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.The fellow has good judgment.CHARMIAN.Excellent.CLEOPATRA.Guess at her years, I prithee.MESSENGER.Madam,She was a widow.CLEOPATRA.Widow? Charmian, hark!MESSENGER.And I do think she's thirty.CLEOPATRA.Bear'st thou her face in mind? Is't long or round?MESSENGER.Round even to faultiness.CLEOPATRA.For the most part, too, they are foolish that are so.Her hair, what colour?MESSENGER.Brown, madam; and her foreheadAs low as she would wish it.CLEOPATRA.There's gold for thee.Thou must not take my former sharpness ill.I will employ thee back again; I find theeMost fit for business.Go make thee ready;Our letters are prepar'd.Exeunt MESSENGERCHARMIAN.A proper man.CLEOPATRA.Indeed, he is so.I repent me muchThat 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 meWhere I will write.All may be well enough.CHARMIAN.I warrant you, madam.ExeuntACT_3|SC_4SCENE IV.Athens.ANTONY'S houseEnter ANTONY and OCTAVIAANTONY.Nay, nay, Octavia, not only that-That were excusable, that and thousands moreOf semblable import- but he hath wag'dNew wars 'gainst Pompey; made his will, and read itTo public ear;Spoke scandy of me; when perforce he could notBut pay me terms of honour, cold and sicklyHe 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 will mock me presentlyWhen 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 mid-way'Twixt these extremes at all.ANTONY.Gentle Octavia,Let your best love draw to that point which seeksBest to preserve it.If I lose mine honour,I lose myself; better I were not yoursThan yours so branchless.But, as you requested,Yourself shall go between's.The meantime, lady,I'll raise the preparation of a warShall 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 beAs if the world should cleave, and that slain menShould solder up the rift.ANTONY.When it appears to you where this begins,Turn your displeasure that way, for our faultsCan never be so equal that your loveCan equally move with them.Provide your going;Choose your own company, and command what costYour heart has mind to.ExeuntACT_3|SC_5SCENE V.Athens.ANTONY'S houseEnter ENOBARBUS and EROS, meetingENOBARBUS.How now, friend Eros!EROS.There's strange news come, sir.ENOBARBUS.What, man?EROS.Caesar and Lepidus have made wars upon Pompey.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 theglory of the action; and not resting here, accuses him of lettershe had formerly wrote to Pompey; upon his own appeal, seizes him.So the poor third is up, till death enlarge his confine.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 spurnsThe rush that lies before him; cries 'Fool Lepidus!'And threats the throat of that his officerThat murd'red Pompey.ENOBARBUS.Our great navy's rigg'd.EROS.For Italy and Caesar.More, Domitius:My lord desires you presently; my newsI might have told hereafter.ENOBARBUS.'Twill be naught;But let it be.Bring me to Antony.EROS.Come, sir.ExeuntACT_3|SC_6SCENE VI.Rome.CAESAR'S houseEnter CAESAR, AGRIPPA, and MAECENASCAESAR.Contemning Rome, he has done all this and moreIn Alexandria.Here's the manner of't:I' th' market-place, on a tribunal silver'd,Cleopatra and himself in chairs of goldWere publicly enthron'd; at the feet satCaesarion, whom they call my father's son,And all the unlawful issue that their lustSince then hath made between them.Unto herHe gave the stablishment of Egypt; made herOf lower Syria, Cyprus, Lydia,Absolute queen.MAECENAS.This in the public eye?CAESAR.I' th' 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'dSyria, Cilicia, and Phoenicia.SheIn th' habiliments of the goddess IsisThat day appear'd; and oft before gave audience,As 'tis reported, so.MAECENAS.Let Rome be thusInform'd.AGRIPPA.Who, queasy with his insolenceAlready, will their good thoughts call from him.CAESAR.The people knows it, and have now receiv'dHis accusations.AGRIPPA.Who does he accuse?CAESAR.Caesar; and that, having in SicilySextus Pompeius spoil'd, we had not rated himHis part o' th' isle.Then does he say he lent meSome shipping, unrestor'd.Lastly, he fretsThat Lepidus of the triumvirateShould be depos'd; and, being, that we detainAll his revenue.AGRIPPA.Sir, this should be answer'd.CAESAR.'Tis done already, and messenger gone.I have told him Lepidus was grown too cruel,That he his high authority abus'd,And did deserve his change.For what I have conquer'dI grant him part; but then, in his ArmeniaAnd other of his conquer'd kingdoms,Demand the like.MAECENAS.He'll never yield to that.CAESAR.Nor must not then be yielded to in this.Enter OCTAVIA, with her trainOCTAVIA.Hail, Caesar, and my lord! hail, most dear Caesar!CAESAR.That ever I should call thee cast-away!OCTAVIA.You have not call'd me so, nor have you cause.CAESAR.Why have you stol'n upon us thus? You come notLike Caesar's sister.The wife of AntonyShould have an army for an usher, andThe neighs of horse to tell of her approachLong ere she did appear.The trees by th' wayShould have borne men, and expectation fainted,Longing for what it had not.Nay, the dustShould have ascended to the roof of heaven,Rais'd by your populous troops [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]