SCENE V.

Antony's Camp near Alexandria.

Trumpets sound. Enter ANTONY and EROS; a Soldier meeting them.

Sold. The gods make this a happy day to Antony! Ant. 'Would, thou and those thy scars had once

prevail'd

To make me fight at land!

Had'st thou done so,

Sold.
The kings that have revolted, and the soldier
That has this morning left thee, would have still
Follow'd thy heels.

Ant.

Sold.

Who's gone this morning?

One ever near thee: Call for Enobarbus,
He shall not hear thee; or from Cæsar's camp

Who?

Ant.

Sold.

Is he gone?

Most certain.

Ant. Go, Eros, send his treasure after; do it;
Detain no jot, I charge thee: write to him
(I will subscribe) gentle adieus, and greetings:
Say, that I wish he never find more cause
To change a master.- O, my fortunes have
Corrupted honest men:- Eros, despatch.†

+"Despatch:- Enobarbus!" MALONE.

[Exeunt.

SCENE VI.

Cæsar's Camp before Alexandria.

Flourish. Enter CESAR, with AGRIPPA, ENOBARBUS, and Others.

Cas. Go forth, Agrippa, and begin the fight:

Our will is, Antony be took alive;7

Make it so known.

Agr.

Cæsar, I shall. [Exit AGRIPPA.

Cas. The time of universal peace is near:

Prove this a prosperous day, the three-nook'd world
Shall bear the olive freely.

Plant those that have revolted in the van,
That Antony may seem to spend his fury
Upon himself.

[Exeunt CESAR and his Train.

Eno. Alexas did revolt; and went to Jewry,
On affairs of Antony; there did persuade
Great Herod to incline himself to Cæsar,
And leave his master Antony: for this pains,
Cæsar hath hang'd him. Canidius, and the rest
That fell away, have entertainment, but

No honourable trust. I have done ill;

7 Our will is, Antony be took alive;] It is observable with what judgment Shakspeare draws the character of Octavius. Antony was his hero; so the other was not to shine: yet being an historical character, there was a necessity to draw him like. But the ancient historians, his flatterers, had delivered him down so fair, that he seems ready cut and dried for a hero. Amidst these difficulties Shakspeare has extricated himself with great address. He has admitted all those great strokes of his character as he found them, and yet has made him a very unamiable character, deceitful, meanspirited, narrow-minded, proud, and revengeful. WARBURTON.

Of which I do accuse myself so sorely,

That I will joy no more.

Sold.

Enter a Soldier of Cæsar's.

Enobarbus, Antony

Hath after thee sent all thy treasure, with
His bounty overplus: The messenger
Came on my guard; and at thy tent is now,
Unloading of his mules.

Eno. I give it you.

Sold.

Mock me not, Enobarbus.

I tell you true: Best that† you saf'd the bringer
Out of the host; I must attend mine office,
Or would have done't myself. Your emperor
Continues still a Jove.

[Exit Soldier.

Eno. I am alone the villain of the earth,
And feel I am so most. O Antony,

Thou mine of bounty, how would'st thou have paid
My better service, when my turpitude

Thou dost so crown with gold? This blows my heart: 9

If swift thought break it not, a swifter mean

Shall outstrike thought: but thought will do't, I feel.' I fight against thee! No: I will

go seek

Some ditch, wherein to die; the foul'st best fits

My latter part of life.

+ Mr. Malone omits that.

[Exit.

8 And feel I am so most.] i. e. I am pre-eminently the first, the greatest villain of the earth. To stand alone, is still used in that sense, where any one towers above his competitors. And feel I am so most, must signify, I feel or know it myself, more than any other person can or does feel it. REED.

9 This blows my heart:] This generosity, (says Enobarbus,) swells my heart, so that it will quickly break, if thought break it not, a swifter mean.

but thought will do't, I feel.] Thought, in this passage, as in many others, signifies melancholy.

SCENE VII.

Field of Battle between the Camps.

Alarum. Drums and Trumpets. Enter AGRIPPA, and Others.

Agr. Retire, we have engag'd ourselves too far: Cæsar himself has work, and our oppression? Exceeds what we expected.

[Exeunt.

Alarum. Enter ANTONY and SCARUS, wounded. Scar. O my brave emperor, this is fought indeed! Had we done so at first, we had driven them home With clouts about their heads.

Ant.

Thou bleed'st apace.

Scar. I had a wound here that was like a T, But now 'tis made an H.

Ant.

They do retire.

Scar. We'll beat 'em into bench-holes; I have yet Room for six scotches more.

Enter EROS.

Eros. They are beaten, sir; and our advantage serves For a fair victory.

Scar.

Let us score their backs,

And snatch 'em up, as we take hares, behind;

'Tis sport to maul a runner.

I will reward thee

Ant.
Once for thy spritely comfort, and ten-fold
For thy good valour. Come thee on.
Scar.

2

I'll halt after. [Exeunt.

and our oppression-] i. e. the force by which we are oppressed or overpowered.

VOL. VII.

SCENE VIII.

Under the Walls of Alexandria.

Alarum. Enter ANTONY, marching; SCARUS, and
Forces.

Ant. We have beat him to his camp; Run one before,
And let the queen know of our guests.-To-morrow,
Before the sun shall see us, we'll spill the blood
That has to-day escap'd. I thank you all;
For doughty-handed are you; and have fought
Not as you serv'd the cause, but as it had been
Each man's like mine; you have shown all Hectors,
Enter the city, clip your wives, your friends,
Tell them your feats; whilst they with joyful tears
Wash the congealment from your wounds, and kiss
The honour'd gashes whole. Give me thy hand; -
[To SCARUS.

Enter CLEOPATRA, attended.

To this great fairy I'll commend thy acts,

Make her thanks bless thee.-O thou day o'the world,
Chain mine arm'd neck; leap thou, attire and all,
Through proof of harness' to my heart, and there
Ride on the pants triumphing.

Cleo.

Lord of lords!

O infinite virtue! com'st thou smiling from
The world's great snare uncaught?

3

Ant.

clip your wives,] To clip is to embrace.

My nightingale,

4 To this great fairy-] Mr. Upton has well observed, that fairy, which Dr. Warburton and Sir T. Hanmer explain by inchantress, comprises the idea of power and beauty. JOHNSON.

5 -proof of harness-] i. e. armour of proof. Harnois, Fr. Arnese, Ital.

6

The world's great snare-] i. e. the war.