Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

And bids thee study on what fair demands

Thou mean'st to have him grant thee. CLEO.

What's thy name?

Antony

PRO. My name is Proculeius.
CLEO.

Did tell me of you, bade me trust you; but

I do not greatly care to be deceiv'd,
That have no use for trusting. If your master
Would have a queen his beggar, you must tell him
That majesty, to keep decorum, must

No less beg than a kingdom: if he please
To give me conquer'd Egypt for my son,
He gives me so much of mine own, as I
Will kneel to him with thanks.

PRO.
Be of good cheer;
You're fall'n into a princely hand, fear nothing:
Make your full reference freely to my lord,
Who is so full of grace, that it flows over
On all that need. Let me report to him
Your sweet dependency, and you shall find
A
conqueror that will pray in aid for kindness,
Where he for grace is kneel'd to.

CLEO.

Pray you, tell him

I am his fortune's vassal, and I send him
The greatness he has got. I hourly learn
A doctrine of obedience; and would gladly
Look him i' the face.

PRO.
This I'll report, dear lady.
Have comfort, for I know your plight is pitied
Of him that caus'd it.

GAL." You see how easily she may be surpris'd; [Here PROCULEIUS and two of the Guard ascend the Monument by a ladder placed against a window, and, having descended, come behind CLEOPATRA. Some of the Guard unbar and open the gates. Guard her till Cæsar come.

[TO PROCULEIUS and the Guard. Exit. IRAS. Royal queen!

CHAR. O, Cleopatra! thou art taken, queen !— CLEO. Quick, quick, good hands.

PRO.

[Drawing a dagger. Hold, worthy lady, hold! [Seizes and disarms her.

Do not yourself such wrong, who are in this
Reliev'd, but not betray'd.

[blocks in formation]

CLEO. Where art thou, Death? Come hither, come! come, come, and take a queen Worth many babes and beggars! PRO.

O, temperance, lady! CLEO. Sir, I will eat no meat, I'll not drink, sir;

If idle talk will once be accessary,b

I'll not sleep neither: this mortal house I'll ruin,
Do Cæsar what he can. Know, sir, that I
Will not wait pinion'd at your master's court;
Nor once be chástis'd with the sober eye
Of dull Octavia. Shall they hoist me up,
And show me to the shouting varletry

Of censuring Rome? Rather a ditch in Egypt
Be gentle grave unto me! Rather on Nilus' mud
Lay me stark nak'd, and let the water-flies
Blow me into abhorring! Rather make
My country's high pyramids my gibbet,
And hang me up in chains!

PRO.

You do extend These thoughts of horror further than you Find cause in Cæsar.

[blocks in formation]

shall

What thou hast done thy master Cæsar knows, And he hath sent for thee: for the queen, I'll take her to my guard.

PRO.

So, Dolabella,

[blocks in formation]

a GAL.] The prefix in the first folio is "Pro. :" in the second, "Char." Malone first assigned the speech to Gallus, and added the stage direction which follows.

b If idle talk will once be accessary, -] We adopt here Hanmer's substitution " accessary" in place of necessary, the

reading of the old copies. The sense is plainly,-"I'll neither eat nor drink, and, if idle talk will, for the nonce, be assistant, I'll not sleep."

for the queen,-] The second folio reads, " as for."

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]
[blocks in formation]

CLEO. You lie, up to the hearing of the gods! But, if there be, or ever were, one such, It's past the size of dreaming: Nature wants stuff To vie strange forms with fancy; yet, to imagine An Antony, were Nature's piece 'gainst fancy, Condemning shadows quite.d

DOL. Hear me, good madam : Your loss is as yourself, great; and you bear it As answering to the weight: would I might never O'ertake pursu'd success, but I do feel, By the rebound of yours, a grief that smites† My very heart at root.

I thank you, sir.

CLEO. Know you what Cæsar means to do with me? DOL. I am loth to tell you what I would you knew.

CLEO. Nay, pray you, sir,—

DOL.
Though he be honourable,-
CLEO. He'll lead me, then, in triumph?
DOL. Madam, he will; I know 't.

[Flourish without. Without. Make way there,-Cæsar!

[blocks in formation]

Will have it thus; my master and my lord

I must obey. CES.

Take to you no hard thoughts: The record of what injuries you did us,

Though written in our flesh, we shall remember As things but done by chance.

CLEO.

Sole sir o' the world,

I cannot project mine own cause so well To make it clear; but do confess I have Been laden with like frailties which before Have often sham'd our sex.

CES.

Cleopatra, know,

We will extenuate rather than enforce: If you apply yourself to our intents, (Which towards you are most gentle) you shall

find

A benefit in this change; but if you seek
To lay on me a cruelty, by taking
Antony's course, you shall bereave yourself
Of my good purposes, and put your children
To that destruction which I'll guard them from,
If thereon you rely. I'll take my leave.

CLEO. And may, through all the world: 't is yours; and we,

Your scutcheons and your signs of conquest, shall Hang in what place you please. Here, my good lord.

CES. You shall advise me in all for Cleopatra. CLEO. This is the brief of money, plate, and

jewels,

I am possess'd of: 't is exactly valu'd;
Not petty things admitted.-Where's Seleucus?
SEL. Here, madam.

