Cas. I' the common show-place, where they exercise. His sons he there proclaim'd, The kings of kings: Great Media, Parthia, and Armenia,

He gave to Alexander; to Ptolemy he assign'd
Syria, Cilicia, and Phoenicia: She

In the habiliments of the goddess Isis

That day appear'd; and oft before gave audience,
As 'tis reported, so.

Mec. Let Rome be thus

Inform'd.

Agr. Who, queasy with his insolence

Already, will their good thoughts call from him.
Cas. The people know it; and have now receiv'd
His accusations.

Agr. Whom does he accuse?

Cæs. Cæsar and that, having in Sicily

Sextus Pompeius spoil'd, we had not rated him
His part o'the isle: then does he say, he lent me
Some shipping unrestor'd: lastly, he frets,
That Lepidus of the triumvirate

Should be depos'd; and, being, that we detain
All his revenue.

Agr. Sir, this should be answer❜d.

Cas. 'Tis done already, and the messenger gone.

I have told him, Lepidus was grown too cruel;

That he his high authority abus'd,

And did deserve his change; for what I have conquer'd,

I grant him part; but then, in his Armenia,

And other of his conquer'd kingdoms, I

Demand the like.

Mec. He'll never yield to that.

Cas. Nor must not then be yielded to in this.

Enter OCTAVIA.

Oct. Hail, Cæsar, and my lord! hail, most dear Cæsar!

Cas. That ever I should call thee, cast-away!

Oct. You have not call'd me so, nor have you cause. Cas. Why have you stol'n upon us thus? You come

not

Like Cæsar's sister: The wife of Antony

Should have an army for an usher, and

The neighs of horse to tell of her approach,
Long ere she did appear; the trees by the way
Should have borne men; and expectation fainted,
Longing for what it had not: nay, the dust
Should have ascended to the roof of heaven,
Rais'd by your populous troops: But you are come
A market-maid to Rome; and have prevented
The ostent of our love, which, left unshown,
Is often left unlov'd: we should have met you
By sea, and land; supplying every stage
With an augmented greeting.

Oct. Good my lord,

To come thus was I not constrain'd, but did it
On my free-will. My lord, Mark Antony,
Hearing that you prepar'd for war, acquainted
My grieved ear withal; whereon, I begg'd
His pardon for return.

Cas. Which soon he granted,

Being an obstruct 'tween his lust and him.
Oct. Do not say so, my lord.

Cas. I have eyes upon him,

And his affairs come to me on the wind.

Where is he now ?

Oct. My lord, in Athens.

Cas. No, my most wrong'd sister; Cleopatra Hath nodded him to her. He hath given his empire Up to a whore; who now are levying

The kings o'the earth for war: He hath assembled Bocchus, the king of Lybia; Archelaus,

Of Cappadocia; Philadelphos, king

Of Paphlagonia; the Thracian king, Adallas :
King Malchus of Arabia; king of Pont;
Herod of Jewry; Mithridates, king
Of Comagene; Polemon and Amintas,
The kings of Mede, and Lycaonia, with a
More larger list of scepters.

Oct. Ah me, most wretched,

That have my heart parted betwixt two friends,
That do afflict each other!

Cas. Welcome hither:

Your letters did withhold our breaking forth;
Till we perceiv'd, both how you were wrong led,
And we in negligent danger. Cheer your heart :
Be you not troubled with the time, which drives
O'er your content these strong necessities;
But let determin'd things to destiny

Hold unbewail'd their way.
Nothing more dear to me.

Welcome to Rome:
You are abus'd

Beyond the mark of thought: and the high gods,

To do you justice, make them ministers

Of us, and those that love you. Best of comfort; And ever welcome to us.

Agr. Welcome, lady.

Mec. Welcome, dear madam.

Each heart in Rome does love and pity you:
Only the adulterous Antony, most large
In his abominations, turns you off;
And gives his potent regiment to a trull,

That noises it against us.

Oct. Is it so, sir?

Cas. Most certain.

Sister, welcome: Pray you,

Be ever known to patience: My dearest sister!

[Exeunt.

SCENE VII.-ANTONY's Camp, near the Promontory

of Actium.

Enter CLEOPATRA and ENOBARBUS.

Cleo. I will be even with thee, doubt it not.

Eno. But why, why, why ?

Cleo. Thou hast forspoke my being in these wars;

And say'st, it is not fit.

Eno. Well, is it, is it?

Cleo. Is't not? Denounce against us, why should not

we

Be there in person?

Eno. [Aside.] Well, I could reply :--

If we should serve with horse and mares together,
The horse were merely lost; the mares would bear
A soldier, and his horse.

Cleo. What is't you say?

Eno. Your presence needs must puzzle Antony; Take from his heart, take from his brain, from his time, What should not then be spar'd. He is already Traduced for levity; and 'tis said in Rome,

That Photinus an eunuch, and

Manage this war.

your maids,

Cleo. Sink Rome; and their tongues rot,

That speak against us! A charge we bear i' the war,
And, as the presideut of my kingdom, will

Appear there for a man. Speak not against it;
I will not stay behind.

Eno. Nay, I have done :

Here comes the emperor.

Enter ANTONY and CANIDIUS.

Ant. Is't not strange, Canidius,
That from Tarentum, and Brundusium,
He could so quickly cut the Ionian sea,

And take in Toryne ?---You have heard on't, sweet?
Cleo. Celerity is never more admir'd,

Than by the negligent.

Ant. A good rebuke,

Which might have well becom'd the best of men,

To taunt at slackness.---Canidius, we

Will fight with him by sea.

Cleo. By sea! What else?

Can. Why will my lord do so?

Ant. For he dares us to't.

Eno. So hath my lord dar'd him to single fight. Can. Ay, and to wage this battle at Pharsalia, Where Cæsar fought with Pompey: But these offers, Which serve not for his vantage, he shakes off; And so should you.

Eno. Your ships are not well mann'd : Your mariners are muleteers, reapers, people Ingross'd by swift impress: in Cæsar's fleet