the Prognoftication of Cuckoldom upon him. The whole Speech, therefore, must be placed to Charmian. There needs no ftronger Proof of this being a true Correction, than the Obfervation which Alexas immediately subjoins on their Wishes and Zeal to hear him abused.

Eno

Eno. Madam.

Cleo. Seek him, and bring him hither; where's Alexas? Alex. Here at your fervice; my Lord approaches.

Enter Antony with a Messenger, and Attendants.

Cleo. We will not look upon him; go with us.

Mef. Fulvia thy wife first came into the field.
Ant. Against my brother Lucius?

[Exeunt.

Mef. Ay, but foon that war had end, and the time's state Made friends of them, joining their force 'gainst Cæfar: Whofe better iffue in the war from Italy,

Upon the first encounter, drave them.

Ant. Well, what worst ?

Mef. The nature of bad news infects the teller.

Ant. When it concerns the fool or coward; on.

Things, that are past, are done, with me.

'Tis thus ; Who tells me true, though in the tale lie death, I hear, as if he flatter'd.

Mef. Labienus (this is ftiff news)

Hath, with his Parthian force, extended Afia;

From Euphrates his conquering banner shook,
From Syria to Lydia, and Ionia ;

Whilft

Ant. Antony, thou wouldst fay
Mef. Oh, my Lord!

Ant. Speak to me home, mince not the gen'ral tongue; Name Cleopatra as fhe's call'd in Rome.

Rail thou in Fulvia's phrafe, and taunt my faults
With fuch full licence, as both truth and malice
Have power to utter. Oh, then we bring forth weeds,
When our quick winds lie ftill; and our ill, told us,
Is as our earing; fare thee well a while.

Mef. At your noble pleasure.

Ant. From Sicyon, how the news? speak there. Mef. The man from Sicyon, is there such an one? [Exit firft Meffenger.

Atterd

Attend. He stays upon your will.

Ant. Let him appear;

Thefe ftrong Egyptian fetters I must break,
Or lofe myself in dotage. What are you?

Enter another Messenger, with a Letter.

2 Mef. Fulvia thy wife is dead.

Ant. Where died fhe?

2 Mef. In Sicyon.

Her length of fickness, with what else more serious Importeth thee to know, this bears.

Ant. Forbear me.

[Exit fecond Meffenger.
There's a great spirit gone! thus did I defire it.
What our contempts do often hurl from us,
We wish it ours again; the present pleasure,
By revolution lowring, does become

The oppofite of itfelf; fhe's good, being gone;
The hand could pluck her back, that fhov'd her on.
I muft from this enchanting Queen break off.
Ten thousand harms, more than the ills I know,
My idleness doth hatch. How now, Enobarbus ?

Enter Enobarbus.

Eno. What's your pleasure, Sir?

Ant. I muft with hafte from hence.

Eno. Why, then we kill all our women.

We fee,

how mortal an unkindness is to them; if they fuffer our departure, death's the word.

Ant. I must be gone.

Eno. Under a compelling occafion, let women die. It were pity to caft them away for nothing; though between them and a great caufe, they should be efteem'd nothing. Cleopatra, catching but the leaft noife of this, dies inftantly; I have seen her die twenty times upon poorer moment: I do think, there is mettle in death, which commits fome loving act upon her; fhe hath fuch a celerity in dying.

Ant. She is cunning paft man's thought.

far

Eno.

Eno. Alack, Sir, no; her paffions are made of nothing but the finest part of pure love. We cannot call her winds and waters, fighs and tears: they are greater ftorms and tempefts than almanacks can report. This cannot be cunning in her: if it be, fhe makes a show'r of rain as well as Jove.

Ant. 'Would I had never seen her!

Eno. Oh, Sir, you had then left unseen a wonderful piece of work, which, not to have been bleft withal, would have difcredited your travel.

Ant. Fulvia is dead.

Eno. Sir!

Ant. Fulvia is dead.
Eno. Fulvia?

Ant. Dead.

Eno. Why, Sir, give the Gods a thankful facrifice: when it pleaseth their Deities to take the wife of a man from him, it fhews to man the tailor of the earth : comforting therein, that when old robes are worn out, there are members to make new. If there were no more women but Fulvia, then had you indeed a cut, and the cafe were to be lamented: this grief is crowned with confolation; your old fmock b.ings forth a new petticoat, and, indeed, the tears live in an onion that fhould water this forrow.

Ant. The bufinefs, the hath broached in the state, Cannot endure my abfence.

Eno. And the bufinefs, you have broach'd here, cannot be without you; efpecially that of Cleopatra's, which wholly depends on your abode,

Ant. No more light anfwers: let our officers
Have notice what we purpofe. I shall break
The caufe of our expedience to the Queen,
And get her leave to part. For not alone
The death of Fulvia, with more urgent touches,
Do ftrongly speak t'us; but the letters too
Of many our contriving friends in Rome
Petition us at home. Sextus Pompeius

Hath giv'n the dare to Cafar, and commands
The empire of the fea. Our flipp'ry people,

(Whofe

(Whofe love is never link'd to the deferver,
'Till his deferts are paft,) begin to throw
Pompey the Great and all his dignities
Upon his fon; who high in name and pow'r,
Higher than both in blood and life, ftands up
For the main foldier; whofe quality going on,
The fides o'th' world may danger. Much is breeding;
Which, like the courfer's hair, hath yet but life,
And not a ferpent's poifon. Say, our pleasure,
To fuch whofe place is under us, requires

Our quick remove from hence.

Eno. I'll do't.

[Exeunt.

Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, Alexas, and Iras.

Cleo. Where is he?

Char. I did not fee him fince.

.

Cleo. See, where he is, who's with him, what he does.

I did not fend you :- If you find him fad,
Say, I am dancing: if in mirth, report,
That I am fudden fick. Quick, and return.

Char. Madam, methinks, if you did love him dearly, You do not hold the method to enforce

The like from him.

Cleo. What fhould I do, I do not?

Char. In each thing give him way, crofs him in nothing. Cleo. Thou teacheft, like a fool : the way to lose him. Char. Tempt him not so, too far. I wifh, forbear; In time we hate that, which we often fear.

Enter Antony.

But here comes Antony.

Cleo. I'm fick, and fullen.

Ant. I am forry to give breathing to my purpose.
Cleo. Help me away, dear Charmian, I fhall fall;

It cannot be thus long, the fides of nature
Will not fuftain it.

[Seeming to faint.

Ant,