Char. By your most gracious pardon, My salad days; I sing but after you. [Exeunt. ACT II. SCENE I. Messina. A Room in Pompey's House. Enter POMPEY, MENECRATES, and MENAS. Pom. If the great gods be just, they shall assist The deeds of justest men. Mene. Know, worthy Pompey, That what they do delay, they not deny. Pom. Whiles we are suitors to their throne, decays The thing we sue for. Mene. We, ignorant of ourselves, Beg often our own harms, which the wise powers By losing of our prayers. Pom. I shall do well. The people love me, and the sea is mine; My power's a crescent, and my auguring hope No wars without doors. Cæsar gets money, where Of both is flattered; but he neither loves, Men. Men. From Silvius, sir. Pom. He dreams; I know they are in Rome together, Looking for Antony. But all the charms of love, Salt Cleopatra, soften thy wanned lip! Let witchcraft join with beauty, lust with both! Keep his brain fuming? Epicurean cooks, Sharpen with cloyless sauce his appetite; That sleep and feeding may prorogue his honor, Enter VARRIUS. Var. This is most certain that I shall deliver :Mark Antony is every hour in Rome. Expected; since he went from Egypt, 'tis A space for further travel. Pom. I could have given less matter A better ear.-Menas, I did not think This amorous surfeiter would have donned his helm Is twice the other twain; but let us rear Men. Pom. To draw their swords; but how the fear of us The petty difference, we yet not know. Be it as our gods will have it! It only stands [Exeunt. SCENE II. Rome. A Room in the House of Lepidus. Enter ENOBARBUS and LEPIDUS. Lep. Good Enobarbus, 'tis a worthy deed, And shall become you well, to entreat your captain To soft and gentle speech. I shall entreat him Eno. And speak as loud as Mars. By Jupiter, Were I the wearer of Antonius' beard, I would not shave't to-day. Lep. 'Tis not a time For private stomaching. Eno. Every time Serves for the matter that is then born in it. Lep. But small to greater matters must give way. Lep. Enter ANTONY and VENTIDIUS. Eno. And yonder, Cæsar. Enter CESAR, MECENAS, and AGRIPPA. Ant. If we compose well here, to Parthia. Hark you, Ventidius. Cæs. Mecænas; ask Agrippa. Lep. I do not know, Noble friends, That which combined us was most great, and let not May it be gently heard; when we debate Our trivial difference loud, we do commit Murder in healing wounds. Then, noble partners, Touch you the sourest points with sweetest terms, Ant. 'Tis spoken well. Were we before our armies, and to fight, Ant. I learn you take things ill, which are not so; Or, being, concern you not. Cæs. I must be laughed at, If, or for nothing, or a little, I Should say myself offended; and with you Chiefly i' the world; more laughed at, that I should Once name you derogately, when to sound your name It not concerned me. Ant. What was't to you? My being in Egypt, Cæsar, Cæs. No more than my residing here at Rome Might be to you in Egypt. Yet, if you there Did practise on my state, your being in Egypt Might be my question. Ant. How intend you, practised? Cæs. You may be pleased to catch at mine intent, By what did here befall me. Your wife and brother Made wars upon me; and their contestation Was theme for you; you were the word of war. Ant. You do mistake your business; my brother never Did urge me in his act. I did inquire it; And have my learning from some true reports, And make the wars alike against my stomach, Cæs. Ant. Your partner in the cause 'gainst which he fought, I would you had her spirit in such another. Eno. Would we had all such wives, that the men might go to wars with the women! Ant. So much uncurable, her garboils, Cæsar, Cæs. I wrote to you, Did pocket up my letters, and with taunts Ant. He fell upon me, ere admitted; then Sir, Three kings I had newly feasted, and did want The article of your oath; which Let this fellow You have broken you shall never Soft, Cæsar. Ant. No, Lepidus, let him speak; The honor's sacred which he talks on now, The article of my oath, Cæs. To lend me arms, and aid, when I required them; The which you both denied. Ant. To have me out of Egypt, made wars here; Lep. 'Tis nobly spoken. Mec. If it might please you to enforce no further The griefs between ye; to forget them quite, Were to remember that the present need Speaks to atone you. Lep. Worthily spoken, Mecænas. Eno. Or, if you borrow one another's love for the instant, you may, when you hear no more words of Pompey, return it again: you shall have time to wrangle in, when you have nothing else to do. Ant. Thou art a soldier only; speak no more. Eno. That truth should be silent, I had almost forgot. Ant. You wrong this presence; therefore speak no more. Eno. Go to, then; your considerate stone. Cæs. I do not much dislike the matter, but The manner of his speech; for it cannot be, We shall remain in friendship, our conditions So differing in their acts. Yet, if I knew What hoop should hold us stanch, from edge to edge O'the world I would pursue it. |