William Shakespeare (1564–1616). The Oxford Shakespeare. 1914.
Act IV. Scene II.Enter A
Ant.He will not fight with me, Domitius.
Eno.No.
Ant.Why should he not?
Eno.He thinks, being twenty times of better fortune,
He is twenty men to one.
Ant.To-morrow, soldier,
By sea and land I’ll fight: or I will live,
Or bathe my dying honour in the blood
Shall make it live again. Woo ’t thou fight well?
Eno.I’ll strike, and cry, ‘Take all.’
Ant.Well said; come on.
Call forth my household servants; let’s to-night
Be bounteous at our meal.
Enter three or four Servitors.
Give me thy hand,
Thou hast been rightly honest; so hast thou;
Thou; and thou, and thou: you have serv’d me well,
And kings have been your fellows.
Cleo.What means this?
Eno.[Aside to C
Out of the mind.
Ant.And thou art honest too.
I wish I could be made so many men,
And all of you clapp’d up together in
An Antony, that I might do you service
So good as you have done.
Servants.The gods forbid!
Ant.Well, my good fellows, wait on me to-night,
Scant not my cups, and make as much of me
As when mine empire was your fellow too,
And suffer’d my command.
Cleo.[Aside to E
Eno.[Aside to C
Ant.Tend me to-night;
May be it is the period of your duty:
Haply, you shall not see me more; or if,
A mangled shadow: perchance to-morrow
You’ll serve another master. I look on you
As one that takes his leave. Mine honest friends,
I turn you not away; but, like a master
Married to your good service, stay till death.
Tend me to-night two hours, I ask no more,
And the gods yield you for ’t!
Eno.What mean you, sir,
To give them this discomfort? Look, they weep;
And I, an ass, am onion-ey’d: for shame,
Transform us not to women.
Ant.Ho, ho, ho!
Now, the witch take me, if I meant it thus!
Grace grow where those drops fall! My hearty friends,
You take me in too dolorous a sense,
For I spake to you for your comfort; did desire you
To burn this night with torches. Know, my hearts,
I hope well of to-morrow; and will lead you
Where rather I’ll expect victorious life
Than death and honour. Let’s to supper, come,
And drown consideration.[Exeunt.
