The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare (book suggestions TXT) 📖

dishonour.

CLEOPATRA. O my lord, my lord,

Forgive my fearful sails! I little thought You would have followed.

ANTONY. Egypt, thou knew’st too well

My heart was to thy rudder tied by th’ strings, And thou shouldst tow me after. O’er my spirit Thy full supremacy thou knew’st, and that Thy beck might from the bidding of the gods Command me.

CLEOPATRA. O, my pardon!

ANTONY. Now I must

To the young man send humble treaties, dodge And palter in the shifts of lowness, who With half the bulk o’ th’ world play’d as I pleas’d, Making and marring fortunes. You did know How much you were my conqueror, and that My sword, made weak by my affection, would Obey it on all cause.

CLEOPATRA. Pardon, pardon!

ANTONY. Fall not a tear, I say; one of them rates All that is won and lost. Give me a kiss; Even this repays me.

We sent our schoolmaster; is ‘a come back?

Love, I am full of lead. Some wine,

Within there, and our viands! Fortune knows We scorn her most when most she offers blows. Exeunt ACT_3|SC_12

SCENE XII.

CAESAR’S camp in Egypt Enter CAESAR, AGRIPPA, DOLABELLA, THYREUS, with others CAESAR. Let him appear that’s come from Antony.

Know you him?

DOLABELLA. Caesar, ‘tis his schoolmaster: An argument that he is pluck’d, when hither He sends so poor a pinion of his wing, Which had superfluous kings for messengers Not many moons gone by.

 

Enter EUPHRONIUS, Ambassador from ANTONY

 

CAESAR. Approach, and speak.

EUPHRONIUS. Such as I am, I come from Antony.

I was of late as petty to his ends

As is the morn-dew on the myrtle leaf To his grand sea.

CAESAR. Be’t so. Declare thine office.

EUPHRONIUS. Lord of his fortunes he salutes thee, and Requires to live in Egypt; which not granted, He lessens his requests and to thee sues To let him breathe between the heavens and earth, A private man in Athens. This for him.

Next, Cleopatra does confess thy greatness, Submits her to thy might, and of thee craves The circle of the Ptolemies for her heirs, Now hazarded to thy grace.

CAESAR. For Antony,

I have no ears to his request. The Queen Of audience nor desire shall fail, so she From Egypt drive her all-disgraced friend, Or take his life there. This if she perform, She shall not sue unheard. So to them both.

EUPHRONIUS. Fortune pursue thee!

CAESAR. Bring him through the bands. Exit EUPHRONIUS

[To THYREUS] To try thy eloquence, now ‘tis time. Dispatch; From Antony win Cleopatra. Promise,

And in our name, what she requires; add more, From thine invention, offers. Women are not In their best fortunes strong; but want will perjure The ne’er-touch’d vestal. Try thy cunning, Thyreus; Make thine own edict for thy pains, which we Will answer as a law.

THYREUS. Caesar, I go.

CAESAR. Observe how Antony becomes his flaw, And what thou think’st his very action speaks In every power that moves.

THYREUS. Caesar, I shall. Exeunt ACT_3|SC_13

SCENE XIII.

Alexandria. CLEOPATRA’S palace Enter CLEOPATRA, ENOBARBUS, CHARMIAN, and IRAS

 

CLEOPATRA. What shall we do, Enobarbus?

ENOBARBUS. Think, and die.

CLEOPATRA. Is Antony or we in fault for this?

ENOBARBUS. Antony only, that would make his will Lord of his reason. What though you fled From that great face of war, whose several ranges Frighted each other? Why should he follow?

The itch of his affection should not then Have nick’d his captainship, at such a point, When half to half the world oppos’d, he being The mered question. ‘Twas a shame no less Than was his loss, to course your flying flags And leave his navy gazing.

CLEOPATRA. Prithee, peace.

 

Enter EUPHRONIUS, the Ambassador; with ANTONY

 

ANTONY. Is that his answer?

EUPHRONIUS. Ay, my lord.

