'Tis what the day deserves which gave me breath. Why was I rais'd the meteor of the world,

Hung in the fkies, and blazing as I travell'd,

Till all my fires were spent, and then caft downward
To be trod out by Cæfar?

Vent. afide.] On my foul

"Tis mournful, wondrous mournful!

Ant. Count thy gains

Now Antony; wouldft thou be born for this? -
Glutton of fortune, thy devouring youth

Has ftarv'd thy wanting age.

Vent. afide.] How forrow shakes him!

So now the tempeft tears him up by the roots,
And on the ground extends the noble ruin.

Ant. having thrown himself down.] Lie there, thou fhadow of an emperour;

The place thou preffeft on thy mother earth
Is all thy empire now: now it contains thee;
Some few days hence, and then 't will be too large,
When thou'rt contracted in thy narrow urn,
Shrunk to a few cold afhes; then Octavia,
(For Cleopatra will not live to fee it)
Octavia then will have thee all her own,
And bear thee in her widow'd hand to Cæfar;
"Cæfar will weep, the crocodile will weep,
"To fee his rival of the universe

"Lie ftill and peaceful there." I'll think no more on 't. Give me some musick; look that it be sad.

I'll footh my melancholy till I fwell,

And burft myself with fighing

'Tis fomewhat to my humour. Stay, I fancy

I'm now turn'd wild, a commoner of nature;
Of all forsaken, and forfaking all,

Live in a fhady foreft's fylvan fcene,

[Soft mufick.

Stretch'd at my length beneath fome blasted oak,
I lean my head upon the moffy bark,
And look juft of apiece as I grew from it:
My uncomb'd locks, matted like mistletoe,
Hang o'er my hoary face; a murm'ring brook
Runs at my foot-

Vent. "Methinks I fancy "Myfelf there too.

Ant. "The herd come jumping by me, "And fearless quench their thirft while I look on, "And take me for their fellow-citizen. "More of this image, more; it lulls my thoughts."

[Soft mufick again.

Vent. I muft difturb him: I can hold no longer.

[Stands before him.

Ant. ftarting up.] Art thou Ventidius?
Vent. Are you Antony?

I'm liker what I was than you to him

I left you laft.

Vent. "So am I.”

Ant. "I'm angry.

Ant. I would be private.

Leave me.

Vent. Sir, I love you,

And therefore will not leave you.
Ant. Will not leave me!

Where have

you

learnt that anfwer? Who am I?

Vent. My Emperour; the man I love next Heav'n :If I faid more I think 't were scarce a fin:

You're all that's good and godlike.

Ant. All that's wretched.

You will not leave me then?
Vent. 'Twas too prefuming

To fay I would not; but I dare not leave you;
And 'tis unkind in you to chide me hence
So foon when I so far have come to fee you.

Ant. Now thou haft feen me art thou fatisfy'd?
For if a friend thou haft beheld enough,
And if a foe too much.

Vent. Look, Emperour, this is no common dew:

I have not wept this forty years; but now
My mother comes afresh into my eyes;

I cannot help her softness.

[Weeping

Ant. By Heav'n he weeps, poor good old man, he weeps! "The big round drops courfe one another down

"The furrows of his cheeks. Stop 'em Ventidius,

" Or I shall blush to death; they set

"That caus'd 'em full before me.

Vent. "I'll do my best."

my fhame

Ant. Sure there's contagion in the tears of friends;

See, I have caught it too. Believe me 't is not
For my own griefs but thine-Nay, father-
Vent. Emperour.

Ant. Emperour! why that's the style of victory:
The conq'ring foldier, red with unfelt wounds,
Salutes his gen'ral fo; but never more

Shall that found reach my ears.

Vent. I warrant you.

Ant. Actium, Actium! Oh

Vent. It fits too near you.

Ant. Here, here it lies, a lump of lead by day,
And in my short distracted nightly flumbers
The hag that rides my dreams-

Vent. Out with it; give it vent.

Ant. Urge not my fhame

I loft a battle.

Vent. So has Julius done.

Ant. Thou favour'ft me, and speak'ft not half thou For Julius fought it out and loft it fairly;

But Antony

Vent. Nay, ftop not.

