Lep.
Good Enobarbus, 'tis a worthy deed,
And shall become you well, to entreat your captain
To soft and gentle speech.

Eno.
I shall entreat him
To answer like himself: if Cæsar move him,
Let Antony look over Cæsar's head
And speak as loud as Mars. By Jupiter,

Were I the wearer of Antonius' ^note beard,
I would not shave't to-day.

Lep.
'Tis not a time
For private stomaching. ^note

Eno.
Every time
Serves for the matter that is then born ^note in't. ^note

Lep.
But small to greater matters must give way.

Eno.
Not if the small come first.

Lep.
Your speech is passion:
But, pray you, stir no embers up. Here comes
The noble Antony. ^note Enter Antony and Ventidius.

Eno.
And yonder, Cæsar. Enter Cæsar, Mæcenas, ^note and Agrippa.

Ant.
If we compose well here, to Parthia:
Hark ^note, Ventidius.

Cæs.
I do not know,
Mæcenas; ask Agrippa. ^note

Lep.
Noble friends,
That which combined us was most great, and let not
A leaner action rend us. What's amiss,
May it be gently heard: when we debate
Our trivial difference loud, we do commit
Murder in healing wounds: then, noble partners,
The rather for I earnestly beseech,
Touch you ^note the sourest points with sweetest terms,
Nor curstness grow to the matter.

Ant.
'Tis spoken well.
Were we before our armies ^note and to fight,

I should do thus. [Flourish. ^note

Cæs.
Welcome to Rome.

Ant.
Thank you.

Cæs.
Sit.

Ant.
Sit, sir. ^note

Cæs.
Nay, then. ^note

Ant.
I learn, you take things ill which are not so,
Or being, concern you ^note not.

Cæs.
I must be laugh'd at,
If, or for nothing or a little, I ^{note note}
Should say myself offended, and with you
Chiefly i' the world; more laugh'd at, that I should
Once name you derogately ^note, when to sound ^note your name
It not concern'd me.

Ant.
My being in Egypt, Cæsar,
What was't to you? ^note

Cæs.
No more than my residing ^note here at Rome
Might be to you in Egypt: yet, if you there
Did practise on my state, your being in Egypt
Might be my question.

Ant.
How intend you, practised ^note?

Cæs.
You may be pleased to catch at mine intent
By what did here befal me ^note. Your wife and brother
Made wars upon me, and their contestation
Was theme ^note for you, ^{note note} you were the word of war.

Ant.
You do mistake your ^note business; my brother never
Did urge me in his ^note act: I did inquire it,
And have my learning from some true reports ^note
That drew their swords with you. Did he not rather
Discredit my authority with yours,
And make the wars alike against my stomach,
Having alike your ^note cause? ^note Of this my letters
Before did satisfy you. If you'll ^note patch a quarrel,
As matter whole you have not to make ^{note note} it with,
It must not be with this.

Cæs.
You praise yourself
By laying defects of judgement to me ^note, but
You patch'd ^note up your excuses ^note. ^note

Ant.
Not so, not so ^note;
I know you could not lack, I am ^note certain on't,
Very ^note necessity of this thought, that I,
Your partner in the cause 'gainst which he fought,
Could not with graceful ^note eyes attend those wars
Which fronted mine own peace. As for my wife,
I would you had her spirit in ^note such ^note another:
The third o' the world is yours, which with a snaffle
You may pace easy, but not such a wife.

Eno.

Would we had all such wives, that the men might go to wars with the women!

Ant.
So much uncurbable, her ^note garboils, Cæsar,
Made out of her impatience, which not wanted
Shrewdness ^note of policy too ^note, I grieving grant
Did you too much disquiet: for that you must
But say, ^note I could not help it.

Cæs.
I wrote to you
When rioting in Alexandria; you ^note
Did pocket up my letters, and with taunts
Did gibe ^note my missive out of audience.

Ant.
Sir, ^note
He fell upon ^note me ere admitted: then ^note
Three kings I had newly feasted and did want
Of what I was i' the morning: but next day
I told him of myself, which was as much
As to have ask'd him pardon. Let this fellow
Be nothing of our strife; if we contend,
Out of our question wipe him.

