Pom.
Your Hostages I have, so have you mine;
And we shall talk before we fight.

Cæs.
Most meet
That first we come to words, and therefore have we
Our written purposes before us sent,
Which if thou hast considered, let us know,
If 'twill tie up thy discontented Sword,
And carry back to Sicily much tall youth,
That else must perish here.

Pom.
To you all three,
The Senators alone of this great World,
Chief Factors for the gods. I do not know,
Wherefore my Father should revengers want,
Having a Son and Friends; since Julius Cæsar,
Who at Philippi the good Brutus ghosted,
There saw you labouring for me. What was't
That mov'd pale Cassius to conspire? And what
Made the all-honour'd, honest Roman Brutus,

With the arm'd rest, Courtiers of beauteous freedom,
To drench the Capitol, but that they would
Have one Man but a Man; and that is it
Hath made me rig my Navy. At whose burthen,
The anger'd Ocean foams, with which I meant
To scourge th' ingratitude, that despiteful Rome
Cast of my Noble Father.

Cæs.
Take your time.

Ant.
Thou canst not fear us, Pompey, with thy Sails,
We'll speak with thee at Sea. At Land thou know'st
How much we do o'er-count thee.

Pom.
At Land indeed
Thou dost o'er-count me of my Father's House.
But since the Cuckoo builds not for himself,
Remain in't as thou may'st.

Lep.
Be pleas'd to tell us,
For this is from the present now you talk,
The offers we have sent you—

Cæs.
There's the point.

Ant.
Which do not be intreated to, but weigh
What it is worth embrac'd.

Cæs.
And what may follow
To try a larger Fortune.

Pom.
You have made me offer
Of Sicily, Sardinia; and I must
Rid all the Sea of Pirates; then to send
Measures of Wheat to Rome: this 'greed upon,
To part with unhackt edges, and bear back
Our Targets undinted.

Omnes.
That's our offer.

Pom.
Know then I came before you here, a Man
Prepar'd, to take this offer. But, Mark Antony,
Put me to some impatience: though I lose
The praise of it by telling. You must know
When Cæsar and your Brother were at blows,
Your Mother came to Sicily, and did find
Her welcome friendly.

Ant.
I have heard it, Pompey,
And am well studied for a liberal thanks,
Which I do owe you.

Pom.
Let me have your Hand:
I did not think, Sir, to have met you here.

Ant.
The Beds i'th' East are soft, and thanks to you,
That call'd me timelier than my purpose hither:
For I have gain'd by't.

Cæs.
Since I saw you last,
There is a change upon you.

Pom.
Well, I know not,
What counts hard Fortune casts upon my face,
But in my bosom she shall never come,
To make my Heart a Vassal.

Lep.
Well met here.

Pom.
I hope so, Lepidus, thus we are agreed:
I crave our composition may be written
And seal'd between us.

Cæs.
That's the next to do.

Pom.
We'll feast each other, e'er we part, and let's
Draw lots who shall begin.

Ant.
That will I, Pompey.

Pom.
No, Antony, take the lot:
But first or last, your fine Ægyptian Cookery
Shall have the fame, I have heard that Julius Cæsar
Grew fat with feasting there.

Ant.
You have heard much.

Pom.
I have fair meaning, Sir.

Ant.
And fair words to them.

Pom.
Then so much have I heard.
And I have heard Apollodorus carried—

Eno.
No more of that: he did so.

Pom.
What, I pray you?

Eno.
A certain Queen to Cæsar in a Mattrice.

Pom.
I know thee now, how far'st thou, Soldier?

Eno.
Well, and well am like to do, for I perceive
Four Feasts are toward.

Pom.
Let me shake thy hand,
I never hated thee: I have seen thee fight,
When I have envied thy behaviour.

Eno.
Sir, I never lov'd you much, but I ha' prais'd ye,
When you have well deserv'd ten times as much,
As I have said you did.

Pom.
Injoy thy plainness,
It nothing ill becomes thee:

Aboard my Gally, I invite you all.
Will you lead, Lords?

All.

Shew's the way, Sir.

Pom.

Come.