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

mad Brutus ended; he alone
Dealt on lieutenantry, and no practice had
In the brave squares of war: yet now--no matter.

CLEOPATRA.
Ah, stand by.

EROS.
The queen, my lord, the queen!

IRAS.
Go to him, madam, speak to him:
He is unqualitied with very shame.

CLEOPATRA.
Well then,--sustain me.--O!

EROS.
Most noble sir, arise; the queen approaches:
Her head's declin'd, and death will seize her, but
Your comfort makes the rescue.

ANTONY.
I have offended reputation,--
A most unnoble swerving.

EROS.
Sir, the queen.

ANTONY.
O, whither hast thou led me, Egypt? See
How I convey my shame out of thine eyes
By looking back, what I have left behind
'Stroy'd in dishonour.

CLEOPATRA.
O my lord, my lord,
Forgive my fearful sails! I little thought
You would have follow'd.

ANTONY.
Egypt, thou knew'st too well
My heart was to thy rudder tied by the strings,
And thou shouldst tow me after: o'er my spirit
Thy full supremacy thou knew'st, and that
Thy beck might from the bidding of the gods
Command me.

CLEOPATRA.
O, my pardon!

ANTONY.
Now I must
To the young man send humble treaties, dodge
And palter in the shifts of lowness; who
With half the bulk o' the world play'd as I pleas'd,
Making and marring fortunes. You did know
How much you were my conqueror; and that
My sword, made weak by my affection, would
Obey it on all cause.

CLEOPATRA.
Pardon, pardon!

ANTONY.
Fall not a tear, I say; one of them rates
All that is won and lost: give me a kiss;
Even this repays me.--We sent our schoolmaster;
Is he come back?--Love, I am full of lead.--
Some wine, within there, and our viands!--Fortune knows
We scorn her most when most she offers blows.

[Exeunt.]


SCENE XII. CAESAR'S camp in Egypt.

[Enter CAESAR, DOLABELLA, THYREUS, with others.]

CAESAR.
Let him appear that's come from Antony.--
Know you him?

DOLABELLA.
Caesar, 'tis his schoolmaster:
An argument that he is pluck'd, when hither
He sends so poor a pinion of his wing,
Which had superfluous kings for messengers
Not many moons gone by.

[Enter EUPHRONIUS.]

CAESAR.
Approach, and speak.

EUPHRONIUS.
Such as I am, I come from Antony:
I was of late as petty to his ends
As is the morn-dew on the myrtle leaf
To his grand sea.

CAESAR.
Be't so: declare thine office.

EUPHRONIUS.
Lord of his fortunes he salutes thee, and
Requires to live in Egypt: which not granted,
He lessens his requests; and to thee sues
To let him breathe between the heavens and earth,
A private man in Athens: this for him.
Next, Cleopatra does confess thy greatness;
Submits her to thy might, and of thee craves
The circle of the Ptolemies for her heirs,
Now hazarded to thy grace.

CAESAR.
For Antony,
I have no ears to his request. The queen
Of audience nor desire shall fail; so she
From Egypt drive her all-disgraced friend,
Or take his life there: this if she perform,
She shall not sue unheard. So to them both.

EUPHRONIUS.
Fortune pursue thee!

CAESAR.
Bring him through the bands.

[Exit EUPHRONIUS.]

[To THYREUS.] To try thy eloquence, now 'tis time. Despatch;
From Antony win Cleopatra. Promise,
And in our name, what she requires; add more,
From thine invention, offers: women are not
In their best fortunes strong; but want will perjure
The ne'er-touch'd vestal: try thy cunning, Thyreus;
Make thine own edict for thy pains, which we
Will answer as a law.

THYREUS.
Caesar, I go.

CAESAR.
Observe how Antony becomes his flaw,
And what thou think'st his very action speaks
In every power that moves.

THYREUS.
Caesar, I shall.

[Exeunt.]


SCENE XIII. Alexandria. A Room in the Palace.

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

CLEOPATRA.
What shall we do, Enobarbus?

