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It is my business too.

Farewell.

80

Lep. Farewell, my lord: what you shall know meantime Of stirs abroad, I shall beseech you, sir,

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'Alexandria. Cleopatra's palace.

Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, Iras, and Mardian.

Cleo. Charmian!

Char. Madam?

Cleo. Ha, ha!

Char.

Give me to drink mandragora.

Why, madam? Cleo. That I might sleep out this great gap of time

Char.

My Antony is away.

Cleo. O, 'tis treason!

Char.

You think of him too much.

Madam, I trust, not so.

What's your highness' pleasure?

ΙΟ

Cleo. Thou, eunuch Mardian!
Mar.

Cleo. Not now to hear thee sing; I take no pleasure
In aught an eunuch has: 'tis well for thee,
That, being unseminar'd, thy freer thoughts
May not fly forth of Egypt. Hast thou affections?
Mar. Yes, gracious madam.

Cleo. Indeed!

Mar. Not in deed, madam; for I can do nothing

But what indeed is honest to be done:

Yet have I fierce affections, and think

Cleo.

What Venus did with Mars.

O Charmian,

Where think'st thou he is now? Stands he, or sits he?

Or does he walk? or is he on his horse?

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O happy horse, to bear the weight of Antony!
Do bravely, horse! for wot'st thou whom thou

movest?

The demi-Atlas of this

And burgonet of men.

earth, the arm

He's speaking now,

Or murmuring, 'Where's my serpent of old Nile?'
For so he calls me: now I feed myself
With most delicious poison. Think on me,
That am with Phoebus' amorous pinches black

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And wrinkled deep in time? Broad-fronted Cæsar,
When thou wast here above the ground, I was
A morsel for a monarch: and great Pompey
Would stand and make his eyes grow in my brow;
There would he anchor his aspect and die
With looking on his life.

Alex.

Enter Alexas.

Sovereign of Egypt, hail!

Cleo. How much unlike art thou Mark Antony!

Yet, coming from him, that great medicine hath
With his tinct gilded thee.

How goes it with my brave Mark Antony?

Alex. Last thing he did, dear queen,

He kiss'd-the last of many doubled kisses-
This orient pearl. His speech sticks in my heart.
Cleo. Mine ear must pluck it thence.

Alex.

'Good friend,' quoth he,

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Cleo.

'Say, the firm Roman to great Egypt sends
This treasure of an oyster; at whose foot,
To mend the petty present, I will piece
Her opulent throne with kingdoms; all the east,
Say thou, shall call her mistress.' So he nodded,
And soberly did mount an arm-gaunt steed,

Who neigh'd so high, that what I would have spoke
Was beastly dumb'd by him.

What, was he sad or merry? 50 Alex. Like to the time o' the year between the extremes Of hot and cold, he was nor sad nor merry.

Cleo. O well divided disposition! Note him,

Note him, good Charmian, 'tis the man; but note
him:

He was not sad, for he would shine on those
That make their looks by his; he was not merry,
Which seem'd to tell them his remembrance lay
In Egypt with his joy; but between both.
O heavenly mingle! Be'st thou sad or merry,
The violence of either thee becomes,

So does it no man else. Met'st thou my posts?
Alex. Ay, madam, twenty several messengers:
Why do you send so thick?

Cleo.

Char.

Who's born that day
When I forget to send to Antony,

Shall die a beggar. Ink and paper, Charmian.
Welcome, my good Alexas. Did I, Charmian,
Ever love Cæsar so?

O that brave Cæsar!

Cleo. Be choked with such another emphasis!

Char.

Say, the brave Antony.

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The valiant Cæsar!

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Cleo. By Isis, I will give thee bloody teeth,

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When I was green in judgement: cold in blood,
To say as I said then! But come, away;
Get me ink and paper:

He shall have every day a several greeting,
Or I'll unpeople Egypt.

ACT SECOND.

Scene I.

Messina. Pompey's house.

[Exeunt.

Enter Pompey, Menecrates, and Menas, in warlike

manner.

Pom. If the great gods be just, they shall assist

The deeds of justest men.

Mene.

Know, worthy Pompey,
That what they do delay, they not deny.

Pom. Whiles we are suitors to their throne, decays
The thing we sue for.

Mene.

Pom.

We, ignorant of ourselves,

Beg often our own harms, which the wise powers
Deny us for our good; so find we profit

By losing of our prayers.

I shall do well:

The people love me, and the sea is mine;

My powers are crescent, and my auguring hope 10

Says it will come to the full. Mark Antony

In Egypt sits at dinner, and will make

Men.

No wars without doors: Cæsar gets money where
He loses hearts: Lepidus flatters both,

Of both is flatter'd, but he neither loves,
Nor either cares for him.

Cæsar and Lepidus

Are in the field: a mighty strength they carry. Pom. Where have you this? 'tis false.

Men.

From Silvius, sir. Pom. He dreams: I know they are in Rome together, Looking for Antony. But all the charms of love, 20 Salt Cleopatra, soften thy waned lip!

Let witchcraft join with beauty, lust with both!
Tie up the libertine in a field of feasts,
Keep his brain fuming; Epicurean cooks
Sharpen with cloyless sauce his appetite;

That sleep and feeding may prorogue his honour
Even till a Lethe'd dulness!

Enter Varrius.

How now, Varrius!

Var. This is most certain that I shall deliver:
Mark Antony is every hour in Rome
Expected since he went from Egypt 'tis
A space for farther travel.

Pom.

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I could have given less matter
A better ear. Menas, I did not think

This amorous surfeiter would have donn'd his helm
For such a petty war: his soldiership

Is twice the other twain: but let us rear
The higher our opinion, that our stirring
Can from the lap of Egypt's widow pluck
The ne'er-lust-wearied Antony.

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