Alack! our terrene moon Ant. Is now eclips'd, and it portends alone The fall of Antony. Cleo. I must stay his time. Ant. To flatter Cæsar, would you mingle eyes With one that ties his points*? Cleo. Not know me yet? Ah, dear! if I be so, Ant. Cold-hearted toward me? Ant. 6 I am satisfied. Cæsar sits down in Alexandria, where I will oppose his fate. Our force by land Have knit again, and fleet', threat'ning most sealike. lady? If from the field I shall return once more Cleo. That's my brave lord! With one that ties his POINTS ?] "Points" were tags at the ends of laces See Vol. iii. p. 500. used to fasten the dress. 5 Dissolve my life!] But for the verse, we might, perhaps, more properly and intelligibly read, "as it dissolves, so determine (or end) my life." "Determine" and "dissolve" may, however, be taken as convertible terms. "dis 6 By the DISCANDYING-] All the folios corruptly read, discandering : candying" was Thirlby's change, and, as Malone observes, the verb to “discandy" is found in the next Act. Three lines above, they all read smile for "smite." 7 and FLEET,] i. e. and float, which Johnson needlessly substituted. Ant. I will be treble-sinew'd, hearted, breath'd, Cleo. It is my birthday: I had thought, to have held it poor; but since my lord Is Antony again, I will be Cleopatra. Ant. We will yet do well. Cleo. Call all his noble captains to my lord. Ant. Do so, we'll speak to them; and to-night I'll force The wine peep through their scars.-Come on, my queen; There's sap in't yet. The next time I do fight, [Exeunt ANTONY, CLEOPATRA, and Attendants. Restores his heart. When valour preys on reason', [Exit. one other GAUDY night.] i. e. night of joy, from gaudium: the expression of "gaudy days" is still in use in the Inns of Court, though now more commonly called grand days. According to Holloway's “General Provincial Dictionary," 8vo. 1838, the expression "gaudy day" is still used in Essex, and we have heard it also in Suffolk. preys on reason,] In the folios, " preys in reason." ACT IV. SCENE I. CAESAR'S Camp at Alexandria. Enter CÆSAR, reading a Letter; AGRIPPA, MECENAS, and Others. Cæs. He calls me boy, and chides, as he had power To beat me out of Egypt; my messenger He hath whipp'd with rods, dares me to personal com bat, Cæsar to Antony: let the old ruffian know, Mec. Cæsar must think, When one so great begins to rage, he's hunted Let our best heads Cæs. [Exeunt. 1 I HAVE many other ways to die,] Sir T. Hanmer read, consistently with Plutarch," He hath many other ways to die." Farmer observes, that the ambiguity of the old English translation of Plutarch, by Sir T. North, led Shakespeare to say “I have," &c. ; but Cæsar only seems contemplating the possibility that he might fall by the sword of Antony. SCENE II. Alexandria. A Room in the Palace. Enter ANTONY, CLEOPATRA, ENOBARBUS, CHARMIAN, IRAS, ALEXAS, and Others. Ant. He will not fight with me, Domitius. Eno. Ant. Why should he not? No. Eno. He thinks, being twenty times of better for tune, He is twenty men to one. Ant. To-morrow, soldier, By sea and land I'll fight: or I will live, Or bathe my dying honour in the blood Shall make it live again. Woo't thou fight well? Ant. Well said; come on. Call forth my household servants: let's to-night Enter Servants. Be bounteous at our meal.-Give me thy hand, Thou, and thou,-and thou:-you have serv'd me well, And kings have been your fellows. Cleo. What means this? Eno. "Tis one of those odd tricks, which sorrow shoots Out of the mind. Ant. And thou art honest too. I wish, I could be made so many men, So good as you have done. Serv. The gods forbid! Ant. Well, my good fellows, wait on me to-night; Scant not my cups, and make as much of me, As when mine empire was your fellow too, And suffer'd my command. Cleo. What does he mean? Eno. To make his followers weep. Tend me to-night; May be, it is the period of your duty: Eno. To give them this discomfort? What mean you, sir, Look, they weep; Ho, ho, ho! And I, an ass, am onion-ey'd: for shame, Ant. Now, the witch take me, if I meant it thus. Grace grow where those drops fall! friends, You take me in too dolorous a sense, My hearty For I spake to you for your comfort; did desire you Than death and honour. Let's to supper; come, [Exeunt. |