The Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works
Page 328
List, list!
SECOND SOLDIER
Hark!
FIRST SOLDIER Music i’th’ air.
THIRD SOLDIER
Under the earth.
FOURTH SOLDIER
It signs well, does it not?
THIRD SOLDIER
No.
FIRST SOLDIER Peace, I say!
What should this mean?
SECOND SOLDIER
’Tis the god Hercules, whom Antony loved,
Now leaves him.
FIRST SOLDIER Walk. Let’s see if other watchmen
Do hear what we do.
SECOND SOLDIER How now, masters?
ALL (speaking together)
How now?
How now? Do you hear this?
FIRST SOLDIER
Ay. Is’t not strange?
THIRD SOLDIER
Do you hear, masters? Do you hear?
FIRST SOLDIER
Follow the noise so far as we have quarter.
Let’s see how it will give off.
ALL Content.
’Tis strange.
Exeunt
4.4 Enter Antony and Cleopatra, with Charmian and others
ANTONY (calling)
Eros, mine armour, Eros!
CLEOPATRA
Sleep a little.
ANTONY
No, my chuck. Eros, come, mine armour, Eros!
Enter Eros with armour
Come, good fellow, put thine iron on.
If fortune be not ours today, it is
Because we brave her. Come.
CLEOPATRA
Nay, I’ll help, too.
What’s this for?
ANTONY
Ah, let be, let be! Thou art
The armourer of my heart. False, false! This, this!
CLEOPATRA
Sooth, la, I’ll help. Thus it must be.
She helps Antony to arm
ANTONY
Well, well,
We shall thrive now. Seest thou, my good fellow?
Go put on thy defences.
EROS
Briefly, sir.
CLEOPATRA
Is not this buckled well?
ANTONY Rarely, rarely.
He that unbuckles this, till we do please
To doff’t for our repose, shall hear a storm.
Thou fumblest, Eros, and my queen’s a squire
More tight at this than thou. Dispatch. O love,
That thou couldst see my wars today, and knew’st
The royal occupation! Thou shouldst see
A workman in’t.
Enter an armed Soldier
Good morrow to thee. Welcome.
Thou look’st like him that knows a warlike charge.
To business that we love we rise betime,
And go to’t with delight.
SOLDIER
A thousand, sir,
Early though’t be, have on their riveted trim,
And at the port expect you.
Shout within. Trumpets flourish. Enter ⌈Captains⌉ and Soldiers
CAPTAIN
The morn is fair. Good morrow, General.
SOLDIERS
Good morrow, General.
ANTONY
’Tis well blown, lads.
This morning, like the spirit of a youth
That means to be of note, begins betimes.
So, so. Come, give me that. This way. Well said.
Fare thee well, dame. Whate’er becomes of me,
This is a soldier’s kiss.
He kisses Cleopatra
Rebukable
And worthy shameful check it were to stand
On more mechanic compliment. I’ll leave thee
Now like a man of steel. You that will fight,
Follow me close. I’ll bring you to’t. Adieu.
Exeunt all but Cleopatra and Charmian
CHARMIAN
Please you retire to your chamber?
CLEOPATRA
Lead me.
He goes forth gallantly. That he and Caesar might
Determine this great war in single fight!
Then, Antony—but now! Well, on.
Exeunt
4.5 Trumpets sound. Enter Antony and Eros, meeting a Soldier
SOLDIER
The gods make this a happy day to Antony!
ANTONY
Would thou and those thy scars had once prevailed
To make me fight at land!
SOLDIER
Hadst thou done so, The kings that have revolted, and the soldier
That has this morning left thee, would have still
Followed thy heels.
ANTONY
Who’s gone this morning?
SOLDIER
Who? One ever near thee. Call for Enobarbus,
He shall not hear thee, or from Caesar’s camp
Say ‘I am none of thine’.
ANTONY
What sayest thou?
SOLDIER
Sir, he is with Caesar.
EROS (to Antony)
Sir, his chests and treasure
He has not with him.
ANTONY
Is he gone?
SOLDIER
Most certain.
ANTONY
Go, Eros, send his treasure after. Do it.
Detain no jot, I charge thee. Write to him—
I will subscribe—gentle adieus and greetings.
Say that I wish he never find more cause 15
To change a master. O, my fortunes have
Corrupted honest men! Dispatch. Enobarbus!
Exeunt
4.6 Flourish. Enter Agrippa, Caesar, witih Enobarbus and Dolabella
CAESAR
Go forth, Agrippa, and begin the fight.
Our will is Antony be took alive.
Make it so known.
AGRIPPA
Caesar, I shall.
