O this false soul of Egypt! this grave charm,

Whose eye beck'd forth my wars, and call'd them

home;

Whose bosom was my crownet, my chief end,

Like a right gipsy, hath, at fast and loose,
Beguil'd me to the very heart of loss.—

What, Eros, Eros!

Enter CLEOPATRA.

Ah, thou spell! Avaunt.

Cleo. Why my lord enrag'd against his love?
Ant. Vanish; or I shall give thee thy deserving,
And blemish Cæsar's triumph. Let him take thee,
And hoist thee up to the shouting plebeians:
Follow his chariot, like the greatest spot

Of all thy sex: most monster-like, be shown
For poor'st diminutives, for dolts; and let
Patient Octavia plough thy visage up

With her prepared nails. [Exit CLEO.] T is well thou 'rt gone,

If it be well to live: But better 't were
Thou fell'st into my fury, for one death
Might have prevented many.-Eros, hoa!
The shirt of Nessus is upon me: Teach me,
Alcides, thou mine ancestor, thy rage:

Let me lodge Lichas on the horns o' the moon;
And with those hands, that grasp'd the heaviest club,
Subdue my worthiest self. The witch shall die;

To the young Roman boy she hath sold me, and I

fall

Under this plot: she dies for 't.-Eros, hoa!

[Exit.

We follow the original. We believe that the "poor'st diminutives" are the lowest of the populace, as the "dolts" are the most stupid. We must therefore understand for to mean for the gratification of.

SCENE XI.-Alexandria.

A Room in the Palace.

Enter CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, IRAs, and MARDIAN.

Cleo. Help me, my women! O, he is more mad Than Telamon for his shield; the boar of Thessaly Was never so emboss'd.

Char.

To the monument;

There lock yourself, and send him word you are dead. The soul and body rive not more in parting,

Than greatness going off.

Cleo.

To the monument :

Mardian, go tell him I have slain myself;
Say that the last I spoke was, Antony,

And word it, prithee, piteously: Hence, Mardian,
And bring me how he takes my death.-

Ant. Sometime we see a cloud that 's dragonish:

A vapour, sometime, like a bear, or lion,

A tower'd citadel, a pendant rock,

A forked mountain, or blue promontory

With trees upon 't, that nod unto the world,

And mock our eyes with air: thou hast seen these

Ay, my lord.

Ant. That which is now a horse, even with a thought The rack dislimbs; and makes it indistinct,

As water is in water.

Eros.

It does, my lord.

Ant. My good knave, Eros, now thy captain is

Even such a body; here I am Antony;
Yet cannot hold this visible shape, my knave.
I made these wars for Egypt; and the queen,-
Whose heart I thought I had, for she had mine;
Which, whilst it was mine, had annex'd unto 't
A million more, now lost,-she, Eros, has
Pack'd cards with Cæsar, and false-play'd my glory
Unto an enemy's triumph.—

Nay, weep not, gentle Eros; there is left us
Ourselves to end ourselves.--O, thy vile lady!

Enter MARDIAN.

She has robb'd me of my sword.

No, Antony;

Mar.
My mistress lov'd thee, and her fortunes mingled
With thine entirely.

Ant.

Hence, saucy eunuch; peace; She hath betray'd me, and shall die the death.

Mar. Death of one person can be paid but once; And that she has discharg'd: What thou wouldst do Is done unto thy hand; the last she spake

Was, Antony! most noble Antony!

Then in the midst a tearing groan did break
The name of Antony; it was divided

Between her heart and lips; she render'd life,
Thy name so buried in her.

Ant.

Mar.

Dead then?

Dead.

Ant. Unarm, Eros; the long day's task is done, And we must sleep:-That thou depart'st hence safe, Does pay thy labour richly; Go.-Off, pluck off;Exit MARDIAN.

The seven-fold shield of Ajax cannot keep
The battery from my heart. O, cleave, my sides!
Heart, once be stronger than thy continent;
Crack thy frail case!-Apace, Eros, apace.-
No more a soldier :-Bruised pieces, go;

You have been nobly borne.-From me a while.-
[Exit EROS.

I will o'ertake thee, Cleopatra, and
Weep for my pardon. So it must be, for now
All length is torture:-Since the torch is out,
Lie down and stray no farther: Now all labour
Mars what it does; yea, very force entangles
Itself with strength: Seal then, and all is done.a—
Eros!-I come, my queen :-Eros!-Stay for me:
Where souls do couch on flowers, we 'll hand in hand,
And with our sprightly port make the ghosts gaze:
Dido and her neas shall want troops,

And all the haunt be ours.- -Come, Eros, Eros!

Since Cleopatra died,

I have liv'd in such dishonour, that the gods

Detest my baseness. I, that with my sword
Quarter'd the world, and o'er green Neptune's back
With ships made cities, condemn myself, to lack
The courage of a woman; less noble mind
Than she, which, by her death, our Cæsar tells,
"I am conqueror of myself." Thou art sworn, Eros,
That, when the exigent should come, (which now
Is come, indeed,) when I should see behind me
Th' inevitable prosecution of disgrace

And horror, that, on my command, thou then
Wouldst kill me: do 't; the time is come:
Thou strik'st not me, 't is Cæsar thou defeat'st.
Put colour in thy cheek.

Eros.

The gods withhold me! Shall I do that which all the Parthian darts,

a The passage may be illustrated by a corresponding image

in King Henry V.:

"And so espous'd to death, with blood he seal'd

A testament of noble-ending love."

Though enemy, lost aim, and could not?

Ant.
Eros,
Wouldst thou be window'd in great Rome, and see
Thy master thus with pleach'da arms, bending down
His corrigible neck, his face subdued

To penetrative shame; whilst the wheel'd seat
Of fortunate Cæsar, drawn before him, branded
His baseness that ensued?

Eros.

I would not see 't. Ant. Come then; for with a wound I must be cur'd. Draw that thy honest sword, which thou hast worn Most useful for thy country.

Eros.

O, sir, pardon me.

Ant. When I did make thee free, swor'st thou not

then

To do this when I bade thee? Do it at once;
Or thy precedent services are all

But accidents unpurpos'd. Draw, and come.

Eros. Turn from me then that noble countenance, Wherein the worship of the whole world lies.

Ant. Lo thee.

Eros. My sword is drawn.
Ant.

The thing why thou hast drawn it.

Eros.

[Turning from him.

Then let it do at once

My dear master,

My captain and my emperor; let me say,
Before I strike this bloody stroke, farewell.

Ant. T is said, man ;-and farewell.

Eros. Farewell, great chief. Shall I strike now? Ant.

Now, Eros. Eros. Why, there then :-[Falls on his sword.] Thus I do escape the sorrow

Of Antony's death.

Ant.

Thrice nobler than myself! Thou teachest me, O valiant Eros, what

[Dies.

I should, and thou couldst not. My queen and Eros

a Pleach'd-folded.