The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works

Home > Fiction > The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works > Page 49
The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works Page 49

by William Shakespeare


  May cement their divisions, and bind up

  The petty difference, we yet not know.

  50

  Be’t as our gods will have’t! It only stands

  Our lives upon to use our strongest hands.

  Come, Menas. Exeunt.

  2.2 Enter ENOBARBUS and LEPIDUS.

  LEPIDUS Good Enobarbus, ’tis a worthy deed,

  And shall become you well, to entreat your captain

  To soft and gentle speech.

  ENOBARBUS I shall entreat him

  To answer like himself. If Caesar move him,

  Let Antony look over Caesar’s head

  5

  And speak as loud as Mars. By Jupiter,

  Were I the wearer of Antonio’s beard,

  I would not shave’t today!

  LEPIDUS ’Tis not a time

  For private stomaching.

  ENOBARBUS Every time

  Serves for the matter that is then born in’t.

  10

  LEPIDUS

  But small to greater matters must give way.

  ENOBARBUS Not if the small come first.

  LEPIDUS Your speech is passion;

  But pray you stir no embers up. Here comes

  The noble Antony.

  Enter ANTONY and VENTIDIUS.

  ENOBARBUS And yonder Caesar.

  Enter CAESAR, MAECENAS and AGRIPPA.

  ANTONY If we compose well here, to Parthia.

  15

  Hark, Ventidius.

  CAESAR I do not know, Maecenas. Ask Agrippa.

  LEPIDUS Noble friends,

  That which combined us was most great, and let not

  A leaner action rend us. What’s amiss,

  20

  May it be gently heard. When we debate

  Our trivial difference loud, we do commit

  Murder in healing wounds. Then, noble partners,

  The rather for I earnestly beseech,

  Touch you the sourest points with sweetest terms,

  25

  Nor curstness grow to th’ matter.

  ANTONY ’Tis spoken well.

  Were we before our armies, and to fight,

  I should do thus. [Flourish.]

  CAESAR Welcome to Rome.

  ANTONY Thank you.

  30

  CAESAR Sit.

  ANTONY Sit, sir.

  CAESAR Nay then. [Caesar sits, then Antony.]

  ANTONY I learn you take things ill which are not so,

  Or being, concern you not.

  CAESAR I must be laughed at

  35

  If, or for nothing or a little, I

  Should say myself offended, and with you

  Chiefly i’th’ world; more laughed at that I should

  Once name you derogately when to sound your name

  It not concerned me.

  ANTONY My being in Egypt, Caesar,

  40

  What was’t to you?

  CAESAR 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.

  ANTONY How intend you, ‘practised’?

  45

  CAESAR 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.

  ANTONY

  You do mistake your business. My brother never

  50

  Did urge me in his act. I did enquire it,

  And have my learning from some true reports

  That drew their swords with you. Did he not rather

  Discredit my authority with yours,

  And make the wars alike against my stomach,

  55

  Having alike your cause? Of this my letters

  Before did satisfy you. If you’ll patch a quarrel,

  As matter whole you have to make it with,

  It must not be with this.

  CAESAR You praise yourself

  By laying defects of judgement to me, but

  60

  You patched up your excuses.

  ANTONY Not so, not so!

  I know you could not lack – I am certain on’t –

  Very necessity of this thought, that I,

  Your partner in the cause ’gainst which he fought,

  Could not with graceful eyes attend those wars

  65

  Which fronted mine own peace. As for my wife,

  I would you had her spirit in such another.

  The third o’th’ world is yours, which with a snaffle

  You may pace easy, but not such a wife.

  ENOBARBUS Would we had all such wives, that the men

  70

  might go to wars with the women!

  ANTONY So much uncurbable, her garboils, Caesar,

  Made out of her impatience – which not wanted

  Shrewdness of policy too – I grieving grant

  Did you too much disquiet. For that, you must

  75

  But say I could not help it.

  CAESAR I wrote to you

  When rioting in Alexandria. You

  Did pocket up my letters, and with taunts

  Did gibe my missive out of audience.

  ANTONY Sir,

  He fell upon me ere admitted, then.

  80

  Three kings I had newly feasted, and did want

  Of what I was i’th’ morning. But next day

  I told him of myself, which was as much

  As to have asked him pardon. Let this fellow

  Be nothing of our strife; if we contend,

  85

  Out of our question wipe him.

  CAESAR You have broken

  The article of your oath, which you shall never

  Have tongue to charge me with.

  LEPIDUS Soft, Caesar!

  ANTONY No, Lepidus, let him speak.

  90

  The honour is sacred which he talks on now,

  Supposing that I lacked it. But on, Caesar:

  ‘The article of my oath –’

  CAESAR

  To lend me arms and aid when I required them,

  The which you both denied.