Exit
CAESAR
The time of universal peace is near.
Prove this a prosp’rous day, the three-nooked world
Shall bear the olive freely.
Enter a Messenger
MESSENGER
Antony
Is come into the field.
CAESAR
Go charge Agrippa
Plant those that have revolted in the van,
That Antony may seem to spend his fury
Upon himself. 10
Exeunt Messenger ⌈at one door⌉, Caesar and Dolabella ⌈at another⌉
ENOBARBUS
Alexas did revolt, and went to Jewry on
Affairs of Antony; there did dissuade
Great Herod to incline himself to Caesar
And leave his master, Antony. For this pains,
Caesar hath hanged him. Camidius and the rest 15
That fell away have entertainment but
No honourable trust. I have done ill,
Of which I do accuse myself so sorely
That I will joy no more.
Enter a Soldier of Caesar’s
SOLDIER
Enobarbus, Antony
Hath after thee sent all thy treasure, with
His bounty overplus. The messenger
Came on my guard, and at thy tent is now
Unloading of his mules.
ENOBARBUS I give it you.
SOLDIER
Mock not, Enobarbus,
I tell you true. Best you safed the bringer
Out of the host. I must attend mine office,
Or would have done’t myself. Your Emperor
Continues still a Jove.
Exit
ENOBARBUS
I am alone the villain of the earth,
And feel I am so most. O Antony,
Thou mine of bounty, how wouldst thou have paid
My better service, when my turpitude
Thou dost so crown with gold! This blows my heart.
If swift thought break it not, a swifter mean
Shall outs
trike thought; but thought will do‘t, I feel.
I fight against thee? No, I will go seek
Some ditch wherein to die. The foul’st best fits
My latter part of life.
Exit
4.7 Alarum. Enter Agrippa ⌈with drummers and trumpeters⌉
AGRIPPA
Retire! We have engaged our selves too far.
Caesar himself has work, and our oppression
Exceeds what we expected.
Exeunt
4.8 Alarums. Enter Antony, and Scarus wounded
SCARUS
O my brave Emperor, this is fought indeed!
Had we done so at first, we had droven them home
With clouts about their heads.
ANTONY
Thou bleed’st apace.
SCARUS
I had a wound here that was like a T,
But now ’tis made an H.
Retreat sounded far off
ANTONY
They do retire.
SCARUS
We’ll beat ’em into bench-holes. I have yet
Room for six scotches more.
Enter Eros
EROS
They are beaten, sir, and our advantage serves
For a fair victory.
SCARUS
Let us score their backs
And snatch ‘em up as we take hares, behind.
’Tis sport to maul a runner.
ANTONY (to Eros)
I will reward thee
Once for thy sprightly comfort, and tenfold
For thy good valour. Come thee on.
SCARUS
I’ll halt after.
Exeunt
4.9 Alarum. Enter Antony again in a march; drummers and trumpeters; Scarus, with others
ANTONY
We have beat him to his camp. Run one before,
And let the Queen know of our gests.
⌈Exit a soldier⌉
Tomorrow,
Before the sun shall see’s, we’ll spill the blood
That has today escaped. I thank you all,
For doughty-handed are you, and have fought
Not as you served the cause, but as’t had been
Each man’s like mine. You have shown all Hectors.
Enter the city, clip your wives, your friends,
Tell them your feats whilst they with joyful tears
Wash the congealment from your wounds, and kiss
The honoured gashes whole.
Enter Cleopatra
(To Scarus)
Give me thy hand.
To this great fairy I’ll commend thy acts,
Make her thanks bless thee.
(To Cleopatra, embracing her) O’thou day o’th’ world,
Chain mine armed neck; leap thou, attire and all,
Through proof of harness to my heart, and there
Ride on the pants triumphing.
CLEOPATRA
Lord of lords!
O infinite virtue, com’st thou smiling from
The world’s great snare uncaught?
ANTONY
My nightingale,
We have beat them to their beds. What, girl, though
grey
Do something mingle with our younger brown, yet
ha’ we
A brain that nourishes our nerves, and can
Get goal for goal of youth. Behold this man.
Commend unto his lips thy favouring hand;
Kiss it, my warrior.
Scarus kisses Cleopatra’s hand
He hath fought today
As if a god, in hate of mankind, had
Destroyed in such a shape.
CLEOPATRA
I’ll give thee, friend,
An armour all of gold. It was a king’s.
ANTONY
He has deserved it, were it carbuncled
Like holy Phoebus’ car. Give me thy hand.
Through Alexandria make a jolly march.
Bear our hacked targets like the men that owe them.
