Ambassadors from Antony to Cæjar, Captains, Soldiers, Messengers, and other Attendants.
The SCENE is dispersed in several parts of the Roman Empire.

2 Gypfy is here ufed both in the original meaning for an Egyptian, and in its accidental fense for a bad woman. 3 Triple is here ufed improperly for third, or one of three. One of the triumvirs, one of the three mafters of the world. fum thy bulinefs in a few words.

Kingdoms are clay: our dungy earth alike
Feeds beaft as man: the nobleness of life
Is, to do thus; when fuch a mutual pair,

[Embracing.

And fuch a twain can do 't; in which, I bind,
On pain of punishment, the world to weet,
We ftand up peerless.

Cleo. Excellent falihood!

Why did he marry Fulvia, and not love her?-
I'll feem the fool I am not; Antony
Will be himieli.

int. But firr'd by Cleopatra.-

Now, for the love of love, and his foft hours,
Let's not confound the time with conference harth:
There's not a minute of our lives fhould ftretch
Without fome pleasure now: What sport to-night?
Cio. Hear the embaladors.

Ant. Fye, wrangling queen!

A little I can read.

Alex. Shew him your hand.

Enter Enobarbus.

Eno. Bring in the banquet quickly; wine enough,
Cleopatra's health to drink.

Char. Good fr, give me good fortune.
South. I make not, but forefee.

Char. Pray then, foresee me one.

Sooth. You thall be yet far fairer than you are."
Char. He means, in fleth.

Iras. No, you fhail paint when you are old.
Char. Wrinkles forbid !

Alex. Vex not his prefcience; be attentive.
Char. Huth!

Sooth. You fhall be more beloving, than belov'd.
Char. I had rather heat my liver with drinking.
Alex. Nay, hear him.

Char. Good now, fome excellent fortune! Let me be married to three kings in a forenoon, and widow them all! let me have a child at fifty, to whom Herod of Jewry may do homage 6! find me to marry with Octavius Cæfar, and compania

Whom every thing becomes, to chide, to laugh,
To weep; whofe every patlion fully trives
To make itself, in thee, fair and admir'd!
No mellenger, but thine ;---And all alone,
To-night, we'll wander through the treets, and me with my miftrefs!

Sooth. You fhall out-live the lady whom you serve.

Char. O excellent! I love long life better than figs 7,

Sooth. You have feen and prov'd a fairer former Than that which is to approach, [fortune Char. Then, belike, my children shall have no names 3: Pr'ythee, how many boys and wenches muft I have?

Sooth. If every of your wishes had a womb, And foretel every with, a million 9.

Char. Out, fool! I forgive thee for a witch. Alex. You think, none but your sheets are privy to your wifhes.

Char. Nay, come, tell Iras hers.
Alex. We'll know all our fortunes.
Eno. Mine, and most of our fortunes, to-night,

Enter Ghamian, Iras, Alexas, and a Soothsayer.fhall be-drunk to bed.

Char. Lord Alexas, fweet Alexas, most any thing Alexas, almost most abfolute Alexas, where's the foothfayer that you prais'd fo to the queen? O! that I knew this hufband, which, you fay, muft change 4 his horns with garlands.

Alex. Soothfayer.

Sooth. Your will?

[know things?

Ias. There's a palm prefages chastity, if nothing elfe.

Char. Even as the a'erflowing Nilus prefageth famine.

say.

Iras. Go, you wild bedfellow, you cannot footh

Char. Nay, if an oily palm be not a fruitfel

Char. Is this the man - -Is't you, fir, that prognoftication, I cannot fcratch mine ear.Sooth. In nature's infinite book of fecrecy,

1 To know.

2 But here fignifies unless.

4 Dr.

Pr'ythee, tell her but a worky-day fortune,

3 Meaning, that he proves the common lyar, fame, in his cafe to be a true reporter. Johnfon doubts, whether change in this place may not fig nify merely to drefs, or to dress with changes of garlands; certain it is, that change of clothes in the time of Shakipeare fignified variety of them. 5 A heated liver is fuppofed to make a pimpied face. 6llerod was always one of the perfonages in the myfteries of our early age, on which be was conftantly reprefented as a fierce, haughty, bluffering tyrant, fo that Herod of Jewry became a common proverb, expreffive of turbulence and rage. Thus Hamlet fays of a ranting player, that be out-nerods Herod." The meaning then is, Charmian wishes for a fon, who may arrive to fuch power and dominion, that the proudest and fiercelt monarchs of the earth may be brought under his yoke. 7 A proverbial expreffion. 8 A fairer fortune may mean, a more reputable one. Her anfwer then implies, that belike all her children will be baftards, who have no right to the name of their father's fame ly. 9 The meaning is. If you had as many wombs as you will have wishes, and Ieuld foretel all thes wifhes, I fhould foretel a million of children. It is an ellipfis very frequent in converiation;-I fhould fhame you, and tell all; that is, and if I fhould tell all. and is for and f, which was an ciently, and is itill provincially ufed for if.

