Not Cæsar's valour hath o'erthrown Antony, ANT. I am dying, Egypt,-dying; only CLEO. Of the full-fortun'd Cæsar ever shall Be brooch'd with me; if knife, drugs, serpents, have Edge, sting, or operation, I am safe: ANT. O, quick, or I am gone! CLEO. Here's sport, indeed!-How heavy weighs my lord! Our strength is all gone into heaviness ; IRAS. She is dead too, our sovereign! That the false housewife, Fortune," break her wheel, CHAR. IRAS. One word, sweet queen: Of Cæsar seek your honour, with your safety.-O! CLEO. They do not go together. 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, In feeding them with those my former fortunes Wherein I liv'd, the greatest prince o' the world, The noblest; and do now not basely die, Not cowardly put off my helmet to My countryman, a Roman by a Roman Valiantly vanquish'd.(3) Now, my spirit is going; I can no more. b 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 sty ?-O, see, my women, [ANTONY dies. The crown o' the earth doth melt!- My lord!O, wither'd is the garland of the war! The soldier's pole is fall'n: young boys and girls Are level now with men; the odds is gone, And there is nothing left remarkable Beneath the visiting moon. CHAR. [Faints. O, quietness, lady! Lady!Madam! Royal Egypt! CHAR. O madam, madam, madam !— IRAS. Empress ! CHAR. Peace, peace, Iras! [commanded CLEO. No more, but e'en a woman, and By such poor passion as the maid that milks, And does the meanest chares.-It were for me To throw my sceptre at the injurious gods; To tell them that this world did equal theirs, Till they had stol'n our jewel.-All's but nought; 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? [Charmian! What, what! good cheer! Why, how now, My noble girls!-Ah, women, women! look, Our lamp is spent, it's out!-Good sirs, take heart ::[noble, We'll bury him; and then, what's brave, what's Let's do it after the high Roman fashion, And make Death proud to take us. Come, d This case of that huge spirit now is cold.-- [Exeunt; those above bearing off ANTONY's body. (*) First folio, in, corrected by Capell. of addressing women was not unusual; and, consequently, that the modern stage direction here, "[To the Guard below," is improper. Thus, as quoted by Mr. Dyce from Beaumont and Fletcher's play of "The Coxcomb," Act IV. Sc. 3, the mother, speaking to Viola, Nan, and Madge, says, "Sirs, to your tasks, and shew this little novice How to bestir herself," &c. Again, as quoted by Mr. Dyce from the same authors' "A King and No King," Act III. Sc. 1, "Spa. I do beseech you, madam, send away A few sad words, which, set against your joys, Pan. Sirs, leave me all. [Exeunt Wailing-women." DER. CES. tell him, that he mocks us By-" and Mr. Sidney Walker would adhere to the old text, but, as was not unusual with the poet's contemporaries, pronounce "frustrate" trisyllabically. O, Antony! I have follow'd thee to this; -but we do lance Where mine his thoughts did kindle,—that our CES. Let him alone, for I remember now How he's employed: he shall in time be ready. Go with me to my tent; where you shall see How hardly I was drawn into this war; How calm and gentle I proceeded still In all my writings. Go with me, and see What I can show in this. [Exeunt. 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, 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 dug, 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; (*) Old text, leave. Corrected by Southern. In the old copies we have, and never palates more the dung," &c. an obvious misprint, though not wanting defenders, which was corrected by Warburton. PP 2 Pray you, tell him I am his fortune's vassal, and I send him PRO. 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! Do not yourself such wrong, who are in this 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, Of censuring Rome? Rather a ditch in Egypt PRO. You do extend 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." c for the queen,-] The second folio reads, "as for " |