William Shakespeare (1564–1616). The Oxford Shakespeare. 1914.

Act III. Scene II.

Antony and Cleopatra

Rome.A Room in CÆSAR’S House.

Enter AGRIPPA and ENOBARBUS, meeting.

Agr.What! are the brothers parted?

Eno.They have dispatch’d with Pompey; he is gone;

The other three are sealing. Octavia weeps

To part from Rome; Cæsar is sad; and Lepidus,

Since Pompey’s feast, as Menas says, is troubled

With the green sickness.

Agr.’Tis a noble Lepidus.

Eno.A very fine one. O! how he loves Cæsar.

Agr.Nay, but how dearly he adores Mark Antony!

Eno.Cæsar? Why, he’s the Jupiter of men.

Agr.What’s Antony? The god of Jupiter.

Eno.Spake you of Cæsar? How! the nonpareil!

Agr.O, Antony! O thou Arabian bird!

Eno.Would you praise Cæsar, say, ‘Cæsar,’ go no further.

Agr.Indeed, he plied them both with excellent praises.

Eno.But he loves Cæsar best; yet he loves Antony.

Hoo! hearts, tongues, figures, scribes, bards, poets, cannot

Think, speak, cast, write, sing, number; hoo!

His love to Antony. But as for Cæsar,

Kneel down, kneel down, and wonder.

Agr.Both he loves.

Eno.They are his shards, and he their beetle.[Trumpets within.]So;

This is to horse. Adieu, noble Agrippa.

Agr.Good fortune, worthy soldier, and farewell.

Enter CÆSAR, ANTONY, LEPIDUS, and OCTAVIA.

Ant.No further, sir.

Cæs.You take from me a great part of myself;

Use me well in ’t. Sister, prove such a wife

As my thoughts make thee, and as my furthest band

Shall pass on thy approof. Most noble Antony,

Let not the piece of virtue, which is set

Betwixt us as the cement of our love

To keep it builded, be the ram to batter

The fortress of it; for better might we

Have lov’d without this mean, if on both parts

This be not cherish’d.

Ant.Make me not offended

In your distrust.

Cæs.I have said.

Ant.You shall not find,

Though you be therein curious, the least cause

For what you seem to fear. So, the gods keep you,

And make the hearts of Romans serve your ends!

We will here part.

Cæs.Farewell, my dearest sister, fare thee well:

The elements be kind to thee, and make

Thy spirits all of comfort! fare thee well.

Oct.My noble brother!

Ant.The April’s in her eyes; it is love’s spring,

And these the showers to bring it on. Be cheerful.

Oct.Sir, look well to my husband’s house; and—

Cæs.What,

Octavia?

Oct.I’ll tell you in your ear.

Ant.Her tongue will not obey her heart, nor can

Her heart obey her tongue; the swan’s down-feather,

That stands upon the swell at full of tide,

And neither way inclines.

Eno.[Aside to AGRIPPA.]Will Cæsar weep?

Agr.He has a cloud in ’s face.

Eno.He were the worse for that were he a horse;

So is he, being a man.

Agr.Why, Enobarbus,

When Antony found Julius Cæsar dead

He cried almost to roaring; and he wept

When at Philippi he found Brutus slain.

Eno.That year, indeed, he was troubled with a rheum;

What willingly he did confound he wail’d,

Believe ’t, till I wept too.

Cæs.No, sweet Octavia,

You shall hear from me still; the time shall not

Out-go my thinking on you.

Ant.Come, sir, come;

I’ll wrestle with you in my strength of love:

Look, here I have you; thus I let you go,

And give you to the gods.

Cæs.Adieu; be happy!

Lep.Let all the number of the stars give light

To thy fair way!

Cæs.Farewell, farewell![Kisses OCTAVIA.

Ant.Farewell![Trumpets sound.Exeunt.

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