More fiery by night's blackness; hereditary,
Rather than (1) purchas'd; what he cannot change,
Than what he chufes.

Caf. You're too indulgent. Let us grant, it is not Amifs to tumble on the bed of Ptolemy,

To give a kingdom for a mirth, to fit

And keep the turn of tipling with a flave,

To reel the streets at noon; and stand the buffet With knaves that fmell of fweat; (2) fay, this becomes him;

As his compofure must be rare, indeed,

Whom these things cannot blemish; yet muft Antony
No way excufe his foils, when we do bear
(3) So great weight in his lightness. If he fill'd
His vacancy with his voluptuousness;

Full furfeits, and the drynefs of his bones,

(4) Call on him for't; but to confound fuch time, That drums him from his fport, and speaks as loud As his own ftate, and ours; 'tis to be chid,

As we rate (5) boys, who, being mature in knowledge, Pawn

fed to beautify the night; nor do I comprehend what there is in the counter-part of this fimile, which anfwers to night's blacknefs. Hanmer reads,

-Spots on ermine,

Or fires, by night's blackness.

(1) purchas'd;-] Procured by his own fault or endeavour.

(2)fay, this becomes bim;

As his compofure must be rare, indeed,
Whom these things cannot blemifb-

This feems inconfequent. I read,

And his compofure, &c.

Grant that this becomes him, and if it can become him, he muft bave in him fomething very uncommon; yet, &c.

(3) So great weight in his lightness.-] The word light is one of Shakespeare's favourite play-things. The fenfe is, His trifling levity throws fo much burden upon us.

(4) Call on him for't] Call on him, is, vifit him. Says Cafar, If Antony followed bis debaucheries at a time of leifure, I fhould leave bim to be punished by their natural confequences, by furfeits, and dry bones.

(5) —boys, who, being mature in knowledge,] For this Hanwho thought the maturity of a boy an inconfiitent idea, has

mer,

put,

who, immature in knowledge,

but

Pawn their experience to their prefent pleasure,
And fo rebel to judgment.

Enter a Meffenger.

Lep. Here's more news.

Mef. Thy biddings have been done; and every hour, Moft noble Cafar, fhalt thou have report How 'tis abroad. Pompey is ftrong at Sea, And, it appears, he is belov'd of those (6) That only have fear'd Cæfar: to the ports The Difcontents repair, and mens reports Give him much wrong'd.

Caf. I fhould have known no less;

It hath been taught us from the primal State,
That (7) he, which is, was with'd, until he were:
And the ebb'd man, ne'er lov'd till ne'er worth love,
'Comes dear'd, by being lack'd. This common body,
Like to a vagabond flag upon the stream,

(8) Goes to, and back, lacquying the varying tide, To

but the words experience and judgment require that we read mature: though Dr. Warburton has received the emendation. By boys mature in knowledge, is meant, bays old enough to know their duty.

(6) That only have fear'd Cæfar:]

Those whom not love but fear made adherents to Cæfar, now thew their affection for Pompey.

(7)-he, which is, was wifb'd, until he were:

And the ebb'd man, ne'er lov'd till ne'er worth love,
Comes fear'd, by being lack'd.]

Let us examine the fenfe of this in plain profe. The earliest bifteries inform us, that the man in fupreme command was always wish'd to gain that command, till he had obtain'd it. And be, whom the multitude has contentedly feen in a low condition when he begins to be wanted by them becomes to be fear'd by them. But do the multitude fear a man because they want him? Certainly we must read,

Comes dear'd, by being lack'd. i. e. endear'd, a favourite to to them. Besides, the context requires this reading; for it was not fear, but love, that made the people ftock to young Pompey, and what occafion'd this reflection. So in Coriolanus, WARBURTON.

I fhall be lov'd, when I am lack'd.

(8) Goes to, and back, lafhing the varying tide,

To rot itfelf with motion.]

How can a flag, or rush, floating upon a stream, and that has no motion but what the fluctuation of the water gives it, be faid to lafh the tide? This is making a fcourge of a weak ineffective

thing,

To rot itself with motion.

Mef. Cæfar, I bring thee word,

Menecrates and Menas, famous pirates,

Make the fea ferve them; (9) which they ear and wound.

With keels of every

kind. Many hot inrodes They make in Italy, the borders maritime

(1) Lack blood to think on't, and flush youth revolt: No veffel can peep forth, but 'tis as foon

Taken as feen: for Pompey's name strikes more, 'han could his war refifted.

