Like a right gipfie, hath at fast and loose
Beguiled me to the very heart of lofs.
What, Eros, Eros!

Enter Cleopatra.

Ah, thou spell! avant.

Cleo. Why is my Lord enrag'd against his love?
Ant. Vanish, or I fhall give thee thy deferving,
And blemish Cefar's triumph. Let him take thee,
And hoift thee up to the fhouting Plebeians;
Follow his chariot, like the greatest spot
Of all thy fex. 5 'Monster-like be the fhew`
For poor'ft diminutives, for dolts; and let
Patient Octavia plough thy vifage up
With her prepared nails. 'Tis well thou'rt gone,
[Exit Cleopatra.

If it be well to live. But better 'twere
Thou fell'ft into my fury, for one death
Might have prevented many. Eros, hoa!
The fhirt of Neffus is upon me; teach me,
Alcides, thou mine ancestor, thy rage,
6/Led thee lodge Lichas on the horns o' th' moon,
And with thofe hands that grafpt the heaviest club,
Subdue 7 'thy worthieft felf. The witch fhall die;
To th' Roman boy fhe hath fold me, and I fall
Under 9'her' plot: fhe dies for't. Eros, hoa!

[Exit.
Re-enter Cleopatra, Charmian, Iras, and Mardian.
Cleo. Help me, my women! oh he is more mad
Than Telamon for his fhield; the boar of Theffaly
Was never fo imboft.

Char. To th' monument,

There lock your felf, and fend him word you're dead:
The foul and body rive not more in parting,

Than greatnefs going off.

Cleo. To th' monument:

Mardian, go tell him I have flain my self,

5 most monster like, be fhewn

6 Let thee

Say,

7 my... old edit. Theob, emend. 8 To the young Roman 9 his

Say, that the laft I spoke was Antony,

And word it, pr'ythee, piteously. Hence Mardian,
And bring me, how he takes my death, to th' monument.

SCENE

Enter Antony and Eros.

Ant. Eros, thou yet behold'st me.

Eros. Ay, noble Lord.

[Exeunt.

XI.

Ant. Sometime we fee a cloud that's dragonish, A vapour fometime like a bear, or lion,

A tower'd citadel, a pendant rock,

A forked mountain, or blue promontory

With trees upon't, that nod unto the world,

And mock our eyes with air. Thou'ft feen these signs, They are black vefper's pageants.

Eros. Ay, my Lord.

Ant. That which is now a horfe, even with a thought The rack diflimns, and makes it indiftinct

As water is in water.

Eros. It do's, my Lord.

Ant. My good knave, Eros, now thy captain is
Even fuch a body; here I'm Antony,

Yet cannot hold this vifible fhape, my knave.
I made these wars for Egypt; and the Queen,
Whose heart I thought I had, for fhe had mine,
Which whilft it was mine, had annext unto't
A million more, now loft! fhe, Eros, has
Packt cards with Cæfar, and falfe play'd my glory
Unto an enemy's triumph

Nay, weep not, gentle Eros, there is left us
Our felves to end our felves.

Ant. Hence, fawcy eunuch, peace,

She hath betray'd me, and fhall` die the death.
Mar. Death of one perfon can be paid but once,
And that she has difcharg'd. What thou would't do
Is done unto thy hand; the laft fhe fpake
Was Antony! most noble Antony!

Then in the midft a tearing groan did break
The name of Antony; it was divided

Between her heart and lips; fhe rendred life,
Thy name fo buried in her.

Ant. Dead then?

Mar, Dead.

Ant. Unarm me, Eros, the long day's task is done, And we must fleep; that thou depart'st hence fafe

[To Mardian.

Does pay thy labour richly; go. Pluck off;

[Exit Mardian.

The feven-fold fhield of Ajax cannot keep
The battery from my heart. Ocleave my fides!
Heart, once be stronger than thy continent,
Crack thy frail cafe! apace, Eros, apace,

No more a foldier-bruifed pieces, go; [Unarming himself.
You have been nobly born, from me a while,

3

[Exit Eros.

