When I was green in judgment.-Cold in blood!
To fay, as I faid then,-But come away,
Get me ink and paper;

He fhall have every day feveral greetings, or I'll unpeople Ægypt.

[Exeunt.

ACT II. SCENE I.

SICILY.

Enter Pompey, Menecrates, and Menas.

POMPE Y.

F the great Gods be juft, they shall affist
The deeds of juftest men.

Mene, Know, worthy Pompey,

That what they do delay, they not deny.

Pomp. While we are fuitors to their Throne, delay's The thing we fue for.

Men.

fhe had feen twenty good years. But yet he thinks his author may be justified, because Plutarch calls Cleopatra at those years, Kopn, which by ill luck proves juft the contrary; for that state which the Greeks defigned by Kópn, was the very height of blood. But Shakespear's beft juftification is reftoring his own sense, which is done merely by a different pointing.

My fallad days;

When I was green in judgment. Cold in blood!
To fay as I faid then.

Cold in blood, is an upbraiding expoftulation to her maid. Thofe, fays fhe, were my fallad days, when I was green in judgment; but your blood is as cold as my judgment, if you have the fame opinion of things now as I had then.

1 While we are fuitors to their Throne, DECAYS

The thing we fue for.] This nonfense should be read thus,

While we are fuitors to their Throne, DELAY's

The thing we fue for.

Men. We, ignorant of our felves,

Beg often our own harms, which the wife powers
Deny us for our good; fo find we profit
By lofing of our prayers.

Pom. I fhall do well:

The people love me, and the fea is mine;

My pow'r's (a) a crefcent, and my auguring hope
Says, it will come to th' full. Mark Antony
In Egypt fits at dinner, and will make
No wars without doors. Cafar gets mony, where
He lofes hearts; Lepidus flatters Both,

Of Both is flatter'd; but he Neither loves,
Nor Either cares for him.

Mene. Cæfar and Lepidus are in the field,
A mighty ftrength they carry.

Pom. Where have you this? 'tis falfe.
Mene. From Silvius, Sir.

Pom. He dreams; I know, they are in Rome to-
gether,

Looking for Antony: but all the charms of love,
Salt Cleopatra, foften thy wan lip!

Let witchcraft join with beauty; luft with both!
Tie up the libertine in a field of feasts,
Keep his brain fuming; Epicurean cooks,
Sharpen with cloylefs fauce his appetite;

That fleep and feeding may prorogue his honour,
Even 'till a Lethe'd dulnefs

Menecrates had faid, The Gods do not deny that which they delay. The other turns his words to a different meaning, and replies, Delay is the very thing we beg of them. i. e. the delay of our enemies in making preparation against us; which he explains afterwards, by faying Mark Antony was tied up by luft in Ægypt; Cafar, by avarice at Rome; and Lepidus employed in keeping well with both.

[(a) a crefcent Mr. Theobald.Vulg. are crefcent.]

Enter

How now, Varrius?

Enter Varrius.

Var. This is most certain, that I fhall deliver:
Mark Antony is every hour in Rome

Expected. Since he went from Egypt, 'tis
A space for farther travel.

Pom. I could have given less matter

A better ear. Menas, I did not think,
This am'rous furfeiter would have donn'd his helm
For fuch a petty war; his foldiership

Is twice the other twain; but let us rear
The higher our opinion, that our stirring
Can from the lap of Egypt's widow pluck
The ne'er-luft-wearied Antony.

Men. I cannot hope,

Cæfar and Antony fhall well greet together.
His wife, who's dead, did trefpaffes to Cafar;
His brother warr'd upon him, although I think,
Not mov'd by Antony.

Pom. I know not, Menas,

How leffer enmities may give way to greater. Were't not that we stand up against them all, 'Twere pregnant, they fhould fquare between themfelves;

For they have entertained cause enough

To draw their fwords; but how the fear of us
May cement their divifions, and bind up
The petty difference, we yet not know.
Be't, as our Gods will hav't! it only stands
Our lives upon, to use our strongeft hands.
Come, Menas.

[Exeunt.

SCENE

S CE NE II.

Changes to Rome.

Enter Enobarbus and Lepidus.

OOD Enobarbus, 'tis a worthy deed,

Lep.G And fhall become you well, t'entreat your

Captain

To foft and gentle speech.

Eno. I fhall entreat him

To answer, like himself; if Cæfar move him,
Let Antony look over Cafar's head,

And speak as loud as Mars. By Jupiter,
• Were I the wearer of Antonio's beard,
I would not shav't to day.

Lep. 'Tis not a time for private ftomaching.
Eno. Every time

Serves for the matter that is then born in't.
Lep. But fmall to greater matters must give way.
Eno. Not, if the small come first.

Lep. Your speech is paffion;

But, pray you, ftir no embers up. Here comes
The noble Antony.

Enter Antony and Ventidius.

Eno. And yonder, Cafar.

Enter Cæfar, Mecænas, and Agrippa.

Ant. If we compofe well here, to Parthia.

Hark, Ventidius.

Caf. I do not know; Mecanas, ask Agrippa.
Lep. Noble friends,

2 Were I the wearer of Antonio's beard,

I would not fhav't to day.] Alluding to the phrafe, I will beard him.

That

That which combin'd us
A leaner action rend us.
May it be gently heard.

was moft great, and let not What's amifs,

When we debate

Our trivial difference loud, we do commit

Murther in healing wounds. Then, noble partners, (The rather, for I earneftly befeech,)

Touch you the fowrest points with sweetest terms,
Nor curftnefs grow to th' matter.

Ant. 'Tis fpoken well;

Were we before our armies, and to fight,

I fhould do thus.

Caf. Welcome to Rome.

Ant. Thank you.

Caf. Sit.

Ant. Sit, Sir.

Caf. Nay, then

[Flourish.

Ant. I learn, you take things ill, which are not fo: Or, being, concern you not.

Caf. I must be laught at,

If, or for nothing, or a little, I

Should fay myself offended, and with you

Chiefly i'th' world; More laught at, that I fhould
Once name you derogately, when to found

Your name it not concern'd me.

Ant. My being in Egypt, Cafar, what was❜t to you? Caf. No more than my refiding here at Rome Might be to you in Egypt: yet, if you there Did practise on my ftate, your being in Ægypt Might be my question.

Ant. How intend you, practis'd?

Caf. You may be pleas'd to catch at mine intent, By what did here befall.

3

3

Your Wife and Brother

Madc

Your Wife and Brother

Made Wars upon me, and their Conteftation

Was theam for you, you were the Word of War.] The only meaning of this can be, that the war, which Antony's wife and brother made upon Cafar, was theam for Antony too war; or was the occafion why he did make war.

to make

But this

is