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Menecrates,
Varrius,

Friends of Pompey.

Taurus, Lieutenant-General to Caesar.
Canidius, Lieutenant-General to Antony.
Silius, an Officer in Ventidius's army.
An Ambassador from Antony to Caesar.
Alexas, Mardian, Seleucus, and Diomedes; At-
tendants on Cleopatra,

A Soothsayer. A Clown.

Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt.

Octavia, Sister to Caesar, and Wife to Antony. Charmian,

Iras,

rmian,} Attendants on Cleopatra.

Officers, Soldiers, Messengers, and other

Attendants.

SCENE, dispersed; in several parts of the Roman Empire.

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA,

ACT I. SCENE I.

Alexandria. A Room in Cleopatra's Palace.

Enter DEMETRIUS and PHILO.

Phi. Nay, but this dotage of our general's, O'erflows the measure: these his goodly eyes, That o'er the files and musters of the war Have glow'd like plated Mars, now bend, now turn,

The office and devotion of their view

1

Upon a tawny front: his captain's heart,

Which in the scuffles of great fights hath burst.
The buckles on his breast, reneges all temper;
And is become the bellows, and the fan,
To cool a gipsy's lust. Look, where they come !

Flourish. Enter ANTONY and CLEOPATRA, with their trains; Eunuchs fanning her.

Take but good note, and you shall see in him
The triple pillar of the world transform'd
Into a strumpet's fool: behold and see,

Cleo. If it be love indeed, tell me how much.

Ant. There's beggary in the love that can be ... reckon'd.:

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-Cleo: I'll set a bourn how far to be beloy'd. N Ant. Then must thou needs find out new hear ven > new earth.

2008 doe Enter an Attendant.

I

2

Att. News, my good Lord, from Rome.
§ Ant. 'Grates me; — The sum.
Cleo. Nay, hear them, Antonya.
Fulvia, perchance, is angry; Or, who knows
If the scarce-bearded Caesar have not sent
His powerful mandate to you, Do this

or this Take in that kingdom, and enfranchise that ;Perform't, or else we damn thee,

Ant. How, my love!
Cleo. Perchance,

nay, and most like,
You must not stay here longer, your dismission
Is come from Caesar; therefore hear it, Antony.
Where's Fulvia's process? Caesar's, I would say ?-
Both?

Call in the messengers. As I am Egypt's Queen,
Thou blushest, Antony; and that blood of thine
Is Caesar's homager: else so thy cheek pays shame,
When shrill-tongu'd Fulvia scolds.
The mes-

sengers.

Ant. Let Rome in Tiber melt! and the wide

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my space;
alike

Of the rang'd empire fall!' Here
Kingdoms are clay our dung, earth
Feeds beast as man: the nobleness of life
Is, to do thus; when such a mutual pair,

Lembracing.
And such a twain can do't, in which, I bind
On pain of punishment, the world to weet,

We

We stand up peerless.

Cleo, Excellent falshood!

Why did he marry Fulvia, and not love her?
I'll seem the fool I am not; Antony

Will be himself.

Ant. But stirr'd by Cleopatra,

Now, for the love of Love, and her soft hours, Let's not confound the time with conference harsh: There's not a minute of our lives should stretch Without some pleasure dow: What sport to-night ? Cleo. Hear the ambassadors.

Ant. Fye, wrangling Queen!

Whom every thing becomes, to chide, to laugh,
To weep; whose every passion fully strives
To make itself, in thee, fair and admir'd!
No messenger; but thine and all alone,

To-night, we'll wander through the streets, and note

T

The qualities of people. Come, my Queen; Last night you did desire it; Speak not to us. [Exeunt ANT. and CLEOP.**with their

train.

Dem. Is Caesar with Antonius priz'd so slight? Phi. Sir, sometimes, when he is not Antony, He comes too short of that great property Which still should go with Antony. Dem. I'm full sorry,

That he approves the common liar, who

Thus speaks of him at Rome: But I will hope
Of better deeds to-morrow.

Rest you happy!

VOL. XV.

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