And threats the throat of that his officer,

That murder'd Pompey.

Eno. Our great navy's rigged.

Eros. For Italy, and Cæsar. More, Domitius; My lord desires you presently: my news

I might have told hereafter.

Eno. "Twill be naught:

But let it be.-Bring me to Antony.

Eros. Come, Sir.

[Exeunt.

SCENE VI-Rome. A Room in CESAR'S House.

Enter CESAR, AGRIPPA, and MECENAS.

Cas. Contemning Rome, he has done all this: And more; In Alexandria, here's the manner of it,-I' the market place, on a tribunal silver'd, Cleopatra and himself in chairs of gold Were publicly enthroned: at the feet, sat Cæsarion, whom they call my father's son; And all the unlawful issue, that their lust Since then hath made between them.

Unto her

He gave the 'stablishment of Egypt; made her
Of Lower Syria, Cyprus, Lydia,

Absolute queen.

Mec. This in the public eye?

Cas. I' the common show-place, where they exercise.

His sons he there proclaim'd, the kings of kings:

Great Media, Parthia, and Armenia,

He gave to Alexander; to Ptolemy he assign'd

Syria, Cilicia, and Phoenicia : She

In the habiliments of the goddess Isis

That day appear'd; and oft before gave audience
As 'tis reported, so.

Mec. Let Rome be thus

Inform❜d.

*

Agr. Who, queasy with his insolence

Already, will their good thoughts call from him.
Cas. The people know it; and have now received
His accusations.

Agr. Whom does he accuse?

Cæs. Cæsar: and that, having in Sicily

Sextus Pompeius spoil'd, we had not rated + him
His part o' the isle: then does he say, he lent me
Some shipping unrestor'd: lastly, he frets,
That Lepidus of the triumvirate

Should be deposed; and, being, that we detain
All his revenue.

Agr. Sir, this should be answer'd.

Caes. "Tis done already, and the messenger gone.

I have told him, Lepidus was grown too cruel:

That he his high authority abused,

And did deserve his change; for what I have conquer'd,
I grant him part; but then, in his Armenia,

And other of his conquer'd kingdoms, I

Demand the like.

Mec. He'll never yield to that.

Cæs. Nor must not then be yielded to in this.

Enter OCTAVIA.

Oct. Hail, Cæsar, and my lord! hail, most dear Cæsar!
Cæs. That ever I should call thee, cast away!

Oct. You have not call'd me so, nor have you cause.
Cas. Why have you stolen upon us thus? You come not
Like Cæsar's sister: The wife of Antony

Should have an army for an usher, and

The neighs of horse to tell of her approach,

Long ere she did appear; the trees by the way,
Should have borne men; and expectation fainted,
Longing for what it had not: nay, the dust
Should have ascended to the roof of heaven,
Raised by your populous troops: but you are come
A market-maid to Rome; and have prevented
The ostent* of our love, which, left unshown,
Is often left unloved: we should have met you
By sea, and land; supplying every stage
With an augmented greeting.

Oct. Good my lord,

To come thus was I not constrain'd, but did it
On my free-will. My lord, Mark Antony
Hearing that you prepared for war, acquainted
My grieved ear withal; whereon, I begg'd
His pardon for return.

Cas. Which soon he granted,

Being an abstruct + 'tween his lust and him.
Oct. Do not say so, my lord.

Cas. I have eyes upon him,

And his affairs come to me on the wind.

Where is he now?

Oct. My lord, in Athens.

Cas. No, my most wrong'd sister; Cleopatra

Hath nodded him to her. He hath given his empire

Up to a whore; who now are levying

The kings o' the earth for war: he hath assembled
Bocchus the king of Lybia; Archelaus,

Of Cappadocia; Philadelphos, king

Of Paphlagonia; the Thracian king, Adallas:
King Malchus of Arabia; king of Pont;
Herod of Jewry; Mithridates, king
Of Comagene; Polemon and Ámintas,
The kings of Mede, and Lycaonia, with a
More larger list of sceptres.

Oct. Ah me, most wretched,

That have my heart parted betwixt two friends,

That do afflict each other!

Cas. Welcome hither:

* Show, token.

+ Being the abstraction of one impediment.

Your letters did withhold our breaking forth;
Till we perceived, both how you were wrong led,
And we in negligent danger. Cheer your heart:
Be you not troubled with the time, which drives
O'er your content these strong necessities;
But let determined things to destiny

Hold unbewail'd their way. Welcome to Rome:
Nothing more dear to me. You are abused
Beyond the mark of thought: and the high gods,
To do you justice, make them ministers

Of us, and those that love you. Best of comfort;
And ever welcome to us.

Agr. Welcome, lady.

Mec. Welcome, dear madam.

Each heart in Rome does love and pity you:
Only the adulterous Antony, most large

In his abominations, turns you off;

And gives his potent regiment * to a trull,
That noises it against us.

Oct. Is it so, Sir?

Cæs. Most certain. Sister, welcome: Pray you,

Be ever known to patience: My dearest sister!

[Exeunt.

SCENE VII-ANTONY'S Camp near the Promontory of

Actium.

Enter CLEOPATRA and ENOBARBUS.

Cleo. I will be even with thee, doubt it not.

Eno. But why, why, why?

