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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT  LOS  ANGELES 


UNIVKRSITY  of  CALIFORNIA 

NGELES 
*   LIBRARY 


THE 


PLAYS 


O   F 


WILLIAM   SHAKSPEARE. 


VOL.  VIII, 


T  H  E  A-:y- 

PLAYS 

o  i? 
WILLIAM    SHAKSPEARE. 

VOLUME  the  EIGHTH. 

CONTAINING 

JULIUS   CAESAR. 
ANTONY    AND    CLEOPATRA. 
TIMON  OF  ATHENS. 
TITUS   ANDRONICUS. 

LONDON, 

Printed  for  C.  Bathurft,  W.  Strahan,  J.  F.  and  C.  Rivington, 
J.  Hinton,  L.  Davis,  W.Owen,  T.  Callon,  E.  Tolinfon,  S.  Crowder, 
B.  White,  T.  Longman,  B.  Law,  E.  and  C.  Dilly,  C.  Corbetr, 
T.  Cadell,  H.  L.  Gardner,  J.  Nichols,  J.  Bew,  J.  Beecroft, 
W.  Stuart,  T.  Lowndes,  J.  Robfon,  T.  Payne,  T.  Becket, 
F.  Newbery,  G.  Robinfon,  R.  Baldwin,  J.  Williams,  J.Ridley, 
T.  Evans,  W.  Davies,  W.  Fox,  and  J.  Murray, 

MDCCLXXVIII. 


30325 


• 


V/7V 

V/g 


JULIUS  C^SAR. 


VOL.  VIII.  B 


Perfons   Reprefented. 

Julius  Caefar, 

OaaviusCaefar,        ,   rriumvirs,  after  the  Death  of 

M.  Antomus,  \      T  ,.       £  Jf 

M.  JEmil.  Lepidus.  J      Juhl 

Cicero,  Publius,  Popilius  Lena,  Senators. 


Brutus, 
Caffius, 
Cafca, 


Julius  Caefar, 

Decius  Brutus, 

Metellus  Cimber, 

Cinna, 

Flavius,  and  Marullus,  Tribunes. 

Artemidorus,  a  Sopb'ift  of  Cnidos. 

A  Soothfayer. 

Cinna,  a  Poet  :  Another  Poet. 

Lucilius,    Titinius,  Meflala,  Toung   Cato,   and  Vo- 

lumnius.     Friends  to  Brutus  and  Caffius. 
Varro,  Clitus,  Claudius,  Strato,  Lucius,  Dardanius ; 

Servants  to  Brutus. 
Pindarus,  Servant  to  Caffius. 


Calphurnia,  Wife  to  Czefar. 
Portia,  Wife  to  Brutus. 

Plebeians,  Senators,  Guards,  Attendants, 


SCENE,  for  the  three  frjl  Atts,  at  Rome  :  after- 
wards  at  an  Ifland  near  Mutina  ;  at  Sardis  ;  and  near 
Philippi. 


JULIUS     CAESAR'. 


ACT    I.      SCENE     I. 

R  0  M  E. 

A  Street. 
Enter  Flavius>  *  Marullus,  and  certain  Commoner s» 

Flav.  Hence  j  home,  you  idle  creatures,  get  you 

home  : 
Is  this  a  holiday  ?  What !  know  you  not, 

Being 

1  Julius  Csefar.]  It  appears  from  Peck's  Collection  of  divers  cu- 
rious Hiftorical  Pieces,  &c.  (appended  to  his  Memoirs,  &c.  of 
Oliver  Cromwell,)  p.  14,  that  a  Latin  play  on  this  fubjeft  had 
been  written.  «'  Epilogus  Caefaris  interfecli,  quomodo  in  fcenam 
prodiit  ea  res,  ada  in  Ecclefia  Chriili,  Oxon.  Qui  Epilogus  a 
magiftro  Ricardo  Eedes  et  fcriptus  et  in  profcenio  ibidem  diclus 
fuit,  A.  D.  1582."  Meres,  whofe  Wit's  Commonwealth  was  pub- 
limed  in  1598,  enumerates  Dr.  Eedcs  among  the  beft  tragic  wri- 
ters of  that  time.  STEEVENS. 

William  Alexander,  afterwards  earl  of  Sterline,  wrote  a  tra- 
gedy on  the  flory  and  with  the  title  of  Julius  Cafar.  It  may  be 
prefumed  that  Shakefpeare's  play  was  pofterior  to  his ;  for 'lord 
Sterline,  when  he  compofed  his  Julius  Cafar  was  a  very  young 
author,  and  would  hardly  have  ventured  into  that  circle,  within 
which  the  moil  eminent  dramatic  writer  of  England  had  already 
\valked.  The  death  of  Caefar,  which  is  not  exhibited  but  related 
to  the  audience,  forms  the  cataftrophe  of  his  piece.  In  the  two 
plays  many  parallel  paflages  are  found,  which  might,  perhaps, 
have  proceeded  only  from  the  two  authors  drawing  from  the  fame 
fource.  However,  there  are  fome  reafons  for  thinking  the  coinci- 
dence more  than  accidental. 

Mr.  Steevens  has  produced  from  Darius,  another  play  of  this 
writer's,  fome  lines  fo  like  a  celebrated  paflage  of  Shakefpeare  ia 
the  Tempejl,  aft  III.  that  the  one  muft,  I  apprehend,  have  been 
copied  from  the  other.  Lord  Sterline's  Darius  was  printed  at 
JEdinburgh  in  1603,  and  his  J*H*s  Cafar  in  1607,  at  a  time  when 

VOL.  VIII,  B  z  b« 


4  JULIUS    CJESAIU 

Being  mechanical,  you  ought  not  walk, 
Upon  a  labouring  day,  without  the  fign 
Of  your  profeffion  ? — Speak,  what  trade  art  thou  ? 

Car.  Why,  fir,  a  carpenter. 

Mar.  Where  is  thy  leather  apron,  and  thy  rule  ? 
"What  doft  thou  with  thy  belt  apparel  on  ?—- 
You,  fir  ;  what  trade  are  you  ? 

Cob.  Truly,  fir,  in  refpedt  of  a  fine  workman,  J 
am  but,  as  you  would  fay,  a  cbbler. 

Mar.  But  what  trade  art  thou  ?    Anfwer  me  di- 
re&If. 

Cob.  A  trade,  fir,  that,  I  hope,  I  may  ufe  with  a 
fafe  confcience ;  which  is,  indeed,  fir,  a  mender  of 
bad  foals. 

he  was  but  little  acquainted  with  Englifh  writers ;  for  they  abound 
tvith  Scoticifms,  which,  in  the  fubfequent  folio  edition,  1637,  he 
corrected.  But  neither  the  Tempeft^  nor  the  Julius  Ccrfar  of  our 
author,  was  printed  till  1623. 

It  muft  be  alfb  remembered,  that  our  author  has  feveral  plays, 
founded  on  fubjecb  which  had  been  unfuccefsrully  treated  fey 
others.  Of  this  kind  are  King  John,  King  Henry  V.  King  Lear , 
Meafure  for  ^leafure,  the  Taming  of  the  Shrew,  jjntony  and  Cleo~ 
patra,  the  Merchant  of  Venice,  and  perhaps  Macbeth  *  :  whereas  no 
proof  has  hitherto  been  produced,  that  any  contemporary  wri- 
ter ever  prefumed  to  new  model  a  ftory  that  had  already  employ- 
ed the  pen  of  Shcikefpeare.  On  all  thefe  grounds  it  appears 
more  probable,  that  Shakefpeare  was  indebted  to  lord  Sterline, 
than  that  lord  Sterline  borrowed  from  Shakefpeare.  If  this  rea- 
foning  be  juft,  this  play  could  not  have  appeared  before  the  year 
1607. 

The  real  length  of  time  in  Julius  Cafar,  Mr.  Upton  obferves, 
is  as  follows :  About  the  middle  of  February  A.  U.  C.  709,  the 
feftival  of  Luperci  was  held  in  honour  of  Caefar,  when  the  regal 
crown  was  offered  to  him  by  Antony.  On  the  i  §th  of  March  in 
the  fame  year,  he  was  killed.  Nov.  27,  A.  U.  C.  710,  the 
triumvirs  met  at  a  fmalHiland,'  formed  by  the  river  Rhenus,  near 
Bononia,  and  there  adjufted  their  favage  profcription.  • »  • 
A.  U.  C.  711.  Brutus  and  Caffms  were  defeated  near  Philippi. 

MALOKE. 

*  MureJlus."]    I  have,    upon  the  authority  of  Plutarch,   fyc* 
^iven  to  this  tribune,  his  right  name  Marullus.    THEOBALD.  ' 
•  See  Dr.  Farmer's  note  at  the  end  of  Macbeth. 


JULIUS    CAESAR.  5 

Flav.  What  trade,    thou  knave  ?    thou  naughty 
knave,  what  trade  ? 

Cob.  Nay,  I  befeech  you,  fir,  be  not  out  with  me  • 
Yet,  if  you  be  out,  fir,  I  can  mend  you. 

J  Mar.  What  meaneft  thou  by  that  ?  Mend  me, 
thou  faucy  fellow  ? 

Cob.  Why,  fir,  cobble  you. 

Flav.  Thou  art  a  cobler,  art  thou  ? 

Cob.  Truly,  fir,  all  that  I  live  by  is,  with  the  awl :  I 
meddle  with  no  trade, — man's  matters,  nor  woman's 
matters,  but  with  awl  4.  I  am,  indeed,  fir,  a  furgeon 
to  old  fhoes  ;  when  they  are  in  great  danger,  I  re- 
cover them.  As  proper  men  as  ever  trod  upon  neats- 
leather,  have  gone  upon  my  handy-work. 

Flav.  But  wherefore  art  not  in  thy  fhop  to-day  ? 
Why  doft  thou  lead  thefe  men  about  the  itreets  ? 

Cob.  Truly,  fir,  to  wear  out  their  fhoes,  to  get 
myfelf  into  more  work.  But,  indeed,  fir,  we  make 
holiday,  to  fee  Caviar,  and  to  rejoice  in  his  triumph. 

Mar.  Wherefore  rejoice  ?  What  conquefl  brings 

he  home  ? 

What  tributaries  follow  him  to  Rome, 
To  grace  in  captive  bonds  his  chariot  wheels  ? 
You  blocks,    you  flones,    you  worfe  than  fenfelefs 

things  ! 

O,  you  hard  hearts,  you  cruel  men  of  Rome, 
Knew  you  not  Pompey  ?  Many  a  time  and  oft 
Have  you  climb'd  up  to  walls  and  battlements, 
To  towers  and  windows,  yea,  to  chimney-tops, 

3  Mar.  Wljat  mean'ft  tbou  l>y  that  ?]  As  the  Colic;;  in  the  pre- 
ceding fpeech,  replies  to  Flavins,  not  to  Marullus ;  'tis  plain,  I 
think,  this  fpeech  muft  be  given  to  Flavins.     THEOSALD. 

I  have  replaced  Marullus^  who  might  properly  enough  reply  to 
a  faucy  fentence  directed  to  his  colleague,  and  to  whom  the 
fpeech  was  probably  given,  that  he  might  not  fland  too  long  un- 
employed upon  the  ftage.  JOHNSON. 

4  /  me tidlc  with  no  tradefman's  matters,  nor  woman's  matters^ 
lut  with  all.]  This  fhould  be,  ««  I  meddle  with  no  trade, — man's 
matters,  nor  woman's  matters,  but  with  <r.v/,"    FARMER. 

B  3  Your 


6  JULIUS    C^SAR. 

Your  infants  in  your  arms,  and  there  have  fat 
The  live-long  day,  with  patient  expectation, 
To  fee  great  Pompey  pals  the  ilreets  of  Rome  : 
And  when  you  faw  his  chariot  but  appear, 
Have  you  not  made  an  univerfal  fliout, 
That  Tyber  trembled  underneath  his  banks  % 
To  hear  the  replication  of  your  founds, 
Made  in  his  concave  Ihores  ? 
And  do  you  now  put  on  your  belt  attire  ? 
And  do  you  now  cull  out  a  holiday  ? 
And  do  you  now  ftrew  flowers  in  his  way, 
That  comes  in  triumph  over  Pompey's  blood  ? 
Be  gone  ; 

Run  to  your  houfes,  fall  upon  you  knees, 
Pray  to  the  gods  to  intermit  the  plague 
That  needs  muft  light  on  this  ingratitude. 

Flav.  Go,   go,  good  countrymen,   and,  for  this 

fault, 

Affemble  all  the  poor  men  of  your  fort  ; 
Draw  them  to  Tyber  banks,  and  weep  your  tears 
Into  the  channel,  'till  the  lowed  ftream 
Do  kifs  the  moil  exalted  fhores  of  all. 

[Exeunt  Commoners* 

See,  whe'r 6  their  bafeft  metal  be  not  mov'd  ; 
They  vanifh  tongue-ty'd  in  their  guiltinefs. 
Go  you  down  that  way  towards  the  Capitol  ; 
This  way  will  I  :    Difrobe  the  images, 
If  you  do  find  them  7  deck'd  with  ceremonies. 

Mar. 


5  — —  bis  banks,]  The  old  copy  reads — Icr  banks.  As  Tyler 
is  always  reprefented  by  the  figure  of  a  man,  the  feminine  gen- 
der is  improper.  Milton  fays,  that 

"   the  river  of  blifs 

"  Rolls  o'er  Elyfian  flowers  her  amber  ftream  ; 
but  he  is  fpeaking  of  the  water,  and  not  of  its  prefiding  power  or 
genius.     STEEVEKS. 

'  See,  \vhe'r]  Whether,  thus  abbreviated,  is  ufed  by  Ben 
Jonfon.  STEEVEXS. 

1  dectfd  with  ceremonies.]  Ceremonies,  for  religious  orna- 
ments. 


JULIUS    CAESAR.  7 

Mar.  May  we  do  fo  ? 
You  know,  it  is  the  feaft  of  Lupercal. 

Flav.  It  is  no  matter  ;  let  no  images 
Be  hung  with  Czefar's  trophies.     I'll  about, 
And  drive  away  the  vulgar  from  the  ftreets  : 
So  do  you  too,  where  you  perceive  them  thick. 
Thefe  growing  feathers  pluck'd  from  Caefar's  wing, 
Will  make  him  fly  an  ordinary  pitch  ; 
Who  elfe  would  ibar  above  the  view  of  men, 
And  keep  us  all  in  fervile  fearfulnefs. 

[Exeunt. 

SCENE     II. 

'the  fame. 

Enter  Ctefar  ;  Antony,  for  the  courfe ;  Calplourriia, 
Portia^  8  Deans,  Cicero,  Brutus^  CaJJius,  Cafca, 
a  Soothfayer,  &V. 

Caf.  Calphurnia, 

fafca.  Peace,  ho  !  C^far  fpeaks. 

C*f. 

ments.     Thus  afterwards  he  explains  them  by  Cafar's  treaties ; 
i.  e.  fuch  as  he  had  dedicated  to  the  gods.     WAR  BUR  TON. 

Caefar's  trofhies^  are,  I  believe,  the  crowns  which  were  placed 
on  his  flatues.  So,  in  fir  Tho.  Norf/Ss  tranilation.  "  — There 
were  fet  up  images  of  Casfar  in  the  city  with  diadems  on  their 
heads  like  kings.  Thofe  the  two  tribunes  went  and  pulled 
down."  STEEVENS. 

8  This  perfon  was  not  Decius,  but  Decimus  Brutus.  The  poet 
(as  Voltaire  has  done  fince)  confounds  the  characters  of  Marcus 
and  Decimus.  Decimus  Brutus  was  the  moft  cherilhed  by  Cafar 
of  all  his  friends,  while  Marcus  kept  aloof,  and  declined  fo  large 
a  fnare  of  his  favours  and  honours,  as  the  other  had  conftantly 
accepted.  Yelleius  Paterculus,  fpeaking  of  Decimus  Brutus,  fays, 
— "hb  iis  quos  miferat  Antonim,  jugulatus  efl,  juftiffimafque  op- 
time  de  fe  merito,  C.  Cslari  pocnas  dedit,  cujus  cum  primus  om- 
nium amicorum  fuiifet, jnterfefror  fuit,  et  fortuna?  ex  qua  frucftum 
tulerat,  invidiam  in  auaortm  relc.eabat,  cenfebatque  aequum  quz 
r.cceperat  a  Cxfare  retinere,  Csfurem  oui  ilia  dederat  periifle." 
Lib.  ii.  c.  64. 

B  4  Jun- 


8  JULIUS    CJESAR, 

C<ff.  Calphurnia,— — 

Calp.  Here,  my  lord. 

C<ef.  Stand  you  dire&ly  in  Antonius' 9  way, 
When  he  doth  run  his  courfe.- Antonius. 

Ant.  Casfar,  my  lord. 

Caf.  Forget  not,  in  your  fpeed,  Antonius, 
To  touch  Calphurnia  :  for  our  elders  fay, 
The  barren,  touched  in  this  holy  chafe, 
Shake  off  their  fleril  curfe. 

Ant.  I  fhall  remember  : 
When  Csefar  fays,  Do  this,  it  is  perform'd. 

Caf.  Set  on  ;  and  leave  no  ceremony  out. 

Sooth.  Casfar. 

C*f.  Ha  !  Who  calls  ? 

Cafea.  Bid  every  noife  be  ftill : — Peace  yet  again. 

Ctef.  Who  is  it  in  the  prefs,  that  calls  on  me  ? 
I  hear  a  tongue,  fhriller  than  all  the  mufick, 
Cry,  Gsefar  :  Speak  ;  Casfar  is  turn'd  to  hear. 

Sooth.  Beware  the  ides  of  March. 

jCr/I  What  man  is  that  ? 

Bru.  A  foothfayer,  bids  you  beware  the  ides  of 

March. 
Set  him  before  me,  let  me  fee  his  face. 


*'  Jungitur  his  Dccimus,  notiffimus  inter  amicos 

"  Caefaris,  ingratus,  cui  trans-Alpina  fuiflct 

"  Gallia  Caefareo  nuper  commiiTa  favore. 

**  Non  ilium  conjun&a  fides,  non  nomen  amici 

•«  Deterrere  poteft." 

*'  Ante  alios  Dccimus^  cui  fallere,  nomen  amici 

"  Przecipuc  dederat,  duclorem  faepe  morantem 

*'  Incifat. Supplem.Lucani"     STEEVENS. 

Shakefpeare's  miftake  of  Deciits  for  Decimus,  arofe  from  the 
pld  trandation  of  Plutarch.  FARMER. 

Lord  Sterline  has  committed  the  fame  miftake  in  his  Julius 
Ctffar.  MALON-E. 

9  -  -  in  Antonius'  way.']  The  old  copy  generally  reads  An* 
tonio,  Oflavio,  Flavio.  The  players  were  more  accuftomed  to 
Italian  than  Roman  terminations,  on  account  of  the  many  ver- 
ifions  frcm  Italian  novels,  and  the  many  Italian  characters  in  dra- 
matic meces  formed  on  the  fame  originals.  $TEEYENS, 

Crf. 


JULIUS    C^SAR.  9 

Caf.  Fellow,  come  from  the  throng  :  Look  upon 
Catfar. 

Caf.  What  fay'ft  thou  to  me  now  ?  Speak  once 
again. 

Sooth.  Beware  the  ides  of  March. 

Caf.  He  is  a  dreamer ;  let  us  leave  him  : — pafs. 
['  Sennet.     Exeunt  Ctffar,  and  Train, 

Caf.  Will  you  go  fee  the  order  of  the  courfe  ? 

Bru.  Not  I. 

Caf.  I  pray  you,  do. 

Bru.  I  am  not  gamefome  ;    I  do  lack  fomc  part 
Of  that  quick  fpirit  that  is  in  Antony. 
Let  me  not  hinder,  Caffius,  your  defires ; 
I'll  leave  you. 

Caf.  Brutus,  I  do  obferve  you  now  of  late : 
I  have  not  from  your  eyes  that  gentlenefs, 
And  fhew  of  love,  as  I  was  wont  to  have  : 
You  bear  too  ftubborn  and  too  *  ftrange  a  hand 
Over  your  friend  that  loves  you. 

Bru.  Caffius, 

1  Sennet."]  I  have  here  inferred  the  word  Sennet,  from  the  original 
edition,  that  I  may  have  an  opportunity  of  retracing  a  hafty  con- 
jeclure  in  one  of  the  marginal  directions  in  Henry  VIII.  Sennet 
appears  to  be  a  particular  tune  or  mode  of  martial  mufick. 

JOHNSON. 

I  have  been  informed  that  fennet  is  derived  from  fennejie,  an 
antiquated  French  tune  formerly  ufed  in  the  army ;  but  the  Dic- 
tionaries which  I  have  confulte'd  exhibit  no  fuch  word. 

In  Decker's  Satiromaftix,   1602  : 

'*  Trumpets  found  a  flourifli,  and  then  afenxet." 
In  the  Dumb  Show  preceding  the  firftpart  of  Hieronlmo,  1605,  ** 

*'  Sound  ajignate  and  pafs  over  the  ftage." 
In  Antonio's  Revenge,   1602  :  "  Cornets  found  a  cynet." 
In  Look  about  You,  1600:  "  Enter  zjinet." 
In  a  play  called  Alarum  for  London,  &c.  1 602 :  "  b-Jignet  founded." 
In  B.  and  Fletcher's  Knight  of  Malta,  a  fynnet  is  called  a  flourijb 
ef  trumpets,  but  I  kn6w  not  on  what  authority.     See  a  note  oa 
K.  Henry  VIII.  ad  II.  fc.  iv. 
Sennet  may  be  a  corruption  fromfonata,  Ital.     STEEVENS. 

*  ftrange  a  hand]  Strange,  is  alien,  unfamiliar,  fuch  as 

might  become  a  itranger.     JOHNSON, 

Be 


io  J  U  L  I  U  S    C  &  S  A  R. 

Be  not  deceiv'd  :  If  I  have  veil'd  my  look, 

I  turn  the  trouble  of  my  countenance 

Merely  upon  myfelf.     Vexed  I  am, 

Of  late,  with  J  paffions  of  fome  difference, 

Conceptions  only  proper  to  myfelf, 

Which  give  fome  foil,  perhaps,  to  my  behaviours  : 

But  let  not  therefore  my  good  friends  be  griev'd  ; 

(Among  which  number,  Caffius,  be  you  one) 

Nor  conftrue  any  further  my  negledt, 

Than  that  poor  Brutus,  with  himfelf  at  war, 

Forgets  the  fhews  of  love  to  other  men. 

Caf.  Then,  Brutus,  I  have  much  miflook  your 

paflion ; 

By  means  whereof,  this  breaft  of  mine  hath  bury'd 
Thoughts  of  great  value,  worthy  cogitations. 
Tell  me,  good  Brutus,  can  you  fee  your  face  ? 

Eru.  No,  Caffius :  for  the  eye  fees  not  itfelf  *, 
But  by  reflection,  by  fome  other  things. 

Caf.  Tisjuft: 

And  it  is  very  much  lamented,  Brutus, 
That  you  have  no  fuch  mirrors,  as  will  turn 
Your  hidden  worth  inefs  into  your  eye, 
That  you  might  fee  your  lhadow.     I  have  heard, 
Where  many  of  the  bell  refpect  in  Rome, 
(Except  immortal  Csefar)  fpeaking  of  Brutus, 

3  pajfions  of  fome  difference,]    With  a  flu&uation  of  dif- 

cordant  opinions  and  defires.     JOHNSON. 
So,  in  Coriolanus,  aft  V.  fc.  iii : 

*'  thou  haft  fet  thy  mercy  and  thy  honour 

"  At  difference  in  thee."     STEEVENS. 

*  The  eye  fees  not  if/elf.]  So,  fir  John  Davies  in  his  poem  on 
The  Immortality  of  the  Soul : 

Is  it  becattfe  the  mind  is  like  the  eye, 

Through  which  it  gathers  knowledge  by  degrees  ; 
Whofe  rays  reflcft  not,  butfpread  outwardly  ; 
Notfee.'ng  itfelf,  when  other  things  it  fees  ? 
Again,  in  Mariton's  comedy  of  the  Fawne,  1606  : 

"  Thus  few  ftrike  fail  until  they  run  on  flielf ; 

41  The  e\-e  fees  all  things  but  its  proper  fclf."     STEEVENS. 

And 


JULIUS    C^SAR.  ii 

And  groaning  underneath  this  age's  yoke, 
Have  wifh'd  that  noble  Brutus  had  his  eyes. 

Bru.  Into  what  dangers  would  you  lead  me,  Caffius, 
That  you  would  have  me  feek  into  myfelf 
For  that  which  is  not  in  me  ? 

Caf.  Therefore,  good  Brutus,  be  prepar'd  to  hear  : 
And,  fince  you  know  you  cannot  fee  yourfelf 
So  well  as  by  reflection,  I,  your  glafs, 
Will  modeftly  difcover  to  yourfelf 
That  of  yourfelf  which  yet  you  know  not  of. 
And  be  not  jealous  of  me,  gentle  Brutus : 
Were  I  a  common  laugher,  or  did  ufe 
*  To  ftale  with  ordinary  oaths  my  love 
To  every  new  protefler  ;  if  you  know 
That  I  do  fawn  on  men,  and  hug  them  hard, 
And  after  fcandal  them  ;  or  if  you  know 
That  I  profefs  myfelf  in  banqueting 
To  all  the  rout,  then  hold  me  dangerous. 

[Flour  i/hj  and  /bout. 

Bru.  What  means  this  "(houting  ?  I  do  fear,  the 

people 
Choofe  Csefar  for  their  king. 

Caf.  Ay,  do  you  fear  it  ? 
Then  muft  I  think  you  woi  ild  not  have  it  fo. 

Bru.  I  would  not,  Caffiu  s ;  yet  I  love  him  well : — 
But  wherefore  do  you,  hold  me  here  fo  long  ? 
What  is  it  that  you  would   impart  to  me  ? 
If  it  be  ought  toxvard  the  {  general  good, 
Set  honour  in  one  eye,  and   death  i'  the  other, 
4  And  I  will  look  on  both  ii  idiffcrently  : 

5  To  Jiak  with  ordinary  oaths  .  vy  love,  &c.]  To  invite  every 
new  protefler  to  my  affection  by  the  -Jlale  or  allurement  of  cujiomary 
oaths.     JOHNSON. 

6  And  I  will  lonk  on  loth  indiffer  tntly  j]    Dr.  Warburton  has  a 
long  note  on  this  occafion,  which     is  very  trifling.     When  Brutus 
firft  names  honour  and  death  Y  he  c:   Jmly  declares  them  indifferent  j 
but  as  the  image  kindles  in  his  mi    ad, 'he  fets  honour  above  life. 
Is  not  this  natural  ?     JOHNSON. 

For, 


12  JULIUS     CAESAR. 

For,  let  the  gods  fa  fpeed  me,  as  I  love 
The  name  of  honour  more  than  I  fear  death. 

Caf.  I  know  that  virtue  to  be  in  you,  Brutus, 
As  well  ss  I  do  know  your  outward  favour. 
Well,  honour  is  the  fubject  of  my  (lory,— - 
I  cannot  tell,  what  you  and  other  men 
Think  of  this  life  ;  but,  for  my  iingle  felf, 
I  had  as  lief  not  be,  as  live  to  be 
In  awe  of  fuch  a  thing  as  I  my  felf. 
I  W2S  born  free  as  Casfar  ;  fo  were  you  : 
We  both  have  fed  as  well ;  and  we  can  both 
Endure  the  winter's  cold,  as  well  as  he. 
For  once,  upon  a  raw  and  gully  day, 
The  troubled  Tyber  chafing  with  his  fhores, 
Csfar  faid  to  me,  Dar'Jl  thou,  Cajfius,  now 
Leap  in  with  me  into  this  angry  flood, 
Andfzuim  to  yonder  point  ? — Upon  the  word, 
Accoutred  as  I  was,  I  plunged  in, 
And  bade  him  follow  :  fo,  indeed,  he  did. 
The  torrent  roar'd  ;  and  we  did  buffet  it 
With  lufly  finews  ;  throwing  it  afide, 
And  ftemming  it  with  hearts  of  controverfy. 
But  ere  w£  could  arrive  the  point  propos'd  7, 
C.sefar  cry'd,  Help  me,  Caffius,  or  I  fink. 
I,  as  j3ineas,  our  great  anceflor, 
Did  from  the  flames  of  Troy  upon  his  fhoulder 
The  old  Anchifes  bear,  fo,  from  the  waves  of  Tyber 
Did  I  the  tired  Csefar  :  And  this  man 
Is  now  become  a  god  ;  and  Caffius  is 
A  wretched  creature,  and  mud  bend  his  body, 
If  C*efar  carelefsly  but  nod  on  him. 


7  But  ere  wf  could  arrive  the  point  propos'd,  ]  The  verb  arrive 
k  ufed,  without  the  prepolitiou  at,  by  Milton  in  the  fecond  book 
of  Paradifc  Loft,  as  well  as  by  Shakefpeare  in  the  Third  Part  of 
K.  Henry  VI.  aft  V.  fc.  iii : 

" thofe  powers  that  the  queen 

14  Hath  rais'd  in  Gallja,  have  arrived  our  coaft." 

STEEYENS. 

He 


JULIUS     C^SAR.  13 

He  had  a  fever  when  he  was  in  Spain, 

And,  when  the  fit  was  on  him,  I  did  mark 

How  he  did  ftiake  :  'tis  true,  this  god  did  fhakc  : 

*  His  coward  lips  did  from  their  colour  fly  ; 

And  that  fame  eye,  whofe  bend  doth  awe  the  world, 

Did  lofe  his  luftre  :  I  did  hear  him  groan  : 

Ay,  and  that  tongue  of  his,  that  bade  the  Romans 

Mark  him,  and  write  his  fpeeches  in  their  books, 

Alas  !  it  cry'd,  Give  me  foms  drink,  Titiniw, 

As  a  iick  girl.     Ye  gods,  it  doth  amaze  me, 

A  man  of  fuch  a  feeble  temper  fhould 

So  9  get  the  ftart  of  the  majcftick  world, 

And  bear  the  palm  alone.  [Shout.     Flourrjb. 

Bru.  Another  general  ihout ! 
I  do  believe,  that  thefe  applaufes  are 
For  fome  new  honours  that  are  heap'd  on  Csefar. 

Caf.  Why,  man,  he  doth  beilride  the  narrow  world, 
Like  a  Coloffus  ;  and  we  petty  men 
Walk  under  his  huge  legs,  and  peep  about 
To  find  ourfelves  dishonourable  graves. 
Men  at  fome  time  are  matters  of  their  fates  : 
The  fault,  dear  Brutus,  is  not  in  our  ftars, 
But  in  ourfelves,  that  we  are  underlings. 
Brutus,  and  Csefar  :  What  Ihould  be  in  that  Ca^far  ? 
Why  fliould  that  name  be  founded  more  than  yours  < 
Write  them  together,  yours  is  as  fair  a  name ; 

8  His  coward  lips  dlil  from  their  colour  fly  ;]  A  plain  man  would 
have  faid,  the  colour  Jlcd  from  his  lips,  and  not  his  lips  from  their 
colour.     But  the  falfe  expreflion  was  for  the  fake  of  as  falfe  a  piece 
of  wit :  a  poor  quibble,  alluding  to  a  coward  flying  from  his 
colours.     WAR  BUR  TON. 

9  -    '  -get  thejlart  of  the  majcftick  world^  &c.]  This  innate  is 
extremely  noble  :  it  is  taken  from  the  Olympic  games.     The  ma- 
jeftick  world  is  a  fine  periphraiis  tor  the  Roman  empire ;  their  citi- 
zens fet  themfelves  on  a  footing  with  kings,  and  they  called  their 
dominion  Orbis  Ro?nanus.     But  the  particular  allufion  feems  to 
be  to  the  known  ftory  of  Caefar's  great  pattern  Alexander,  who 
being  afked,  Whether  he  would  run  the  courfe  at  the  Olympic 
games,  replied,  Test  if  the  racers  wire  Kivgs.     WARBURTON. 

Sound 


i4  JULIUS    CAESAR. 

Sound  them,  it  doth  become  the  mouth  as  well T ; 
Weigh  them,  it  is  as  heavy  ;  conjure  with  them, 
Brutus  will  ftart  a  fpirit  as  foon  as  Caefar. 
Now  in  the  names  of  all  the  gods  at  once, 
Upon  what  meat  doth  this  our  Casfar  feed, 
That  he  is  grown  fo  great  ?  Age,  thou  art  fham'd  : 
Rome,  thou  haft  loft  the  breed  of  noble  bloods  ! 
When  went  there  by  an  age,  fmce  the  great  flood, 
But  it  was  fam'd  with  more  than  with  one  man  ? 
When  could  they  fay,  'till  now,  that  talk'dofRome, 
That  her  wide  walls  *  incompafs'd  but  one  man  ? 
Now  is  it  Rome  indeed,  and  room  enough, 
When  there  is  in  it  but  one  only  man. 

0  !  you  and  I  have  heard  our  fathers  fay, 

3.  There  was  a  Brutus  once,  that  would  have  brook'd 
The 4  eternal  devil  to  keep  his  ftate  in  Rome, 
As  eafily  as  a  king. 

Bru.  That  you  do  love  me,  I  am  nothing  jealous; 
What  you  would  work  me  to,  I  have  fome  aim  : 
How  I  have  thought  of  this,  and  of  thefe  times, 

1  fhall  recount  hereafter  ;  for  this  prefent, 

I  would  not,  fo  with  love  I  might  intreat  you, 
Be  any  further  mov'd.     What  you  have  faid, 
I  will  confider;  what  you  have  to  fay, 
I  will  with  patience  hear ;  and  find  a  time 

f  Sound  them,  it  doth  become  the  mouth  as  we!/.]   A  fimilar  thought 
occurs  in  Heywood's  Rape  of  Lucrccc,   1614: 

**  What  diapafon's  more  in  Tarquin's  name 

"  Than  in  a  fubjeft's  ?  or  what's  Tullia 

**  More  in  the  found,  than  fhould  become  the  name 

"  Of  a  poor  maid  ?"     STEEVENS. 

2  That  her  wide  walls]  The  old  copy  reads  walks,  which  may 
be  right.     STEEVENS. 

3  Tlxre  was  a  Brutus  once ,  i.e.  Lucius  Junius  Brutus. 

STEEVENS. 

4  eternal  devil ]  I  fhould  think  that  our  author  wrote 

rather,  infernal  de-jil.     JOHNSON. 

I  would  continue  to  read  eternal  devil.    L.  J.  Brut  as  (fays  Caf~ 
Jius)    would  as  foon  have  fubmitted  to  the  perpetual  dominion  of  a 
ai  to  the  lajling government  of  a  king.     STEEVENS. 

Both 


JULIUS    CAESAR.  15 

Both  meet  to  hear,  and  anfwer,  fuch  high  things. 

'Till  then,  my  noble  friend,  5  chew  upon  this  ; 

Brutus  had  rather  be  a  villager, 

Than  to  repute  himfelf  a  fon  of  Rome 

Under  fuch  hard  6  conditions  as  this  time 

Is  like  to  lay  upon  us. 

Caf.  1  am  glad,  that  my  weak  words 
Have  ftruck  but  thus  much  fhew  of  fire  from  Brutus. 


Re-enter  Gefar,  and  his  train. 

Bru.  The  games  are  done,  and  Ca^far  is  returning. 

Caf.  As  they  pafs  by,  pluck  Cafca  by  the  fleeve  ; 
And  he  will,  after  his  four  fafhion,  tell  you 
What  hath  proceeded,  worthy  note,  to-day. 

Bru.  I  will  do  fo  : — But,  look  you,  Caffius, 
The  angry  fpot  doth  glow  on  Csefar's  brow, 
And  all  the  reft  look  like  a  chidden  train  : 
Calphurnia's  cheek  is  pale ;  and  Cicero 
Looks  with  fuch 7  ferret  and  fuch  fiery  eyes, 
As  we  have  feen  him  in  the  Capitol, 
Being  crofs'd  in  conference  by  fome  fenators. 

Caf.  Cafca  will  tell  us  what  the  matter  is. 

Caf.  Antonius. 

Ant.  Csefar. 

Caf.  Let  me  have  men  about  me,  that  are  fat ; 
Sleek-headed  men,  and  fuch  as  fleep  o'nights8  : 

Yon 


5  —chew  upon  tins ;  ]  Confider  this  at  leifure ;  ruminate  on  this, 

JOHNSON. 
*  Under  fuch  kard—~\  The  old  copy  reads,  tbefe  hard — 

STEEVEKS. 

7  —ferret ]  A  ferret  has  red  eyes.     JOHNSON. 

8  -Sleek-headed  mm,  &c.]  "  So,  in  lir  Thomus  North's  tranfla- 
tion  of  Plutarch,  1579.    "  When  Ca?f*r's  friends  complained  unto, 
him  of  Antonius  and  Dolabella,  that  they  pretended  fome  mif- 
chief  towards  him  ;  he  aiifvvered,  as  for  thole  fat  men  and  fmoc^h- 
combed  heads,  (quoth  he)  I  never  reckon  of  them :  but  thofe 

pale- 


,t>  JULIUS    CAESAR. 

Yon  Caffius  has  a  lean  and  hungry  look ; 

He  thinks  too  much  :  fuch  men  are  dangerous. 

Ant.  Fear  him  not,  Caefar,  he's  not  dangerous ; 
He  is  a  noble  Roman,  and  well  given. 

