Antony and Cleopatra William Shakespeare (easy readers TXT) 📖

you. Enobarbas

Your ships are not well mann’d;
Your mariners are muleters, reapers, people
Ingross’d by swift impress; in Caesar’s fleet
Are those that often have ’gainst Pompey fought:
Their ships are yare; yours, heavy: no disgrace
Shall fall you for refusing him at sea,
Being prepared for land.

Antony By sea, by sea. Enobarbas

Most worthy sir, you therein throw away
The absolute soldiership you have by land;
Distract your army, which doth most consist
Of war-mark’d footmen; leave unexecuted
Your own renowned knowledge; quite forego
The way which promises assurance; and
Give up yourself merely to chance and hazard,
From firm security.

Antony I’ll fight at sea. Cleopatra I have sixty sails, Caesar none better. Antony

Our overplus of shipping will we burn;
And, with the rest full-mann’d, from the head of Actium
Beat the approaching Caesar. But if we fail,
We then can do’t at land.

Enter a Messenger. Thy business? Messenger

The news is true, my lord; he is descried;
Caesar has taken Toryne.

Antony

Can he be there in person? ’tis impossible;
Strange that power should be. Canidius,
Our nineteen legions thou shalt hold by land,
And our twelve thousand horse. We’ll to our ship:
Away, my Thetis!

Enter a Soldier. How now, worthy soldier? Soldier

O noble emperor, do not fight by sea;
Trust not to rotten planks: do you misdoubt
This sword and these my wounds? Let the Egyptians
And the Phoenicians go a-ducking; we
Have used to conquer, standing on the earth,
And fighting foot to foot.

Antony Well, well; away! Exeunt Antony, Cleopatra, and Enobarbas. Soldier By Hercules, I think I am i’ the right. Canidius

Soldier, thou art: but his whole action grows
Not in the power on’t: so our leader’s led,
And we are women’s men.

Soldier

You keep by land
The legions and the horse whole, do you not?

Canidius

Marcus Octavius, Marcus Justeius,
Publicola, and Caelius, are for sea:
But we keep whole by land. This speed of Caesar’s
Carries beyond belief.

Soldier

While he was yet in Rome,
His power went out in such distractions as
Beguiled all spies.

Canidius Who’s his lieutenant, hear you? Soldier They say, one Taurus. Canidius Well I know the man. Enter a Messenger. Messenger The emperor calls Canidius. Canidius

With news the time’s with labour, and throes forth,
Each minute, some. Exeunt.

Scene VIII

A plain near Actium.

Enter Caesar, and Taurus, with his army, marching. Caesar Taurus! Taurus My lord? Caesar

Strike not by land; keep whole: provoke not battle,
Till we have done at sea. Do not exceed
The prescript of this scroll: our fortune lies
Upon this jump. Exeunt.

Scene IX

Another part of the plain.

Enter Antony and Enobarbas. Antony

Set we our squadrons on yond side o’ the hill,
In eye of Caesar’s battle; from which place
We may the number of the ships behold,
And so proceed accordingly. Exeunt.

Scene X

Another part of the plain.

Canidius marcheth with his land army one way over the stage; and Taurus, the lieutenant of Caesar, the other way. After their going in, is heard the noise of a sea-fight. Alarum. Enter Enobarbas. Enobarbas

Naught, naught, all naught! I can behold no longer:
The Antoniad, the Egyptian admiral,
With all their sixty, fly and turn the rudder:
To see’t mine eyes are blasted.

Enter Scarus. Scarus

Gods and goddesses,
All the whole synod of them!

Enobarbas What’s thy passion! Scarus

The greater cantle of the world is lost
With very ignorance; we have kiss’d away
Kingdoms and provinces.

Enobarbas How appears the fight? Scarus

On our side like the token’d pestilence,
Where death is sure. Yon ribaudred nag of Egypt⁠—
Whom leprosy o’ertake!⁠—i’ the midst o’ the fight,
When vantage like a pair of twins appear’d,
Both as the same, or rather ours the elder,
The breese upon her, like a cow in June,
Hoists sails and flies.

Enobarbas

That I beheld:
Mine eyes did sicken at the sight, and could not
Endure a further view.

Scarus

She once being loof’d,
The noble ruin of her magic, Antony,
Claps on his sea-wing, and, like a doting mallard,
Leaving the fight in height, flies after her:
I never saw an action of such shame;
Experience, manhood, honour, ne’er before
Did violate so itself.

Enobarbas Alack, alack! Enter Canidius. Canidius

Our fortune on the sea is out of breath,
And sinks most lamentably. Had our general
Been what he knew himself, it had gone well:
O, he has given example for our flight,
Most grossly, by his own!

Enobarbas

Ay, are you thereabouts?
Why, then, good night indeed.

Canidius Toward Peloponnesus are they fled. Scarus

’Tis easy to’t; and there I will attend
What further comes.

Canidius

To Caesar will I render
My legions and my horse: six kings already
Show me the way of yielding.

Enobarbas

I’ll yet follow
The wounded chance of Antony, though my reason
Sits in the wind against me. Exeunt.

Scene XI

Alexandria. Cleopatra’s palace.

Enter Antony with Attendants. Antony

Hark! the land bids me tread no more upon’t;
It is ashamed to bear me! Friends, come hither:
I am so lated in the world, that I
Have lost my way for ever: I have a ship
Laden with gold; take that, divide it; fly,
And make your peace with Caesar.

All Fly! not we. Antony

I have fled myself; and have instructed cowards
To run and show their shoulders. Friends, be gone;
I have myself resolved upon a course
Which has no need of you; be gone:
My treasure’s in the harbour, take it. O,
I follow’d that I blush to look upon:
My very hairs do mutiny; for the white
Reprove the brown for rashness, and they them
For fear and doting. Friends, be gone: you shall
Have letters from me to some friends that will
Sweep your way for you. Pray you, look not sad,
Nor make replies of loathness: take the hint
Which my despair proclaims; let that be left
Which leaves itself: to the sea-side straightway:
I will possess you of that ship and treasure.
Leave me, I pray, a little: pray you now:
Nay, do so; for, indeed, I have lost command,
Therefore I pray you: I’ll see you by and by. Sits down.

Enter Cleopatra led by Charmian and Iras; Eros following. Eros Nay, gentle madam, to him, comfort him. Iras Do, most dear queen. Charmian Do! why: what