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

his horse?
O happy horse, to bear the weight of Antony!
Do bravely, horse! for wot’st thou whom thou movest?
The demi-Atlas of this earth, the arm
And burgonet of men. He’s speaking now,
Or murmuring “Where’s my serpent of old Nile?”
For so he calls me: now I feed myself
With most delicious poison. Think on me,
That am with Phoebus’ amorous pinches black,
And wrinkled deep in time? Broad-fronted Caesar,
When thou wast here above the ground, I was
A morsel for a monarch: and great Pompey
Would stand and make his eyes grow in my brow;
There would he anchor his aspect and die
With looking on his life. Enter Alexas. Alexas Sovereign of Egypt, hail! Cleopatra

How much unlike art thou Mark Antony!
Yet, coming from him, that great medicine hath
With his tinct gilded thee.
How goes it with my brave Mark Antony?

Alexas

Last thing he did, dear queen,
He kiss’d⁠—the last of many doubled kisses⁠—
This orient pearl. His speech sticks in my heart.

Cleopatra Mine ear must pluck it thence. Alexas

“Good friend,” quoth he,
“Say, the firm Roman to great Egypt sends
This treasure of an oyster; at whose foot,
To mend the petty present, I will piece
Her opulent throne with kingdoms; all the east,
Say thou, shall call her mistress.” So he nodded,
And soberly did mount an arm-gaunt steed,
Who neigh’d so high, that what I would have spoke
Was beastly dumb’d by him.

Cleopatra What, was he sad or merry? Alexas

Like to the time o’ the year between the extremes
Of hot and cold, he was nor sad nor merry.

Cleopatra

O well-divided disposition! Note him,
Note him, good Charmian, ’tis the man; but note him:
He was not sad, for he would shine on those
That make their looks by his; he was not merry,
Which seem’d to tell them his remembrance lay
In Egypt with his joy; but between both:
O heavenly mingle! Be’st thou sad or merry,
The violence of either thee becomes,
So does it no man else. Met’st thou my posts?

Alexas

Ay, madam, twenty several messengers:
Why do you send so thick?

Cleopatra

Who’s born that day
When I forget to send to Antony,
Shall die a beggar. Ink and paper, Charmian.
Welcome, my good Alexas. Did I, Charmian,
Ever love Caesar so?

Charmian O that brave Caesar! Cleopatra

Be choked with such another emphasis!
Say, the brave Antony.

Charmian The valiant Caesar! Cleopatra

By Isis, I will give thee bloody teeth,
If thou with Caesar paragon again
My man of men.

Charmian

By your most gracious pardon,
I sing but after you.

Cleopatra

My salad days,
When I was green in judgment: cold in blood,
To say as I said then! But, come, away;
Get me ink and paper:
He shall have every day a several greeting,
Or I’ll unpeople Egypt. Exeunt.

Act II Scene I

Messina. Pompey’s house.

Enter Pompey, Menecrates, and Menas, in warlike manner. Pompey

If the great gods be just, they shall assist
The deeds of justest men.

Menecrates

Know, worthy Pompey,
That what they do delay, they not deny.

Pompey

Whiles we are suitors to their throne, decays
The thing we sue for.

Menecrates

We, ignorant of ourselves,
Beg often our own harms, which the wise powers
Deny us for our good; so find we profit
By losing of our prayers.

Pompey

I shall do well:
The people love me, and the sea is mine;
My powers are crescent, and my auguring hope
Says it will come to the full. Mark Antony
In Egypt sits at dinner, and will make
No wars without doors: Caesar gets money where
He loses hearts: Lepidus flatters both,
Of both is flatter’d; but he neither loves,
Nor either cares for him.

Menas

Caesar and Lepidus
Are in the field: a mighty strength they carry.

Pompey Where have you this? ’tis false. Menas From Silvius, sir. Pompey

He dreams: I know they are in Rome together,
Looking for Antony. But all the charms of love,
Salt Cleopatra, soften thy waned lip!
Let witchcraft join with beauty, lust with both!
Tie up the libertine in a field of feasts,
Keep his brain fuming; Epicurean cooks
Sharpen with cloyless sauce his appetite;
That sleep and feeding may prorogue his honour
Even till a Lethe’d dulness!

Enter Varrius. How now, Varrius! Varrius

This is most certain that I shall deliver:
Mark Antony is every hour in Rome
Expected: since he went from Egypt ’tis
A space for further travel.

Pompey

I could have given less matter
A better ear. Menas, I did not think
This amorous surfeiter would have donn’d his helm
For such a petty war: his soldiership
Is twice the other twain: but let us rear
The higher our opinion, that our stirring
Can from the lap of Egypt’s widow pluck
The ne’er-lust-wearied Antony.

Menas

I cannot hope
Caesar and Antony shall well greet together:
His wife that’s dead did trespasses to Caesar;
His brother warr’d upon him; although, I think,
Not moved by Antony.

Pompey

I know not, Menas,
How lesser enmities may give way to greater.
Were’t not that we stand up against them all,
’Twere pregnant they should square between themselves;
For they have entertained cause enough
To draw their swords: but how the fear of us
May cement their divisions and bind up
The petty difference, we yet not know.
Be’t as our gods will have’t! It only stands
Our lives upon to use our strongest hands.
Come, Menas. Exeunt.

Scene II

Rome. The house of Lepidus.

Enter Enobarbas and Lepidus. Lepidus

Good Enobarbus, ’tis a worthy deed,
And shall become you well, to entreat your captain
To soft and gentle speech.

Enobarbas

I shall entreat him
To answer like himself: if Caesar move him,
Let Antony look over Caesar’s head
And speak as loud as Mars. By Jupiter,
Were I the wearer of Antonius’ beard,
I would not shave’t to-day.

Lepidus

’Tis not a time
For private stomaching.

Enobarbas

Every time
Serves for the matter that is then born in’t.

Lepidus But small to greater matters must give way. Enobarbas Not if the small come first. Lepidus

Your speech is passion:
But, pray you, stir no embers up. Here comes
The noble Antony.

Enter Antony and Ventidius. Enobarbas And yonder, Caesar. Enter Caesar, Mecaenas, and Agrippa. Antony

If we compose well here, to Parthia:
Hark, Ventidius.

Caesar

I do not know,
Mecaenas; ask Agrippa.

Lepidus

Noble friends,
That which combined us was most great, and let not
A leaner