CAESAR

You may see Lepidus, and henceforth know, It is not Caesars Natural vice, to hate One great Competitor. From Alexandria This is the news: He fish, drinks, and wastes The Lamps of night in revel: Is not more manlike Then Cleopatra : nor the Queen of Ptolemy More Womanly then he. Hardly gave audience Or vouchsafe to think he had Partners. You Shall find there a man, who is the abstracts of all faults, That all men follow. You are too indulgent. Let's grant it is not Amiss to tumble on the bed of Ptolemy, To give a Kingdom for a Mirth, to fit And keep the turn of Tippling with a Slave, To reel the streets at noon, and stand the Buffet With knaves that smells of sweat: Say this become him (As his composure must be rare indeed, Whom these things cannot blemish) yet must Anthony No way excuse his foils, when we do bear So great weight in his lightness. If he filled His vacancy with his Voluptuousness, Full surfeits, and the dryness of his bones, Call on him for't. But to confound such time, That drums him from his sport, and speaks as loud As his own State, and ours, it's to be chid: As we rate Boys, who being mature in knowledge, Pawn their experience to their present pleasure, And so rebel to judgement. I should have known no less, It hath been taught us from the primall state That he which is was wished, until he were: And the ebbed man, Never loved, till never worth love, Comes feared, by being lacked. This common body, Like to a Vagabond Flag upon the Stream, Goes too, and back, lacking the varying tied To rot it self with motion. Let his shames quickly Driven him to Room, it's time we twain Did show our selves in the Field, and to that end Assemble me immediate counsel, Pompey Thrives in our Idleness. Till which encounter, it is my business too. Farewell. Welcome to Room. Fit. Nay then. I must be laughed at, if or for nothing, or a little, I Should say my self offended, and with you Chiefly in the world. More laughed at, that I should Once name you derogately: when to found your name It not concerned me. No more then my reciding here at Room Might be to you in Egypt: yet if you there Did practice on my State, your being in Egypt Might be my question. You may be pleased to catch at mine intent, By what did here befall me. Your Wife and Brother Made wars upon me, and their contestation Was Theme for you, you were the word of war. You praise your self, by laying defects of judge meant to me: but you patched up your excuses. Contemning Room he ha done all this, & more In Alexandria: here's the manner of't: In the Market place on a Tribunal silvered, Cleopatra and himself in Chairs of Gold Were publicly enthroned: at the feet sat Caesarion whom they call my Father's Son, And all the unlawful issue, that their Lust Since then hath made between them. Unto her, He gave the establishment of Egypt, made her Of lower Syria, Cyprus, Lydia, absolute Queen. Nor must not then be yielded to in this. Why have you stolen upon us thus? you come not Like Caesars Sister, The wife of Anthony Should have and Army for and Usher, and The neighs of Horse to tell of her approach, Long ere she did appear. The trees by' the way Should have born men, and expectation fainted, Longing for what it had not. Nay, the dust Should have ascended to the Roof of Heaven, Raised by your populous Troops: But you are come A Market-maid to Room, and have prevented The ostentation of our love; which left unshown, Is often left unloved: we should have met you By Sea, and Land, supplying every Stage With and augmented greeting. Which soon he granted, Being and abstract between his Lust, and him. I have eyes upon him, And his affairs come to me on the wind: where is he now? Welcome hither: your Letters did withhold our breaking forth Till we perceived both how you were wrong led, And we in negligent danger: cheer your heart, Be you not troubled with the time, which drives Over your content, these strong necessities, But let determine worser things to destiny Hold vnbewayl'd their way. Welcome to Room, Nothing more deer to me: You are abused Beyond the mark of thought: and the high Gods To do you Justice, makes his Ministers Of us, and those that love you. Best of comfort, And ever welcome to us. Most certain: Sister welcome: pray you Be ever known to patience. My dearest Sister. Towrus? Strike not by Land, Keep whole, provoke not Battle Till we have done at Sea. Do not exceed The Prescript of this Scroule: Our fortune lies Upon this jump. Let him appear that's come from Anthony. Know you him. Be't so, declare thine office. For Anthony, I have no ears to his request. The Queen, Of Audience, nor Desire shall fail, so she From Egypt driven her all-disgraced Friend, Or take his life there. This if she perform, She shall not sue unheard. So to them both. Bring him through the Bans: To try thy Eloquence, now it's time, dispatch, From Anthony win Cleopatra, promise And in our Name, what she requires, add more From thine invention, offers. Women are not In their best Fortune's strong; but want will perjure The never touched Vestal. Try thy cunning Thidias, Make thine own Edict for thy pains, which we Will answer as a