The violence of either thee becomes;

So does it no man else.—Met'st thou my posts?
Ale. Ay, madam, twenty feveral meffengers:
Why do you fend fo thick?

Cle. Who's born that day

When I forget to fend to Antony,

Shall dye a beggar.-Ink and paper, Charmian.-
Welcome, my good Alexas.-Did I, Charmian,
Ever love Cafar fo?

Cha. O that brave Cæfar!

Cle. Be choak'd with fuch another emphafis! Say, the brave Antony.

Cha. The valiant Cæfar!

Cle. By Ifis, I will give thee bloody teeth *, If thou with Cafar paragon again

My man of men.

Cha. By your most gracious pardon, I fing but after you.

Cle. My fallad days;

When I was green in judgment, cold in blood;
To fay, as I faid then!-But, come, away;
Get me ink and paper: he fhall have every day
A feveral greeting, or I'll unpeople Egypt.

I

ACT II.

[Exeunt.

SCENE I. Meflina. A Room in Pompey's Houfe.

Enter Pompey, Menecrates, and Menas.

POMPEY.

F the great gods be juft, they fhall affift
The deeds of justest men.

Mene. Know, worthy Pompey,

That what they do delay, they not deny.

This is rather an objectionable exclamation, unworthy of a perfon in middling ftation, much more so of a royal character. This act has fo little matter, though much poetry in it, that we are doubsful of its effect on the stage.

Pom. Whiles we are fuitors to their throne, delay's The thing we fue for,

Mene. We, ignorant of ourselves,

Beg often our own harms, which the wife powers.
Deny us for our good: so find we profit,
By lofing of our prayers *.

Pom. I fhall do well :

The people love me, and the fea is mine;
My power's a crefcent, and my auguring hope
Says, it will come to the full. Mark Antony
In Egypt fits at dinner, and will make

No wars without doors: Cafar gets money, where
He loses hearts: Lepidus flatters both,

Of both is flatter'd ; but he neither loves,
Nor either cares for him.

Mene. Cæfar and Lepiaus

Are in the field; a mighty ftrength they carry.
Pom. Where had you this is false,

Mene. From Silvius, fir.

Pom. He dreams; I know, they are in Rome together Looking for Antony: But all the charms of love,

Salt Cleopatra, foften thy wan lip;

Let witch-craft join with beauty, luft with both!
Tye up the libertine in a field of feafts,
Keep his brain faming; Epicurean cooks,
Sharpen with cloylefs fauce his appetite;
That fleep and feeding may prorogue his honour,

Enter Varrius.

Even 'till a lethe'd dulness.-How now, Varrius ?
Var. This is moft certain that I fhall deliver:
Mark Antony is every hour in Rome

Expected; fince he went from Egypt; 'tis

A space for farther travel.

Pom. I could have given lefs matter

A better ear.-Menas, I did not think,

This amorous furfeiter would have don'd his helm

*This well points out the weakness of human fupplications, and properly inculcates Juvenal's precept, that we should pay due humiliation to Providence, and only pray for," Mens fana in corpore fano."

For

For fuch a petty war: his foldiership
Is twice the other twain: But let us rear
The higher our opinion, that our stirring
Can from the lap of Egypt's widow pluck.
'The ne'er luft-weary'd Antony.

Men. I cannot hope,

Cafar and Antony fhall well greet together:
His wife, that's dead, did trefpaffes to Cafar;
His brother war'd upon him; although, I think,
Not mov'd by Antony:

Pom. I know not, Menas,

How leffer enmities may give way to greater.
Were't not that we ftand up against them all,
*Twere pregnant they should fquare between themselves;
For they have entertained caufe enough

To draw their fwords: but how the fear of us
May cément their divifions, and bind up
The petty difference, we yet not know:
Be it as our gods will have it! It only ftands
Our lives upon, to use our strongest hands.
Come, Menas.

[Exeunt

SCENE II. Rome. A Room in Lepidus's Houfe.

Enter Enobarbus and Lepidus.

Lep. Good Enobarbus, 'tis a worthy deed,

And shall become you well, to intreat your captain

To foft and gentle speech.

Eno. I fhall intreat him

To answer like himself: if Cafar move him,

Let Antony look over Cafar's head,

And speak as loud as Mars. By Jupiter,

Were I the wearer of Antonio's beard,

I would not shave't to-day.

Lep. "Tis not a time

For private ftomaching.

Ene. Every time

Serves for the matter that is then born in't.

Lep. But fmall to greater matters must give way.

Eno. Not if the fmall come first.

Lep. Your fpeech is passion:

But, pray you, ftir no embers up. Here comes
The noble Antony.

Enter Antony and Ventidius.

Eno. And yonder Cæfar.

Enter Cæfar, Mecenas, and Agrippa.

Ant. If we compofe well here, to Parthia: Hark you, Ventidius.

Caf. I do not know,

Mecanas; afk Agrippa..

Lep. Noble friends,

That which combin'd us was moft great, and let not A leaner action rend us.

What's amifs,

May it be gently heard: When we debate

Our trivial difference loud, we do commit

Murther in healing wounds: Then, noble partners,

(The rather, for I earneftly befeech)

Touch you the fourest points with sweetest terms,
Nor curftnefs grow to the matter.

Ant. "Tis fpoken well:

Were we before our armies, and to fight,

I should do thus.

Caf. Welcome to Rome.

Ant. Thank you.

Caf. Sit.

Ant. Sit, fir.

Caf. Nay, then.

Ant. I learn, you take things ill, which are not fo

Or, being, concern you not.

Caf. I must be laugh'd at,

If, or for nothing, or a little, I

Should fay myself offended; and with you

Chiefly i'th' world: more laugh'd at, that I should Once name you derogately, when to found your name It not concern'd me.

Ant. My being in Egypt, Cafar,

What was❜t to you

u?

Caf. No more than my refiding here at Rome Might be to you in Egypt: Yet, if you there

Did practise on my ftate, your being in Egypt
Might be my question.

Ant. How intend you, practis'd?

Caf. You may be pleas'd to catch at mine intent,
By what did here befal me: Your wife and brother,
Made wars upon me; and their contestation
Was them'd for you, you were the word of war.

Ant. You do mistake your bufinefs; my brother never Did urge me in his act: I did inquire it;

And have my learning from fome true reports,

That drew their fwords with you. Did he not rather
Difcredit my authority with yours;

And make the wars alike against my ftomach,
Having alike your caufe? Öf this, my letters
Before did fatisfy you. If you'll patch a quarrel,
(As matter whole you have not to make it with)
It must not be with this.

Caf. You praise yourself,

By laying to me defects of judgment: but
You patch'd up your excufes.-

Ant. Not fo, not fo:

I know you could not lack, I am certain on't,
Very neceffity of this thought, That I,

Your partner in the cause gainft which he fought,
Could not with grateful eyes attend those wars
Which 'fronted mine own peace.

As for my wife,

I would you had her spirit in such another

The third o'th' world is yours; which with a fnaffle
You may pace easy, but not such a wife.

"Eno. 'Would we had all fuch wives, that the men might go to wars with the women.

"Ant. So much uncurbable, her garboils, Cafar,

"Made out of her impatience, (which not wanted
"Shrewdness of policy too) I grieving grant,
"Did you too much difquiet: for that, you must
"But fay, I could not help it.

"Caf. I wrote to you,

"When, rioting in Alexandria, you

"Did pocket up my letters; and with taunts

"Did gibe my miffive out of audience.