The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works

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The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works Page 55

by William Shakespeare


  Till we have done at sea. Do not exceed

  The prescript of this scroll. [Gives him a scroll.]

  Our fortune lies

  5

  Upon this jump. Exeunt.

  3.9 Enter ANTONY and ENOBARBUS.

  ANTONY Set we our squadrons on yond side o’th’ hill

  In eye of Caesar’s battle, from which place

  We may the number of the ships behold

  And so proceed accordingly. Exeunt.

  3.10 CANIDIUS marcheth with his land army one way over the stage, and TAURUS, the lieutenant of Caesar, the other way. After their going in, is heard the noise of a sea fight.

  Alarum. Enter ENOBARBUS.

  ENOBARBUS

  Naught, naught, all naught! I can behold no longer!

  Th’Antoniad, the Egyptian admiral,

  With all their sixty, fly and turn the rudder.

  To see’t mine eyes are blasted.

  Enter SCARUS.

  SCARUS Gods and goddesses!

  All the whole synod of them!

  ENOBARBUS What’s thy passion?

  5

  SCARUS The greater cantle of the world is lost

  With very ignorance. We have kissed away

  Kingdoms and provinces.

  ENOBARBUS How appears the fight?

  SCARUS On our side, like the tokened pestilence

  Where death is sure. Yon ribaudred nag of Egypt –

  10

  Whom leprosy o’ertake! – i’th’ midst o’th’ fight

  When vantage like a pair of twins appeared

  Both as the same – or, rather, ours the elder –

  The breeze upon her, like a cow in June,

  Hoists sails and flies.

  15

  ENOBARBUS That I beheld.

  Mine eyes did sicken at the sight and could not

  Endure a further view.

  SCARUS She once being loofed,

  The noble ruin of her magic, Antony,

  Claps on his sea-wing and, like a doting mallard,

  20

  Leaving the fight in height, flies after her.

  I never saw an action of such shame.

  Experience, manhood, honour, ne’er before

  Did violate so itself.

  ENOBARBUS Alack, alack!

  Enter CANIDIUS.

  CANIDIUS Our fortune on the sea is out of breath

  25

  And sinks most lamentably. Had our general

  Been what he knew – himself – it had gone well.

  Oh, he has given example for our flight

  Most grossly by his own!

  ENOBARBUS Ay, are you thereabouts?

  Why then, good night indeed.

  30

  CANIDIUS Toward Peloponnesus are they fled.

  SCARUS ’Tis easy to’t, and there I will attend

  What further comes.

  CANIDIUS To Caesar will I render

  My legions and my horse. Six kings already

  Show me the way of yielding.

  ENOBARBUS I’ll yet follow

  35

  The wounded chance of Antony, though my reason

  Sits in the wind against me.

  Exit at one door Canidius,

  at the other Scarus and Enobarbus.

  3.11 Enter ANTONY with attendants.

  ANTONY

  Hark! The land bids me tread no more upon’t;

  It is ashamed to bear me. Friends, come hither.

  I am so lated in the world that I

  Have lost my way for ever. I have a ship

  Laden with gold. Take that, divide it. Fly

  5

  And make your peace with Caesar.

  ALL Fly? Not we.

  ANTONY

  I have fled myself and have instructed cowards

  To run and show their shoulders. Friends, be gone.

  I have myself resolved upon a course

  Which has no need of you. Be gone.

  10

  My treasure’s in the harbour. Take it. O,

  I followed that I blush to look upon.

  My very hairs do mutiny, for the white

  Reprove the brown for rashness, and they them

  For fear and doting. Friends, be gone. You shall

  15

  Have letters from me to some friends that will

  Sweep your way for you. Pray you, look not sad

  Nor make replies of loathness; take the hint

  Which my despair proclaims. Let that be left

  Which leaves itself. To the sea-side straightway.

  20

  I will possess you of that ship and treasure.

  Leave me, I pray, a little – pray you, now;

  Nay, do so; for indeed I have lost command;

  Therefore, I pray you. I’ll see you by and by.

  Exeunt attendants. Antony sits down.

  Enter CLEOPATRA led by CHARMIAN, IRAS and EROS.

  EROS Nay, gentle madam, to him! Comfort him.

  25

  IRAS Do, most dear queen.

  CHARMIAN Do? Why, what else?

  CLEOPATRA Let me sit down. O, Juno!

  ANTONY No, no, no, no, no!

  EROS See you here, sir?

  30

  ANTONY O fie, fie, fie!

  CHARMIAN Madam!

  IRAS Madam! O, good empress!

  EROS Sir, sir!

  ANTONY Yes, my lord, yes. He at Philippi kept

  35

  His sword e’en like a dancer, while I struck

  The lean and wrinkled Cassius, and ’twas I

  That the mad Brutus ended. He alone

  Dealt on lieutenantry, and no practice had

  In the brave squares of war. Yet now – no matter.

  40

  CLEOPATRA Ah, stand by.

  EROS The Queen, my lord! The Queen!

  IRAS Go to him, madam; speak to him.

  He is unqualitied with very shame.

  CLEOPATRA Well then, sustain me. O!

  45

  EROS Most noble sir, arise. The Queen approaches.

  Her head’s declined, and death will seize her but

  Your comfort makes the rescue.

