We are to imagine an apartment in the house of Octarius Cæsar, in Rome. Octavius is in conversation with Lepidus:

[Octavius.] You may see, Lepidus, and henceforth know, It is not Cæsar's natural vice to hate

A great competitor. From Alexandria

This is the news: he fishes, drinks, and wastes
The lamps of night in revel; is not more manlike
Than Cleopatra; hardly gave an audience
To him I sent, and scarcely doth vouchsafe
To think that he hath partners. Is not this
A man, who is the abstract of all faults
Collected from all men?

[Lepidus.] I think he has not

Evils enough to darken all his goodness.

His faults are fiery spots that seem hereditary;
Are rather what he cannot change, than what
He chooses.

[Octavius.] You a're too indulgent. Let us grant it is not Amiss to tumble on the bed of Ptolemy;

To give away a kingdom for a mirth;

To reel the streets at noon; say these become him,
(And he must have a nature rare indeed

Whom such things cannot blemish,) yet must Antony
In no way stand excus'd, while we do bear

The weight of all his follies. If he fill'd
Only his leisure with voluptuousness,

Surfeits, and dryness of his bones, might be
The only calls to answer; but to mar

The time that drums him from his sport,-that speaks
Of what is due to us as to himself,-

This is to merit such a chiding, as

We give a boy, who being mature in knowledge,
Pawns his experience to his present pleasure,

And so rebels to judgement.-Here's a messenger!
Now for the news.

[Messenger.] Cæsar, I bring thee word

That Sextus Pompey waxes strong at sea;
And that the pirates, Menas and Menécrates.
Do plough the deep with keels of every kind.
No vessel can peep forth, but 'tis as soon
Taken as seen; for Pompey's name strikes more
Than could the power he wields, if 'twere resisted.

[Octavius.] See, Lepidus; we dream in Rome together,
Looking for Antony. O Antony,

Leave thy lascivious wassails! When thou once
Wast beaten from Modena, where thou slewst
Hirtius and Pansa, consuls,-at thy heel

Did Famine follow, yet could not subdue thee.
Though daintily brought up, yet didst thou drink
What beasts would cough at; then thy palate deign'd
The roughest berry on the rudest hedge;

Yea, like the stag when snow the pasture sheets,
Then didst thou browse the barks of trees; nay, worse,

For on the Alps 'tis said that thou didst eat
Flesh that some died to look on: and all this
(It wounds thy honour that I speak it now)
Was borne so like a soldier, that thy cheek
So much as lank'd not.

[Lepidus.] Truly you speak him, Cæsar.

[Octavius.] Let his shame quickly

Drive him to Rome or not, 'tis time we twain
At least did show ourselves i' the field: for Pompey
Thrives in our idleness.

[Lepidus.] To-morrow, Cæsar,

I shall be furnish'd to inform you rightly,
Of what by sea and land I can accomplish
To meet the present need: meantime, I hope
Mark Antony, who is by some expected
Each hour in Rome, may win, by his arrival,
Your better thoughts of him. Farewell, my lord.

Our next scene is to be supposed at the house of Lepidus: Antony has arrived in Rome, and Lepidus has

invited both him and Octavius to his house, that he may interpose between them, and remove their ill-will. While waiting their arrival, he holds Enobarbus in conversation, the friend of Antony, and his subordinate in military command.

[Lepidus.] Good Enobarbus, 'tis a worthy deed,

And shall become you well, to' entreat your captain
To soft and gentle speech.

[Enobarbus] I shall entreat him

To answer like himself: if Cæsar cross him,
Let Antony look over Cæsar's head
And speak as loud as Mars.

[Lepidus.] 'Tis not a time
For private enmity.

[Enobarbus.] Every time

Serves for the matter that is then born with it.

[Lepidus.] But small to greater matters must give way: I pray you, stir no embers up.

Here comes

The noble Antony; and, yonder, Cæsar.

Antony is accompanied by Ventidius: Octavius by Mecanas and Agrippa: Lepidus continues to speak, and Antony makes answer to him:

My noble friends,

As what united us was great in purpose,
Let nothing little rend us. What's amiss,

May yet be gently heard. Then, noblest partners,
Touch you the sourest points with sweetest terms.

[Antony.] Were we before our armies, and to fight
After our conference, I should do that.

[Octavius.] Welcome to Rome, Mark Antony.

[Antony.] I thank thee, Cæsar. If they tell me true, You take things ill of me, which are not so,

Or, being so, concern you not.

[Octavius.] If I,

Either for nothing, or a little, should,
With you, declare myself offended; or
Derogatively speak your name, at times
When speaking it concern'd me not, I were
Most worthy to be laugh'd at.

[Antony.] Tell me, Cæsar,

My being in Egypt, what was it to you?

[Octavius.] No more than my residing here at Rome
Might be to you in Egypt. But if there

You practis'd on my state, your being in Egypt
Might be my question.

[Antony.] Practis'd! what's your meaning?

[Octavius.] You may be pleas'd to catch at what I mean, By what did here befall. Your wife and brother Made war upon me; and your name was us’d

In all their contest as the word of war.

[Antony.] That business you mistake: my brother never Did urge my interest as his motive: I

Have drawn my learning from some true reporters
That us'd their swords with you. Did he not rather
Discredit my authority with yours,

Having alike your cause? Of this my letters
Before did certify you. If you'll patch a quarrel,
It must not be with matter such as this.

[Octavius.] You patch up your excuses.

[Antony.] Not so; no:

You knew that I, your partner in the cause,
Could not, with graceful eyes, attend those wars,
Which outrag'd mine own peace. As for my wife,
I would you had her spirit in such another.
The third o' the world is yours, which, with a snaffle,
You may guide smoothly, but not such a wife.
I, grieving, grant she did you much disquiet;
But you must say, for that, I could not help it.

[Octavius.] I wrote to you when you were rioting
At Alexandria. My letters you

Neglected, and my messenger you scoff'd,
And drove with taunts away from audience.

[Antony.] Sir,

He fell upon me ere admitted; then

Three kings I ha'd newly feasted, and lack'd something
Of what I was i' the morning: but next day

I told him of my state; which was as much
As to have ask'd him pardon : let this fellow
Be no part of our strife: if we contend,
Put him beyond our question.

[Octavius.] You have broken

The article of your oath, which

[Lepidus.] Soft, Cæsar.

[Antony.] Lepidus, let him speak; my honour's sacred; Cæsar, say on the arti'cle of my oath

[Octavius.] To lend me arms and aid, when I requir'd them; Both which you have denied.

[Antony.] Neglected, rather;

And then, when poison'd hours had bound me up
From mine own knowledge. A's nearly as I may,
I'll play the penitent; but yet, mine honesty
Must not make poor my greatness. Truth is, Fulvia,
To have me out of Egypt, made war here;
For which myself, the innocent cause, do
So far ask pardon, as befits mine honour
To stoop in such a case.

[Lepidus.] 'Tis nobly spoken.

If it might please you, urge your griefs no further.
Rather remember that the present time

Requires you to agree.

Mecanas and Agrippa join with Lepidus: Enobarbus interposes with some bluntness:

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