ENOBARBUS.
Think, and die.

CLEOPATRA.
Is Antony or we in fault for this?

ENOBARBUS.
Antony only, that would make his will
Lord of his reason. What though you fled
From that great face of war, whose several ranges
Frighted each other? why should he follow?
The itch of his affection should not then
Have nick'd his captainship; at such a point,
When half to half the world oppos'd, he being
The mered question; 'twas a shame no less
Than was his loss, to course your flying flags
And leave his navy gazing.

CLEOPATRA.
Pr'ythee, peace.

[Enter ANTONY, with EUPHRONIUS.]

ANTONY.
Is that his answer?

EUPHRONIUS.
Ay, my lord.

ANTONY.
The queen shall then have courtesy, so she
Will yield us up.

EUPHRONIUS.
He says so.

ANTONY.
Let her know't.--
To the boy Caesar send this grizzled head,
And he will fill thy wishes to the brim
With principalities.

CLEOPATRA.
That head, my lord?

ANTONY.
To him again: tell him he wears the rose
Of youth upon him; from which the world should note
Something particular: his coins, ships, legions,
May be a coward's; whose ministers would prevail
Under the service of a child as soon
As i' the command of Caesar: I dare him therefore
To lay his gay comparisons apart,
And answer me declin'd, sword against sword,
Ourselves alone. I'll write it: follow me.

[Exeunt ANTONY and EUPHRONIUS.]

EUPHRONIUS.
Yes, like enough high-battled Caesar will
Unstate his happiness, and be stag'd to the show
Against a sworder.--I see men's judgments are
A parcel of their fortunes; and things outward
Do draw the inward quality after them,
To suffer all alike. That he should dream,
Knowing all measures, the full Caesar will
Answer his emptiness!--Caesar, thou hast subdu'd
His judgment too.

[Enter an Attendant.]

ATTENDANT.
A messenger from Caesar.

CLEOPATRA.
What, no more ceremony?--See, my women!--
Against the blown rose may they stop their nose
That kneel'd unto the buds.--Admit him, sir.

[Exit Attendant.]

ENOBARBUS.
[Aside.] Mine honesty and I begin to square.
The loyalty well held to fools does make
Our faith mere folly:--yet he that can endure
To follow with allegiance a fallen lord
Does conquer him that did his master conquer,
And earns a place i' the story.

[Enter THYREUS.]

CLEOPATRA.
Caesar's will?

THYREUS.
Hear it apart.

CLEOPATRA.
None but friends: say boldly.

THYREUS.
So, haply, are they friends to Antony.

ENOBARBUS.
He needs as many, sir, as Caesar has;
Or needs not us. If Caesar please, our master
Will leap to be his friend: for us, you know
Whose he is we are, and that is Caesar's.

THYREUS.
So.--
Thus then, thou most renown'd: Caesar entreats
Not to consider in what case thou stand'st
Further than he is Caesar.

CLEOPATRA.
Go on: right royal.

THYREUS.
He knows that you embrace not Antony
As you did love, but as you fear'd him.

CLEOPATRA.
O!

THYREUS.
The scars upon your honour, therefore, he
Does pity, as constrained blemishes,
Not as deserv'd.

CLEOPATRA.
He is a god, and knows
What is most right: mine honour was not yielded,
But conquer'd merely.

ENOBARBUS.
[Aside.] To be sure of that,
I will ask Antony.--Sir, sir, thou art so leaky
That we must leave thee to thy sinking, for
Thy dearest quit thee.

[Exit.]

THYREUS.
Shall I say to Caesar
What you require of him? for he partly begs
To be desir'd to give. It much would please him
That of his fortunes you should make a staff
To lean upon: but it would warm his spirits
To hear from me you had left Antony,
And put yourself under his shroud, who is
The universal landlord.

CLEOPATRA.
What's your name?

THYREUS.
My name is Thyreus.

