My legions, and my horse; six kings already Eno. I'll yet follow The wounded chance of Antony, though my reason Sits in the wind against me. SCENE IX. [Exeunt. Alexandria. A room in the Palace. Enter ANTONY and Attendants. Ant. Hark, the land bids me tread no more upon't, It is asham'd to bear me !-Friends, come hither, 4 I am so lated in the world, that I Have lost my way for ever :-I have a ship Att. Fly! not we. Ant. I have fled myself; and have instructed cowards Which has no need of you; be gone : Reprove the brown for rashness, and they them [Sits down. Enter EROS, and CLEOPATRA led by CHARMIAN and IRAS. Eros. Nay, gentle madam, to him :-Comfort him. [S] I know not whether the author, who loves to draw his images from the sports of the field, might not have written, The wounded chase of Antony, The allusion is to a deer wounded and chased, whom all other deer avoid. says Enobarbus, follow Antony, tho' chased and wounded." JOHNSON. "I will, 14] Alluding to a benighted traveller. JOHNSON. JOHNSON. Iras. Do, most dear queen. Ant. No, no, no, no, no. Eros. See you here, sir? Char. Madam, O Juno ! Iras. Madam; O good empress !- Ant. Yes, my lord, yes ;-He, at Philippi, kept In the brave squares of war: Yet now-No matter. Eros. The queen, my lord, the queen. He is unqualitied with very shame. Cleo. Well then,-Sustain me:-0! Eros. Most noble sir, arise; the queen approaches; Her head's declin'd, and death will seize her; but Ant. I have offended reputation ; A most unnoble swerving. Eros. Sir, the queen, Ant. O, whither hast thou led me, Egypt? See, How I convey my shame out of thine eyes [6] In the Morisco, and perhaps anciently in the Pyrrhick dance, the dancers held swords in their hands with the points upward. JOHNSON. I believe it means that Cæsar never offered to draw his sword, but kept it in the scabbard, like one who dances with a sword on, which was formerly the custom in England. STEEVENS. Bertram, lamenting that he is kept from the wars, says.... "I shall stay here the forehorse to a smock, The word worn shows that in both passages our author was thinking of the English, and not of the Pyrrhick, or the Morisco, dance, (as Dr. Johnson supposed,) in which the sword was not worn at the side, but held in the hand with the point upward. MALONE. [7] Nothing can be more in character, than for an infamous debauched tyrant to call the heroic love of one's country and public liberty, madness. WARBURTON. [8] I know not whether the meaning is, that Cæsar acted only as lieutenant at Philippi, or that he made his attempts only on lieutenants, and left the generals to Antony. JOHNSON. Dealt on lieutenancy, I believe, means only,-fought by proxy, made war by his lieutenants, or on the strength of his lieutenauts. [9] But has here, the force of except, or unless. JOHNSON. By looking back on what I have left behind 'Stroy'd in dishonour. Cleo. O my lord, my lord! Forgive my fearful sails! I little thought, Ant. Egypt, thou knew'st too well, My heart was to thy rudder tied by the strings, Cleo. O, my pardon. Ant. Now I must To the young man send humble treaties, dodge Cleo. O pardon, pardon. Ant. Fall not a tear, I say; one of them rates All that is won and lost: Give me a kiss ; Even this repays me. We sent our schoolmaster, knows, We scorn her most, when most she offers blows. -Fortune SCENE X. [Exeunt. CESAR'S Camp, in Egypt. Enter CESAR, DOLABELLA, THYREUS, and others. Cas. Let him appear that's come from Antony. Know you him? Dol. Cæsar, 'tis his schoolmaster :3 An argument that he is pluck'd, when hither He sends so poor a pinion of his wing, Which had superfluous kings for messengers, That is, by the heart-string. JOHNSON. MALONE. Enter EUPHROnius. Cas. Approach, and speak. Eup. Such as I am, I come from Antony : As is the morn-dew on the myrtle leaf Cæs. Be it so; Declare thine office. Eup. Lord of his fortunes he salutes thee, and To let him breathe between the heavens and earth, Cæs. For Antony, I have no ears to his request. The queen Cas. Bring him through the bands. [Exit Eur. To try thy eloquence, now 'tis time: Despatch; From Antony win Cleopatra: promise, [To THYREUS. And in our name, what she requires; add more, In their best fortunes, strong; but want will perjure Thyr. Cæsar, I go. Cas. Observe how Antony becomes his flaw ; And what thou think'st his very action speaks In every power that moves. Thyr. Cæsar, I shall. [4] The circle--the diadem; the ensign of royalty. JOHNSON. [Exeunt. [5] i. e. how Antony conforms himself to this breach of his fortune. JOHNSON. SCENE XI. Alexandria. A Room in the Palace. Enter CLEOPATRA, Cleo. What shall we do, Enobarbus ? Cleo. Is Antony, or we, in fault for this? Have nick'd his captainship; at such a point, Cleo. Pr'ythee, peace. Enter ANTONY, with EUPHRONIUS. Ant. Is this his answer? Eup. Ay, my lord. Ant. The queen Shall then have courtesy, so she will yield Us up. Eup. He says so. Ant. Let her know it.— To the boy Cæsar send this grizzled 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 rose [6] Sir T. Hanmer reads---Drink and die. I adhere to the old reading, which may be supported by the following passage in Julius Cæsar: 66 --------all that he can do Is to himself; take thought, and die for Cæsar." Mr. Tollet observes, that the expression of taking thought, in our old English writers, is equivalent to the being anxious or solicitous, or laying a thing much to heart. So, says he, it is used in our translations of The New Testament, Matthew vi. 25. &c. STEEVENS. Think and die :---Consider what mode of ending your life is most preferable, and immediately adopt it. HENLEY. [7] Mere--is a boundary, and the meered question, if it can mean any thing, may, with some violence of language, mean, the disputed boundary. JOHNSON. |