I do perceive't:-There's nothing in her yet;
The fellow has good judgment.

Char.

Excellent.

Cleo. Guess at her years, I pr'ythee.

Mess. Madam,

She was a widow.

Cleo.

Widow?-Charmian, hark.

Mess. And I do think she's thirty.

Cleo. Bear'st thou her face in mind? is't long or round? Mess. Round even to faultiness,

Cleo. For the most part too, they are foolish that are so.Her hair, what color?

Mess. Brown, madam; and her forehead As low as she would wish it.

There is gold for thee.

Cleo.
Thou must not take my former sharpness ill:-
I will employ thee back again. I find thee
Most fit for business. Go, make thee ready;
Our letters are prepared.

Char. A proper man.

[Exit Messenger.

Cleo. Indeed, he is so. I repent me much, That I so harried him. Why, methinks, by him, This creature's no such thing,

Char.

Nothing, madam.

Cleo. The man hath seen some majesty, and should know. Char. Hath he seen majesty? Isis else defend,

And serving you so long!

Cleo. I have one thing more to ask him yet, good Char

mian.

But 'tis no matter; thou shalt bring him to me
Where I will write. All may be well enough.
Char. I warrant you, madam.

[Exeunt.

SCENE IV. Athens. A Room in Antony's House. Enter ANTONY and OCTAVIA..

Ant. Nay, nay, Octavia, not only that,-
That were excusable, that, and thousands more
Of semblable import, but he hath waged
New wars 'gainst Pompey; made his will, and read it
To public ear;

Spoke scantly of me; when perforce he could not
But pay me terms of honor, cold and sickly
He vented them; most narrow measure lent me.
When the best hint was given him, he not took't,
Or did it from his teeth.

Oct.
O my good lord,
Believe not all; or, if you must believe,
Stomach not all. A more unhappy lady,

If this division chance, ne'er stood between,

Praying for both parts; the good gods will mock me presently,

When I shall pray, 0, bless my lord and husband!
Undo that prayer, by crying out as loud,

O, bless my brother! Husband win, win brother,
Prays, and destroys the prayer; no midway
'Twixt these extremes at all.

Ant.

Gentle Octavia,

Let your best love draw to that point, which seeks
Best to preserve it. If I lose mine honor,
I lose myself; better I were not yours,

Than yours so branchless. But, as you requested,
Yourself shall go between us. The mean time, lady,
I'll raise the preparation of a war

Shall stain your brother. Make your soonest haste;
So your desires are yours.

Oct. Thanks to my lord.

The Jove of power make me, most weak, most weak,
Your reconciler! Wars 'twixt you twain would be
As if the world should cleave, and that slain men
Should solder up the rift.

Ant. When it appears to you where this begins,
Turn your displeasure that way; for our faults
Can never be so equal, that your love

Can equally move with them. Provide your going;
Choose your own company, and command what cost
Your heart has mind to.

[Exeunt.

SCENE V. The same.

Another Room in the same.

Eno. How now, friend Eros?

Enter ENOBARBUS and EROS, meeting.

Eros. There's strange news come, sir.

Eno. What, man?

Eros. Cesar and Lepidus have made wars upon Pompey. Eno. This is old; what is the success?

Eros. Cæsar, having made use of him in the wars 'gainst Pompey, presently denied him rivality; would not let him partake in the glory of the action; and not resting here, accuses him of letters he had formerly wrote to Pompey; upon his own appeal, seizes him. So the poor third is up, till death enlarge his confine.

Eno. Then, world, thou hast a pair of chaps, no more; And throw between them all the food thou hast, They'll grind the one the other. Where's Antony?

Eros. He's walking in the garden-thus; and spurns The rush that lies before him; cries, Fool, Lepidus! And threats the throat of that his officer, That murdered Pompey.

Eno.

Our great navy's rigged.
More, Domitius;

Eros. For Italy and Cæsar.
My lord desires you presently my news

I might have told hereafter.
Eno.

'Twill be naught;

[Exeunt.

But let it be.-Bring me to Antony.

Eros. Come, sir.

SCENE VI. Rome. A Room in Cæsar's House.

Enter CESAR, AGRIPPA, and MECENAS.

Cæs. Contemning Rome, he has done all this; and more. In Alexandria, here's the manner of it, I' the market-place, on a tribunal silvered, 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?

Cæs. I' the common show-place, where they exercise.
His sons he there proclaimed, The kings of kings;
Great Media, Parthia, and Armenia,

He gave to Alexander; to Ptolemy he assigned
Syria, Cilicia, and Phoenicia. She

In the habiliments of the goddess Isis

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

Mec. Informed.

Let Rome be thus

Agr. Who, queasy with his insolence

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

Agr.

Whom does he accuse?

Cæs. Cæsar; and that, having in Sicily
Sextus Pompeius spoiled, we had not rated him
His part o' the isle: then does he say, he lent me
Some shipping unrestored; lastly, he frets
That Lepidus of the triumvirate

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

Agr.

Sir, this should be answered.

Cæs. '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 conquered, I grant him part; but then, in his Armenia,

And other of his conquered 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 called me so, nor have you cause. Cæs. 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 ostentation 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 constrained, but did it
On my free will. My lord, Mark Antony,
Hearing that you prepared for war, acquainted
My grieved ear withal; whereon, I begged
His pardon for return.

Cæs.

Which soon he granted,

Being an obstruct 'tween his lust and him.

VOL. IV.-4

Oct. Do not say so, my lord.

Cæs.

I have eyes upon him,

And his affairs come to me on the wind.

Where is he now?

Oct.

My lord, in Athens.

Cæs. No, my most wronged 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 Libya; Archelaus,
Of Cappadocia; Philadelphos, king

Of Paphlagonia; the Tracian king, Adallas;
King Malchus of Arabia; king of Pont;
Herod of Jewry; Mithridates, king
Of Comagene; Polemon and Amintas,
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!

Cæs.
Welcome hither.
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 unbewailed 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.