Sooth. Your fortunes are alike.

Hath, with his Parthian force, extended Afia,

Iras. But how, but how? give me particulars. From Euphrates his conquering banner shook,
Sooth. I have faid.

From Syria, to Lydia, and to lonia;

Iras. Am I not an inch of fortune better than Whilft

The?

Char. Well, if you were but an inch of fortune better than I, where would you choose it?

Iras. Not in my husband's nofe.

Char. Our worfer thoughts heavens mend !Alexas,-come, his fortune, his fortune.-O let him marry a woman that cannot go, fweet Ifis, I befeech thee! And let her die too, and give him a worse! and let worse follow worfe, 'till the worst of all follow him laughing to his grave, fiftyfold a cuckold! Good Ifis, hear me this prayer, though thou deny me a matter of more weight; good Ifis, I beseech thee!

Iras. Amen. Dear goddefs, hear that prayer of the people! for, as it is a heart-breaking to fee a handfome 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.

Char. Amen.

Alex. Lo, now! if it lay in their hands to make me a cuckold, they would make themfelves whores, but they'd do't.

Eno. Huh! here comes Antony.

Char. Not he, the queen.

Enter Cleopatra.

Cleo. Saw you my lord?

Eno. No, lady.

Cleo. Was he not here?

Char. No, madam.

Ant. Antony, thou wouldst fay,-
Mef. O my lord!

[tongue;
Ant. Speak to me home, mince not the general
Name Cleopatra as fhe'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 ftill2; 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 Att. The man from Sicyon.-Is there fuch an
2 Att. He stays upon your will.
Ant. Let him appear.—

These ftrong Ægyptian fetters I must break,
Enter a fecond Meffenger.

Or lose myself in dotage.—What are you?
2 Mef. Fulvia thy wife is dead.
Ant. Where died the ?

2 Mef. In Sicyon:

[one?

Her length of fickness, with what else more serious
Importeth thee to know, this bears. [Gives a letter.
Ant. Forbear me.-
[Exit Meflenger.
There's a great fpirit gone! Thus did I defire it:
What our contempts do often hurl from us,
We with it ours again; the prefent pleasure,

By revolution 3 lowering, does become

The oppofite of itself: fhe's good, being gone; [on.
The hand could 4 pluck her back, that fhov'd her

Cleo. He was difpos'd to mirth; but on the fud-1 must from this enchanting queen break off;

den

A Roman thought hath struck him.-
Eno. Madam.

[bus,

Ten thousand harms, more than the ills I know, -Enobar- My idleness doth hatch.-How now! Enobarbus ! Enter Enobarbus.

[Alexas?
Cleo. Seek him, and bring him hither. Where's
Alex. Here, at your service.-My lord approaches.
Enter Antony, with a Melenger, and Attendants.
Cleo. We will not look upon him : Go with us.
[Exeunt.
Mef. Fulvia thy wife firft 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 force 'gainst
Cæfar;

Whofe 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;
[thus;
Things that are past, are done, with me.-'Tis
Who tells me true, though in his tale lie death,
I hear him as he flatter'd.

Mef. Labienus (this is stiff news)

Eno. Under a compelling occafion, let women die: It were pity to caft them away for nothing; though, between them and a great caufe, they should be esteem'd nothing. Cleopatra, catching but the leaft noife of this, dies inftantly; I have feen her die twenty times upon far poorer moment 5: I do think, there is mettle in death, which commits fome loving act upon her, the hath fuch a celerity in dying.

Ant. She is cunning patt man's thought.

Eno. Alack, fir, no; her pailions are made of nothing but the fineft part of pure love: We cannot call her winds and waters, fighs and tears; they are greater ftorms and tempefts than almanacks can report: this cannot be cunning in her;

1 i. e. feized. 2 The fenfe is, that man, not agitated by cenfure, like foil not ventilated by quick winds, produces more evil than good. 3. e. by change of circumstances. 4 Could for would. Could, would, and fhould, are very often indifcriminately fed in the old plays. 5 i. e. for lefs reafon; upon meaner motives,