Alex. Oh heavens! I dare not: I meet my certain death. Cleo. Slave, thou deservest it. Not that I fear my lord will I avoid him; Alex. Oh! pity me, and let me follow you! Now for thy life, which basely thou wouldst save, While mine I prize at this. Come, good Serapion. [Exeunt Cleo. Ser. Char. and Iras. Alex. Oh, that I less could fear to lose this being, Which, like a snow-ball in my coward hand, These two long lovers, soul and body, dread Within. Within. Vent. This leads to the monument. And this court-devil, which I so oft have raised, [Exit. Enter ANTONY and VENTIDIUS. Ant. Oh, happy Cæsar! thou hast men to lead. Think not 'tis thou hast conquered Antony, But Rome has conquered Egypt. I'm betrayed. Vent. Curse on this treacherous train! Their soil and heaven infect them all with base ness, And their young souls come tainted to the world, With the first breath they draw. Ant. The original villain sure no god created; Vent. The nation is A possibility of aid and valour? Is there one god unsworn to my destruction, The world's one half is yet in Antony, Vent. There yet remain Three legions in the town; the last assault Ant. They're enough. We'll not divide our stars, but side by side Vent. Now you shall see I love you. Not a Of chiding more. By my few hours of life, Ant. Who knows but we may pierce through And reach my veterans yet? 'Tis worth the tempting To o'erleap this gulf of fate, And leave our wandering destinies behind. Vent. See, see that villain! eyes! Aler. She snatched her poniard, Plunged it within her breast; then turned to me; And buried half within her. Vent. Heaven be praised! scous, For all the bribes of life are gone away. Vent. Would you be taken? But as a Roman ought; dead, my Ventidius- Ant. Then art thou innocent, my poor dear Should have a lord, and know, whom to obey. love! And art thou dead? We two have kept its homage in suspense, Oh, those two words! their sound should be di- Till it was dinted inwards. Let him walk Hadst thou been false and died, or hadst thou And hadst been true-But innocence and death! As can express my guilt! Alone upon it: I'm weary of my part. My torch is out, and the world stands before me, But that I'll not outlive you. Chuse your death, Vent. Is it come to this? The gods have been 'Tis scarce worth giving. I could wish indeed too gracious, We threw it from us with a better grace, We might at least thrust out our paws, and wound Ant. I have thought on it; Ventidius, you must live. Vent. I must not, sir. Ant. Wilt thou not live to speak some good of me? To stand by my fair fame, and guard the ap proaches From the ill tongues of men? Vent. Who shall guard mine Ant. Say, I command it. Vent. If we die well, our deaths will speak themselves, And need no living witness. Ant. Thou hast loved me, And fain I would reward thee. I must die; Vent. Thank your kindness! My queen and thou have got the start of me, For all the learned are cowards by profession. 'Tis not worth My further thought; for death, for aught I know, Is but to think no more. Here's to be satisfied. [Falls on his sword. I have missed my heart-Oh, unperforming hand! Thou never couldst have erred in a worse time. My fortune jades me to the last; and death, Like a great man, takes state, and makes me wait For my admittance— [Trampling within. Some, perhaps, from Cæsar! If he should find me living, and suspect, [Rises upon his knees. Enter CLEOPATRA, CHARMION, and IRAS. Cleo. Where is my lord? where is he? Or am I dead before I knew, and thou The first kind ghost, that meets me? Cleo. Help me seat him! Send quickly, send for help! [They place him in a chair. Ant. I am answered: Cleo. How is it with you? Cleo. Too long, ye heavens! you have been cruel to me! Oh, now be kind, and give me back Ant. It will not be, my love! Cleo. 'Tis now too late Cleo. I will come; Doubt not, my life! I'll come, and quickly too! Cæsar shall triumph o'er no part of thee. Ant. But grieve not, while thou stayest, My last disastrous times! Think we have had a clear and glorious day, And heaven did kindly to delay the storm, Just till our close of evening. Ten years love, And not a moment lost, but all improved To the utmost joys! What ages have we lived! And now to die each other's! and so dying, While hand in hand we walk in groves below, Whole troops of lovers' ghosts shall flock about us, And all the train be ours. Cleo. Your words are like the notes of dying Cleo. Oh, tell me so again! And take ten thousand kisses for that wordMy lord! my lord! speak, if you yet have being! Sign to me if you cannot speak! or cast Char. Remember, madam, I have not loved a Roman not to know What should become his wife-his wife, my Charmion! To those, that want his mercy: My poor lord Char. Whatever you resolve, Iras. I only feared For you, but more should fear to live without you. Cleo. Why, now 'tis as it should be. Quick, my friends, Dispatch! ere this the town's in Cæsar's hands: My lord looks down concerned, and fears my stay, Lest I should be surprised: Keep him not waiting for his love too long. With them the wreath of victory I made Iras. The aspicks, madam? [Ex. Char. and Iras. 'Tis sweet to die, when they would force life on me, To rush into the dark abode of death We are now alone, in secrecy and silence, These pale cold lips-Octavia does not see me ; Of my immortal love! Oh, let no impious hand remove you hence, Iras. Underneath the fruit the aspick lies. [Putting aside the leaves. [Within. Ser. The queen, where is she? The town is yielded, Cæsar's at the gates. Cleo. He comes too late to invade the rights Cleo. Already, death, I feel thee in my I go with such a will to find my lord, A heavy numbness creeps through every limb, And lay me on his breast!-Cæsar, thy worst! and Egyptians. Char. Yes, 'tis well done, and like a queen, Of her great race. I follow her. [Sinks down. Dies. She has done well: much better thus to die, Ser. See how the lovers lie in state together, And went to charm him in another world. 2 Priest. Behold, Serapion, what havoc death While all the storms of fate fly o'er your tomb: has made! And fame to late posterity shall tell, |