Wilt thou not answer, man? [Exit DERCETas. Ant. Art thou there, Diomed? Draw thy sword,

and give me

Sufficing strokes for death.

Dio.

My mistress Cleopatra sent me to thee.
Ant. When did she send thee?

Dio.

Ant.

Most absolute lord,

Dio. Lock'd in her monument. She had a pro

phesying fear

8

Of what hath come to pass: for when she saw
(Which never shall be found,) you did suspect
She had dispos'd with Cæsar, and that your rage
Would not be purg'd, she sent you word she was dead;
But, fearing since how it might work, hath sent
Me to proclaim the truth; and I am come,
I dread, too late.

Ant. Too late, good Diomed:-Call my guard,
I pr'ythee.

Dio. What, ho! the emperor's guard! The guard, what, ho!

Come, your lord calls.

Enter some of the Guard.

Ant. Bear me, good friends, where Cleopatra bides;

"Tis the last service that I shall command you.

She had dispos'd with Casar,] To dispose, in this instance, perhaps signifies to make terms, to settle matters.

My captain, and my emperor! let me say,
Before I strike this bloody stroke, farewell.
Ant. 'Tis said, man;-and farewell.

Eros. Farewell, great chief. Shall I strike now?
Ant.
Now, Eros.
Eros. Why, there then :-[Falls on his Sword.
Thus do I escape the sorrow

Of Antony's death.

Ant.

[Dies.

Thrice nobler than myself!

Thou teachest me, O valiant Eros, what

I should, and thou could'st not. My queen and Eros
Have, by their brave instruction, got upon me
A nobleness in record: But I will be

A bridegroom in my death, and run into't
As to a lover's bed. Come then; and, Eros,
Thy master dies thy scholar; to do thus

[Falling on his Sword. I learn'd of thee. How! not yet dead? not dead?— The guard!-ho!-O, despatch me.

1 Guard.

Enter DERCETAS and Guard.

What's the noise?

Ant. I have done my work ill, friends; O, make

Not I.

Exeunt Guard.

Ant. Let him that loves me, strike me dead.

1 Guard.

2 Guard. Nor I.

3 Guard. Nor any one.

Der. Thy death and fortunes bid thy followers fly. This sword but shown to Cæsar, with this tidings, Shall enter me with him.

Exit DERCETAS.

Wilt thou not answer, man?

Ant. Art thou there, Diomed? Draw thy sword,

and give me

Sufficing strokes for death.

Dio.

My mistress Cleopatra sent me to thee.
Ant. When did she send thee?

Dio.

Ant.

Most absolute lord,

Now, my lord.

Where is she?

Dio. Lock'd in her monument. She had a pro

phesying fear

8

Of what hath come to pass: for when she saw
(Which never shall be found,) you did suspect
She had dispos'd with Cæsar, and that your rage
Would not be purg'd, she sent you word she was dead;
But, fearing since how it might work, hath sent
Me to proclaim the truth; and I am come,
I dread, too late.

Ant. Too late, good Diomed:-Call my guard,
I pr'ythee.

Dio. What, ho! the emperor's guard! The guard, what, ho!

Come, your lord calls.

Enter some of the Guard.

Ant. Bear me, good friends, where Cleopatra bides;

"Tis the last service that I shall command you.

She had dispos'd with Cæsar,] To dispose, in this instance, perhaps signifies to make terms, to settle matters.

Our strength is all gone
into heaviness,
That makes the weight: Had I great Juno's power,
The strong-wing'd Mercury should fetch thee up,
And set thee by Jove's side. Yet come a little,-
Wishers were ever fools;-O, come, come, come;
[They draw ANTONY up.
And welcome, welcome! die, where thou hast liv'd:
Quicken with kissing; had my lips that power,
Thus would I wear them out.

All.

A heavy sight! Ant. I am dying, Egypt, dying:

Give me some wine, and let me speak a little.

Cleo. No, let me speak; and let me rail so high, That the false housewife Fortune break her wheel, Provok'd by my offence.

Ant.

One word, sweet queen:

Of Cæsar seek your honour, with your safety.-0! Cleo. They do not go together.

Ant.

Gentle, hear me:

None about Cæsar trust, but Proculeius.

Cleo. My resolution, and my hands, I'll trust; None about Cæsar.

Ant. The miserable change now at my end, Lament nor sorrow at: but please your thoughts, In feeding them with those my former fortunes Wherein I liv'd, the greatest prince o'the world, The noblest: and do now not basely die, Nor cowardly; put off my helmet to My countryman, a Roman, by a Roman Valiantly vanquish'd. Now, my spirit is going; I can no more.

Cleo.

Noblest of men, woo't die?

Hast thou no care of me? shall I abide

In this dull world, which in thy absence is

[Dies.

3—into heaviness,] Heaviness is here used equivocally for sorrow and weight.

* Quicken with kissing;] That is, Revive by my kiss.

No better than a stye?-O, see, my women,
The crown o'the earth doth melt:-My lord!-
O, wither'd is the garland of the war,

The soldier's pole is fallen; young boys, and girls, Are level now with men: the odds is gone,

And there is nothing left remarkable

Beneath the visiting moon.

Char.

Iras. She is dead too, our overeign.

Char.

Iras.

She faints.

O, quietness, lady!

Lady,

Madam,

Royal Egypt!

Char. O madam, mnadam, madam!

Iras.

Empress!

Char. Peace, peace, Iras.

Cleo. No more, but e'en a woman; and com

manded

By such poor passion as the maid that milks,
And does the meanest chares.-It were for me
To throw my scepter at the injurious gods;
To tell them, that this world did equal theirs,
Till they had stolen our jewel. All's but naught;
Patience is sottish; and impatience does
Become a dog that's mad: Then is it sin,
To rush into the secret house of death,

Ere death dare come to us?-How do you, women? What, what? good cheer! Why, how now, Charmian?

My noble girls!-Ah, women, women! look,
Our lamp is spent, it's out:-Good sirs, take heart:-
[To the Guard below.
We'll bury him: and then, what's brave, what's noble,
Let's do it after the high Roman fashion,

• The soldier's pole-] He at whom the soldiers pointed, as at a pageant held high for observation.

the meanest chares.] i. e. task-work. Hence our term

chare-woman.