The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Part 28

CAESAR. You may be pleas'd 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.

ANTONY. You do mistake your business; my brother never Did urge me in his act. I did inquire it, And have my learning from some true reports That drew their swords with you. Did he not rather Discredit my authority with yours, And make the wars alike against my stomach, Having alike your cause? Of this my letters Before did satisfy you. If you'll patch a quarrel, As matter whole you have not to make it with, It must not be with this.

CAESAR. You praise yourself By laying defects of judgment to me; but You patch'd up your excuses.

ANTONY. Not so, not so; I know you could not lack, I am certain on't, Very necessity of this thought, that I, Your partner in the cause 'gainst which he fought, Could not with graceful eyes attend those wars Which fronted mine own peace. As for my wife, I would you had her spirit in such another!

The third o' th' world is yours, which with a snaffle You may pace easy, but not such a wife.

En.o.bARBUS. Would we had all such wives, that the men might go to wars with the women!

ANTONY. So much uncurbable, her garboils, Caesar, Made out of her impatience- which not wanted Shrewdness of policy too- I grieving grant Did you too much disquiet. For that you must But say I could not help it.

CAESAR. I wrote to you When rioting in Alexandria; you Did pocket up my letters, and with taunts Did gibe my missive out of audience.

ANTONY. Sir, He fell upon me ere admitted. Then Three kings I had newly feasted, and did want Of what I was i' th' morning; but next day I told him of myself, which was as much As to have ask'd him pardon. Let this fellow Be nothing of our strife; if we contend, Out of our question wipe him.

CAESAR. You have broken The article of your oath, which you shall never Have tongue to charge me with.

LEPIDUS. Soft, Caesar!

ANTONY. No; Lepidus, let him speak.

The honour is sacred which he talks on now, Supposing that I lack'd it. But on, Caesar: The article of my oath- CAESAR. To lend me arms and aid when I requir'd them, The which you both denied.

ANTONY. Neglected, rather; And then when poisoned hours had bound me up From mine own knowledge. As nearly as I may, I'll play the penitent to you; but mine honesty Shall not make poor my greatness, nor my power Work without it. Truth is, that Fulvia, To have me out of Egypt, made wars here; For which myself, the ignorant motive, do So far ask pardon as befits mine honour To stoop in such a case.

LEPIDUS. 'Tis n.o.ble spoken.

MAECENAS. If it might please you to enforce no further The griefs between ye- to forget them quite Were to remember that the present need Speaks to atone you.

LEPIDUS. Worthily spoken, Maecenas.

En.o.bARBUS. Or, if you borrow one another's love for the instant, you may, when you hear no more words of Pompey, return it again.

You shall have time to wrangle in when you have nothing else to do.

ANTONY. Thou art a soldier only. Speak no more.

En.o.bARBUS. That truth should be silent I had almost forgot.

ANTONY. You wrong this presence; therefore speak no more.

En.o.bARBUS. Go to, then- your considerate stone!

CAESAR. I do not much dislike the matter, but The manner of his speech; for't cannot be We shall remain in friends.h.i.+p, our conditions So diff'ring in their acts. Yet if I knew What hoop should hold us stanch, from edge to edge O' th' world, I would pursue it.

AGRIPPA. Give me leave, Caesar.

CAESAR. Speak, Agrippa.

AGRIPPA. Thou hast a sister by the mother's side, Admir'd Octavia. Great Mark Antony Is now a widower.

CAESAR. Say not so, Agrippa.

If Cleopatra heard you, your reproof Were well deserv'd of rashness.

ANTONY. I am not married, Caesar. Let me hear Agrippa further speak.

AGRIPPA. To hold you in perpetual amity, To make you brothers, and to knit your hearts With an unslipping knot, take Antony Octavia to his wife; whose beauty claims No worse a husband than the best of men; Whose virtue and whose general graces speak That which none else can utter. By this marriage All little jealousies, which now seem great, And all great fears, which now import their dangers, Would then be nothing. Truths would be tales, Where now half tales be truths. Her love to both Would each to other, and all loves to both, Draw after her. Pardon what I have spoke; For 'tis a studied, not a present thought, By duty ruminated.

ANTONY. Will Caesar speak?

CAESAR. Not till he hears how Antony is touch'd With what is spoke already.

ANTONY. What power is in Agrippa, If I would say 'Agrippa, be it so,'

To make this good?

CAESAR. The power of Caesar, and His power unto Octavia.

ANTONY. May I never To this good purpose, that so fairly shows, Dream of impediment! Let me have thy hand.

Further this act of grace; and from this hour The heart of brothers govern in our loves And sway our great designs!

CAESAR. There is my hand.

A sister I bequeath 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!

LEPIDUS. Happily, amen!

ANTONY. I did not think to draw my sword 'gainst Pompey; For he hath laid strange courtesies and great Of late upon me. I must thank him only, Lest my remembrance suffer ill report; At heel of that, defy him.

