Look him i' the face.

PRO. This I'll report, dear lady.

Have comfort; for, I know, your plight is pity'd
Of him that caus'd it.

GAL. You fee how easily she may be surpriz'd;
Here PROCULEIUS, and two of the guard, afcend the mo
nument by a ladder placed against a window, and bav-
ing defcended, come behind CLEOPATRA. Some of the
guard unbar and open the gates.

Guard her till Cæfar come.

[to PROCULEIUS and the guard. Exit GALLUS.

IRAS. Royal queen!

CHAR. O Cleopatra! thou art taken, queen !— CLEO. Quick, quick, good hands. [drawing a dagger. PRO. Hold, worthy lady, hold: [feizes and difarms ber. Do not yourself fuch wrong, who are in this Reliev'd, but not betray'd.

CLEO. What, of death too,

That rids our dogs of languish?

PRO. Cleopatra,

Do not abuse my mafter's bounty, by

The undoing of yourself: let the world fee

His nobleness well acted, which your death
Will never let come forth.

CLEO. Where art thou, death?

Come hither, come! come, come, and take a queeri
Worth many babes and beggars!

PRO. O, temperance, lady!

CLEO. Sir, I will eat no meat, I'll not drink, fir;
If idle talk will once be neceffary,

I'll not fleep neither: This mortal houfe I'll ruin,
Do Cæfar what he can. Know, fir, that I

Will not wait pinion'd at your master's court;

Nor once be cháftis'd with the fober eye
Of dull Octavia. Shall they hoift me up,
And show me to the shouting varletry
Of cenfuring Rome? Rather a ditch in Egypt
Be gentle grave to me! rather on Nilus' mud
Lay me ftark naked, and let the water-flies
Blow me into abhorring! rather make
My country's high pyramides my gibbet,
And hang me up in chains!

PRO. You do extend

These thoughts of horror further than you fhall
Find cause in Cæfar.

DOL. Proculeius,

Enter DOLABELLA.

What thou haft done thy mafter Cæfar knows,
And he hath fent for thee: as for the queen,
I'll take her to my guard.

PRO. SO, Dolabella,

It shall content me beft: be gentle to her.—

To Cæfar I will speak what you shall please, [to CLEOPATRA. If you'll employ me to him.

CLEO. Say, I would die. [Exeunt PROCULEIUS, and Soldiers. DoL. Most noble emprefs, you have heard of me? CLEO. I cannot tell.

DOL. Affuredly, you know me.

CLEO. No matter, fir, what I have heard, or known. You laugh, when boys, or women, tell their dreams; Is't not your trick?

DoL. I understand not, madam.

CLEO. I dream'd, there was an emperor Antony ;O, fuch another fleep, that I might fee

But fuch another man!

DOL. If it might please you,-
VOL. V.

C c

CLEO. His face was as the heavens; and therein stuck A fun, and moon; which kept their course, and lighted The little O, the earth.

DOL. Most fovereign creature,

CLEO. His legs beftrid the ocean: his rear'd arm
Crested the world: his voice was propertied
As all the tuned spheres, and that to friends;
But when he meant to quail and shake the orb,
He was as rattling thunder. For his bouuty,
There was no winter in't; an autumn 'twas,
That grew the more by reaping: His delights
Were dolphin-like; they fhow'd his back above
The element they liv'd in: In his livery

Walk'd crowns, and crownets; realms and iflands were
As plates dropp'd from his pocket.

DOL. Cleopatra,—

CLEO. Think you, there was, or might be, fuch a man As this I dream'd of?

DOL. Gentle madam, no.

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 fhadows quite.

DoL. Hear me, good madam :

Your lofs is as yourself, great; and you bear it
As answering to the weight: 'Would I might never
O'ertake purfu'd fuccefs, but I do feel,

By the rebound of yours, a grief that shoots

My very heart at root.

CLEO. I thank you, fir.

Know you, what Cæfar means to do with me?

DOL. I am loath to tell you

what I would you

knew.

CLEO. Nay, pray you, fir,-

DOL. Though he be honourable,—

CLEO. He'll lead me then in triumph?

DOL. Madam, he will;

I know it.

WITHIN. Make way there,-Cæfar.

Enter CESAR, GALLUS, PROCULEIUS, MECENAS,

SELEUCUS, and Attendants.

CES. Which is the queen

Of Egypt ?

DOL. 'Tis the emperor, madam.

CES. Arife,

You fhall not kneel :

I pray you, rife; rife, Egypt.

CLEO. Sir, the gods

[CLEOPATRA kneels.

Will have it thus; my mafter and my lord
I must obey.

Cas. Take to you no hard thoughts :

The record of what injuries you did us,

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

CLEO. Sole fir o' the world,

I cannot project mine own caufe fo well

To make it clear; but do confefs, I have

Been laden with like frailties, which before
Have often fham'd our fex.

CES. Cleopatra, know,

We will extenuate rather than enforce :

If you apply yourself to our intents,

(Which towards you are most gentle,) you fhall find

A benefit in this change; but if you

To lay on me a cruelty, by taking

feek

Antony's course, you shall bereave yourself
Of my good purposes, and put your children
To that deftruction which I'll guard them from,
If thereon you rely. I'll take my leave.

[we

yours; and

CLEO. And may, through all the world: 'tis Your 'fcutcheons, and your figns of conqueft, fhall Hang in what place you please. Here, my good lord. GES. You fhall advise me in all for Cleopatra. CLEO. This is the brief of money, plate, and jewels, I am poffefs'd of: 'tis exactly valued;

Not petty things admitted..

SEL. Here, madam.

Where's Seleucus?

CLEO. This is my treasurer; let him speak, my lord, Upon his peril, that I have referv'd

To myself nothing. Speak the truth, Seleucus.

SEL. Madam,

I had rather feel 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, Cæfar! O, behold,

How pomp

is follow'd! mine will now be yours; And, fhould we shift eftates, yours would be mine.

The ingratitude of this Seleucus does

Even make me wild :-O flave, of no more truft [fhalt
Than love that's hir'd!-What, goeft thou back? thou
Go back, I warrant thee; but I'll catch thine eyes,
Though they had wings: Slave, foul-lefs villain, dog!
O rarely base!

CAS. Good queen, let us entreat you.

CLEO. O Cæfar, what a wounding fhame is this;