Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare (english novels to read txt) 📕

revolted in the van,
That Antony may seem to spend his fury
Upon himself.

[Exeunt CAESAR and his Train.]

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
Casaer hath hang'd him. Canidius and the rest
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 saf'd 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 outstrike 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.]


SCENE VII. Field of battle between the Camps.

[Alarum. Drums and trumpets. Enter AGRIPPA and others.]

AGRIPPA.
Retire, we have engag'd ourselves too far:
Caesar himself has work, and our oppression
Exceeds what we expected.

[Exeunt.]

[Alarum. Enter ANTONY, and SCARUS wounded.]

SCARUS.
O my brave emperor, this is fought indeed!
Had we done so at first, we had driven 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.

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.
I will reward thee
Once for thy sprightly comfort, and tenfold
For thy good valour. Come thee on.

SCARUS.
I'll halt after.

[Exeunt.]


SCENE VIII. Under the Walls of Alexandria.

[Alarum. Enter ANTONY, marching; SCARUS and Forces.]

ANTONY.
We have beat him to his camp. Run one before
And let the queen know of our gests.--To-morrow,
Before the sun shall see us, we'll spill the blood
That has to-day escap'd. I thank you all;
For doughty-handed are you, and have fought
Not as you serv'd 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 honour'd gashes whole.--[To SCARUS.] Give me thy hand;

[Enter CLEOPATRA, attended.]

To this great fairy I'll commend thy acts,
Make her thanks bless thee. O thou day o' the world,
Chain mine arm'd 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.
Mine 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: he hath fought to-day
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 deserv'd it, were it carbuncled
Like holy Phoebus' car.--Give me thy hand:
Through Alexandria make a jolly march;
Bear our hack'd 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 tabourines;
That heaven and earth may strike their sounds together,
Applauding our approach.

[Exeunt.]


SCENE IX. CAESAR'S camp.

[Sentinels at their Post.]

FIRST SOLDIER.
If we be not reliev'd within this hour,
We must return to thecourt of guard: the night
Is shiny; and they say we shall embattle
By the second hour i' the morn.

SECOND SOLDIER.
This last day was
A shrewd one to's.

[Enter ENOBARBUS.]

ENOBARBUS.
O, bear me witness, night.--

THIRD SOLDIER.
What man is this?

SECOND SOLDIER.
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!--

FIRST SOLDIER.
Enobarbus!

THIRD SOLDIER.
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!

[Dies.]

SECOND SOLDIER.
Let's speak to him.

FIRST SOLDIER.
Let's hear him, for the things he speaks
May concern Caesar.

THIRD SOLDIER.
Let's do so. But he sleeps.

FIRST SOLDIER.
Swoons rather; for so bad a prayer as his
Was never yet fore sleep.

SECOND SOLDIER.
Go we to him.

THIRD SOLDIER.
Awake, sir, awake; speak to us.

SECOND SOLDIER.
Hear you, sir?

FIRST SOLDIER.
The hand of death hath raught him.

[Drums afar off.]

Hark! the drums
Do merrily wake the sleepers. Let us bear him
To the court of guard; he is of note: our hour
Is fully out.

THIRD SOLDIER.
Come on, then;
He may recover yet.

[Exeunt with the body.]


SCENE X. Ground between the two Camps.

[Enter ANTONY and SCARUS, with Forces, marching.]

ANTONY.
Their preparation is to-day by sea;
We please them not by land.

SCARUS.
For both, my lord.

ANTONY.
I would they'd fight i' the fire or i' the 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:--forward now,
Where their appointment we may best discover,
And look on their endeavour.

[Exeunt.]


SCENE XI. Another part of the Ground.

[Enter CAESAR with his Forces, marching.]

CAESAR.
But being charg'd, 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.]


SCENE XII. Another part of the Ground.

[Enter ANTONY and SCARUS.]

ANTONY.
Yet they are not join'd: where yond 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 augurers
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.

[Alarum afar off, as at a sea-fight.]

[Re-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-turn'd 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 reveng'd upon my charm,
I have done all.--Bid them all fly; begone.

[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 spaniel'd me at heels, to whom I gave
Their wishes, do discandy, melt their sweets
On blossoming Caesar; and this pine is bark'd
That overtopp'd them all. Betray'd I am:
O this false soul of Egypt! this grave charm,
Whose eye beck'd forth my wars and call'd them home;
Whose bosom was my crownet, my chief end,--
Like a right gypsy, hath, at fast and loose,
Beguil'd me to the very heart of loss.--
What, Eros, Eros!

[Enter CLEOPATRA.]

Ah, thou spell! Avaunt!

CLEOPATRA.
Why is my lord enrag'd against his love?

ANTONY.
Vanish, or I shall give thee thy deserving,
And blemish Caesar's triumph. Let him take thee
And hoist thee up to the shouting plebeians:
Follow his chariot, like the greatest spot
Of all thy sex; most monster-like, be shown
For poor'st diminutives, for doits; and let
Patient Octavia plough thy visage up
With her prepared nails.

[Exit CLEOPATRA.]

'Tis well thou'rt gone,
If it be well to live; but better 'twere
Thou fell'st into my fury, for one death
Might have prevented many.--Eros, ho!--
The shirt of Nessus is upon me: teach me,
Alcides, thou mine ancestor, thy rage:
Let me lodge Lichas on the horns o' the moon;
And with those hands that grasp'd the heaviest club
Subdue my worthiest self. The witch shall die:
To the young Roman boy she hath sold me, and I fall
Under this plot:--she dies for't.--Eros, ho!

[Exit.]


SCENE XIII. Alexandria. A Room in the Palace.

[Enter CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, IRAS, and MARDIAN.]

CLEOPATRA.
Help me, my women! O, he is more mad
Than Telamon for his shield; the boar of Thessaly
Was never so emboss'd.

CHARMIAN.
To the monument!
There lock yourself, and send him word you are dead.
The soul and body rive not more in parting
Than greatness going off.

CLEOPATRA.
To the monument!--
Mardian, go tell him I have slain myself;
Say that the last I spoke was 'Antony',
And word it, pr'ythee, piteously: hence, Mardian;
And bring me how he takes my death.--
To the monument!

[Exeunt.]


SCENE XIV. Alexandria. Another Room.

[Enter ANTONY and EROS.]

ANTONY.
Eros, thou yet behold'st me?

EROS.
Ay, noble lord.

ANTONY.
Sometime we see a cloud that's dragonish;
A vapour sometime like a bear or lion,
A tower'd citadel, a pendant rock,
A forked mountain, or blue promontory
With trees upon't, that nod unto the world,
And mock our eyes with air: thou hast seen these signs;
They are black vesper's pageants.

EROS.
Ay, my lord.

ANTONY.
That which is now a horse, even with a thought
The rack dislimns; and makes it indistinct,
As water is in water.

EROS.
It does, my lord.

ANTONY.
My good knave Eros, now thy captain is
Even such a body: here I am Antony;
Yet cannot hold this visible shape, my knave.
I made these wars for Egypt; and the queen,--
Whose heart I thought I had, for she had mine;
Which, whilst it was mine, had annex'd unto't
A million moe, now lost,--she, Eros, has
Pack'd cards with Caesar, and false-play'd my glory
Unto an enemy's