The things that are not? O error, soon conceived, Thou never comest unto a happy birth, Alas, thou hast misconstrued every thing. LUCILIUS. Bru. Where, where, Messala, doth his body lie? He is slain. Mes. Lo, yonder, and Titinius mourning it. Bru. Titinius' face is upward. Cato. Bru. O Julius Cæsar, thou art mighty yet! Thy spirit walks abroad, and turns our swords In our own proper entrails. [Low Alarums. Cato. Brave Titinins! Look, whe'r he have not crown'd dead Cassius! Bru. Are yet two Romans living such as these? The last of all the Romans, fare thee well! It is impossible that ever Rome Should breed thy fellow.-Friends, I owe 'Tis three o'clock; and, Romans, yet ere nigh We shall try fortune in a second fight. [Exeunt. SCENE IV. Another part of the Field. Alarum. Enter fighting, Soldiers of both armies; then BRUTUS, CATO, LUCILIUS, and Others. Bru. Yet, countrymen, O, yet hold up your heads! [with me? Cato. What bastard doth not? Who will go I will proclaim my name about the field; I am the son of Marcus Cato, ho! A foe to tyrants, and my country's friend; I am the son of Marcus Cato, ho! [Charges the enemy. Bru. And I am Brutus, Marcus Brutus, I; Brutus, my country's friend; know me for Brutus. [Exit, charging the enemy. CATO is overpowered, and falls. Luc. O young and noble Cato, art thou down? Why, now thou diest as bravely as Titinius; And may'st be honoured being Cato's son. 1 Sold. Yield, or thou diest. Luc. Only I yield to die : There is so much that thou wilt kill me straight; [Offering Money. Kill Brutus, and be honour'd in his death, 1 Sold. We must not.-A noble prisoner! 2 Sold: Room, ho! Tell Antony, Brutus is [general: ta'en. 1 Sold. I'll tell the news.-Here comes the Enter ANTONY. Brutus is ta'en, Brutus is ta'en, my lord. Luc. Safe, Antony; Brutus is safe enough: Ant. This is not Brutus, friend; but I a Cli. Statilius show'd the torch-light; but, my He came not back; he is or ta'en or slain. Bru. Sit thee down, Clitus: Slaying is th word; It is a deed in fashion. Hark thee, Clitus.— [Whispering. Cli. What, I, my lord? No, not for all the world. Bru. Peace then, no words. Cli, Whether, I'll rather kill myself. Cli. Now is that noble vessel full of grief, That it runs over even at his eyes. Bru. Come hither, good Volumnius: list a Vol. What says my lord? [word. Bru. Why this, Volumnius: The ghost of Cæsar hath appear'd to me Two several times by night at Sardis, once; And, this last night, here in Philippi' fields. I know my hour is come. Not so, my lord. Vol. Bru. Nay, 1 am sure it is, Volumnius. Thou see'st the world, Volumnius, how it goes; Our enemies have beat us to the pit : It is more worthy to leap in ourselves, Than tarry till they push us. Good Volumnius, [gether; Thou know'st, that we two went to school toEven for that our love of old, I pray thee, Hold thou my sword-hilts, whilst I run on it. Vol. That's not an office for a friend, my ford. [Alarum still. Cli. Fly, fly, my lord; there is no tarrying Bru. Farewell to you-andyou-and you, I pr'ythee, Strato, stay thou by thy lord: Thou art a fellow of a good respect; [it: Thy life hath had some smatch of honour in Hold then my sword, and turn away thy face, While I do run upon it. Wilt thou, Strato? Stra. Give me your hand first: Fare you well, my lord. Bru. Farewell, good Strato.-Cæsar, now be still: I kill'd not thee with half so good a will. Oct. What man is that? Mess. My master's man.-Strato, where is thy master? [Messala; Stra. Free from the bondage you are in, The conquerors can but make a fire of him; For Brutus only overcame himself, And no man eise hath honour by his death. Luc. So Brutus should be found.