Their mediation; must I be unfolded With one that I have bred? The gods! It fmites me Through the afhes of my chance :-Wert thou a man, Caf. Forbear, Seleucus. [Exit SELEUCUS Cleo. Be it known, that we, the greateft, are mifthought For things that others do; and, when we fall, We anfwer others' merits in our name, Are therefore to be pitied. Caf. Cleopatra, Not what you have referv'd, nor what acknowledg'd, Beftow it at your pleasure; and believe, Cæfar's no merchant, to make prize with you Of things that merchants fold. Therefore be cheer'd; Yourself fhall give us counfel. Feed, and sleep: That we remain your friend; And fo, adieu. Cleo. My mafter, and my lord! Caf. Not fo: Adieu. [Exeunt CESAR, and his train. Cleo. He words me, girls, he words me, that Ifhould not Be noble to myfelf: but hark thee, Charmian. [whispers Charmian. Iras. Finish, good lady; the bright day is done, And we are for the dark. Cleo. Hie thee again: I have fpoke already, and it is provided ; Go, put it to the haste. Re-enter DOLABELLA. Char. Madam, I will. Dol. Where is the queen? Char. Behold, fir. [Exit CHARMIAN. That 6 Make not your thoughts your prifons:] I once wished to read, Do not destroy yourfelf by mufing on your misfortune. Yet I would change nothing, as the old reading prefents a very proper fenfe. Be not a prisoner in imagination, when in reality you are free. JOHNSON. . Cleo. Dolabella ? Dol. Madam, as thereto fworn by your command, Which my love makes religion to obey, I tell you this: Cæfar through Syria Intends his journey; and, within three days, Cleo. Dolabella, I fhall remain your debtor. Dol. I your fervant. Adieu, good queen; I must attend on Cæfar. Cleo. Farewel, and thanks. [Exit Dola.] Now, Iras, Thou, an Egyptian puppet, fhalt be fhewn Iras. The gods forbid ! Cleo. Nay, 'tis moft certain, Iras: Saucy lictors Will catch at us, like ftrumpets; and scald rhimers Extemporally will ftage us, and prefent Our Alexandrian revels; Antony Shall be brought drunken forth, and I fhall fee I' the pofture of a whore. Iras. O the good gods! Cleo. Nay, that's certain. Iras. I'll never fee it; for, I am fure, my Are ftronger than mine eyes. Cleo. Why, that's the way To fool their preparation, and to conquer nails Their moft abfurd intents.-Now, Charmian?-- Shew 7 Scald was a word of contempt implying poverty, disease, and filth. 8 The parts of women were acted on the ftage by boys. To obviate this impropriety of men reprefenting women, T. Goff, in his tragedy of the Raging Turk, 1631, has no female character. Enter CHARMIAN. Shew me, my women, like a queen ;-Go fetch And, when thou haft done this chare, I'll give thee leave To play till dooms-day.-Bring our crown and all. Wherefore's this noife? [Exit Iras. A noise within. Enter one of the Guard. Guard. Here's a rural fellow, That will not be deny'd your highness' prefence; Cleo. Let him come in. What poor an inftrument [Exit Guard. May do a noble deed! he brings me liberty. Re-enter Guard, with a Clown bringing a basket. Guard. This is the man. Cleo. Avoid, and leave him. I Haft thou the pretty worm of Nilus there, [Exit Guard. Clown. Truly I have him: but I would not be the party that should defire you to touch him, for his biting is immortal; thofe, that do die of it, do feldom or never recover. Cleo. Remember'ft thou any that have died on't? Clown. Very many, men and women too. I heard of one of them no longer than yesterday: a very honeft woman, but fomething given to lie; as a woman fhould not 9 -now the fleeting moon do, Alluding to the Egyptian devotion paid to the moon under the name of Ifis. Worm is the Teutonick word for ferpent; we have the blind-worm and flow-worm ftill in our language, and the Norwegians call an enormous monster, feen fometimes in the northern ocean, the fea-worm. In the Northern counties, the word worm is ftill given to the ferpent fpecies in general. do, but in the way of honefty: how she died of the biting of it, what pain fhe felt,-Truly, the makes a very good report o' the worm: But he that will believe all that they fay, shall never be saved by half that they do2: But this is moft fallible, the worm's an odd worm. Cleo. Get thee hence; farewel. Clown. I wish you all joy of the worm. [Clown fets down the basket. Clown. You must think this, look you, that the worm will do his kind3. Cleo. Ay, ay; farewel. Clown. Look you, the worm is not to be trufted, but in the keeping of wife people; for, indeed, there is no goodness in the worm. Cleo. Take thou no care; it shall be heeded. Clown. Very good: give it nothing, I pray you, for it is not worth the feeding. Cleo. Will it eat me? Clown. You must not think I am fo fimple, but I know the devil himself will not eat a woman: I know, that a woman is a dish for the gods, if the devil dress her not. But, truly, these fame whorefon devils do the gods great harm in their women; for in every ten that they make, the devils mar five. Cleo. Well, get thee gone; farewel. Clown. Yes, forfooth; I wish you joy of the worm. Re-enter IRAS, with robe, crown, &c. [Exit. Cleo. Give me my robe, put on my crown; I have Immortal longings in me: Now no more The juice of Egypt's grape fhall moift this lip:Yare, yare, good Iras; quick.-Methinks, I hear Antony call; I fee him roufe himself Το 2 Shakspeare's clowns are always jokers, and deal in fly fatire. It is plain this must be read the contrary way, and all and half change places. But probably Shakspeare defigned that confufion which the critick would difentangle. 3 The ferpent will act according to his nature. 4 i. c. make hafte, be nimble, be ready. To praise my noble act; I hear him mock 1 give to bafer life.-So,-have you done? [kiffes them. Iras falls and dies Doft thou lie ftill ? If thus thou vanifheft, thou tell'ft the world It is not worth leave-taking. Char. Diffolve, thick cloud, and rain; that I may fay, The gods themselves do weep! Cleo. This proves me base: If the first meet the curled Antony, He'll make demand of her; and spend that kiss, Which is my heaven to have.-Come, thou mortal wretch, [to the afp, which he applies to her breast. With thy fharp teeth this knot intrinficate Of life at once untie: poor venomous fool, Char. O eastern star! Cleo. Peace, peace! Doft thou not fee my baby at my breast, That fucks the nurse asleep? Char. O, break! O, break! Cleo, As sweet as balm, as foft as air, as gentle, O An 5 Are my lips poifon'd by the afpick, that my kifs has deftroyed thee? Iras must be supposed to have applied an afp to her arm while her mistress was fettling her drefs, or I know not why she should fall fo foon. 7 He will enquire of her concerning me, and kifs her for giving him intelligence, 8 i. e. an afs without more policy than to leave the means of death within my reach, and thereby deprive his triumph of its noblest decoration. 5 |