Cleopatra
Sooth, la, I’ll help: thus it must be.
Mark Antony
Well, well;
We shall thrive now. Seest thou, my good fellow?
Go put on thy defences.
Eros
Briefly, sir.
Cleopatra
Is not this buckled well?
Mark Antony
Rarely, rarely:
He that unbuckles this, till we do please
To daff’t for our repose, shall hear a storm.
Thou fumblest, Eros; and my queen’s a squire
More tight at this than thou: dispatch. O love,
That thou couldst see my wars to-day, and knew’st
The royal occupation! thou shouldst see
A workman in’t.
Enter an armed Soldier
Good morrow to thee; welcome:
Thou look’st like him that knows a warlike charge:
To business that we love we rise betime,
And go to’t with delight.
Soldier
A thousand, sir,
Early though’t be, have on their riveted trim,
And at the port expect you.
Shout. Trumpets flourish
Enter Captains and Soldiers
Captain
The morn is fair. Good morrow, general.
All
Good morrow, general.
Mark Antony
’Tis well blown, lads:
This morning, like the spirit of a youth
That means to be of note, begins betimes.
So, so; come, give me that: this way; well said.
Fare thee well, dame, whate’er becomes of me:
This is a soldier’s kiss: rebukeable
Kisses her
And worthy shameful cheque it were, to stand
On more mechanic compliment; I’ll leave thee
Now, like a man of steel. You that will fight,
Follow me close; I’ll bring you to’t. Adieu.
Exeunt Mark Antony, Eros, Captains, and Soldiers
Charmian
Please you, retire to your chamber.
Cleopatra
Lead me.
He goes forth gallantly. That he and Caesar might
Determine this great war in single fight!
Then Antony,— but now — Well, on.
Exeunt
SCENE V. ALEXANDRIA. MARK ANTONY’S CAMP.
Trumpets sound. Enter Mark Antony and Eros; a Soldier meeting them
Soldier
The gods make this a happy day to Antony!
Mark Antony
Would thou and those thy scars had once prevail’d
To make me fight at land!
Soldier
Hadst thou done so,
The kings that have revolted, and the soldier
That has this morning left thee, would have still
Follow’d thy heels.
Mark Antony
Who’s gone this morning?
Soldier
Who!
One ever near thee: call for Enobarbus,
He shall not hear thee; or from Caesar’s camp
Say ‘I am none of thine.’
Mark Antony
What say’st thou?
Soldier
Sir,
He is with Caesar.
Eros
Sir, his chests and treasure
He has not with him.
Mark Antony
Is he gone?
Soldier
Most certain.
Mark Antony
Go, Eros, send his treasure after; do it;
Detain no jot, I charge thee: write to him —
I will subscribe — gentle adieus and greetings;
Say that I wish he never find more cause
To change a master. O, my fortunes have
Corrupted honest men! Dispatch.— Enobarbus!
Exeunt
SCENE VI. ALEXANDRIA. OCTAVIUS CAESAR’S CAMP.
Flourish. Enter Octavius Caesar, Agrippa, with Domitius Enobarbus, and others
Octavius Caesar
Go forth, Agrippa, and begin the fight:
Our will is Antony be took alive;
Make it so known.
Agrippa
Caesar, I shall.
Exit
Octavius Caesar
The time of universal peace is near:
Prove this a prosperous day, the three-nook’d world
Shall bear the olive freely.
Enter a Messenger
Messenger
Antony
Is come into the field.
Octavius Caesar
Go charge Agrippa
Plant those that have revolted in the van,
That Antony may seem to spend his fury
Upon himself.
Exeunt all but Domitius Enobarbus
Domitius Enobarbus
Alexas did revolt; and went to Jewry on
Affairs of Antony; there did persuade
Great Herod to incline himself to Caesar,
And leave his master Antony: for this pains
Caesar hath hang’d him. Canidius and the rest
That fell away have entertainment, but
No honourable trust. I have done ill;
Of which I do accuse myself so sorely,
That I will joy no more.
Enter a Soldier of Caesar’s
Soldier
Enobarbus, Antony
Hath after thee sent all thy treasure, with
His bounty overplus: the messenger
Came on my guard; and at thy tent is now
Unloading of his mules.
Domitius Enobarbus
I give it you.
Soldier
Mock not, Enobarbus.
I tell you true: best you safed the bringer
Out of the host; I must attend mine office,
Or would have done’t myself. Your emperor
Continues still a Jove.
Exit
Domitius Enobarbus
I am alone the villain of the earth,
And feel I am so most. O Antony,
Thou mine of bounty, how wouldst thou have paid
My better service, when my turpitude
Thou dost so crown with gold! This blows my heart:
If swift thought break it not, a swifter mean
Shall outstrike thought: but thought will do’t, I feel.
