1 Char. Nay, if an oily palm be not a fruitful prognoftication, I cannot fératch mine ear. Pr'ythee tell her but a workyday fortune. Sooth. Your fortunes are alike. Iras. But how, but how Sooth, I have faid. give me particulars. Iras. Am I not an inch of fortune better than fhe ? Char. Well, if you were but an inch of fortune better than I; where would you chuse it? Iras. Not in my husband's nofe. Char. Our worfer thoughts heav'ns mend. Come, bis fortune, bis fortune. O let him marry a woman that cannot go, fweet fis, I befeech thee,and let her die too, and give him a worfe, and let worfe follow worfe, 'till the worst of all follow him laughing to his grave, fifty-fold a cuckold. Good Ifis, hear me this prayer, though thou deny me a matter of more weight; good Ifis, I beseech thee. Iras. Amen, dear Goddefs, hear that prayer of the people. For, as it is a heart-breaking to fee a handfome man loofe-wiv'd, fo it is a deadly forrow to behold a foul knave uncuckolded; therefore dear Ifis, keep decorum, and fortune him accordingly. Char. Amen. Alex. Lo now, if it lay in their hands to make me a cuckold, they would make themfelves whores, but they'd do't. SCENE III. Enter Cleopatra. Eno. Huh, here comes Antony. Char. Not he, the Queen. Cleo. Saw you my lord? Eno. No, lady. Cleo. Was he not here? Char. No, madam. Cleo. He was difpos'd to mirth, but on the fudden A Roman thought had ftruck him. Enobarbus. A 5 Eno Eno. Madam. Cleo. Seek him, and bring him hither; where's A lexas? Alex. Here at your service, my lord approaches, Enter Antony with a Messenger and Attendants. Cleo. We will not look upon him go with us.. Mef. Ay, but foon that war had end, and the time's Made friends of them, jointing their force 'gainst Casar, Ant. Well, what worst? Mef. The nature of bad news infects the teller. Ant. When it concerns the fool or coward; on. Things that are paft, are done, with me. 'Tis thus, Who tells me true, though in the tale lye death's 1 hear as if he flatter'd Mef. Labienus (this is ftiff news). Hath, with his Parthian force, extended Abaz Whilft. Ant. Antony thou wouldst say. Mef. Oh, my lord! Ant. Speak to me home, mince not the gen'ral tongue, Name Cleopatra as fhe's call'd in Rome. Rail thou in Fulvia's phrafe, and taunt my faults: With fuch full licenfe, as both truth and malice Have power to utter. Oh then we bring forth weeds, When our quick winds lye ftill, and our ill, told us, Is as our earing; fare thee well a while. Mef. At your noble pleasure.. Ant. From Sicyon how the news? fpeak there. Mef. The man from Sicyon,, is there fuch an one Attend Attend. He ftays upon your will, Thefe ftrong Egyptian fetters I must break, 2 Mef. Fulvia thy wife is dead. Ant. Where died fhe? 2 Mef. In Sicyon, Her length of fickness with what else more ferious Importeth thee to know, this bears. Ant. Forbear me. There's a great fpirit gone! thus I defir'd it. The oppofite of it felf; fhe's good being gone, Ten thoufand harms, more than the ills I know, Eno. What's your pleafure, Sir? Ant. I must with hafte from hence. Eno. Why then we kill all our women, We fee how mortal an unkindness is to them, if they fuffer our departure, death's the word. Ant. I must be gone. Eno. Under a compelling occafion, let women die. It were pity to caft them away for nothing, though between them and a great caufe, they fhould be e+: fteem'd nothing. Cleopatra catching but the leaft noise of this dies inftantly; I have feen her die twenty times upon far poorer moment: I do think there is mettle in death, which commits fome loving act upon her, the hath fuch a celerity in dying. Ant. She is cunning paft man's thought. Eno. Alack, Sir, no, her paffions are made of nothing but the finest part of pure love. We cannot call her her winds and waters, fighs and tears: they are greater forms and tempefts than almanacks can re port. This cannot be cunning in her if it be, fhe imakes a fhow'r of rain as well as Jove. Ant. Would I had never feen her! : Eno. Oh Sir, you had then left unseen a wonderful piece of work, which not to have been bleft withal, would have difcredited your travel.. Ant. Fulvia is dead. Eno. Sir! Ant. Fulvia is dead. Ant. Dead. Eno. Why Sir, give the Gods a thankful facrifice: when it pleaseth their deities to take the wife of a man from him, it fhews to man the tailor of the earth (comforting him therein) that when old robes. are worn out, there are members to make new. If there were no more women but Fulvia, then had you inceed a cut, and the cafe were to be lamented: this grief is crowned with confolation, your old smock brings forth a new petticoat, and indeed the tears live in an onion that fhould water this forrow. Ant. The bufinefs fhe hath broach'd here in the ftate, annot endure my abfence. Eno. And the bufinefs you have broach'd here, Cannot be without you, efpecially that of Cleopatra's, which wholly depends on your aboad. Ant. No more light anfwers: let our officers b like. c love. Till 'Till his deserts are paft,) begin to throw Eno. I'll do't. SCENE IV. [Exeunt. Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, Alexas, and Iras. Cleo. Where is he? Char. I did not fee him fince. Cleo. See where he is, who's with him, what he do's. I did not fend you. If you find him fad, Say I am dancing: if in mirth, report That I am fudden fick. Quick, and return. Char. Madam, methinks if you did love him dearly, You do not hold the method, to enforce The like from him. Cleo. What fhould I do, I do not?. Char. In each thing give him way, crofs him in nothing. : Cleo. Thou teacheft like a fool the way to lofe him. Char. Tempt him not fo, too far. I wish, forbear, In time we hate that which we often fear. Enter Antony. But here comes Antony. Cleo. I'm fick, and fullen. Ant. I am forry to give breathing to my purpose. Cleo. Help me away, dear Charmian, I fhall fall, It a Alludes to an old idle notion that the hair of horfe dropt into corrupted water, will turn to an animal, |