Have fhewn to thee fuch a declining day,
Or look on thine; we could not fall together
In the whole world. But yet let me lament
With tears as fovereign as the blood of hearts,
That thou my brother, my competitor
In top of all defign, my mate in Empire,
Friend and companion in the front of war,
The arm of mine own body, and the heart
Where mine its thoughts did kindle; that our stars,
Unreconcileable, fhould have divided

Our equalnefs to this. Hear me, good friends,
But I will tell you at fome meeter season.-
The business of this man looks out of him,
We'll hear him what he fays. Whence are you?
Enter an Egyptian.

Egypt. A poor Egyptian yet; the Queen my mistress,
Confin'd in all fhe has, (her monument)
Of thy intents defires inftruction;

That the preparedly may frame herself
To th' fhe's forc'd to.

way

Caf. Bid her have good heart;

She foon fhall know of us, by fome of ours,
How honourably and how kindly we

Determine for her. For Cæfar cannot live,
To be ungentle.

Egypt. May the Gods preferve thee!

Caf. Come hither, Proculeius; go, and fay,

[Exit.

We purpose her no shame; give her what comforts
The quality of her passion shall require;
Left in her greatnefs by fome mortal ftroke
She do defeat us: for her life in Rome
Would be eternaling our triumph. Go,

And with your speedieft bring us what she says,

And how you find her.

Pro. Cæfar, I fhall.

[Exit Proculeius.

[Exit Gallus.

Caf. Gallus, go you along;-where's Dolabella, To fecond Proculeius?

N 5

All.

Alt. Dolabella!

Caf. Let him alone; for I remember now,
How he's employ'd: he shall in time be ready.
Go with me to my Tent, where you shall fee
How hardly I was drawn into this war;
How calm and gentle I proceeded ftill
In all my writings. Go with me, and fee
What I can fhew in this.

SCENE II.

Changes to the Monument.

[Exeunt.

Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, Iras, Mardian, and

Cleo.

Seleucus, above.

Y defolation does begin to make

ΜΥ

A better life; 'tis paltry to be Cæfar ; Not being Fortune, he's but Fortune's knave, A minifter of her Will; and it is great To do that thing, that ends all other deeds; Which hackles accidents, and bolts up change; [Lulls wearied nature to a found repofe]

(Which fleeps, and never palates more the Dung:) The beggar's nurfe, and Cæfar's.

Enter Proculeius.

Pro. Cafar fends Greeting to the Queen of Egypt, And bids thee ftudy on what fair demands Thou mean'ft to have him grant thee.

Cleo. What's thy name?

Pro. My name is Proculeius.

Cleo. Antony

Did tell me of you, bade me trust you,

I do not greatly care to be deceiv'd,

but

That have no ufe for trufting. If your mafter

Would have a Queen his beggar, you must tell him, That Majefly, to keep decorum, must

No lefs beg than a Kingdom; if he please

To give me conquer'd Egypt for my Son,

He

He gives me fo 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 ref'rence freely to my lord,
Who is fo full of grace, that it flows over
On all that need. Let me report to him
Your fweet dependency, and you fhall find
A Conqu'ror 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 vaffal, and I send him
The Greatness he has got. I hourly learn
A doctrine of obedience, and would gladly
Look him i'th' face.

Pro. This I'll report, deaf lady.

Have comfort, for, I know, your plight is pity'd

Of him that caus'd it.

[Here Gallus, and Guard, afcend the Monument by a Ladder, and enter at a back Window. Gall. You fee, how eafy fhe may be furpriz'd. Pro. Guard her, 'till Cæfar come.

Iras. O Royal Queen!

Char. Oh Cleopatra! thou art taken, Queen.

Cleo. Quick, quick, good hands.

[Drawing a Dagger.

[The Monument is open'd; Proculeius rushes in, and difarms the Queen.

Pro. Hold, worthy lady, hold :

Do not yourself fuch wrong, who are in this

Bereav'd, but not betray'd.

[languish ?

Cleo. What, of death too, that rids our dogs of

Pro. Do not abuse my master's bounty, by

Th' undoing of yourfelf: let the world fee
His Noblenefs well acted, which your death
Will never let come forth.

Cleo. Where art thou, death?

Come hither, come: oh come, and take a Queen

Worth many babes and beggars.

Pro. Oh, temperance, lady!

Cleo. Sir, I will eat no meat, I'll not drink, Sir.: * If idle time will once be necessary,

I'll not fleep neither.

Do Cafar what he can.

This mortal houfe I'll ruin, Know, Sir, that I Will not wait pinion'd at your mafter's Court, Nor once be chaftis'd with the fober eye Of dull Octavia. Shall they hoist me up, And fhew me to the fhouting varletry Of cens'ring Rome? rather a ditch in Egypt Be gentle Grave unto me! rather on Nilus' mud Lay me ftark nak'd, 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

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

SCENE

Enter Dolabella.

Dol. PROCULEIUS.

III.

What thou haft done thy mafter Cafar
knows,

And he hath fent for thee: as for the Queen,
I'll take her to my guard.

Pro. So, Dolabella,

It fhall content me beft; be gentle to her;

To Cafar I will fpeak what you fhall please,

If you'll employ me to him.

Cleo. Say, I would die.

[Exit Proculeius.

Dol. Moft noble Emprefs, you have heard of me.

Cleo. I cannot tell.

Dol. Affuredly, you know me.

If idle talk will once be neceffary,] This Nonfenfe should be re.

formed thus,- -If idle time will once be neceffary.

neceffary to cherish Life, I will not fleep.

i. e. if Repose be

Warb

Cleo.

Cleo. No matter, Sir, 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 dreamt, there was an Emp'ror Antony; Oh fuch another fleep, that I might fee

But fuch another man!

Dol. If it might please ye

[ftuck

Cleo. His face was as the heav'ns; and therein A Sun and Moon, which kept their course, and The little O o'th' Earth. [lighted

Dol. Moft fovereign creature!

Cleo. His legs beftrid the ocean, his rear'd arm
Crefted the world: his voice was propertied
As all the tuned Spheres, when that to friends:
But when he meant to quail, and shake the Orb,
He was a ratling thunder. For his bounty,
There was no winter in't: An Autumn 'twas
That grew the more by reaping. His delights
Were dolphin-like, they fhew'd his back above
The element they liv'd in; in his livery

Walk'd Crowns and Coronets, realms and iflands
As plates dropt from his pocket.

Dol. Cleopatra

[were

Cleo. Think you, there was, or might be, fuch a

As this I dreamt of?

Dol. Gentle Madam, no.

[man

Cleo. You lie, up to the hearing of the Gods ;
But if there be, or ever were one fuch,

It's paft the fize of dreaming: Nature wants fluff
To vye ftrange forms with Fancy, yet t'imagine
An Antony, were Nature's Prize 'gainst Fancy,
Condemning fhadows quite.

Dol. Hear me, good Madam:

Your lofs is as yourfelf, great; and you bear it,
As anfw'ring to the weight: 'would, I might never
O'er-take purfu'd fuccess, but I do feel,

By the rebound of yours, a grief that shoots

My