Complete Plays, The (164 page)

Exit Messenger

Charmian

A proper man.

Cleopatra

Indeed, he is so: I repent me much
That so I harried him. Why, methinks, by him,
This creature’s no such thing.

Charmian

Nothing, madam.

Cleopatra

The man hath seen some majesty, and should know.

Charmian

Hath he seen majesty? Isis else defend,
And serving you so long!

Cleopatra

I have one thing more to ask him yet, good Charmian:
But ’tis no matter; thou shalt bring him to me
Where I will write. All may be well enough.

Charmian

I warrant you, madam.

Exeunt

S
CENE
IV. A
THENS
. A
ROOM
IN
M
ARK
A
NTONY
’
S
HOUSE
.

Enter Mark Antony and Octavia

Mark Antony

Nay, nay, Octavia, not only that,—
That were excusable, that, and thousands more
Of semblable import,— but he hath waged
New wars ’gainst Pompey; made his will, and read it
To public ear:
Spoke scantly of me: when perforce he could not
But pay me terms of honour, cold and sickly
He vented them; most narrow measure lent me:
When the best hint was given him, he not took’t,
Or did it from his teeth.

Octavia

O my good lord,
Believe not all; or, if you must believe,
Stomach not all. A more unhappy lady,
If this division chance, ne’er stood between,
Praying for both parts:
The good gods me presently,
When I shall pray, ‘O bless my lord and husband!’
Undo that prayer, by crying out as loud,
‘O, bless my brother!’ Husband win, win brother,
Prays, and destroys the prayer; no midway
’Twixt these extremes at all.

Mark Antony

Gentle Octavia,
Let your best love draw to that point, which seeks
Best to preserve it: if I lose mine honour,
I lose myself: better I were not yours
Than yours so branchless. But, as you requested,
Yourself shall go between ’s: the mean time, lady,
I’ll raise the preparation of a war
Shall stain your brother: make your soonest haste;
So your desires are yours.

Octavia

Thanks to my lord.
The Jove of power make me most weak, most weak,
Your reconciler! Wars ’twixt you twain would be
As if the world should cleave, and that slain men
Should solder up the rift.

Mark Antony

When it appears to you where this begins,
Turn your displeasure that way: for our faults
Can never be so equal, that your love
Can equally move with them. Provide your going;
Choose your own company, and command what cost
Your heart has mind to.

Exeunt

S
CENE
V. T
HE
SAME
. A
NOTHER
ROOM
.

Enter Domitius Enobarbus and Eros, meeting

Domitius Enobarbus

How now, friend Eros!

Eros

There’s strange news come, sir.

Domitius Enobarbus

What, man?

Eros

Caesar and Lepidus have made wars upon Pompey.

Domitius Enobarbus

This is old: what is the success?

Eros

Caesar, having made use of him in the wars ’gainst Pompey, presently denied him rivality; would not let him partake in the glory of the action: and not resting here, accuses him of letters he had formerly wrote to Pompey; upon his own appeal, seizes him: so the poor third is up, till death enlarge his confine.

Domitius Enobarbus

Then, world, thou hast a pair of chaps, no more;
And throw between them all the food thou hast,
They’ll grind the one the other. Where’s Antony?

Eros

He’s walking in the garden — thus; and spurns
The rush that lies before him; cries, ‘Fool Lepidus!’
And threats the throat of that his officer
That murder’d Pompey.

Domitius Enobarbus

Our great navy’s rigg’d.

Eros

For Italy and Caesar. More, Domitius;
My lord desires you presently: my news
I might have told hereafter.

Domitius Enobarbus

’Twill be naught:
But let it be. Bring me to Antony.

Eros

Come, sir.

Exeunt

S
CENE
VI. R
OME
. O
CTAVIUS
C
AESAR
’
S
HOUSE
.

Enter Octavius Caesar, Agrippa, and Mecaenas

Octavius Caesar

Contemning Rome, he has done all this, and more,
In Alexandria: here’s the manner of ’t:
I’ the market-place, on a tribunal silver’d,
Cleopatra and himself in chairs of gold
Were publicly enthroned: at the feet sat
Caesarion, whom they call my father’s son,
And all the unlawful issue that their lust
Since then hath made between them. Unto her
He gave the stablishment of Egypt; made her
Of lower Syria, Cyprus, Lydia,
Absolute queen.

Mecaenas

 
This in the public eye?

Octavius Caesar

I’ the common show-place, where they exercise.
His sons he there proclaim’d the kings of kings:
Great Media, Parthia, and Armenia.
He gave to Alexander; to Ptolemy he assign’d
Syria, Cilicia, and Phoenicia: she
In the habiliments of the goddess Isis
That day appear’d; and oft before gave audience,
As ’tis reported, so.

Mecaenas

Let Rome be thus Inform’d.

Agrippa

Who, queasy with his insolence
Already, will their good thoughts call from him.

Octavius Caesar

The people know it; and have now received
His accusations.

Agrippa

 
Who does he accuse?

Octavius Caesar

Caesar: and that, having in Sicily
Sextus Pompeius spoil’d, we had not rated him
His part o’ the isle: then does he say, he lent me
Some shipping unrestored: lastly, he frets
That Lepidus of the triumvirate
Should be deposed; and, being, that we detain
All his revenue.