I fight against thee! No: I will go seek
Some ditch wherein to die; the foul’st best fits
My latter part of life.
Exit
SCENE VII. FIELD OF BATTLE BETWEEN THE CAMPS.
Alarum. Drums and trumpets. Enter Agrippa and others
Agrippa
Retire, we have engaged ourselves too far:
Caesar himself has work, and our oppression
Exceeds what we expected.
Exeunt
Alarums. Enter Mark Antony and Scarus wounded
Scarus
O my brave emperor, this is fought indeed!
Had we done so at first, we had droven them home
With clouts about their heads.
Mark Antony
Thou bleed’st apace.
Scarus
I had a wound here that was like a T,
But now ’tis made an H.
Mark Antony
They do retire.
Scarus
We’ll beat ’em into bench-holes: I have yet
Room for six scotches more.
Enter Eros
Eros
They are beaten, sir, and our advantage serves
For a fair victory.
Scarus
Let us score their backs,
And snatch ’em up, as we take hares, behind:
’Tis sport to maul a runner.
Mark Antony
I will reward thee
Once for thy spritely comfort, and ten-fold
For thy good valour. Come thee on.
Scarus
I’ll halt after.
Exeunt
SCENE VIII. UNDER THE WALLS OF ALEXANDRIA.
Alarum. Enter Mark Antony, in a march; Scarus, with others
Mark Antony
We have beat him to his camp: run one before,
And let the queen know of our gests. To-morrow,
Before the sun shall see ’s, we’ll spill the blood
That has to-day escaped. I thank you all;
For doughty-handed are you, and have fought
Not as you served the cause, but as ’t had been
Each man’s like mine; you have shown all Hectors.
Enter the city, clip your wives, your friends,
Tell them your feats; whilst they with joyful tears
Wash the congealment from your wounds, and kiss
The honour’d gashes whole.
To Scarus
Give me thy hand
Enter Cleopatra, attended
To this great fairy I’ll commend thy acts,
Make her thanks bless thee.
To Cleopatra
O thou day o’ the world,
Chain mine arm’d neck; leap thou, attire and all,
Through proof of harness to my heart, and there
Ride on the pants triumphing!
Cleopatra
Lord of lords!
O infinite virtue, comest thou smiling from
The world’s great snare uncaught?
Mark Antony
My nightingale,
We have beat them to their beds. What, girl! though grey
Do something mingle with our younger brown, yet ha’ we
A brain that nourishes our nerves, and can
Get goal for goal of youth. Behold this man;
Commend unto his lips thy favouring hand:
Kiss it, my warrior: he hath fought to-day
As if a god, in hate of mankind, had
Destroy’d in such a shape.
Cleopatra
I’ll give thee, friend,
An armour all of gold; it was a king’s.
Mark Antony
He has deserved it, were it carbuncled
Like holy Phoebus’ car. Give me thy hand:
Through Alexandria make a jolly march;
Bear our hack’d targets like the men that owe them:
Had our great palace the capacity
To camp this host, we all would sup together,
And drink carouses to the next day’s fate,
Which promises royal peril. Trumpeters,
With brazen din blast you the city’s ear;
Make mingle with rattling tabourines;
That heaven and earth may strike their sounds together,
Applauding our approach.
Exeunt
SCENE IX. OCTAVIUS CAESAR’S CAMP.
Sentinels at their post
First Soldier
If we be not relieved within this hour,
We must return to the court of guard: the night
Is shiny; and they say we shall embattle
By the second hour i’ the morn.
Second Soldier
This last day was
A shrewd one to’s.
Enter Domitius Enobarbus
Domitius Enobarbus
O, bear me witness, night,—
Third Soldier
What man is this?
Second Soldier
Stand close, and list him.
Domitius Enobarbus
Be witness to me, O thou blessed moon,
When men revolted shall upon record
Bear hateful memory, poor Enobarbus did
Before thy face repent!
First Soldier
Enobarbus!
Third Soldier
Peace!
Hark further.
Domitius Enobarbus
O sovereign mistress of true melancholy,
The poisonous damp of night disponge upon me,
That life, a very rebel to my will,
May hang no longer on me: throw my heart
Against the flint and hardness of my fault:
Which, being dried with grief, will break to powder,
And finish all foul thoughts. O Antony,
Nobler than my revolt is infamous,
Forgive me in thine own particular;
But let the world rank me in register
A master-leaver and a fugitive:
O Antony! O Antony!
Dies
Second Soldier
Let’s speak To him.
First Soldier
Let’s hear him, for the things he speaks
May concern Caesar.
Third Soldier
Let’s do so. But he sleeps.
First Soldier
Swoons rather; for so bad a prayer as his
Was never yet for sleep.