C<ef. 9  'Would  he  were  fatter  : — But  I  fear  him  not  s 
Yet  if  my  name  were  liable  to  fear, 
I  do  not  know  the  man  I  Ihould  avoid 
So  foon  as  that  fpare  Caffius.     He  reads  much  ; 
TJe  is  a  great  obferver,  and  he  looks 
Quite  through  the  deeds  of  men  :  he  loves  no  plays, 
As  thou  deft,  Antony  ;  he  hears  no  mufick  : 
Seldom  he  fmiles ;  and  fmiles  in  fuch  a  fort, 
As  if  he  mock'd  himfelf,  and  fcorn'd  his  fpirit 
That  could  be  mov'd  to  fmile  at  any  thing. 
Such  men  as  he  be  never  at  heart's  eafe, 
Whiles  they  behold  a  greater  than  themfelves ; 
And  therefore  are  they  very  dangerous. 
I  rather  tell  thee  what  is  to  be  fear'd, 
Than  what  I  fear;  for  always  I  am  Czefar. 
Come  on  my  right  hand,  for  this  ear  is  deaf, 
And  tell  me  truly  what  thou  think'ft  of  him. 

[Exeunt  Cafar,  and  bis  train* 

Manent  Brutus  and  Cajfius :  Cafca  to  them. 

Cafca.  You  pull'd  me  by  the  cloak ;    Would  you 

fpeak  with  me  ? 

Eru.  Ay,  Cafca  ;  tell  us  what  hath  chanc'd  to-day, 
That  Ca?far  looks  fo  fad. 


pale-vifaged  and  carri 
Brutus  and  Caffius." 


carrion-lean  people,  I  fear  them  moft,  meaning 


And  again: 

**  Czefar  had  Caffius  in  great  jealoufy,  and  fufpe&ed  him  much  ; 
whereupon  he  faid  on  a  time,  to  his  friends,  what  will  Caffius 
do,  think  you  ?  I  like  not  his  pale  looks."  STEEVENS. 

9  'Would  he  were  fatter : — ]  Jonfon  in  his  Bartholomew-fair, 
1614,  unjuftly  fneers  at  this  paflage,  in  Knockham's  fpeech  to 
the  Pig- woman.  **  Come^  there 's  no  malice  in  fat  folks  ;  I  never  fear 
tkee,  an  I  can  fape  tbj  Uan  moon-calf  thtre"  \VARBURTON> 

Cafca. 


JULIUS    CAESAR.  17 

Cafca.  Why  you  were  with  him,  were  you  not  ? 

Bru.  I  fhould  not  then  afk  Cafca  what  had  chanc'd. 

Cafca.  Why,  there  was  a  crown  offer'd  him  :  and 
being  offer'd  him,  he  put  it  by  with  the  back  of  his 
hand,  thus  ;  and  then  the  people  fell  a'  (homing. 

Bru.  What  was  the  iecond  noife  for  ? 

Cafca.   Why  for  that  too. 

Caf.  They  fhouted  thrice  ;  What  was  the  laft  cry 
for? 

Cafca.  Why  for  that  too. 

Bru.  Was  the  crown  offer'd  him  thrice  ? 

Cafca.  Ay,  marry,  was't,  and  he  put  it  by  thrice, 
every  time  gentler  than  other ;  and  at  every  putting 
by,  mine  honeft  neighbours  fhouted. 

Caf.  Who  offer'd  him  the  crown  ? 

Cafca.  Why,  Antony. 

Bru.  Tell  us  the  manner  of  it,  gentle  Cafca. 

Cafca.  I  can  as  well  be  hang'd,  as  tell  the  manner 
of  it  :  it  was  nicer  foolery,  I  did  not  mark  it.  I  faw 

Mark  Antony  offer  him  a  crown; yet  'twas  not 

a  crown  neither,  'twas  one  of  thefe  coronets  l ; — and, 
as  I  told  you,  he  put  it  by  once  :  but,  for  all  that,  to 
my  thinking,  he  would  fain  have  had  it.  Then  he 
offer'd  it  to  him  again ;  then  he  put  it  by  again  :  but, 
to  my  thinking,  he  was  very  loth  to  lay  his  fingers 
off  it.  And  then  he  offer'd  it  the  third  time  ;  he  put 
it  the  third  time  by  :  and  ftill  as  he  refus'd  it,  the 
rabblement  hooted,  and  clapp'd  their  chopt  hands, 
and  threw  up  their  fweaty  night-caps,  and  ntter'd 
fuch  a  deal  of  (linking  breath  becaufe  Casfar  refus'd 
the  crown,  that  it  had  almofl  choak'd  Caefar  ;  for 
he  fwooned,  and  fell  down  at  it  :  And  for  mine  own 
part,  I  durft  not  laugh,  for  fear  of  opening  my  lips, 
and  receiving  the  bad  air. 

1  one  of  tbcfe  coronets  ;]    So,  in   the  old  tranflation  of 

Plutarch:  "  -•  .  ..he  came  to  Cztar,  and  prefented  him  a  diadem 
wreathed  about  with  laurel."  STEEVENS. 

VOL.  VIII,  C  Caf. 


i8  J  U  L  I  U  S    C  JE  S  A  R. 

Ciif.  But,  foft,  I  pray  you  :    What  ?    did  Cafar 

f \voon  ? 

.    Cafca.  He  fell  down  in  the   market-place,    and 
foam'd  at  mouth,  and  was  fpecchlefs. 

Bru.  Tis  very  like  ;  he  hath  the  falling-ficknefs. 

Caf.  No,  Casfar  hath  it  not ;  but  you,  and  I, 
And  honeft  Cafca,   we  have  the  falling-ficknefs. 

Cafca.  I  know  not  what  you  mean  by  that  ;  but,  I 
am  lure,  Gsefar  fell  down.  If  the  tag-rag  people  did 
not  clap  him,  and  hifshim,  according  as  he  pleas'd, 
and  difpleas'd  them,  as  they  ufe  to  do  the  players 
in  the  theatre,  I  am  no  true  man. 

Bru.  What  faid  he,  when  he  came  unto  himfelf  ? 

Cafca.  Marry,  before  he  fell  down,  when  he  per- 
ceiv'd  the  common  herd  was* glad  he  refus'd  the 
crown,  he  pluck'd  me  ope  his  doublet,  and  offer'd 
them  his  throat  to  cut. — An  I  had  been  a  *  man  of 
any  occupation,  if  I  would  not  have  taken  him  at  a 
word,  I  would  I  might  go  to  hell  among  the  rogues:  — 
and  fo  he  fell.  When  he  came  to  himfelf  again,  he 
faid,  If  he  had  done,  or  faid,  any  thing  amifs,  he  de- 
iir'cl  their  worships  to  think  it  was  his  infirmity.  Three 
or  four  wenches,  where  I  flood,  cry'd,  Alas,  good 
foul! — and  forgave  him  with  all  their  hearts  :  But 
there's  no  heed  to  be  taken  of  them  ;  if  Ca^far 
had  ftabb'd  their  mothers,  they  would  have  done  no 
Ids. 

Bru.  .And  after  that,  he  came,  thus  fad,  away  ? 

Cafca.  Ay. 

Caf.  Did  Cicero  fay  any  thing  ? 

Ctifca.  Ay,  he  fpoke  Greek. 

Caf.  To  what  cffcQ.  ? 

Cafca.  Nay,  an  I  tell  you  that,  I'll  ne'er  look  you 
F  the  face  again  :  But  thole,  that  understood  him, 
i'mil'd  at  one  another,  and  fhook  their  heads  :  but,  for 

1  — a  man  of  any  occupation,]  Had  I  been  a  mechanick,  one 
of  the  Plebeians  to  whom  he  offered  his  throat.  JOHNSON. 

mine 


JULIUS     C.ESAR.  19 

mine  own  part,  it  was  Greek  to  me.  I  conld  tell 
you  more  news  too  :  Marullus  and  Flavius,  for  pull- 
ing fcarfs  off'  Csfar's  images,  are  put  to  filence. 
Fare  you  well.  There  was  more  foolery  yet,  if  I 
could  remember  it. 

Caf.  Will  you  fup  with  me  to-night,  Cafca  ? 
Cafca.  No,  I  am  promis'd  forth. 
Caf.  Will  you  dine  with  me. to-morrow  ? 
Cafca..  Ay,  if  I  be  alive,  and  your  mind  hold,  and 
your  dinner  worth  the  eating. 
Caf.  Good  ;  I  will  exped:  you. 
Cafca.  Do  fo  :  Fare wel  both.  [Exit. 

Bru.  What  a  blunt  fellow  is  this  grown  to  be  ? 
He  was  quick  mettle,  when  he  went  to  fchool. 

Caf.  So  is  he  now,  in  execution 
Of  any  bold  or  noble  enterprize, 
However  he  puts  on  this  tardy  form. 
This  rudenefs  is  a  fauce  to  his  good  wit, 
Which  gives  men  ftomach  to  digeft  his  words 
With  better  appetite. 

Bru.  And  fo  it  is.    For  this  time  I  will  leave  you  ; 
To  morrow,  if  you  pleafe  to  fpeak  with  me, 
I  will  come  home  to  you  ;  or,  if  you  will, 
Come  home  to  me,  and  I  will  wait  for  you. 

Caf.  I  will  do  fo  : — 'till  then,  think  of  the  world. 

[Exit  Brutus* 

Well,  Brutus,  thou  art  noble  :  yet,  I  fee, 
J  Thy  honourable  metal  may  be  wrought 
From  that  it  is  difpos'd  :  Therefore  'tis  meet 
That  noble  minds  keep  ever  with  their  likes  : 
For  who  fo  firm,  that  cannot  be  feduc'd  ? 
Csefar  doth  bear  me  hard  ;  but  he  loves  Brutus  : 

1   3   Thy  honourable  metal  may  be  wrought 

From  ivbaf  it  is  d'fpoi1  d :] 

The  beft  metal  or  temper  may  be  worked  into  qualities  contrary  t» 
its  original  confutation.     JOHNSON. 

C    2  Jf 


20  J  U  L  I  U  S    C  J£  S  A  R. 

4  If  I  were  Brutus  now,  and  he  were  Caffius, 

He  ihould  not  humour  me.     I  will  this  night, 

In  feveral  hands,  in  at  his  windows  throw, 

As  if  they  came  from  feveral  citizens, 

Writings,  all  tending  to  the  great  opinion 

That  Rome  holds  of  his  name  ;  wherein  obfcurely 

Czefar's  ambition  fhall  be  glanced  at  : 

And,  after  this,  let  Csefar  feat  him  fure  ; 

For  we  will  fhake  him,  or  worfe  days  endure.    [Exit. 

SCENE    III. 

A  Street. 

'Thunder  and  lightning.     Enter  Cafca^  bis  fword  drawn  ; 
and  Cicero,  meeting  him. 

Cic.  Good  even,    Cafca  :    J  Brought   you  Caefar 

home  ? 

Why  are  you  breathleis  ?  and  why  flare  you  fo  ? 
Cafca.  Are  you  not  mov'd,  when  all  the 3  fway  of 

earth 
Shakes,  like  a  thing  unfirm  ?  O  Cicero, 

+  If  I  r.vrr  Brutus  ntnv,  and  be  were  Cajpus, 

He  fiould  not  humour  me.] 

This  is  a  reflection  on  Brutus's  ingratitude  ;  which  concludes,  as 
is  nfual  on  fuch  occafions,  in  an  encomium  on  his  own  better 
conditions.  If  I  were  Brutus  (fays  he)  and  Brutus,  Caji:is,  he 
Joould  not  cajole  me  as  I  Jo  him.  To  humour  liquifies  here  to  turn 
and  wind  him,  by  inflaming  his  pallions.  The  Oxford  editor  al- 
ters the  laft  line  to 

Cafar  fiould  not  lave  me. 
What  he  means  by  it,  is  not  worth  inquiring.     WAR  BURTON*. 

The  meaning,  I  think,  is  this,  CaJ'ar  lovus  Brutus,  but  if  Bru- 
tus and  I  ivere  tit  change  plnces^  hh  iovc  ^(hould  not  humour  arr, 
fiiould  not  take  hold  of  my  affection,  fo  as  to  make  me  forget  my 
principles.  JOHNSON. 

*  — Brought y an  L\ifjr  home?]   Did  you  attend  Csefar  home  ? 

JOHNSON. 

*  —  fway  of  earth]  The  whole  weight  or  momentum  of  this  globe. 

JOKXEO.V. 

I  have 


JULIUS     C^SAR.  21 

I  have  feen  tempefts,  when  the  fcolding  winds 
Have  riv'd  the  knotty  oaks  ;  and  I  have  feen 
The  ambitious  ocean  fwell,  and  rage,  and  foam, 
To  be  exalted  with  the  threatning  clouds  : 
But  never  'till  to-night,  never  'till  now, 
Did  I  go  through  a  tempeft  dropping  fire. 
Either  there  is  a  civil  ftrife  in  heaven  ; 
Or  elfe  the  world,  too  faucy  with  the  gods, 
Incenfes  them  to  fend  deftrudtion. 

Clc.  Why,  faw  you  any  thing  more  wonderful  ? 

Cafca.  A  common  flave  7  (you  know  him  well  by 

fight) 

Held  up  his  left  hand,  which  did  flame,  and  burn, 
Like  twenty  torches  join'd  ;  and  yet  his  hand, 
Not  fenfible  of  fire,  remained  unfcorch'd. 
Befidcs,  (I  have  not  fince  put  up  my  fvvord) 
Againft  the  Capitol  I  met  a  lion, 
8  Who  glar'd  upon  me,  and  went  furly  by, 
Without  annoying  me  :  And  there  were  drawn 
Upon  a  heap  a  hundred  ghaftly  women, 
Transformed  with  their  fear ;  who  fwqre,  they  faw 
Men,  all  in  fire,  walk  up  and  down  the  flreets. 
And,  yelterday,  the  bird  of  night  did  fit, 
Even  at  noon-day,  upon  the  market-place, 
Hooting,  and  fhrieking.     When  thele  prodigies 
Do  fo  conjointly  meet,  let  not  men  fay, 

7  A  common  Jtave ,  &c.]  So,  in  the  eld  tranflation  of  Plutarc b  : 

*'  a  Jlave  of  the  fouldiers  that  did  caft  a  marvelous  burning 

flame  out  of  his  hande,  infomuch  as  they  that  faw  it,  thought  he 
had  bene  burnt ;  but  when  the  fire  was  out,  it  was  found  he  had 
no  hurt."    STEEVENS. 

8  Who  glar'd  upon  me, ]  The  firfl  edition  reads  : 

ll'bo  glaz'd  upon  me, 

Perhaps,  Who  gaz'd  upon  me.     JOHNSON. 

Glar'd  is  certainly  right.  To  gaze  is  only  to  look  fledfaftly,  or 
with  admiration.  Glar'd  has  a  fmgular  propriety,  as  it  expreUes 
the  furious  fcintillation  of  a  lion's  eyes  :  and,  that  a  lion  ftiould 
appear  full  of  fury,  and  yet  attempt  no  violence,  augments  the 
prodigy.  STEEVENS. 

C  3  Theft 


22  JULIUS    CAESAR. 

Tbefe  are  their  reafons, — ttey  are  natural ; 
For,  I  believe,  the"  are  portentous  things 
Unto  the  climate  that  they  point  upon. 

Cic.  Indeed,  it  is  a  ftrange-difpofed  time  : 
But  men  may  conftrue  things  after  their  fafhion, 
Clean  from  the  purpofe  of  the  things  themfelves. 
Comes  Czefar  to  the  Capitol  to-morrow  ? 

Cafca.  He  doth  ;  for  he  did  bid  Antonius 
Send  word  to  you,  he  would  be  there  to-morrow. 

Cic.  Good  night  then,  Cafca  :  this  difturbed  iky 
Is  not  to  walk  in. 

Cafca.  Farewel,  Cicero.  [Exit  Cicero. 

Enter  Cqffius. 

Caf.  Who's  there  ? 

Cafca.  A  Roman. 

Caf.  Cafca,  by  your  voice. 

Cafca.  Your  ear  is  good.     Caffius,  what  night  is 
this  ? 

Caf.  A  very  pleafing  night  to  honeft  men. 

Cafca.  Who  ever  knew  the  heavens  menace  fo  ? 

Caf.  Thofe,  that  have  known  the  earth  fo  full  of 

faults. 

For  my  part,  I  have  walk'd  about  the  ftreets, 
Submitting  me  unto  the  perilous,  night ; 
And,  thus  unbraced,  Cafca,  as  you  fee, 
Have  bar'd  my  bofom  to  the  thunder-ftone  : 
And,  when  the  crofs  blue  lightning  feem'd  to  open 
The  breaft  of  heaven,  I  did  prefent  myfelf 
Even  in  the  aim  and  very  flaih  of  it. 

Cafca.  Bbt  wherefore  did  you  fo  much  tempt  the 

heavens  ? 

It  is  the  part  of  men  to  fear  and  tremble, 
When  the  moil  mighty  gods,  by  tokens,  fend 
Such  dreadful  heralds  to  aftonifh  us. 

Caf.  You  are  dull,  Cafca;  and  thofe  fparks  of  life 
That  fhould  be  in  a  Roman,  you  do  want, 

Or 


JULIUS    CAESAR.  23 

Or  elfe  you  ufe  not :  You  look  pale,  and  gaze, 

And  put  on  fear,  and  caft  yourfelf  in  wonder, 

To  fee  the  ftrange  impatience  of  the  heavens  : 

But  if  you  would  confider  the  true  caufe, 

Why  all  thefe  fires,  why  all  thefe  gliding  ghofts, 

9  Why  birds,  and  beafts,  from  quality  and  kind  ; 

Why  old  men  fools,  '  and  children  calculate; 

Why  ajl  thefe  things  change,  from  their  ordinance, 

Their  natures,  and  pre-formed  faculties, 

To  monftrous  quality  ;  why,  you  fhall  find, 

That  heaven  hath  infus'd  them  with  thefe  fpirits, 

To  make  them  inftruments  of  fear,  and  warning, 

Unto  fome  monftrous  ftate. 

Now  could  I,  Cafca,  name  to  thee  a  man 

Moft  like  this  dreadful  night ; 

That  thunders,  lightens,  opens  graves,  and  roars 

As  doth  the  lion  in  the  Capitol : 

A  man  no  mightie'r  than  thyfelf,  or  me, 

In  perfonal  adtion  ;  yet  prodigious  grown  *, 

And  fearful,  as  thefe  ftrange  eruptions  are. 

Cafca.  'Tis  Casfar  that  you  mean  :  Is  it  nor,  Cafllus  ? 

Caf.  Let  it  be  who  it  is  :  for  Romans  now 
J  Have  thews  and  limbs  like  to  their  anceftors  ; 

But, 

9  lFl.y  birds,  and  leafts,  from  quality  and  kind ;~\  That  is,  Whv 
they  deviate  from  quality  and  nature.  This  line  might  perhaps 
be  more  properly  placed  after  the  next  line  : 

Why  birds,  and  beajls,  from  quality  and  kind ; 
Why  all  thefe  things  change  from  their  ordinance.    JOHNSON. 
1  — and  children  calculate  ;]  Calculate  here  fignifies  to  tbretel 
or  prophefy :  for  the  cuftom  of  foretelling  fortunes  by  judicial 
aftrology  (which  was  at  that  time  much  in  vogue)  being  performed 
by  a  long  tedious  calculation,  Shakefpeare,  with  his  ufual  liberty, 
employs  the  fpecies  [calculate]  for  the  genus  [foretel]. 

WAR  BURTON. 

Shakefpeare  found  the  liberty  eftabliftied.  To  copulate  a  nati- 
vity, is  the  technical  term.  JOHNSON. 

*  — prodigious  grown,]  Prodigious  is  portentous.     STEEYENS. 
3  Have  thewes  and  limbs J  Tbf-ices  is  an  obfolete  word  im- 
plying nerves  or  mufcular  Jlrengtb.     It  is  ufed  by  Falftafif  in  the 
fcecond  Fart  of  Hen,  IV.  and  in  Hamlet : 

C  4  For 


24  J  U  L  I  U  S    C  M  S  A  R. 

But,  woe  the  while  !  our  fathers'  minds  are  dead, 
And  we  are  govern'd  with  our  mothers'  fpirits ; 
Our  yoke  and  fufferance  {hew  us  womanifh. 

Cafca.  Indeed,  they  fay,  the  fenators  to-morrow 
Mean  to  eftablifh  Czcfar  as  a  king  : 
And  he  {hall  wear  his  crown,  by  fea,  and  land, 
In  every  place,  fave  here  in  Italy. 

Caf.  I  know  where  I  will  wear  this  dagger  then  ; 
Caflius  from  bondage  will  deliver  Caffius  : 
Therein,  ye  gods,  you  make  the  weak  moft  ftrong  -s 
Therein,  ye  gods,  you  tyrants  do  defeat  ; 
Nor  ftony  tower,  nor  walls  of  beaten  brafs, 
Nor  airlefs  dungeon,  nor  ftrong  links  of  iron, 
Can  be  retentive  to  the  ftrength  of  fpirit ; 
But  life,  being  weary  of  thefe  worldly  bars, 
Never  lacks  power  to  difmifs  itfclf. 
If  I  know  this,  know  all  the  world  befides, 
That  part  of  tyranny,  that  I  do  bear, 
I  can  {hake  off  at  pleafure. 

Cafca.  So  can  I  : 

So  every  bondman  in  his  own  hand  bears 
The  power  to  cancel  his  captivity. 

Caf.  And  why  {hould  Csefar  be  a  tyrant  then  ? 
Poor  man  !  I  know,  he  would  not  be  a  wolf, 
But  that  he  fees,  the  Romans  are  but  fheep  : 
He  were  no  lion,  were  not  Romans  hinds. 
Thofe  that  with  hafte  will  make  a  mighty  fire, 
Begin  it  with  weak  ftraws  :  What  tralh  is  Rome, 
What  rubbifh,  and  what  offal,  when  it  ferves 
For  the  bafe  matter  to  illuminate 
So  vile  a  thing  as  Czefar  ?  But,  O,  grief ! 
WThcre  haft  thou  led  me  ?  I,  perhaps,  fpeak  this 
Before  a  willing  bondman  :  then  I  know 

"  For  nature,  crefcent,  does  not  grow  alone 
"  In  thc<wcs  and  bulk." 

The  two  laft  folios,  in  which  fome  words  are  injudicioufly  rao- 
'     w.    STEEVENS. 

My 


JULIUS     C^SAR.  25 

*  My  anfwer  muft  be  made  :  But  I  am  arm'd, 
And  clangers  are  to  me  indifferent. 

Cafca.  You  fpeak  to  Cafca  :  and  to  fuch  a  man. 
That  is  no  fl taring  tell-tale.     5  Hold  my  hand  : 

6  Be  factious  for  redrefs  of  all  thefe  griefs  ; 
And  1  will  fet  this  foot  of  mine  as  far, 

As  who  goes  fartheft. 

Cof.  There's  a  bargain  made. 
Now  know  you,  Cafca,  I  have  mov'd  already 
Some  certain  of  the  nobleft-minded  Romans, 
To  undergo,  with  me,  an  enterprize 
Of  honourable-dangerous  confeqnence ; 
And  I  do  know,  by  this,  they  itay  for  me 
In  Pompey's  porch  :  For  now,  this  fearful  night, 
There  is  no  ftir,  or  walking  in  the  ftreets; 
And  the  complexion  of  the  element, 

7  It  favours  like  the  work  we  have  in  hand, 
Moil  bloody,  fiery,  and  moft  terrible. 

Enter  Cinna. 

Cafca.  Stand  clofe  awhile,  for  here  comes  one  in 
hafte. 

*  My  anfwer  mujl  le  made.~\  I  fliall  be  called  to  account,  and 
muft  anfacr  as  for  ieditious  words.     JOHNSON. 

5  -Hold  my  hand:'}  Is  the  fame  as,  Here's  my  band. 

JOHNSON. 

6  Be  factious /or  redrefs—  ]  Fatfious  feems  here  to  mean  aftive. 

JOHNSON. 

7  L  fev'rous,  like  the  work — ]  The  old  edition  reads  : 

Is  favors,  like  the  work 

I  think  we  fhould  r.ead  : 

In  favour'.?  like  the  work  ivc  have  in  band, 
Moft  bloody,  fory-,  a»d  mojl  terrible. 
Favour  is  look,  countenance,  appearance,     JOHNSON, 

To  favour  is  to  rcfemlle.    Thus  Stattyhurft  in  his  tranflation  of 
the  Third  Book  of  Virgil's  Mneid,  1582: 

"  With  the  petit  town  gates  favoring  the  principal  old 

portes." 

We  may  read  //  favours,  or — Is  favoured—  \.  e.  is  in  appear- 
ance or  countenance  like,  &c.    STEEVENS. 

fib/. 


±6  JULIUS     C^SAR. 

Caf.  'Tis  Cinna,  I  do  know  him  by  his  gait ; 
He  is  a  friend. — Cinna,  where  hafte  you  fo  ? 

Cin.  To  find  out  you  :    Who's  that  ?    Metellus 
Cim'oer  ? 

Caf.  No,  it  is  Cafca ;  one  incorporate 
To  our  attempts.     Am  I  not  {laid  for,  Cinna  ? 

Cin.  I  am  glad  on't.    What  a  fearful  night  is  this  ? 
There's  two  or  three  of  us  have  feen  ftrange  fights. 

Caf.  Am  I  not  ftaid  for  ?  Tell  me. 

Cin.  Yes, 

You  are.     O,  Caffius,  if  you  could  but  win 
The  noble  Brutus  to  our  party 

Caf.  Be  you  content :  Good  Cinna,  take  this  paper, 
^nd  look  you  lay  it  in  the  pnetor's  chair, 
WThere  Brutus  may  but  find  it ;    and  throw  this 
In  at  his  window  ;  fet  this  up  with  wax 
Upon  old  Brutus'  ftatue  :  all  this  done, 
Repair  to  Pompey's  porch,  where  you  fhall  find  us. 
Is  Decius  Brutus,  and  Trebonius,  there  ? 

Cin.  All  but  Metellus  Cimber  ;  and  he's  gone 
To  feek  you  at  your  houfe.     Well,  I  will  hie, 
And  fo  beftow  thefe  papers  as  you  bade  me. 

Caf.  That  done,  repair  to  Pompey's  theatre. 

[Exit  Cinna. 

Come,  Cafca,  you  and  I  will,  yet,  ere  day, 
See  Brutus  at  his  houfe  :  three  parts  of  him 
Is  ours  already  ;  and  the  man  entire 
Upon  the  next  encounter,  yields  him  ours. 

Caf.  O,  he  fits  high  in  all  the  people's  hearts  : 
And  that,  which  would  appear  offence  in  us, 
His  countenance,  like  riched:  alchymy, 
Will  change  to  virtue,  and  to  worthinefs. 

Caf.  Him,  and  his  worth,  and  our  great  need  of 

him, 

You  have  right  well  conceited.     Let  us  go, 
For  it  is  after  midnight ;  and,  ere  day, 
We  will  awake  him,  and  be  fure  of  him.       [Exeunt, 

ACT 


JULIUS     C^SAR.  27 

ACT     II.        SCENE     I. 

Enter  Brutus,  in  Ins  Orchard  8. 

Bru.  What,  Lucius !  ho  !— 
I  cannot,  by  the  progrefs  of  the  ftars, 

Give  guefs  how  near  to  day. Lucius,  I  fay  ! — 

I  would  it  were  my  fault  to  fleep  fo  foundly.— 
When,  Lucius,  when  ?  Awake,  I  fay  :  What,  Lu- 
cius ! 

Enter  Lucius. 

Luc.  Call'd  you,  my  lord  ? 

Bru.  Get  me  a  taper  in  my  ftudy,  Lucius  : 
When  it  is  lighted,  come  and  call  me  here. 

Luc.  I  will,  my  lord.  [Exit. 

Bru.  It  muft  be  by  his  death  :  and,  for  my  part, 
I  know  no  perfonal  caufe  to  fpurn  at  him, 
But  for  the  general.     He  would  be  crown'd  : — 
How  that  might  change  his  nature,  there's  the  quet 

tion. 

It  is  the  bright  day,  that  brings  forth  the  adder ; 
And  that  craves  wary  walking.     Crown  him  ?—— 

That  ;— 

And  then,  I  grant,  we  put  a  fting  in  him, 
That  at  his  will  he  may  do  danger  with. 
The  abufe  of  greatnefs  is,  when  it  disjoins 
9  Remorfe  from  power :  And,  to  fpeak  truth  of  Caefar, 

I  have 

8  -        in  fjis  orchard.]  The  modern  editors  read  garden,  but 
orchard  feems  anciently  to  have  had  the  fame  meaning.  STEEVENS. 

9  Remorfe  from  power :~]  Remorfe,  for  mercy.    WARBURTON. 
Remorfe  (fay3  the  author  of  the  Rev/fal)  fignifies  the  confcious 

uneafinefs  arifmg  from  a  fenfe  of  having  done  wrong  ;  to  extin- 
guifli  which  feeling,  nothing  hath  fo  great  a  tendency  as  abfolute 
uncontroulcd  power. 

I  think 


28  J  U  L  I  U  S    C  JE,  S  A  R; 

I  have  not  known  when  his  affections  fway'd 
More  than  his  reafon.     But  'tis  a  '  common  proof. 
That  lowlinefs  is  young  ambition's  ladder, 
Whereto  the  climber-upward  turns  his  face  : 
But  when  he  once  attains  the  upmofl  round  % 
He  then  unto  the  ladder  turns  his  back  ; 
Looks  in  the  clouds,  fcorning  the  !  bafe  degrees 
By  which  he  did  alcend  :  So  Ctefar  may  ; 
Then,  left  he  may,  prevent.     And,  fince  the  quarrel 
Will  bear  no  colour  for  the  thing  he  is, 
Fafhion  it  thus ;  that  what  he  is,  augmented, 
Would  run  to  thefe,  and  theie  extremities  : 
And  therefore  think  him  as  a  ferpent's  egg, 
Which,    hatch'd,  would,  4  as  his  kind,  grow  mif- 

chievous  ; 
And  kill  him  in  the  fhell. 

Re-enter  Lucius. 

Luc.  The  taper  burneth  in  your  clofet,  fir. 
Searching  the  window  for  a  flint,  I  found 
This  paper,  thus  feal'd  up;  and,  I  am  fure, 
It  did  not  lie  there,  when  I  went  to  bed. 

Bru.  Get  you  to  bed  again,    it  is  not  day. 

I  think  Warburton   right.     JOHNSON. 

Remorfe  is  pity,  and  has  twice  occurred  in  that  fenfe  in  Mca- 
furefor  Mcafure,  act  II.  and  acl:  V.  Many  more  inftances  of  this 
ufe  of  the  word  are  given  in  Othello,  Act  III.  fc.  iii.  STEEVEXS. 

1 common  pro flf^\  Common  experiment.     JOHNSON. 

*  But  luben  be  once  atta-us  the  upmofl  round, 

He  then  unto  the  ladder  turns  his  back  ;  &c.] 
So,  in  Daniel's  Civil  Wars,  160:  : 

*'  The  afpirer  once  attain'd  unto  the  top, 
"  Cuts  oft"  thole  means  by  which  himfelr  got  up  : 
'*  And  with  a  harder  hand,  and  ftraighter  rein, 

"  Doth  curb  that  loofenefs  he  did  find  before  ; 
"  Doubting  the  occafion  like  might  fervc  again  : 
"  His  own  example  makes  him  fear  the  more." 

MALONE. 

3  'lafc  dc^reei\  Low  fteps.     JOHNSON. 

*  — -  at  his  kim!t  -  -  - ]  According  to  his  nature.     JOHNSON. 

1$ 


JULIUS     C^SAR.  29 

/  Is  not  to-morrow,  boy,  the  ides  of  March  ! 

Luc.  I  know  not,  fir. 

Bru.  Look  in  the  kalendar,  and  bring  me  word. 

Luc.  I  will,  fir.  [Exit. 

Bru.  The  exhalations,  whizzing  in  the  air, 
Give  fo  much  light,  that  I  may  read  by  them. 

[Opens  the  letter,   and  reads. 
Brutus,  tlou  Jleep'Jl  ;  awake,  and  fee  thyfelf. 

Shall  Rome Speak,  ftrike,  redrefe  ! 

Brutus,  thou  Jleep'Jl  ;  azvake, — 

Such  inftigations  have  been  often  dropp'd 

Where  I  have  took  them  up. 

Shall  Rome Thus  muft  1  piece  it  out ; 

Shall  Rome  {land  under  one  man'sawe?  What!  Rome? 

My  anceftors  did  from  the  ilreets  of  Rome 

The  Tarquin  drive,  when  he  was  call'd  a  king. 

Speak,  ftrike,  redrefs  ! — Am  I  entreated 

To  fpeakj  and  ftrike  ?  O  Rome  !  I  make  thee  promife, 

If  the  redrefs  will  follow7,  thou  receiveft 

Thy  full  petition  at  the  hand  of  Brutus ! 

Re-enter  Lucius. 

Luc.  6  Sir,  March  is  walled  fourteen  days. 

[Knocks  within. 

Bru.  'Tis    good.      Go    to  the  gate  ;    fomebody 
knocks.  [Exit  Lucius. 

5  1$  not  to-morrow,  boy,  tie  firft  of  March  r]    We  fliould  read 
ides  :  for  we  can  never  fuppofe  the  fpeaker  to  have  loft  fourteen 
days  in  his  account.     He  is  here  plainly  ruminating  on  what  the 
Ibothfayer  told  Caefar  [A<ft  I.  fc.  ii.J  in  his  prefence.  [—  Beware 
the  ides  of  March.}     The  boy  comes  back  and  fays,  Sir,  March  is 
ivajlcd  fourteen  Jays.     So  that  the  rnnrro^.v  ivas  the  ides  of  March, 
as  he  fuppofed.  For  March,  May,  July,  and  October,  had  fix  nones 
each,  fo  that  the  fifteenth  of  March  was  the  ides  of  that  month. 

WAX  BUR  TON. 

6  In  former  editions : 

5/V,  March  is  Drafted  fifteen  days. 

The  editors  are  ilightly  miftaken  :  it  was  wafted  but  fourteen  days: 
this  was  the  dawn  of  the  i5th,  when  the  boy  makes  his  report. 

THEOBAM>. 
Since 


3o  JULIUS    CAESAR. 

Since  Caffius  firfl  did  whet  me  againft  Csefar, 
1  have  not  flept. 

7  Between  the  adting  of  a  dreadful  thing, 
And  the  firfl  motion,  all  the  interim  is 
Like  a  phantafma,  or  a  hideous  dream  : 

The 

7  Between  the  afling  of  a  dreadful  thing. 

And  the  firjl  motion,  &c.]  That  nice  critic,  Dionyfius  of  Hali- 
carnaflus,  complains,  that  of  all  kind  of  beauties,  thofe  great 
ftrokes,  which  he  calls  the  terrible  graces,  and  which  are  fo  fre- 
quent in  Homer,  are  the  rareft  to  be  found  in  the  following  wri- 
ters. Amongfl  our  countrymen,  it  feems  to  be  as  much  confined 
to  the  Britifh  Homer.  This  defcription  of  the  condition  of  con- 
fpirators,  before  the  execution  of  their  defign,  has  a  pomp  and 
terror  in  it  that  perfectly  aftonifhes.  The  excellent  Mr.  Addifon, 
whofe  modefty  made  him  fometimes  diftident  of  his  own  genius, 
but  whofe  true  judgment  always  led  him  to  the  fafeft  guides  (as 
we  may  fee  by  thole  fine  ftrokes  in  his  Cato  borrowed  from  the 
Philippics  of  Cicero)  has  paraphrafed  this  fine  defcription  ;  but 
we  are  no  longer  to  expect  thoie  terrible  graces  which  animate  his 
original  *• 

*'  O  think,  ivhat  anxious  moments  fafi  between 

"  The  birth  of  plots,  and  their  lajt  fatal  periods. 

"  Oh,  'tis  a  dreadful  interval  of  time, 

"  Fiirdup  with  horror  all,  and  big  with  death."     Cato. 

I  fliall  make  two  remarks  on  this  fine  imitation.  The  firft  is,  that 
the  fubje6ts  of  the  two  confpiracies  being  fo  very  different  (the 
fortunes  of  Csefar  and  the  Roman  empire  being  concerned  in  the 
one  ;  and  thnt  of  a  few  auxiliary  troops  only  in  the  other)  Mr. 
Addifon  could  not,  with  propriety,  bring  in  that  magnificent  cir- 
cumftance  which  gives  one  of  the  terrible  graces  of  Shakefpeare!s 
defcription  ; 

The  genius  and  the  mortal  injtruments 

Are  then  in  council 

For  kingdoms,  in  the  Pagan  Theology,  belides  their  good,  had  their 
evil  genius's,  likewife ;  reprefented  here,  with  the  moft  daring 
Itretch  of  fancy,  as  fitting  in  confultation  with  the  confpirators, 
whom  he  calls  their  mortal  injlrumcnts.  But  this,  as  we  fay, 
would  have  been  too  pompous  an  apparatus  to  the  rape  and  de- 
fertion  of  Syphax  and  Sempronius.  The  other  thing  obiervable 
is,  thnt  Mr.  Addifon  was  fo  ftruck  and  mTected  with  rhefe  terrible 
graces  in  his  original,  that  inftead  of  imitating  his  author's  fenti- 
ments,  he  hath,  before  he  was  aware,  given  us  only  the  copy  of 
his  own  impreffions  made  by  them.  For, 

Oh, 


JULIUS    CAESAR.  31 

Thc  genius,  and  the  mortal  inftruments, 
Are  then  in  council ;  and  the  ftate  of  man, 

Like 

Oh,   'tis  a  dreadful  interval  of  time, 

FiWd  up  with  horror  all,   and  big  with  death. 
are  but  the  affe&ions  railed  by  fuch  forcible  images  as  thefe  : 

All  the  in  f  rim  is 

Like  a  phantafma,  or  a  hideous  dream* 

• the  Jlate  of  man, 

Like  to  a  little  kingdom,  /offers  then 

The  nature  of  an  injurrcfliori, 

Comparing  the  troubled  mind  of  a  confpirator  to  a  date  of  anar- 
chy, is  juft  and  beautiful ;  but  the  interim,  or  interval,  to  an  hi- 
deous vifion,  or  a  frightful  dream,  holds  fomething  fo  wonderfully 
of  truth,  and  lays  the  foul  fo  open,  that  one  can  hardly  think  it 
poffible  for  any  man,  who  had  not  fome  time  or  other  been  en- 
gaged in  a  confpiracy,  to  give  fuch  force  of  colouring  to  nature. 