Caf. Antony,

Leave thy lafcivious waffells. When thou once
Wert beaten from Modena, where thou flew'ft
Hirtius and Panfa Confuls, at. thy heel

Did famine follow, whom thou fought'ft against,
Though daintily brought up, with patience more
Than Savages could fuffer. Thou didst drink
The ftale of horses, and the gilded puddle

Which beafts would cough at. Thy Palate then did deign

The rougheft berry on the rudeft hedge:

Yea, like the ftag, when fnow the pafture sheets,
The barks of trees thou browfed'ft. On the Alps,
It is reported thou didst eat ftrange flesh,
Which fome did die to look on; and all this,
It wounds thine honour, that I fpeak it now,
Was bore fo like a foldier, that thy cheek
So much as lank'd not.

Lep. It is pity of him.

Caf. Let his fhames quickly

Drive him to Rome; time is it, that we twain

thing, and giving it an active violence in its own power. All the old editions read lacking. 'Tis true, there is no fenfe in that reading; but the addition of a single letter will not only give us good fenfe, but the genuine word of our author into the bargain. -Lacquying the varying tide,

i. e. floating backwards and forwards with the variation of the tide, like a page, or lacquey, at his mafter's heels. THEOB. (9)hich they ear -] To ear, is to plow; a com

mon metaphor.

(1) Lack blood to think on't,-] Turn pale at the thought of it.

Did

Did fhew ourselves i' th' field; and to that end
Affemble we immediate council. Pompey
Thrives in our idleness.

Lep. To morrow, Cafar,

I shall be furnish'd to inform you rightly,
Both what by fea and land I can be able,

To front this prefent time.

Caf. "Till which encounter,

It is my business too. Farewel.
Lep. Farewel, my Lord.

What you fhall know mean time of ftirs abroad,

I fhall bef ech you, let me be partaker.

Caf. Doubt it not, Sir; I knew it for

SCENE VI.

my

bond. [Exeunt.

Changes to the Palace in Alexandria.

Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, Iras, and Mardian.
Harmian-

Cleo. Char. Madam?

Cleo. Ha, ha-give me to drink (2) Mandragora. Char. Why, Madam ?

Cleo. That I might fleep out this great gap of time,

My Antony is away.

Char. You think of him too much.

Cleo. O, 'tis treafon

Char. Madam, I trust not fo.

Cleo. Thou, eunuch, Mardian!

Mar. What's your Highness' pleasure?

Cleo. Not now to hear thee fing. I take no pleafure

In aught an eunuch has; 'tis well for thee,
That, being unfeminar'd, thy freer thoughts
May not fly forth of Egypt. Haft thou affections ?
Mar. Yes, gracious Madam;

Cleo. Indeed?

(2) -Mandragora.] A plant, of which the infufion was fuppofed to procure fleep. Shakespeare mentions it in Othello: Not poppy, nor Mandragora,

Can ever medicine thee to that feet fleep.

Már.

Mar. Not in deed, Madam; for I can do nothing But what in deed is honeft to be done:

Yet have I fierce affections, and think,
What Venus did with Mars.

Cleo. Oh Charmian!

Where think'st thou he is now? Stands he, or fits he? Or does he walk? or is he on his horfe?

Oh happy horse, to bear the weight of Antony! Do bravely, horfe; for, wot'ft thou, whom thou mov'ft?

The demy Atlas of this earth, the arm

And burgonet of man. He's fpeaking now,
Or murmuring, "where's my ferpent of old Nile ?-
(For fo he calls me ;) Now I feed myself
With most delicious poifon. Think on me,
That am with Phabus' amorous pinches black,
And wrinkled deep in time. Broad-fronted Cæfar,
When thou waft here above the ground, I was
A morfel for a monarch; and great Pompey
Would stand and make his eyes grow in my brow;
There would he anchor his afpect, and die
With looking on his life.

Enter Alexas.

Alex. Sov'reign of Egypt hail!

Cleo. How much art thou unlike Mark Antony? Yet coming from him, (3) that great med'cine hath With his tinct gilded thee.

How goes it with my brave Mark Antony?

Alex. Laft thing he did, dear Queen,
He kift, the laft of many doubled kiffes,
This orient pearl.-His fpeech fticks in my heart.
Cleo. Mine ear muft pluck it thence.

Alex. Good friend, quoth he,

Say, the firm Roman to great Egypt fends
This treafure of an oyfter; at whofe foot,
To mend the petty prefent, I will piece

Her opulent throne with Kingdoms. All the eaft,
(3)that great medicine hath

With his tinct gilded thee.]

Alluding to the philofopher's ftone, which, by its touch, converts bafe metal into gold. The Alchemifts call the matter, whatever it be, by which they perform tranfmutation, a medicine.

Say,