Antony and Cleopatra, William Shakespeare [books to read as a couple TXT] 📗

else? Cleopatra Let me sit down. O Juno! Antony No, no, no, no, no. Eros See you here, sir? Antony O fie, fie, fie! Charmian Madam! Iras Madam, O good empress! Eros Sir, sir⁠— Antony

Yes, my lord, yes; he at Philippi kept
His sword e’en like a dancer; while I struck
The lean and wrinkled Cassius; and ’twas I
That the mad Brutus ended: he alone
Dealt on lieutenantry, and no practice had
In the brave squares of war: yet now⁠—No matter.

Cleopatra Ah, stand by. Eros The queen, my lord, the queen. Iras

Go to him, madam, speak to him:
He is unqualitied with very shame.

Cleopatra Well then, sustain him: O! Eros

Most noble sir, arise; the queen approaches:
Her head’s declined, and death will seize her, but
Your comfort makes the rescue.

Antony

I have offended reputation,
A most unnoble swerving.

Eros Sir, the queen. Antony

O, whither hast thou led me, Egypt? See,
How I convey my shame out of thine eyes
By looking back what I have left behind
’Stroy’d in dishonour.

Cleopatra

O my lord, my lord,
Forgive my fearful sails! I little thought
You would have follow’d.

Antony

Egypt, thou knew’st too well
My heart was to thy rudder tied by the 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’ the world play’d as I pleased,
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 he 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.

Scene XII

Egypt. Caesar’s camp.

Enter Caesar, 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 off 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. Scene XIII

Alexandria. Cleopatra’s palace.

Enter Cleopatra, Enobarbas, Charmian, and Iras. Cleopatra What shall we do, Enobarbus? Enobarbas Think, and die. Cleopatra Is Antony or we in fault for this? Enobarbas

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 opposed, he being
The meered question: ’twas a shame no less
Than was his loss, to course your flying flags,
And leave his navy gazing.

Cleopatra Prithee, peace. Enter Antony with Euphronius, the Ambassador. 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’ the command of Caesar: I dare him therefore
To lay his gay comparisons apart,
And answer me declined, sword against sword,
Ourselves alone. I’ll write it: follow me. Exeunt Antony and Euphronius.

Enobarbas

Aside. Yes, like enough, high-battled Caesar will
Unstate his happiness, and be staged to the 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 subdued
His judgment too.

Enter an Attendant. Attendant 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 Attendant.

Enobarbas

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’ the story.

Enter Thyreus. Cleopatra Caesar’s will? Thyreus Hear it apart. Cleopatra None but friends: say boldly. Thyreus So, haply, are they friends to