And we must sleep:-That thou depart'st hence safe, [
Does pay thy labour richly; Go.-Off, pluck off;-
[Exit Mardian.

The seven-fold shield of Ajax cannot keep
The battery from my heart. O, cleave, my sides!
Heart, once be stronger than thy continent,'
Crack thy frail case-Apace, Eros, apace.—
No more a soldier :-Bruised pieces, go;
You have been nobly borne.-From me a while.
[Exit Eros.

I will o'ertake thee, Cleopatra, and
Weep for my pardon. So it must be, for now
All length is torture:-Since the torch is out,
Lie down, and stray no further: Now all labour
Mars what it does; yea, very force entangles
Itself with strength: Seal then,2 and all is done.—
Eros!-I come, my queen :-Eros!-Stay for me:
Where souls do couch on flowers, we'll hand in
hand,

And with our sprightly port make the ghosts gaze:
Dido and her Æneas shall want troops,
And all the haunt be ours.-Come, Eros, Eros!
Re-enter Eros.

Eros. What would my lord?
Ant.
Since Cleopatra died,
I have liv'd in such dishonour, that the gods
Detest my baseness. I, that with my sword
Quarter'd the world, and o'er green Neptune's back
With ships made cities, condemn myself, to lack
The courage of a woman; less noble mind
Than she, which, by her death, our Cæsar tells,
I am conqueror of myself. Thou art sworn, Eros,
That, when the exigent should come (which now
Is come, indeed,) when I should see behind me
The inevitable prosecution of

Disgrace and horror, that, on my command,
Thou then would'st kill me: do't; the time is come:
Thou strik'st not me, 'tis Cæsar thou defeat'st.
Put colour in thy cheek.

Eros.
The gods withhold me!
Shall I do that, which all the Parthian darts,
Though enemy, lost aim, and could not?

Eros,

Ant. Would'st thou be window'd in great Rome, and see Thy master thus with pleach'd3 arms, bending down His corrigible4 neck, his face subdued

To penetratives shame; whilst the wheel'd seat Of fortunate Cæsar, drawn before him, branded His baseness that ensued ?6

cur'd.

Draw that thy honest sword, which thou hast worn
Most useful for thy country.

Eros.
O, sir, pardon me.
Ant. When I did make thee free, swor'st thou
not then

To do this when I bade thee? Do it at once;
Or thy precedent services are all
But accidents unpurpos'd. Draw, and come.
Eros. Turn from me then that noble countenance,
Wherein the worship of the whole world lies.
Ant. Lo thee.
[Turning from him.
Eros. My sword is drawn.
Ant

Then let it do at once
The thing why thou hast drawn it.
Eros.
My dear master,
My captain, and my emperor! let me say,
Before I strike this bloody stroke, farewell.
Ant. 'Tis said, man ;—and farewell.

(1) i. e. The thing that contains thee. (2) Sealing completes a contract,

VOL. II,

Eros. Farewell, great chie. Shall I strike now?
Ant.
Now, Eros.
Eros. Why, there then :-[Falls on his sword.
Thus do I escape the sorrow

Of Antony's death. Ant

[Dies. Thrice nobler than myself! Thou teachest me, O valiant Eros, what

I should, and thou could'st not. My queen and Eros
Have, by their brave instruction, got upon me
A nobleness in record: But I will be
A bridegroom in my death, and run into't
As to a lover's bed. Come then; and, Eros,
Thy master dies thy scholar; to do thus

[Falling on his sword. I learn'd of thee. How! not yet dead? not dead?-The guard!-ho!-O, despatch me.

phesying fear

Of what hath come to pass: for when she saw
(Which never shall be found,) you did suspect
She had dispos'd with Cæsar, and that your rage
Would not be purg'd, she sent you word she was
dead;

But, fearing since how it might work, hath sent
Me to proclaim the truth; and I am come,
I dread, too late.

Ant. Too late, good Diomed:-Call my guard,
I pr'ythee.

Dio. What, ho! the emperor's guard! The guard, what, ho!

Come, your lord calls.