Second Soldier
Go we to him.
Third Soldier
Awake, sir, awake; speak to us.
Second Soldier
Hear you, sir?
First Soldier
The hand of death hath raught him.
Drums afar off
Hark! the drums
Demurely wake the sleepers. Let us bear him
To the court of guard; he is of note: our hour
Is fully out.
Third Soldier
Come on, then;
He may recover yet.
Exeunt with the body
SCENE X. BETWEEN THE TWO CAMPS.
Enter Mark Antony and Scarus, with their Army
Mark Antony
Their preparation is to-day by sea;
We please them not by land.
Scarus
For both, my lord.
Mark Antony
I would they’ld fight i’ the fire or i’ the air;
We’ld fight there too. But this it is; our foot
Upon the hills adjoining to the city
Shall stay with us: order for sea is given;
They have put forth the haven
Where their appointment we may best discover,
And look on their endeavour.
Exeunt
SCENE XI. ANOTHER PART OF THE SAME.
Enter Octavius Caesar, and his Army
Octavius Caesar
But being charged, we will be still by land,
Which, as I take’t, we shall; for his best force
Is forth to man his galleys. To the vales,
And hold our best advantage.
Exeunt
SCENE XII. ANOTHER PART OF THE SAME.
Enter Mark Antony and Scarus
Mark Antony
Yet they are not join’d: where yond pine does stand,
I shall discover all: I’ll bring thee word
Straight, how ’tis like to go.
Exit
Scarus
Swallows have built
In Cleopatra’s sails their nests: the augurers
Say they know not, they cannot tell; look grimly,
And dare not speak their knowledge. Antony
Is valiant, and dejected; and, by starts,
His fretted fortunes give him hope, and fear,
Of what he has, and has not.
Alarum afar off, as at a sea-fight
Re-enter Mark Antony
Mark Antony
All is lost;
This foul Egyptian hath betrayed me:
My fleet hath yielded to the foe; and yonder
They cast their caps up and carouse together
Like friends long lost. Triple-turn’d whore!
’tis thou
Hast sold me to this novice; and my heart
Makes only wars on thee. Bid them all fly;
For when I am revenged upon my charm,
I have done all. Bid them all fly; begone.
Exit Scarus
O sun, thy uprise shall I see no more:
F
ortune and Antony part here; even here
Do we shake hands. All come to this? The hearts
That spaniel’d me at heels, to whom I gave
Their wishes, do discandy, melt their sweets
On blossoming Caesar; and this pine is bark’d,
That overtopp’d them all. Betray’d I am:
O this false soul of Egypt! this grave charm,—
Whose eye beck’d forth my wars, and call’d them home;
Whose bosom was my crownet, my chief end,—
Like a right gipsy, hath, at fast and loose,
Beguiled me to the very heart of loss.
What, Eros, Eros!
Enter Cleopatra
Ah, thou spell! Avaunt!
Cleopatra
Why is my lord enraged against his love?
Mark Antony
Vanish, or I shall give thee thy deserving,
And blemish Caesar’s triumph. Let him take thee,
And hoist thee up to the shouting plebeians:
Follow his chariot, like the greatest spot
Of all thy sex; most monster-like, be shown
For poor’st diminutives, for doits; and let
Patient Octavia plough thy visage up
With her prepared nails.
Exit Cleopatra
’Tis well thou’rt gone,
If it be well to live; but better ’twere
Thou fell’st into my fury, for one death
Might have prevented many. Eros, ho!
The shirt of Nessus is upon me: teach me,
Alcides, thou mine ancestor, thy rage:
Let me lodge Lichas on the horns o’ the moon;
And with those hands, that grasp’d the heaviest club,
Subdue my worthiest self. The witch shall die:
To the young Roman boy she hath sold me, and I fall
Under this plot; she dies for’t. Eros, ho!
Exit
SCENE XIII. ALEXANDRIA. CLEOPATRA’S PALACE.
Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, Iras, and Mardian
Cleopatra
Help me, my women! O, he is more mad
Than Telamon for his shield; the boar of Thessaly
Was never so emboss’d.
Charmian
To the monument!
There lock yourself, and send him word you are dead.
The soul and body rive not more in parting
Than greatness going off.
Cleopatra
To the monument!
Mardian, go tell him I have slain myself;
Say, that the last I spoke was ‘Antony,’
And word it, prithee, piteously: hence, Mardian,
And bring me how he takes my death.
To the monument!
Exeunt
SCENE XIV. THE SAME. ANOTHER ROOM.
Enter Mark Antony and Eros
Mark Antony
Eros, thou yet behold’st me?
Eros
Ay, noble lord.
Mark Antony
Sometimes we see a cloud that’s dragonish;
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