WAR  BURTON. 

The  knot  of  the  Greek  critics  does  not,  I  think,  mean  fenti- 
ments  which  raife  fear,  more  than  -Bonder,  or  any  other  of  the 
tumultuous  paffions  :  TO  &;*o»  is  that  which  [ftrikes,  which  aftonifoes 
with  the  idea  either  of  fome  great  fubjecl,  or  of  the  author's 
abilities. 

Dr.  Warburton's  pompous  criticifm  might  well  have  been  fliott- 
ened.  The  genius  is  not  the  genius  of  a  kingdom,  nor  are  the  in- 
ftruments,  confpirators.  Shakefpeare  is  defcribing  what  pafles  in  a 
fingle  bofom,  the  infurreSlion  which  a  confpirator  feels  agitating 
the  little  kingdom  of  his  own  mind  ;  when  the  genius,  or  power  that 
watches  for  his  protection,  and  the  morta1  inftruments,  the  paffions, 
which  excite  him  to  a  deed  of  honour  and  danger,  are  in  council 
and  debate  ;  when  the  defire  of  action  and  the  care  of  fafety, 
keep  the  mind  in  continual  fluctuation  and  difturbance.  JOHNSON. 
The  foregoing  was  perhaps  among  the  earlieft  notes  written  by 
Dr.  Warburton  on  Shakefpeare.  Though  it  was  not  inferted  by 
him  in  Theobald's  editions,  1732  and  1740,  (but  was  referred 
for  his  own  in  1747),  yet  he  had  previoufly  communicated  it, 
with  little  variation,  in  a  letter  to  Matthew  Concanen  in  the  year 
1726.  See  a  note  ou  Dr.  Akinfide's  Ode  to  Mr.  E iv/ards. 

STEEVENS. 

Inftead  of  injlruments,  it  fhould,  I  think,  be  injlruinent,  and 
explained  thus : 

The  gen: us,  i.  e.  the  foul  or  fpirit,  which  fliould  govern  ;  and 
the  mortal  inftrument,  i.e.  the  man,  with  all  his  bodily,  that  is, 
earthly  paffions,  fuch  as  envy,  pride,  malice,  and  ambition,  are 
then  in  council,  i.e.  debating  upon  the  horrid  action  that  is  to  be 
done,  the  foul  and  rational  powers  difluading,  and  the  mortal  in- 


32  J  U  L  I  U  S    C  &  S  A  R. 

Like  to  a  little  kingdom,  fuffcrs  then 
The  nature  of  an  infurrection. 


Re-enter  Lucius. 

Luc.  Sir,  'tis  your  brother  '  Caffius  at  the  door, 
Who  doth  defire  to  fee  you. 

Bru.  Is  he  alone  ? 

Luc.  No,  fir,  there  are  more  with  him. 

Bru.  Do  you  know  them  ? 

Lite.  No,  fir  ;  their  hats  are  pluck'd  about  their 

ears, 

And  half  their  faces  bury'd  in  their  cloaks, 
That  by  no  means  I  may  difcover  them 
By  any  mark 9  of  favour. 

Bru.  Let  them  enter.  [Exit  Lucius. 

They  are  the  faction.     O  confpiracy  ! 
Sham'fl  thou  to  Ihew  thy  dangerous  brow  by  night, 
When  evils  are  mofl  free  ?  O,  then,  by  day, 
Where  wilt  thou  find  a  cavern  dark  enough, 
To  maik  thy  monflrous  vifage  ?  Seek  none,  confpi- 
racy ; 

Hide  it  in  fmiles,  and  affability : 
*  For  if  thou  path,  thy  native  femblance  on, 

Not 

ftrument*  man,  with  his  bodily  paflions,  prompting  and  pufhing 
on  to  the  horrid  deed,  whereby  the  ftate  of  man,  like  to  a  little 
kingdom,  fufFers  then  the  nature  of  an  infurrecYion,  the  inferior 
powers  riling  and  rebelling  againft  the  fuperior.  See  this  exem- 
plified in  Macbeth' s  foliloquy,  and  alfo  by  what  King  John  fays, 
aft  IV: 

"  Nay,   in  the  body  of  tl':sjlejl<ly  lanJ, 

*'  Tb;s  kingdom,  this  confine  of  blood  and  breath , 

"  Hoftility  and  civil  tumult  reigns 

'*  Between  my  confidence  and  my  conjin's  death."     SMITH. 

8  •   •  -your  brother  Coffins — ]  Cafius  married  Junta,   Brutus' 
fifter.     STEEVENS. 

9  of  favour.]  Any  diftinftion  of  countenance.  JOHNSON. 
1  For  ift/jou  path  thy  native  ftmblance  on,]  If  thou  walk  in  thy 

true  form.    JOHNSON. 

The 


JULIUS    C^SAR.  33 

Not  Erebus  itfelf  were  dim  enough 
To  hide  thee  from  prevention. 

Enter  Cqjfius,  Cafca,  Decius^  Cinna,  MetelluS)  and  Tre* 
bonius. 

Caf.  I  think,  we  are  too  bold  upon  your  reft  : 
Good  morrow,  Brutus  ;  Do  we  trouble  you  ? 

Bru.  I  have  been  up  this  hour  ;  awake,  all  night. 
Know  I  thefe  men,  that  come  along  with  you  ? 

Caf.  Yes,  every  man  of  them  ;  and  no  man  here, 
But  honours  you  :  and  every  one  doth  wifh, 
You  had  but  that  opinion  of  yourfelf, 
Which  every  noble  Roman  bears  of  you. 
This  is  Trebonius. 

Bru.  He  is  welcome  hither. 

Caf.  This,  Decius  Brutus. 

Bru.  He  is  welcome  too. 

Caf.  This,  Cafca  ;  this,  Cinna  ; 
And  this,  Metellus  Cimber. 

Bru.  They  are  all  welcome. 
What  watchful  cares  do  interpofe  themfeKTes 
Betwixt  your  eyes  and  night  ? 

Caf.  Shall  I  entreat  a  word  ?  [They  ivhifper. 

Dec.  Here  lies  the  eaft  :  Doth  not  the  day  break 
here  ? 

Cafca.  No. 

Cin.  O,  pardon,  fir,  it  doth  ;  and  yon  grey  lines, 
That  fret  the  clouds,  are  meffengers  of  day. 

Cafca.  You  ihall  confefs,  that  you  are  both  de- 

ceiv'd. 

Here,  as  I  point  my  fword,  the  fun  arifes  ; 
Which  is  a  great  way  growing  on  the  fouth, 

The  fame  verb  is  ufed  by  Drayton  in  his  Polyolbion,  Song  II  : 
"  Where,  from  the  neighbouring  hills,  her  paflage  Wey 


Again,  in  his  Epiille  from  Duke  Humphrey  to  Elinor  Colbam: 

"  Patbing  young  Henry's   unadviied  ways."     STEEVENS. 

VOL.  VIII.  D  Weigh- 


34  JULIUS    CJES  A  R. 

Weighing  the  youthful  feafon  of  the  year. 

Some  two  months  hence,  up  higher  toward  the  north 

He  firft  prelents  his  fire  ;   and   the  high  eaft 

Stands,  as  the  Capitol,  directly  here. 

Bru.  Give  me  your  hands  all  over,  one  by  one. 
Caf.  And  let  us  fwear  our  reiblution. 
Bru.  *  No,  not  an  oath  '  :  If  not  the  face  of  men, 
The  fufierance  of  our  fouls,  the  time's  abufe,— 
If  thefe  be  motives  weak,  break  off  betimes, 
And  every  man  hence  to  his  idle  bed  ; 
So  let  high-lighted  tyranny  range  on, 
*  'Till  each  man  drop  by  lottery.     But  if  thefe, 
As  I  am  fure  they  do,  bear  fire  enough 
To  kindle  cowards,  and  to  fteel  with  valour 
The  melting  fpirits  of  women  ;  then,  countrymen, 
What  need  we  any  fpur,  but  our  own  caufe, 
To  prick  us  to  redrefs  ?  what  other  bond, 
Than  fecret  Romans,  that  have  fpoke  the  word, 

"*  No,  not  an  call.  If  that  the  face  of  ir.en,  &c.]  Dr.  War- 
burton  would  read  fate  of  men;  but  his  elaborate  emendation  is, 
I  think,  erroneous.  The  face  of  men  is  the  countenance,  the_re- 
garj,  the  efteem  cf  the  publick  ;  in  other  terms,  honour  and  re- 
putation; or  the  face  of  men  may  mean  the  dejc&ed  look  or  the 
people. 

He  reads,  with  the  other  modern  editions  : 

if  that  the  face  of  men  : 

but  the  old  reading  is, 

'/not  the  face,  &rc.     JOHNSON. 

So,  Tully  in  Catilinam — Nibil  borum  ora  vultufqrte  mvjerunt  ? 

STEEVSMS. 

3  No,  not  an  oatl. ]  Shakefpeare  form'd  this  fpeech  on  the 

•following  paflage  in  fir  T.  North's  tranilation  of  Plutarch : 

"  The  confpirators  having  never  taken  oaths  together,  nor  taken 
or  given  any  caution  or  allurance,  nor  binding  themielves  one  to 
another  by  any  religious  oaths,  they  kept  the  matter  ib  fecret  to 
themfelves,"  &c.  STEEVENS. 

4  'Till  each  man  drop  by  lottery, .]   Perhaps  the  poet  alluded  to 
the  cuftom  of  decimation,  i.  e.  the  lelecnon  by  lot  of  every  tenth 
foldier,  in  a  general  mutiny,  for  punifhment." 

He  fpeaks  of  this  in  Coriolanus  : 

y  Jfdmatlon,  and  a  tytled  deaf  % 
akt  tboK  thy  fate."    STFBVFNS. 

A.  a 


-/>> 

«'  Tak. 


JULIUS    CAESAR.  35 

And  will  not  palter  ?  and  what  other  oath, 

Than  honefly  to  honefty  engag'd, 

That  this  fhall  be,  or  we  will  fall  for  it  ? 

5  Swear  priefts,  and  cowards,  and  men  cautelous  69 

Okl  feeble  carrions,  and  fuch  fuffering  fouls 

That  welcome  wrongs ;  unto  bad  caufes  fwear 

Such  creatures  as  men  doubt  :  but  do  not  ftain 

The  even  virtue  of  our  enterprize, 

Nor  the  infupprefiive  mettle  of  our  fpirits, 

To  think,  that,  or  our  caufe,  or  our  performance, 

Did  need  an  oath  ;  when  every  drop  of  blood, 

That  every  Roman  bears,  and  nobly  bears, 

Is  guilty  of  a  feveral  baftardy, 

If  he  do  break  the  fmalleft  particle 

Of  any  promife  that  hath  pail  from  him. 

Caf.  But  what  of  Cicero  ?  Shall  we  found  him  ? 
I  think,  he  will  fland  very  ftrong  with  us. 

Cafca.  Let  us  not  leave  him  out. 

Cm.  No,  by  no  means. 

Met.  O,  let  us  have  him  ;  for  his  filver  hairs 
Will  purchafe  us  a  good  opinion, 
And  buy  men's  voices  to  commend  our  deeds  : 
It  fhall  be  faid,  his  judgment  rul'd  our  hands  ; 
Our  youths,  and  wildnefs,  fhall  no  whit  appear, 
But  all  be  bury'd  in  his  gravity. 

5  Swear  priefts  &c.]  This  is  imitated  by  Owtay  : 

"  When  you  ivould  bind  me,  is  there  need  of  oaths  ?"  &C. 

Venice  Preferred. 
JOHNSON. 

*          -cauteloui]  Is  here  cautious,  fometimes  infiJious. 
So,    in   Woman  is  a  Weathercock,    1612:     "   Yet    warn  you 
be  as  cautelous  not  to  wound  my  integrity." 

Again,  in  Drayton's  MiJ'eries  of  Queen  Margaret : 

"  Witty,  well-lpcken,  cautelous,  though  young." 
Again,  in  the  fecond  of  thefe  two  fenfes  in  the  romance  of ' Ky>>ge 
Appolyn  of  Tfyrr,   1610  : 

"  — a  fallacious  polycy  and  cautelous  <vjyle.^ 
Again,  in  Holinjhed,  p.  9^?  :  "—the  emperor's  councell  thought 
by  a  cautell  to  have  brought  the  king  in  mind  to  fue  fur  a  licence 
from  the  pope."    STE£VE.NS. 

D  2  Bru. 


36  JULIUS    C^SAR. 

Bru.  O,  name  him  not :  let  us  not  break  with  him ; 
For  he  will  never  follow  any  thing 
That  other  men  begin. 

Caf.  Then  leave  him  out. 

Cafca.  Indeed,  he  is  not  fit. 

Dec.  Shall  no  man  elfe  be  touch'd,  but  only  Casfar  ? 

Caf.  Decius,  well  urg'd  : — I  think,  it  is  not  meet, 
Mark  Antony,  fo  well  belov'd  of  Casfar, 
Should  out-live  Caejar  :  We  (hall  find  of  him 
A  Ihrewd  contriver ;  and,  you  know,  his  means, 
If  he  improve  them,  may  well  flretch  fo  far, 
As  to  annoy  us  all  :  which  to  prevent, 
Let  Antony,  and  Csefaf,  fall  together. 

Bru.  Our  courfe  will  feem  too  bloody,  CaiusCaffius, 
To  cut  the  head  off,  and  then  hack  the  limbs ; 
Like  wrath  in  death,  and  envy  afterwards  : 
For  Antony  is  but  a  limb  of  Casfar. 
Let  us  be  facrificers,  but  not  butchers,  Caius. 
We  all  ftand  up  againfl  the  fpirit  of  Csefar  ; 
And  in  the  fpirit  of  men  there  is  no  blood  : 
O,  that  we  then  could  come  by  Ca^far's  fpirit 7, 
And  not  difmember  Caefar  !  But,  alas, 
Czefar  muft  bleed  for  it !   And,  gentle  friends, 
Let's  kill  him  boldly,  but  not  wrathful ly  ; 
Let's  carve  him  as  a  difti  fit  for  the  gods  % 
Not  hew  him  as  a  carcafe  fit  for  hounds  : 
And  let  our  hearts,  as  fubtle  matters  do, 

7  O,  that  we  then  could  com?  by  C iff a^s  fpirit,  &c.]  Lord  Ster- 
line  has  the  fame  thought ;  Brutus  rcmonltrating  againfl  the  tak- 
ing off  of  Anthony,  fays  : 

"  Ah  !  ah  !  we  muft  but  too  much  murder  fee, 

"  That  without  doing  evil  cannot  do  good  ; 
4t  And  would  the  gods  that  Rome  could  be  made  free, 
*'  Without  the  £ffufioh  ot  one  drop  of  blocd  !" 

MALONE. 

'  as  a  di  lj  fit  fur  the  goJi,   &c.] 

«« (jradive,  dediui, 

*'  Ne  qua  manus  vatem,  ne  quid  morralia  bello 
*'  Lzcdeie  tela  queant,  fanftum  et  venerabile  Diti 
"  Funus,  erut."    Stat.  T&ct.  VII.  1.  696.    STEEVENS. 

Stir 


JULIUS    CAESAR.  37 

Stir  up  their  fervants  to  an  act  of  rage, 
And  after  feem  to  chide  them.     This  lhall  make 
Our  purpofe  necefTary,  and  not  envious  : 
Which  fo  appearing  to  the  common  eyes, 
We  fhall  be  call'd  purgers,  not  murderers. 
And  for  Mark  Antony,  think  not  of  him  ,• 
For  he  can  do  no  more  than  Casfar's  arm, 
When  Ca^far's  head  is  off. 

Caf.  Yet  I  fear  him  : 
For  in  the  ingrafted  love  he  bears  to  Casfar, 

Bru.   Alas,  good  Caflius,  do  not  think  of  him  : 
If  he  love  Caefar,  all  that  he  can  do 
Is  to  himfelf  ;  9  take  thought,  and  die  for  Casfar  : 
And  that  were  much  he  fhould ;  for  he  is  given 
To  fports,  to  wildnefs,  and  much  company. 

Treb.   There  is  no  fear  in  him  ;  let  him  not  die  ; 
For  he  will  live,  and  laugh  at  this  hereafter. 

{Clock  Jlrikes. 

Bru.  Peace,  count  the  clock. 

Caf.  The  clock  hath  ftruckcn  three. 

Treb.  'Tis  time  to  part. 

Caf.  But  it  is  doubtful  yet, 
Whe'r  Casfar  will  come  forth  to-day,  or  no  : 
For  he  is  fuperftiticus  grown  of  late  ; 
Quite  from  the  main  opinion  '  he  held  once 

Of 

»  take  tbnvght, — ]  That  is,  turn  melancholy.     JOHNSON. 

So,  in  Antony  and  Cleopatra  : 

'*  What  (hall  we  do,  vEnobarbus  ? 

"   Think  and  die." 

Again,  in  Holinfaed^  p.  833  :  "  -now  they  were   without 

fervice,  which  caufed  them  to  take  thought^  infomuch  that  fome 
died  by  the  way,  &c."    STEEVENS. 

1  For  he  hfuperftltlous  grown  of  late  ; 

Quite  from  the  main  opinion  be  held  once 

Of  fantafy,  of  dreami  and  ceremonies :] 

Cazfar,  as  well  as  Caffius,  was  an  Epicurean.  By  main  op'nion 
Caflius  intends  a  compliment  to  his  iect,  and  means  folid,  funda- 
mental opinion,  grounded  in  truth  and  nature  :  as  by  fautafy  i§ 
meant  ominous  forebodings  ;  and  by  ceremonies,  atunemems  of 
D  3  the 


38  J  U  L  I  U  S    C  JE,  S  A  R. 

Of  fantafy,  of  dreams,  and  ceremonies  : 
It  may  be,  thefe  apparent  prodigies, 
The  unaccuftom'd  terror  of  this  night, 
And  the  perfuafion  of  his  augurers, 
May  hold  him  from  the  Capitol  to-day. 

Dec.  Never  fear  that :  If  he  be  fo  refolv'd, 
I  can  o'erfway  him  :  *  for  he  loves  to  hear, 
3  That  unicorns  may  be  betray'd  with  trees, 

And 

the  gods  by  means  of  religious  rites  and  facrifices.  A  little  after, 
where  Calphurnia  fays : 

Cafart  I  never  food  on  ceremonies, 
TTc t  na-ju  they  fright  me  : 

The  poet  ufes  ceremonies  in  a  quite  different  fenfe,  namely,  the 
turning  accidents  to  omens,  a  principal  fuperitition  of  antiquity. 

WARBURTON. 

Main  opinion,  is  nothing  more  than  leading,  fixed,  predominant 
opinion.     Jo  HNS  OK. 

z  for  he  loves  to  hear,  &c.]  It  was  finely  imagined  by  the 

poet,  to  make  Caefar  delight  in  this  fort  of  converfation.  The 
author  of  St.  EvremonJ's  Life  tells  us,  that  the  great  prince  of 
Conde  took  much  pleafure  in  remarking  on  the  foible  and  ridicule 
of  characters.  WARBURTON. 

3   That  unicorns  way  be  betray'd  by  trees, 

And  bears  with  giajjes,  elephants  with  holes.  ~\ 

Unicorns  are  faid  to  have  been  taken  by  one  who,  running  be- 
hind a  tree,  eluded  the  violent  pufh  the  animal  was  making  at  him, 
fo  that  his  horn  fpent  its  force  on  the  trunk,  and  ftuck  fail,  de- 
taining the  beaft  till  he  was  difpatched  by  the  hunter. 
So,  in  Spenfer's  Fae>y  Queen,  B.  II.  c.  5  : 
**  Like  as  a  lyon  \vhofe  imperiall  powre 
**  A  prowd  rebellious  unicorne  defies ; 
"  T'avoid  the  rafh  aflault  and  wrathfull  ftowre 
"  Of  his  fiers  foe,  him  to  a  tree  applies  : 
'*  And  when  him  running  in  full  courfe  he  fpies, 
**  He  flips  afide ;  the  whiles  the  furious  beaft 
**  His  precious  home,  fought  of  his  enemies, 
«*  Strikes  in  the  ftocke,  ne  thence  can  be  releaft, 
"•  But  to  the  mighty  viclor  yields  a  bounteou§  feaft." 
Again,  in  Bujfy  D'Ambois,   1641  : 

'*  An  angry  unicorne  in  his  full  career 

*'  Charge  with  too  fwitt  a  foot  a  jeweller 

*«  That  watch'd  him  for  the  treafure  of  his  bro;v, 

"  And 


JULIUS     CAESAR.  39 

And  bears  with  glafles,  elephants  with  holes, 
Lions  with  toils,  and  men  with  flatterers  : 
But,  when  I  tcil  him,  he  hates  flatterers, 
He  fays,  he  does ;  being  then  moft  flattered. 
Let  me  work  : 

For  I  can  give  his  humour  the  true  bent ; 
And  I  will  bring  him  to  the  Capitol. 

Caf.  Nay,  we  will  all  of  us  be  there  to  fetch  him, 

Bru.  By  the  eighth  hour  :  Is  that  the  uttermoft  ? 

Cm.  Be  that  the  uttermoft,  and  fail  not  then. 

Met.  Caius  Li  Darius  cloth  bear  C  as  far  hard  4, 
Who  rated  him  for  fpeaking  well  of  Pompey  ; 
I  wonder,  none  of  you  have  thought  of  him. 

Bru.  Now,  good  Metellus,  go  along  to  him  : 
He  loves  me  well,  and  I  have  given  him  reafons  ; 
Send  him  but  hither,  and  I'll  falhion  him. 

Caf.  The  morning  comes  upon  us  :   We'll  leave 

you,  Brutus  : — 

And,  friends,  diiperfe  yourfelves  :  but  all  remember 
What  you  have  faid,  and  (hew  yourfelves  true  Ro-  • 
mans. 

Bru.  Good  gentlemen,  look  frefh  and  merrily  ; 
*  Let  not  our  looks  put  on  our  purpofcs  j 

"  And  e'er  he  could  get  (belter  of  a  trcey 
"  Nail  him  with  his  rich  antler  to  the  earth." 
Sean  are  reported  to  have  been  furprifed  by  means  of  a  mir- 
rcr,  which  they  would  gaze  on,  affording  their  purfuers  an  op- 
portunity of  taking  the  iurer  aim.     This  circumftance,  I  think, 
is  mentioned  by  Ciaudian.     Eltpbanti  were   (educed  into  piifalls, 
lightly  covered  with  hurdles  and  turf,  on  which  a  proper  bait  to 
tempt  them,  was  expofed.     See  Pliny's  Nat.  Hijl.  B.  VIII. 

STEEVC.VS. 

*  bear  Ccefur  bard.']  Thus  the  old  copy,  but  Rowe,  Pope, 

and  Hanmer,  on  the  authority  of  the  latter   folios  rend  bahrJ, 
though  the  fame  exprelllon  appears  again  in  the  firlt  fcene  of  the 

following  acr  :   "  1  do  befeech   you,  if  you  bear  me  hard;" 

:uul  has  already  occurr'd  in  a  former  one  : 

"  Cffifar  doth  bear  me  hard,  but  he  loves  Brutus." 

STEEVEN'S. 

5  Let  not  orf  looks  —  ]  Let  not  our  faces  put  on,  that  is,  kvcqr 
our  dcligns.     JOHNSON. 

D  4  But 


40  JULIUS    CAESAR. 

But  bear  it  as  our  Roman  aftors  do, 

With  untir'd  fpirits,  and  formal  conftancy  : 

And  fo,  good-morrow  to  you  every  one.  '    [Exeunt. 

Manet  Brutus. 

Boy  !   Lucius  ! — Fad  afleep  ?  It  is  no  matter  ; 
Enjoy  the  honey-heavy  dew  of  flumber: 
Thou  haft  no  figures,  nor  no  fantafies, 
Which  bufy  care  draws  in  the  brains  of  men  ; 
Therefore  thou  fleep'ft  fo  found. 

Enter  Portia. 

Tor.  Brutus,  my  lord  ! 

Eru.  Portia,  what  mean  you  ?  Wherefore  rife  you 

now  ? 

It  is  not  for  your  health,  thus  to  commit 
Your  weak  condition  to  the  raw  cold  morning. 

Por.  Nor  for  yours  neither.     You  have  ungently, 

Brutus, 

Stole  from  my  bed  :  And  yefternight,  at  fupper, 
You  fuddenly  arofe,  and  walk'd  about, 
Mufing,  and  fighing,  with  your  arms  acrofs : 
And  when  I  afk'd  you  what  the  matter  was, 
You  ftar'd  upon  me  with  ungentle  looks  ; 
I  urg'd  you  further  ;  then  you  fcratch'd  you  head, 
And  too  impatiently  ftamp'd  with  your  foot : 
Yet  I  infifted,  yet  you  aniwer'd  not ; 
But,  with  an  angry  wafture  of  your  hand, 
Gave  fign  for  me  to  leave  you  :  So  I  dui  ; 
Fearing  to  ftrengthen  that  impatience, 
Which  feem'd  too  much  enkindled  ;  and,  withal, 
Hoping  it  was  but  an  effect  of  humour, 
Which  fometime  hath  his  hour  with  every  man. 
It  will  not  let  you  eat,  nor  talk,  nor  fleep  ; 
And,  could  it  work  fo  much  upon  your  fhupe, 
AS  it  hath  much  prevail'd  qn  yoqr  condition, 

I  fhould 


•JULIUS     C  JE  S  A  R.  4l 

I  ihould  not  know  you,  Brutus.     Dear  my  lord, 
Make  me  acquainted  with  your  caufe  of  grief. 

Bru.  I  am  not  well  in  health,  and  that  is  all. 

For.  Brutus  is  wife,  and,  were  he  not  in  health, 
He  would  embrace  the  means  to  come  by  it. 

Bru.  Why,  fo  I  do  : — Good  Portia,  go  to  bed, 

Por.  Is  Brutus  fick  ?  and  is  it  phyfical 
To  walk,  unbraced,  and  fuck  up  the  humours 
Of  the  dank  morning  ?  What,  is  Brutus  fick  ; 
And  will  he  fteal  out  of  his  wholefome  bed, 
To  dare  the  vile  contagion  of  the  night  ? 
And  tempt  the  rheumy  and  unpurgcd  air 
To  add  unto  his  ficknefs  ?  No,  my  Brutus  ; 
You  have  fome  fick  offence  within  your  mind, 
Which,  by  the  right  and  virtue  of  my  place, 
I  ought  to  know  of  :  And,  upon  my  knees, 
I  ch'arm  you  4,  by  my  once  commended  beauty 
By  all  your  vows  of  love,  and  that  great  vow 
Which  did  incorporate  and  make  us  one, 
That  you  unfold  to  me,  yourfelf,  your  half, 
Why  you  are  heavy  :  and  what  men  to-night 
Have  had  refort  to  you  :  for  here  have  been 
Some  fix  or  feven,  who  did  hide  their  faces 
Even  from  darknefs. 

Bru.  Kneel  not,  gentle  Portia, 

Por.  I  Ihould  not  need,  if  you  wexe  gentle  Brutus. 
Within  the  bond  of  marriage,  tell  me,  Brutus, 
Is  it  excepted,  I  Ihould  know  no  fecrets 
That  appertain  to  you  ?  Am  I  yourfelf, 
But,  as  it  were,  in  fort,  or  limitation  ; 
To  keep  with  you  at  meals  *,  comfort  your  bed  6, 

And 

5  7  charm  you ]  Thus   the  old  copy.     Pope  and  Hanmer 

read  charge,  but  unneceflTarily.     So,  in  Cj'mbeline : 

" —'tis  your  graces 

4  That  from  my  imiteft  confcience  to  my  tongue 
**  Charms  this  report  out."     STEEVENS. 
To  keep  with  you  at  mcah,  &c. 

"  I  being,  O  Brutus,  (fayed  (he)  the  daughter  of  Cato,  wns 

nuried 


4*  JULIUS    CJESAR. 

And  talk   to  you  fometimes  ?  Dwell  I  but  in  the 
fuburbs  7 

marled  vnto  thee,  not  to  be  thy  beddefellowe  and  companion  in 
bedde  and  at  horde  onelie,  like  a  harlot :  but  to  be  partaker  alib 
with  thee,  of  thy  good  and  euill  fortune.  Nowe  for  thy- 
felfe,  I  can  finde  no  caufe  of  raulte  in  thee  touchinge  our  matche : 
but  for  my  parte,  how  may  I  fhovve  my  duetie  towardes  thee,  and 
how  muche  I  woulde  doe  for  thy  fake,  if  I  can  not  conitantlie 
beafe  a  fecret  mifchaunce  or  griefe  with  thee,  which  requireth 
fecrecy  and  fidelitie  ?  I  confefle,  that  a  womans  wit  commonly 
is  too  weake  to  keepe  a  fecret  fafely  :  but  yet,  Brutus,  good  edu- 
cation, and  the  companie  of  vertuous  men,  haue  fome  power  to 
reforme  the  deleft  of  nature.  And  for  my  felfe,  I  haue  this  be- 
nefit moreouer :  that  I  am  the  daughter  of  Cato,  and  wife  of 
Brutus.  This  notwithftanding,  I  did  not  truft  to  any  of  thefe 
thing?  before  :  vntil  that  now  I  have  found  by  experience,  that 
no  paine  nor  griefe  whatfoeuer  can  ouercome  me.  With  thofe 
wordes  fhe  (hewed  him  her  \vcunde  on  her  thigh,  and  tolde  him 
what  fhe  had  dor.e  re  proue  her  felfe." 

Sir  Tbo.  NcrftS-  T:~x/lat.  of  Plutarch.     SrEEVENS. 
Here  alfo  v~  i  •  d  lord  Sterline  walking  over  the 

fame  ground : 

"  I  was  not,  Brutus,  match'd  with  thee,  to  be 

"  A  partner  only  of  thy  board  and  bed, 
**  Each  fervile  whoie  in  thofe  might  equal  me, 

'*  That  did  heriV  it  but  pleafure  wed. 

«  No— Portia  ij-  jib  a  mind  t' abide 

'*  Thy  fe'.lc.v  in  <:!!  fortunes  good  or  ill  ; 
*'  With  cr-..iins  of  mutual  love  together  ty'd 
"  As  thofe  that  have  avo  breafts,  one  heart,  two  fouls, 
one  will."  Lord  Steriine's  Julius  CaJ'ar. 

MA  LONE. 

'  — — comfort  your  led,]  "  is  but  an  odd  phrafe,  and  gives  as 
odd  an  idea,"  fays  Mr.  Theobald.  He  the'  o  fubftitutes,  con- 
fort.  But  this  good  old  word,  however  dilV.-jii  through  modern 
refinement,  was  not  fo  difcarded  by  Shakefpeare.  Henry  VIII. 
as  we  read  in  Cavendifh's  Life  of  Wdfiy,  in  commendation  of 
queen  Katharine,  in  public  faid,  "  She  hath  beene  to  me  a  true 
obedient  wife,  and  as  comfortable  as  I  could  wifli."  UPTON. 

In  the  books  of  entries  at  Stationers'  Hall,  I  meet  with  the 
following  :  i  ^98.  "  A  Converfation  betiuecn  a  careful  li'yfe  and  her 
comfortable  Hujland"  STEEVENS. 

In  our  marriage  ceremony,  the  hufband  promifes  to  comfort  his 
wife;  and  Barrett's,  ^hearie^  or  Quadruple  Dictionary,  1582, 
fays,  that  to  comfort  is,  **  to  recreate,  to  folace,  to  make  paf- 
time."  COLLINS. 

O: 


J  U  L  I  U  S     C  M  S  A  R.  43 

Of  your  good  pleafure  ?  If  it  be  no  more, 
Portia  is  Brutus'  harlot,  not  his  wife. 

Bru.  You  are  my  true  and  honourable  wife; 
As  dear  to  me,  as  are  the  ruddy  drops 
That  vifit  my  fad  heart. 

For.  If  this  were  true,   then  mould  I  know  this 

fecret. 

I  grant,  I  am  a  woman  8 ;  but,  withal, 
A  woman  that  lord  Brutus  took  to  wife  : 
I  grant,  I  am  a  woman  ;  but,  withal, 
9  A  woman  well-reputed  ;  Cato's  daughter. 
Think  you,  I  am  no  ftronger  than  my  fex, 
Being  fo  father'd,  and  fo  huibanded  ? 
Tell  me  your  counfels,  I  will  not  difclofe  them  : 

7  in  the  fuburbs.]  Perhaps  here  is  an  allufion  to  the 

place  in  which  the  harlots  of  Shake fpeare's  age  refided.     So,  ia 
B.  and  Fletcher's  Monjteur  Thomas  : 
**  Get  a  new  miftrefs, 

"  Somtful>urb  faint,  that  fixpcnce,  and  forne  oaths 
*'  Will  draw  to  parley.     STEEVENS. 
*  I  grant  I  am  a  woman ,  &c.]   So,  lord  Sterline  : 
*'  And  though  our  fex  too  talkative  be  deem'd 

*'  As  thole  whofe  tongues  import  our  greateit  povv'rs, 
"  For  fecrets  full  bad  treafurers  efteemM, 
*'  Of  others  greedy,  prodigal  of  ours  ; 
**  Good  education  may  reform  defects, 

"  And  I  this  vantage  have  to  a  vertuous  life, 

"  Which  others  minds  do  want  and  mine  refpecls, 

"  /'//;  Cato's  daughter ,  and  I'm  Brutus'  wife." 

MALONE. 

9  A  woman  well-reputed;  Cato's  daughter.]  This  falfe  pointing 
fhould  be  corrected  thus  : 

A  woman  well  reputed  Cato's  daughter. 

\.  e.  worthy  of  my  birth,  and  the  relation  I  bear  to  Cato.  This 
indeed  was  a  good  reafon  why  fhe  fliould  be  intrufted  with  the 
fecret.  But  the  falfe  pointing,  which  gives  a  fenfe  only  imply- 
ing that  fhe  was  a  woman  ot  a  good  charadler,  and  that  (he  wa« 
Cato's  daughter,  gives  no  good  reafon  :  for  (lie  might  be  Cato's 
daughter,  and  yet  not  inherit  his  f.rmnefs ;  and  fhe  might  be  a 
woman  well-reputed,  and  yet  not  the  beft  at  a  fecret.  But  if  fhe 
was  ivctt-repHttd  Cato's  daughter,  that  is,  worthy  of  her  birth, 
fije  could  neither  want  her  father's  love  to  her  country,  nor  his 
refolution  to  engage  in  its  deliverance.  WARBURTON." 

I  have 


44.  JULIUS     C  JE,  S  A  R. 

I  have  made  flrong  proof  of  my  conftancy, 
Giving  myfelf  a  volunrary  wound 
Here,  in  the  thigh  :  Can  I  bear  that  with  patience, 
And  not  my  hufband's  fecrets  ? 

Bru.  O  yc  gods, 

Render  me  worthy  of  this  noble  wife  !  [Knock. 

Hark,  hark  !  one  knocks  :  Portia,  go  in  a  while  ; 
And  by  and  by  thy  bofom  mall  partake 
The  fecrets  of  my  heart. 
All  my  engagements  I  will  conftrue  to  thee, 
All  the  chara&ery  '  of  my  fad  brows  : — 
Leave  me  with  hafte.  [Exit  Portia. 

Enter  Lucius,  and  Llgarius. 

Lucius,  who  is  that  knocks  ? 

Luc.  Here  is  a  fick  man,  that  would  fpeak  with 
you. 

Brit.  Caius  Ligarius,  that  Metellus  fpake  of. — 
Boy,  ftand  afide. — Caius  Ligarius  !  how  ? 
•    JLig.  Vouch  fafe  good  ni  or  row  from  a  feeble  tongue. 

Bru.  O,  what  a  time  have  you  chofe  out,  brave 

Caius, 
To  wear  a  kerchief  ?  'Would  you  were  not  fick  * ! 

Ij.g.  I  am  not  fick,  if  Brutus  have  in  hand 
Any  exploit  worthy  the  name  of  honour. 

1  all  tie  charaftery ]  i.e.  all  that  is  character*  don,  &c. 

The  word  has  already  cccurr'd  in  the  Merry  fflves  of  Wind/or. 

