The Tragedy Of Antony And Cleopatra

1 Enter Caesar, Agrippa, Dolabella, Maecenas, Gallus, Proculeius with
2 his council of war.
3 CAESAR.
4 Go to him, Dolabella, bid him yield.
5 Being so frustrate, tell him, he mocks
6 The pauses that he makes.
7 DOLABELLA.
8 Caesar, I shall.
9 [_Exit._]
10 Enter Dercetus with the sword of Antony.
11 CAESAR.
12 Wherefore is that? And what art thou that dar’st
13 Appear thus to us?
14 DERCETUS.
15 I am called Dercetus.
16 Mark Antony I served, who best was worthy
17 Best to be served. Whilst he stood up and spoke,
18 He was my master, and I wore my life
19 To spend upon his haters. If thou please
20 To take me to thee, as I was to him
21 I’ll be to Caesar; if thou pleasest not,
22 I yield thee up my life.
23 CAESAR.
24 What is’t thou say’st?
25 DERCETUS.
26 I say, O Caesar, Antony is dead.
27 CAESAR.
28 The breaking of so great a thing should make
29 A greater crack. The round world
30 Should have shook lions into civil streets,
31 And citizens to their dens. The death of Antony
32 Is not a single doom; in the name lay
33 A moiety of the world.
34 DERCETUS.
35 He is dead, Caesar,
36 Not by a public minister of justice,
37 Nor by a hired knife, but that self hand
38 Which writ his honour in the acts it did
39 Hath, with the courage which the heart did lend it,
40 Splitted the heart. This is his sword.
41 I robbed his wound of it. Behold it stained
42 With his most noble blood.
43 CAESAR.
44 Look you sad, friends?
45 The gods rebuke me, but it is tidings
46 To wash the eyes of kings.
47 AGRIPPA.
48 And strange it is
49 That nature must compel us to lament
50 Our most persisted deeds.
51 MAECENAS.
52 His taints and honours
53 Waged equal with him.
54 AGRIPPA.
55 A rarer spirit never
56 Did steer humanity, but you gods will give us
57 Some faults to make us men. Caesar is touched.
58 MAECENAS.
59 When such a spacious mirror’s set before him,
60 He needs must see himself.
61 CAESAR.
62 O Antony,
63 I have followed thee to this, but we do lance
64 Diseases in our bodies. I must perforce
65 Have shown to thee such a declining day
66 Or look on thine. We could not stall together
67 In the whole world. But yet let me lament
68 With tears as sovereign as the blood of hearts,
69 That thou, my brother, my competitor
70 In top of all design, my mate in empire,
71 Friend and companion in the front of war,
72 The arm of mine own body, and the heart
73 Where mine his thoughts did kindle, that our stars,
74 Unreconciliable, should divide
75 Our equalness to this. Hear me, good friends—
76 Enter an Egyptian.
77 But I will tell you at some meeter season.
78 The business of this man looks out of him;
79 We’ll hear him what he says. Whence are you?
80 EGYPTIAN.
81 A poor Egyptian yet. The queen, my mistress,
82 Confined in all she has, her monument,
83 Of thy intents desires instruction,
84 That she preparedly may frame herself
85 To the way she’s forced to.
86 CAESAR.
87 Bid her have good heart.
88 She soon shall know of us, by some of ours,
89 How honourable and how kindly we
90 Determine for her. For Caesar cannot lean
91 To be ungentle.
92 EGYPTIAN.
93 So the gods preserve thee!
94 [_Exit._]
95 CAESAR.
96 Come hither, Proculeius. Go and say
97 We purpose her no shame. Give her what comforts
98 The quality of her passion shall require,
99 Lest, in her greatness, by some mortal stroke
100 She do defeat us, for her life in Rome
101 Would be eternal in our triumph. Go,
102 And with your speediest bring us what she says
103 And how you find of her.
104 PROCULEIUS.
105 Caesar, I shall.
106 [_Exit Proculeius._]
107 CAESAR.
108 Gallus, go you along.
109 [_Exit Gallus._]
110 Where’s Dolabella, to second Proculeius?
111 ALL.
112 Dolabella!
113 CAESAR.
114 Let him alone, for I remember now
115 How he’s employed. He shall in time be ready.
116 Go with me to my tent, where you shall see
117 How hardly I was drawn into this war,
118 How calm and gentle I proceeded still
119 In all my writings. Go with me and see
120 What I can show in this.
121 [_Exeunt._]