Law. He calls me Boy, and chides as he had power To beat me out of Egypt. My Messenger He hath whipped with Rods, dares me to personal Combat. Caesar to Anthony: let the old Russian know, I have many other ways to die: mean time] Laugh at his Challenge. Let our best heads know, That to morrow, the last of many Battles We mean to fight. Within our Files there are, Of those that served Mark Anthony but late, Enough to fetch him in. See it done, And Feast the Army, we have store to doo't, And they have earned the waste. Poor Anthony. Go forth Agrippa, and begin the fight: Our will is Anthony e took alive: Make it so known. Go charge Agrippa, Plant those that have revolted in the Vant, That Anthony may seem to spend his Fury Upon himself. But being charged, we will be still by Land, Which as I tak't we shall, for his best force Is forth to Man his Galleys. To the Vales, And hold our best advantage. Wherefore is that? And what art thou that darest Appear thus to us? Look you sad Friends, The Gods rebuke me, but it is Tidings To wash the eyes of Kings. Come hither Proculeius. Go and say We purpose her no shame: give her what comforts The quality of her passion shall require; Least in her greatness, by some mortal stroke She do defeat us. For her life in Room, Would be eternal in our Triumph: Go, And with your speediest bring us what she says, And how you find of her. Gallus, go you along: where's Dolabella, to see cond Proculeius ? Let him alone: for I remember now How he's employed: he shall in time be ready. Go with me to my Tent, where you shall see How hardly I was drawn into this War, How calm and gentle I proceeded still In all my Writings. Go with me, and see What I can show in this. Anthony, Leave thy lascivious Vassals. When thou once Was beaten from Medena, where thou slewest Hirsius, and Pausa Consuls, at thy heel Did Famine follow, whom thou foughtest against, (Though daintily brought up) with patience more Then Savages could suffer. Thou didst drink The stale of Horses, and the gilded Puddle Which Beasts would cough at. Thy palate the ̄ did dame The roughest Berry, on the rudest Hedge. Yea, Like the Stag, when Snow the Pasture sheets, The barks of Trees thou browsed. On the Alps, It is reported thou didst eat strange flesh, Which some did die to look on: And all this (It wounds thine Honour that I speak it now) Was born so Like a Soldier, that thy cheek So much as lank'd not. Doubt not sir, I knew it for my Bound. I do not know Mecenas, ask Agrippa. I wrote to you, when rioting in Alexandria you Did pocket up my Letters: and with taunts Did gibe my Misi e out of audience. You have broken the Article of your oath, which you shall never have tongue to charge me with. To lend me Arms, and aid when I required them, the which you both denied. I do not much dislike the matter, but The manner of his speech: for't cannot be, We shall remain in friendship, our conditions So differing in their acts. Yet if I knew, What Hoop should hold us staunch from edge to edge A the world: I would pursue it. Speak Agrippa. Say not, say Agrippa ; if Cleopater herd you, your proof were well deserved of rashness. Not till he hears how Anthony is touched, With what is spoke already. The power of Caesar, And his power, unto Octavia. There's my hand: A Sister I bequeathe you, whom no Brother Did ever love so dearly. Let her live To join our kingdoms, and our hearts, and never Fly off our Loves again. About the Mount-Mesena. Great, and increasing: But by Sea he is and absolute Master. With most gladness, And do invite you to my Sisters view, Whither straight I'll led you. Goodnight. Most meet that first we come to words, And therefore have we Our written purposes before us sent, Which if thou hast considered, let us know, If it'll tie up thy discontented Sword, And carry back to Cicely much tall youth, That else must perish here. Take your time. There's the point. And what may follow to try a larger Fortune. Since I saw you last, ther's a change upon you. That's the next to do. I could well forbear't, it's monstrous labour when I wash my brain, and it grow fouler. Possess it, I'll make answer: but I had rather fast from all, four days, then drink so much in one. What would you more? Pompey goodnight. Good Brother Let me request you of our graver business Frowns at this levity. Gentle Lords let's partly, You see we have burned our cheeks. Strong Enobarbe Is weaker then the Wine, and mine own tongue Spleet's what it speaks: the wild disguise hath almost Antickt us all. What needs more words? goodnight. Good Anthony your hand. You take from me a great partly of my self: Use me well in't. Sister, prove such a wife As my thoughts make thee, and as my farthest Band Shall pass on thy approof: most Noble Anthony, Let not the piece of Virtue which is set Betwixt us, as the Cement of our love To keep it built, be the Ram to batter The Fortress of it: for better might we Have loved without this mean, if on both parts This be not cherished. I have said. Farewell my dearest Sister, fare thee well, The Elements be kind to thee, and make Thy spirits all of comfort: fare thee well. No sweet Octavia, You