LEPIDUS. Time calls upon's.

Of us must Pompey presently be sought, Or else he seeks out us.

ANTONY. Where lies he?

CAESAR. About the Mount Misenum.

ANTONY. What is his strength by land?

CAESAR. Great and increasing; but by sea He is an absolute master.

ANTONY. So is the fame.

Would we had spoke together! Haste we for it.

Yet, ere we put ourselves in arms, dispatch we The business we have talk'd of.

CAESAR. With most gladness; And do invite you to my sister's view, Whither straight I'll lead you.

ANTONY. Let us, Lepidus, Not lack your company.

LEPIDUS. n.o.ble Antony, Not sickness should detain me. [Flourish]

Exeunt all but En.o.bARBUS, AGRIPPA, MAECENAS MAECENAS. Welcome from Egypt, sir.

En.o.bARBUS. Half the heart of Caesar, worthy Maecenas! My honourable friend, Agrippa!

AGRIPPA. Good En.o.barbus!

MAECENAS. We have cause to be glad that matters are so well digested. You stay'd well by't in Egypt.

En.o.bARBUS. Ay, sir; we did sleep day out of countenance and made the night light with drinking.

MAECENAS. Eight wild boars roasted whole at a breakfast, and but twelve persons there. Is this true?

En.o.bARBUS. This was but as a fly by an eagle. We had much more monstrous matter of feast, which worthily deserved noting.

MAECENAS. She's a most triumphant lady, if report be square to her.

En.o.bARBUS. When she first met Mark Antony she purs'd up his heart, upon the river of Cydnus.

AGRIPPA. There she appear'd indeed! Or my reporter devis'd well for her.

En.o.bARBUS. I will tell you.

The barge she sat in, like a burnish'd throne, Burn'd on the water. The p.o.o.p was beaten gold; Purple the sails, and so perfumed that The winds were love-sick with them; the oars were silver, Which to the tune of flutes kept stroke, and made The water which they beat to follow faster, As amorous of their strokes. For her own person, It beggar'd all description. She did lie In her pavilion, cloth-of-gold, of tissue, O'erpicturing that Venus where we see The fancy out-work nature. On each side her Stood pretty dimpled boys, like smiling Cupids, With divers-colour'd fans, whose wind did seem To glow the delicate cheeks which they did cool, And what they undid did.

AGRIPPA. O, rare for Antony!

En.o.bARBUS. Her gentlewomen, like the Nereides, So many mermaids, tended her i' th' eyes, And made their bends adornings. At the helm A seeming mermaid steers. The silken tackle Swell with the touches of those flower-soft hands That yarely frame the office. From the barge A strange invisible perfume hits the sense Of the adjacent wharfs. The city cast Her people out upon her; and Antony, Enthron'd i' th' market-place, did sit alone, Whistling to th' air; which, but for vacancy, Had gone to gaze on Cleopatra too, And made a gap in nature.

AGRIPPA. Rare Egyptian!

En.o.bARBUS. Upon her landing, Antony sent to her, Invited her to supper. She replied It should be better he became her guest; Which she entreated. Our courteous Antony, Whom ne'er the word of 'No' woman heard speak, Being barber'd ten times o'er, goes to the feast, And for his ordinary pays his heart For what his eyes eat only.

AGRIPPA. Royal wench!

She made great Caesar lay his sword to bed.

He ploughed her, and she cropp'd.

En.o.bARBUS. I saw her once Hop forty paces through the public street; And, having lost her breath, she spoke, and panted, That she did make defect perfection, And, breathless, pow'r breathe forth.

MAECENAS. Now Antony must leave her utterly.

En.o.bARBUS. Never! He will not.

Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale Her infinite variety. Other women cloy The appet.i.tes they feed, but she makes hungry Where most she satisfies; for vilest things Become themselves in her, that the holy priests Bless her when she is riggish.

MAECENAS. If beauty, wisdom, modesty, can settle The heart of Antony, Octavia is A blessed lottery to him.

AGRIPPA. Let us go.

Good En.o.barbus, make yourself my guest Whilst you abide here.

En.o.bARBUS. Humbly, sir, I thank you. Exeunt

SCENE III.

Rome. CAESAR'S house

Enter ANTONY, CAESAR, OCTAVIA between them

ANTONY. The world and my great office will sometimes Divide me from your bosom.

OCTAVIA. All which time Before the G.o.ds my knee shall bow my prayers To them for you.

ANTONY. Good night, sir. My Octavia, Read not my blemishes in the world's report.

I have not kept my square; but that to come Shall all be done by th' rule. Good night, dear lady.

OCTAVIA. Good night, sir.

CAESAR. Good night. Exeunt CAESAR and OCTAVIA

Enter SOOTHSAYER

ANTONY. Now, sirrah, you do wish yourself in Egypt?