ANTONY. The Queen shall then have courtesy, so she Will yield us up.

EUPHRONIUS. He says so.

ANTONY. Let her know’t.

To the boy Caesar send this grizzled head, And he will fill thy wishes to the brim With principalities.

CLEOPATRA. That head, my lord?

ANTONY. To him again. Tell him he wears the rose Of youth upon him; from which the world should note Something particular. His coin, ships, legions, May be a coward’s whose ministers would prevail Under the service of a child as soon

As i’ th’ command of Caesar. I dare him therefore To lay his gay comparisons apart,

And answer me declin’d, sword against sword, Ourselves alone. I’ll write it. Follow me.

Exeunt ANTONY and EUPHRONIUS

EUPHRONIUS. [Aside] Yes, like enough high-battled Caesar will Unstate his happiness, and be stag’d to th’ show Against a sworder! I see men’s judgments are A parcel of their fortunes, and things outward Do draw the inward quality after them, To suffer all alike. That he should dream, Knowing all measures, the full Caesar will Answer his emptiness! Caesar, thou hast subdu’d His judgment too.

 

Enter a SERVANT

 

SERVANT. A messenger from Caesar.

CLEOPATRA. What, no more ceremony? See, my women!

Against the blown rose may they stop their nose That kneel’d unto the buds. Admit him, sir. Exit SERVANT

ENOBARBUS. [Aside] Mine honesty and I begin to square.

The loyalty well held to fools does make Our faith mere folly. Yet he that can endure To follow with allegiance a fall’n lord Does conquer him that did his master conquer, And earns a place i’ th’ story.

 

Enter THYREUS

 

CLEOPATRA. Caesar’s will?

THYREUS. Hear it apart.

CLEOPATRA. None but friends: say boldly.

THYREUS. So, haply, are they friends to Antony.

ENOBARBUS. He needs as many, sir, as Caesar has, Or needs not us. If Caesar please, our master Will leap to be his friend. For us, you know Whose he is we are, and that is Caesar’s.

THYREUS. So.

Thus then, thou most renown’d: Caesar entreats Not to consider in what case thou stand’st Further than he is Caesar.

CLEOPATRA. Go on. Right royal!

THYREUS. He knows that you embrace not Antony As you did love, but as you fear’d him.

CLEOPATRA. O!

THYREUS. The scars upon your honour, therefore, he Does pity, as constrained blemishes,

Not as deserv’d.

CLEOPATRA. He is a god, and knows

What is most right. Mine honour was not yielded, But conquer’d merely.

ENOBARBUS. [Aside] To be sure of that,

I will ask Antony. Sir, sir, thou art so leaky That we must leave thee to thy sinking, for Thy dearest quit thee. Exit THYREUS. Shall I say to Caesar

What you require of him? For he partly begs To be desir’d to give. It much would please him That of his fortunes you should make a staff To lean upon. But it would warm his spirits To hear from me you had left Antony,

And put yourself under his shroud,

The universal landlord.

CLEOPATRA. What’s your name?

THYREUS. My name is Thyreus.

CLEOPATRA. Most kind messenger,

Say to great Caesar this: in deputation I kiss his conquring hand. Tell him I am prompt To lay my crown at ‘s feet, and there to kneel.

Tell him from his all-obeying breath I hear The doom of Egypt.

THYREUS. ‘Tis your noblest course.

Wisdom and fortune combating together, If that the former dare but what it can, No chance may shake it. Give me grace to lay My duty on your hand.

CLEOPATRA. Your Caesar’s father oft,

When he hath mus’d of taking kingdoms in, Bestow’d his lips on that unworthy place, As it rain’d kisses.

 

Re-enter ANTONY and ENOBARBUS

 

ANTONY. Favours, by Jove that thunders!

What art thou, fellow?

THYREUS. One that but performs

The bidding of the fullest man, and worthiest To have command obey’d.

ENOBARBUS. [Aside] You will be whipt.

