IRA. Amen. Dear goddess, hear that prayer of the people! for, as it is a heart-breaking to fee a handfom man loofe-wiv'd, fo it is a deadly forrow to behold a foul knave uncuckolded; Therefore, dear Ifis, keep decorum, and fortune him accordingly!

CHA. Amen.

ALE. Lo, now! if it lay in their hands to make me a cuckold, they would make themselves whores, but they'd ENO. Hufh! here comes Antony. [do't. CHA. -Not he, the Queen.

Enter CLEOPATRA, attended.

CLE. Saw you my lord?
ENO. -No, lady.

CLE. Was he not here?
CHA. No, madam.

CLE. He was difpos'd to mirth; but, on the fudden, A Roman thought hath ftrook him. Enobarbus,

ENO. Madam.

CLE. Seek him, and bring him hither. Where's Alexas? ALE. Here, lady, at your fervice. My lord approaches. Enter ANTONY, with a Meffenger; Attendants following.

CLE. We will not look upon him; Go with us.
[Exeunt CLEOPATRA, ENOBARBUS, ALEXAS,
IRAS, CHARMIAN, Soothfayer, and the reft.
Mef. Fulvia thy wife first came into the field.
ANT. Against my brother Lucius ?
Mef. Ay: but foon

That war had end; and the time's ftate made friends
Of them, jointing their forces against Cæfar;
Whose better iffue in the war from Italy,
Upon the first encounter, drave them.

ANT. -Well, What worst?

Mef. The nature of bad news infects the teller. ANT. When it concerns the fool, or coward. On: Things, that are past, are done, with me: 'Tis thus ;~ Who tells me true, though in his tale lie death, I hear him as he flatter'd.

Mef.

Labienus,

Hath with his Parthian force, through extended Afia,
From Euphrates his conquering banner shook,
From Syria, to Lydia, and Ionia;

Whilft

ANT.-Antony, thou would'ft fay,-
Mef. O, my lord,-

ANT. Speak to me home, mince not the general tongue;
Name Cleopatra as she's call'd in Rome :
Rail thou in Fulvia's phrafe; and taunt my faults
With fuch full licence, as both truth and malice
Have power to utter. O, then we bring forth weeds,
When our quick winds lie ftill; and our ills told us,
Is as our earing. Fare thee well a while.

Mef. At your noble pleasure.

[Exit.

ANT. From Sicyon how the news? Speak there. 1. A. The man from Sicyon, Is there such a one? 2. A. He ftays upon your will. ANT. -Let him appear.

These ftrong Egyptian fetters I must break,
Enter another Meffenger..
Or lose myself in dotage.What are you?
Mef. Fulvia thy wife is dead.
ANT. -Where dy'd she?
Mef. In Sicyon :

Her length of fickness, with what else more ferious

Importeth thee to know, this bears.
ANT. -Forbear me..

[Exit Meffenger. There's a great spirit gone: Thus did I defire it: What our contempts do often hurl from us, We wish it ours again; the prefent pleasure, By revolution lowering, does become The oppofite of itfelf: fhe's good, being gone; The hand could pluck her back, that shov'd her on. I muft from this enchanting Queen break off; Ten thousand harms, more than the ills I know, My idleness doth hatch. Ho, Enobarbus!

Enter ENOBARBUS. ENO. What's your pleasure, fir?

ANT. I muft with hafte from hence.

ENO. Why, then we kill all our women: We see how mortal an unkindness is to them; if they fuffer our de-parture, death's the word.

ANT. I must be gone.

ENO. Under a compelling occafion, let women die: It were pity, to caft them away for nothing; though, between them and a great cause, they should be esteem'd nothing. Cleopatra, catching but the least noise of this, dies inftantly; I have feen her die twenty times upon far poorer moment.

ANT. She is cunning paft man's thought. Fulvia is dead. ENO. Sir?

ANT. Fulvia is dead.

ENO. Fulvia?

ANT. Dead.

ENO. Why, fir, give the gods a thankful facrifice. If there were no more women but Fulvia, then had you

indeed a cut, and the cafe to be lamented: this grief is crown'd with confolation; your old fmock brings forth a new petticoat: and, indeed, the tears live in an onion, that fhould water this forrow.

ANT. The business she hath broached in the state Cannot endure my absence.

ENO. And the business you have broached here cannot be without you; efpecially that of Cleopatra's, which wholy depends on your abode.

ANT. No more light anfwers. Let our officers Have notice what we purpose: I shall break The cause of our expedience to the Queen, And get her love to part. For not alone The death of Fulvia, with more urgent touches, Do strongly speak to us; but the letters too Of many our contriving friends in Rome Petition us at home: Sextus Pompeius Hath giv'n the dare to Cæfar, and commands The empire of the fea: our flippery people (Whofe love is never link'd to the deferver, "Till his deferts are paft) begin to throw Pompey the great, and all his dignities, Upon his fon; who, high in name and power, Higher than both in blood and life, ftands up For the main foldier; whofe quality, going on, The fides o'the world may danger: Much is breeding, Which, like the courfer's hair, hath yet but life, And not a ferpent's poifon. Say, our pleasure, To fuch whofe place is under us, requires Our quick remove from hence.

ENO. I fhall do't.

[Exeunt.

L

Another Room.

SCENE III. The fame.
Enter CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, Iras, and Alexas.
CLE. Where is he?

CHA. I did not fee him fince.

CLE. See where he is, who's with him,what he does,
I did not fend you; [to Iras.] If you find him fad,
Say, I am dancing; if in mirth, report
That I am fudden fick: Quick, and return.

[Exit Alexas.
CHA. Madam, methinks, if you did love him dearly,
You do not hold the method to enforce
The like from him.

CLE. What should I do, I do not?

CHA. In each thing give him way, cross him in nothing.
CLE. Thou teacheft like a fool: the way to lose him.
CHA. Tempt him not so too far: I wish, forbear;
In time we hate that which we often fear.

Enter ANTONY.

But here comes Antony.

CLE. I am fick, and fullen.

ANT. I am forry to give breathing to my purpose,
CLE. Help me away, dear Charmian, I shall fall;
It cannot be thus long, the fides of nature
Will not fuftain it.

ANT. -Now, my dearest Queen,→

CLE. Pray you, ftand farther from me.
ANT. -What's the matter?

CLE. I know, by that fame eye, there's fome good news:
What fays the marry'd woman? You may go;
'Would, she had never giv'n you leave to come!
Let her not say, 'tis I that keep you here,
I have no power upon you; hers you are.