"Ant. Sir, "He fell upon me, ere admitted; then "Three kings I had newly feafted, and did want Caf. You have broken The article of your oath; which you fhall never Lep. Soft, Cafar. Ant. No, Lepidus, let him speak; The honour is facred which he talks on now, The article of my oath. Caf. To lend me arms, and aid, when I requir❜d them. The which you both deny'd. Ant. Neglected, rather; And then, when poison'd hours had bound me up "Lep. "Tis nobly spoken. "Mec. If it might please you, to enforce no further "The griefs between ye: to forget them quite, "Were to remember that the present need "Speak to atone you. "Lep. Worthily fpoken, Mecenas. "Eno. Or, if you borrow one another's love for the "inftant, you may, when you hear no more words of This condefcenfion does Antony great credit; it is fenfibly con ceived and suitably expressed. 3 "Pompey, "Pompey, return it again: you fhall have time "wrangle in, when you have nothing else to do. "Aut. Thou art a foldier only; fpeak no more. "Eno. Go to then; your confiderate ftone. What hoop fhould hold us ftaunch, from edge to edge "Agr. Give me leave, Cafar,- "Caf. Speak, Agrippa. Agr. Thou haft a fifter by the mother's fide, "Admir'd Octavia: great Mark Antony "Is now a widower. "Caf. Say not so, Agrippa; "If Cleopatra heard you, your reproof "Were well deferv'd of rashness. "Ant. I am not marry'd, Cafar: let me hear "Agrippa further fpeak. Agr. To hold you in perpetual amity, And all great fears, which now import their dangers, By duty ruminated. Ant. Will Cafar speak? Caf. Not 'till he hears how Antony is touch'd With what is fpoke already. "Ant. What power is in Agrippa, <If I would fay, Agrippa, be it jo, "To make this good "Caf. The power of Cefar, and "His power unto Octavia. Ant. May I never To this good purpose, that fo fairly fhews, Caf. There is my hand. A fifter I bequeath you, whom no brother Did ever love fo dearly: Let her live To join our kingdoms, and our hearts; and never Fly off our loves again! Lep. Happily! Amen. Ant. I did not think to draw my fword 'gainst Pompey 3 For he hath laid ftrange courtefies, and great, Of late upon me: I must thank him only, Left my remembrance fuffer ill report; At heel of that, defy him. Lep. Time calls upon us: Of us muft Pompey prefently be fought, Ant. Where lies he, Cafar? Caf. About the mount Mifenum. By land? Caf. Great, and increasing: but by fea He is an abfolute mafter. Ant. So is the fame. Would we had spoke together! Hafte we for it: Caf. With most gladness; Ant. Let us, Lepidus, Lep. Noble Antony, Not fickness should detain me. [Exeunt Cæfar, Antony, and Lepidus. Mec. Welcome from Egypt, fir. Eno. Half the heart of Cæfar, worthy Mecanas !— my honourable friend, Agrippa! Agr. Good Enobarbus! Mec. We have caufe to be glad, that matters are so well digefted. You ftay'd well by it in Egypt. Eno. Ay, fir; we did fleep day out of countenance, and made the night light with drinking. Mec. Eight wild boars roasted, whole at a breakfast, and but twelve perfons 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 moft triumphant lady, if report be fquare to her. Eno. When the first met Mark Antong, she purs'd up his heart, upon the river of Cydnus. Agr. There the appeared indeed; or my reporter Devis'd well for her. Eno. I will tell you, fir: The barge the fat in, like a burnish'd throne, Purple the fails, and so perfumed, that The winds were love-fick with them: the oars were filver; Which to the tune of flutes kept stroke, and made The fancy out-work nature; on each fide her The luxury of Antony is well pointed out by Enobarbus, and the defcription he gives fhortly after of her meeting Antony is admirably poetical. Dryden, in All for Love, has boldly ventured a comparison upon the identical circumftance; but, though capital, we think him inferior to Shakespeare, though he has difpofed the defcription better, by putting it in" Antony's mouth. With diverse-colour'd fans, whose wind did feem Agr. O, rare for Antony! Eng. Her gentlewomen, like the Nereids, "Agr. Rare Egyptian! "Eno. Upon her landing, Antony fent to her, "Invited her to fupper: fhe reply'd, "It should be better, he became her gueft; Being barber'd ten times o'er, goes to the feast; "And, for his ordinary, pays his heart, "For what his eyes eat only. "Agr. Royal wench! "She made great Cafar lay his fword to bed; "He plough'd her, and she cropt. "Eno. I faw her once "Hop forty paces through the public street: "And having loft her breath, the spoke, and panted s "That fhe did make defect, perfection, "And, breathless, power breathe forth. Mec. Now Antony Muft leave her utterly. Eno. Never; he will not: Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale The appetites they feed; but she makes hungry, VOL. VI. Become |