Enter EUPHRONIUS. Cæs. 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 Next, Cleopatra does confess thy greatness; Cæs. For Antony, The queen I have no ears to his request. Eup. Fortune pursue thee! Cas. Bring him through the bands. [Exit EUP. 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 Will answer as a law. 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. [Exeunt. JOHNSON. i.e. how Antony conforms himself to this breach of his fortune. JOHNSON. SCENE XI. Alexandria. A Room in the Palace. Enter CLEOPATRA, ENOBARBUS, CHARMIAN, and IRAS. Cleo. What shall we do, Enobarbus ? Eno. Think, and die. 6 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 : ------------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. Of youth upon him; from which, the world should note As i'the command of Cæsar: I dare him therefore And answer me declin'd, sword against sword, [Exeunt ANTONY and EUPHRONIUS. To suffer all alike. That he should dream, Enter an Attendant. Att. A messenger from Cæsar. Cleo. What, no more ceremony ?-See, my women !- Does conquer him that did his master conquer, Cleo. Cæsar's will? Enter THYREUS. Thyr. Hear it apart. Cleo. None but friends; say boldly. Thyr. So, haply, are they friends to Antony. Eno. He needs as many, sir, as Cæsar has; Or needs not us. If Cæsar please, our master Will leap to be his friend: For us, you know, Whose he is, we are; and that's, Cæsar's. [Aside. [8] I require of Cesar not to depend on that superiority which the comparison of our different fortunes may exhibit to him, but to answer me man to man, in this decline of my age or power.. JOHNSON. HENLEY. [9] Exhibited, like gladiators, to the public gaze. [1] Enobarbus is deliberating upon desertion, and finding it is more prudent to forsake a fool, and more reputable to be faithful to him, makes no positive conclusion. JOHNSON. Thyr. So. Thus then, thou most renown'd; Cæsar entreats, As Cleo. Go on: Right royal. Thyr. He knows, that you embrace not Antony you did love, but as you fear'd him. Cleo. O! Thyr. The scars upon your honour, therefore, he Does pity, as constrained blemishes, Not as deserv'd. Cleo. He is a god, and knows What is most right: Mine honour was not yielded, Eno. To be sure of that, I will ask Antony.-Sir, sir, thou'rt so leaky, Thyr. Shall I say to Cæsar What you require of him? For he partly begs [Aside. [Exit ENO.. To be desir'd to give. It much would please him, To lean upon : But it would warm his spirits, To hear from me you had left Antony, And put yourself under his shrowd, Cleo. What's your name? Thyr. My name is Thyreus. Say to great Cæsar this, In disputation I kiss his conquering hand :3 tell him, I am prompt Thyr. 'Tis your noblest course. Wisdom and fortune combating together, If that the former dare but what it can, No chance may shake it. Give me grace to lay [2] That is, "Cesar intreats, that at the same time you consider your desperate fortunes, you would consider he is Cesar: That is. generous and forgiving, able and willing to restore them. WARBURTON. [3] The poet certainly wrote: Say to great Cesar this, In deputation I kiss his conqu❜ring hand: That is, by proxy; I depute you to pay him that duty in my name. WARB. My duty on your hand.' Cleo. Your Cæsar's father Oft, when he hath mus'd of taking kingdoms in, As it rain'd kisses. Re-enter ANTONY and ENOBARBUS. Ant. Favours, by Jove that thunders !What art thou, fellow? Thyr. One, that but performs The bidding of the fullest man, and worthiest To have command obey'd. Eno. You will be whipp'd. Ant. Approach, there :-Ay, you kite!-Now gods and devils ! Authority melts from me : Of late, when I cry'd ho!, 5 Like boys unto a muss, kings would start forth, Antony yet. Take hence this Jack, and whip him. Than with an old one dying. Ant. Moon and stars! Whip him :- -Were't twenty of the greatest tributaries Ant. Tug him away: being whipp'd, Bring him again :-This Jack of Cæsar's shall [Exeunt Attend. with THYREUS. You were half blasted ere I knew you :-Ha! Have I my pillow left unpress'd in Rome, And by a gem of women, to be abus'd By one that looks on feeders ?6 [4] Grant me the favour. JOHNSON. [5] A muss, a scramble. POPE. [6] A feeder, or an eater, was, anciently the term of reproach for a servant. One who looks on feeders, is one who throws away her regard on servants, such as Antony would represent Thyreus to be. Thus, in Cymbeline : "--that base wretch, One bred of alms, and foster'd with cold dishes, |