Oct. Thanks to my lord. The Jove of power make me, most weak, most weak, Ant. When it appears to you where this begins, Can equally move with them. Provide your going; [Exeunt. SCENE V. The same. Another Room in the same. Enter ENOBARBUS and EROS, meeting. Eno. How now, friend Eros? Eros. There's strange news come, sir. Eno. What, man? Eros. Cæsar and Lepidus have made wars upon Pompey. Eno. This is old; what is the success? Eros. Cæsar, having made use of him in the wars 'gainst Pompey, presently denied him rivality; would not let him partake in the glory of the action; and not resting here, accuses him of letters he had formerly wrote to Pompey; upon his own appeal, seizes him. So the poor third is up, till death enlarge his confine. Eno. Then, world, thou hast a pair of chaps, no 3 more; And throw between them all the food thou hast, 1 i. e. equal rank. 2 Appeal here means accusation; Cæsar's accusation. 3 The old copy reads would instead of world, and omits one the in the third line of this speech. Eno. Our great navy's rigged. Eros. For Italy and Cæsar. More, Domitius; My lord desires you presently: my news might have told hereafter. Eno. "Twill be naught; [Exeunt. But let it be.-Bring me to Antony. Eros. Come, sir. SCENE VI. Rome. A Room in Cæsar's House. Enter CESAR, AGRIPPA, and MECENAS. Cæs. Contemning Rome, he has done all this; and more. In Alexandria,-here's the manner of it,- Absolute queen. Mec. This in the public eye? Cæs. I'the common show-place, where they exercise. His sons he there proclaimed, The kings of kings; Great Media, Parthia, and Armenia, He gave to Alexander; to Ptolemy he assigned Syria, Cilicia, and Phoenicia. She In the habiliments of the goddess Isis That day appeared; and oft before gave audience, Mec. Informed. Let Rome be thus Agr. Who, queasy with his insolence Already, will their good thoughts call from him. 1 This is closely copied from the old translation of Plutarch. Cæs. The people know it; and have now received His accusations. Agr. Whom does he accuse? Cæs. Cæsar; and that, having in Sicily Sextus Pompeius spoiled, we had not rated him Should be deposed; and, being, that we detain Agr. Sir, this should be answered. Cæs. 'Tis done already, and the messenger gone. I have told him, Lepidus was grown too cruel; That he his high authority abused, And did deserve his change: for what I have conquered, I grant him part; but then, in his Armenia, And other of his conquered kingdoms, I Demand the like. Mec. He'll never yield to that. Cæs. Nor must not then be yielded to in this. Enter OCTAVIA. Oct. Hail, Cæsar, and my lord! hail, most dear Cæs. That ever I should call thee, cast-away! come not Like Cæsar's sister. The wife of Antony You Long ere she did appear. The trees by the way, By sea and land; supplying every stage Good my lord, Oct. Cæs. Cæs. I have eyes upon him, And his affairs come to me on the wind. Where is he now? Oct. My lord, in Athens. Cæs. No, my most wronged sister; Cleopatra Hath nodded him to her. He hath given his empire Up to a whore; who now are levying 2 The kings o' the earth for war. He hath assembled Of Paphlagonia; the Thracian king, Adallas; Oct. Ah me, most wretched, That have my heart parted betwixt two friends, Cæs. Welcome hither. Your letters did withhold our breaking forth; The old copy reads, abstract. The alteration was made by Warburton. 2 That is, which two persons are now levying, &c. Upton observes, that there are some errors in the enumeration of the auxiliary kings: but it is probable that the Poet did not care to be scrupulously accurate. He proposed to read :— -Poleman and Amintus, Of Lycaonia, and the king of Mede," which obviates all impropriety. Till we perceived, both how you were wrong led, Hold unbewailed their way. Welcome to Rome; Nothing more dear to me. You are abused Beyond the mark of thought; and the high gods, Of us, and those that love you. Best of comfort;1 Agr. Welcome, lady. Mec. Welcome, dear madam. Each heart in Rome does love and pity you; And gives his potent regiment to a trull,2 Oct. 3 Is it so, sir? Cæs. Most certain. Sister, welcome. Be ever known to patience; my dearest sister! [Exeunt. SCENE VII. Antony's Camp, near the Promontory of Actium. Enter CLEOPATRA and ENOBARBUS. Cleo. I will be even with thee, doubt it not. Eno. But why, why, why? Cleo. Thou hast forespoke my being in these wars; And say'st, it is not fit. Eno. Well, is it, is it? 1 This elliptical phrase is merely an expression of endearment addressed to Octavia-" Thou best of comfort to thy brother." 2 Regiment is used for regimen or government, by most of our ancient writers. 3 Milton has used this uncommon verb in Paradise Regained, b. iv. 4 To forespeak here is to speak against, to gainsay, to contradict; as to forbid is to order negatively. The word had, however, the meaning, anciently, of to charm or bewitch, like forbid in Macbeth. |