I can no more.

Cleo. Noblest of men, woo't die?

Hast thou no care of me? shall I abide

In this dull world, which in thy absence is
No better than a stye ?-O, see, my women,

The crown o'the earth doth melt :-My lord !-
O, wither'd is the garland of the war,

The soldier's pole is fallen; young boys, and girls,
Are level now with men: the odds is gone,

And there is nothing left remarkable

Beneath the visiting moon.

Char. O, quietness, lady!

Iras. She is dead too, our sovereign.

Char. Lady,

Iras. Madam,—

Char. O madam, madam, madam !

Iras. Royal Egypt!

Empress!

Char. Peace, peace, Iras.

[Dies.

[She faints.

Cleo. No more but e'n a woman; and commanded

By such poor passion as the maid that milks,

And does the meanest chares.-It were for me
To throw my sceptre at the injurious gods;
To tell them, that this world did equal theirs,
Till they had stolen our jewel. All's but naught;
Patience is sottish; and impatience does
Become a dog that's mad; Then is it sin,

To rush into the secret house of death,

Ere death dare come to us ?-How do you, women?
What, what? good cheer! Why, how now, Charmian!
My noble girls!Ah, women, women! look,

Our lamp is spent, it's out :-Good sirs, take heart :-
[To the Guards below.
We'll bury him and then, what's brave, what's noble,
Let's do it after the high Roman fashion,

:

And make death proud to take.us. Come, away:
This case of that huge spirit now is cold.

Ah, women, women! come; we have no friend

But resolution, and the briefest end.

[Exeunt; those above bearing off ANTONY's body.

He at whom the soldiers pointed as at a pageant held high for observation. I have no more of my wonted greatness, but am even a woman on the level with other women; where I what I once was,

----It were for me
To throw my sceptre, &c.

JOHNSON.

[9] That is, task work. Hence our term chare-woman.

STEEVENS.

ACT V.

SCENE I.-CESAR'S Camp before Alexandria. Enter CESAR, AGRIPPA, DOLABELLA, MECENAS, GALLUS, PROCULEIUS, and others.

Cas. Go to him, Dolabella, bid him yield ;

Being so frustrate, tell him, he mocks us by
The pauses that he makes.

Dol. Cæsar, 1 shall.

[Exit DOLABELLA.

Enter DERCETAS, with the sword of ANTONY.

Cas. Wherefore is that? and what art thou, that dar❜st Appear thus to us?

Der. I am call'd Dercetas ;

Mark Antony I serv'd, who best was worthy

Best to be serv'd: whilst he stood up, and spoke,

He was my master; and I wore my life,

To spend upon his haters: If thou please

To take me to thee, as I was to him

I'll be to Cæsar; if thou pleasest not,

I yield thee up my life.

Caes. What is't thou say'st?

Der. I say, O Cæsar, Antony is dead.

Cas. The breaking of so great a thing should make

A greater crack: The round world should have shook Lions into civil streets,'

And citizens to their dens :-'

-The death of Antony

Is not a single doom; in the name lay
A moiety of the world.

Der. He is dead, Cæsar;

Not by a public minister of justice,

Nor by a hired knife; but that self hand,

Which writ his honour in the acts it did,

Hath, with the courage which the heart did lend it,
Splitted the heart. This is his sword;

I robb'd his wound of it; behold it stain'd

With his most noble blood.

Cas. Look you sad, friends?

The gods rebuke me, but it is a tidings
To wash the eyes of kings.

Agr. And strange it is,

That nature must compel us to lament

[1] I think here is a line lost, after which it is in vain to go in quest. The sense seems to have been this: "The round world should have shook, and this great alteration of the system of things should send lions into streets, and citizens into dens." There is sense still, but it is harsh and violent. JOHNSON.

Our most persisted deeds.

Mec. His taints and honours

Waged equal with him.'

Agr. A rarer spirit never

Did steer humanity: but you, gods, will give us
Some faults to make us men.-Cæsar is touch'd.

Mec. When such a spacious mirror's set before him, He needs must see himself.

Cæs. O Antony!

I have follow'd thee to this ;-But we do lance
Diseases in our bodies: I must perforce
Have shown to thee such a declining day,
Or look on thine; we could not stall together
In the whole world: But yet let me lament,
With tears as sovereign as the blood of hearts,
That thou, my brother, my competitor
In top of all design, my mate in empire,
Friend and companion in the front of war,
The arm of mine own body, and the heart

Where mine his thoughts did kindle,-that our stars,
Unreconcilable, should divide

Our equalness to this.-Hear me, good friends,-
But I will tell you at some meeter season;

Enter a Messenger,

The business of this man looks out of him,

We'll hear him what he says.Whence are you?