Had our great palace the capacity
To camp this host, we all would sup together
And drink carouses to the next day’s fate,
Which promises royal peril. Trumpeters,
With brazen din blast you the city’s ear;
Make mingle with our rattling taborins,
That heaven and earth may strike their sounds
together,
Applauding our approach.
Trumpets sound. Exeunt
4.10 Enter a Sentry and his company; Enobarbus follows
SENTRY
If we be not relieved within this hour
We must return to th’ court of guard. The night
Is shiny, and they say we shall embattle
By th’ second hour i’th’ morn.
FIRST WATCH
This last day was
A shrewd one to’s.
ENOBARBUS
O bear me witness, night—
SECOND WATCH
What man is this?
FIRST WATCH
Stand close, and list him.
ENOBARBUS
Be witness to me, O thou blessed moon,
When men revolted shall upon record
Bear hateful memory, poor Enobarbus did
Before thy face repent.
SENTRY
Enobarbus?
SECOND WATCH
Peace; hark further.
ENOBARBUS
O sovereign mistress of true melancholy,
The poisonous damp of night disponge upon me,
That life, a very rebel to my will,
May hang no longer on me. Throw my heart
Against the flint and hardness of my fault,
Which, being dried with grief, will break to powder,
And finish all foul thoughts. O Antony,
Nobler than my revolt is infamous,
Forgive me in thine own particular,
But let the world rank me in register
A master-leaver and a fugitive.
O Antony! O Antony!
He dies
FIRST WATCH Let’s speak to him.
SENTRY
Let’s hear him, for the things he speaks
May concern Caesar.
SECOND WATCH
Let’s do so. But he sleeps.
SENTRY
Swoons, rather; for so bad a prayer as his
Was never yet for sleep.
FIRST WATCH
Go we to him.
SECOND WATCH
Awake, sir, awake; speak to us.
FIRST WATCH
Hear you, sir?
SENTRY
The hand of death hath raught him.
Drums afar off
Hark, the drums
Demurely wake the sleepers. Let us bear him
To th’ court of guard; he is of note. Our hour
Is fully out.
SECOND WATCH
Come on, then. He may recover yet.
Exeunt with the body
4.11 Enter Antony and Scarus with their army
ANTONY
Their preparation is today by sea;
We please them not by land.
SCARUS
For both, my lord.
ANTONY
I would they’d fight i‘th’ fire or i’th’ air;
We’d fight there too. But this it is: our foot
Upon the hills adjoining to the city
Shall stay with us. Order for sea is given.
They have put forth the haven—
Where their appointment we may best discover,
And look on their endeavour.
Exeunt
4.12 Enter Caesar and his army
CAESAR
But being charged, we will be still by land—
Which, as I take’t, we shall, for his best force
Is forth to man his galleys. To the vales,
And hold our best advantage.
Exeunt
4.13 ⌈Alarum afar off, as at a sea fight.⌉ Enter Antony and Scarus
ANTONY
Yet they are not joined. Where yon pine does stand
I shall discover all. I’ll bring thee word
Straight how ’tis like to go.
Exit
SCARUS
Swallows have built
In Cleopatra’s sails their nests. The augurs
Say they know not, they cannot tell, look grimly,
And dare not speak their knowledge. Antony
Is valiant, and dejected, and by starts
His fretted fortunes give him hope and fear
Of what he has and has not.
Enter Antony
ANTONY
All is lost.
This foul Egyptian hath betrayed me.
My fleet hath yielded to the foe, and yonder
They cast their caps up, and carouse together
Like friends long lost. Triple-turned whore! ’Tis thou
Hast sold me to this novice, and my heart
Makes only wars on thee. Bid them all fly;
For when I am revenged upon my charm,
I have done all. Bid them all fly. Be gone.⌈Exit Scarus⌉
O sun, thy uprise shall I see no more.
Fortune and Antony part here; even here
Do we shake hands. All come to this? The hearts
That spanieled me at heels, to whom I gave
Their wishes, do discandy, melt their sweets
On blossoming Caesar; and this pine is barked
That overtopped them all. Betrayed I am.
O this false soul of Egypt! This grave charm,
Whose eye becked forth my wars and called them home,
Whose bosom was my crownet, my chief end,
Like a right gipsy hath at fast and loose
Beguiled me to the very heart of loss.
What, Eros, Eros!
Enter Cleopatra
Ah, thou spell! Avaunt.
CLEOPATRA
Why is my lord enraged against his love?
ANTONY
Vanish, or I shall give thee thy deserving
And blemish Caesar’s triumph. Let him take thee