Cleo. Thou hast forespoke† my being in these wars;

And say'st, it is not fit.

Eno. Well, is it, is it?

Cleo. Is't not? Denounce against us, why should not we

Be there in person?

Eno. [Aside]. Well, I could reply:

If we should serve with horse and mares together,

The horse were merely lost; the mares would bear

A soldier, and his horse.

Cleo. What is 't you say?

Eno. Your presence needs but puzzle Antony;

Take from his heart, take from his brain, from his time,

What should not then be spared. He is already

Traduced for levity; and 'tis said in Rome,

That Photinus a eunuch, and your maids,

Manage this war.

Cleo. Sink Rome; and their tongues rot,

That speak against us! A charge we bear i' the war,
And, as the president of my kingdom, will

Appear there for a man. Speak not against it;

I will not stay behind.

Eno. Nay, I have done: Here comes the emperor.

* Government.

† Forbid.

+ Absolutely.

Enter ANTONY and CANIDIUS.

Ant. Is 't not strange, Canidius,

That from Tarentum, and Brundusium,

He could so quickly cut the Ionian sea,

And take in Toryne ?-You have heard on't, sweet?
Cleo. Celerity is never more admired,

Than by the negligent.

Ant. A good rebuke,

Which might have well becomed the best of men,

To taunt at slackness.-Canidius, we

Will fight with him by sea.

Cleo. By sea! What else?

Can. Why will my lord do so?

Ant. Fort he dares us to't.

Eno. So hath my lord dared him to single fight.
Can. Ay, and to wage this battle at Pharsalia,
Where Cæsar fought with Pompey: But these offers,
Which serves not for his vantage, he shakes off;
And so should you.

Eno. Your ships are not well mann'd :

Your mariners are muleteers, reapers, people
Ingross'd by swift impress; † in Cæsar's fleet

Are those, that often have 'gainst Pompey fought:
Their ships are yare; § yours, heavy. No disgrace
Shall fall you for refusing him at sea,
Being prepared for land.

Ant. By sea, by sea.

Eno. Most worthy Sir, you therein throw away
The absolute soldiership you have by land;
Distract your army, which doth most consist
Of war-mark'd footmen; leave unexecuted
Your own renowned knowledge; quite forego
The way which promises assurance; and
Give up yourself merely to chance and hazard,
From firm security.

Ant. Ill fight at sea.

Cleo. I have sixty sails, Cæsar none better.

Ant. Our overplus of shipping will we burn;

And, with the rest full-mann'd, from the head of Actium
Beat the approaching Cæsar. But if we fail,

Enter a MESSENGER.

We then can do't at land. Thy business?

Mess. The news is true, my lord; he is descried:

Cæsar has taken Toryne.

Ant. Can he be there in person? 'tis impossible;

Strange that his power should be. | Canidius,

Our nineteen legions thou shalt hold by land,

And our twelve thousand horse :-We'll to our ship;

Enter a SOLDIER.

Away, my Thetis! How now, worthy soldier?

* Take.

† Because.

+ Pressed in haste.

§ Light.

Il (There).

Sold. O noble emperor, do not fight by sea;
Trust not to rotten planks: Do you misdoubt

The sword, and these my wounds? Let the Egyptians,
And the Phoenicians, go a ducking; we

Have used to conquer, standing on the earth,
And fighting foot to foot.

Ant. Well, well, away.

[Exeunt ANTONY, CLEOPATRA, and ENOBARBUS.

Sold. By Hercules, I think, I am i' the right.

Can. Soldier, thou art: but his whole action grows Not in the power on't: So our leader's led,

And we are women's men.

Sold. You keep by land

The legions and the horse whole, do you not?

Can. Marcus Octavius, Marcus Justeius,

Publicola, and Cælius, are for sea:

But we keep whole by land. This speed of Cæsar's
Carries beyond belief.

Sold. While he was yet in Rome,

His power went out in such distractions,* as

Beguiled all spies.

Can. Who's his lieutenant, hear you?

Sold. They say, one Taurus.

Can. Well I know the man.

Enter a MESSENGER.

Mess. The emperor calls for Canidius.

Can. With news the time's with labour; and throes forth,

Each minute, some.

SCENE VIII.—A plain near Actium.

Enter CESAR, TAURUS, Officers and others.

Cas. Taurus,

Taur. My lord.

Cas. Strike not by land; keep whole :

Provoke not battle, till we have done at sea.
Do not exceed the prescript of this scroll:

Our fortune lies upon this jump.

[Exeunt.

[Exeunt.

Enter ANTONY and ENOBARBUS.

Ant. Set we our squadron on yon side o' the hill

In eye of Cæsar's battle; from which place
We may the number of the ships behold,

And so proceed accordingly.

[Exeunt.

Enter CANIDIUS, marching with his Land Army one Way over the Stage; and TAURUS, the Lieutenant of CESAR, the other Way. After their going in, is heard the Noise of a Sea-Fight. Alarum. Re-enter ENOBARBUS.

Eno. Naught, naught, all naught! I can behold no longer : The Antoniad, † the Egyptian admiral,

With all their sixty, fly, and turn the rudder;

To see 't, mine eyes are blasted.

*Detachments.

†The name of Cleopatra's ship.