Mes. A poor Egyptian yet: The queen my mistress, Confin'd in all she has, her monument,

Of thy intents desires instruction;

That she preparedly may frame herself

To the way she's forced to.

Cæs. Bid her have good heart;

She soon shall know of us, by some of ours,

How honourable and how kindly we

Determine for her for Cæsar cannot live

To be ungentle.

Mes. So the gods preserve thee!

Cæs. Come hither, Proculeius; Go, and say,

We purpose her no shame : give her what comforts
The quality of her passion shall require;
Lest, in her greatness, by some mortal stroke
She do defeat us: for her life in Rome

[2] Read weigh with the second folio, where it is misspelt way.
VOL. VIII.

[Exit

RITSON.
H

Would be eternal in our triumph: Go,

And, with your speediest, bring us what she says,
And how you find of her.

Pro. Cæsar, I shall.

[Exit PROC.

Cas. Gallus, go you along.-Where's Dolabella, To second Proculeius?

Agr. Mec. Dolabella!

[Exit GALLUS.

Caes. Let him alone, for I remember now
How he's employed; he shall in time be ready.
Go with me to my tent; where you shall see
How hardly I was drawn into this war
How calm and gentle I proceeded still
In all my writings: Go with me, and see
What I can show in this.

SCENE II.

. ;

. [Exeun. Alexandria. A Room in the Monument. Enter CLeopatra,

CHARMIAN, and IRAS.

Cleo. My desolation does begin to make
A better life: "Tis paltry to be Cæsar;
Not being fortune, he's but fortune's knave,
A minister of her will; And it is great

To do that thing that ends all other deeds;
Which shackles accidents, and bolts up change;
Which sleeps, and never palates more the dung,
The beggar's nurse and Cæsar's.*

Enter, to the Gates of the Monument, PROCULEIUS, Gallus, and Soldiers.

Pro. Cæsar sends greeting to the queen of Egypt;

And bids thee study on what fair demands

Thou mean'st to have him grant thee.

Cleo. [Within.] What's thy name?
Pro. My name is Proculeius.

Cleo. [Within.] Antony

Did tell me of you, bade me trust you;

I do not greatly care to be deceiv'd,

but

That have no use for trusting. If your master

Would have a queen his beggar, you must tell him,

That majesty, to keep decorum, must

No less beg than a kingdom: if he please

[4] The difficulty of the passage, if any difficulty there be, arises from this, that the act of suicide, and the state which is the effect of suicide. are confounded. Voluntary death, says she, is an act which bolts up change; it produces a state,

Which sleeps, and never palates more the dung,

The beggar's nurse, and Cesar's.

Which has no longer need of the gross and terrene sustenance, in the use of which Cæsar and the beggar are on a level. The speech is abrupt, but perturbation in such a state is surely natural.

JOHNSON

To give me conquer'd Egypt for my son,
He gives me so much of mine own, as I
Will kneel to him with thanks.

Pro. Be of good cheer;

You are fallen into a princely hand, fear nothing:
Make full reference freely to my lord,

your

Who is so full of grace, that it flows over
On all that need. Let me report to him
Your sweet dependency; and you shall find
A conqueror, that will pray in aid for kindness,
Where he for grace is kneel'd to.

Cleo. [Within.] Pray you, tell him

I am his fortune's vassal, and I send him
The greatness he has got. I hourly learn
A doctrine of obedience; and would gladly
Look him i'the face.

Pro. This I'll report, dear lady.

Have comfort; for, I know, your plight is pitied
Of him that caus'd it.

Gal. You see how easily she may be surpris'd; [Here PROCULEIUS, and two of the Guard, ascend the Monument by a ladder placed against a window, and having descended, come behind CLEOPATRA. Some of the Guard unbar and open the gates.

Guard her till Cæsar come. [To PRO. and Guard. Ex. GAL. Iras. Royal queen!

Char. O Cleopatra ! thou art taken, queen!

Cleo. Quick, quick, good hands. [Drawing a dagger. Pro. Hold, worthy lady, hold: [Seizes and disarms her. Do not yourself such wrong, who are in this

Reliey'd, but not betray'd.

Cleo. What, of death too, That rids our dogs of languish ?

Pro. Cleopatra,

Do not abuse my master's bounty, by

The undoing of yourself: let the world see

His nobleness well acted, which your death

Will never let come forth.

Cleo. Where art thou, death?

Come hither, come! come, come, and take a queen
Worth many babes and beggars.

Pro. O, temperance, lady!

Cleo. Sir, I will eat no meat; I'll not drink, sir:

[5] I allow him to be my conqueror; I own his superiority with complete submis sion. JOHNSON. [6] For languish, I think we may read anguish. JOHNSON,