Enter an Ægyptian.

Egypt. A poor Ægyptian yet; the Queen my

mistress,

Confin'd in all she has, (her monument)

Of thy intents defires inftruction;

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

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!

[Exit.

Caf. Come hither, Proculeius; go, and fay, We purpose her no fhame; give her what comforts The quality of her paffion fhall require ; Left in her greatness by fome mortal stroke She do defeat us: for her life in Rome

(4) Would be eternaling our triumph. Go,

And with your fpeediest bring us what the fays,
And how you find her.

Pro. Cæfar, I fhall.

[Exit Proculeius.

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

All. Dolabella!

[Exit Gallus.

Caf. Let him alone; for I remember now,
How he's employ'd he fhall 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 see
What I can fhew in this.

[Exeunt.

[(a) avould be eternaling. Oxford Editor.Vulg. would be eternal in]

VOL. VII.

P

SCENE

Changes to the Monument.

Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, Iras, Mardian, and Seleucus, above.

Cleo. MA better life; 'tis paltry to be Cafar;
defolation does begin to make
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 fhackles accidents, and bolts up change;
[Lulls wearied nature to a found repofe]

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

I

and it is great

To do that thing, that ends all other deeds;
Which fackles accidents, and bolts up change;
Which fleeps, and never palates more the DUNG:

The beggar's nurfe, and Cæfar's] The action of Suicide is here faid, to hackle accidents; to bolt up change; to be the beggar's nurfe, and Cæfar's. So far the delcription is intelligible. But when it is faid, that it fleeps and never palates more the Dung, we find neither fenfe nor propriety which is occafion'd by the lofs of a whole line between the third and fourth, and the corrupt reading of the laft word in the fourth. We fhould read the paffage thus,

:

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 DuGG :)
The beggar's nurse, and Cæfar's..

That this line in hooks was the substance of that loft, is evident from its making fenfe of all the reft: which are to this effect, It is great to do that which frees us from all the accidents of humanity, lulls our over-wearied nature to repofe (which now fleeps, and has no more appetite for worldly enjoyments,) and is equally the nurfe of Cæfar and the beggar.

Enter

Enter Proculeius.

Pro. Cæfar fends Greeting to the Queen of Egypt, And bids thee study on what fair demands

Thou mean'ft to have him grant thee.

Cleo. What's thy name?

Pro. My name is Proculeius.

Glee. Antony

Did tell me of you, badé me truft you, but
I do not greatly care to be deceiv'd,

That have no ufe for trufting. If your mater
Would have a Queen his beggar, you must tell him,
That Majefty, to keep decorum, muft

No lefs beg than a Kingdom; if he please
To give me conquer'd Egypt for my Son,
He gives me fo much of mine own, as I
Will kneel to him with thanks.

Pro. Be of good cheer:

1

You're fal'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 sweet dependency, and you fhall find
A Conqu❜ror that will pray in aid for kindness,
Where he for grace is kneel'd to.

2

Gleo. Pray you, tell him,

I am his fortune's vaffal, 3 and I send him
The Greatness he has got. I hourly learn
A doctrine of obedience, and would gladly
Look him i'th' face.

2

Pro. This I'll report, dear lady.

1

that will pray in aid for kindness,] Praying in aid is a law term, ufed for a petition made in a court of justice for the calling in of help from another that hath an intereft in the caufe in queftion. Oxford Editor. and I fend him

3

The Greatnefs he has got.] i. e. I have nothing to fend him, alluding to the prefents fent by vaffals to their lords.

P 2

Have

A

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 easily she may be surpriz❜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 your self fuch wrong, who are in this
Bereav'd, but not betray'd.

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

Pro. Do not abuse my mafter's bounty, by
Th' undoing of your felf: let the world fee
His Nobleness 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:

4

who are in this

RELIEV'D, but not betray'd.] As plaufible as this reading is, it is corrupt. Had Shakespear ufed the word reliev'd, he would have added, and not betray'd. But that he used another word the reply fhews, What, of death too: which will not agree with relieved; but will direct us to the genuine word, which is,

BEREAV'D, but not betray'd.

j. e.
bereav'd of death, or of the means of destroying your felf,
but not betray'd to your deftruction. By the particle too, in her
reply, the alludes to her being before bereav'd of Antony. And
thus his fpeech becomes correct, and her reply pertinent.

If idle time will once be neceffary,

I'll not fleep neither. This mortal house I'll ruin,
Do Cafar what he can. Know, Sir, that I
Will not wait pinion'd at your master'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 varlotry

Of cens'ring Rome? rather a ditch in Ægypt
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

These thoughts of horror further than

Find cause in Cafar.

SCENE III.

Enter Dolabella.

Dol. Proculeius.

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 Cæfar I will speak what you fhall please,

If you'll employ me to him.

Cleo. Say, I would die.

[Exit Proculeius.

Dol. Most noble Emprefs, you have heard of me. Cleo. I cannot tell.

Dol. Affuredly, you know me.

5 If idle TALK will once be necessary,】 This nonfenfe should be reform'd thus,

If idle TIME will once be neceffary.

i. e, if repose be neceffary to cherish life, I will not fleep.