STEEVENS. 

a   Would 'you  were  Not  fick  !  &c.]  So,  lord  Sterline  : 
*'  By  licknefs  beinjj  imprifon'd  in  his  bed 

"   Whilfl  I  Ligarius  1'pied,  whom  pnins  did  prick 
*'  When  I  had  laid  with  words  that  anguifh  bred, 

"   Iii  'C^bat  a  time  Ligarius  art  ibau  Jick  ? 
"  He  an'Aver'd  flraighr,  as  I  had  phyiick  brought, 
"  Or  that  he  had  imagin'd  my 


••  or  tnat  r  imagm  u  my  acugn, 

*'  If  ivortly  of  tlyfelf  tbau  ivould'fi  do  ought, 
•*   Tbtn  JJ  rat  us  7  am  whole ,  and  wholly  tbine? 


MALONE. 


JULIUS    C^SAR.  45 

Bru.  Such  an  exploit  have  I  in  hand,  Ligarius, 
Had  you  a  healthful  ear  to  hear  of  it. 

Lig.  By  all  the  gods  that  Romans  bow  before, 
I  here  difcard  my  ficknefs.     Scul  of  Rome  I 
Brave  fon,  deriv'd  from  honourable  loins  ! 
Thou,  like  an  exorcift,  haft  conjur'd  up 
My  mortified  fpirit.     Now  bid  me  run, 
And  I  will  ftrive  with  things  impoffible  ; 
Yea,  get  the  better  of  them.     What's  to  do  ? 

Bru.  A  piece  of  work,  that  will  make  tick  men 
whole. 

L/V.  But  are  not  fome  whole,  that  we  muft  make 
fick  ? 

Bru.  That  muft  we  alfo.     What  it  is,  my  Caius, 
I  fhall  unfold  to  thee,  as  we  are  going 
To  whom  it  muft  be  done. 

Lig.  Set  on  your  foot ; 
And,  with  a  heart  new-fir'd,  I  follow  you, 
To  do  I  know  not  what :  but  it  fufficeth, 
That  Brutus  leads  me  on. 

Bru.  Follow  me  then.  [Exeunt. 

SCENE       II. 
Gefar>s  Palace. 

Thunder  and  lightning.     Enter  C<tfar,  in  his  Night- 
gown. 

C<ef.  Nor  heaven,  nor  earth,  have  been  at  peace 

to-night  : 

Thrice  hath  Calphurnia  in  her  fleep  cry'd  out, 
Help,  ho  !  Tbcy  murder  Cajar.     Who's  within  ? 


Enter 


46  JULIUS    CJESAR, 

Enter  a  Servant* 

Sera.  My  lord  ? 

O/.  Go  bid  the  priefts  do  prefcnt  facrificc, 
And  bring  me  their  opinions  of  fucccfs. 
Serv.  I  will,  my  lord. 

Enter  Calphurnia. 

Cat.  What  mean  you,  Czefar  ?  Think  you  to  walk 

forth  ? 
You  fhall  not  flir  out  of  your  houfe  to-day. 

Caf.  Csefar  fliall  forth  :    The  things,  that  threat- 

en'd  me, 

Ne'er  look'd  but  on  my  back ;  when  they  fhall  fee 
The  face  of  Casfar,  they  are  vaniihed. 

Cat.  Czefar,  I  never  ftood  on  ceremonies  ', 
Yet  now  they  fright  me.     There  is  one  xvithin, 
Befides  the  things  that  we  have  heard  and  feen, 
Recounts  mod  horrid  lights  feen  by  the  watch. 
A  lionefs  hath  whelped  in  the  flreets  ; 
And  graves  have  yawn'd,  and  yielded  up  their  dead  : 
Fierce  fiery  warriors  fight  upon  the  clouds, 
In  ranks,  and  fquadrons,  and  right  form  of  war, 
Which  drizzled  blood  upon  the  Capitol  : 
The  noife  of  battle  hurtled  in  the  air  *, 

Horfes 

3  Cafar,  I  never  flood  on  ceremonies.]  i.  e.  I  never  paid  a  cere- 
monious or  fuperftitious  regard  to  prodigies  or  omens. 

The  adjective  is  ufed  in  the  fame  fenfe  in  the  D*wTs  Charter, 
1607  : 

*'  The  devil  hath  provided  in  his  covenant, 
*4  I  (hould  not  crois  myfelf  at  any  time  :          • 
*'  I  never  was  fo  ceremonious," 

The  original  thought  is  in  the  old  tranflation  of  Pltftarcb :. 
*'  Calphurnia,  until  that  time,  was  never  given  to  any  fear  or 
fuperftition."  STEEVENS. 

4  The  noift  of  baltlt  hurtled  in  the  air.]  To  lurtle  is,  I  fuppofe, 


JULIUSCASAR.  4 

Horfes  did  neigh,  and  dying  men  did  groan  ; 
And  ghofts  did  fhriek,  and  fqueal  about  the  flreets. 
O  Cafar  !  thefe  things  are  beyond  all  ufe, 
And  I  do  fear  them. 

Caf*  What  can  be  avoided, 
Whole  end  is  purposed  by  the  mighty  gods  ? 
Yet  Csefar  fhall  go  forth  :  for  thefe  predictions 
Are  to  the  world  in  general,  as  to  Casfar. 

Cal.  When  beggars  die,  there  are  no  comets  feen  ; 
The  heavens  themfelves  blaze  forth   the  death  of 
princes. 

Cef.  Cowards  die  many  times  before  their  deaths  y ; 
The  valiant  never  tafte  of  death  but  once. 
Of  all  the  wonders  that  I  yet  have  heard  6, 

It 

to  claft,  or  move  with  violence  and  noife.  So,  in  Selimus  Emperor 
of  the  Turks ,   1638  : 

"  Here  the  Polonian  he  comes  hurtling  in, 

**  Under  the  conduit  of  fome  foreign  prince." 
Shakefpeare  ufes  the  word  again  in  As  Tou  Like  It  : 

"  in  which  hurtling, 

"  From  miferable  llumber  I  awak'd." 
Again,  in  Sclimus,  &c. 

"  To  tofs  the  fpear,  and  in  a  warlike  gyre 

"  To  hurtle  my  {harp  fword  about  my  head." 
Again,  in  Spenfer's  Faery  %ueen^  B.  II.  c.  7  : 

**  His  harmful  club  he  gan  to  hurtle  high."     STEEVENS. 

5  Cowards  die  many  times  before  their  deaths,}  So  in  Marflon's 
Infatiate  Countefs,   1 603  : 

"  Fear  is  my  vafTal ;  when  I  frown,  he  flies, 
'*  A  hundred  times  in  life  a  covjard  Ji'es," 
The  firft  known  edition  of  Julius  Cafar  is  that  of  1623  : 

Lord  Eflex,  probably  before  any  of  thefe  writers,  made  the 
fame  remark.  In  a  letter  to  lord  Rutland,  he  obferves,  "  that 
as  he  which  dieth  nobly,  doth  live  for  ever,  fo  be  that  dotb  Uvt 
in  fear,  dotb  die  continually"  MALONE. 

"  When  forne  of  his  friends  did  counfel  him  to  have  a  guard 
for  the  fafety  of  his  peribn  ;  he  woud  never  conlent  to  it,  but 
faid,  it  was  better  to  die  once,  than  always  to  be  aifrayed  of 
death."  Sir  Th.  North's  Tranjl.  of  Plutarch.  STEEVENS. 

6   that  I  yet  have  heard^\  This  fentiment  appears  to  have 

been  imitated  by  Dr,  Young  in  his  tragedy  of  Bujiris  king  of 


48  JULIUS    C^SAR. 

It  feems  to  me  mofl  ftrange  that  men  Ihould  fear  ; 
Seeing  that 7  death,  a  necefTary  end, 
Will  come,  when  it  will  come. 

Re-enter  a  Servant. 

What  fay  the  augurers  ? 

Serv.  They  would  not  have  you  to  ftir  forth  to-day. 
Plucking  the  entrails  of  an  offering  forth, 
TJhey  could  not  find  a  heart  within  the  beaft. 

C<£J\  The  gods  do  this 8  in  mame  of  cowardice  : 
Caefar  fhould  be  a  beaft  without  a  heart, 
If  he  mould  flay  at  home  to-day  for  fear. 
No,  Caefar  lhall  not  :  Danger  knows  full  well, 
That  Casfar  is  more  dangerous  than  he. 
9  We  were  two  lions  litter'd  in  one  day, 


"  DiJft  tbou  e'er  fear  f 

"  Sure  'tis  an  art ;  I  knotv  not  how  to  fear  • 
"   '7/j  one  of  the  few  things  beyond  my  power  ; 
"  And  If  death  muft  be  fear* d  before  'tis  felt, 

•*   Thy  mafier  is  immortal" STEEVENS. 

7  — —  death,  a  necejjary  endy  &c.]  This  is  a  fentence  derived 
from  the  ftoical  doctrine  of  predestination,  and  is  therefore  im- 
proper in  the  mouth  of  Caefar.  JOHNSON. 

B  injbame  of  cowardice :]  The  ancients  did  not  place 

courage  but  wifdom  in  the  heart.     JOHNSON. 
9  We  were  &c.]   In  old  editions : 

We  heard  two  lions The  firft  folio  : 

The  copies  have  been  all  corrupt,  and  the  paflage,  of  courfe,  un- 
intelligible. But  the  flight  alteration,  1  have  made,  reitores  fenfc 
to  the  whole ;  and  the  lentiment  will  neither  be  unworthy  of 
Shakefpeare,  nor  the  boail  too  extravagant  tor  Cajfar  in  a  vein  of 
vanity  to  utter  :  that  he  and  Danger  were  two  twin-whelps  of  a 
lion,  and  he  the  elder,  and  more  terrible  of  the  two. 

THEOBALD. 
Upton  would  read  : 

We  are 

This  refembles  the  boaft  of  Otho  : 

invicem  fumus,  Rgo  et  Fortuna.     Tacitus. 

STEEVENS. 

And 


J  U  L  I  U  S    C  IE  S  A  R.  49 

And  I  the  elder  and  more  terrible  ; 
And  Csefar  fliall  go  forth. 

CaL  Alas,   my  lord, 

Your  wifdom  is  confum'd  in  confidence. 
Do  not  go  forth  to-day  :  Call  it  my  fear, 
That  keeps  yon  in  the  houfe,  and  not  your  owri* 
We'll  fend  Mark  Antony  to  the  fenate-houfe  ; 
And  he  fliall  lay,  you  are  not  well  to-day  : 
Let  me,  upon  my  knee,  prevail  in  this. 

Ctff.  Mark  Antony  fliall  fay,  I  am  not  well ; 
And,  for  thy  humour,  I  will  flay  at  home. 

Enter  Decius. 

Here's  Dccins  Brutus,  he  fhall  tell  them  fo. 

Dec.  Casfar,    all  hail  !    Good    morrow,    \vorthy 

Csefar  : 
I  come  to  fetch  you  to  the  fenate-houfe. 

Caf.  And  you  are  come  in  very  happy  time, 
To  bear  my  greeting  to  the  fenators, 
And  tell  them,  that  I  will  not  come  to-day  : 
Cannot,  is  falfe;  and  that  I  dare  not,  falfer  ; 
I  will  not  come  to  day  :  Tell  them  fo,  Decius, 

CaL  Say,  he  is  fick. 

Gf/1  Shall  Caefar  fend  a  lye  ? 
Have  I  in  conqueft  ftretchM  mine  arm  fo  farj 
To  be  afeard  to  tell  grey-beards  the  truth  ?— 
Decius,  go  tell  them,  Qefar  will  not  come. 

Dec.  Moft  mighty  Csefar,  let  me  know  fome  caufe, 
Left  I  be  laugh'd  at,  when  I  tell  them  fo. 

Ctef.  The  caufe  is  in  my  will,  I  will  not  come  ; 
That  is  enough  to  fatisfy  the  fenate. 
But,  for  your  private  fatisfadtion, 
Bccaufe  I  love  you,  I  will  let  you  know. 
Calphurnia  here,  my  wife,  flays  me  at  home  : 
She  dreamt  to-night  fhe  faw  my  flatue, 
Which,  like  a  fountain,  with  a  hundred  fpouts, 
Did  run  pure  blood  ;  and  many  lufly  Romans 

VOL.  VIII.  E  Came 


50  JULIUS    C^SAR. 

Came  fmiling,  and  did  bathe  their  hands  in  it. 
1  And  thefe  does  Ihe  apply  for  warnings,  and  portents, 
And  evils  imminent  ;  and  on  her  knee 
H;ith  begg'd,  that  I  will  ftay  at  home  to-day. 
Dec.  This  dream  is  all  amifs  interpreted  ; 
It  was  a  vifion,  fair  and  fortunate  : 
Your  uatue  fpouting  blood  in  many  pipes, 
In  which  fo  many  mailing  Romans  bath'd, 
Signifies,  that  from  you  great  Rome  mall  fuck 
Reviving  blood  ;  *  and  that  great  men  mall  prefs 

For 

*  And  thefe  Jbe  dot 's  apply  for  warnings  and  portents, 
And  evils  imminent* 

The  late  Mr.  Edwards  \vas  of  opinion  that  we  fliould  read  : 
-  •  warnings  and  portents 

Of  evils  imminent.     STEEVENS. 

*  and  that  great  men  jb  all  prefs 

For  tinftures,  flams,  relicks,  ami  cognizance.] 
That  this  dream  of  the  ftatue's  fpouting  blood  fliould  fignify,  the 
increnfe  or'  power  and  empire  to  Rome  from  the  influence  of  Cae- 
far's  arts  and  arms,  and  wealth  and  honour  to  the  noble  Romans 
through  his  beneficence,  exprefied  by  the  words,  from  you  great 
Rome  Jl  all  fuck  reviving  Hood,  is  intelligible  enough.  But  how 
thefe  great  men  fhould  literally  prefs  for  tinSiures^  ftains,  relicks, 
and  cogmfance,  when  the  fpouting  blood  was  only  a  fymbolical 
vifion,  I  am  at  a  lofs  to  apprehend.  Here  the  circumftances  of 
the  dream,  and  the  interpretation  of  it,  are  confounded  with  one 
another.  This  line  therefore, 

For  tinRures,  ftains,  relicki,  and  c ognifance , 

muft  needs  be  in  way  of  fimilitude  only  ;  and  if  fo,  it  appears  that 
fome  lines  are  wanting  between  this  and  the  preceding ;  which 
\vant  fliould,  for  the  future,  be  marked  with  afteriflcs.  The  fenfe 
of  them  is  not  difficult  to  recover,  and,  with  it,  the  propriety  of 
the  line  in  queftion.  The  fpeaker  had  faid,  the  ftatue  fignified, 
that  by  Caefar's  influence  Rome  (hould  flouriih  -and  increafe  in 
empire,  and  that  great  men  fliould  prefs  to  him  to  partake  of  his 
good  fortune,  juft  as  men  run  with  handkerchiefs,  &c.  to  dip 
them  in  the  blood  of  martyrs,  that  they  may  partake  of  their  me- 
rit. It  is  true,  the  thought  is  from  the  Chriftian  hiftory ;  but  fo 
fmall  an  anachronifm  is  nothing  with  our  poet.  Befides,  it  is  not 
my  interpretation  which  introduces  it,  it  was  there  before  :  for 
the  line  in  queftion  can  bear  no  other  fenfe  than  as  an  allulion  to 
the  blood  of  the  martyrs,  and  the  fuperftition  oi  fome  churches 
with  regard  to  it.  WAR  BURTON. 

I  am 


j  U  L  I  U  S    C  JE  S  A  R.  51 

For  tinctures,  ftains,  relicks,  and  cognifance. 
This  by  Calphurnia's  dream  is  fignify'd. 

C<ef.  And  this  way  have  you  well  expounded  it. 

Dec.  I  have,  when  you  have  heard  what  I  can  fay  : 
And  know  it  now  ;  The  fenate  have  concluded 
To  give,  this  day,  a  crown  to  mighty  Czefar. 
If  you  (hall  fend  them  word,  you  will  not  come, 
Their  minds  may  change.      Befides,  it  were  a  mock 
Apt  to  be  rendered,  for  feme  one  to  fay, 
Break  vp  the  fenate  'till  another  time, 
When.  Ctejlir's  wife  Jhall  meet  'With  better  dreams  ', 
If  Cjefar  hide  himielf,  mall  they  not  whifper^ 
Lo,  Caejar  is  afraid'? 

Pardon  me,  C^efar  ;  for  my  dear,  dear  love 
To  your  proceeding  bids  me  tell  you  this  ; 
4  And  reafon  to  my  love  is  liable. 

Ctffi  How  foolifh  do  your  fears  feem  now,  Cal- 

phurnia  ? 

I  am   afhamed  I  did  yield  to  them.-— 
Give  me  my  robe,  for  I  will  go  :— 


I  am  not  of  opinion  that  any  thing  is  loft,  and  have  therefore 
marked  no  omilfion.  This  fpeech,  which  is  intentionally  pom- 
pous, is  fomewhat  con  filled.  There  are  two  allufions ;  one  to 
coats  armorial,  to  which  princes  make  additions,  or  give  new 
tinfiures,  and  new  marks  of  cognifance ;  the  other  to  martyrs, 
uhofe  reliques  are  preferved  with  veneration.  The  Romans,  fays 
Decius,  all  come  to  you  as  to  a  faint,  for  reliques,  as  to  a  prince, 
for  honours.  JOHNSON. 

3  Men  Cafar's  ivifejball  meet  cwVA  letter  dreams.]     So,  in  lord 
Sterline's  Julius  C^cfar  : 

'*  How  can  we  iatisfy  the  world's  conceit  j 

*'  Whofe  tongues  ilill  in  all  ears  your  praife  proclaims  ? 

"  Or  fliall  we  bid  them  leave  to  deal  in  ftate, 

**  Till  that  Calfhuntia  firft  have  better  dreams  ?" 

MALONE. 

4  And  reafon^  &c.]  And  reafon,  or  propriety  of  conduct  and 
language,  is  fubordinate  to  my  love,     JOHNSON. 


E  2  £ntet 


52        .    JULIUS    C  JE  S  A  R. 


Enter  Publius,  Brutus,  Llgarlns,  Mstettus,  Cafca,   Trc- 
bomus,  and  Ci;:/:.L 

And  look  where  Publius  is  come  to  fetch  me. 

Pub.  Good  morrow,  Czefar. 

Caf.  Welcome,  Publius.— 
What,  Brutus,  are  you  ftirr'd  fo  early  too  ?— 
Good-morrow,  Cafca. — Caius  Ligarius, 
Cxfar  was  ne'er  fo  much  your  enemy, 
As  that  fame  ague  which  hath  made  you  lean. — 
What  is't  o'clock  ? 

Bn<.  Ca^far,  'tis  ftrucken  eight. 

Caf.  I  thank  you  for  your  pains  and  courtefy. 

Enter  Antony. 

'c  !   Antony,  that  revels  long  o'nights, 
Is  not  with  Handing  up  : — Good  morrow,  Antony. 

Ant.  So  to  moil  noble  C<cfar.  • 

Caf.  Bid  them  prepare  within  :— 
I  am  to  blame  to  be  thus  waited  for. — 
Now,  China  : — Now,  Metellus  :r— What,  Trebonius ! 
I  have  an  hour's  talk  in  ftore  for  you  ; 
Remember  that  you  call  on  me  to-day  : 
Be  near  me,  that  I  may  remember  you. 

Yreb.  Cgefar,  I  will  : and  fo  near  will  I  be, 

[Afide. 
That  your  befl  friends  ihall  wifii  I  had  been  further. 

C<ef.  Good  friends,  go  in,  and  tafle  fome  wine  with 

me  ; 
And  we,  like  friends,  will  ftraightway  go  together. 

Eru.  That  every  like  is  not  the  fame,  O  Csefar, 
The  heart  of  Brutus  ycrns  to  think  upon  !     [Exeuat. 


SCENE 


JULIUS    CJESAR.  53 

SCENE     III. 

Ajlreet  n:ar  the  Capitol. 
Enter  ArtemidoruSf   reading  a  paper, 

r,  beware  of  Brutus  ;  take  heed  of  Cqjjius  ;  come 
not  near  Cafca ;  have  an  eye  to  Clnna ;  trujl  not  "Trebo- 
n'ms ;  mark  well  Metellus .  C'tmber :  Dccius  Brutus  loves 
thee  not;  thou  hajl  wrong d  Calm  Ligarius.  There  is 
but  one  mind  in  all  thefe  men*  and  it  is  bent  againft  Ctefar. 
If  thou  be'Jl  not  immortal,  look  about  you  :  Security  gives 
way  to  cotifpiracy.  The  mighty  gods  defend  thee  ! 

Thy  lover, 

Artemidorus* 

Here  will  I  ftand,  'till  Cscfar  pafs  along, 

And  as  a  fuitor  will  I  give  him  this. 

My  heart  laments,  that  virtue  cannot  live 

Out  of  the  teeth  of  emulation. 

If  thou  read  this,  O  Ccefar,  thou  may'fl  live  ; 

If  not,  4  the  fates  with  traitors  do  contrive.       [Exif. 

SCENE        IV. 

Mother  part  of  the  fame  ftreet. 
Enter  Portia,  and  Lucius. 

•  Par.  I  pr'ythee,  boy,  run  to  the  fenate-houfe  ; 
Stay  not  to  anfwer  me,  but  get  thee  gone  : 
Why  doft  thou  flay  5  ? 

Luc. 

4  ^— the  fates  ivith  traitors  do  contrive.]  The  fates  join  I'ciifj 
traitors  in  contriving  thy  dellrudion.     JOHNSON. 

5  Why  dojl  th(.ujflayf  &c.]  Shake, peare  has  exprefled  the  per- 
turbation of  A".  Richard  the  tuird's  mind  by  the  fame  incident  : 

£3  "  —Dull 


5-4  J  U  L  I  U  S    C  M  S  A  R. 

Luc.  To  know  my  errand,  madam. 
For.  I  would  have  had  thec  there,  and  here  again. 
Ere  I  can  tell  thee  what  thou  fhould'ft  do  there. — • 

0  constancy,  be  ftrong  upon  my  fide  ! 

Set  a  huge  mountain  'tween  my  heart  and  tongue  ! 
J  have  a  man's  mind,  but  a  woman's  might. 
How  hard  it  is  for  women  to  keep  counfel  !— 
Art  thou  here  yet  ? 

Luc.  Madam,  what  fhould  I  do  ? 
Run  to  the  Capitol,  and  nothing  elfe  ? 
And  fo  return  to  you,  and  nothing  elie  ? 

Por.  Yes,  bring  me  word,  boy,  if  thy  lord  look 

well, 

For  he  went  fkkly  forth  :  And  take  good  note, 
What  Casfar  doth,  what  fuitors  prefs  to  him. 
Hark,  boy  !  what  noife  is  that  ? 

Luc.  I  hear  none,  madam. 

Por.  Pr'ythee,  liften  well; 

1  heard  a  buttling  rumour,  like  a  fray, 
And  the  wind  brings  it  from  the  Capitol. 

Luc.  Soothj  madam,  I  hear  nothing, 

Enter  Sootbfcyer. 

Por.  Come  hither,  fellow  :  Which  way  haft  thou 

been  ? 

Sooth.  At  mine  own  houfc,  good  lady. 
Por.  What  is't  o'clock  ? 
Sooth.  About  the  ninth  hour,  lady. 
Por.  Is  Caefar  yet  gone  to  the  Capitol  ? 
Sooth.  Madam,  not  yet ;  I  go  to  take  my  ftand, 
To  fee  him  pafs  on  to  the  Capitol. 
,Por.  Thou  haft  fpme  fuit  to  Caifar,  haft  thou  not? 

"    Dull,  unmindful  villain  ! 

"  Why  ftay'it  thou  here,  and  go'it  not  to  the  duke?— 
f*  Cat.  Firlt,  mighty  liege,  tell  me  your  highneis'  pleafure, 
't  Y^'hat  from  your  grace  I  fhall  deliver  to  him." 

STEEVENS. 


J  U  L  I  U  S    C  JE  S  A  R.  55 

Sooth.  That  I  have,  lady,  if  it  will  pleafe  Cafar 
To  be  fo  good  to  Casfar,  as  to  hear  me  : 
I  fhall  befeech  him  to  befriend  himfelf. 

For.  Why,  know'fl  thou  any  harm's  intended  to- 
wards him  ? 

Sooth,  None  that  I  know  will  be,  much  that  I  fear 

may  chance. 

Good  morrow  to  you.     Here  the  ftreet  is  narrow : 
The  throng  that  follows  Casftr  at  the  heels, 
Of  fenators,  of  przetors,   common  fuitors, 
Will  crowd  a  feeble  man  almofr  to  death  : 
I'll  get  me  to  a  place  more  void,  and  there 
Speak  to  great  Casfar  as  he  comes  along.  [Exit. 

Por.'  1  muft  go  in. — Ay  me  !   how  weak  a  thing 
The  heart  of  woman  is !  O  Brutus  ! 
The  heavens  fpeed  thee  in  thine  enterprize ! 
Sure,  the  boy  heard  me  : — Brutus  hath  a  fuit, 
That  Csfar  will  not  grant. — O,  I  grow  faint : — 
Run,  Lucius,  and  commend  me  to  my  lord  ; 
Say,  I  am  merry  :  come  to  me  again, 
And  bring  me  word  what  he  doth  fay  to  thee. 

[Exeunt. 


ACT    III.     SCENE     I. 

¥i:c  Street,  and  then 
7'ke  Capitol;    the  Senate  fitting. 


Fhtort/o,     E.-ifcr  Ctffar,  Brutus,  Cajfius,  Gjjia,.  Deejay 
1  !:tellusy  <Trebonius9  China,  Antony,  Lepidus,  Artcwi- 
dorus,  Pr.pilius,  Publlus,  and  the  Sooihfayer. 

C<ef.  The  ides  of  March  are  come. 
Stiotl;.  A}',  Cxfar  ;  but  not  gone. 

E  4  Art. 


56  J  U  L  I  U  S    C  J£  S  A  R, 

Art.  Hail,  Csefar  !  Read  this  fchedule. 

Dec.  Trebonius  doth  defire  you  to  o'er- read, 
At  your  beft  leifure,  this  his  humble  fuit. 

Art.  O,  Casfar,  read  mine  firft ;  for  mine's  a  fuit 
That  touches  Casfnr  nearer :  Read  it,  great  Casfar. 

(>/  What  touches  us  ourfelf,  fhall  be  laft  ferv'fl. 

Art.  Delay  not,  Casfar  ;  read  it  inftantly. 

C<ef.  "What,  is  the  fellov/  mad  ? 

Pub.  Sirrah,  give  place. 

Caf.  What,  urge  you  your  petitions  in  the  ftrect  ? 
Come  to  the  Capitol, 

[C<efnr  enters  the  Capitol,  the  reft  following."] 

Pop.  I  wifh,  your  enterprize  to-day  may  thrive. 

Caf.  What  enterprize,  Popilius  ? 

Pop.  Fare  you  well. 

Bru.  What  faid  Popilius  Lena  ? 

Caf.  He  wifh'd,  to-day  our  enterprize  might  thrive. 
I  fear,  our  purpole  is  difcovered. 

Bru.  Look,  how  he  makes  to  Ceefar  :  Mark  him. 

Caf.  CaiTca,  be  fudden,  for  we  fear  prevention.— 
Brutus,  what  mall  be  done  ?     If  this  be  known, 
Caflius,  or  Caefar,  never  mail  turn  back, 
For  I  will  ilay  myfelf. 

Bru.  Caflius,  bp  conflant : 
Popilius  Lena  fpeaks  not  of  our  purpofes ; 
For,  look,  he  fmiles,  and  Cseiar  doth  not  change. 

Cdf.  Trebonius  knows  his  time ;  for,  look  you^ 

Brutus, 
He  draws  IVIark  Antony  out  of  the  way. 

Exeunt  Ant.  and  Treb+ 

Dec.  Where  is  Mctcllns  Cimber  ?    Let  him  go, 
And  prefemly  pv-efer  his  fuit  to  Ciefar. 

•Em.  He  is  addrelt 6 :  prefs  near,  and  fecond  him. 

*  He  is  ad .^ reft  :]  I.  e.  he  is  ready.     So,  in  As  Ton  Like  //,* 

'•  Addrtffd*  rni^hty  power,  which  was  on  foot." 
We  are  new  to  fuppcfe  the  fenate  is  fcated,    STEEVENS, 


JULIUS    CAESAR.  57 

Cin.  Cafca,  you  are  the  firft  that  rear  your  hand 7. 

Caf.  Are  \ve  all  ready  ?  What  is  now  amifs, 
That  Casfar,  and  his  fcnate,  mufl  redrcfs  ? 

Afc/.  Moft  high,  moft  mighty,  and  moft  puiflant 

Casfar, 

Metellus  Cimber  throws  before  thy  feat  [Kneeling. 
An  humble  heart : 

C<ef.  I  mufl  prevent  thec,  Cimber. 
Thele  couchings,  and  thefe  lowly  courtefies, 
Might  fire  the  blood  of  ordinary  men  ; 

8  And  turn  pre-ordinance,  and  firft  decree, 

9  Into  the  lane  of  children.     Be  not  fond, 
To  think  that  Csefar  bears  fuch  rebel  blooda 
That  will  be  thaw'd  from  the  true  quality 

With  that  which  melteth  fpols ;  I  mean,  fweet  words, 

7  you  are  the  fir Jl  that  rear  your  hand.~\  This,  I  think,  Is 

not  Englifh.     The  firft  folio  has  reares,  which  is  not  much  bet- 
ter.    To  reduce  the  pafTage  to  the  rules  of  grammar,  we  fhould 
read — Tou  are  the  firjl  that  rears  his  band.     T  Y  R  w  H  I  T  T. 

8  And  turn  pre-ordinance — ]  P re-ordinance,  for  ordinance  al- 
ready eftablifhed.     WAR.BURTON. 

9  Into  the  lane  of  children.]  I  do  not  well  underfbmd  what  is 
meant  by  the  lane  of  children.     I  fliould  read,  the  lavj  of  chil- 
dren.   That  is,  change  pre-ordinance  and  decree  into  the  law  of  chil- 
dren ;  into  fuch  flight  determinations  as  every  {tart  of  will  would 
alter.     Lane  and  /awe  in  fome  manufcripts  are  not  eafily  diftin- 
guifhed.     JOHNSON. 

If  the  lane  of  children  be  the  true  reading,  it  may  poffibly  re- 
ceive illuftration  from  the  following  paflage  in  Ben  Jonfon's  Staple 
of  News  : 

*'  A  narrow-minded  man  !  my  thoughts  do  dwell 

"  All  in  a  lane." 

The  lane  of  children  will  then  mean  the  narrow  conceits  of  chil- 
dren, which  rnuil  change  as  their  minds  grow  more  enlarg'd. 
£>o,  in  Hamlet: 

*'  For  nature,  crefcent,  does  not  grow  alone 

"  In  thewes  and  bulk  ;  but  as  this  temple  waxes, 

1  *  The  inward fervice  of  the  mind  and 'foul ', 

"  Grows  wide  withal" 

But  even  this  explanation  is  harfh  and  violent.  Perhaps  the  poet 
wrote: — "  in  the  line  of  children,"  i.e.  after  the  method  or 
manner  of  children.  In  Troilus  and  Crejpda,  he  ufes  line  for  me« 
|hod,  cr.uric  : 

**  •——in  all//«f  of  order,"    STEEYENS, 

Low- 


5S  J  U  L  I  U  S    C  'JR  S  A  R. 

Low-crooked  curt'fies,  and  bafe  fpaniel  fawning. 
Thy  brother  by  decree  is  banhhed  ; 
If  thou  doft  bend,  and  pray,  and  fawn,  for  him, 
I  fpurn  thce  like  a  cur  out  of  my  way. 
Know,  Csefar  doth  not  wrong ;  nor  without  caufe 
Will  he  be  fatisfied  '  ? 

Met.  Is  there  no  voice  more  worthy  than  my  own, 
To  found  more  fwcetly  in  great  C^far's  ear, 
For  the  repealing  of  my  baniih'd  brother  ? 

Bru.  1  kifs  thy  hand,  but  not  in  flattery,  Gefar ; 
Defiring  thee,  that  Publius  Cimber  may 
Have  an  immediate  freedom  of  repeal. 

Cef,  What,  Brutus! 

1  A'«<KI»,  Cecfar  doth  not  ivrong  ;  nor  without  caufe 

mil  he  be  fatisfied.} 

Ben  Jonfon  quotes  this  line  unfaithfully  among  his  Difcoveriejy 
and  ridicules  it  again  in  the  Introduction  to  his  Staple  of  News. 
'*  Cry  you  mercy  ;  you  never  did  wrong,  but  vtitbjuft  caufe  ?" 

STEEVENS. 

It  may  be  doubted,  I  think,  whether  Jonfon  has  quoted  this 
line  unfaithfully.  The  turn  of  the  fentence,  and  the  defect  in  the 
metre  (according  to  the  prefent  reading),  rather  incline  me  to 
believe  that  the  paflage  flood  originally  thus  : 

Aw<nv,  Cafar  doth  not  -wrong ,  but  with  juft  caufe  j 
Nor  without  caufe  ivitt  he  be  fati sjled. 

We  may  fuppofe  that  Ben  ftarted  this  formidable  criticifm  at  one 
of  the  earlieit  reprefentations  of  the  play,  and  that  the  players, 
or  perhaps  Shakefpeare  himfelf,  over-awed  by  ib  great  an  author- 
ity, withdrew  the  words  in  queftion  ;  though,  in  my  opinion,  it 
would  have  been  better  to  have  told  the  captious  ceniurer  that  his 
criticilrn  was  ill-tounded  ;  that  ivroxp  is  not  always  a  fynonymous 
term  for  injury  ;  that,  in  poetical  language  efpecially,  it  may  be 
very  well  underftcod  to  mean  only  harm,  or  hurt,  what  the  law 
calls  damnumfins  injuria  \  and  that,  in  this  fenfe,  there  is  no- 
thing abiurd  in  Caefar's  faying,  that  he  doth  not  wrong  (i.  e.  doth 
not  inflict  any  evil,  or  punifhment)  but  with  jujl  caufe.  But, 
luppofmg  this  pafTage  to  have  been  really  cenfurable^  and  to  have 

'.vrittca  by  Shakefpeare,  the  exceptionable  words  were  un- 
doubtedly left  out  when  the  play  was  printed  in  1623  ;  and  there- 
tore  what  are  we  to  think  of  the  malignant  pleafure  with  which 
Jonfon  continued  to  ridicule  his  deceafed  friend  for  a  flip,  of 
which  poilerity,  without  his  information,  would  have  been  to- 
tally ignouiur  TYKWHITT. 

Gtf, 


JULIUS    CAESAR.  59 

Caf.  Pardon,  Cxfar ;  Csefar,  pardon : 
AS  low  as  to  thy  foot  doth  Caffius  fall, 
To  beg  enfranchifcment  for  Publius  Cimber. 

Caf.  I  could  be  well  mov'd,  if  I  were  as  you  ; 
If  I  could  pray  to  move,  prayers  would  move  me  ; 
But  I  am  conftant  as  the  northern  ftar, 
Of  whofe  true-fixt,  and  refting  quality, 
There  is  no  fellow  in  the  firmament. 
The  Ikies  are  painted  with  unnumbred  fparks, 
They  are  all  fire,  and  every  one  doth  fhine ; 
But  there's  but  one  in  all  doth  hold  his  place : 
So,  in  the  world  ;  'Tis  furnifh'd  well  with  men, 
And  men  are  flelh  and  blood,  and  2apprehenfive; 
Yet,  in  the  number,  I  do  know  3  but  one 
That  unavailable  4  holds  on  his  rank, 
Unfhak'd  of  motion  :  and,  that  I  am  he, 
Let  me  a  little  ihew  it,  even  in  this ; 
That  I  was  conftant  Cimber  Ihould  be  banifh'd, 
And  conftant  do  remain  to  keep  him  fo. 

Cm.  O  Caefar, 

C*f.  Hence  !  Wilt  thou  lift  up  Olympus  ? 

Dec.  Great  Csefar, 

C#f.  s  Doth  not  Brutus  bootlefs  kneel  ? 

Cafca. 

*  'apprehenjivc  ;]  Sufceptible  of  fear,  or  other  paflions. 

JOHNSON. 

So,  in  K.  Hen.  IV.  P.  II.  Aft  IV.  fc.  Hi  :  ««   —makes  it  aftrc- 
henfivi)  quick,  forgetive,  &c."     STEEVENS. 

3  but  one'}  One  and  only  one.     JOHNSON. 

4  .        holds  on  bis  rank,]  Perhaps,  holds  on  bis  race ;  continues 
his  courfe.     We  commonly  fay.  To  bold  a.  rank>  and  To  hold  on 
a  courfe  or  <way.     JOHNSON. 

5  Doth  not  Brut  its  bootlefs  kneel  ?]   I  would  read  : 

Do  not  Brutus  bootlefe  kneel !     JOHNSON. 

I  cannot  tub fcri be  to  Dr.  Johnfon's  opinion.  Cajfar,  as  fome 
of  the  conlpirators  are  preffing  round  him,  anfwers  their  impor- 
tunity properly  :  See  you  not  my  own  Brutus  kneeling  in  vain  f 
What  fuccefs  canyon  cxpcft  to  your  felicitations,  when,  his  are  in- 
effcttual?  This  might  have  put  my  learned  coadjutor  in  mind 
of  the  paflage  or"  Homer,  which  he  has  fo  elegantly  introduced 
in  his  preface.  Thou?  (faid  Achilles  to  his  captive)  when  fo  great 


60  JULIUS    CAESAR. 

Caka.  Speak,  hands,  for  rnc.         [Tbyjlab  Cafir. 