-I thank thee, Brutus, That thou hast proved Lucilius' saying true. Oct. All that served Brutus, I will enter. tain them*: Fellow, wilt thou bestow thy time with me? Stra. Ay, if Messala will prefer+ me to Oct. Do so, Messala. [you. Mes. How died my master, Strato ? Stra. I held the sword, and he did run on it. [thee, Mes. Octavius, then take him to follow That did the latest service to my master. [all: Ant. This was the noblest Roman of them All the conspirators, save only he, Did that they did in envy of great Cæsar; He, only, in a general honest thought, And common good to all, made one of them. His life was gentle; and the elements So mix'd in him, that Nature might stand up, And say to all the world, This was a man! Oct. According to his virtue let us use him, That have but labour'd to attain this hour. With all respect and rites of burial. [Alarum. Cry within, Fly, fly, fly. Within my tent his bones to-night shall lie, Cli. Fly, my lord, fly. Most like a soldier, order'd honourably. Bru. Hence; I will follow thee. So, call the field to rest and let's away, [Exeunt CLITUS, DARDANIUS, and Vo-To part the glories of this happy day. LUMNIUS. [Exeunt. Of this tragedy many particular passages deserve regard, and the contention and recon cilement of Brutus and Cassius is universally celebrated; but I have never been strongly agi tated in perusing it, and think it somewhat cold and unaffecting, compared with some other of Shakspeare's plays: his adherence to the real story, and to Roman manners, seem to have impeded the natural vigour of his genius.-JOHNSON. SCENE I. Alexandria. A Room in Cleopatra's Palace. ACT I. Enter DEMETRIUS and PHILO. Phi. Nay, but this dotage of our general's, O'erflows the measure: those his goodly eyes, That o'er the files and musters of the war (turn, Have glow'd like plated Mars, now bend, now The office and devotion of their view Upon a tawny front: his captain's heart Which in the scuffles of great fights hath burst [per; The buckles on his breast, reneges all temAnd is become the bellows, and the fan, To cool a gipsy's lust. Look where they come! Flourish. Enter ANTONY and CLEOPATRA, with their Trains; Eunucha funning her. Take but good note, and yon shall see in him The triple pillar of the world transform'd Into a strumpet's fool: behold and see. Cleo. If it be love indeed, tell me how much. Ant. There's beggary in the love that can be reck on'd. Cleo. I'll set a bourn + how far to be beloved. Ant. The oust thou needs find out new heaven, new earth, Enter an Attendant. Att. News, my good lord, from Rome. Ant. Grates me the sum. Cleo. Nay, hear them, Antony: Falvia, perchance, is angry; Or, who knows If the scarce-bearded Cæsar have not sent His powerful mandate to you, Do this, or this; [that, Take in that kingdom, and enfranchise Perform't, or else we damn thee. Ant. How, my love! Cleo. Perchance,-nay, and most like, You must not stay here longer, your dismission Is come from Cæsar; therefore hear it, Antony. [say?-Both Where's Fulvia's process? Cæsar's, I would Call in the messengers.-As I am Egypt's queen, [thine Thou blushest, Antony; and that blood of Is Cæsar's homager: else so thy cheek pays shame, [sengers. When shrill-tongued Fulvia scolds.-The mesAnt. Let Rome in Tiber melt! and the wide • Renounces. Bound or limit. Summons. i Offends. $ Kuow. Subdue, conquer. Let's not confound the time with conference Char. Lord Alexas, sweet Alexas, most any thing Alexas, almost most absolute Alexas, where's the soothsayer that you praised so to the queen? O, that I knew this husband, which, you say, must change his horns with garlands! Alex. Soothsayer. Sooth. Your will? [know things? Show him your hand. Eno. Bring in the banquet quickly; wine enough, Cleopatra's health to drink. Char. Good sir, give me good fortune. Char. Pray, then, foresee me one. Char. O excellent! I love long life better than figs. [former fortune Sooth. You have seen and proved a fairer Than that which is to approach. Char. Then, belike, my children shall have no names: Pr' ythee, how many boys and wenches must I have? Sooth. If every of your wishes had a womb, And fertile every wish, a million. Char. Oat, fool! I forgive thee for a witch. Alex. You think, none but your sheets are privy to your wishes. Char. Nay, come, tell Iras hers. Alex. We'll know all our fortunes. Env. Mine, and most of our fortunes, tonight shall be-drunk to bed. Iras. There's a palm presages chastity, if nothing else. Char. Even as the o'erflowing Nilus presageth famine. Iras. Go, you wild bedfellow, you cannot soothsay. Char. Nay, if an oily palm be not a fruitful prognostication, I cannot scratch mine ear.