To grace it with your sorrows: bid that welcome
Which comes to punish us, and we punish it
Seeming to bear it lightly. Take me up:
I have led you oft; carry me now, good friends,
And have my thanks for all.

[Exeunt, bearing Antony.

SCENE XIII.—The same. A monument. En-
ter above, Cleopatra, Charmian, and Iras.
Cleo. O Charmian, I will never go from hence.
Char. Be comforted, dear madam.
Cleo.
No, I will not:
All strange and terrible events are welcome,
But comforts we despise; our size of sorrow,
Proportion'd to our cause, must be as great

Enter Diomedes.

As that which makes it.-How now? is he dead?
Dio. His death's upon him, but not dead.
Look out o'the other side your monument,
His guard have brought him thither.

Enter Antony, borne by the Guard.

'Cleo. O thou sun, Burn the great sphere thou mov'st in !-darkling stand

The varying shore o'the world!-0 Antony!
Antony, Antony !-Charmian, help; help, Iras;
Help, friends below; let's draw him hither.
Ant.

Peace:

Not Cæsar's valour hath o'erthrown Antony,
But Antony's hath triumph'd on itself.

Cleo. So it should be, that none but Antony
Should conquer Antony; but wo 'tis so!

Ant. I am dying, Egypt, dying; only
I here impórtune death a while, until
Of many thousand kisses the poor last
I lay upon thy lips.-

Cleo.
I dare not, dear
(Dear my lord, pardon,) I dare not,
Lest ! be taken: not the imperious show

Of the full-fortun'd Cæsar ever shall

Be brooch'd2 with me; if knife, drugs, serpents,

have

Edge, sting, or operation, I am safe:
Your wife Octavia, with her modest eyes,
And still conclusion,3 shall acquire no honour
Demuring upon me.-But come, come, Antony,-
Help me, my women,-we must draw thee up ;-
Assist, good friends.

Ant.

O, quick, or I am gone. Cleo. Here's sport, indeed!-How heavy weighs my lord!

Our strength is all gone into heaviness,

That makes the weight: Had I great Juno's power,
The strong-wing'd Mercury should fetch thee up.
And set thee by Jove's side. Yet come a little,--
Wishers were ever fools;-O, come, come, come;
[They draw Antony up.
And welcome, welcome! die, where thou hast liv'd:
Quicken4 with kissing; had my lips that power,
Thus would I wear them out.
All.

A heavy sight!
Ant. I am dying, Egypt, dying:
Give me some wine, and let me speak a little.

Cleo. No, let me speak; and let me rail so high,||
That the false house-wife Fortune break her wheel,
Provok'd by my offence.
Ant.

Ant.

Gentle, hear me: None about Cæsar trust, but Proculeius. Cleo. My resolution, and my hands, I'll trust; None about Cæsar.

Ant. The miserable change now at my end, Lament nor sorrow at: but please your thoughts, Wherein I liv'd, the greatest prince o'the world, In feeding them with those my former fortunes The noblest and do now not basely die, Nor cowardly; put off my helmet to My countryman, a Roman, by a Roman Valiantly vanquish'd. Now, my spirit is going; I can no more. [Dies.

Cleo.

Noblest of men, woo't die?
Hast thou no care of me? shall I abide
In this dull world, which in thy absence is
No better than a stye?-O, see, my women,
The crown o'the earth doth melt :-My lord!-
O, wither'd is the garland of the war,

The soldier's pole is fallen; young boys, and girls,
Are level now with men: the odds is gone,
And there is nothing left remarkable
Beneath the visiting moon.

[She faints.
Char.
O, quietness, lady!
Iras. She is dead too, our sovereign.
Lady,-

Char.

Iras.

Char. O madam, madam, madam!

Iras.

Empress!

Char Peace, peace, Iras.

Madam,

Royal Egypt!