Ant. Antony

(Well, thou wilt have it) like a coward fled,

[think'ft;

Fled while his foldiers fought; fled first Ventidius.
Thou long'ft to curfe me, and I give thee leave;
"I know thou cam'ft prepar'd to rail.

Vent. "I did."

Ant. I'll help thee-I have been a man Ventidius.
Vent. Yes, and a brave one; but-

Ant. I know thy meaning.

But I have loft my reafon, have difgrac'd

The name of foldier with inglorious eafe;
"In the full vintage of my flowing honours
"Sat ftill, and faw it preft by other hands;
"Fortune came smiling to my youth and woo'd it,
"And purple greatnefs met my ripen'd years.
"When first I came to empire I was borne
"On tides of people crowding to my triumphs,
"The wifh of nations, and the willing world
“Receiv'd me as its pledge of future peace.
"I was fo great, fo happy, fo belov'd,
"Fate could not ruin me, till I took pains,

"And work'd against my Fortune, chid her from me,
"And turn'd her loofe; yet ftill she came again.
"My careless days and my luxurious nights
"At length have weary'd her, and now the 's gone,
"Gone, gone, divorc'd for ever." Help me, foldier,
To curfe this madman, this induftrious fool,

Who labour'd to be wretched. Prithee curfe me.
Vent. No.

Ant. Why?

Vent. You are too fenfible already

Of what you 'ave done, too confcious of your failings, And like a fcorpion whipt by others first

To fury, fting yourfelf in mad revenge.

I would bring balm, and pour it in your wounds,
Cure your diftemper'd mind, and heal your fortunes.
Ant. I know thou wouldst.

Vent. I will.

Ant. "Ha, ha, ha, ha !

Vent. "You laugh.

Ant. "I do, to fee officious love

"Give cordials to the dead.

Vent. "You would be loft then?

Ant. "I am.

Vent. "I fay you are not. Try your fortune.

Ant. "I have to th' utmoft. Doft thou think me def"Without juft caufe? No, when I found all loft [perate Beyond repair I hid me from the world,

"And learn'd to scorn it here, which now I do
"So heartily, I think it is not worth
"The cost of keeping.

Vent. "Cæfar thinks not fo;

"He'll thank you for the gift he could not take. "You would be kill'd like Tully, would you? Do "Hold out your throat to Cæfar and die tamely. Ant. "No, I can kill myself, and so refolve.

Vent. "I can die with you too when time shall serve; "But Fortune calls upon us now to live, "To fight, to conquer."

Ant. Sure thou dreamft Ventidius.

Vent. No, 't is you dream; you sleep away your hours In desp'rate sloth, mifcall'd philofophy.

Up, up, for honour's fake twelve legions wait you.

And long to call you chief: by painful journies
I led 'em, patient both of heat and hunger,
Down from the Parthian marches to the Nile:
'Twill do you good to fee their funburnt faces,
Their fcarr'd cheeks, and chopt hands: there's virtue in
They 'll fell those mangled limbs at dearer rates
Than yon' trim bands can buy.

Ant. Where left you them?

Vent. I faid in Lower Syria. Ant. Bring 'em hither; There may be life in these.

Vent. They will not come.

['em:

Ant. Why didit thou mock my hopes with promis'd aids

To double my despair? they're mutinous.

Vent. Moft firm and loyal.

Ant. "Yet they will not march

"To fuccour me. Oh trifler!

Vent. "They petition

"You would make hafte to head 'em. Ant. "I'm befieg'd.

Vent. "There's but one way fhut

Ant. I will not ftir.

66

Ant. "I have never us'd

My foldiers to demand a reason of

up

How came

I

[hither?

My actions." Why did they refuse to march?
Vent. They faid they would not fight for Cleopatra.
Ant. What was 't they said?

Vent. They faid they would not fight for Cleopatra:
Why should they fight indeed to make her conquer,
And make you more a flave? to gain you kingdoms,
Which for a kiss at your next midnight feast
You'll fell to her?" Then fhe new names her jewels,
"And calls this diamond fuch or fuch a tax;
"Each pendant in her ear shall be a province."
Ant. Ventidius, I allow your tongue free licence
On all my other faults, but on your life

No word of Cleopatra; fhe deferves
More worlds than I can lofe.

Vent. Behold, you Pow'rs!

To whom you have intrufted humankind;

C