ANTONY’S Camp, near to the Promontory of ACTIUM. | |
| |
Enter CLEOPATRA and ENOBARBUS. | |
| Cleo. I will be even with thee, doubt it not. | |
| Eno. But why, why, why? | 4 |
| Cleo. Thou hast forspoke my being in these wars, | |
| And sayst it is not fit. | |
| Eno. Well, is it, is it? | |
| Cleo. If not denounc’d against us, why should not we | 8 |
| Be there in person? | |
| Eno. [Aside.] Well, I could reply: | |
| If we should serve with horse and mares together, | |
| The horse were merely lost; the mares would bear | 12 |
| A soldier and his horse. | |
| Cleo. What is’t you say? | |
| Eno. Your presence needs must puzzle Antony; | |
| Take from his heart, take from his brain, from’s time, | 16 |
| What should not then be spar’d. He is already | |
| Traduc’d for levity, and ’tis said in Rome | |
| That Photinus a eunuch and your maids | |
| Manage this war. | 20 |
| Cleo. 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; | 24 |
| I will not stay behind. | |
| Eno. Nay, I have done. | |
| Here comes the emperor. | |
| |
Enter ANTONY and CANIDIUS. | 28 |
| Ant. 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? | 32 |
| Cleo. Celerity is never more admir’d | |
| Than by the negligent. | |
| Ant. A good rebuke, | |
| Which might have well becom’d the best of men, | 36 |
| To taunt at slackness. Canidius, we | |
| Will fight with him by sea. | |
| Cleo. By sea! What else? | |
| Can. Why will my lord do so? | 40 |
| Ant. For that he dares us to’t. | |
| Eno. So hath my lord dar’d him to single fight. | |
| Can. Ay, and to wage his battle at Pharsalia, | |
| Where Cæsar fought with Pompey; but these offers, | 44 |
| Which serve not for his vantage, he shakes off; | |
| And so should you. | |
| Eno. Your ships are not well mann’d; | |
| Your mariners are muleters, reapers, people | 48 |
| Ingross’d by swift impress; in Cæsar’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, | 52 |
| Being prepar’d for land. | |
| Ant. By sea, by sea. | |
| Eno. Most worthy sir, you therein throw away | |
| The absolute soldiership you have by land; | 56 |
| Distract your army, which doth most consist | |
| Of war-mark’d footmen; leave unexecuted | |
| Your own renowned knowledge; quite forego | |
| The way which promises assurance; and | 60 |
| Give up yourself merely to chance and hazard | |
| From firm security. | |
| Ant. I’ll fight at sea. | |
| Cleo. I have sixty sails, Cæsar none better. | 64 |
| Ant. Our overplus of shipping will we burn; | |
| And with the rest, full-mann’d, from the head of Actium | |
| Beat the approaching Cæsar. But if we fail, | |
| We then can do’t at land. | 68 |
| |
Enter a Messenger. | |
| Thy business? | |
| Mess. The news is true, my lord; he is descried; | |
| Cæsar has taken Toryne. | 72 |
| Ant. 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: | 76 |
| Away, my Thetis! | |
| |
Enter a Soldier. | |
| How now, worthy soldier! | |
| Sold. O noble emperor! do not fight by sea; | 80 |
| Trust not to rotten planks: do you misdoubt | |
| This sword and these my wounds? Let the Egyptians | |
| And the Phœnicians go a-ducking; we | |
| Have used to conquer, standing on the earth, | 84 |
| And fighting foot to foot. | |
| Ant. Well, well: away! [Exeunt ANTONY, CLEOPATRA, and ENOBARBUS. | |
| Sold. By Hercules, I think I am i’ the right. | |
| Can. Soldier, thou art; but his whole action grows | 88 |
| Not in the power on ’t: so our leader’s led, | |
| And we are women’s men. | |
| Sold. You keep by land | |
| The legions and the horse whole, do you not? | 92 |
| Can. Marcus Octavius, Marcus Justeius, | |
| Publicola, and Cælius, are for sea; | |
| But we keep whole by land. This speed of Cæsar’s | |
| Carries beyond belief. | 96 |
| Sold. While he was yet in Rome | |
| His power went out in such distractions as | |
| Beguil’d all spies. | |
| Can. Who’s his lieutenant, hear you? | 100 |
| Sold. They say, one Taurus. | |
| Can. Well I know the man. | |
| |
Enter a Messenger. | |
| Mess. The emperor calls Canidius. | 104 |
| Can. With news the time’s with labour, and throes forth | |
| Each minute some. [Exeunt. | |
