Give him all kindness: I had rather have
Such men my friends, than enemies. Go on,
And see whe'r* Brutus be alive, or dead:
And bring us word unto Octavius' tent,
How every thing is chanced.

SCENE V-Another part of the Field.

[Exeunt.

Enter BRUTUS, DARDANIUS, CLITUS, STRATO, and VOLUMNIUS.
Bru. Come, poor remains of friends, rest on this rock.
Cli. Statilius show'd the torch-light; but, my lord,
He came not back; he is or ta'en, or slain.

Bru. Sit thee down, Clitus: Slaying is the word;
It is a deed in fashion. Hark thee, Clitus.-

Cli. What, I, my lord? No, not for all the world.
Bru. Peace then, no words.
Cli. I'll rather kill myself.
Bru. Hark thee, Dardanius!
Dar. I do such a deed?
Cli. O, Dardanius!

Whispering.

[Whispers him.

Cli. What ill request did Brutus make to thee?
Dar. To kill him, Clitus: Look, he meditates.

Cli. Now is that noble vessel full of grief,

That it runs over even at his eyes.

Bru. Come hither, good Volumnius; list a word.
Vol. What says my lord?

Bru. Why, this, Volumnius:

The ghost of Cæsar hath appear'd to me

Two several times by night: at Sardis, once;

And, this last night, here in Philippi' fields.
I know, my hour is come.

Vol. Not so, my lord.

Bru. Nay, I am sure it is, Volumnius.

Thou see'st the world, Volumnius, how it goes;

Our enemies have beat us to the pit:

It is more worthy to leap in ourselves,

Than tarry till they push us. Good Volumnius,

Thou know'st, that we two went to school together;

Even for that our love of old, I pray thee,

Hold thou my sword-hilts, whilst I run on it.

Vol. That's not an office for a friend, my lord. [Alarum still.

Cli. Fly, fly, my lord; there is no tarrying here.

Bru. Farewell to you;-and you;-and you, Volumnius.Strato, thou hast been all this while asleep;

Farewell to thee too, Strato.-Countrymen,

My heart doth joy, that yet, in all my life,
I found no man, but he was true to me.
I shall have glory by this losing day.
More than Octavius, and Mark Antony,
By this vile conquest shall attain unto.

* Whether

So, fare you well at once; for Brutus' tongue
Hath almost ended his life's history:

Night hangs upon mine eyes; my bones would rest,
That have but labour'd to attain this hour.

Cli. Fly, my lord, fly.

[Alarum. Cry within; Fly, fly, fly.

Bru. Hence; I will follow thee.

[Exeunt CLITUS, DARDANIUS, and VOLUMNIUS.

I pr'ythee, Strato, stay thou by thy lord:

Thou art a fellow of a good respect;

Thy life hath had some smatch of honour in it:
Hold then my sword, and turn away thy face

While I do run upon it. Wilt thou, Strato?

Stra. Give me your hand first: Fare you well, my lord.
Bru. Farewell, good Strato.--Cæsar, now be still:

I kill'd not thee with half so good a will.

[He runs on his sword and dies. Alarum.-Retreat. Enter OCTAVIUS, ANTONY, MESSALA, LUCILIUS, and their Army.

Oct. What man is that?

Mes. My master's man.-Strato, where is thy master?
Stra. Free from the bondage you are in, Messala;

The conquerors can but make a fire of him;

For Brutus only overcame himself,

And no man else hath honour by his death.

Luc. So Brutus should be found. I thank thee, Brutus,

That thou hast proved Lucilius' saying true.

Oct. All that served Brutus, I will entertain them.*

Fellow, wilt thou bestow thy time with me?

Stra. Ay, if Messala will prefer me to you.

Oct. Do so, Messala.

Mes. How died my master, Strato?

Stra. I held the sword, and he did run on it.

Mes. Octavius, then take him to follow thee,

That did the latest service to my master.

Ant. This was the noblest Roman of them all.

All the conspirators, save only he,

Did that they did in envy of great Cæsar;

He, only, in a general honest thought,

And common good to all, made one of them.
His life was gentle; and the elements

So mix'd in him, that Nature might stand up,
And say to all the world, This was a man!

Oct. According to his virtue let us use him,
With all respect and rites of burial.
Within my tent his bones to-night shall lie,
Most like a soldier, order'd honourably.-
So, call the field to rest: and let's away,
To part the glories of this happy day.

* Receive into my service.

[Exeunt.

+ Recommend.

MENAS,

MENECRATES,

VARRIUS,

}

Friends of

Pompey.

putra.

OFFICERS, SOLDIERS, MESSENGERS, and other ATTENDANTS.

SCENE, dispersed; in several Parts of the Roman Empire.

ACT I.

SCENE I-Alexandria. A Room in CLEOPATRA's Palace. Enter DEMETRIUS and PHILO.

Phil. Nay, but this dotage of our general's,

O'erflows the measure: those his goodly eyes,

That o'er the files and musters of the war

Have glow'd like plaited Mars, now bend, now turn.

