The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works
Page 51
Shall make thy peace for moving me to rage,
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And I will boot thee with what gift beside
Thy modesty can beg.
MESSENGER He’s married, madam.
CLEOPATRA Rogue, thou hast lived too long!
[Draws a knife.]
MESSENGER Nay then, I’ll run.
What mean you, madam? I have made no fault. Exit.
CHARMIAN
Good madam, keep yourself within yourself.
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The man is innocent.
CLEOPATRA
Some innocents ’scape not the thunderbolt.
Melt Egypt into Nile, and kindly creatures
Turn all to serpents! Call the slave again!
Though I am mad, I will not bite him. Call!
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CHARMIAN He is afeard to come.
CLEOPATRA I will not hurt him.
Exit Charmian.
These hands do lack nobility that they strike
A meaner than myself, since I myself
Have given myself the cause.
Enter the Messenger again with CHARMIAN.
Come hither, sir.
Though it be honest, it is never good
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To bring bad news. Give to a gracious message
An host of tongues, but let ill tidings tell
Themselves when they be felt.
MESSENGER I have done my duty.
CLEOPATRA Is he married?
I cannot hate thee worser than I do
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If thou again say ‘Yes’.
MESSENGER He’s married, madam.
CLEOPATRA
The gods confound thee! Dost thou hold there still?
MESSENGER Should I lie, madam?
CLEOPATRA Oh, I would thou didst,
So half my Egypt were submerged and made
A cistern for scaled snakes! Go, get thee hence!
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Hadst thou Narcissus in thy face, to me
Thou wouldst appear most ugly. He is married?
MESSENGER I crave your highness’ pardon.
CLEOPATRA He is married?
MESSENGER
Take no offence that I would not offend you.
To punish me for what you make me do
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Seems much unequal. He’s married to Octavia.
CLEOPATRA
Oh, that his fault should make a knave of thee
That act not what thou’rt sure of! Get thee hence!
The merchandise which thou hast brought from
Rome
Are all too dear for me. Lie they upon thy hand
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And be undone by ’em. Exit Messenger.
CHARMIAN Good your highness, patience.
CLEOPATRA
In praising Antony, I have dispraised Caesar.
CHARMIAN Many times, madam.
CLEOPATRA I am paid for’t now.
Lead me from hence;
I faint! O Iras, Charmian! ’Tis no matter.
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Go to the fellow, good Alexas, bid him
Report the feature of Octavia, her years,
Her inclination; let him not leave out
The colour of her hair. Bring me word quickly.
Exit Alexas.
Let him for ever go! Let him not, Charmian.
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Though he be painted one way like a Gorgon,
The other way’s a Mars. [to Iras] Bid you Alexas
Bring me word how tall she is. Pity me, Charmian,
But do not speak to me. Lead me to my chamber.
Exeunt.
2.6 Flourish. Enter POMPEY and MENAS at one door with drum and trumpet; at another CAESAR, LEPIDUS, ANTONY, ENOBARBUS, MAECENAS, AGRIPPA, with soldiers marching.
POMPEY Your hostages I have, so have you mine,
And we shall talk before we fight.
CAESAR Most meet
That first we come to words, and therefore have we
Our written purposes before us sent,
Which if thou hast considered, let us know
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If ’twill tie up thy discontented sword
And carry back to Sicily much tall youth
That else must perish here.
POMPEY To you all three,
The senators alone of this great world,
Chief factors for the gods: I do not know
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Wherefore my father should revengers want,
Having a son and friends, since Julius Caesar,
Who at Philippi the good Brutus ghosted,
There saw you labouring for him. What was’t
That moved pale Cassius to conspire? And what
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Made the all-honoured, honest Roman, Brutus,
With the armed rest, courtiers of beauteous freedom,
To drench the Capitol, but that they would
Have one man but a man? And that is it
Hath made me rig my navy, at whose burden
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The angered ocean foams, with which I meant
To scourge th’ingratitude that despiteful Rome
Cast on my noble father.
CAESAR Take your time.
ANTONY
Thou canst not fear us, Pompey, with thy sails.
We’ll speak with thee at sea. At land thou know’st
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How much we do o’ercount thee.
POMPEY At land indeed
Thou dost o’ercount me of my father’s house;
But since the cuckoo builds not for himself,
Remain in’t as thou mayst.
LEPIDUS Be pleased to tell us –
For this is from the present – how you take
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The offers we have sent you.
CAESAR There’s the point.
ANTONY Which do not be entreated to, but weigh
What it is worth embraced.
CAESAR And what may follow
To try a larger fortune.