Agrippa

 
Sir, this should be answer’d.

Octavius Caesar

’Tis done already, and the messenger gone.
I have told him, Lepidus was grown too cruel;
That he his high authority abused,
And did deserve his change: for what I have conquer’d,
I grant him part; but then, in his Armenia,
And other of his conquer’d kingdoms, I
Demand the like.

Mecaenas

 
He’ll never yield to that.

Octavius Caesar

Nor must not then be yielded to in this.

Enter Octavia with her train

Octavia

Hail, Caesar, and my lord! hail, most dear Caesar!

Octavius Caesar

That ever I should call thee castaway!

Octavia

You have not call’d me so, nor have you cause.

Octavius Caesar

Why have you stol’n upon us thus! You come not
Like Caesar’s sister: the wife of Antony
Should have an army for an usher, and
The neighs of horse to tell of her approach
Long ere she did appear; the trees by the way
Should have borne men; and expectation fainted,
Longing for what it had not; nay, the dust
Should have ascended to the roof of heaven,
Raised by your populous troops: but you are come
A market-maid to Rome; and have prevented
The ostentation of our love, which, left unshown,
Is often left unloved; we should have met you
By sea and land; supplying every stage
With an augmented greeting.

Octavia

Good my lord,
To come thus was I not constrain’d, but did
On my free will. My lord, Mark Antony,
Hearing that you prepared for war, acquainted
My grieved ear withal; whereon, I begg’d
His pardon for return.

Octavius Caesar

Which soon he granted,
Being an obstruct ’tween his lust and him.

Octavia

Do not say so, my lord.

Octavius Caesar

I have eyes upon him,
And his affairs come to me on the wind.
Where is he now?

Octavia

 
My lord, in Athens.

Octavius Caesar

No, my most wronged sister; Cleopatra
Hath nodded him to her. He hath given his empire
Up to a whore; who now are levying
The kings o’ the earth for war; he hath assembled
Bocchus, the king of Libya; Archelaus,
Of Cappadocia; Philadelphos, king
Of Paphlagonia; the Thracian king, Adallas;
King Malchus of Arabia; King of Pont;
Herod of Jewry; Mithridates, king
Of Comagene; Polemon and Amyntas,
The kings of Mede and Lycaonia,
With a more larger list of sceptres.

Octavia

Ay me, most wretched,
That have my heart parted betwixt two friends
That do afflict each other!

Octavius Caesar

Welcome hither:
Your letters did withhold our breaking forth;
Till we perceived, both how you were wrong led,
And we in negligent danger. Cheer your heart;
Be you not troubled with the time, which drives
O’er your content these strong necessities;
But let determined things to destiny
Hold unbewail’d their way. Welcome to Rome;
Nothing more dear to me. You are abused
Beyond the mark of thought: and the high gods,
To do you justice, make them ministers
Of us and those that love you. Best of comfort;
And ever welcome to us.

Agrippa

Welcome, lady.

Mecaenas

Welcome, dear madam.
Each heart in Rome does love and pity you:
Only the adulterous Antony, most large
In his abominations, turns you off;
And gives his potent regiment to a trull,
That noises it against us.

Octavia

Is it so, sir?

Octavius Caesar

Most certain. Sister, welcome: pray you,
Be ever known to patience: my dear’st sister!

Exeunt

S
CENE
VII. N
EAR
A
CTIUM
. M
ARK
A
NTONY
’
S
CAMP
.

Enter Cleopatra and Domitius Enobarbus

Cleopatra

I will be even with thee, doubt it not.

Domitius Enobarbus

But why, why, why?

Cleopatra

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

Domitius Enobarbus

Well, is it, is it?

Cleopatra

If not denounced against us, why should not we
Be there in person?

Domitius Enobarbus

[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.

Cleopatra

What is’t you say?

Domitius Enobarbus

Your presence needs must puzzle Antony;
Take from his heart, take from his brain, from’s time,
What should not then be spared. He is already
Traduced for levity; and ’tis said in Rome
That Photinus an eunuch and your maids
Manage this war.

Cleopatra

 
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:
I will not stay behind.

Domitius Enobarbus

Nay, I have done.
Here comes the emperor.

Enter Mark Antony and Canidius

Mark Antony

Is it not strange, Canidius,
That from Tarentum and Brundusium
He could so quickly cut the Ionian sea,
And take in Toryne? You have heard on’t, sweet?

Cleopatra

Celerity is never more admired
Than by the negligent.

Mark Antony

A good rebuke,
Which might have well becomed the best of men,
To taunt at slackness. Canidius, we
Will fight with him by sea.

Cleopatra

By sea! what else?

Canidius

Why will my lord do so?

Mark Antony

For that he dares us to’t.

Domitius Enobarbus

So hath my lord dared him to single fight.

Canidius

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

Domitius Enobarbus

 
Your ships are not well mann’d;
Your mariners are muleters, reapers, people
Ingross’d by swift impress; in Caesar’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 prepared for land.

Mark Antony

By sea, by sea.

Domitius Enobarbus

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.