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

you stol'n upon us thus? You come not
Like Caesar'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 ostentation 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.

OCTAVIA.
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.

CAESAR.
Which soon he granted,
Being an obstruct 'tween his lust and him.

OCTAVIA.
Do not say so, my lord.

CAESAR.
I have eyes upon him,
And his affairs come to me on the wind.
Where is he now?

OCTAVIA.
My lord, in Athens.

CAESAR.
No, my most wronged sister; Cleopatra
Hath nodded him to her. He hath given his empire
Up to a whore; who now are levying
The kings o' theearth for war: he hath assembled
Bocchus, the king of Libya; Archelaus
Of Cappadocia; Philadelphos, king
Of Paphlagonia; the Thracian king, Adallas;
King Manchus of Arabia; King of Pont;
Herod of Jewry; Mithridates, king
Of Comagene; Polemon and Amyntas,
The kings of Mede and Lycaonia, with
More larger list of sceptres.

OCTAVIA.
Ay me, most wretched,
That have my heart parted betwixt two friends,
That do afflict each other!

CAESAR.
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. Welcome to Rome;
Nothing more dear to me. You are abus'd
Beyond the mark of thought: and the high gods,
To do you justice, make their ministers
Of us and those that love you. Best of comfort;
And ever welcome to us.

AGRIPPA.
Welcome, lady.

MAECENAS.
Welcome, dear madam.
Each heart in Rome does love and pity you:
Only theadulterous Antony, most large
In his abominations, turns you off,
And gives his potent regiment to a trull
That noises it against us.

OCTAVIA.
Is it so, sir?

CAESAR.
Most certain. Sister, welcome: pray you
Be ever known to patience: my dear'st sister!

[Exeunt.]


SCENE VII. ANTONY'S Camp near the Promontory of Actium.

[Enter CLEOPATRA and ENOBARBUS.]

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

ENOBARBUS.
But why, why, why?

CLEOPATRA.
Thou hast forspoke my being in these wars,
And say'st it is not fit.

ENOBARBUS.
Well, is it, is it?

CLEOPATRA.
If not denounc'd against us, why should not we
Be there in person?

ENOBARBUS.
[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.

CLEOPATRA.
What is't you say?

ENOBARBUS.
Your presence needs must puzzle Antony;
Take from his heart, take from his brain, from's time,
What should not then be spar'd. He is already
Traduc'd for levity: and 'tis said in Rome
That Photinus an eunuch and your maids
Manage this war.

CLEOPATRA.
Sink Rome, and their tongues rot
That speak against us! A charge we bear i' the war,
And, as the president of my kingdom, will
Appear there for a man. Speak not against it;
I will not stay behind.

ENOBARBUS.
Nay, I have done.
Here comes the emperor.

[Enter ANTONY and CANIDIUS.]

ANTONY.
Is it 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?

CLEOPATRA.
Celerity is never more admir'd
Than by the negligent.

ANTONY.
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.

CLEOPATRA.
By sea! what else?

CANIDIUS.
Why will my lord do so?

ANTONY.
For that he dares us to't.

ENOBARBUS.
So hath my lord dar'd him to single fight.

CANIDIUS.
Ay, and to wage this battle at Pharsalia,
Where Caesar fought with Pompey. But these offers,
Which serve not for his vantage, he shakes off;
And so should you.

ENOBARBUS.
Your ships are not well mann'd:
Your mariners are muleteers, reapers, people
Ingross'd by swift impress; in Caesar's fleet
Are those that often have 'gainst Pompey fought:
Their ships are yare; yours heavy: no disgrace
Shall fall you for refusing him at sea,
Being prepar'd for land.

ANTONY.
By sea, by sea.

ENOBARBUS.
Most worthy sir, you therein throw away
The absolute soldiership you have by land;
Distract your army, which doth most consist
Of war-mark'd footmen; leave unexecuted
Your own renowned knowledge; quite forgo
The way which promises assurance; and
Give up yourself merely to chance and hazard
From firm security.

ANTONY.
I'll fight at sea.

CLEOPATRA.
I have sixty sails, Caesar none better.

ANTONY.
Our overplus of shipping will we burn;
And, with the rest full-mann'd, from the head of Actium
Beat the approaching Caesar. But if we fail,
We then can do't at land.

[Enter a Messenger.]

Thy business?

MESSENGER.
The news is true, my lord: he is descried;
Caesar has taken Toryne.

ANTONY.
Can he be there in person? 'tis impossible--
Strange that his power should be.--Canidius,
Our nineteen legions thou shalt hold by land,
And our twelve thousand horse.--We'll to our ship:
Away, my Thetis!

[Enter a SOLDIER.]

How now, worthy soldier?

SOLDIER.
O noble emperor, do not fight by sea;
Trust not to rotten planks: do you misdoubt
This sword and these my wounds? Let the Egyptians
And the Phoenicians go a-ducking: we
Have us'd to conquer standing on the earth
And fighting foot to foot.

ANTONY.
Well, well:--away.

[Exeunt ANTONY, CLEOPATRA, and ENOBARBUS.]

SOLDIER.
By Hercules, I think I am i' the right.

CANIDIUS.
Soldier, thou art: but his whole action grows
Not in the power on't: so our leader's led,
And we are women's men.

SOLDIER.
You keep by land
The legions and the horse whole, do you not?