  ANTONY I have offended reputation,

  A most unnoble swerving.

  EROS Sir, the Queen!

  50

  ANTONY O, whither hast thou led me, Egypt? See

  How I convey my shame out of thine eyes

  By looking back what I have left behind

  ’Stroyed in dishonour.

  CLEOPATRA O, my lord, my lord,

  Forgive my fearful sails! I little thought

  55

  You would have followed.

  ANTONY Egypt, thou knewst too well

  My heart was to thy rudder tied by th’ strings

  And thou shouldst tow me after. O’er my spirit

  Thy full supremacy thou knewst, and that

  Thy beck might from the bidding of the gods

  60

  Command me.

  CLEOPATRA O, my pardon!

  ANTONY Now I must

  To the young man send humble treaties; dodge

  And palter in the shifts of lowness, who

  With half the bulk o’th’ world played as I pleased,

  Making and marring fortunes. You did know

  65

  How much you were my conqueror, and that

  My sword, made weak by my affection, would

  Obey it on all cause.

  CLEOPATRA Pardon, pardon!

  ANTONY Fall not a tear, I say; one of them rates

  All that is won and lost. Give me a kiss. [They kiss.]

  70

  Even this repays me.

  We sent our schoolmaster. Is a come back?

  Love, I am full of lead. Some wine

  Within there and our viands! Fortune knows

  We scorn her most when most she offers blows.

  75

  Exeunt.

  3.12 Enter CAESAR, AGRIPPA, DOLA
BELLA and THIDIAS with others.

  CAESAR Let him appear that’s come from Antony.

  Know you him?

  DOLABELLA Caesar, ’tis his schoolmaster;

  An argument that he is plucked, when hither

  He sends so poor a pinion of his wing,

  Which had superfluous kings for messengers

  5

  Not many moons gone by.

  Enter Ambassador from Antony.

  CAESAR Approach, and speak.

  AMBASSADOR Such as I am, I come from Antony.

  I was of late as petty to his ends

  As is the morn-dew on the myrtle leaf

  To his grand sea.

  CAESAR Be’t so. Declare thine office.

  10

  AMBASSADOR Lord of his fortunes he salutes thee, and

  Requires to live in Egypt; which not granted,

  He lessens his requests and to thee sues

  To let him breathe between the heavens and earth,

  A private man in Athens. This for him.

  15

  Next, Cleopatra does confess thy greatness,

  Submits her to thy might, and of thee craves

  The circle of the Ptolemies for her heirs,

  Now hazarded to thy grace.

  CAESAR For Antony,

  I have no ears to his request. The Queen

  20

  Of audience nor desire shall fail, so she

  From Egypt drive her all-disgraced friend

  Or take his life there. This if she perform,

  She shall not sue unheard. So to them both.

  AMBASSADOR Fortune pursue thee!

  CAESAR Bring him through the bands.

  25

  Exit Ambassador, attended.

  [to Thidias]

  To try thy eloquence now ’tis time. Dispatch.

  From Antony win Cleopatra; promise,

  And in our name, what she requires; add more,

  From thine invention, offers. Women are not

  In their best fortunes strong, but want will perjure

  30

  The ne’er-touch’d vestal. Try thy cunning, Thidias;

  Make thine own edict for thy pains, which we

  Will answer as a law.

  THIDIAS Caesar, I go.

  CAESAR Observe how Antony becomes his flaw,

  And what thou think’st his very action speaks

  35

  In every power that moves.

  THIDIAS Caesar, I shall. Exeunt.

  3.13 Enter CLEOPATRA, ENOBARBUS, CHARMIAN and IRAS.

  CLEOPATRA What shall we do, Enobarbus?

  ENOBARBUS Think, and die.

  CLEOPATRA Is Antony or we in fault for this?

  ENOBARBUS Antony only, that would make his will

  Lord of his reason. What though you fled

  From that great face of war, whose several ranges

  5

  Frighted each other? Why should he follow?

  The itch of his affection should not then

  Have nicked his captainship, at such a point,

  When half to half the world opposed, he being

  The mered question. ’Twas a shame no less

  10

  Than was his loss, to course your flying flags

  And leave his navy gazing.

  CLEOPATRA Prithee, peace.

  Enter the Ambassador with ANTONY.

  ANTONY Is that his answer?

  AMBASSADOR Ay, my lord.

  ANTONY The Queen shall then have courtesy, so she

  15

  Will yield us up.

  AMBASSADOR He says so.

  ANTONY Let her know’t.

  To the boy Caesar send this grizzled head,

  And he will fill thy wishes to the brim

  With principalities.

  CLEOPATRA That head, my lord?

  ANTONY To him again! Tell him he wears the rose

  20

  Of youth upon him, from which the world should

  note

  Something particular. His coin, ships, legions,

  May be a coward’s, whose ministers would prevail

  Under the service of a child as soon

  As i’th’ command of Caesar. I dare him therefore

  25

  To lay his gay caparisons apart

  And answer me declined, sword against sword,

  Ourselves alone. I’ll write it. Follow me.

  Exeunt Antony and Ambassador.

  ENOBARBUS [aside]

  Yes, like enough high-battled Caesar will

  Unstate his happiness, and be staged to th’ show

  30

  Against a sworder! I see men’s judgements are

 

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