Cleo.

What Venus did with Mars.

O Charmian,

Where think'st thou he is now? Stands he, or sits

he?

Or does he walk? or is he on his horse?

O happy horse, to bear the weight of Antony!

20

Do bravely, horse! for wot'st thou whom thou

movest?

The demi-Atlas of this earth, the arm
And burgonet of men. He's speaking now,

Or murmuring, 'Where's my serpent of old Nile?'

For so he calls me: now I feed myself

With most delicious poison. Think on me,

That am with Phœbus' amorous pinches black
And wrinkled deep in time? Broad-fronted Cæsar,

When thou wast here above the ground, I was

30

A morsel for a monarch: and great Pompey
Would stand and make his eyes grow in my brow;
There would he anchor his aspect and die

With looking on his life.

Enter Alexas.

Alex.

Sovereign of Egypt, hail!

Cleo. How much unlike art thou Mark Antony!

Yet, coming from him, that great medicine hath
With his tinct gilded thee.

How goes it with my brave Mark Antony?

Alex. Last thing he did, dear queen,

He kiss'd the last of many doubled kisses-
This orient pearl. His speech sticks in my heart.

40

Cleo. Mine ear must pluck it thence.
Alex.

'Good friend,' quoth he,

'Say, the firm Roman to great Egypt sends
This treasure of an oyster; at whose foot,
To mend the petty present, I will piece
Her opulent throne with kingdoms; all the east,
Say thou, shall call her mistress. So he nodded,
And soberly did mount an arm-gaunt steed,
Who neigh'd so high, that what I would have spoke
Was beastly dumb'd by him.

Cleo.
What, was he sad or merry? 50
Alex. Like to the time o' the year between the extremes
Of hot and cold, he was nor sad nor merry.

Cleo. O well divided disposition! Note him,

Note him, good Charmian, 'tis the man; but note him:
He was not sad, for he would shine on those

That make their looks by his; he was not merry,
Which seem'd to tell them his remembrance lay
In Egypt with his joy; but between both.
O heavenly mingle! Be'st thou sad or merry,
The violence of either thee becomes,

So does it no man else. Met'st thou my posts?

Alex. Ay, madam, twenty several messengers :
Why do you send so thick?

Cleo.

Char.

Who's born that day

When I forget to send to Antony,
Shall die a beggar. Ink and paper, Charmian.
Welcome, my good Alexas. Did I, Charmian,
Ever love Cæsar so?

O that brave Cæsar!
Cleo. Be choked with such another emphasis !

Say, the brave Antony.

Char.
The valiant Cæsar!
Cleo. By Isis, I will give thee bloody teeth,

60

70

When I was green in judgement: cold in blood,
To say as I said then! But come, away;

Get me ink and paper :

He shall have every day a several greeting,
Or I'll unpeople Egypt.

ACT SECOND.

Scene I.

Messina. Pompey's house.

[Exeunt.

Enter Pompey, Menecrates, and Menas, in warlike manner.

Pom. If the great gods be just, they shall assist

Mene.

The deeds of justest men.

Know, worthy Pompey,

That what they do delay, they not deny.
Pom. Whiles we are suitors to their throne, decays
The thing we sue for.

Mene.

Pom.

We, ignorant of ourselves,
Beg often our own harms, which the wise powers
Deny us for our good; so find we profit

By losing of our prayers.

I shall do well:

The people love me, and the sea is mine;

My powers are crescent, and my auguring hope IO
Says it will come to the full. Mark Antony

In Egypt sits at dinner, and will make

Men.

No wars without doors: Cæsar gets money where

He loses hearts: Lepidus flatters both,
Of both is flatter'd, but he neither loves,
Nor either cares for him.

Cæsar and Lepidus

Are in the field: a mighty strength they carry.
Pom. Where have you this? 'tis false.
Men.
From Silvius, sir.
Pom. He dreams: I know they are in Rome together,

Looking for Antony. But all the charms of love, 20
Salt Cleopatra, soften thy waned lip!

Let witchcraft join with beauty, lust with both !
Tie up the libertine in a field of feasts,
Keep his brain fuming; Epicurean cooks
Sharpen with cloyless sauce his appetite;
That sleep and feeding may prorogue his honour
Even till a Lethe'd dulness!

Enter Varrius.

How now, Varrius!

Var. This is most certain that I shall deliver:
Mark Antony is every hour in Rome
Expected: since he went from Egypt 'tis

Pom.

A space for farther travel.

30

I could have given less matter

A better ear. Menas, I did not think
This amorous surfeiter would have donn'd his helm

For such a petty war: his soldiership

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-lust-wearied Antony.

Men.

Pom.

I cannot hope

40

Cæsar and Antony shall well greet together:
His wife that's dead did trespasses to Cæsar;
His brother warr'd upon him; although, I think,
Not moved by Antony.

I know not, Menas,

How lesser enmities may give way to greater.
Were't not that we stand up against them all,
'Twere pregnant they should square between them-

selves;

For they have entertained cause enough
To draw their swords: but how the fear of us

May cement their divisions and bind up

The petty difference, we yet not know.

Be 't as our gods will have 't! It only stands

Our lives upon to use our strongest hands.

Come, Menas.

50

[Exeunt.

Scene II.

Rome. The house of Lepidus.
Enter Enobarbus and Lepidus.

Lep. Good Enobarbus, 'tis a worthy deed,

Eno.

Lep.

And shall become you well, to entreat your captain
To soft and gentle speech.

I shall entreat him

To answer like himself: if Cæsar move him,
Let Antony look over Cæsar's head
And speak as loud as Mars. By Jupiter,
Were I the wearer of Antonius' beard,
I would not shave't to-day.

'Tis not a time