CJf.  Et  tu,  Brute  ? Then  fall,"Olar  !     [Dies. 

Chi.  Liberty!  Freedom!  Tyranny  is  dead  ! 

Run  hence,  proclaim,  cry  it  about  the  flreets. 

Caf.  Some  to  the  common  pulpits,  and  cry  out, 
Ubertyy  freedom,  and  cnfrancJoifimcnt  ! 

Bru.  People,  and  fenators  !   be  not  affrighted ; 
Fly  not ;  (land  ftill  : — ambition's  debt  is  paid. 

Cafca,  Go  to  the  pulpit,  Brutus  &. 

Dec.  And  Caffius  too. 

Bru*  Where's  Publius  ? 

Cm.  Here,  quite  confounded  with  this  mutiny. 

Mtt.    Stand   faft    together,    left  fome  friend  of 

Csfar's 
Should  chance 

Bru.  Talk  not  of  ftanding  : — Publius,  good  cheer  ; 
There;  is  no  harm  intended  to  your  perfon, 
Nor  to  no  Roman  elfe 7 :  fo  tell  them,  Publius. 

Caf.  And  leave  us,  Publius ;  left  that  the  people, 
Rufhing  on  us,  fhould  do  your  age  fome  mifchief. 

Bru.  Do  fo ; — and  let  no  man  abide  this  deed, 
But  we  the  doers. 

Re-enter  Trebonius. 

Caf.  Where  is  Antony  ? 

2;r.  Fled  to  his  houfe  amaz'd  ; 

«  man  as  Patroclus  has  fallen  before  thce,  doft  tbou  complain  of  the 
common  lot  of  mortality  f     STEEVENS. 

6  —Go  to  the  pulpit^    Brutus']     We  have  now  taken 
kave  of  Cafca.     Shakefpeare  for  once  knew  that  he  had  a  fuffi- 
cient  number  of  heroes  on  his  hands,  and  was  glad  to  lofe  an  in- 
dividual in  the  croud.     It  may  be  added,  that  the  fingularity  of 
Cafca's  manners  would  have  appeared  to  little  advantage  amidft 
the  fucceeding  varieties  of  tumult  and  war.    STEEVENS. 

7  Nor  to  no  Roman  clfe.~\  This  ufe  of  two  negatives,  not  to 
make  an  affirmative,  but  to  deny  more  flrongly,  is  common  to 
Chaucer,    Spenfer,    and  other  of  our  ancient  writers.    Hickes 
obferves,  that  in  the  Saxon,  even  four  negatives  are  fometimes 
conjoined,  rnd  full  preferve  a  negative  fignification.   STEEVENS. 

Men. 


J  U  L  I  U  S    C  JE  S  A  R.  61 

Men,  wives,  and  children,  flare,  cry  out,,  and  run, 
As  it  were  dooms-day. 

Bru.   Fates  !  we  will  know  your  pleafures  : — 
That  we  fhall  die,  we  know  ;  'tis  but  the  time, 
And  drawing  days  out,  that  men  ftand  upon. 

Caf.  Why,  he  that  cuts  off  twenty  years  of  life, 
Cuts  oiffo  many  years  of  fearing  death. 

/?;-/.  Grant  that,  and  then  is  death  a  benefit : 
So  are  we  Csefar's  friends,  that  have  abridg'd 
His  time  of  fearing  death. — 8  Stoop,  Romans,  fioop, 
And' let  us  bathe  our  hands  in  Caefer's  blood 
Up  to  the  elbows,  and  befmear  our  fwords  : 
Then  walk  we  forth,  even  to  the  market-place ; 
And,  waving  our  red  weapons  o'er  our  heads, 
Let's  all  cry,  Peace  !   Freedom  !  and  Liberty  ! 

Caf.  Stoop  then,  and  waih. How  many  ages 

hence, 

Shall  this  our  lofty  fcene  be  aclred  over, 
In  ftates  unborn,  and  accents  yet  unknown  ? 

Bru.  How  many  times  lhall  Czefar  bleed  in  fport, 

8  Stoop,  Romans,  fioop,  &c.]  In  all  the  editions  this  fpeech  is 
afcribed  to  Brutus,  than  which  nothing  is  more  inconliftent  with 
his  mild  and  philofophical  character.  But  (as  I  often  find 
fpeecbes  in  the  later  editions  put  into  wrong  mouths,  different 
from  the  firft  published  by  the  author)  I  think  this  liberty  not 
unreafonable.  POI>E. 

— Stoop,  Romans,  Jloop  ;  ]  Mr.  Pope  has  arbitrarily  taken  away 
the  remainder  of  this  Ipeech  from  Brutus,  and  placed  it  to  Cafca  ; 
becaufe  he  thinks  nothing  is  more  inconfiftent  with  Brutus's  mild 
and  philofophical  character.  I  have  made  bold  to  reflore  th« 
fpeech  to  its  right  owner.  Brutus  eiieem'd  the  death  of  Caefar  a 
facrifice  to  liberty  :  and,  as  fuch,  gloried  in  his  heading  the  en- 


houfe  to  the  Capitol,  with  their  dravin  fivords,  with  an  air  of 
confidence  and  aflurauce."  And  in  the  Life  of  Brutus, — "  Bru- 
tub  and  his  party  betook  ihemfelves  to  the  Capitol,  and  in  their 
way,  Jbewing  their  bands  all  bloody,  and  their  naked  fwords,  pro- 
claim* d liberty  to  the  people."  THEOBALD. 
Dr.  Warburton  follows  Pope.  JOHNSON. 

That 


62  J  U  L  I  U  S    C  m  S  A  &< 

That  now  on  Pompey's  bafis  lies  along, 
No  worthier  than  the  duft  ? 

Caf.  So  oft  as  that  fhall  be, 
So  often  lhall  the  knot  of  us  be  call'd 
The  men  that  gave  their  country  liberty.; 

Dec.  What,  fhall  we  forth  ? 

Caf.  Ay,  every  man  away  : 
Brutus  fhall  lead  ;  and  we  will  grace  his  heels 
With  the  mod  boldeft  and  beft    hearts  of  Rome* 

Enter  a  Servant. 

Bru.  Soft,  who  comes  here  ?  A  friend  of  Antony's. 

Serv.  Thus,  Brutus,  did  my  matter  bid  me  kneel ; 
Thus  did  Mark  Antony  bid  me  fall  down  ; 
And,  being  proftratc,  thus  he  bade  me  fay. 
Bru:  us  is  noble,  wife,  valiant,  and  honeft ; 
Casfar  was  mighty,  bold,  royal,  and  loving  : 
Say,  I  love  Brutus,  and  I  honour  him ; 
Say,  I  fear'd  Csefar,  honour'd  him,  and  lov'd  him. 
If  Brutus  will  vouchfafe,  that  Antony 
May  fafely  come  to  him,  and  be  refolv'd 
How  CaMar  hath  deferv'd  to  lie  in  death, 
Mark  Antony  fhall  not  love  Csefar  dead 
So  well  as  Brutus  living  ;  but  will  follow 
The  fortunes  and  affairs  of  noble  Brutus, 
Thorough  the  hazards  of  this  untrod  ftate, 
With  all  true  faith.     So  fays  my  mailer  Antony. 

Bru.  Thy  mafter  is  a  wife  and  valiant  Roman  ; 
I  never  thought  him  worfe. 
Tell  him,  fo  pleafe  him  come  unto  this  place, 
Ke  fhall  be  fatisfied  ;  and,  by  my  honour, 
Depart  untouch'd. 

Serv.  I'll  fetch  him  prefently,          -  [Exit  Servant* 

Bru.  I  know,  that  we  fhall  have  him  well  to  friend. 

Caf.  I  wifh,  we  may  :  but  yet  have  I  a  mind, 
That  fears  him  much  ;  and  my  mifgiving  Hill 
Falls  Ihrewdly  to  the  purpofe. 


JULIUS    C^SAR.  63 


Re-enter 

Bru.  But  here  comes  Antony.  —  Welcome,  Mark 
Antony. 

Ant.  O  mighty  Czefar  !  Doft  thou  lie  fo  low  ? 
Are  all  thy  conquefts,  glories,  triumphs,  fpoils, 
Shrunk  to  this  little  meafure  ?  —  Fare  thee  well.— 
I  know  not,  gentlemen,  what  you  intend, 
Who  elfe  muft  be  let  blood,  9  who  elfe  is  rank  : 
If  I  myfelf,  there  is  no  hour  fo  fit 
As  Qefar's  death's  hour  ;  nor  no  inftrument 
Of  half  that  worth,  as  thofe  your  f  words,  made  rich 
With  the  moft  noble  blood  of  all  this  world. 
I  do  befeech  ye,  if  you  bear  me  hard, 
Now,  whilft  your  purpled  hands  do  reek  and  fmoke, 
Fulfil  your  pleafure.     Live  a  thoufand  years, 
I  (hall  not  find  myfelf  fo  apt  to  die  : 
No  place  will  pleafe  me  fo,  no  mean  of  death, 
As  here  by  Caifar,  and  by  you  cut  off, 
The  choice  and  matter  fpirits  of  this  age. 

Bru.  O  Antony  !  beg  not  your  death  of  us. 
Though  now  we  muft  appear  bloody  and  cruel, 
As,  by  our  hands,  and  this  our  prefent  adt, 
You  fee  we  do  ;  yet  fee  you  but  our  hands, 
And  this  the  bleeding  bufinefs  they  have  done  : 
Our  hearts  you  fee  not,  they  are  pitiful  ; 
And  pity  to  the  general  wrong  of  Rome 
(As  fire  drives  out  fire,  fo  pity,  pity) 
Hath  done  this  deed  on  Casfar.     For  your  part, 
To   you   our   fwords  have   leaden    points,    Mark 

Antony  : 

1  Our  arms,  in  ftrength  of  malice,  and  our  hearts, 

Of 

9  -  ivbo  elfe  is  rank  ;  ]  Who  elfe  may  be  fuppofed  to  have 
overtopped  his  equate,  and  grown  too  high  for  the  public  fafety. 

JOHNSON. 

1  Our  arm:  exempt  from  malice,]  This  is  the  reading  only  of 

the 


64  JULIUS     C  jfc  S  A  R^ 

Of  brothers'  temper,  do  receive  you  in 

With  all  Jdnd  love,  good  thoughts,  and  reverence.- 

Caf.  Your  voice  ihall  be  as  itrong  as  any  man's., 
In  the  difpofing  of  new  dignities. 

Bru.  Only  be  patient,  'till  we  have  appeas'd 
The  multitude,  befide  themfelves  with  fear, 
And  then  we  will  deliver  you  the  caufe, 
Why  I,  that  did  love  Casfar  when  I  {truck  him, 
Have  thus  proceeded. 

Ant.  I  doubt  not  of  your  wifdom. 
Let  each  man  render  me  his  bloody  hand  : 
Firfl,  Marcus  Brutus,  will  I  fliake  with  you;— 
Next,  Caius  Caffius,  do  I  take  your  hand  ; — 

Now,  Decius  Brutus,    yours; now  yours,  Me- 

tellus  ;  — 

Yours,  Cinna  ;< — and,  my  valiant  Cafca,  yours  ;— 
Though  laft,  not  leaft  in  love,  yours,  good  Trebonius. 
Gentlemen  all, — alas  !  what  Ihall  I  fay  ? 
My  credit  now  (lands  on  fuch  ilippery  ground, 
That  one  of  two  bad  ways  you  mufl  conceit  me, 

Either  a  coward,  or  a  flatterer. • 

That  I  did  love  thee,  Czefar,  O,  'tis  true : 

If  then  thy  fpirit  look  upon  us  now, 

Shall  it  not  grieve  thce,  dearer  than  thy  death, 

the  modern  editions,  yet  perhaps  the  true    reading.     The  old 
copy  has : 

Our  arms  in  flrength  of  malice.     JOHNSON. 
The  old  reading  I  believe  to  have  been  what  the  author  defign'd  ; 
and  Dr.  Johnfon  feems  to  have  given  a  fanftiou  to  the  alteration 
of  his  predeceflbrs,  without  confidering  the  context. 

To  you  i  (fays  Brutus)  our  Pwords  have  leaden  points  :  our  arniSy, 
Jfaong  in  the  deed  of  malice  they  have  jiift  performed,  and  our  hearts 
united  like  thofe  of  brothers  in  the  a&ion^  are  yet  open  to  receive  you. 
ivitb  all  poffible  affection.  The  fuppofition  that  Brutus  meant, 
their  hearts  were  of  brothers'  temper  in  rcfpe ft  of  Antony,  feems  to 
have  mifled  thofe  who  have  commented  on  this  paflage  before.  I 
have  replaced  the  old  reading.  Mr.  Pope  firit  fubftitutcd  the  words 
exempt  front)  in  its  place.  If  alteration  were  neceflary,  it  would 
be  eafier  to  read  : 

Our  arms  \\vftrtngth  of  malic r,  •"        «     STEEVEXS. 

To 


J  U  L  I  U  S    C  A  S  A  R.  6$ 

To  fee  thy  Antony  making  his  peace, 

Shaking  the  bloody  fingers  of  thy  foes, 

Mofl  noble  !  in  the  prefence  of  thy  corfe  ? 

Had  I  as  many  eyes  as  thou  haft  wounds, 

Weeping  as  faft  as  they  flream  forth  thy  bloodj 

It  would  become  me  better,  than  to  clofc 

In  terms  of  friendfhip  with  thine  enemies. 

Pardon  me,  Julius  ! — Here  waft  thou  bay'd,  brave 

hart; 

Here  didft  thou  fall ;  and  here  thy  hunters  ftand, 
Sign'd  in  thy  fpoil,  and  *  crimfon'd  in  thy  lethe. 
O  world  !  thou  waft  the  foreft  to  this  hart ; 
And  this,  indeed,  O  world,  the  heart  of  thee.^- 
How  like  a  deer,  ftrucken  by  many  princes, 
Doft  thou  here  lie  ? 

Caf.  Mark  Antony, 

Ant.  Pardon  me,  Caius  Caffius  : 
The  enemies  of  Czefar  lhall  fay  this  ; 
Theft,  in  a  friend,  it  is  cold  modefty. 

Caf.  I  blame  you  not  for  praifing  Ca?far  fo ; 
But  what  compact  mean  you  to  have  with  us  ? 
Will  you  be  prick'd  in  number  of  our  friends  ; 
Or  lhall  we  on,  and  not  depend  on  you  ? 

Ant.  Therefore  I  took  your  hands ;  but  was,  in- 
deed, 
Sway'd  from  the  point,  by  looking  down  on  Cjefar; 

3  crimfon'd  in  thy  lethe.]  Mr.  Theobald  fays,  The  diftion- 

aries  acknowledge  no  fuch  word  as  lethe  ;  yet  he  is  not  without  fup* 
pojition,  that  Shabefpeare  coined  the  <vjord ;  and  yet,  for  all  that^ 
the  1  might  le  a  d  imperfeftly  wrote,  therefore  he  ivill  have  death 
injlead  of  it.  After  all  this  pother,  lethe  was  a  common  French 
word,  fignifying  death  or  dcjlruclion^  from  the  Latin  lethum. 

WAR  BUR  TON. 

Lethe  is  ufed  by  many  of  the  old  tranflators  of  novels,  for 
ileath  ;  and  in  Hey  wood's  Iron  Age,  Part  II.  1632  : 
'  The  proudeft  nation  that  great  Alia  nurs'd, 
"  Is  now  extinft  in  lethe." 
Again,  \KCupifsWlirHffig,  1616: 

*'  For  vengeance''  wings  bring  on  thy  lethal  day." 

STEEVEKJ. 

VOL.  VIII.  F  Friends 


66  J  U  L  I  U  S    C  JE,  S  A  R. 

Friends  am  I  with  you  all,  and  love  you  all ; 
Upon  this  hope,  that  you  fhall  give  me  reafons, 
Why,  and  wherein,  Caefar  was  dangerous. 

Brit.  Or  elie  were  this  a  favage  fpectacle  : 
Our  reafons  are  ib  full  of  good  regard, 
That  were  you,  Antony,  the  fon  of  Caefar, 
You  fhould  be  fatisfied. 

Ant.  That's  all  I  feek  : 
And  am  moreover  fuitor,  that  I  may 
Produce  his  body  to  the  market-place  ; 
And  in  the  pulpit,  as  becomes  a  friend, 
Speak  in  the  order  of  his  funeral. 

Em*  You  fhall,  Mark  Antony. 

Caf.  Brutus,  a  word  with  you. — 

You  know  not  what  you  do  ;  Do  not  confent, 
That  Antony  fpeak  in  his  funeral : 
Know  you  how  much  the  people  maybe  mov'd 
By  that  which  he  will  utter  ? 

ji'---!f.   By  your  pardon  ; — 
I  \\iil  myieif  into  the  pulpit  firft, 
And  Ihew  the  reafon  of  our  Casfar's  death  : 
What  Antony  fhall  fpeak,  I  will  proteft 
He  fpeaks  by  leave  and  by  permillion  ; 
And  that  we  are  contented,  Casfar  fhall 
Have  all  true  rites,  and  lawful  ceremonies. 
It  fhall  advantage  more,  than  do  us  wrong. 

Caf.  I  know  not  what  may  fall  ;  I  like  it  not. 

Bru.  Mark  Antony,  here,  take  you  Csfar's  body. 
You  fhall  not  in  your  funeral  fpeech  blame  us, 
But  fpeak"  all  good  you  can  devife  of  Csefar  ; 
And  fay,  you  do't  by  our  permiffion  ; 
Elfe  fhall  you  not  have  any  hand  at  nil 
About  his  funeral  :  And  you  fhall  fpeak 
In  the  fame  pulpit  whereto  I  am  going, 
After  my  fpeech  is  ended. 

Ant.  Be  it  ib; 
I  do  dcfire  no  more. 

Br*. 


JULIUS     C  J2  S  A  R.  67 

Brit.  Prepare  the  body  then,  and  follow  us. 

[Exeunt  Confpirators. 

Manet  Antony. 

Ant.  O,  pardon  me,  thou  bleeding  piece  of  earth^ 
That  I  am  meek  and  gentle  with  thefe  butchers  ! 
Thou  art  the  ruins  of  the  nobleft  man, 
That  ever  lived  4  in  the  tide  of  times. 
Woe  to  the  hand  that  ihcd  this  coftly  blood  ! 
Over  thy  wounds  now  do  I  prophefy  J, — 
Which,  like  dumb  mouths,  do  ope  their  ruby  lips, 
To  beg  the  voice  and  utterance  of  my  tongue  ; — 
A  curfe  fhall  light 6  upon  the  limbs  of  men  ; 
Domeftick  fury,  and  fierce  civil  ftrife, 
Shall  cumber  ail  the  parts  of  Italy  : 

*  .   .  •  •  in  the  tide  of  times.']  That  is,  in  the  courfe  of  times; 

JOHNSON. 
5  Over  fly  wounds  now  do  I pfopbcfj,— — 

WJjicb  like  dumb  mouthy  &e.] 

Shakefpeare,  perhaps,  in  his  thoughts  had  art  old  play,  called, 
A  Warning  for  fair e  Women,  1599.  It  was  once  very  popular, 
and  appears  to  have  been  written  ibme  years  before  it  was  printed : 

*'  1  gave  him  fifteen  wounds, 

"  Which  no\v  be  fifteen  mouths  that  do  accufe  me  : 

**  In  every  wound  there  is  a  bloody  tongue 

•«  Which  will  all  fpeak  although  he  hold  his  peace." 

MALONE* 

* upon  the  limbs  of  men  ;]  We  fhould  read  : 

—       Jine  of  men  ; 

i.  e.  human  race.    WAREURTOX. 
Hanmer  reads : 

kind  of  men  ; 

I  rather  think  it  (hould'be, 

the  lives  of  men  ; 

unlefs  we  read  : 

thefe  lymms  of  men  ; 

That  is,  theft  bloodhounds  of  men.     The  uncommonnefs  of  the 
word  lymm  eafily  made  the  change.     JOHNSON. 

I  think  the  old  reading  may  very  well  ftand.  Antony  means 
only,  that  a  .future  curfe  fhall  commence  in  diftempers  feizing 
on  the  limbs  of  men,  and  be  fucceeded  by  commotion,  cruelty, 
and  defolation  over  all  Italy.  STEEVENS. 

F  2  Blood 


68  J  U  L  I  U  S    C  JE  S  A  R. 

Blood  and  deftrucYion  lhall  be  fo  in  ufe, 
And  dreadful  objects  fo  familiar, 
Thar  mothers  fhsll  but  fmile,  when  they  behold 
Their  infants  ouarter'd  with  the  hands  of  war  ; 
Ail  pity  choak'd  with  cuftom  of  fell  deeds  : 
And  Csefar's  fpirit 7,  ranging  for  revenge, 
With  Ate  by  his  fide,  come  hot  from  hell, 
Shall  in  thefe  confines,  with  a  monarch's  voice, 
8  Cry  Havock,  and  let  flip  the  dogs  of  war ; 
That  this  foul  deed  ftiall  fmell  above  the  earth 
With  carrion  men,  groaning  for  burial. 

Enter  a  Servant. 

You  ferve  Odfcavius  Casfar,  do  you  not  ? 
Sm.  I  do,  Mark  Antony. 
Ant.-  Csfar  did  write  for  him,  to  come  to  Rome. 

7  ,/.../ ^'./.".••'.ry'".:;.'V,  ranging  for  revenge,  &c.] 

—  un.braque  erraret  Craffus  inulta."    Ltican^  lib.  I. 
Fatalem  populis  ultro  pofcentibus  horam 
Admovet  atra  dies  ;  Stygiifque  emifla  tenebris 
Mors  fniitur  coelo,  bellatoremque  volando 
Catnpum  operit,  nigroque  viros  invitat  hiatu." 

Stat.  Tbcl.  VIII. 
"   Furire  rapuerunt  licia  Parcis."  Ibid.     STKKVENS. 

8  Cry  Havock, — ]  A  learned  correfpondent  has  informed  me, 
th?t,  in  the  military  operations  of  old  times,  bavock  was  the  word 
by  which  declaration  was  made;  that  no  quarter  fliould  be  given. 

In  a  trad  imitled,  The  Office  of  tl-e  Conftablc  a;:d  Marcfcball  in 
tl"c  Ty-'Jic  ofto'errc,  contained  in  the  Black  Book  of  the  Admiralty, 
there  is  the  following  chapter  : 

"  The  pcyne  of  hym  that  crieth  bavock  and  of  them  that  fol- 
loweth  hvm,  etit.  v." 

"  Item  Si  quis  inventus  fuerit  (jui  clamorem  inceperit  qui  vo- 
cattir  Ilavok.'1 

*'  Alfo  that  no  man  be  fo. hardy  to  crye  Havok  upon  peync 
th  «t  lie  tr;r  :  e  decde  therefore  :  &  the  remanent 

that  dco  the  fame  or  folmv,  {hall  lofe  their  horfe  &;  harneis  :  and 
the  j>ei  Tones  of  i'uch  as  foloweth  &c  elcrien  fhnl  be  under  ar- 
rell  or  the  Concuahle  and  Murcichall  warde  unto  tyme  that  they 
have  made  tvn  ;  und  tounde  furctic  no  morr  to  offeade  j  and  his 
body  in  prifon  at  the  Kyng  \v)  il. — "  JOHNSON. 

Serv* 


J  U  L  I  U  S     C  JE  S  A  R.  69 

Serv.  He  did  receive  his  letters,  and  is  coming  : 
And  bid  me  fay  to  you  by  word  of  mouth,  — 
O  Casfar  !—  [Seeing  the  body. 

Ant.  Thy  heart  is  big  ;  get  thee  apart  and  weep. 
Paffion,  I  fee,  is  catching  ;  for  mine  eyes, 
Seeing  thofe  beads  of  forrow  ftand  in  thine, 
Began  to  water.     Is  thy  matter  coming  ? 

Serv.  He  lies  to-night  within  feven    leagues  of 
Rome. 

Ant.  Poft  back  with  fpeed,  and  tell  him  what  hath 

chanc'd  : 

Here  is  a  mourning  Rome,  a  dangerous  Rome, 
No  Rome  of  fafety  for  O&avius  yet  9  ; 
Hie  'hence,  and  tell  him  fo.     Yet,  ftay  a  while  ; 
Thou  ihalt  not  back,  'till  I  have  borne  this  corfe 
Into  the  market-place  :  there  ftiall  I  try, 
In  my  oration,  how  the  people  take 
The  cruel  ifiue  of  thefe  bloody  men  ; 
According  to  the  which,  thou  Ihalt  difcourfc 
To  young  Odtavius  of  the  ftate  of  things. 
Lend  me  your  hand.         [Exeunt,  with  CtffaSs  body, 


SCENE     II. 

The  Forum. 
Enter  Brutus,  and  Caflius,   with  the  Plebeians. 

Pkb.  We  will  be  fatisfied  ;  let  us  be  fatisfied. 
Eru.  Then    follow  me,    and  give  me  audience, 
friends.  — 

9  No  Rome  of  fafety  )  &c.]  If  Shakefpeare  meant  to  quibble  on 
the  words  Rome  and  room,  in  this  and  a  former  paflage,  he  is  at 
kaft  countenanced  in  it  by  other  authors  : 
So,  in  Hey  wood's  Rape  of  Lncrcce,   1638  : 
"  •  -  You  fhall  have  my  room, 
<{  My  Rome  indeed,  for  what  I  feem  to  be, 
'*  Brutus  is  not,  but  born  great  Rom?  to  free."  STEEVENS. 

F  Caflius 


70  J  U  L  I  U  S    C  JE,  S  A  R. 

Caffins,  go  you  into  the  other  flrect, 

And  part  the  numbers. — 

Thole  that  will  hear  me  fpeak,  let  them  ftay  here  ; 

Thofe  that  will  follow  Caffius,  go  with  him  ; 

And  publick  reafons  fhall  be  rendered 

Of  Ca?far's  death. 

1  pleb.  I  will  hear  Brutus  fpeak. 

2  Plcb.  I  will  hear  Caffius ;  and  compare  their  rea- 

fons, 
When  feverally  we  hear  them  rendered. 

[Exit  CaJJius,  with  fome  of  the  Plebeians: 
Brutus  goes  into  the  roftrutu. 

3  Pleb.  The  noble  Brutus  is  afcended  :  Silence  ! 
Sru.  Be  patient  'till  the  laft. 

Romans,  7  countrymen,  and  lovers  !  hear  me  for 
iny  caufe  ;  and  be  iilent,  that  you  may  hear  :  believe 
me  for  mine  honour  ;  and  have  refpcft  to  mine  ho- 
nour, that  you  may  believe  :  ccnfure  me  in  your 
wifdom  ;  and  awake  your  fenfes,  that  you  may  the 
better  judge.  If  there  be  any  in  this  aflembly,  any 
dear  friend  of  Ciefar's,  to  him  I  fay,  that  Brutus* 
love  to  Csfar  was  no  lefs  than  his.  If  then  that 
.friend  demand,  why  Brutus  rofe  againit  Ctefar,  this 

1  countrymen,  and  lovers  !  £c.]  There  is  no  where,  in  all  Shake- 
fpeare's  works  a  ftrcnger  proof  of  his  not  being  what  we  call  a 
fcholar  than  this  ;  or  of  his  not  knowing  any  thing  of  the  genius 
cf  learned  antiquity.  This  Ipeech  of  Brutus  is  wrote  in  imitation 
or  hit.  tamed  laconic  brevity,  and  is  very  fine  in  its  kind;  but  no 
nv  .!-c  like  that  brevity,  than  his  times  were  like  Brutus'?.  The  an- 
cient laconic  brevity  was  fimple,  natural,  and  eafy  :  this  is  quaint, 
yrtlfkial,  jingling,  and  abounding  with  forced  antithefes.  Jn  a 
word,  a  brevity,  that  for  its  falfe  eloquence  would  have  fuitedany 
chariuler,  und  lor  its  good  fenfe  would  have  become  the  greatefl 
of  <.ur  author's  time;  but  yet,  in  a  ilile  of  declaiming,  that  iits 
as  ill  upca  P?vi!tu3  as  our  author's  trowfers  or  collar-band  would 
hnvc  <'''ne.  W"ASBURTON. 

Tl.is  artificial  g'Dglc  of  fliort  fentences  was  affeftcd  by  moft  of 
|hc  orators  in  Snakefpeare's  time,  whether  in  the  pulpit  or  at  the 
par.  'i  iie  fpeech  of  Brutus  may  therefore  be  regarded  -rather  as 
an  iimu.fi';n  of  the  falle  eloquence  then  in  vogue,  than,  *is  a  fpe- 
pineu  of  hcoaic  brevity.  STEKVENS, 

ii 


J  U  L  I  U  S     C  j£  S  A  R.  71 

is  my  anfvver, — Not  that  I  lov'd  Csefar  lefs,  but  that 
I  lov'd  Rome  more.  Had  you  rather  Ceefar  were 
living,  and  dye  all  flaves  ;  than  that  Csefar  were 
dead,  to  live  all  free  men  ?  As  Csefar  lov'cl  me,  I 
weep  for  him  ;  as  he  was  fortunate,  1  rejoice  at  it ; 
as  he  was  valiant,  I  honour  him  :  butj  as  he  was  am- 
bitious, I  flew  him  :  There  are  tears,  for  his  love ;  joy, 
for  his  fortune  ;  honour,  for  his  valour  ;  and  death, 
for  his  ambition.  Who  is  here  fo  bafc,  that  would 
be  a  bond-man  ?  If  any,  fpeak ;  for  him  have  I  of- 
fended. Who  is  here  fo  rude,  that  would  not  be  a 
Roman  ?  If  any,  fpeak  ;  for  him  have  I  offended. 
Who  is  here  fo  vile,  that  will  not  love  his  country  ? 
If  any,  fpeak  ;  for  him  have  I  offended.  I  paufe  for 
a  reply. 

All.  None,  Brutus,  none. 

Bru.  Then  none  have  I  offended.  I  have  done 
no  more  to  Casfar,  than  you  mall  do  to  Brutus.  The 
queflion  of  his  death  is  enroll'd  in  theCr.pitol  :  his 
glory  not  extenuated,  wherein  he  was  worthy  ;  nor 
his  offences  enforc'd,  for  which  he  fuffcred  death. 

Enter  Mark  Antony,  &V.  with  C<efar's  body. 

Here  comes  his  body,  mourn'd  by  Mark  Antony : 
who,. though  he  had  no  hand  in  his  death,  fhall  re- 
ceive the  benefit  of  his  dying,  a  place  in  the  com- 
monwealth ;  As  which  of  you  fhall  not  ?  With  this 
I  depart ;  That,  as  I  flew  my  beil  lover  for  the  good 
of  Rome,  I  have  the  fame  dagger  for  myfelf,  when 
it  fhall  pleafe  my  country  to  need  my  death. 
AIL  Live,  Brutus,  live  !  live  ! 

1  Pkb.  Bring  him  with  triumph  home  unto  his 

houfe. 

2  Pkb.  Give  him  a  ftatue  with  his  anceflors. 

3  Pleb.  Let  him  be  C-jefar. 

4  Pleb.  Csefar's  better  parts 
Shall  be  crowned  in  Brutus. 

F  4  I 


^  JULIUS    C^SAR. 

j  Pleb.  We'll  bring  him  to  his  houfe  with  fhouts 
and  clamours. 

Bru.  My  countrymen, — 

a  Pleb.  Peace  ;  filence  !  Brutus  fpeaks. 

i  Pleb.  Peace,  ho  ! 

Bru.  Good  countrymen,  let  me  depart  alone, 
And,  for  my  fake,  ftay  here  with  Antony  : 
Do  grace  to  Casfar's  corpfe,   and  grace  his  fpeech 
Tending  to  Csfar's  glories  ;  which  Mark  Antony 
By  our  permiffion  is  allow 'd  to  make. 
I  do  intreat  you,  not  a  man  depart, 
Save  I  alone,  'till  Antony  have  fpoke.  [Exit. 

i  Pleb.  Stay,  ho  !  and  let  us  hear  Mark  Antony. 

3  Pleb.  Let  him  go  up  into  the  public,  chair; 
We'll  hear  him  : — Noble  Antony,  go  up. 

Ant.  For  Brutus'  fake,  I  am  beholden  to  you. 

4  Pleb.  What  does  he  fay  of  Brutus  ? 

3  Pleb.  He  fays,  for  Brutus'  fake, 
£3e  finds 'himfelf  beholden  to  us  all  *. 

4  Pleb.  'Twere  beft  he  fpeak  no  harm  of  Brutus 

here. 

1  Pleb.  This  Caefar  was  a  tyrant. 
3  Pleb.  Nay,  that's  certain  : 

We  nrc  bleft,  that  Rome  is  rid  of  him. 

2  Pick.  Peace  ;,  let  us  hear  what  Antony  can  fay. 
..V.Y.  You  gentle  Romans, — 

All.  Peace,  ho  !  let  us  hear  him. 

Friends,  Romans,  countrymen,  lend  me  your 

•  s  ; 

I  come  to  buiy  Caefar,  not  to  praife  him. 
The  evil,  that  men  do,  lives  after  them  ; 
The  good  is  oft  interred  with  their  bones ; 
-  it  be  with  Cafar  !  The  noble  Brutus 
Hath  told  yon,  Czefar  was  ambitious  : 

•  beholden  to  us  all.]  Throughout  the  old  copies  of 

many  other 'ancient  authors,  £t£0A/r*'i8Qorrapt- 

pelt— beholding.     STEEVEKS. 

If 


JULIUS    CAESAR.  75 

If  it  were  fo,  it  was  a  grievous  fault ; 

And  grievouiiy  hath  Caefar  anfwer'd  it. 

Here,  under  leave  of  Brutus,  and  the  reft, 

(For  Brutus  is  an  honourable  man  ; 

So  are  they  all,  all  honourable  men) 

Come  I  to  fpeak  in  Caefar's  funeral. 

He  was  my  friend,  faithful  and  juft  to  me  : 

]3ut  Brutus  fays,  he  was  ambitious  ; 

And  Brutus  is  an  honourable  man. 

He  hath  brought  many  captives  home  to  Rome, 

Whofe  ranfdms  did  the  general  coffers  fill : 

Did  this  in  Ca^far  feem  ambitious  ? 

When  that  the  poor  have  cry'd,  Czefar  hath  wept : 

Ambition  mould  be  made  of  fterner  fluff: 

Yet  Brutus  fays,  he  was  ambitious  ; 

And  Brutus  is  an  honourable  man. 

You  all  did  fee,  that,  on  the  Lupercal, 

I  thrice  prefented  him  a  kingly  crown, 

Which  he  did  thrice  refufe.     Was  this  ambition  ? 

Yet  Brutus  fays,  he  was  ambitious  ; 

And,  fure,  he  is  an  honourable  man. 

I  fpeak  not  to  difprove  what  Brutus  fpoke, 

But  here  I  am  to  fpeak  what  I  do  know. 

You  all  did  love  him  once,  not  without  caufe  ; 

What  caufe  with-holds  you  then  to  mourn  for  him  ?— 

O  judgment,  thou  art  fled  to  brutifh  beads, 

And  men  have  loft  their  reafon  ! — Bear  with  me  ; 

My  heart  is  in  the  coffin  there  with  Casfar, 

And  I  muft  paufe  'till  it  come  back  to  me. 

1  Pleb.  Methinks,  there  is  much  reafon  in  his  fay- 

ings, 

2  Pkb.  If  thou  confider  rightly  of  the  matter, 
8  Czefar  has  had  great  wrong. 

3  Pleb. 

3  Crtfar  has  lad  great   wrong.   3  Pleb.  Ccefar  bad  never  wrong 
lut  with  juft  caufe.}  If  ever  there  was  fuch  a  line  written  by  Shakc- 
fpeare,  I  fhould  fancy  it  might  have  its  place  here,  and  very  hu- 
Diouroufly  in  the  character  of  a  plebeian.     One  might  believe 


74  J  U  L  I  U  S    C  ^E  S  A  R. 

3  Pkb.  Has  he,  mailers  ? 

I  fear,  there  will  a  worfe  come  in  his  place. 

4  P&£.  Mark'd  ye  his  words  ?  He  would  not  take 

the.  crown  ; 
Therefore,  'tis  certain,  he  was  not  ambitious. 

1  Pleb.  If  it  be  found  fo,  fome  will  dear  abide  it. 

2  Pleb.  Poor  foul  !    his  eyes  are  red  as  fire  with 

weeping. 

3  Pleb.  There's  not  a  nobler  man  in  Rome,  than 

Antony. 

4  Pleb.  Now  mark  him,  he  begins  again  to  fpcak. 
.Ant.  But  yefterday  the  word  of  Casfar  might 

Have  flood  againft  the  world  :  now  lies  he  there, 
*  And  none  fo  poor  to  do  him  reverence. 

0  mailers  !  if  I  were  difpos'd  to  ftir 
Your  hearts  and  minds  to  mutiny  and  rage, 

1  ihould  do  Brutus  wrong,  and  Caflius  wrong, 
\Yho,  you  all  know,  are  honourable  men  : 

I  \viii  not  do  them  wrong;  I  rather  choofe 

To  wrong  the  dead,  to  wrong  myfelf,  and  you, 

Than  I  will  wrong  fuch  honourable  men. 