POMPEY You have made me offer
Of Sicily, Sardinia; and I must
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Rid all the sea of pirates; then to send
Measures of wheat to Rome. This ’greed upon,
To part with unhacked edges, and bear back
Our targes undinted.
CAESAR, ANTONY, LEPIDUS
That’s our offer.
POMPEY Know, then,
I came before you here a man prepared
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To take this offer, but Mark Antony
Put me to some impatience. Though I lose
The praise of it by telling, you must know
When Caesar and your brother were at blows,
Your mother came to Sicily and did find
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Her welcome friendly.
ANTONY I have heard it, Pompey,
And am well studied for a liberal thanks
Which I do owe you.
POMPEY Let me have your hand.
[They shake hands.]
I did not think, sir, to have met you here.
ANTONY
The beds i’th’ East are soft; and thanks to you
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That called me timelier than my purpose hither,
For I have gained by’t.
CAESAR Since I saw you last,
There is a change upon you.
POMPEY Well, I know not
What counts harsh Fortune casts upon my face,
But in my bosom shall she never come
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To make my heart her vassal.
LEPIDUS Well met here!
POMPEY
I hope so, Lepidus. Thus we are agreed.
I crave our composition may be written
And sealed between us.
CAESAR That’s the next to do.
POMPEY We’ll feast each other ere we part, and let’s
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Draw lots who shall begin.
ANTONY That will I, Pompey.
POMPEY No, Antony, take the lot.
But, first or last, your fine Egyptian cookery
Shall have the fame. I have heard that Julius Caesar
Grew fat with feasting there.
ANTONY You have heard much.
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POMPEY I have fair meanings, sir.
ANTONY And fair words to them.
POMPEY Then so much have I heard.
And I have heard Apollodorus carried –
ENOBARBUS No more of that! He did so.
POMPEY What, I pray you?
ENOBARBUS A certain queen to Caesar in a mattress.
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POMPEY I know thee now. How far’st thou, soldier?
ENOBARBUS Well;
And well am like to do, for I perceive
Four feasts are toward.
POMPEY Let me shake thy hand.
[They shake hands.]
I never hated thee. I have seen thee fight
When I have envied thy behaviour.
ENOBARBUS Sir,
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I never loved you much, but I ha’ praised ye
When you have well deserved ten times as much
As I have said you did.
POMPEY Enjoy thy plainness;
It nothing ill becomes thee.
Aboard my galley I invite you all.
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Will you lead, lords?
CAESAR, ANTONY, LEPIDUS Show’s the way, sir.
POMPEY Come.
Exeunt all but Enobarbus and Menas.
MENAS [aside] Thy father, Pompey, would ne’er have
made this treaty. [to Enobarbus] You and I have known,
sir.
ENOBARBUS At sea, I think.
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MENAS We have, sir.
ENOBARBUS You have done well by water.
MENAS And you by land.
ENOBARBUS I will praise any man that will praise me,
though it cannot be denied what I have done by land.
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MENAS Nor what I have done by water.
ENOBARBUS Yes, something you can deny for your own
safety: you have been a great thief by sea.
MENAS And you by land.
ENOBARBUS There I deny my land service. But give me
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your hand, Menas! [They shake hands.] If our eyes had
authority, here they might take two thieves kissing.
MENAS All men’s faces are true, whatsome’er their
hands are.
ENOBARBUS But there is never a fair woman has a true
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face.
MENAS No slander. They steal hearts.
ENOBARBUS We came hither to fight with you.
MENAS For my part, I am sorry it is turned to a
drinking. Pompey doth this day laugh away his
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fortune.
ENOBARBUS If he do, sure he cannot weep’t back again.
MENAS You’ve said, sir. We looked not for Mark Antony
here. Pray you, is he married to Cleopatra?
ENOBARBUS Caesar’s sister is called Octavia.
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MENAS True, sir. She was the wife of Caius Marcellus.
ENOBARBUS But she is now the wife of Marcus Antonius.
MENAS Pray ye, sir?
ENOBARBUS ’Tis true.
MENAS Then is Caesar and he for ever knit together.
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ENOBARBUS If I were bound to divine of this unity, I
would not prophesy so.
MENAS I think the policy of that purpose made more in
the marriage than the love of the parties.
ENOBARBUS I think so too. But you shall find the band
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that seems to tie their friendship together will be the
very strangler of their amity. Octavia is of a holy, cold
and still conversation.
MENAS Who would not have his wife so?
ENOBARBUS Not he that himself is not so; which is
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Mark Antony. He will to his Egyptian dish again.
Then shall the sighs of Octavia blow the fire up in
Caesar, and, as I said before, that which is the strength
of their amity shall prove the immediate author of
their variance. Antony will use his affection where it
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is. He married but his occasion here.