Cæs.
You have broken
The article of your oath, which you shall never
Have tongue to charge me with. ^note

Lep.
Soft, Cæsar ^note!

Ant.
No ^note, Lepidus, let ^note him speak:
The honour is ^note sacred which he talks on now,
Supposing that I ^note lack'd it. But on, Cæsar; ^note
The article of my oath. ^note

Cæs.
To lend me arms and aid when I required them;
The which you both denied. ^note

Ant.
Neglected rather,
And then when poison'd ^note hours had bound me up
From mine own knowledge. As ^note nearly as I may,
I'll play the penitent to you: but mine honesty
Shall not make poor my greatness, nor my power
Work without it. Truth is that Fulvia,
To have me out of Egypt, made wars here;
For which myself, the ignorant motive, do
So far ask pardon as befits mine honour
To stoop in such a case.

Lep.
'Tis noble ^note spoken.

Mæc.
If ^note it might please you, to enforce no further
The griefs between ye: to forget them quite
Were to remember that ^note the present need
Speaks to atone ^note you.

Lep.
Worthily ^note spoken ^note, Mæcenas.

Eno.

Or, if you borrow one another's love for the instant, you may, when you hear no more words of Pompey, return it again: you shall have time to wrangle in when you have nothing else to do.

Ant.
Thou art a soldier only: ^note speak no more.

Eno.
That truth should be silent I ^note had almost forgot.

Ant.
You wrong this presence; therefore speak no more.

Eno.
Go to, ^note then; your considerate stone ^note.

Cæs.
I do not much dislike the matter, but

The manner ^note of his speech; for't ^note cannot be
We shall remain in friendship, our conditions
So differing in their acts. Yet, if I knew
What hoop should hold us stanch, from edge to edge
O' the ^note world ^note I would pursue it.

Agr.
Give me leave, Cæsar. ^note

Cæs.
Speak, Agrippa.

Agr.
Thou hast a sister by the ^note mother's side,
Admired Octavia: ^note great Mark Antony
Is now a widower. ^note

Cæs.
Say not so, ^note Agrippa:
If Cleopatra ^note heard you, your reproof ^note
Were well deserved of ^note rashness. ^note

Ant.
I am not married, Cæsar: let me hear
Agrippa further speak. ^note

Agr.
To hold you in perpetual amity,
To make you brothers and to knit your hearts
With an unslipping knot, take Antony
Octavia to his wife; whose beauty claims
No worse a husband than the best of men,
Whose ^note virtue and whose general graces speak
That which none else can utter. By this marriage
All little jealousies which now seem great,
And all great fears which now import their dangers,
Would then be nothing: truths would be tales ^note,

Where now half tales be truths ^note: her love to both
Would each to other and all loves to both
Draw after her. Pardon what I have spoke,
For 'tis a studied, not a present thought,
By duty ruminated.

Ant.
Will Cæsar speak?

Cæs.
Not till he hears how Antony is touch'd
With what is spoke already ^note.

Ant.
What power is in Agrippa,
If I would say, ‘Agrippa, be it so,’
To make this good?

Cæs.
The power of Cæsar, and
His power unto Octavia. ^note

Ant.
May ^note I never
To this good purpose, that so fairly shows,
Dream of impediment! Let me have thy hand:
Further this act of grace; and from this hour
The heart of brothers govern in our loves ^note
And sway our great designs!

Cæs.
There is ^note my hand.
A sister I bequeath you, whom no brother
Did ever love so dearly: let her live
To join our kingdoms and our hearts; and never
Fly off our loves again!

Lep.
Happily, amen!

Ant.
I did not think to draw my sword 'gainst ^note Pompey;
For he hath laid strange courtesies and great
Of late upon me: I must thank him only, ^note
Lest my remembrance suffer ill report;
At heel of that, defy him.

Lep.
Time calls upon's ^note:
Of us must Pompey presently be sought,
Or else he seeks out us.

Ant.
Where ^note lies he? ^note

Cæs.
About ^note the Mount Misenum ^note.