CLEOPATRA.
Most kind messenger,
Say to great Caesar this:--in deputation
I kiss his conquring hand: tell him I am prompt
To lay my crown at's feet, and there to kneel:
Tell him, from his all-obeying breath I hear
The doom of Egypt.

THYREUS.
'Tis your noblest course.
Wisdom and fortune combating together,
If that the former dare but what it can,
No chance may shake it. Give me grace to lay
My duty on your hand.

CLEOPATRA.
Your Caesar's father
Oft, when he hath mus'd of taking kingdoms in,
Bestow'd his lips on that unworthy place,
As it rain'd kisses.

[Re-enter ANTONY and ENOBARBUS.]

ANTONY.
Favours, by Jove that thunders!--
What art thou, fellow?

THYREUS.
One that but performs
The bidding of the fullest man, and worthiest
To have command obey'd.

ENOBARBUS.
[Aside.] You will be whipp'd.

ANTONY.
Approach there.--Ah, you kite!--Now, gods and devils!
Authority melts from me: of late, when I cried 'Ho!'
Like boys unto a muss, kings would start forth
And cry 'Your will?' Have you no ears? I am
Antony yet.

[Enter Attendants.]

Take hence this Jack and whip him.

ENOBARBUS.
'Tis better playing with a lion's whelp
Than with an old one dying.

ANTONY.
Moon and stars!
Whip him.--Were't twenty of the greatest tributaries
That do acknowledge Caesar, should I find them
So saucy with the hand of she here,--what's her name
Since she was Cleopatra?--Whip him, fellows,
Till like a boy you see him cringe his face,
And whine aloud for mercy: take him hence.

THYMUS.
Mark Antony,--

ANTONY.
Tug him away: being whipp'd,
Bring him again.--This Jack of Caesar's shall
Bear us an errand to him.--

[Exeunt Attendants with THYREUS.]

You were half blasted ere I knew you.--Ha!
Have I my pillow left unpress'd in Rome,
Forborne the getting of a lawful race,
And by a gem of women, to be abus'd
By one that looks on feeders?

CLEOPATRA.
Good my lord,--

ANTONY.
You have been a boggler ever:--
But when we in our viciousness grow hard,--
O misery on't!--the wise gods seal our eyes;
In our own filth drop our clear judgments: make us
Adore our errors; laugh at's while we strut
To our confusion.

CLEOPATRA.
O, is't come to this?

ANTONY.
I found you as a morsel cold upon
Dead Caesar's trencher; nay, you were a fragment
Of Cneius Pompey's; besides what hotter hours,
Unregist'red in vulgar fame, you have
Luxuriously pick'd out:--for I am sure,
Though you can guess what temperance should be,
You know not what it is.

CLEOPATRA.
Wherefore is this?

ANTONY.
To let a fellow that will take rewards,
And say 'God quit you!' be familiar with
My playfellow, your hand; this kingly seal
And plighter of high hearts!--O that I were
Upon the hill of Basan, to outroar
The horned herd! for I have savage cause;
And to proclaim it civilly were like
A halter'd neck which does the hangman thank
For being yare about him.

[Re-enter Attendants with THYREUS.]

Is he whipp'd?

FIRST ATTENDANT.
Soundly, my lord.

ANTONY.
Cried he? and begg'd he pardon?

FIRST ATTENDANT.
He did ask favour.

ANTONY.
If that thy father live, let him repent
Thou wast not made his daughter; and be thou sorry
To follow Caesar in his triumph, since
Thou hast been whipp'd for following him: henceforth
The white hand of a lady fever thee,
Shake thou to look on't.--Get thee back to Caesar;
Tell him thy entertainment: look thou say
He makes me angry with him; for he seems
Proud and disdainful, harping on what I am,
Not what he knew I was: he makes me angry;
And at this time most easy 'tis to do't,
When my good stars, that were my former guides,
Have empty left their orbs, and shot their fires
Into the abysm of hell. If he mislike
My speech and what is done, tell him he has
Hipparchus, my enfranched bondman, whom
He may at pleasure, whip,