The office and devotion of their view

Upon a tawny front: his captain's heart,

Which in the scuffles of great fights hath burst

The buckles on his breast, reneges* all temper;

And is become the bellows, and the fan,

To cool a gypsy's lust. Look where they come !

Flourish. Enter ANTONY and CLEOPATRA, with their Trains; Eunuchs fanning her.

Take but good note, and you shall see in him

Renounces.

The triple pillar of the world transform'd

Into a strumpet's fool: behold and see.

Cleo. If it be love indeed, tell me how much.

Ani. There's beggary in the love that can be reckon❜d.

Cleo. I'll set a bourn* how far to be beloved.

Ant. Then must thou needs find out new heaven, new earth.

Enter an ATTENDANT.

Att. News, my good lord, from Rome.

Ant.

Grates me:-The sum ?

Cleo. Nay, hear them, Antony :

Fulvia, perchance is angry: Or, who knows
If the scarce-bearded Cæsar have not sent
His powerful mandate to you, Do this, or this;
Take in that kingdom, and enfranchise that.
Perform't, or else we damn thee.

Ant. How, my love!

Cleo. Perchance,-nay, and most like,

You must not stay here longer, your dismission

ls come from Cæsar; therefore hear it, Antony.

Where's Fulvia's process!§ Cæsar's, I would say ?-Both ?—
Call in the messengers.-As I am Egypt's queen,
Thou blushest, Antony; and that blood of thine
Is Cæsar's homager; else so thy cheek pays shame,
When shrill-tongued Fulvia scolds.-The messengers.
Ant. Let Rome in Tyber melt, and the wide arch||
Of the ranged empire fall! Here is my space;
Kingdoms are clay: our dungy earth alike
Feeds beast as man: the nobleness of life
Is, to do thus; when such a mutual pair,
And such a twain can do't, in which, I bind
On pain of punishment, the world to weet, T
We stand up peerless.

Cleo. Excellent Falsehood!

Why did we marry Fulvia, and not love her ?-
I'll seem the fool I am not; Antony

Will be himself.

Ant. But stirr'd by Cleopatra.-

Now, for the love of Love, and her soft hours,

[Embracing.

Let's not confound** the time with conference harsh:

There's not a minute of our lives should stretch

Without some pleasure now: What sport to-night?
Cleo. Hear the ambassadors.

Ant. Fie, wrangling queen!

Whom everything becomes, to chide, to laugh,

To weep; whose every passion fully strives

To make itself, in thee, fair and admired!

No messenger; but thine and all alone,

To-night, we'll wander through the streets, and note
The qualities of people. Come, my queen;

Last night you did desire it :-Speak not to us.

[Exeunt ANTONY and CLEOPATRA, with their train.

*Bound, limit. § Summons.

† Offends.

Wide spread.

+ Subdue, conquer.
**Consume.

¶ To wit.

Dem. Is Cæsar with Antonius prized so slight ?
Phi. Sir, sometimes, when he is not Antony,
He comes too short of that great property
Which still should go with Antony.
Dem. I'm full sorry,

**

That he approves the common liar, who
Thus speaks of him at Rome: But I will hope
Of better deeds to-morrow. Rest you happy!

SCENE II.-The same. Another Room.

[Exeunt.

Enter CHARMIAN, IRAS, ALEXAS, and a SOOTHSAYER. Char. Lord Alexas, sweet Alexas, most anything Alexas, almost most absolute Alexas, where's the soothsayer that you praised so to the queen? O, that I knew this husband, which, you say, must charge his horns with garlands!

Alex. Soothsayer.

Sooth. Your will ?

Char. Is this the man ?-Is't you, Sir, that know things?
Sooth. In nature's infinite book of secrecy,

A little I can read.

Alex. Show him your hand.

Enter ENOBARBUS.

Eno. Bring in the banquet quickly; wine enough, Cleopatra's health to drink.

Char. Good Sir, give me good fortune.

Sooth, I make not, but foresee.

Char. Pray then, foresee me one.

Sooth. You shall be yet far fairer than you are.

Char. He means, in flesh.

Iras. No, you shall paint when you are old.

Char. Wrinkles forbid !

Alex. Vex not his prescience; be attentive.

Char. Hush!

Sooth. You shall be more beloving, than beloved.
Char. I had rather eat my liver with drinking.

Alex. Nay, hear him.

Char. Good now, some excellent fortune! Let me be married to three kings in a forenoon, and widow them all: let me have a child at fifty, to whom Herod of Jewry may do homage: find me to marry me with Octavius Cæsar, and companion me with my mistress.

Sooth. You shall outlive the lady whom you serve.
Char. O excellent! I love long life better than figs.

Sooth. You have seen and proved a fairer former fortune

Than that which is to approach.

Char. Then, belike, my children shall have no names:† Pr'ythee, how many boys and wenches must I have?

Sooth. If every of your wishes had a womb,

And fertile every wish, a million.

Char. Out, fool! I forgive thee for a witch.

Alex. You think, none but your sheets are privy to your wishes.

• Confirms fame, rumour.

† Shall be bastards.