shall hear from me still: the time shall not Outgo my thinking on you. Adieu, be happy. Farewell, farewell. In the common show place, where they exercise, His Sons hither proclaimed the King of Kings, Great Media, Parthia, and Armenia He gave to Alexander. To Ptolemy he assigned, Syria, Silicia, and Phoenetia: she In the abiliments of the Goddess Isis That day appeared, and oft before gave audience, As it's reported so. The people knows it, And have now received his accusations. Caesar, and that having in Cicilie Sextus Pompeius spoiled, we had not rated him His partly of the Isle. Then does he say, he lent me Some shipping unrestored. Lastly, he frets That Lepidus of the Triumpherate, should be deposed, And being that, we detain all his Revenue. It's done already, and the Messenger gone: I have told him Lepidus was grown too cruel, That he his high Authority abused, And did deserve his change: for what I have conquered, I grant him partly: but then in his Armenia, And other of his conquered Kingdoms, I demand the Like That ever I should call thee Castaway. No my most wronged Sister, Cleopatra Hath nodded him to her. He hath given his Empire Up to a Whore, who now are levying The Kings of the earth for War. He hath assembled, Bochus the King of Libya, Archilaus Of Cappadocia, Philadelphos King Of Pap lagonia: the Thracian King Adullas, King Mauchus of Arabia, King of Pont, Herod of Jewry Mithridates King Of Comagear, Polemen and Amintas, The Kings of Mede, and Licoania, With a more larger List of Sceptres. Approach, and speak. Observe how Anthony becomes his flaw, And what thou thinkest his very Actium speaks In every power that moves. The time of universal peace is near: Prove this a prosperous day, the three ook'd world Shall bear the Olive freely. Go to him Dollabella, bid him yield, Being so frustrate, tell him, He mocks the pauses that he makes. What is't thou sayest? The breaking of so great a thing, should make A greater crack. The round World Should have shook Lyons into civil streets, And Citizens to their dens. The death of Anthony Is not a single doom, in the name lay A moiety of the world. O Anthony, I have followed thee to this, but we do launch Diseases in our Bodies. I must perforce Have shown to thee such a declining day, Or look on thine: we could not stall together, In the whole world. But yet let me lament With tears as Sovereign as the blood of hearts, That thou my Brother, my Competitor, In top of all design; my Mate in Empire, Friend and Companion in the front of War, The Arm of mine own Body, and the Heart Where mine his thoughts did kindle; that our Stars Unreconcilable, should divide our equalness to this. Hear me good Friends, But I will tell you at some meeter Season, The business of this man looks out of him, We'll hear him what he says. Whence are you? Bid her have good heart, She soon shall know of us, by some of ours, How honourable, and how kindly We Determine for her. For Caesar cannot leave to be ungentle Arise, you shall not kneel: I pray you rise, rise Egypt. Take to you no hard thoughts, The Record of what injuries you did us, Though written in our flesh, we shall remember As things but done by chance. Cleopatra know, We will extenuate rather then enforce: If you apply your self to our intents, Which towards you are most gentle, you shall find A benefit in this change: but if you seek To lay on me a Cruelty, by taking Anthony's course, you shall bereave your self Of my good purposes, and put your children To that destruction which I'll guard them from, If thereon you rely. I'll take my leave. You shall advise me in all for Cleopatra. Nay blush not Cleopatra, I approve Your Wisdom in the deed. Good Queen, let us entreat you. Forbear Seleucus. Cleopatra, Not what you have reserved, nor what acknowledged Put we in the Roll of Conquest: still be't yours, Bestow it at your pleasure, and believe Caesars no Merchant, to make prize with you Of things that Merchant's sold. Therefore be cheered, Make not your thoughts your prisons: No deer Queen, For we intend so to dispose you, as Your self shall give us counsel: Feed, and sleep: Our care and pity is so much upon you, That we remain your Friend, and so adieu. Not so: Adieu. Bravest at the last, She leveled at our purposes, and being Royal Took her own way: the manner of their death's, I do not see them bleed. Poisoned then. O Noble weakness: If they had swallowed poison, 'twould appear By external swelling: but she looks Like sleep, As she would catch another Anthony In her strong toil of Grace. Most probable That so she died: for her Physician tells me She hath pursued Conclusions infinite Of easy ways to die. Take up her bed, And bear her Women from the Monument, She shall be buried by her Anthony. No Grave upon the earth shall clip in it A pair so famous: high events as these Strike those that make them: and their Story is No less in pity, then his Glory which Brought them to be lamented. Our Army shall In solemn show, attend this Funeral, And then to Room. Come Dolabella, see High Order, in this great Solmemnity. What Octavia ? Which is the Queen of Egypt. Will this description satisfy him?