I will o'er-take thee, Cleopatra, and
Weep for my pardon. So't muft be, for now
All length is torture; fince 'thy torch is out,
Lye down and stray no further. Now all labour
Marrs what it does, yea, very force entangles
It felf with ftrength; 'fleep then and all is done.
Eros I come, my Queen Eros! ftay for me,
Where fouls do couch on flowers, we'll hand in hand,
And with our fprightiy port make the ghosts gaze;
Dido and her Sichaus a fhall want troops,

(a) Conjux ubi priftinus illi Refpondet curis, æquatque Sichæus amorem. Virg. Æn. lib. 6. v. 473.

1 and the fhall 2 Off, pluck off; 5 Encas... old edit. Warb. emend.

And

Warburton:

3 the 4 feal

And all the haunt be ours. Come, Eros, Eros!
Enter Eros.

Eros. What would my Lord?
Ant. Since Cleopatra died,

6 'I live in fuch difhonour, that the Gods
Deteft my baseness. I, that with my fword

Quarter'd the world, and o'er green Neptune's back With fhips, made cities; condemn my felf, to lack of a woman; lefs noble-minded

The courage

Than fhe which, by her death, our Cæfar tells,
I'm conqueror of my felf. Thou art fworn, Eros,
That when the exigent fhould come, which now
Is come indeed, when I fhould fee behind me
Th' inevitable profecution of difgrace

And horrour; that on my command thou then
Wouldft kill me. Do it, for the time is come:
Thou ftrik'it not me, 'tis Cæfar thou defeat'st.
Put colour in thy cheek.

Eros. The Gods with-hold me!

Shall I do that which all the Parthian darts,
Though enemy, loft aim, and could not?

Ant. Eros,

Wouldst thou be window'd in great Rome, and fee
Thy mafter thus with pleacht arms, bending down
His corrigible neck, his face fubdued

To penetrative fhame, whilft the wheel'd feat
Of fortunate Cæfar drawn before him branded
His baseness that enfu'd?

Eros. I would not fee't.

Ant. Come then; for with a wound I must be cur'd, Draw that thy honest sword, which thou haft worn Most useful for thy country.

Eros. Oh, Sir, pardon me.

Ant. When I did make thee free, fwor'ft thou not then To do this when I bad thee? do it at once,

Or thy precedent fervices are all

6 I've liv'd

But

41

But accidents unpurpos'd. Draw, and come.

Eros. Turn from me then that noble countenance
Wherein the worship of the whole world lyes.

Ant. Lo thee.

Eros. My fword is drawn.

Ant. Then let it 7 'do`

The thing why thou haft drawn it.

Eros. My dear master,

[Turning from bim.

My captain, and my Emp'ror! Let me fay,
Before I ftrike this bloody ftroke, Farewel!
Ant. 'Tis faid, man, and farewel!

Eros. Farewel, great chief! Shall I ftrike now?
Ant. Now, Eros.

Eros. Why, there then- thus I do escape the forrow

Of Antony's death.

Ant. Thrice nobler than my felf!

[Eros kills himself.

Thou teacheft me, oh valiant Eros, what

I fhould, and thou could'ft not; my Queen and Eros
Have by their brave instruction got upon me

A nobleness in record. But I will be

A bridegroom in my death, and run into't
As to a lover's bed. Come then, and, Eros,
Thy mafter dies thy fcholar; to do thus

[Falling on his fword. I learn't of thee. How, not yet dead? not dead?--how! oh dispatch me!

The guard

SCENE

XII.

Enter Dercetas and Guard.

I Guard. what's the noise?

Ant. I've done my work ill, friends: O make an end

Of what I have begun.

2 Guard. The ftar is fall'n.

1 Guard. And time is at his period.

All. Alas, and woe!

Ant. Let him that loves me, ftrike me dead.

7 do at once

I Guard.