But  here's  a  parchment,  with  the  feal  of  Caeilir, 

I  found  it  in  his  clofet,  'tis  his  will  : 

Let  but  the  commons  hear  this  tefhment, 

(Which,  pardon  me,  I  do  not  mean  to  read) 

Ben  Jcnfon's  remark  was  made  upon  r.o  better  credit  than  fome 
blunder  of  an  actor  in  fpeaking  that  vcrie  near  the  beginning  of 
the  third  adl ; 

KKC-J;,   C^cfar  doth  not  wrong  ;   nor  iv:i-bout  caufe 

Will  he  be  fatlsfied 

But  the  verfe,  as  cited  by  Ben  Jonfon,  does  not  connect  with, 
Will  be  oefatisfied.  Perhaps  this  play  was  never  printed  in  lien 
J  onion's  time,  and  fo  he  had  nothing  to  judge  bv,  but  as  the  ac- 
tor pleafed  to  fpeak  it.  POPE. 

lyh.vye  infened  this  note,  becaufe  it  is  Pope's,  for  it  is  cther- 
\v:fe  or"  r.o  v;ilue.  It  is  il.-.in^e  thut  he  ft.ould  fo  much  forget  the 
date  of  the  copy  before  hi:r.,  as  to  think-it  not  printed  in  Joaiou's 
time.  JOHNSON. 

*  And  none  fo  poor  — —  ~j  The  meaneft  rnnn  is  no\v  too  high  to 
do  reverence  ic  Ctefar.  JOHNSON. 


J  U  L  I  U  S    C  JE  S  A  R.  75 

And  they  would  go  and  kifs  dead  Casfar's  wounds, 
And  dip  their  napkins  J  in  his  facred  blood; 
Yea,  beg  a  hair  of  him  for  memory, 
And,  dying,  mention  it  within  their  wills, 
Bequeathing  it,  as  a  rich  legacy, 
Unto  their  iflue. 

4  Pkb.  We'll  hear  the  will :  Read  it,  Mark  An- 
tony. 

AIL  The  will,  the  will;  we  will  hear  Casfar's  will. 

Ant.  Have  patience,  gentle  friends,    I  mult  not 

read  it ; 

It  is  not  meet  you  know  how  Casfar  lov'd  you. 
You  are  not  wood,  you  are  not  ftones,  but  men ; 
And,  being  men,  hearing  the  will  of  Casfar, 
It  will  inflame  you,  it  will  make  you  mad  : 
'Tis  good  you  know  not  that  you  are  his  heirs  ; 
For  if  yoij  ihould,  O,  what  would  come  of  it ! 

4  Pkb.  Read  the  will;  we  will  hear  it,  Antony; 
You  fhall  read  us  the  will ;  Qatar's  will. 

Ant.  Will  you  be  patient  ?  Will  you  flay  a  while? 
I  have  p'er-fhot  myfelf,  to  tell  you  of  it. 
J  fear,  I  wrong  the  honourable  men, 
Whofe  daggers  have  flabb'd  Caefar  :  I  do  fear  it. 

4  Pleb.  They  were  traitors  :  Honourable  men  ! 

All.  The  will !  the  teftament  ! 

2  Pleb.  They  were  villains,  murderers  :  The  will ! 
read  the  will ! 

Ant.  You  will  compel  me  then  to  read  the  will  ?— 
Then  make  a  ring  about  the  corpfe  of  Caefar, 
And  let  me  fhew  you  him  that  made  the  will. 
Shall  I  defcend  ?  And  will  you  give  me  leave  ? 

All.  Come  down. 

2  Pleb.  Defcend.        [He  comes  down  from  the  pulpit. 

3  Pleb.  You  mail  have  leave. 

4  Pkb.  A  ring;  fland  round. 

s   their  napkins.]  i.  e.  their  handkerchiefs.     Naffiy  was 

the  ancient  term  tor  all  kinds  of  linen.     STEEVENS, 

I  Pkb. 


76~  J  U  L  I  U  S    C  &  S  A  R. 

i  Pkb.  Stand  from  the  hearfe,  fland  from  the  body. 

•zPkb,  Room  for  Antony; — moil  noble  Antony. 

Ant.  Nay,  prefs  not  fo  upon  me ;  fland  far  off. 

All.  Stand  back  !  room  !  bear  back  \ 

Ant.  If  you  have  tears,  prepare  to  fhed  them  now. 
You  all  do  know  this  mantle  :  I  remember 
The  firfl  time  ever  Caefar  put  it  on  ; 
'Twas  on  a  fummer's  evening,  in  his  tent; 
That  day  he  overcame  the  Nervii : — 
Look  !  in  this  place,  ran  Caffius'  dagger  through  : 
See,  what  a  rent  the  envious  Cafca  made  : 
Through  this,  the  well-beloved  Brutus  flabb'd; 
And,  as  he  pluck'd  his  curfed  ilcel  away, 
Mark  how  the  blood  of  Csefar  follow'd  it ; 
As  rufhing  out  of  doors,  to  be  refolv'd 
If  Brutus  fo  unkindly  knock'd,  or  no  ; 
For  Brutus,  as  you  know,  was  Csefar's  angel6: 
Judge,  O  you  gods,  how  dearly  Csefar  lov'd  him  ! 
This  was  the  mofl  unkindeft  cut  of  all : 
For  when  the  noble  Caviar  faw  him  flab, 
Ingratitude,  more  ilrong  than  traitors'  arms, 
Quite  vanquifh'd  him  :  then  burft  his  mighty  heart; 
7  And,  in  his  mantle  muffling  up  his  face, 

Even 

*  For  Brut  us  i  as  you  know t  ivas  Cajfar's  angel :]  This  title  of 
endearment  is  more  than  once  introduced  in  Sidney's  Arcadia. 

STEEVENS. 

7  And)  In  Jrii  mantle,  &c.]  Read  the  lines  thus : 
^nd,  in  his  mantle  muffling  up  his  face 
Which  all  the.  ivhile  ran  flood,  great  C afar  fell t 
Even,  at  the  bafc  of  Pompcy'sjtatue. 

Plutarch  tells  us,  that  Ca?far  received  many  wounds  in  the  face 
on  this  occafion,  fo  that  it  might  be  faid  to  run  blood.  But,  in- 
tfead  of  that,  the  ftatue,  in  this  reading,  and  not  the  face,  is  faid 
to  do  fo  ;  it  is  plain  thefe  two  lines  fhould  be  tranfpofed  :  And 
then  the  reflection,  which  follows  : 

O  ii-;bat  a  fall  ivas  there  •    •  — 

is  natural,  lamenting  the  difgrace  of  being  at  laft  fubdued  in  that 
quarrel  in  which  he  had  been  compleat  vidtor.     WAR'BURTON. 

The  image  feems  to  be,  that  the  blood  of  Cjefar  flew  upon  the 
fhtue,  and  trickled  down  it.  And  the  exclamation  ; 


JULIUS    C^SAR.  77 

Even  at  the  bafe  of  Pompey's  ftatue, 

Which  all  the  while  ran  blood,  great  Csefar  fell. 

O,  what  a  fall  was  there,  my  countrymen  ! 

Then  I,  and  you,  and  all  of  us  fell  down, 

\Vhilft  bloody  treafon  fiourifh'd  over  us. 

O,  now  you  weep  ;  and,  I  perceive,  you  feel 

The  dint  of  pity  $ :  thefe  are  gracious  drops. 

Kind  fouls,  what,  weep  you,  when  you  but  behold 

Our  Czefar's  vefture  wounded  ?  Look  you  here ! 

Here  is  himfelf,  marr'd,  as  you  fee,  with  traitors. 

1  Pkb.  O  piteous  fpectacle  ! 

2  Pkb.  O  noble  Casfar  ! 

3  Pleb.  O  woeful  day  !  , 

4  Pleb.  O  traitors,  villains  ! 

i  Pleb.  O  moft  bloody  fight ! 
2,  Pleb.  We  will  be  reveng'd  :  Revenge  :  About,— 
Seek, — burn, — fire, — kill, — flay  !— let  not  a  traitor 

live. 
Ant.  Stay,  countrymen. 

O  what  a  fall  ivas  there 
follows  better  after 

great  Cafar  felly 

than  with  a  line  interpofed.     JOHNSON. 

Perhaps  Shakefpeare  meant  that  the  very  ftatue  of  Pompey  la- 
mented the  fate  of  Caefar  in  tears  of  blood.     Such  poetical  hyper- 
boles are  not  uncommon.     Pope,  in  his  Eloifa,  talks  of 
— ———pity 'ing  faints ,  iubo/ej?atues  learn,  to  weep. 
Shakefpeare  has  enumerated  deius  of  l/looa1  among  the  prodigies  ou 
the  preceding  day  ;  and,  as  I  have  fince  difcovered,  took  thefe  very 
words    from    fir    Thomas    North's   Tranflation   of   Plutarch  .- 
*4  — —  againft  the  very  bafe   whereon  Pompey's  image  flood, 
ivJjicb  ran  all  a  gore  llood^  till  he  was  flain."     STEEVENS. 
8  The  dint  of ' pity]  is  the  impreffion  of  pity. 
The  word  is  in  common  ufe  among  our  ancient  writers.     So, 
in  Prefton's  Camlyfes  : 

*'  Your  grace  therein  may  hap  receive,  with  others  for  your 

parte, 

"  The  dent  of  death,  &c." 
Again,  Ibid: 

"  He  lhall  dye  by  dtnt  of  fwoid,  or  els  by  choking  rope." 

STEEVENS. 


yS  J  U  L  I  U  S    C  JE  S  A  R. 

1  P/?£.  Peace  there  : — Hear  the  noble  Antony. 

2  Pleb.  We'll  hear  him,  we'll  follow  him,    we'll 
die  with  him. 

Ant.  Good  friends,  fweet  friends,  let  me  not  ftir 

you  up 

To  fuch  a  fudden  flood  of  mutiny. 
They,  that  have  done  this  deed,  are  honourable  ; 
What  private  griefs  they  have,  alas,  I  know  not, 
That  made  them  do  it ;  they  are  wife,  and  honour- 
able, 

And  will,  no  doubt,  with  reafons  anftver  you. 
I  come  not,  friends,  to  fteal  away  your  hearts  ; 
I  am  no  orator,  as  Brutus  is  : 
But,  as  you  know  me  all,  a  plain  blunt  man, 
That  love  my  friend  ;  and  that  they  know  full  well 
That  gave  me  publick  leave  to  fpeak  of  him. 
4  For  I  have  neither  wit,  nor  words,  nor  worth, 
Aclion,  nor  utterance,  nor  the  power  of  fpeech, 
To  fiir  men's  blood  :  I  only  fpeak  right  on  ; 
I  tell  you  that,  which  you  yourfelves  do  know  ; 
Shew  you  fwect  Ca^far's  wounds,  poor,  poor  dumb 

mouths  ! 

And  bid  them  fpeak  for  me  :  But  were  I  Brutus, 
And  Brutus  Antony,  there  were  an  Antony- 
Would  ruffle  up  your  fpirits,  and  put  a  tongue 
In  every  wound  of  Csefar,  that  fnould  move 
The  ftones  of  Rome  to  rife  and  mutiny. 

4&  We'll  mutiny. 

i  Pleb.  We'll  burn  the  houfe  of  Brutus. 

3  Plev.  Away  then,  come,  feek  the  confpirators. 

Ant*   Yet    hear  me,  countrymen  ;   yet  hear  me 
fpeak. 

All.  Peace,  ho  !  Hear  Antony,  moft  noble  Antony. 

9  For  I  have  neither  wit, ]  The  old  copy  reads  : 

For  I  have  neither  writ,  nor  ivords^ 

'.vhich  may  mean,  I  have  no  penned  and  premeditated  oration. 

JOHNSON. 
The  fecond  folio  reads  iwV.     STEEVEXS. 

Ant. 


JULIUS    CJESAR.  79 

'Ant.  Why,  friends,  you  go  to  do  you  know  not 

what  : 

Wherein  hath  Casfar  thus  deferv'd  your  loves  ? 
Alas,  you  know  not : — I  mult  tell  you  then  : — 
You  have  forgot  the  will  I  told  you  of. 

All.  Molt  true ;— the  will ; — let's  ftay,  and  hear 
the  will. 

Ant.  Here  is  the  will,  and  under  Casfar's  feal. 
To  every  Roman  citizen  he  gives, 
To  every  feveral  man,  feventy  five  drachmas  r. 

2  Pleb.  Moft  noble  Csefar  ! — We'll   revenge    his 

death. 

3  Pleb.  O  royal  C<efar  ! 
Ant.  Hear  me  with  patience. 
AIL  Peace,  ho  ! 

Ant.  Moreover,  he  hath  left  you  all  his  walks, 
His  private  arbours,  and  new-planted  orchards, 
a  On  this  fide  Tiber ;  he  hath  left  them  you, 
And  to  your  heirs  for  ever ;  common  pleafures, 
To  walk  abroad,  and  recreate  yourfelves. 
Here  was  a  Casiar :  When  comes  fuch  another  ? 

1  -  • feventy '-five  drachmas.]  A  drachma  was  a  Greek  coin, 
the  fame  as  the  R.oman  denier,  of  the  value  of  four  fefterces, 
7<1.  ob.  STEE.VENS. 

*  On  this/d?  Tiber.']  The  fcene  is  here  in  the  Forum  near  the 
Capitol,  and  in  the  moil  frequented  part  of  the  city  ;  but  Caefar's 
gardens  were  very  remote  from  that  quarter  : 

Trans  Tiberim  longe  cubat  is,  prope  Caefaris  hortos, 
fays  Horace  :  and  both  the  Naumachia  and  gardens  of  Casfar  were 
feparated  from  the  main  city  by  the  river  ;  and  lay  out  wide,  on  a 
tine  with  Mount  Janiculum.  Our  author  therefore  certainly  wrote, 

On  that  fide  Tyler  ; 

and  Plutarch,  whom  Shakefpeare  very  diligently  fhidied,  in  the 
Life  of  Marcus  Brutus,  fpeaking  of  Ciefar's  will,  exprcfsly  fays, 
That  he  left  to  the  public  his  gardens,  and  walks,  beyond  the 
Tiber.  THIOEALD. 

This  emendation  has  been  adopted  by  the  fubfequent  editors  ; 
but  hear  the  old  tranflation,  where  Sbakcfpeare 's Jludy  lay.  "  He 
bequeathed  unto  every  citizen  of  Rome  feventy  five  drachmas  a 
man,  and  he  left  his  gardens  and  arbours  unto  the  people,  which 
he  had  on  this  fide  of  the  river  Tiber."  FARMER, 

i  Pkb. 


8o  JULIUS    C^SAR. 

1  Pleb.  Never,  never  : — Come,  away,  away  ; 
We'll  burn  his  body  in  the  holy  place, 

And  with  the  brands  fire  the  traitors'  houfes  ?. 
Take  up  the  body. 

2  Pleb.  Go,  fetch  fire. 

3  Pleb.  Pluck  down  benches. 

4  Pleb.  Pluck  down  forms,  windows,  any  thing. 

[Exeunt  Plebeians,  with  the  body, 
Ant.  Now  let  it  work  :   Mifchief,  thou  art  afoot, 

Take  thou  what  courfe  thou  wilt ! How  now, 

fellow  > 

Enter  a  Servant. 

Serv.  Sir,  O&avius  is  already  come  to  Rome* 

Ant.  Where  is  he  ? 

Serv.  He  and  Lepidus  are  at  Casfar's  houfe. 

Ant.  And  thither  will  I  ftraight  to  vifit  him  : 
He  comes  upon  a  wifli.     Fortune  is  merry, 
And  in  this  mood  will  give  us  any  thing. 

Serv.  I  heard  him  fay,  Brutus  and  Caffius 
Are  rid  like  madmen  through  the  gates  of  Rome. 

Ant.  Belike,  they  had  fome  notice  of  the  people, 
How  I  had  mov'd  them.     Bring  me  to  O&avius. 

[Exeunt. 

'SCENE      III. 

A  Street. 
Enter  Cinna  the  Poet,  and  after  him,  the  Plebeians. 

Cin.  I  dreamt  to-night,  that  I  did  feafl  with  Caefar, 
And  things  unluckily  charge  my  fantafy  : 

3  — fire  tie  traitor*?  houfes.]  Thus  the  old  copy.  The  more 
modern  editors  read — fire  all  the  traitor's  houfes ;  but  fire  was 
then  pronounced,  as  it  was  fometimes  written,  fier.  So,  in  Hu- 
tvers  Ordinary ,  a  collection  of  Epigrams  : 

"  Oh  rare  compound,  a  dying  horfe  to  choke, 
"  Of  Englifli  #r  and  of  Indian  fmoke  !"     STEEVEKS. 
*  Scene  ///.]  The  fubject  of  this  fcene  is  taken  from  Plutarch. 

STEEVENS. 
I  have 


JULIUS     C^SAR,  81 

lave  no  will  to  wander  forth  of  doors, 
Yet  fomething  leads  me  forth. 

1  Pleb.  What  is  your  name  ? 

2  Pleb.  Whither  are  you  going  ? 

3  Pleb.  Where  do  you  dwell  ? 

4  Pleb.  Are  you  a  married  man,  or  a  bachelor  ? 

2  P/<?£.  Anfwer  every  man  diredtly. 

1  Pleb.  Ay,  and  briefly. 
4  P/^.  Ay,  and  wifely. 

3  Pleb.  Ay,  and  truly,  you  were  bed. 

Cin.  What  is  my  name  ?  Whither  am  I  going  ? 
Where  do  I  dwell  ?  Am  I  a  married  man,  or  a  ba- 
chelor ?  Then  to  anfwer  every  man  diredtly,  and 
briefly,  wifely,  and  truly.  Wifely  I  fay,  I  am  a 
bachelor. 

2  Pkb.  That's  as  much  as  to  fay,  they  are  fools 
that  marry  : — You'll  bear  me  a  bang  for  that,  I  fear. 
Proceed ;  diredtly. 

Cin.  Diredtly,  I  am  going  to  Ctefar's  funeral. 

1  Pleb.  As  a  friend,  or  an  enemy  ? 
Cin.  As  a  friend. 

2  Pkb.  That  matter  is  anfwer'd  diredtly. 

4  Pleb.  For  your  dwelling, — briefly. 
Cin.  Briefly,  I  dwell  by  the  Capitol. 

3  Pleb.  Your  name,  fir,  truly. 
Cin.  Truly,  my  name  is  Cinna. 

i  Pkb.  Tear  him  to  pieces,  he's  a  confpirator. 
Cin.  I  am  Cinna  the  poet,  I  am  Cinna  the  poet. 

4  Pkb.  Tear  him  for  his  bad  verfes,  tear  him  for 
his  bad  verfes. 

Cin.  1  am  not  Cinna  the  confpirator. 

4  Pkb.  It  is  no  matter,  his  name's  Cinna  ;  pluck 
but  his  name  out  of  his  heart,  and  turn  him  going. 

3  Pkb.  Tear  him,  tear  him.  Come,  brands,  ho! 
firebrands.  To  Brutus'  and  to  Caflius',  burn  all. 
Some  to  Decius'  houfe,  and  fome  to  Cafca's,  fome 
to  Ligarius' :  away  ;  go.  \_Exeunf. 

VOL.  VIII.  G  ACT 


32  JULIUS    CJESAR. 

A  C  T     IV.       S  C  E  N  E    I. 

On  *  a  fmall  Ifland  near  Mutlna. 
Enter  Antony ',   Oftavius,  and  Lepidus. 

Ant.  Thefe  many  then  fhall  die  ;  their  names  arc 

prick'd. 
Ofta.  Your  brother  too  muft  die ;  Confent  you., 

Lepidus  ? 
Lep.  I  dd*confent. 
Ofta.  Prick  him  down,   Antony. 
Lep.  6  Upon  condition  Publius  fhall  not  live, 

Who 

5  A  fmall  ijland]  Mr.  Rovve,  and  Mr.  Pope  after  him,  have 
ronrk'd  the  fcene  here  to  be  at  Rome.  The  old  copies  fay  nothing 
of  the  place.  Shakefpeare,  I  dare  lay,  knew  from  Plularcb,  that 
thefe  triumvirs  met,  upon  the  profcription,  in  a  little  ifland  ; 
which  Appian,  who  is  more  particular,  lays,  lay  near  Mutina, 
upon  the  river  Lnvinius.  THEOBALD. 

A  fmall  illand  in  the  little  river  Rhenus  near  Bononia. 

HANMER. 

So,  in  the  old  tranflation  of  Plutarch :  "  Thereuppon  all  three 
met  together  (to  wete,  Casfar,  Antonius,  &  Lepidus)  in  an  iland 
enuyroned  round  about  with  a  little  riuer,  &  there  remayned 
three  dayes  together.  Now  as  touching  all  other  matters,  thev 
were  eafily  agreed,  &  did  deuide  all  the  empire  of  Rome  betwene 
them,  as  if  it  had  bene  their  ovvne  inheritance.  But  yet  they 
could  hardly  agree  whom  they  would  put  to  death  :  for  euery  one 
of  them  would  kill  their  enemies,  and  faue  their  kinfmen  and 
friends.  Yet  at  length,  giving  place  to  their  greedy  defire  to  be 
reuenged  of  their  enemies,  they  fpurned  all  reuerence  of  blood, 
and  holines  of  friendfhip  at  their  feete.  For  Caefar  left  Cicero  to 
Antonius  will,  Antonius  alfo  forfooke  Lucius  Caefar,  who  was  his 
vncle  by  his  mother  :  and  both  of  them  together  fuffred  Lepidus 
to  kill  his  owne  brother  Paulus."  That  Shakefpeare,  however,  meant 
the  fcene  to  be  at  Rome,  may  be  inferred  from  what  almoft  im- 
mediately follows : 

"  Lep.  What,  fliall  I  find  you  here  ? 

"  Caf.  Or  here,  or  at  the  Capitol."    STEEVENS. 

6  Upon  condition,  Publius Jball  not  live.]  Mr.  Upton  has  fuffi- 
clently  proved  that  the  poet  maiie  a  miitake^as  to  this  charac- 


JULIUS    C^SAR.  83 

Who  is  your  fitter's  fon,  Mark  Antony. 

Ant.  He  fliall  not  live ;  look,  with  a  fpot  I  damn 

him7. 

But,  Lepidus,  go  you  to  Csefar's  houfe  ; 
Fetch  the  will  hither,  and  we  ihall  determine 
How  to  cut  off  fome  charge  in  legacies. 

Lep.  What,  ihall  I  find  you  here  ? 

Ocia.  Or  here,  or  at  the  Capitol.      [Exit  Lepidus. 

Ant.  This  is  a  flight  unmeritable  man, 
Meet  to  be  fent  on  errands  :   Is  it  fir, 
The  three-fold  world  divided,  he  Ihoukl  fland 
One  of  the  three  to  fhare  it  ? 

Ofla.  So  you  thought  him  ; 
And  took  his  voice  who  fliould  be  prick'd  to  die, 
In  our  black  fentcnce  and  profcription. 

Ant.  Odtavius,  I  have  fecn  more  days  than  you  : 
And  though  we  luy  thefe  honours  on  this  man, 
To  eafe  ourfelves  of  divers  flanderous  loads, 
He  fhall  but  bear  them  as  the  afs  bears  gold  % 
To  groan  and  fweat  under  the  bufmefs, 
Either  led  or  driven,  as  we  point  the  way  ; 
And  having  brought  our  treafure  where  we  will, 
Then  take  we  down  his  load,  and  turn  him  off, 

ter  mentioned  by  Lepidus.  Lucius,  not  Publius,  was  the  perfbn 
meanr,  who  was  uncle  by  the  mother's  fide  to  Mark  Antony  :  and 
in  coniequence  of  this,  he  concludes,  that  Shakefpeare  wrote: 

You  are  bis  lifter's  fon,  Mark  Antony. 

The  miftake,  however,  is  more  like  the  miftake  of  the  author, 
than  of  his  tranfcriber  or  printer.  STEEYENS. 

7  damn  bint.'}  i.e.  condemn  him.    So,  in  Promos  and Caf- 

fandra^   1578: 

"  Vouchfafe  to  give  my  damned\tf&auA  life." 
Again,  in  Chaucer's  Knigbfcs  Tale,  v.  1747. 

,'  by  your  confeffion 

*'  Hath  Jarred  you,  and  I  wol  it  recorde."    STEEVENS. 

8  -as  the  afs  bears  gold,'}  This  image  had  occurr'd  before 
:n  Meafurefar  Mcafnrc,  Aftlll.  fc.  i  : 

"  like  an  afs  \vhofe  back  with  ingots  bows, 

'*  Thou  bcnr'ft  thy  heavy  riches  but  a  journey, 
'*  Till  death  unloads  thee."    STEEVEXS. 

G  2  Like 


84  JULIUS    C^SAR* 

Like  to  the  empty  afs,  to  fhake  his  ears, 
And  graze  in  commons. 

Ofta.  You  may  do  your  will  ; 
But  he's  a  try'd  and  valiant  foldier. 

Ant*  So  is  my  horfe,  O&avius  ;  and,  for  thata 
I  do  appoint  him  ftore  of  provender. 
It  is  a  creature  that  I  teach  to  fight, 
To  wind,  to  flop,  to  run  directly  on  ; 
His  corporal  motion  govern'd  by  my  fpirit. 
And,  in  fome  tafte,  is  Lepidus  but  fo  ; 
He  muft  be  taught,  and  train'd,  and  bid  go  forth  : 
1  A  barren-fpirited  fellow  ;  one  that  feeds 
On  objects,  arts,  and  imitations  ; 
Which,  out  of  ufe,  and  ftal'd  by  other  men, 

1  In  the  old  editions : 

<A  barren-fpirittd fellow ,  one  that  feeds 
On  objefts,  arts,  and  imitations,  &c. 

'Tis  hard  to  conceive,  why  he  mould  be  call'd  a  larren-fpiriteJ 
fellow  that  could  feed  either  on  objects  or  arts:  that  is,  as  I  pre- 
fume,  form  his  ideas  and  judgment  upon  them  :  jtale  and  obfolcte 
imitation,  indeed,  fixes  fuch  a  character.  I  am  perfuaded,  to 
make  the  poet  confonant  to  himfelf,  we  muft  read,  as  I  have  re- 
ftored  the  text : 

On  abject  orfs,- 

i.  e.  on  thejlraps  and  fragments  of  things  rejected  and  defpifed\yf 
others.  THEOBALD. 

It  is  furely  eafy  to  find  a  reafon  why  that  devotee  to  pleafure 
and  ambition,  Antony,  fhould  call  him  barren-fp'.rited  who  could 
be  content  to  feed  his  mind  with  03/V&,  i.  t.  fpcculativt  knowledge, 
or  arts,  5.  e.  mechanic  operations.  I  have  therefore  taken  the  li- 
berty of  bringing  back  the  old  reading  to  its  place,  though  Mr. 
Theobald's  emendation  is  ftill  left  before  the  reader.  Lepidus,  in 
the  tragedy  of  Antony  and  Cleopatra,  is  reprefented  as  inquifitive 
about  the  ftru&ures  of  Egypt",  and  that  too  when  he  is  almoil  in 
a  ftate  of  intoxication.  Antony,  as  at  prefenr,  makes  a  jefl  of 
him,  and  returns  him  unintelligible  aniwers  to  very  rcaibnablc 
quelHon;. 

Oi>jeft?,  however,  may  mean  things  oljcftcJ  or  thrown  out  to 
him.  In  this  lenle  Shakefpeare  ufes  the  verb  to  objcfi  in  another 
play,  where  I  have  given  an  initance  of  its  being  em  ploy 'd  by 
Chapman  on  the  fame  occafion.  A  man  who  can  avail  himf«  \\ 
of  neglefted  hints  thrown  out  by  others,  though  without  o: 
ideas  of  his  own,  is  no  uncommon  character.  SiEF.vrNs. 

Begin 


J  U  L  I  U  S    C  &  S  A  R.  85 

Begin  his  fafliion  :  Do  not  talk  of  him, 
But  as  a  property.     And  now,  Odtavius, 

Liflen  great  things. Brutus  and  Caflius 

Are  levying  powers  :  we  muft  flraight  make  head  : 

Therefore  let  our  alliance  be  combin'd, 

Our  beft  friends  made,  and  our  belt  means  ftretch'd 

out; 

And  let  us  prefently  go  fit  in  council, 
How  covert  matters  may  be  beft  difclos'd. 
And  open  perils  fureft  anfweted. 

Ofta.  Let  us  do  fo  :  for  we  are  at  the  flake  % 
And  bay'd  about  with  many  enemies  ; 
And  fome,  that  fmile,  have  in  their  hearts,  I  fear, 
^Millions  of  mifchief.  [Exeunt. 

SCENE    II. 

Before  Brutus'  tent,   in  the  camp  mar  Sardis. 

Drum.     Enter  Brutus,  Ludllus,  and  Soldiers :   27//>;;^; 
and  Pindar  us  meeting  tbern. 

Bru.  Stand,  ho  ! 

Luc.  Give  the  word,  ho  !  and  (land. 

Bru.  What  now,  Lucilius  ?  is  Caflius  near  ? 

Luc,  He  is  at  hand  ;  and  Pindarus  is  come 
To  do  you  falutation  from  his  mafter. 

Bru.  He  greets  me  well. — Your  mafter,  Pindarus, 
8  In  his  own  change,  or  by  ill  officers, 

Hath 

7  at  tbcjiake.]  An  allufion  to  bear-baiting.    So,  in  Mac- 

l;:b,  aft  V  :     ' 

"  They  have  chain'd  me  to  njtake,  I  cr.nnot  fly, 

"  But  bear-like  I  muft  fight  the  courfe."     STEEVE.VS. 

8  In  bii  own  change,  or  by  ill  officer ^,]   The  fenfe  of  wHch  is 
this,  Either  your  majlcr,  ly  the  change  'of  bis  virtuous  nat:;  •   .   or 
by  bis  officers  abujing  the  po-iver  be  bad  intrufied  to  them^  bath  dene 
fame  thing*  I  could  "-':ijh  undone.     This  implies  a  doubt  which   of 

the  two  was  the  cafe.  Yet,  immediately  after,  on  Pindarus's  fay- 
ing, His  mafier  was  full  of  regard  and  honour,  he  replies,  He  it 
not  dorticd.  To  reconcile  this  we  fliould  read  ; 

G  3  /« 


86  J  U  L  I  U  S    C  JE  S  A  R. 

Hath  given  me  fome  worthy  caufe  to  wifli 
Things  done,  undone  :  but,  if  he  be  at  hand, 
I  fliall  be  fatisfied. 

Pin.  I  do  not  doubt, 
But  that  my  noble  matter  will  appear 
Such  as  he  is,  full  of  regard,  and  honour. 

Bru.  He  is  not  doubted. — A  word,   Lucilius  ;— * 
How  he  received  you,  let  me  be  refolv'd. 

Luc.  With  courtefy,  and  with  refpedt  enough  ; 
But  not  with  fuch  familiar  inftances, 
Nor  with  fuch  free  and  friendly  conference, 
As  he  hath  us'd  of  old. 

Bru.  Thou  haft  defcrib'd 
A  hot  friend  cooling  :  Ever  note,  Lucilius, 
When  love  begins  to  iicken  and  decay, 
Jt.ufeth  an  enforced  ceremony. 
There  are  no  tricks  in  plain  and  fimple  faith  : 
But  hollow  men,  like  horfes  hot  at  hand, 
Make  gallant  fliew  and  promife  of  their  mettle  ; 
Bat  when  they  ftiould  endure  the  bloody  fpur, 
They  fall  their  crefts,  and,  like  deceitful  jades, 
Sink  in  the  trial.     Comes  Ijis  army  on  ? 

In  bis  own  charge,  or  ly  ill  officer 'S, 

i.e.  EltLer  by  tbofe  unJer-bis  immediate  command,  or  under  tbc  com- 
TKand  of  bis  lieutenants,  civ/jo  had  aluftd  their  tntft.  Charge  is  fo 
ufual  a  word  in  Shakefpeare,  to  fignify  the  forces  committed  to 
the  truit  cf  a  commander,  that  I  think  it  needlefs  to  give  any 
inftances.  WARBURTON. 

The  arguments  tor  the  change  propofed  are  infufficient.  Brutus 
could  not  but  know  whether  the  wrongs  committed  were  done  by 
thofe  who  were  immediately  under  the  command  of  Gaffius,  or 
thofe  under  his  officers.  The  an  fiver  of  Brutus  to  the  fervant  is 
only  an  aft  of  artful  civility ;  his  queftion  to  Lucilius  proves, 
that  his  fufpicion  {till  continued.  Yet  I  cannot  but  fufpeft  a  cor- 
ruption, and  would  read  : 

In  bis  own  change,  or  ly  ill  offices. 

That  is,  either  changing  his  inclination  of  bimfelf,  or  ly  the  ill- 
offices  and  bad  influences  of  others.  JOHNSON.. 

Surely  alteration  is  unneceflary.  In  the  fubfequent  conference 
Brutus  charges  both  Callius  and  his  officer  Lucius  Pella,  with 
Corruption.  STEEVENS. 

•    Luc. 


JULIUS     C^SAR.  87 

Luc.  They  mean  this  night  in  Sardis  to  be  quar- 

ter'd  ; 

The  greater  part,  the  horfe  in  general, 
Are  come  with  Caflius.  [March  within. 

Bru.  Hark,  he  is  arrived: — 
March  gently  on  to  meet  him. 

Enter  Cajjius,  and  Soldiers. 

Caf.  Stand,  ho! 

Bru.  Stand,  ho!     Speak  the  word  along. 

Within.  Stand. 

Within.  Stand. 

Within.  Stand. 

Caf.  Moil    noble  brother,    you    have   done    me 
wrong. 

Bru.  Judge  me,  you  gods !  Wrong  I  mine  ene- 
mies ? 
And,  if  not  fo,  how  fhould  I  wrong  a  brother  ? 

Caf.  Brutus,  this  fober  form  of  yours  hides  wrongs ; 
And  when  you  do  them 

Bru.  Caffius,  be  content, 

Speak  your  griefs  foftly, —  I  do  know  you  well  :— 
Before  the  eyes  of  both  our  armies  here, 
Which  fhould  perceive  nothing  but  love  from  us, 
Let  us  not  wrangle  :  Bid  them  move  away.; 
Then  in  my  tent,  Caffius,  enlarge  your  griefs, 
And  I  will  give  you  audience. 

Caf.  Pindarus, 

Bid  our  commanders  lead  their  charges  off 
A  little  from  this  ground. 

Bru.  Lucilius,  do  you  the  like  ;  and  let  no  man 
Come  to  our  tent,  'till  we  have  done  our  conference. 
Let  Lucius  and  Titinius  guard  our  door.      [Exeunt* 


SCENE 


38  J  U  L  I  U  S    C  M  S  A  R, 

SCENE    III. 

The  infide  of  Brutus'  tent. 
Enter    Brutus,    and    Co/pus. 

Caf.  That  you  have  wrong'd  me,   doth  appear; 

in  this : 

You  have  condemn'd  and  noted  Lucius  Pella, 
For  taking  bribes  here  of  the  Sardians  ; 
Wherein,  my  letter,  praying  on  his  fide, 
Becaufe  I  knew  the  man,  was  flighted  off. 

Bru.  You  wrong'd  yourfelf,  to  write  in  fuch  a  cafe, 

Caf.  In  fuch  a  time  as  this,  it  is  not  meet 
That 9  every  nice  offence  fhonld  bear  his  comment. 

Bru.  Let  me  tell  you,  Caffius,  you  yourfelf 
Are  much  condemn'd  to  have  an  itching  palm  ; 
To  fell  and  mart  your  offices  for  gold, 
To  undefervers. 

Caf-  I  an  itching  palm  ? 

You  know,  that  you  are  Brutus  that  fpeak  this, 
Or,  by  the  gods,  this  fpeech  were  elfe  your  laft. 

Bru.  The  name  of  Caffius  honours  this  corruption, 
And  chaftifement  doth  therefore  hide  his  head. 

Caf.  Chaftifement ! 

Bru.  Remember  March,  the  ides  of  March   re- 
member ! 

Did  not  great  Julius  bleed  for  juftice'  fake  ? 
What  villain  touch'd  his  body,  that  did  flab, 
And  not  for  juftice  ?  What,  fhall  one  of  us, 
That  ftruck  the  foremoft  man  of  all  this  world, 
But  for  fupporting  robbers  ;  lhall  we  now 

9  every  nice  offence — ]  i.  e.  fmall  trifling  offcnce. 

WAR  BUR  TON. 
So,  in  Romeo  and  Juliet,  n&  V  : 

'*  The  letter  was  not  nice,  but  full  of  charge 
"  Of  dear  import."    STEEVJINS. 

Conta- 


J  U  L  I  U  S    C  IE  S  A  R.  rj} 

Contaminate  our  fingers  with  bafe  bribes  ? 
And  fell  the  mighty  fpace  of  our  large  honours, 
For  fo  much  trafh,  as  may  be  grafped  thus  ?— - 
1 1  had  rather  be  a  dog,  and  bay  the  moon, 
Than  fuch  a  Roman. 

Caf.  Brutus,  bay  not  me, 
I'll  not  endure  it :  you  forget  yourfelf, 
*  To  hedge  me  in  ;  I  am  a  foldier,  I }, 

1  /  bad  rather  le  a  dog,  and  bay  the  moon, 

Than  fuch  a.  Roman.} 

The  poets  and  common  people,  who  generally  think  and  {peak 
alike,  fuppofe  the  dog  bays  the  moon  out  of  envy  to  its  bright- 
nefs  ;  an  allufion  to  this  notion  makes  the  beauty  of  the  paflage 
in  queftion  :  Brutus  hereby  infinuates  a  covert  accufation  againft 
his  friend,  that  it  was  only  envy  at  Catfar's  glory  which  fet  Caf- 
fius  on  confpiring  againft  him  ;  and  ancient  hiftory  feems  to 
countenance  fuch  a  charge.  Caffius  underilood  him  in  this  fenfe, 
and  with  much  confcious  pride  retorts  the  charge  by  a  like  infi-« 
nuation  : 

Brutus,  bay»o/me.     WARBURTOX. 

