Cleo. No matter, Sir, what I have heard or known: You laugh, when boys or women tell their dreams; Is't not your trick? Dol. I understand not, Madam. Cleo. I dreamt, there was an Emp❜ror Antonys Oh fuch another fleep, that I might fee But fuch another man! Dol. If it might please ye Cleo. His face was as the heav'ns; and therein stuck A Sun and Moon, which kept their course, and lighted. The little "O o'th' Earth. Dol. Most fovereign creature!. Cleo. His legs beftrid the ocean, his rear'd arm Walk'd Crowns and Coronets, realms and iflands were Dol. Cleopatra Cleo. Think you, there was, or might be, such a man As this I dreamt of? Dol. Gentle Madam, no. Cleo. You lie, up to the hearing of the Gods; But if there be, or ever were one such, It's paft the fize of dreaming: Nature wants stuff 6 A round O reftored by Mr. Theobald. [(a) Autumn. Mr. Theobald.Vulg. Antony.] Το 7 To vye ftrange forms with Fancy, yet t'imagine Dol. Hear me, good Madam: Your lofs is as your felf, great; and you bear it, By the rebound of yours, a grief that shoots Cleo. I thank you, Sir. Know you, what Cæfar means to do with me? Dol. Though he be honourable Cleo. He'll lead me in triumph? 7 -yet t'imagine An Antony were Nature's PIECE 'gainst Fancy, Condemning fhadows quite.] This is a fine fentiment; but by the falfe reading and pointing become unintelligible. Though when fet right, obscure enough to deserve a comment. Shakespear wrote, -yet t'imagine An Antony, were Nature's PRIZE 'gainft Fancy, The fenfe of which is this, Nature, in general, has not materials enough to furnish out real forms, for every model that the boundless power of the imagination can sketch out: [Nature wants matter to vye ftrange forms with Fancy] But tho this be true in general, that nature is more poor, narrow, and confined than fancy, yet it must be owned, that when nature prefents an Antony to us, he then gets the better of fancy, and makes even the imagination appear poor and narrow: Or, in our author's phrafe, [condemns Shadows quite.] The word PRIZE, which I have restored, is very pretty, as figuring a contention between nature and imagination about the larger extent of their powers; and nature gaining the PRIZE by producing Antony. SCE NE IV. Enter Cæfar, Gallus, Mecænas, Proculeius, and Caf. Which is the Queen of Egypt? Dol. It is the Emperor, Madam. Caf. Arife, you shall not kneel: I pray you, rife, rife, Egypt. [Cleo. kneels, Will have it thus; my mafter and my lord Caf. Take to you no hard thoughts: Cleo. Sole Sir o'th' world, * I cannot procter mine own cause so well We will extenuate rather than inforce : (Which tow'rds you are moft gentle) you shall find A benefit in this Change; but if you feek To lay on me a cruelty, by taking Antony's courfe, you fhall bereave your felf 8 1 cannot project mine own caufe fo well] Project fignifies to invent a caufe, not to plead it; which is the fenie here required. It is plain then we should read, I cannot PROCTER my own cause so well. The technical term, to plead by an advocate. Cleo. Cleo. And may, through all the world: 'tis yours; and we, Your fcutcheons, and your figns of Conqueft, fhall Not petty things omitted-where's Seleucus? Cleo. This is my treasurer, let him fpeak, my lord, Upon his peril, that I have referv'd To my felf nothing. Speak the truth, Seleucus. Sel. Enough to purchase what you have made known. Caf. Nay, blush not, Cleopatra ; I Your wisdom in the deed. Cleo. See, Cafar! Oh, behold, approve How Pomp is follow'd: mine will now be yours, And, fhould we fhift eftates, yours would be mine. Th' ingratitude of this Seleucus do's Ev'n make me wild. Oh flave, of no more Trust Than love that's hir'd-What, goest thou back? thou fhalt Go back, I warrant thee: but I'll catch thine eyes, Though they had wings. Slave, foul-lefs villain, dog, O rarely bafe! Cef. Good Queen, let us intreat you. Cleo. O Cafar, what a wounding fhame is this, That thou, vouchfafing here to vifit me, Doing the honour of thy lordliness To one fo weak, that mine own fervant should Im Immoment toys, things of fuch Dignity By one that I have bred? the Gods !-it fmites me Through th' afhes of my chance: wert thou a man, Thou would't have mercy on me. Caf. Forbear, Seleucus. 1 Cleo. Be't known, that we, the Greateft, are mifthought For things that others do. And when we fall Caf. 9 Through th' ashes of my chance:] Or fortune. Alluding to an imperial edifice burnt down and reduced to afhes. So that the meaning is, Begone, or I fhall exert that royal fpirit which I had in my profperity, in fpite of the imbecillity of my present weak condition. This taught the Oxford Editor to alter it to mifchance.. 1 Be't known, that we the Greatest are mifthought For things that others do; and when we fall, We answer others' merits, in our names Are therefore to be pitied.] This falfe pointing has rendered the fentiment, which was not very eafy at beft, altogether unintelligible. The lines fhould be pointed thus, Be't known, that we, the Greateft, are misthought We answer. Others' merits, in our names Are therefore to be pitied. i. e. We monarchs, while in power, are accused and blamed for the miscarriages of our minifiers; and when any misfortune bath fubjected us to the power of our enemies, we are fure to be punished for thofe faults. As this is the cafe, it is but reafonable that we fhould have the merit of our minifters' good actions, as well as bear the blame of their bad. But the foftens the word merit into pity. The reafon of her making the reflexion was this: Her former conduct was liable to much cenfure from Octavius, which The would hereby artfully infinuate was owing to her evil mini fters, |