ANTONY. Approach there.- Ah, you kite!- Now, gods and devils!

Authority melts from me. Of late, when I cried ‘Ho!’

Like boys unto a muss, kings would start forth And cry ‘Your will?’ Have you no ears? I am Antony yet.

 

Enter servants

 

Take hence this Jack and whip him.

ENOBARBUS. ‘Tis better playing with a lion’s whelp Than with an old one dying.

ANTONY. Moon and stars!

Whip him. Were’t twenty of the greatest tributaries That do acknowledge Caesar, should I find them So saucy with the hand of she here-what’s her name Since she was Cleopatra? Whip him, fellows, Till like a boy you see him cringe his face, And whine aloud for mercy. Take him hence.

THYMUS. Mark Antony—

ANTONY. Tug him away. Being whipt,

Bring him again: the Jack of Caesar’s shall Bear us an errand to him. Exeunt servants with THYREUS

You were half blasted ere I knew you. Ha!

Have I my pillow left unpress’d in Rome, Forborne the getting of a lawful race, And by a gem of women, to be abus’d

By one that looks on feeders?

CLEOPATRA. Good my lord—

ANTONY. You have been a boggler ever.

But when we in our viciousness grow hardO misery on’t!- the wise gods seel our eyes, In our own filth drop our clear judgments, make us Adore our errors, laugh at’s while we strut To our confusion.

CLEOPATRA. O, is’t come to this?

ANTONY. I found you as a morsel cold upon Dead Caesar’s trencher. Nay, you were a fragment Of Cneius Pompey’s, besides what hotter hours, Unregist’red in vulgar fame, you have Luxuriously pick’d out; for I am sure, Though you can guess what temperance should be, You know not what it is.

CLEOPATRA. Wherefore is this?

ANTONY. To let a fellow that will take rewards, And say ‘God quit you!’ be familiar with My playfellow, your hand, this kingly seal And plighter of high hearts! O that I were Upon the hill of Basan to outroar

The horned herd! For I have savage cause, And to proclaim it civilly were like

A halter’d neck which does the hangman thank For being yare about him.

 

Re-enter a SERVANT with THYREUS

 

Is he whipt?

SERVANT. Soundly, my lord.

ANTONY. Cried he? and begg’d ‘a pardon?

SERVANT. He did ask favour.

ANTONY. If that thy father live, let him repent Thou wast not made his daughter; and be thou sorry To follow Caesar in his triumph, since Thou hast been whipt for following him. Henceforth The white hand of a lady fever thee!

Shake thou to look on’t. Get thee back to Caesar; Tell him thy entertainment; look thou say He makes me angry with him; for he seems Proud and disdainful, harping on what I am, Not what he knew I was. He makes me angry; And at this time most easy ‘tis to do’t, When my good stars, that were my former guides, Have empty left their orbs and shot their fires Into th’ abysm of hell. If he mislike My speech and what is done, tell him he has Hipparchus, my enfranched bondman, whom He may at pleasure whip or hang or torture, As he shall like, to quit me. Urge it thou.

Hence with thy stripes, be gone. Exit THYREUS

CLEOPATRA. Have you done yet?

ANTONY. Alack, our terrene moon

Is now eclips’d, and it portends alone The fall of Antony.

CLEOPATRA. I must stay his time.

ANTONY. To flatter Caesar, would you mingle eyes With one that ties his points?

CLEOPATRA. Not know me yet?

ANTONY. Cold-hearted toward me?

CLEOPATRA. Ah, dear, if I be so,

From my cold heart let heaven engender hail, And poison it in the source, and the first stone Drop in my neck; as it determines, so Dissolve my life! The next Caesarion smite!

Till by degrees the memory of my womb, Together with my brave Egyptians all, By the discandying of this pelleted storm, Lie graveless, till the flies and gnats of Nile Have buried them for prey.

ANTONY. I am satisfied.

Caesar sits down in Alexandria, where I will oppose his fate. Our force by land Hath nobly held; our sever’d navy to

Have knit again, and