-Pr'ythee, tell her but a worky-day for tune. Sooth. Your fortunes are alike. Iras. But how? but how? give me parti culars. Sooth. I have said. Iras. Am I not an inch of fortune better than she? Char. Well, if you were but an inch of fortune better than I, where would you choose it? Iras. Not in my husband's nose. Char. Our worser thoughts heavens mend! Alexas,-come, his fortune, his fortune.→O, let him marry a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee! And let her die too, and give him a worse! and let worse follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to his grave, fifty-fold a cuckold! Good Isis, hear ine this prayer, though you deny me a matter of more weight; good Isis, I beseech thee! Iras. Amen. Dear goddess, hear that prayer of the people! for, as it is a heart-breaking to Sooth. You shall be yet far fairer than you see a handsome man loose-wived, so it is a deadly sorrow to behold a foul knave uncuckolded; Therefore, dear Isis, keep decorum, and fortune him accordingly! Char. Amen. Shall be bastards. An Egyptian goddess. Aler. Here, madam, at your service.-My The hand could pluck her back, that shoved lord approaches. Enter ANTONY, with a Messenger and Cleo. We will not look upon him: Go with us. Mess. Fulvia, thy wife, first came into the Whose better issue in the war, from Italy, Ant. What worst? Well, [teller. Mess. The nature of bad news infects the Ant. When it concerns the fool or coward. On: ['Tis thus; her on. I must from this enchanting queen break off barbus! Enter ENOBARBUS. Eno. Under a compelling occasion, let women die: It were pity to cast them away for nothing; though, between them and a great cause, they should be esteemed nothing. Cleopatra, catching but the least noise of this, dies instantly; I have seen her die twenty times upon far poorer moment: I do think, there is mettle in death, which commits some loving Things, that are past, are done, with me.-act upon her, she hath such a celerity in dying. Who tells me true, though in his tale lie death, I hear him as he flatter'd. Labienus Mess. His conquering banner shook, from Syria Whilst Ant. Autony, thou wouldst say,- O, my lord! Ant. Speak to me home, mince not the neral tongue ; Ant. She is cunning past man's thought. Eno. Alack, sir, no; her passions are made of nothing but the finest part of pure love: We cannot call her winds and waters, sighs and tears; they are greater storms and tempests than almanacks can report: this cannot be cunning in her; if it be, she makes a shower of rain as well as Jove. Ant. 'Would I had never seen her! Eno. O, sir, you had then left unseen a wouge-derful piece of work; which not to have been blessed withal, would have discredited your travel. Name Cleopatra as she's call'd in Rome: [Erit, Ant. Fulvia is dead. Ant. Fulvia is dead. Ant. Dead. With such full license, as both truth and Have power to utter, O, then we bring forth weeds, [told us, When our quick winds + lie still; and our ills Eno. Why, sir, give the gods a thankful Is as our earing t. Fare thee well a while. sacrifice. When it pleaseth their deities to Mess. At your noble pleasure. take the wife of a man from him, it shows to Ant. From Sicyon how the news? Speakman the tailors of the earth; comforting there. there. [such an one?in, that when old robes are worn out, there are members to make new. If there were no more women but Fulvia, then had you indeed a cut, and the case to be lamented: this grief is crowned with consolation; your old smock brings forth a new petticoat:—and, indeed, the tears live in an onion, that should water this sorrow. [state, Ant. The business she hath broached in the Cannot endure my absence. 1 Att. The man from Sicyon.-Is there Or lose myself in dotage.-What are you? Where died she? Ant. Eno. And the business you have broached here cannot be without you; especially that [Gives a letter. of Cleopatra's, which wholly depends on your Forbear me.-abode. [officers [Exit Messenger. There's a great spirit gone! Thus did I desire it: What our contempts do often hurl from us, We wish it ours again; the present pleasure, By revolution lowering, does become The opposite of itself: she's good, being gone; Ant. No more light answers. Let our • Seized. Į Expedition. |