The  old  copy  reads — bait  not  me  ;  but  Dr.  Warburton's  emen- 
dation is  ftrcngthened  by  Shakefpeare's  having  ufed  the  word  lay 
in  other  places,  and  in  the  fenie  here  required.  So,  in  Troilvs 
and  Creffida,  aft  II.  fc.  iii : 

**  Whiir  moves  Ajax  thus  to  lay  at  him  ?" 
Again,  in  the  Second  Part  of  K.  Henry  IV.  act  I.  fc.  iii  : 

«*  the  French  and  Welfli 

*•*  Baying  him  at  the  heels." 
Again,  in  Cymbeliiie : 

"  Set  the  dogs  of  the  ilreet 

"  To  lay  me-" 

The  old  reading,  however,  may  be  countenanced  by  the  following 
paflage  in  a  Plcafant  conceited  comedy  hovj  to  cbuft  a  good  Wife  front 
a  lad)  16^4  : 

"  Do  I  come  home  fo  feldom,  and  that  feldom, 

"  Am  I  thus  baited?"     MALONE. 

*  To  hedge  me  in  ; ]  That  is,  to  limit  my  authority  by  your 

direction  or  cenfure.     JOHNSON. 
3   ••"      1  am  a  foldier,  I, 

Older  inprafticc,  &C.] 

Thus  the  ancient  copies ;  but  the  modern  editors,  infiead  of  7,  have 
read  ay,  becaufe  the  vowel  /femetimes  fbmds  for  ay  the  affirma- 
tive adverb.  I  have  replaced  the  old  reading,  on  the  authority  of 
th£  following  line : 

And  I  am  JRrvtus  ;  Marcus  Brutus  I.     STEEVENS. 

Older 


9o  J'  U  L  I  U  S    C  -ffi  S  A  R. 

Older  in  pra.&ice,  abler  than  yoiirfelf 
*  To  make  conditions. 

Bru.  Go  to  ;  you  are  not,  Cafiius. 

Caf.  I  am. 

Bru.  I  fay,  you  are  not. 

Caf.  Urge  me  no  more,  I  fhall  forget  myfelf  • 
Have  mind  upon  your  health,  tempt  me  no  further. 

Bru.  Away,  flight  man  ! 

Caf.  Is't  poffible  ? 

Bru.  Hear  me,  for  I  will  fpeak. 
Muft  I  give  way  and  room  to  your  rafh  choler  ? 
Shall  I  be  frighted,  when  a  madman  (lares  ? 

Caf.  O  ye  gods  !  ye  gods  !  Mud  I  endure  all  this  ? 

Bru.  All  this  ?  ay,  more  :  Fret,  'till  your  proud 

heart  break  ; 

Go,  fhew  your  Haves  how  cholerick  you  are, 
And  make  your  bondmen  tremble.     Mud  I  budge  ? 
Muft  I  obferve  you  ?  Muft  I  ftand  and  crouch 
Under  your  tefty  humour  ?  By  the  gods, 
You  fhall  digeft  the  venom  of  your  fplecn, 
Though  it  do  fplit  you  :  for,  from  -his  day  forth, 
I'll  ule  you  for  my  mirth,  yea,  lor  my  laughter,. 
When  you  are  wafpifh. 

Caf.  Is  it  come  to  this  ? 

Bru.  You  fay,  you  are  a  better  foldier  : 
Let  it  appear  fo  ;  make  your  vaunting  true, 
And  it  mail  pleafe  me  well  :  For  mine  own  part, 
J  lhall  be  glad  to  learn  of  noble  men. 

Caf.  You  wrong  me  every  way,  you  wrong  me, 

Brutus  ; 

I  faid,  an  elder  foldier,  not  a  better  : 
Pid  I  fay,  better  ? 

Bru.  If  you  did,  I  care  not. 

Caf.  When  Caefar  liv'd,  he  durft  not  thus  have 
mov'd  me. 


4  To  make  conditions.]  That  is,  to  know  on  what  terms  it  is  fit 
confer  the  offices  which  are  at  my  difpofal.     JOHNSON. 


JULIUS     C  JE  S  A  R.  9, 

Bra.  Peace,  peace;  you  durft  not  fo  have  tempted 
him. 

Caf.  I  durft  not  ? 

Bru.  No. 

Caf.  What  ?  durft  not  tempt  him  ? 

Bru.  For  your  life  you  durft  not. 

Caf.  Do  not  prefume  too  much  upon  my  love, 
I  may  do  that  I  lhall  be  forry  for. 

Bru.  You  have  done  that  you  ihould  be  forry  for, 
There  is  no  terror,  Caffius,  in  your  threats; 
For  I  am  arm'd  fo  ftrong  in  honcfty, 
That  they  pafs  by  me,  as  the  idle  wind, 
Which  I  refpedt  not.     I  did  fend  to  you 
For  certain  fums  of  gold,  which  you  deny'd  me  ;— 5 
For  I  can  raife  no  money  by  vile  means  : 
By  heaven,  I  had  rather  coin  my  heart, 
And  drop  my  blood  for  drachmas,  $  than  to  wring 
From  the  hard  hands  of  peafants  their  vile  trafh, 
By  any  indirection.     I  did  fend 
To  you  for  gold  to  pay  my  legions, 
Which  you  deny'd  me  :  Was  that  done  like  Caffius  ? 
Should  I  have  anfwer'd  Caius  Caffius  fo  ? 
When  Marcus  Brutus  grows  fo  covetous, 
To  lock  fuch  rafcal  counters  from  his  friends, 
Be  ready,  gods,  with  all  your  thunderbolts, 
Dafh  him  to  pieces  ! 

Caf.  I  deny'd  you  not. 

Bru.  You  did. 

Caf.  I  did  not  : he  was  but  a  fool, 

That  brought  my  anfwer  back. — Brutus  hath  riv'd 
my  heart : 

5  •         than  to  wring 

^  From  the  hard  bands  of  peafants  their  file  trajh,'} 
This  is  a  noble  fentiment,  altogether  in  character,  and  exprefTed 
in  a  manner  inimitably  happy.  For  to  wring,  implies  both  to 
get  unjujily,  and  to  ufe  force  in  getting  :  and  bard  hands  fignify 
J30th  the  peafam's  great  labour  and  pains  in  acquiring,  and  his 
great  unwiltingnefs  to  quit  his  hold.  WARBURTON. 

A  friend 


9z  JULIUS    C^SAR. 

A  friend  fhould  bear  his  friend's  infirmities, 
But  Brutus  makes  mine  greater  than  they  are. 

6  Bru.  I  do  not,  'till  you  practife  them  on  me« 
Caf.  You  love  me  not. 

Bru.  I  do  not  like  your  faults. 

Caf.  A  friendly  eye  could  never  fee  fuch  faults. 

Bru.  A  flatterer's  would  not,  though  they  do  appear 
As  huge  as  high  Olympus. 

Caf.  Come,  Antony,  and  young  Odtavius,  come, 
Revenge  yourfelves  alone  on  Caffius, 
For  Caffius  is  aweary  of  the  world  : 
Hated  by  one  he  loves ;  brav'd  by  his  brother ; 
Check'd  like  a  bondman  ;  all  his  faults  obferv'd, 
Set  in  a  note-book,  learn'd,  and  conn'd  by  rote, 
To  caft  into  my  teeth.  '  O,  I  could  weep 

My  fpirit  from  mine  eyes ! There  is  my  dagger, 

And  here  my  naked  breaft  ;  within,  a  heart 
Dearer  than  Plutus'  mine,  richer  than  gold  : 
I  If  that  thou  be'ft  a  Roman,  take  it  forth  j 

I,  that 

*  Bru.  /  do  not,  till  you  praflife  them  on  me.~\  But  was  this 
talking  like  Brutus  ?  Caffius  complained  that  his  friend  made  his 
infirmities  greater  than  they  were.  To  which  Brutus  replies,  not 
till  thofe  infirmities  were  injurioufly  turned  upon  me.  But  was 
this  any  excufe  for  aggravating  his  friend's  failings  ?  Shakefpeare 
knew  better  what  was  fit  for  his  hero  to  fay,  and  certainly  wrote 
and  pointed  the  line  thus : 

/  do  not.     Still  yon  pra&ife  them  on  me. 
i.  e.  I  deny  your  charge,  and  this  is  a  frefii  injury  done  me. 

WARBUR.TON. 

The  meaning  is  this :  I  do  not  look  for  your  faults,  I  only  fee 
them,  and  mention  them  with  vehemence,  when  you  force  them 
into  my  notice,  ly  pra&jing  the';:  on  me.  JOHNSON*. 

7  If  that  tbou  be'ft  a  Roman,  take  it  fortl,  &c.]  But  why  is 
he  bid  to  rip  out  his  heart,  if  he  were  a  Roman  ?  There  is  no 
other  fenfe  but  this,  If  you  have  the  courage  of  a  Roman.    But 
this  is  fo  poor,  and  ib  little  to  the  purpoie/thjt  the  -eading  may 
be  iuftly  fufpedcd.     The  occafion  of  this  quarrel  was  Calfius's  re- 
fu(al  to  fupply  the  neceHlties  of  his  friend,  whu  charges  it  on  him 
as  a  difhonour  and  crime,  with  great  alperity  of  language.     Caf. 
lius,  to  (hew  him  the  injuftice  of  accufing   him  ot  avarice,  tells 
him,  he  was  ready  to  expofe  his  life  in  his  icrvicc ;  but  at  the 

lame 


JULIUS    CAESAR.  93 

1,  that  deny'd  thee  gold,  will  give  my  heart : 
Strike,  as  thou  didft  at  Csefar  ;  for,  I  know, 
When  thou  didft  hate  him  worft,  thou  lov'dft  him. 

better 
Than  ever  thou  lov'dft  CalEus. 

Eru.  Sheath  your  dagger  : 
Be  angry  when  you  will,  it  fliall  have  fcope  ; 
Do  what  you  will,  difhonour  fhall  be  humour. 
O  Caffius,  you  are  yoked  with  a  lamb, 
That  carries  anger,  as  the  flint  bears  fire, 
Who,  much  enforced,  fhews  a  hafty  fpark, 
And  ftraight  is  cold  again. 

Caf.  Hath  Caffius  liv'd 

To  be  but  mirth  and  laughter  to  his  Brutus, 
When  grief,  and  blood  ill-temper'd,  vexeth  him  ? 

Bra.  When  I  fpoke  that,  I  was  ill-temper'd  too. 

Caf.  Do  you  confefs  fo  much  ?  Give  me  your  hand. 

Bru.  And  my  heart  too. 

Caf.  O  Brutus  !— 

fine.  What's  the  matter  ? 

Caf.  Have  not  you  love  enough  to  bear  with  me, 
When  that  raih  humour,  which  my  mother  gave  me, 
Makes  me  forgetful  ? 

fame  time,  provoked  a:  d  exafperated  at  the  other's  reproaches, 
he  upbraids  him  with  the  feverity  of  his  temper,  that  would 
pardon  nothing,  but  always  aimed  at  the  life  of  the  offender  ;  and 
delighted  in  his  blood,  though  a  Roman,  and  attached  to  him  by 
the  ftrongeft  bonds  of  alliance :  hereby  obliquely  infinuating  the 
cafe  of  Casfar.  The  fer.fe  being  thus  explained,  it  is  evident  we 
fhould  read  : 

If  that  thou  needft  a  RomanV,  tah  it  forth. 
i.  e.  if  nothing  but  another  Roman's  death  can  fatisfy  the  unre- 
lenting feverity  of  your  temper,  take  my  life  as  you  did  Csefar's. 

WAR  BURTON. 

I  am  not  fatisfied  with  the  change  propofed,  yet  cannot  deny, 
that  the  words,  as  they  now  iland\  require  fome  interpretation. 
I  think  he  means  only,  that  he  is  fo  far  frcm  avarice,  when  the 
caufe  of  his  country  requires  liberaliry,  that  if  any  man  fhould. 
wifh  for  his  heart,  he  would  not  need  enforce  his  delire  any  other- 
wife,  than  by  (hewing  that  he  was  a  Roman.  JOHNSON, 


94  J  U  L  I  U  S    C  M  S  A  II. 

Bru.  Yes,  Caffius  ;  and,  from  henceforth, 
When  you  are  over-earneft  with  your  Brutus, 
He'll  think  your  mother  chides,  and  leave  you  fo. 

\_A  wife  within* 

Poet,  [within.']  Let  me  go  in  to  fee  the  generals  ; 
There  is  fome  grudge  between  them,  'tis  not  meet 
They  be  alone. 

Luc.  [within."]  You  lhall  not  come  to  them. 

Poet,  [within.]  Nothing  but  death  fhall  flay  me. 

Enter  Poet  8. 

Caf.  How  now  ?  WhaVs  the  matter  ? 

Poet.  For  fhame,  you  generals  ;  What  do  you  mean  ? 
9  Love,  and  be  friends,  as  two  fuch  men  fliould  be  ; 
For  I  have  feen  more  years,  I  am  fure,  than  ye. 

Caf.  Ha,  ha  ;  how  vilely  doth  this  cynic  rhime  ! 

Bru.  Get  you  hence,  firrah  ;   faucy  fellow,  hence, 

Caf.  Bear  with  him,  Brutus  ;   'tis  his  fafhion. 

Bru.  I'll  know  his  humour,  when  he  knows  his 

time  : 

What  Ihould  the  wars  do  with  thefe  jigging  fools  ?—  • 
Companion  ',  hence.  , 

Caf.  Away,  away,  be  gone.  [Exit  Poet. 

8  Enter  Poet.']  Shakefpeare  found  the  prefent  incident  in  Plu- 
tarch.    The  intruder,  however,  was  Marcus  Phaonius  who  had 
been  a  friend  and  follower  of  Cato  ;  not  a  poet,  but  one  who  af- 
fumed  the  character  of  a  cynic  philofopher.     STEEVENS. 
9  Love,  and  le  friends^  as  two  fuch  men  fyonld  be  \ 

For  I  have  feen  more  years^  Pmftirc,  than  ye. 
This  paflage  is  a  tranllation   from  the  following  one  in  the  firft 
book  of  Homer  :  m 


which  is  thus  given  in  fir  Thomas  North's  Plutarch: 
"  My  lords,  I  pray  you  hearken  both  to  me, 
*'  For  I  have  feen  more  years  than  fuch  ye  three." 

STEEVENS. 

*  Companion,  hence.~\  Companion  is  ufed  as  a  term  of  reproach 
in  many  of  the  old  plays  ;  as  we  fay  at  preient  —  fellow.  So,  in 
A".  Henry  IV.  Part  II.  Dol  Tearflieet  fays  to  Piftol  : 

"  -  1  fcorn  you,  fcurvy  companion,  &c."    STEEVENS. 

Enter 


J  U  L  I  U  S    C  JE  S  A  R.  95 

Enter  Lucilius,  and  Titinius. 

Bru.  Lucilius  and  Titinius,  bid  the  commanders 
Prepare  to  lodge  their  companies  to-night. 

Caf.  And  come  yourfelves,  and  bring  MefTala  with 

you 
Immediately  to  us.         [Exeunt  Luciliv.s,  and  Tttinius* 

Bru.  Lucius,  a  bowl  of  wine. 

Caf.  I  did  not  think,  you  could  have  been  To  angry. 

Bru.  O  Caffius,  I  am  iick  of  many  griefs. 

Caf.  Of  your  philofophy  you  make  no  ufe, 
If  you  give  place  to  accidental  evils. 

Bru.  No  man  bears  forrow  better  : — Portia  is  dead. 

Caf.  Ha  !   Portia  ? 

Bru.  She  is  dead. 

Caf.  How  fcap'd  I  killing,    when  I  crofs'd  you 

fo?— 

O  infupportable  and  touching  lofs  !  — 
Upon  what  ficknefs  ? 

Bru.  Impatient  of  my  abfence ; 
And  grief,  that  young  Oclavius  with  Mark  Antony 
Have  made  themfelves  fo  ftrong; — for  with  her  death 
That  tidings  came;— With  this  fhe  fell  diffract, 
And,  her  attendants  abfent,  fwallow'd  fire  *. 

Ctif.  And  dy'd  fo? 

Bru.  Even  fo. 

Caf.  O  ye  immortal  gods ! 

*  And,  her  attendants  abftnt,faallcvJ'3 firf."}  This  circumftance 
is  taken  from  Plutarch.  It  is  alfo  mentioned  by  Vol.  Maximum. 

It  may  not,  however,  be  amifs  to  remark,  that  the  death  of 
Portia  wants  that  foundation  which  has  hitherto  entitled  her  to  a 
place  in  poetry,  as  a  pattern  of  Roman  fortitude.  She  is  reported, 
by  Pliny,  I  think,  to  have  died  at  Rome  of  a  lingering  illnefs 
while  Brutus  was  nbroad  ;  but  fome  writers  feem  to  look  on  a  na- 
tural death  as  a  derogation  from  a  diftinguifhed  character. 

STEEVENS. 


Enter 


$6  JULIUS    CAESAR. 

Enter  Lucius,  with  wlnet  and  tapers. 

£ru.  Speak  no  more  of  her. — Give  me  a  bowl  of 

wine  : — 
In  this  I  bury  all  unkindnefs,  Caffius.  [Drinks* 

Caf.  My  heart  is  thirfty  for  that  noble  pledge  : — 
Fill,  Lucius,  'till  the  wine  o'er-fwell  the  cup  ; 
I  cannot  drink  too  much  of  Brutus'  love. 

Re-enter  Titinius,  and  MeJ/ala. 

£ru.  Come  in,    Titinius  : Welcome,    good 

Meffala. 

Now  fit  we  clofe  about  this  taper  here, 
And  call  in  queftion  our  neceffities. 

Caf.  Portia  !  art  thou  gone  ? 

Bru.  No  more,  I  pray  you. 

Meflala,  I  have  here  received  letters, 
That  young  Odtavius,  and  Mark  Antony, 
Come  down  upon  us  with  a  mighty  power, 
Bending  their  expedition  towards  Phiiippi. 

Mef.  Myfelf  have  letters  of  the  felf-fame  tenour. 

Bru.  With  what  addition  ? 

Mef.  That  by  profcription,  and  bills  of  outlawry, 
Odtavius,  Antony,  and  Lepidus, 
Have  put  to  death  a  hundred  fenators. 

Bru.  Therein  our  letters  do  not  well  agree ; 
Mine  fpeak  of  feventy  fenators,  that  dy'd 
By  their  prescriptions,  Cicero  being  one. 

Caf.  Cicero  one  ? 

Mef.  Cicero  is  dead, 
And  by  that  order  of  profcription. — 
Had  you  your  letters  from  your  wife,  my  lord  ? 

Bru.   No,  Meflala. 

Mef.  Nor  nothing  in  your  letters  writ  of  her  ? 

Bra.  Nothing,  Meflala. 

Mef.  Thar,  methinks,  is  ftrangc. 


JULIUS    CAESAR.  97 

Bru.  Why  afk  you  ?  Hear  you  ought  of  her  in 
yours  ? 

Mef.  No,  my  lord. 

Bru.  Now,  as  you  are  a  Roman,  tell  me  true. 

Mef.  Then  like  a  Roman  bear  the  truth  I  tell  : 
For  certain  fhe  is  dead,  and  by  ftrange  manner. 

Bru.  Why,  farewel,  Portia. — We  muft  die,  Tylef- 

fala  : 

With  meditating  that  flie  mufl  die  once, 
I  have  the  patience  to  endure  it  now. 

Mef.  Even  fo  great  men  great  loflcs  fhould  endure. 

Caf.  I  have  as  much  of  this  in  art  as  you, 
But  yet  my  nature  could  not  bear  it  fo. 

Bru.  Well,   to  our  work  alive.      What  do  you 

think 
Of  marching  to  Philippi  prefently  ? 

Caf.  I  do  not  think  it  good. 

Bru.  Your  reafon  ? 

Caf.  This  it  is  : 

'Tis  better,  that  the  enemy  feek  us  : 
So  Ihall  he  wafte  his  means,  weary  his  foldiers, 
Doing  himfelf  offence  ;  wbilft  we,  lying  (till, 
Are  full  of  reft,  defence,  and  nimblenefs. 

Bru.  Good  reafons  muft,  of  force,  give  place  to 

better. 

The  people,  'twixt  Philippi  and  this  ground, 
Do  ftand  but  in  a  forc'd  affection  ; 
For  they  have  grudg'd  us  contribution  : 
The  enemy,  marching  along  by  them, 
By  them  fhall  make  a  fuller  number  up, 
Come  on  refreftYd,  new-added,  and  encourag'd  ; 
From  which  advantage  Ihall  we  cut  him  off, 
If  at  Philippi  we  do  face  him  there, 
Thefe  people  at  our  back. 

Caf.  Hear  me,  good  brother. 

Bru.  Under  your  pardon. — You  muft  note  befide, 
That  we  have  try'd  the  utmoft  of  our  friends, 

VOL,  VIII.  H  Our 


<>8  JULIUS    C^ESAK. 

Our  legions  are  brim  full,  our  caufe  is  ripe  : 

The  enemy  increafeth  every  day, 

We,  at  the  height,  are  ready  to  decline. 

There  is  a  tide  in  the  affairs  of  men  5, 

Which,  taken  at  the  flood,  leads  on  to  fortune; 

Omitted,  all  the  voyage  of  their  life 

Is  bound  in  {hallows,  and  in  miferies. 

On  fuch  a  full  /ea  are  we  now  afloat ; 

And  we  mufl  take  the  current  when  it  ferves, 

Or  lofe  our  ventures. 

Caf.  Then,  with  your  will,  go  on  ;  we  will  along 
Ourfelves,  and  meet  them  at  Philippi. 

Bru.  The  deep  of  night  is  crept  upon  our  talk, 
And  nature  muft  obey  neceffity ; 
Which  we  will  niggard  with  a  little  reft. 
There  is  no  more  to  fay  ? 

Caf.  No  more.     Good  night  : 
Early  to-morfow  will  we  rife,  and  hence. 

Bru.  Lucius,    my  gown.      [Exit  Luc.~\    Farewel, 

good  MefTala ; — 

Good  night,  Titinius  : — Noble,  noble  Caflius, 
Good  night,  and  good  repofe. 

Caf.  O  my  dear  brother  ! 
This  was  an  ill  beginning  of  the  night  : 
Never  come  fuch  divifion  'tween  our  fouls  ! 
Let  it  not,  Brutus. 

Bru.  Every  thing  is  well. 
.  Caf.  Good  night,  my  lord. 

Bru.  Good  night,  good  brother. 

Tit.  Mcf.  Good  night,  lord  Brutus. 

Bru.  Farewel,  every  one.  [Exeunt. 

5  Tlicrc  is  a  tide,  &c.]  This  paflage  is  poorly  imitated  by  B. 
and  Fletcher,  in  the  Cujlom  of  the  Country  : 

*'   There  is  an  hour  in  each  man's  life  appointed 

4*  T»  make  bis  bappinefs,  if  then  be  fcizc  it,  &c. 

STEEVENS. 

Re-enter 


JULIUS     C^SAR.  99 

Re-enter  Lucius,  with  the  gown. 

Give  me  the  gown.     Where  is  thy  inflrument  > 

Luc.  Here  in  the  tent. 

Bru.  What,  thou  fpeak'ft  drowfily  ? 
Poor  knave,  I  blame  thee  not ;  thou  art  o'er- watch'd. 
Call  Claudius,  and  fome  other  of  my  men ; 
I'll  have  them  fleep  on  cufhions  in  my  tent. 

Luc.  Varro,  and  Claudius  ! 

Enter  Varrot  and  Claudius. 

Var.  Calls  my  lord  ? 

Bru.  I  pray  you,  firs,  lie  in  my  tent,  and  fleep  ; 
It  may  be,  I  fhall  raife  you  by  and  by 
On  bufinefs  to  my  brother  Caffius. 

Far.  So  pleafe  you,  we  will  ftand,  and  watch  your 
pleafure. 

Bru.  I  will  not  have  it  fo  :  lie  down,  good  firs  ; 
It  maybe,  I  ihall  otherwife  bethink  me. 
Look,  Lucius,  here's  the  book  I  fought  for  fo ; 
I  put  it  in  the  pocket  of  my  gown. 

Luc.  I  was  fure,  your  lordihip  did  not  give  it  me. 

Bru.  Bear  with  me,  good  boy,  I  am  much  for- 
getful. 

Can'ft  thou  hold  up  thy  heavy  eyes  a  while, 
And  touch  thy  inftrument  a  ftrain  or  two  ? 

Luc.  Ay,  my  lord,  an't  pleafe  you. 

Bru.  It  does,  my  boy  : 
I  trouble  thee  too  much,  but  thou  art  willing. 

Luc.  It  is  my  duty,  fir. 

Bru.  I  fhould  not  urge  thy  duty  paft  thy  might  ; 
I  know,  young  bloods  look  for  a  time  of  reft. 

Luc.  I  have  flept,  my  lord,  already. 

Bru.  It  was  well  done  ;  and  thou  fhalt  fleep  again ; 
I  will  not  hold  thee  long :  if  I  do  live, 
I  will  be  good  to  thee.  \Mufick>  andafong. 

This  is  a  ileepy  tune  : — O  murd'rous  flumber  ! 

H  2  Lay'ft 


TOO          J  U  L  I  U  S    C  j£  S  A  R. 

LayTi  thou  thy  leaden  mace  6  upon  my  boy, 
That  plays  thee  mufick  ? — Gentle  knave,  good  night; 
I  will  not  do  thee  fo  much  wrong  to  wake  thee. — 
If  thou  doft  nod,  thou  break'ft  thy  inftrument ; 
I'll  take  it  from  thee ;  and,  good  boy,  good  night. 
Let  me  fee,    let  me  fee  ; — Is  not  the  leaf  turn'd 

down, 
Where  I  left  reading  r  Here  it  is,  I  think. 

[He  fits  down  to  read. 

Enter  the  Ghjl  of  C<efar. 

How  ill  this  taper  burns ! — Ha  !  who  comes  here  ? 

I  think,  it  is  the  weaknefs  of  mine  eyes, 

That  fhapes  this  monftrous  apparition. 

It  comes  upon  me  : — Art  thou  any  thing  ? 

Art  thou  fome  god,  fome  angel,  or  fome  devil, 

That  mak'ft  my  blood  cold,  and  my  hair  to  flare  ? 

Speak  to  me,  what  thou  art. 

Ghoft.  Thy  evil  fpirit,  Brutus. 

Eru.  Why  com'ft  thou  ? 

•Ghoft.  -To  tell  thee,  thou  lhalt  fee  me  at  Philippi. 

£ru.  Well ;  Then  I  ihall  fee  thee  again  7  ? 

Gbojl. 

6  ~—,tty. leaden  mace.]  A  mace  is  the  ancient  term  for  a  fcep- 
ter.     So,  in  th  e  Arraignment  of  Paris,    I  s  84  : 

«'  look  upon  my  Irately  grace, 

-"  Becau  fe  the  pomp  that.longs  to  Juno's  macet  &c." 
Again  : 

«  -  _          — becaufe  he  knew  no  more 

"  Fair  Ve   nus'  Cefton,  than  dame  Juno's  mace" 
Again,  in  Marias     and  SyUay    1594=, 

»«  proud  Tarquinius 

"  Rooted  ft   om  Rome  the  fvvay  of  kingly  mace." 
A^ain,  in  Spenfer  s  .   'Faery  S>uecn,  B.  I.  c.  x  : 

"  \Vho  mighv  "'-^y  upheld  that  royal  mace"     STEEVENS. 

7  JJ'ell;  tbenlfic.'}  I,  ~'f  tbee  again.]  Shakelpeare  has  on  this  occa- 
fion  deferted  his  origin;  ^-     It  does  "ct  appear  from  Plutarch  that 

of  Ceefar  apjie.  *red  to  Brutus,  but  "  a  \voaderfulftraunge 


JULIUS     C  JE  S  A  R.  ioi 

Gbojl.  Ay,  at  Philippi.  [Exit  Ghoft* 

Era.  Why,  I  will  fee  thee  at  Philippi  then. — 
Now  I  have  taken  heart,  thou  vanifhell  : 
111  fpirit,  I  would  hold  more  talk  with  thee. — 
Boy  !    Lucius  ! — Varro  !    Claudius  !   Sirs,  awake  ! — 
Claudius  ! 
"Luc.  The  firings,  my  lord,  are  falfe. 

Brit.   He  thinks,  he  itill  is  at  his  inftrument.— 
Lucius,  awake. 

Luc.  My  lord  ! 

£ru.  Didfl    thou   dream,    Lucius,    that  thou  fo 
cry'dft  out  ? 

LUC.  My  lord,  I  do  not  know  that  I  did  cry. 

Bru.  Yes,  that  thou  didft  :    Didft  thou  fee  any 
thing  ? 

Luc.  Nothing,  my  lord. 

Bru,  Sleep  again,  Lucius. — Sirrah,  Claudius ! 
Fellow  s  thou  !  awake. 

Far.  My  lord. 

Clau.  My  lord. 

Bru.  Why  did  you  fo  cry  out,  firs,  in  your  fleep  ? 

Both.  Did  we,  my  lord  ? 

Bru.  Ay  ;  Saw  you  any  thing  ? 

Far.  No,  my  lord,  I  faw  nothing. 

and  momlruous  fhape  of  a  body."     This  apparition  could  not  be 
at  once  the/Wf  of  Cafar,  and  the  evil  genius  of  Brutus. 

"  Brutus  boldly  alked  what  he  was,  a  god,  or  a  man,  and 
what  caufe  brought  him  thither.  The  fpirit  aunfwered  him,  I 
am  thy  euill  fpirit,  Brutus  :  and  thou  (halt  fee  me  by  the  citie  of 
Philippes.  Brutus  bc-eing  no  otherwife  affray d,  replyed  againe 
vnto  it :  well,  then  I  (hall  fee  thee  agayne.  The  fpirit  prelently 
vanifhed  awiiy :  and  Brutus  called  his  rnen  vnto  him,,  vvno  tolde 
him  that  they  heard  no  noyfe,  nor  fawe  any  thinge  at  all." 

See  the  ttory  of  Cajfius  Parmenjis  in  Valerius  Maximus,  Lib.  I. 
c.  7.  STEEVENS. 

8  Tbou !  awake.]  The  accent  is  fo  unraufical  and  harfli,  'tis 
impoffible  the  poet  could  bc>;in  his  verfe  thus.  Brutus  certainly 
was  intended  to  fpeak  to  both  his  other  men ;  who  both  awake, 
and  anfwer,  at  r.n  inftant.  I  read  : 

farro  await!    WARBURTON. 

H  «  Clau. 


102,  JULIUS     C  M  S  A  R. 

Clan.  Nor  I,  my  lord. 

Bru.  Go,  and  commend  me  to  my  brother  Cafliusj 
Bid  him  fet  on  his  powers  betimes  before, 
And  we  will  follow. 

Botb.  It  lhall  be  done,  my  lord.  [Exeunt. 


ACTV.       SCENE     I. 

TM  Plains  of  Pbilippi. 
Enter  Oftavius,  Antony,  and  their  Army.. 

Offa.  Now,  Antony,  onr  hopes  are  anfwered  : 
You  faid,  the  enemy  would  not  come  down, 
But  keep  the  hills  and  upper  regions ; 
It  proves  not  fo  :  their  battles  are  at  hand  ; 
They  mean  to  9  warn  us  at  Philippi  here, 
Anfwering  before  we  do  demand  of  them. 

Ant.  Tut,  I  am  in  their  boibms,  and  I  know 
Wherefore  they  do  it  :  they  could  be  content 

9  warn  us ]  To  war?/,  feems  to  mean  here  the  fame 

as  to  alarm,     Hanmer  reads  : 

They  mean  to  wage  «.r.     JOHNSON. 

I  know  not  the  exaft  fignification  of  this  verb.  It  may,  how- 
ever, mean  to  f.op,  or  to  oppofc.  So,  in  the  ancient  metrical  ro- 
mance of'Syr  Guy  Earl  of  Jrarwrck,  bl.  1.  no  date  : 

"  For  whofo  warned  him  the  gate, 

"  He  fmote  him  fore  upon  the  pate." 

To  warn  him  the  gate  from  the  context  muft  mean  to  impede  his 
paflage  through  the  gate.  In  K.  John,  to  ivarn  is  undoubtedly 
to  fummon  : 

"  \\'ho  is  it  that  hath  siwaV  us  to  the  walls  r" 
Shakefpeare  ufes  the  word  yet  more  intelligibly  in  K.  Rich.  Ill  : 

**  And  fent  to  warn  them  to  his  royal  prefence. 

STEEVENS. 

To 


JULIUS     C  M  S  A  R.          103 

To  vifit  other  places ;  and  come  down 
With  fearful  bravery,  thinking,  by  this  face, 
To  faften  in  our  thoughts  that  they  have  courage  j 
But  'tis  not  fo. 

Enter  a  MeJJenger. 

Mef.  Prepare  you,  generals  : 
The  enemy  comes  on  in  gallant  fhew  ; 
Their  bloody  fign  of  battle  is  hung  out, 
And  fomething  to  be  done  immediately. 

Ant.  Ocliavius,  lead  your  battle  foftly  on, 
Upon  the  left  hand  of  the  even  field. 

Ocia.  Upon  the  right  hand  I,  keep  thou  the  left. 

Ant.  Why  do  you  crofs  me  in  this  exigent  ? 

Otla.  I  do  not  crofs  you  ;  but  I  will  do  fo.  [March. 

Drum.     Enter  Brutus,  Coffins,  and  their  Army ;  Lucl- 
liuSi  TttittittS,  Meffala,   &c. 

Bru.  They  Hand,  and  would  have  parley. 

Caf.  Stand  fait,  Titinius  :  We  muft  out  and  talk. 

Oha.  Mark  Antony,  lhall  we  give  fign  of  battle  ? 

Ant.  No,  Casfar,  we  will  anfwer  on  their  charge. 
Make  forth,    the  generals  would  have  fome  words. 

Ofta.  Stir  not  until  the  fignal. 

Bru.  Words  before  blows  :  Is  it  fo,  countrymen  ? 

Ofta.  Not  that  we  love  words  better,  as  you  do. 

Bru.  Good  words  are  better  than  bad  flrokes,  Oc- 
tavius. 

Ant.  In  your  bad  flrokes,  Brutus,  you  give  good 

words  : 

Wjtnefs  the  hole  you  made  in  Casfar's  heart, 
Crying,  Long  live  I  hail,  Oefar  ! 

Caf.  Antony, 

The  poflure  of  your  blows  are  yet  unknown  ; 
But  for  your  words,  they  rob  the  Hybla  bees, 
And  leave  them  honeylefs. 

4'iit.  Not  flinglefs  too. 

H  4  Bru. 


io4         JULIUS    CJESAR; 

Bru.  O,  yes,  and  foundlefs  too ; 
For  you  have  ftol'n  their  buzzing,  Antony, 
And,  very  wifely,  threat  before  you  fling. 

Ant.  Villains,  you  did  not    fo,  when  your   vi!c 

daggers 

Hack'd  one  another  in  the  fides  of  Csefar  : 
You  fhew'd  your  teeth  like  apes,  and  fawn'd  like 

hounds, 

And  bow'd  like  bondmen,  kifling  Csefar's  feet ; 
Whilft  damned  '  Cafca,  like  a  cur,  behind, 
Struck  Casfar  on  the  neck.     O  you  flatterers  ! 

Caf.  Flatterers! — Now,   Brutus,  thank  yourfelf  : 
This  tongue  had  not  offended  fo  to-day, 
If  Caflius  might  have  rul'd. 

Ofla.  Come,  come,  the  caufe  :  If  arguing  make 

us  fweat, 

The  proof  of  it  will  turn  to  redder  drops. 
Look,  I  draw  a  fword  againft  confpirators ; 
When  think  you  that  the  fword  goes  up  again  ?— • 
Never,  'till  Csefar's a  three  and  twenty  wounds 
Be  well  aveng'd  ;  or  'till  another  Casfar 
Have  added  ilaughter  to  the  fword  of  traitors. 

Bru.  Ca^far,  thou  can'fl  not  die  by  traitors'  hands, 
Unlefs  thou  bring'ft  them  with  thee. 

ORa.  So  I  hope  ; 
I  was  not  born  to  die  on  BruUis'  fxvord. 

Bru.  O,  if  thoirwert  the  noblefl  of  thy  ftrain, 
Young  man,  thou  could'ft  not  die  more  honourable. 

Caf.  A  peevifh  fchool-boy,  worthlefs  of  fuch  ho- 
nour, 
Join'd  with  a  mafker  and  a  reveller. 

1  Cafca ]  Cafca  (truck  Cxfar  on  the  neck,  coming 

lite  a  degenerate  cur  behind  him.  JOHNSON. 

*  • three  and  thirty  i\:ojindi\  Thus  all  the  editions  impli- 
citly ;  but  I  have  ventured  to  reduce  this  number  to  three  and 
fivenfy  from  the  joint  authorities  of  Applan,  Plutarch,  and  Sueto- 
nius :  and  I  am  perfu&ded,  the  error  was  not  from  the  poet  but 
f.is  tranfcribers.  THEOBALD. 