Cleo. No more, but e'en a woman; and commanded

By such poor passion as the maid that milks,
And does the meanest chares 5-It were for me
To throw my sceptre at the injurious gods;
To tell them, that this world did equal theirs,
Till they had stolen our jewel. All's but naught;
Patience is sottish; and impatience does
Become a dog that's mad: Then is it sin,
To rush into the secret house of death,
Ere death dare come to us?-How do you, women?
What, what? good cheer! Why, how now,

Char

mian? My noble girls!-Ah, women, women! look, Our lamp is spent, it's out:-Good sirs, take heart:We'll bury him: and then, what's brave, what's [To the guard below. noble,

Let's do it after the high Roman fashion,
This case of that huge spirit now is cold.
And make death proud to take us. Come, away:
Ah, women, women! come; we have no friend
But resolution, and the briefest end.

[Exeunt; those above bearing off An-
tony's body.

ACT V.

(1) Without light. (3) Sedate determination.

(2) Ornamented.

(4) Revive. (6) Frustrated.

(5) Task-work.

(7) He trifles with us.

I have follow'd thee to this ;-But we do lance
Diseases in our bodies: I must perforce
Have shown to thee such a declining day,
Or look on thine; we could not stall together
In the whole world: But yet let me lament,
With tears as sovereign as the blood of hearts,
That thou, my brother, my competitor
In top of all design, my mate in empire,
Friend and companion in the front of war,
The arm of mine own body, and the heart

SCENE II.-Alexandria. A room in the monument. Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, and Iras.

Cleo. My desolation does begin to make A better life: 'Tis paltry to be Cæsar; Not being fortune, he's but fortune's knave,2 A minister of her will; And it is great To do that thing that ends all other deeds; Which shackles accidents, and bolts up change; Which sleeps, and never palates more the dung, The beggar's nurse and Cæsar's.

Enter, to the gates of the monument, Proculeius, Gallus, and Soldiers.

Pro. Cæsar sends greeting to the queen of
Egypt;

And bids thee study on what fair demands
Thou mean'st to have him grant thee.

Cleo. [Within.]

Pro. My name is Proculeius.

Cleo. [Within.]

What's thy name?

Antony

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.

stars,

Unreconciliable, should divide

Make your full reference freely to my lord, Who is so full of grace, that it flows over

But I will tell you at some meeter season;

Your sweet dependancy; and you shall find
A conqueror, that will pray in aid for kindness,
Where he for grace is kneel'd to.

Cleo. [Within.]

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;

Cleo. And may, through all the world: 'tis

yours; and we

Your 'scutcheons, and your signs of conquest, shall
Hang in what place you please. Here, my good lord.
Caes. You shall advise me in all for Cleopatra.
Cleo. This is the brief of money, plate, and jewels,
I am possess'd of: 'tis exactly valued;
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 seel! 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.

Cæs.

Good queen, let us entreat you.
Cleo. O Cæsar, what a wounding shame is this;
That, thou vouchsafing here to visit me,
Doing the honour of thy lordliness

To one so meek, that mine own servant should
Parcel3 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,5 and Octavia,6 to induce
Their mediation; must I be unfolded
With one that I have bred? The gods! It smites me
Beneath the fall I have. Pr'ythee, go hence;
[To Seleucus.
Or I shall show the cinders? of my spirits
Through the ashes of my chance:-Wert thou a
man,

Thou would'st have mercy on me.
Cœs.

Forbear, Seleucus. [Exit Seleucus. Cleo. Be it known, that we, the greatest, are mis-thought

For things that others do; and, when we fall,
We answer others' merits8 in our name,
Are therefore to be pitied.

Cœs.

Cleopatra,

O the good gods! Cleo. Nay, that is certain. Iras. I'll never see it; for, I am sure, my nails Are stronger than mine eyes.

Cleo.

Why, that's the way
To fool their preparation, and to conquer
Their most absurd intents.-Now, Charmian ?--
Enter Charmian.

Show me, my women, like a queen ;-Go fetch
My best attires;-I am again for Cydnus,
To meet Mark Antony-Sirrah, Iras, go.-
Now, noble Charmian, we'll despatch indeed:
And, when thou hast done this chare,12 I'll give thee
leave

To play till dooms-day-Bring our crown and all.
Wherefore's this noise? [Ex. Iras. A noise within.
Enter one of the Guard.

Guard.

Here is a rural fellow, That will not be denied your highness' presence; He brings you figs.

(9) Beadles.

(10) Lively.

(11) Female characters were played by boys. (12) Job of work.