Ant.
What's ^note his strength By land? ^note

Cæs.
Great ^note and increasing: but by sea
He is an absolute master. ^note

Ant.
So is ^note the fame ^note.
Would we had spoke together! Haste we for it:
Yet, ere we put ourselves in arms, dispatch we
The business we have talk'd of.

Cæs.
With most gladness;
And do invite you to my sister's view,
Whither straight I'll lead you.

Ant.
Let us, Lepidus,
Not lack your company. ^note

Lep.
Noble ^note Antony,
Not sickness should detain me. ^note [Flourish. ^note Exeunt ^note Cæsar, Antony, and Lepidus. ^note

Mæc.

Welcome from Egypt, sir.

Eno.

Half the heart of Cæsar, worthy Mæcenas! My honourable friend, Agrippa!

Agr.

Good Enobarbus!

Mæc.

We have cause to be glad that matters are so well digested ^note. You stayed well by't in Egypt.

Eno.

Ay, sir; we did sleep day out of countenance and made the night light with drinking.

Mæc.

Eight wild-boars roasted whole at a breakfast, and but twelve persons there; is this true?

Eno.

This was but as ^note a fly by an eagle: we had much more monstrous matter of feast, which worthily deserved noting.

Mæc.

She's a most triumphant lady, if report be square to her.

Eno.

When she first met Mark Antony, she pursed up his heart, upon the river of Cydnus ^note.

Agr.

There she appeared indeed, or my reporter devised well for her.

Eno.
I will tell you. ^note
The barge she sat in, like a burnish'd throne,
Burn'd ^note on the water: the poop was beaten gold;
Purple the sails, and so perfumed that
The winds were love-sick with them; the ^note oars ^note were silver, ^note
Which to the tune of flutes kept stroke and made
The water which they beat to follow faster,
As amorous of their strokes. For her own person,
It beggar'd all description: she did lie
In her pavilion, cloth-of-gold of tissue ^note,
O'er-picturing that Venus ^note where we see
The fancy outwork nature: on each side her
Stood pretty dimpled boys, like smiling Cupids,
With divers-colour'd fans, whose wind did seem
To glow ^note the delicate cheeks which they did cool,
And what they undid did ^note.

Agr.
O, rare for Antony!

Eno.
Her gentlewomen, like the Nereides ^note,

So many mermaids ^note, tended her i' the eyes ^note,
And made their bends ^note adornings ^{note note note note}: at the helm
A seeming mermaid ^note steers: the silken tackle ^note
Swell ^{note note} with the touches of those flower-soft hands,
That yarely ^note frame the office. From the barge
A strange invisible ^note perfume hits the sense
Of the adjacent wharfs. The city cast
Her people out upon her; and Antony,
Enthroned i' the market-place, did sit alone,
Whistling to the air; which, but for vacancy,
Had gone to gaze on Cleopatra ^note too,
And made a gap in nature.

Agr.
Rare Egyptian!

Eno.
Upon her landing, Antony sent to her,
Invited her to supper: she replied,
It should be better he became her guest,
Which she entreated: our ^note courteous Antony,
Whom ne'er the word of ‘No’ ^{note note} woman heard ^note speak,
Being barber'd ten times o'er, goes to the feast,
And, for ^note his ordinary, pays his heart
For what his eyes eat only.

Agr.
Royal wench!
She made great Cæsar lay his sword to bed:
He plough'd her, and she cropp'd.

Eno.
I saw her once
Hop forty paces through the public street;
And having lost her breath, she spoke, and panted,
That she did make defect perfection,
And, breathless, power ^note breathe ^note forth.

Mæc.
Now Antony must leave her utterly.

Eno.
Never; he ^note will not: ^note
Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale ^note
Her infinite variety: other women cloy
The appetites they feed, but she makes hungry
Where most she satisfies: for vilest ^note things
Become themselves in her, that the holy priests
Bless her when she is riggish.

Mæc.
If beauty, wisdom, modesty, can settle
The heart of Antony, Octavia is
A blessed lottery ^note to him ^note.

Agr.
Let us go.
Good Enobarbus, make yourself my guest
Whilst you abide here. ^note

Eno.
Humbly, sir, I thank you. [Exeunt. ^note

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