CLEO. This is my treasurer; let him speak, my lord,

Upon his peril, that I have reserv'd

To myself nothing. Speak the truth, Seleucus.
SEL. Madam,

I had rather seal my lips, than, to my peril,
Speak that which is not.

CLEO.
What have I kept back?
SEL. Enough to purchase what you have made

known.

CES. Nay, blush not, Cleopatra ; I approve Your wisdom in the deed.

CLEO. See, Cæsar! O, behold, How pomp is follow'd! mine will now be yours; And should we shift estates yours would be mine.

mastered the sense of this, or indeed that the text exhibits precisely what Shakespeare wrote, but the meaning apparently is, "Nature lacks material to compete with fancy in unwonted shapes, yet the conception of an Antony was a masterpiece of Nature over fancy, abasing phantoms quite."

e-seal my lips,-] The old reading is, "seele my lippes," but here there is no allusion to the practice of seeling a hawk's eyes, as some editors suppose; to seal one's lips was a familiar expression ages before Shakespeare lived.

[blocks in formation]

That thou, vouchsafing here to visit me,
Doing the honour of thy lordliness

To one so meek,-that mine own servant should

Parcel the sum of my disgraces by

Addition of his envy! Say, good Cæsar,
That I some lady trifles have reserv'd,
Immoment toys, things of such dignity

As we greet modern friends withal; and say,
Some nobler token I have kept apart
For Livia and Octavia, to induce
Their mediation; must I be unfolded

With one that I have bred? The gods! It smites

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

Which my love makes religion to obey,

I tell you this: Cæsar through Syria
Intends his journey; and, within three days,
You with your children will he send before:
Make your best use of this: I have perform'd
Your pleasure, and my promise.
CLEO.

I shall remain your debtor.
DOL.

Dolabella,

I your servant. Adieu, good queen; I must attend on Cæsar. CLEO. Farewell, and thanks.

[Exit DoL. Now, Iras, what think'st thou ? Thou, an Egyptian puppet, shalt be shown In Rome, as well as I: nechanic slaves With greasy aprons, rules, and hammers, shal Uplift us to the view; in their thick breaths, Rank of gross diet, shall we be enclouded, And forc'd to drink their vapour. IRAS. The gods forbid! CLEO. Nay, 't is most certain, Iras :

C

:-saucy

lictors
Will catch at us, like strumpets; and scald rh mers
Ballad us out o' tune: the quick comedians
Extemporally will stage us, and present
Our Alexandrian revels; Antony

Shall be brought drunken forth, and I shall see
Some squeaking Cleopatra boy my greatness
I' the posture of a whore.

IRAS.

O, the good gods! CLEO. Nay, that 's certain.

IRAS. I'll never see 't; for, I am sure, my nails

Are stronger than mine eyes.

CLEO.
Why, that's the
To fool their preparation, and to conquer
Their most absurdd intents.-

way

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

I

CLOWN. Very many, men and women too. heard of one of them no longer than yesterday: a very honest woman, but something given to lie; as a woman should not do, but in the way of honesty: how she died of the biting of it, what pain she felt, truly, she makes a very good report o' the worm; but he that will believe all that they say, shall never be saved by half that they do but this is most fallible, the worm 's an odd worm.

[blocks in formation]

CLEO. Give me my robe, put on my crown; have

I

Immortal longings in me. Now no more
The juice of Egypt's grape shall moist this lip :-
Yare, yare, good Iras; quick.-Methinks I hear
Antony call; I see him rouse himself
To praise my noble act; I hear him mock
The luck of Cæsar, which the gods give men
To excuse their after wrath :-husband, I come :
Now to that name my courage prove my title!
I am fire and air; my other elements
I give to baser life.-So, have you done?
Come then, and take the last warmth of my lips.
Farewell, kind Charmian ;-Iras, long farewell.
[Kisses them. IRAS falls and dies."
Have I the aspic in my lips? Dost fall?
If thou and nature can so gently part,
The stroke of death is as a lover's pinch,
Which hurts, and is desir'd. Dost thou lie still?
If thus thou vanishest, thou tell'st the world

It is not worth leave-taking.

CHAR. Dissolve, thick cloud, and rain, that I may say,

The gods themselves do weep!

CLEO. This proves me base: If she first meet the curled Antony, He'll make demand of her, and spend that kiss

a [IRAS falls and dies.] "Iras must be supposed to have applied an asp to her arm while her mistress was settling her dress, or I know not why she should fall so soon."-STEEVENS.

Which is my heaven to have.-Come, thou mortal wretch,

[To an asp, which she applies to her breast.
With thy sharp teeth this knot intrinsicate
Of life at once untie : poor venomous fool,
Be angry, and despatch. O, couldst thou speak,
That I might hear thee call great Cæsar, Ass
Unpolicied!

CHAR. O, eastern star!
CLEO.

Peace, peace!
Dost thou not see my baby at my breast,
That sucks the nurse asleep?
CHAR.
O, break! O, break!
CLEO. As sweet as balm, as soft as air, as
gentle,-

O, Antony!-Nay, I will take thee too :[Applying another asp to her arm.

What should I stayCHAR. In this vile

well.

[Dies. world?-So, fare thee

[blocks in formation]
« AnteriorContinuar »