CANIDIUS.
Marcus Octavius, Marcus Justeius,
Publicola, and Caelius are for sea:
But we keep whole by land. This speed of Caesar's
Carries beyond belief.

SOLDIER.
While he was yet in Rome
His power went out in such distractions as
Beguil'd all spies.

CANIDIUS.
Who's his lieutenant, hear you?

SOLDIER.
They say one Taurus.

CANIDIUS.
Well I know the man.

[Enter a Messenger.]

MESSENGER.
The Emperor calls Canidius.

CANIDIUS.
With news the time's with labour; and throes forth
Each minute some.

[Exeunt.]


SCENE VIII. A plain near Actium.

[Enter CAESAR, TAURUS, Officers, and others.]

CAESAR.
Taurus,--

TAURUS.
My lord?

CAESAR.
Strike not by land; keep whole; provoke not battle
Till we have done at sea. Do not exceed
The prescript of this scroll: our fortune lies
Upon this jump.

[Exeunt.]


SCENE IX. Another part of the Plain.

[Enter ANTONY and ENOBARBUS.]

ANTONY.
Set we our squadrons on yon side o' the hill,
In eye of Caesar's battle; from which place
We may the number of the ships behold,
And so proceed accordingly.

[Exeunt.]


SCENE X. Another part of the Plain.

[Enter CANIDIUS, marching with his land Army one way; and
TAURUS, the Lieutenant of CAESAR, with his Army, the other way.
After their going in, is heard the noise of a sea-fight.]

[Alarum. Enter ENOBARBUS.]

ENOBARBUS.
Naught, naught, all naught! I can behold no longer:
The Antoniad, the Egyptian admiral,
With all their sixty, fly and turn the rudder:
To see't mine eyes are blasted.

[Enter SCARUS.]

SCARUS.
Gods and goddesses,
All the whole synod of them!

ENOBARBUS.
What's thy passion?

SCARUS.
The greater cantle of the world is lost
With very ignorance; we have kiss'd away
Kingdoms and provinces.

ENOBARBUS.
How appears the fight?

SCARUS.
On our side like the token'd pestilence,
Where death is sure. Yon ribaudred nag of Egypt,--
Whom leprosy o'ertake!--i' the midst o' the fight,
When vantage like a pair of twins appear'd,
Both as the same, or rather ours the elder,--
The breese upon her, like a cow in June,--
Hoists sails and flies.

ENOBARBUS.
That I beheld:
Mine eyes did sicken at the sight, and could not
Endure a further view.

SCARUS.
She once being loof'd,
The noble ruin of her magic, Antony,
Claps on his sea-wing, and, like a doting mallard,
Leaving the fight in height, flies after her:
I never saw an action of such shame;
Experience, manhood, honour, ne'er before
Did violate so itself.

ENOBARBUS.
Alack, alack!

[Enter CANIDIUS.]

CANIDIUS.
Our fortune on the sea is out of breath,
And sinks most lamentably. Had our general
Been what he knew himself, it had gone well:
O, he has given example for our flight
Most grossly by his own!

ENOBARBUS.
Ay, are you thereabouts?
Why, then, good night indeed.

CANIDIUS.
Toward Peloponnesus are they fled.

SCARUS.
'Tis easy to't; and there I will attend
What further comes.

CANIDIUS.
To Caesar will I render
My legions and my horse; six kings already
Show me the way of yielding.

ENOBARBUS.
I'll yet follow
The wounded chance of Antony, though my reason
Sits in the wind against me.

[Exeunt.]


SCENE XI. Alexandria. A Room in the Palace.

[Enter ANTONY and attendants.]

ANTONY.
Hark! the land bids me tread no more upon't;--
It is asham'd to bear me.--Friends, come hither:
I am so lated in the world that I
Have lost my way for ever:--I have a ship
Laden with gold; take that; divide it; fly,
And make your peace with Caesar.

ALL.
Fly! Not we.

ANTONY.
I have fled myself, and have instructed cowards
To run and show their shoulders.--Friends, be gone;
I have myself resolv'd upon a course
Which has no need of you; be gone;
My treasure's in the harbour, take it.--O,
I follow'd that I blush to look upon:
My very hairs do mutiny; for the white
Reprove the brown for rashness, and they them
For fear and doting.--Friends, be gone: you shall
Have letters from me to some friends that will
Sweep your way for you. Pray you, look not sad,
Nor make replies of loathness: take the hint
Which my despair proclaims; let that be left
Which leaves itself: to the sea-side straightway:
I will possess you of that ship and treasure.
Leave me, I pray, a little: pray you now:--
Nay, do so; for indeed I have lost command,
Therefore I pray you:--I'll see you by and by.

[Sits down.]

[Enter CLEOPATRA, led by CHARMIAN and IRAS, EROS following.]

EROS.
Nay, gentle madam, to him!--comfort him.

IRAS.
Do, most dear queen.

CHARMIAN.
Do! why, what else?

CLEOPATRA.
Let me sit down. O Juno!

ANTONY.
No, no, no, no, no.

EROS.
See you here, sir?

ANTONY.
O, fie, fie, fie!

CHARMIAN.
Madam,--

IRAS.
Madam, O good empress,--

EROS.
Sir, sir,--

ANTONY.
Yes, my lord, yes;--he at Philippi kept
His sword e'en like a dancer; while I struck
The lean and wrinkled Cassius; and 'twas I
That the