"Ant. Sir,

"He fell upon me, ere admitted; then

"Three kings I had newly feafted, and did want
"Of what I was i'th' morning: but, next day,
"I told him of myself; which was as much
"As to have afk'd him pardon: Let this fellow
"Be nothing of our ftrife; if we contend,
"Out of our question wipe him.

Caf. You have broken

The article of your oath; which you fhall never
Have tongue to charge me with.

Lep. Soft, Cafar.

Ant. No,

Lepidus, let him speak;

The honour is facred which he talks on now,
Suppofing that I lack'd it :—but on, Cæsar;

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
From mine own knowledge. As nearly as I may,
I'll play the penitent to you: but mine honesty
Shall not make poor my greatnefs, nor my power
Work without it: Truth is, that Fulvia,
To have me out of Egypt, made wars here;
For which myself, the ignorant motive, do
So far afk pardon, as befits mine honour
To stoop in fuch a case *.

"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. That truth fhould be filent, I had almoft forgot.
"Ant. You wrong this presence, therefore speak no
66 more.

"Eno. Go to then; your confiderate ftone.
Caf. I do not much dislike the manner, but
The matter of his fpeech: for't cannot be,
We shall remain in friendship, our conditions
So differing in their acts. Yet, if I knew

What hoop fhould hold us ftaunch, from edge to edge
O'the world I would pursue it.

"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,
To make you brothers, and to knit your hearts
With an unflipping knot, take Antony
Octavia to his wife: whofe beauty claims
No worse a husband than the best of men;
Whofe virtue, and whofe general graces, speak
That which none else can utter. By this marriage,
All little jealoufies, which now feem great,

And all great fears, which now import their dangers,
Would then be nothing: "truths would then be tales,
"Where now half tales be truths: her love to both
"Would, each to other, and all loves to both,
"Draw after her." Pardon what I have spoke;
For 'tis a study'd, not a present thought,

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,
Dream of impediment!-Let me have thy hande
Further this act of grace; and, from this hour,
The heart of brothers govern in our loves,
And fway our great defigns!

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,
Or else he seeks out us.

Ant. Where lies he, Cafar?

Caf. About the mount Mifenum.
Ant. What's his strength

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:
Yet, ere we put ourselves in arms, dispatch we
The bufinefs we have talk'd of.

Caf. With most gladness;
And do invite you to my fifter's view,
Whither ftraight I'll lead you.

Ant. Let us, Lepidus,
Not lack your company.

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,
Burnt on the water: the poop was beaten gold;

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 water, which they beat, to follow fafter,
As amorous of their ftrokes. For her own person,
It beggar'd all description: she did lye
In her pavilion, (cloth of gold, of tifsue)
O'er-picturing that Venus, where we fee

The fancy out-work nature; on each fide her
Stood pretty dimpl'd boys, like smiling Cupids,

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
To glow the delicate cheeks which they did cool,
And what they undid, did.

Agr. O, rare for Antony!

Eng. Her gentlewomen, like the Nereids,
So many mermaids, tended her i'th' eyes,
And made their bends adornings: at the helm
A feeming mermaid fteers; the filken tackle
Swell with the touches of those flower-soft hands,
That yarely frame the office. From the barge,
A ftrange invifible perfume hits the fenfe
Of the adjacent wharfs. The city caft
Her people out upon her: and Antony,
Enthron'd i'the market-place, did fit alone,
Whistling to the air; which, but for vacancy,
Had gone to gaze on Cleopatra too,
And made a gap in nature.

"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;
"Which the intreated: Our courteous Antony,
"Whom ne'er the word of no woman heard fpeak,

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
Her infinite variety: Other women cloy

The appetites they feed; but she makes hungry,
Where moft the fatisfies. For vileft things

VOL. VI.

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