SCENE VII.

ANTONY'S Camp, near the Promontory of Actium.
Enter CLEOPATRA and ENOBARBUS.

Cleo. I will be even with thee, doubt it not.
Eno. But why, why, why?

Cleo. Thou hast forspoke my being in these wars,
And say'st, it is not fit.

Eno.
Cleo.

Well, is it, is it?

If not denounc'd against us, why should not we Be there in person?

Eno. [Aside.] Well, I could reply:

If we should serve with horse and mares together,
The horse were merely lost; the mares would bear
A soldier, and his horse.

Cleo.

Eno.

What is 't you say?

Your presence needs must puzzle Antony; Take from his heart, take from his brain, from 's time, What should not then be spar'd. He is already

Traduc'd for levity; and 't is said in Rome,
That Photinus an eunuch, and your maids,
Manage this war.

Cleo.

Sink Rome; and their tongues rot,

That speak against us! A charge we bear i' the war,

And as the president of my kingdom will

Appear there for a man. Speak not against it;

That from Tarentum, and Brundusium,

He could so quickly cut the Ionian sea,

And take in Toryne? You have heard on 't, sweet?
Cleo. Celerity is never more admir'd,

Than by the negligent.

Ant.

Which might have well become the best of men,

To taunt at slackness.

A good rebuke,

Will fight with him by sea.

Cleo.

Can. Why will my lord do so?
Ant.

For that he dares us to 't.

Eno. So hath my lord dar'd him to single fight.

Can. Ay, and to wage this battle at Pharsalia,
Where Cæsar fought with Pompey; but these offers,
Which serve not for his vantage, he shakes off,
And so should you.

Eno.

Your ships are not well mann'd;
Your mariners are muliters, reapers, people
Ingross'd by swift impress: in Cæsar's fleet

Are those, that often have 'gainst Pompey fought.
Their ships are yare, yours, heavy: no disgrace
Shall fall you for refusing him at sea,

Being prepar'd for land.

Eno. Most worthy Sir, you therein throw away
The absolute soldiership you have by land;
Distract your army, which doth most consist
Of war-mark'd footmen; leave unexecuted
Your own renowned knowledge; quite forego
The way which promises assurance, and
Give up yourself merely to chance and hazard,
From firm security.

Cleo. I have sixty sails, Cæsar none better.

Ant. Our overplus of shipping will we burn,

And with the rest, full-mann'd, from the head of Actium
Beat th' approaching Cæsar: but if we fail,

Mess. The news is true, my lord; he is descried; Cæsar has taken Toryne.

Ant. Can he be there in person? 't is impossible; Strange, that his power should be. Canidius,

Our nineteen legions thou shalt hold by land,
And our twelve thousand horse: we 'll to our ship.
Enter a Soldier.

Away, my Thetis !

How now, worthy soldier! Sold. O, noble emperor! do not fight by sea;

Trust not to rotten planks. Do you misdoubt

This sword, and these my wounds? Let the Egyptians,
And the Phoenicians, go a ducking; we

Have used to conquer standing on the earth,
And fighting foot to foot.

Ant.

Well, well.

Away!

[Exeunt ANTONY, CLEOPATRA, and ENOBARBus.

Sold. By Hercules, I think, I am i' the right.
Can. Soldier, thou art; but his whole action grows
Not in the power on 't: so our leader's led,

And we are women's men.

Sold.

You keep by land

The legions and the horse whole, do you not?
Can. Marcus Octavius, Marcus Justeius,

Publicola, and Cælius, are for sea;

But we keep whole by land. This speed of Cæsar's
Carries beyond belief.

Mess. The emperor calls Canidius.

Can. With news the time 's with labour; and throws forth

Each minute some.

[Exeunt.

SCENE VIII.

A Plain near Actium.

Enter CASAR, TAURUS, Officers, and Others.

Cæs. Taurus!

Taur.

Cœs.

My lord.

Strike not by land; keep whole:

[Exeunt.

Provoke not battle, till we have done at sea.
Do not exceed the prescript of this scroll:
Our fortune lies upon this jump.

Enter ANTONY and ENOBARBUS.

Ant. Set we our squadrons on yond' side o' the hill,

In eye of Cæsar's battle; from which place
We may the number of the ships behold,

And so proceed accordingly.

[Exeunt.

Enter CANIDIUS, marching with his Land Army one Way over the Stage; and TAURUS, the Lieutenant of CÆSAR, the other Way. After their going in, is heard the Noise of a SeaFight.

Alarum. Re-enter ENOBARBUS.

Eno. Naught, naught, all naught! I can behold no longer. The Antoniad, the Egyptian admiral,

With all their sixty, fly, and turn the rudder:

To see 't, mine eyes are blasted.

Scar. The greater cantle of the world is lost With very ignorance: we have kiss'd away

Kingdoms and provinces.

How appears the fight?

Eno.
Scar. On our side like the token'd pestilence,
'here death is sure. Yond' ribald-rid nag of Egypt,
Wom leprosy o'ertake! i' the midst o' the fight,

When vantage like a pair of twins appear'd,
Both as the same, or rather ours the elder;
The brize upon her like a cow in June,

Hoists sails, and flies.

Eno. Mine eyes

That I beheld:

did sicken at the sight, and could not

Endure a further view.

Scar.

She once being loof'd,

The noble ruin of her magic, Antony,

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

Can. Our fortune on the sea is out of breath,
And sinks most lamentably. Had our general
Been what he knew himself, it had gone well:
O! he has given example for our flight,

Most grossly, by his own.

Eno. Ay, are you thereabouts? Why then, good night Indeed.

Can. Towards Peloponnesus are they fled.

Scar. 'Tis easy to 't; and there I will attend

What farther comes.

Can.

To Cæsar will I render

My legions, and my horse: six kings already

Show me the way of yielding.

Eno.

I'll yet follow

The wounded chance of Antony, though my reason
Sits in the wind against me.

[Exeunt.