  ANTONY Neglected, rather;

  95

  And then when poisoned hours had bound me up

  From mine own knowledge. As nearly as I may

  I’ll play the penitent to you, but mine honesty

  Shall not make poor my greatness, nor my power

  Work without it. Truth is that Fulvia,

  100

  To have me out of Egypt, made wars here,

  For which myself, the ignorant motive, do

  So far ask pardon as befits mine honour

  To stoop in such a case.

  LEPIDUS ’Tis noble spoken.

  MAECENAS If it might please you to enforce no further

  105

  The griefs between ye; to forget them quite

  Were to remember that the present need

  Speaks to atone you.

  LEPIDUS Worthily spoken, Maecenas.

  ENOBARBUS Or, if you borrow one another’s love for the

  instant, you may, when you hear no more words of

  110

  Pompey, return it again. You shall have time to

  wrangle in when you have nothing else to do.

  ANTONY Thou art a soldier only. Speak no more.

  ENOBARBUS That truth should be silent, I had almost

  forgot.

  115

  ANTONY

  You wrong this presence; therefore speak no more.

  ENOBARBUS Go to, then! Your considerate stone.

  CAESAR I do not much dislike the matter but

  The manner of his speech; for’t cannot be

  We shall remain in friendship, our conditions

  120

  So di
ffering in their acts. Yet, if I knew

  What hoop should hold us staunch, from edge to

  edge

  O’th’ world I would pursue it.

  AGRIPPA Give me leave, Caesar.

  CAESAR Speak, Agrippa.

  AGRIPPA Thou hast a sister by the mother’s side,

  125

  Admired Octavia. Great Mark Antony

  Is now a widower.

  CAESAR Say not so, Agrippa.

  If Cleopatra heard you, your reproof

  Were well deserved of rashness.

  ANTONY I am not married, Caesar. Let me hear

  130

  Agrippa further speak.

  AGRIPPA To hold you in perpetual amity,

  To make you brothers, and to knit your hearts

  With an unslipping knot, take Antony

  Octavia to his wife; whose beauty claims

  135

  No worse a husband than the best of men;

  Whose virtue and whose general graces speak

  That which none else can utter. By this marriage

  All little jealousies which now seem great,

  And all great fears which now import their dangers

  140

  Would then be nothing. Truths would be tales,

  Where now half-tales be truths. Her love to both

  Would each to other, and all loves to both

  Draw after her. Pardon what I have spoke,

  For ’tis a studied, not a present thought,

  145

  By duty ruminated.

  ANTONY Will Caesar speak?

  CAESAR Not till he hears how Antony is touched

  With what is spoke already.

  ANTONY What power is in Agrippa,

  If I would say, ‘Agrippa, be it so’,

  150

  To make this good?

  CAESAR The power of Caesar, and

  His power unto Octavia.

  ANTONY May I never,

  To this good purpose that so fairly shows,

  Dream of impediment! Let me have thy hand.

  Further this act of grace, and from this hour

  155

  The heart of brothers govern in our loves

  And sway our great designs!

  CAESAR There’s my hand.

  [They clasp hands.]

  A sister I bequeath you, whom no brother

  Did ever love so dearly. Let her live

  To join our kingdoms and our hearts; and never

  160

  Fly off our loves again!

  LEPIDUS Happily, amen!

  ANTONY

  I did not think to draw my sword ’gainst Pompey,

  For he hath laid strange courtesies and great

  Of late upon me. I must thank him, only

  Lest my remembrance suffer ill report;

  165

  At heel of that, defy him.

  LEPIDUS Time calls upon’s.

  Of us must Pompey presently be sought

  Or else he seeks out us.

  ANTONY Where lies he?

  CAESAR About the Mount Misena.

  170

  ANTONY What is his strength by land?

  CAESAR Great and increasing, but by sea

  He is an absolute master.

  ANTONY So is the fame.

  Would we had spoke together! Haste we for it.

  Yet, ere we put ourselves in arms, dispatch we

  175

  The business we have talked of.

  CAESAR With most gladness,

  And do invite you to my sister’s view,

  Whither straight I’ll lead you.

  ANTONY Let us, Lepidus, not lack your company.

  LEPIDUS Noble Antony, not sickness should detain me.

  180

  Flourish. Exeunt all except Enobarbus, Agrippa, Maecenas.

  MAECENAS Welcome from Egypt, sir.

  ENOBARBUS Half the heart of Caesar, worthy Maecenas!

  My honourable friend, Agrippa!

  AGRIPPA Good Enobarbus!

  MAECENAS We have cause to be glad that matters are

  185

  so well digested. You stayed well by’t in Egypt.

  ENOBARBUS Ay, sir, we did sleep day out of countenance

  and made the night light with drinking.

  MAECENAS Eight wild boars roasted whole at a

  breakfast, and but twelve persons there. Is this true?

  190

  ENOBARBUS This was but as a fly by an eagle. We had

  much more monstrous matter of feast, which worthily

  deserved noting.

 

‹ Prev