Ant. 


JULIUS     C  JE  S  A  R.          105 

'Ant.  Old  Caflius  dill ! 

Gfta.  Come,  Antony  ;  away.—- 
Defiance,  traitors,  hurl  we  in  your  teeth  : 
If  you  dare  fight  to-day,  come  to  the  field ; 
If  not,  when  you  have  ftomachs. 

[Exeunt  Oftavius,  Antony,  and  army* 

Caf.  Why  now,  blow,  wind  ;  fwell,  billow  ;  and 

fwim,  bark  ! 
The  jftorm  is  up,  and  all  is  on  the  hazard. 

Bru.  Ho,  Lucilius  ;   hark,  a  word  with  you. 

[Lucilius,  and  Mejfula,  Jiand  forth. 

Luc.  My  lord.  [Brutus  [peaks  apart  to  Lucilius. 

Caf.  Meflala.' 

Mef.  What  fays  my  general  ? 

Cfif.  Meffala3, 

This  is  my  birth-day  ;  as  this  very  day 
Was  Caflius  born.     Give  me  thy  hand,  Meffala : 
Be  thou  my  witnefs,  that,  again  A  my  will, 
As  Pompey  was,  am'  I  compell'd  to  let 
Upon  one  battle  ali  our  liberties. 
You  know,  that  I  held  Epicurus  ftrong, 
And  his  opinion  :  now  I  change  my  mind, 
And  partly  credit  things  that  do  prefage. 

3  Mejjala,  &c.]  Almofc  every  circumftance  in  this  fpeech  is 
taken  from  'fir  Thomas  North's  Tranilation  of  Plutarch. 

*'  But  touching  Caffius,  Meflala  reporteth  that  he  fupped  by 
him  felfe  in  Us  tent  with  a  few  of  his  friendes,  and  that  all  fup- 
per tyme  he  looked  very  ladly,  and  was  full  of  thoughts,  although 
it  was  again  ft  his  nature  :  and  that  after  fupper  he  tooke  him  by 
the  hande,  and  holding  him  fa  ft  (in  token  of  kindnes  as  his  man- 
ner was)  told  him  in  Greeke :  Meffala,  I  proteft  vnto  thee,  and 
make  thee  my  witnes,  that  I  am  compelled  againft  my  minde  and 
will  (as  Pompey  the  Great  was)  to  Jeopard  the  libertie  of  our 
contry,  to  the  hazard  of  a  battel.  And  yet  we  muft  be  liuely, 
and  of  good  corage,  conlidering  our  good  fortune,  whom  we 
fiioulde  wronge  too  muche  to  miilrull:  her,  although  we  tollowe 
euill  counfell.  Meflala  writcth,  that  Callius  hiuiing  fpoken  thcfe 
laft.wordes  vnto  him,  he  bad  him  farewell,  and  willed  him  to 
t-ome  to  fupper  to  him  the  next  night  following,  bicaufe  it  was 
his  birth-day.  STEVENS. 

Coming 


io6          JULIUS    C  M  S  A  R. 

Coming  from  Sardis,  on  our  foremoft  enfign  * 

Two  mighty  eagles  fell ;  and  there  they  perch'd, 

Gorging  and  feeding  trom  our  foldiers'  hands ; 

Who  to  Philippi  here  conforted  us : 

This  morning  are  they  fled  away,  and  gone  ; 

And,  in  their  (leads,  do  ravens,  crows,  and  kites. 

Fly  o'er  our  heads,  and  downward  look  on  us, 

As  we  were  fickly  prey  ;  their  fhadows  feeni 

A  canopy  moft  fatal,  under  which 

Our  army  lies,  ready  to  give  up  the  ghofl. 

Mef.  Believe  not  fo. 

Caf.  1  but  believe  it  partly  ; 
For  I  am  frelh  of  fpirit,  and  refolv'd 
To  meet  all  perils  very  conftantly. 

Bru.  Even  fo,  Lucilius. 

Caf.  Now,  moft  noble  Brutus, 
The  gods  to-day  Hand  friendly ;  that  we  may, 
Lovers,  in  peace,  lead  on  our  days  to  age  ! 
But  fince  the  affairs  of  men  reft  ftill  uncertain, 
Let's  reafon  with  the  vvorft  that  may  befall. 
If  we  do  lofe  this  battle,  then  is  this 
5  The  very  laft  time  we  ihall  fpeak  together : 
What  are  you  then  determined  to  do  ? 

Bru.  Even  by  the  rule  of  that  philofophy  % 

By 

*  —  our  foremoft  enftgn.'}  The  old  copy  reads  former,  which  may 
be  right,  as  Shakefpeare  fometimes  ufes  the  comparative  imtead  pf 
the  pojitive  and  fuperlative.  See  K.  Lear,  a<ft  IV.  fc.  iii.  Either 
word  has  the  fame  origin  ;  nor  do  I  perceive  \\hyformer  fhould  be 
lei's  applicable  to  place  than  time.  STEEVENS. 
5  The  very  lajl  time  "Me  Jb all  fpeak  together  : 

Jf%at  are  you  then  determined  to  do?~\ 

\.  e.  I  am  refolved  in  fuch  a  cafe  to  kill  myfelf.     What  are  you 
determined  of?     WARBURTON. 

6  —  of  that  pbilofop/y,'}  There  is  an  apparent  contradiction 
between  the  fentiments  contained  in  this  and  the  following  fpeech 
which  Shakefpeare  has  put  into  the  mouth  of  Brutus.  In  this, 
Bi  utus  declares  his  refolution  to  wait  patiently  for  the  determina- 
tions of  Providence  ;  and  in  the  next,  he  intimates,  that  though 
he  (hould  furvive  the  battle,  he  would  never  fubinit  to  be  led  in 
chaint  t.o  Rome.  Thib  fentence  in  fir  Thomas  North's  Tranjca- 


JULIUS    C  JE  S  A  R.          107 

)By  which  I  did  blame  Cato  for  the  death 
Which  he  did  give  himfelf ; — I  know  not  how, 
But  I  do  find  it  cowardly  and  vile, 
•  ]For  fear  of  what  might  fall,  fo  to  prevent 
The  time  of  life  :—7  arming  myfelf  with  patience, 
To  flay  the  providence  of  fame  high  powers, 
That  govern  us  below. 

Ctif.  Then,  if  we  lofc  this  battle,    ' 
You  are  contented  to  be  led  in  triumph 
Thorough  the  ftreets  of  Rome  ? 

Bru.  No,Caffius,  no :  think  not,  thou  noble  Roman, 
That  ever  Brutus  will  go  bound  to  Rome; 

*io».  is  perplexed,  and  might  be  eafily  mifunderftood.  Shake - 
fpeare,  in  the  firft  fpeech,  makes  that  to  be  the  prefent  opinion 
of  Brutus,  which  in  Plutarch,  is  mentioned  only  as  one  he  for- 
merly entertained,  though  now  he  condemned  it. 

So,  in  fir  Thomas  North  : — — "  There  Caffius  beganjie  to 
fj.take  firft,  and  fayd :  the  gods  graunt  vs,  O  Brutus,  that  this 
day  we  may  winne  the  field,  and  euer  after  to  liue  all  the  reft  of 
our  life  quietly,  one  with  another.  But  fith  the  gods  haue  fp 
ordeyned  it,  that  the  greateit  &  chiefeft  things  amongeft  men  are 
moft  vncertaine,  and  that  if  the  battell  fall  out  otherwife  to  daye 
then  we  wifhe  or  looke  for,  we  (hall  hardely  meete  againe  :  what 
art  thou  then  determined  to  doe,  to  fly,  or  dye  ?  Brutus  aun- 
fwered  him,  being  yet  but  a  young  man,  and  not  ouergrently  ex- 
perienced in  the  world  :  I  truft,  (I  know  not  how)  a  certaine  rule 
of  philofophie,  by  the  which  I  did  greatly  blame  and  reproue 
Cato  for  killing  of  him  felfe,  as  being  no  lawfall  nor  godly  acle, 
touching  the  gods,  nor  concerning  men,  valliant,  not  to  glue 
place  and  yeld  to  diuine  prouidence,  and  not  conftantly  and  pa- 
ciently  to  take  whatsoever  it  pleaieth  him  to  lend  vs,  but  to  drawe 
backe,  and  flie :  but  being  nowe  in  the  middeft  of  the  daunger, 
I  am  of  a  contrarie  mind.  For  if  it  be  not  the  will  of  God,  that 
this  battell  fall  out  fortunate  for  vs  :  I  will  looke  no  more  for 
hope,  neither  feeke  to  make  any  new  fupply  for  war  againe,  but 
will  rid  me  of  this  miferable  world,  and  content  me  with  my  fqr- 
tune.  For,  I  gaue  vp  my  life  for  my  contry  in  the  ides  of 
Marche,  for  the  which  I  (hall  liue  in  another  more  glorious 
worlde."  STEEVENS. 

7  arming  myfelf  with  patience,  &c.]  Dr.  Warburton  thinks, 

that  in  this  fpeech  fomething  is  loft,  but  there  needed  only  a  pa- 
renfhcfis  to  clear  it.  The  construction  is  this  ;  I  am  determined 
to  ad  according  to  that  philoibphy  which  directed  me  to  blame 
the  fuicide  of  Cato,  arming  myfelf  with  patience.  JOHNSON. 

He 


io$          JULIUS    C  &  S  A  R. 

He  bears  too  great  a  mind.     But  this  fame  day 
Muft  end  that  work,  the  ides  of  March  begun; 
And  whether  we  ilia  11  meet  again,  I  know  not. 
Therefore  our  everlafting  farexv^l  take  :^- 
For  ever,  and  for  ever,  farewel,  Caffius ! 
If  we  do  meet  again,  why  we  fliall  fmile  ; 
If  not,  why  then  this  parting  was  well  made. 

Caf.  For  ever,  and  for  ever,  farewel,  Brutus  I 
If  we  do  meet  again,  we'll  fmile  indeed  ; 
If  not,  'tis  true,  this  parting  was  wdi  made. 

Bru.  Why  then,  lead  on. — O, .that  a  man  mightknpvv 
The  end  of  this  day's  bufinefs,  ere  it  come  ! 
But  it  fufficeth,  that  the  day  will  end, 
And  then  the  end  is  known. — Some,  ho  !  away  ! 

[Exeunt*. 

SCENE      II. 

Alarum.     Enter  Brutus,  and  Meffala. 

Bru.  Ride,  ride,  MefTala,  ride,  and  give  thefe  bill's  * 
Unto  the  legions  on  the  other  iide  :  [Loud  alarm* 

Let  them  fet  on  at  once  ;  for  I  perceive 
But  cold  demeanor  in  Odtavius'  wing. 
And  iudden  pufh  gives  them  the  overthrow. 
Ride^  ride,  Meffala  ;  let  them  all  come  down. 

[Exeunt* 
SCENE     III. 

Alarum.     Enter  Caffius,  and  T'itinius. 

Caf.  O,  look,  Titinius,  look,  the  villains  fly  ! 
Myfelf  have  to  mine  own  tnrn'd  enemy  : 
This  enfign  here  of  mine  was  turning  back  ; 
I  flew  the  coward,  and  did  take  it  from  him. 

8  •  "  -give  tkcfe  bills]  So,  in  the  old  tranfiation  of  Plutarch ;. 
*'  In  the  mcane  tyme  Brutus  that  led  the  right  winge,  fent  litle 
lilies  to  the  collonels  and  captaines  of  private  bandes,  in  which 
he  wrote  the  worde  of  the  battell,  &c."  S  TEE  YENS. 

fit. 


J  U  L  I  U  S    C  JE  S  A  R.  109 

Tit.  O  Caffius,  Brutus  gave  the  word  too  early  : 
Who,  having  fome  advantage  on  Odtavius, 
Took  it  too  eagerly  ;  his  foldiers  fell  to  fpoil, 
Whilft  we  by  Antony  are  all  enclos'd. 

Enter  Pindarus. 

Pin.  Fly  further  off,  my  lord,  fly  further  off; 
Mark  Antony  is  in  your  tents,  my  lord  : 
Fly  therefore,  noble  Caffius,  fly  far  off. 

Caf.  This  hill  is  far  enough  9. Look,    look, 

Titinius  ; 
Are  thofe  my  tents,  where  I  perceive  the  fire  ? 

27/.  They  are,  my  lord. 

9  77>is  kill  is  far  enough,  &c.]  Thus,  in  the  old  translation  of 
Plutarch:  "  So,  Caffius  him  felfe  was  at  length  compelled  to  flic, 
with  a  few  about  him,  vnto  a  little  hill,  from  whence  they  might 
eafely  fee  what  was  done  in  all  the  plainc  :  hovvbeit  Caffius  him 
felf  fawe  nothing,  for  his  fight  was  verie  bad,  fauing  that  he  faw 
(and  yet  with  much  a  doe)  how  the  enemies  fpoiled  his  campe 
before  his  eyes.  He  fawe  alfo  a  great  troupe  of  horfemen, 
whom  Brutus  fent  to  aide  him,  and  thought  that  they  were  his 
enemies  that  followed  him  :  but  yet  he  fent  Titinnius,  one  of 
them  that  was  with  him,  to  goe  and  know  what  they  were.  Bru- 
tus horfemen  fawe  him  comming  a  farre  of,  whom  when  they 
knewe  that  he  was  one  of  Caffius  chiefeft  frendes,  they  fhowted 
out  for  ioy  :  and  they  that  were  familiarly  acquainted  with  him, 
lighted  from  their  horfes,  and  went  and  imbraced  him.  The 
reft  compared  him  in  rounde  about  a  horfebacke,  with  fongs  of 
vidtorie  and  great  rufhing  of  their  harnes,  fo  that  they  made  all 
the  field  ring  againe  for  ioy.  But  this  marred  all.  For  CaiHus 
thinking  in  deede  that  Titinnius  was  taken  of  the  enemies,  he 
then  fpake  thefe  worcles :  Defiring  too  much  to  Hue,  1  haue  liued 
to  fee  one  of  my  beft  frendes  taken,  for  my  fake,  before  my  face. 
After  that,  he  gotte  into  a  tenrt  where  no  bodie  was,  and  tooke 
Pyndarus  with  him,  one  of  his  freed  bondmen,  whom  he  referued 
ever  for  fuche  a  pinche,  fmce  the  curfed  battell  of  the  Parrhians, 
where  Craflus  was  flaine,  though  he  notwithstanding  fcaped  from 
that  ouerthrow  :  but  then  cafting  his  cloke  ouer  his  head,  &  hold- 
ing out  his  bare  neck  vnto  Pyndarus,  he  gaue  him  his  head  to 
be  ftriken  of.  So  the  head  was  found  feuered  fru;n  the  bodie  : 
but  after  that  time  Pyndaru.  was  ncucr  icene  more." 

STECVENS. 


no  J  U  L  I  U  S    C  JE  S  A  R< 

Caf.  Titinius,  if  thou  lov'fl  me, 
Mount  thou  my  horfe,  and  hide  thy  fpurs  in  him, 
'Till  he  have  brought  thee  up  to  yonder  troops, 
And  here  again  ;  that  I  may  reft  aflur'd, 
Whether  yon  troops  are  friend  or  enemy. 

Tit.  I  will  be  here  again,  even  with  a  thought. 


1  Caf.  Go,  Pindarus,  get  thither  on  that  hill  ; 
My  fight  was  ever  thick  ;  regard  Titinius, 
And  tell  me  what  thou  not'ft  about  the  field.  — 

[Exit  Pindarus* 

This  day  I  breathed  firft  :  time  is  come  round  *, 
And,  where  I  did  begin,  there  Ihall  I  end  ; 
My  life  is  run  his  compafs.  —  Sirrah,  what  news  ? 

Pind.  [above.~\  O  my  lord  ! 

Caf.  What  news  ? 

Pind.  Titinius  is  enclofed  round  about 
With  horfemen,  that  make  to  him  on  the  fpur;  — 
Yet  he  fpurs  on.  —  Now  they  are  almoft  on  him  ;  now, 
Titinius!  —  Nowfome  'light  :  —  O,  he  'lights  too  :— 
He's  ta'en  ;  —  and,  hark,  they  fhout  for  joy.    ~\_SJ:ov.t* 

Cnf.  Come  down,  behold  no  more.— 
O,  coward  that  I  am,  to  live  fo  long, 
To  fee  my  befl  friend  ta'en  before  my  face  ! 

Re-enter  Pindarus. 

Come  hither,  firrah  : 

In  Parthia  did  I  take  thee  prifoner; 

And  then  I  fwore  thee,  faving  of  thy  life, 

That  whatfoever  I  did  bid  thee  do, 

Thou  fhould'ft  attempt  it.     Come  now,  keep  thine 

oath  ; 
Now  be  a  freeman  ;  and,  with  this  good  fword, 

1  Go,  Pindarus]  This  dialogue  between  Caflius  and  Pindarus, 
is  beautifully  imitated  bv  B.  and  Fletcher  in  their  tragedy  of  Bon- 
duca,  Aft  III.  fc.  v.  STEEVKNS. 

*  —  time  is  come  round.}  So,  in  A".  Lear,  the  Baftard,  dying  fays  : 
"  The  w^/is  come  full  circle,"  STEEVENS. 

That 


JULIUS     CAESAR.  in 

That  ran  through  Cafar's  bowels,  fearch  this  bofom. 
Stand  not  to  anfwer  :  Here,  take  thou  the  hilts  ; 
And,  when  my  face  is  cover'd,  as  'tis  now, 
Guide  thou  the  fword. — Csefar,  thou  artreveng'd, 
Even  with  the  fword  that  kill'd  thee.  [Dies. 

Pin.  So,  I  am  free  ;  yet  would  not  fo  have  been, 
Durft  I  have  done  my  will.     O  Caflius  ! 
Far  from  this  country  Pindarus  fhall  run, 
Where  never  Roman  mall  take  note  of  him.    [Exit. 

Re-enter  Titinius,  with  Me/Jala. 

M-f.  It  is  but  change,  Titinius ;  for  Odavius 
Is  overthrown  by  noble  Brutus'  power, 
As  Caffius'  legions  are  by  Antony. 

Tit.  Thefe  tidings  will  well  comfort  Caffius. 

Mef.  Where  did  you  leave  him  ? 

Tit.  All  difconfolate, 
With  Pindarus  his  bondman,  on  this  hill. 

Mef.  Is  not  that  he,  that  lies  upon  the  ground  ? 

Tit.  He  lies  not  like  the  living.     O  my  heart ! 

Mef.  Is  not  that  he  ? 

Tit.  No,  this  was  he,  MefTala, 
But  Caffius  is  no  more. — O  letting  fun  .' 
As  in  thy  red  rays  thou  doft  fink  to  night, 
So  in  his  red  blood  Caffius'  day  is  fet ; 
The  fun  of  Rome  is  fet !  Our  day  is  gone  ; 
Clouds,  dews,  and  dangers  come;    our  deeds  are 

done  ! 
Miftruft  of  my  fuccefs  hath  done  this  deed. 

Mef.  Miftruft  of  good  fuccefs  hath  done  this  deed, 
O  hateful  error,  melancholy's  child  ! 
Why  doft  thou  Ihew  to  the  apt  thoughts  of  men 
The  things  that  are  not  ?  O  error,  foon  conceiv'd, 
Thou  never  com'ft  unto  a  happy  birth, 
But  kill'ft  the  mother  that  engendered  thee. 

Tit.  What,  Pindarus !  Where  art  thou,  Pindarus  ? 

Mef.  Seek  him,  Titinius;  whilft  I  go  to  meet 

The 


112          JULIUS    C  &  S  A  R. 

The  noble  'Brutus,  thruiting  this  report 
Into  his  ears  :  I  may  fay,  thrufling  it  ; 
For  piercing  fteei,  and  darts  envenomed, 
Shall  be  as  welcome  to  the  ears  of  Brutus, 
As  tidings  of  this  fight. 

Ttt.  Hie  you,  Mefiala, 

And  1  will  feek  for  Pindarus  the  while.      \_ExltMef. 
Why  didft  thou  fend  me  forth,  brave.  Caffius? 
Did  I  not  meet  thy  friends  ?  and  did  not  they 
Put  on  my  brows  this  wreath  of  victory, 
And  bid  me  give  it  thee  P^Didft  thou  not  hear  their 

Ihouts  ? 

Alas,  thou  haft  mifconftrued  every  thing. 
But  hold  thee,  take  this  garland  on  thy  brow; 
Thy  Brutus  bid  me  give  it  thee,  and  I 
"Will  do  his  bidding.  —  Brutus,  come  apace, 
And  fee  how  I  regarded  Caius  Caffius.  — 
By  your  leave,  gods  :  —  This  is  a  Roman's  part; 
Come,  Caffius'  fword,  and  find  Titinius'  heart.  [Dies* 

Alarum.     Enter  Brutus,   Meflala,  young  Cato,    Stratoy 
S)  and  Lucilius. 


Bru.  Where,  where,  Meflala,  doth  his  body  lie  ? 

Mef.  Lo,  yonder  ;  and  Titinius  mourning  it. 

Bru.  Titinius'  face  is  upward. 

Cato.  He  is  ilain. 

Bru.  Oh  Julius  Czefar,  thou  art  mighty  yet  ! 
Thy  fpirit  walks  abroad,  and  turns  our  fwords 
In  our  own  proper  entrails.  [Low  alarums* 

Cato.  Brave  Titinius  !  — 
Look,  whe'r  he  have  not  crown'd  dead  Caffius  ! 

Bru.  Are  yet  two  Romans  living  fuch  as  thefe  ?— 
Thou  laft  of  all  the  Romans,  *  fare  thee  well  ! 

*  Thou  loft  of  all  the  Ramans.']  Obje&um  eft  Hiftorico  (Ore- 
mut'io  Cordo.  Tacit.  Ann.  1.  iv.  34.)  qucd  Brtuum  Cailiumque 
ultimos  RomancrL-m  dixiflet,  Suet.  Tiber.  Lib.  III.  c.  61. 

STEEVENS. 
It 


J  U  L  I  U  S    C  JE  S  A  R.          i3t 

It  is  impoffible,  that  ever  Rome 

Should  breed  thy  fellow.—  Friends,  I  owe  more  tears 

To  this  dead  man,  than  you  fhall  fee  me  pay.— 

I  fhall  find  time,  Caflius,  I  fhall  find  time.  — 

Come,  therefore,  '  and  to  Thaflbs  fend  his  body  ; 

His  funeral  fhall  not  be  in  our  camp, 

Left  it  difcomfort  us.  —  Lucilius,  come  ;  — 

And  come,  young  Cato  ;  let  us  to  the  field.— 

Labeo,  and  Flavius,  fet1  our  battles  on  :  — 

'Tis  three  o'clock  ;  and,  Romans,  yet  ere  night 

We  lhall  try  fortune  in  a  fecond  fight.  [Exeunt. 

S  C  E  N  E    IV. 
Another  Part  of  the  Field. 

Alarum.      Enter  Brutus,  Cato,  Lucilius,  and  others. 
Bru.    Yet,    countrymen,    O,  yet,    hold  up  your 

heads  ! 
Cato.  What  baftard  doth  not  ?  Who  will  go  witk 

me? 

I  will  proclaim  my  name  about  the  field  :— 
I  am  the  fon  of  Marcus  Cato,  ho  ! 
A  foe  to  tyrants,  and  my  country's  friend  ; 
I  am  the  fon  of  Marcus  Cato,  ho  *  ! 

Enter  Soldiers,    and  fight. 

Bru.  And  I  am  Brutus,  Marcus  Brutus,  I  ; 
Brutus,  my  country's  friend  ;  know  me  for  Brutus. 

[Exit. 

Luc.  O  young  and  noble  Cato,  art  thou  down  ? 
Why,  now  thou  dy'ft  as  bravely  as  Titinius  ; 

3  ami  to  Tharfus  fend  his  lody  :]  Thus  all  the  editions  hitherto 
very  ignorantly.  But  the  whole  tenor  of  hiitory  warrants  us  to 
write,  as  I  have  reltored  the  text,  Thtffis.  THEOBALD. 

It  is  Tbqflbs  in  iir  Tho.  North's  Tranjlation*     STEEVEXS. 

*  /  am  the  fan  of  Marcus  Cato  —}  So,  in  the  old  tranflation  of 
Plutateh:  '*  There  was  the  fonne  of  Marcus  Cato  flaise  v.iliantiy 
fighting,  &c.  telling  aloud  his  flame  an.d  bisfatfxr's  nam-',  &c." 


VOL.  VIII,  I  And 


ii4          J  U  L  I  U  S     C  JE,  S  A  R. 

And  may 'ft  be  honoured  5  being  Cato's  fon. 
i  Sold*  Yield,  or  thou  dieft. 

6  Luc*  Only  I  yield  to  die  : 

There  is  ib  much,  that  thou  wilt  kill  me  ftraight ; 

[Offering  money. 
Kill  Brutus,  and  be  honoured  in  his  death. 

1  Sold.  We  mull  not. — A  noble  prifoner  \ 

2  Sold.  Room,  ho  !   Tell  Antony,  Brutus  is  ta'en. 
i  Sold.  7  I'll  tell  the  news. — Here  comes  the  gene- 
ral :  — 

Enter  Antony, 

Brutus  is  ta'en,  Brutus  is  ta'en,  my  lord. 
Ant.  Where  is  he  ? 
Luc.  Safe,  Antony  s ;  Brutus  is  fafe  enough  : 

I  dare 

5  Icing  Califs fon.~\  i.e.  worthy  of  him.     WARBURTOX. 

6  Luc.  Only  I  yield  to  die  : 

There  :3j'o  viucb,  that  than  wilt  kill  me  ftraight  ;  ] 
Dr.  Warburton  has  been  much  inclined  to  find  lacuna,  or  paflagei 
broken  by  omiffion,  throughout  this  play.  I  think  he  has  been 
always  miihtken.  The  foldier  here  fays,  Yield,  or  tbou  dieji. 
Lucilius  replies,  I  yield  only  on  this  condition,  that  I  may  die  ; 
here  is  fo  much  gold  as  thou  let  It  in  my  hand,  which  I  offer  thee 
is  a  reward  tor  Ipee-iv  death.  What  now  is  there  wanting  ? 

JOHXSOX. 

7  /'//  tell  the  ;;<••-. r..]  The  old  copy  reads  : 

7Y//r//rhee  r;-:-.v. •     JOHNSON. 

*  Safe,  Antony,"}  So  in  the  eld  tranflation  of  Pfutarcfc:  "  In 
the  mean  time  Lucilius  was  brought  to  him,  who  ftowtly  with  a 
bold  countenaunce  fayd,  Anton; ;.»,  I  dare  aluire  thee,  that  no 
euemie  hath  taken,  nor  ihali  r:.:-.e  Marcus  Brutus  aliue  :  and  I 
befeech,  God  keepe  him  from  that  tuitune.  For  wherefoeuer  he 
be  found,  allue  or  dead,  he  will  be  founde  like  him  iehc.  And 
nowe  rcr  iny  ieire,  I  am  come  vnto  thee,  hauing  decciued  thefe 
men  of  armes  here,  bearing  them  dov.ne  that  I  was  Brutus  :  and 
doe  not  rcfufe  to  fuffer  any  torment  thou  wilt  put  me  to.  Luci- 
li'js  wordes  made  them  all  amazed  that  heard  him.  Antonius  on 
the  other  lide,  looking  vpon  all  them  that  had  brought  him, 
fayd  vnto  them  :  my  companions,  I  thinke  ye  are  forie  you  haus 
'failed  of  your  purpofc,  &  th::t  you  thinke  this  man  hath  done 
great  wrong :  but  I  doe  failure  you,  yea  have  taken  a  better 

bootie. 


j  U  L  I  U  S    C  &  S  A  R.  113 

1  dare  allure  thee,  that  no  enemy- 
Shall  ever  take  alive  the  noble  Brutus  : 
The  gods  defend  him  from  fo  great  a  fhame  ! 
When  you  do  find  him,  or  alive,  or  dead, 
He  will  be  found  like  Brutus,  like  himfelf. 

Ant.  This  is  not  Brutus,  friend  ;  but,  I  allure  you, 
A  prize  no  lefs  in  worth :  keep  this  man  fafe, 
Give  him  all  kindnefs  :  I  had  rather  have 
Such  men  my  friends,  than  enemies.     Go  on, 
.And  fee  whe'r  Brutus  be  alive,  or  dead  : 
And  bring  us  word,  unto  O&avius'  tent, 
How  every  thing  is  chanc'd.  [Excttnt, 

SCENE    V. 

Another  part  of  the  field. 

Enter  Brutus,  Dardanius,   Clitus9    Strato,   and  Volum- 
nius* 

Bru.  Come,  poor  remains  of  friends,  reft  on  this 

rock. 
Cli.  Statilius  Ihew'd  the  torch-light 9 ;  but,  my 

lord, 

He 

bootie,  then  that  you  followed.    For,  inftead  of  an  enemie,  you 
have  brought  me  a  frend,  &c."     STEEVENS. 

9  Sfatt/:us  fiew'tl  the  torch-light,  &c.]  So,  in  the  old  tranfla- 
tion  of  Plutarch:  "  Furthermore,  Brutus  thought  that  there  was 
no  great  number  of  men  flaine  in  battell,  and  to  know  the  trueth 
of  it,  there  was  one  called  Statilius,  that  promifed  to  goe  through 
his  enemies  (for  otherwife  it  was  impoffible  to  goe  fee  their  campe) 
and  from  thence  if  all  were  well,  that  he  woulde  lift  vp  a  torch 
light  in  the  ayer,  and  then  returne  againe  with  fpeede  to  him. 
The  torche-light  was  lift  vp  as  he  had  prcmifed,  for  Statilius  went 
thither.  Nowe  Brutus  feeing;  Statilius  tarie  long  after  that,  and 
that  he  came  not  again,  he  fayd  :  if  Statilius  be  aliue,  he  will 
come  againe.  But  his  euill  fortune  was  luche,  that  as  he  came 
backe,  he  lighted  in  his  enemies  hands,  and  was  flnine.  Now, 
the  night  being  farre  fpent,  Brutus  as  he  fate,  bowed  towards  Cli- 
tus  one  of  his  meu,  and  told  him  fomwhat  iu  his  eare,  the  other 
I  2  aim- 


H6          JULIUS    C  M  S  A  R. 

He  came  not  back,  he  is  or  ta'en,  or  flain. 

Eru.  -Sit  thee  down,  Clitus  :  Slaying  is  the  word  ; 
It  is  a  deed  in  falhion.     Hark  thee,  Ciitus  — 

\JVhlfpmng. 

Cli.  What,  I,  my  lord  ?  No,  not  for  all  the  world. 

Bru.  Peace  then,  no  words. 

Cli.  I'll  rather  kill  myfelf. 

Bru.  Hark  thee,  Dardanius  ! 

Dar.  Shall  I  do  fuch  a  deed  ? 

Cli.  O,  Dardanius  ! 

Dar.  O,  Clitus  ! 

Cli.  What  ill  requeft  did  Brutus  make  to  thee  > 

Dar.  To  kill  him,  Clitus  :  Look,  he  meditates. 

Cli.  Now  is  that  noble  veflel  full  of  grief, 
That  it  runs  over  even  at  his  eyes. 

Bru.  Come  hither,  good  Volumnius  ;  lift  a  word. 

VoL  What  fays  my  lord  ? 

Bru.  Why,  this,  Volumnius  : 
The  ghoft  of  Cseiar  hath  appear'd  to  me 

jt-.infwcred  him  not,  but  fell  a  weeping.  Thereupon  he  proucd 
Dardanus,  and  fayd  fomwhat  alfo  to  him:  at  length  he  came  to 
Vclumnius  him  felfe,  and  fpeaking  to  him  in  Gneke,  prayed 
him  for  the  ftudies  fake  which  brought  them  acquainted  together, 
that  he  woulde  helpe  him  to  put  his  hande  to  his  fword,  to  thruft 
it  in  him  to  kill  him.  Volumnius  denied  his  requeft,  and  fo  did 
many  others :  and  amongeit  the  reft,  one  of  them  fayd,  there 
was  no  tarying  for  them  there,  but  that  they  muir,  needes  flie. 
Then  Brutus  rifing  vp,  we  muil  flie  in  deede  fayd  he,  but  it 
mult  be  *.vith  our  hands,  not  with  our  feete.  Then  taking  euery 
man  by  the  hand,  he  fayd  thefe  words  vnto  them  with  a  cheere- 
full  countenance.  It  reioyceth  my  hart  that  not  one  of  my  frends 
hath  failed  me  at  my  neede,  and  I  do  not  complaine  of  my  for- 
tune, but  only  for*  my  contries  fake  :  for,  as  for  me,  I  thinke 
my  ielfe  happier  than  they  that  haue  ouercome,  confidering  that 
I  leaue  a  perpetuall  fume  of  our  corage  and  manhoode,  the  which 
our  enemies  the  conquerors  fhall  neuer  attaine  vnto  by  force  nor 
money,  neither  can  let  their  pofteritie  to  fay,  that  they  being 
naughtic  and  uniuft  men,  haue  fiaine  good  men,  to  vfurpe  tyran- 
nical power  not  pertaining  to  them.  Hauing  fayd  fo,  he  prayed 
euery  man  to  fliit't  for  them  felues,  and  then  he  went  a  litle  and« 

&C."      STEEVfc.VS.       ' 

Two 


JULIUS     C  J&  S  A  R.  117 

Two  feveral  times  by  night  :  at  Sardis,  once  ; 
And,  this  laft  nighr,  here  in  Philippi'  fields. 
I  know,  my  hour  is  come. 
Vol.  Not  fo,  my  lord. 
Bru.  Nay,  I  am  fure  it  is,  Volumnius. 
Thou  fee'ft  the  world,  Volumnius,  haw  it  goes  ; 
Our  enemies  have  beat  us  to  the  pit  :          [Alarum. 
It  is  more  worthy,  to  leap  in  ourfelves, 
Than  tarry  'till  they  pufh  us.     Good  Volumnius, 
Thou  know'ft,  that  we  two  went  to  fchool  together; 
Even  for  that  our  love  of  old,  I  pray  thee, 
Hold  thau  my  fword's  hilt,  whilft  I  run  on  it. 
Vol.  That's  not  an  office  for  a  friend,  my  lord. 

\Alarw  Jllll. 

Cli.  Fly,  fly,  my  lord  ;  there  is  no  tarrying  here. 
Bru.  Farewel  to  you  ;  —  and  you  ;  —  and  you,    Vo- 

lumnius.— 

Strato,  thou  haft  been  all  this  while  afleep  ; 
1  Farewel  to  thee  too,  Strato.  -  Countrymen, 
My  heart  doth  joy,  that  yet,  in  all  my  life, 
I  found  no  man,  but  he  was  true  to  me. 
I  fhall  have  giory  by  this  lofing  day, 
More  than  Octavius,  and  Mark  Antony, 
By  this  vile  conqueft  lhall  attain  unto. 
So,  fare  you  well  at  once  ;  for  Brutus'  tohguc 
Hath  almoft  ended  his  life's  hiftory  : 
Night  hangs  upon  mine  eyes  ;  my  bones  would  reft, 
That  have  but  labour'd  to  attain  this  hour. 

[Alarum.  Cry  within.    Fly,  fly,  fly. 
Cl;.  Fly,  my  lord,  fly.  [Exeunt  Clitus3Dar.andVol. 
Bru.  Hence  ;  I  will  follow. 
I  pr'ythee,  Strato,  ftay  thou  by  thy  lord  : 
Thou  art  a  fellow  of  a  good  refpedt  ; 
Thy  life  hath  had  fome  fmack  of  honour  in  it  : 


ee  too,  Strata.]    Thus   the  modern  editions.     I 
think,  rightly.     The  old  folio  reads  : 

Farewell  to  theey  to  Strato,  countrymen.     JOHNSON. 

I  ,  Hold 


iiS          I  U  L  I  U  S    C  M  S  A  R. 

Hold  then  my  fword,  and  turn  away  thy  face. 
While  I  do  run  upon  it.     Wilt  thou,  Strato  ? 
Stra.  Give  me  your  hand  firft  :  Fare  you  well,  my 

lord. 

Bru.  Farewel,  good  Strato. — Csefar,  now  be  flill; 
I  kill'd  not  thee  with  half  fo  good  a  will. 

[He  rum  on  his  fword,  and  dies* 

Alarum.     Retreat.     Enter  Ottavius,    Antony,    MeJJalat 
Lucilius,  and  the  army. 

Ofla.  What  man  is  that  ? 

Mef.  My   matter's    man, — Strato,    where  is    thy 
matter  ? 

Stra.  Free  from  the  bondage  you  are  in,  Meffala  j 
The  conquerors  can  but  make  a  fire  of  him  : 
For  Brutus  only  overcame  himfelf, 
And  no  man  elfe  hath  honour  by  his  death. 

Luc,  So  Brutus  fhould  be  found. — I  thank  thee, 

Brutus, 
That  thou  haft  prov'd  Lucilius'  faying  true. 

Ofta.  All  that  ferv'd  Brutus,  I  will  entertain  them,: 
Fellow,  will  thou  bellow  thy  time  with  me  ? 

Stra.  Ay,  if  McfTala  will  prefer  me  to  you. 

Ofta.  Do  fo,  good  Meffala. 

Mef.  How  died  my  mafler,  Strato  ? 

Stra.  I  held  the  fword,  and  he  did  run  on  it. 

Mef.  O&avius,  then  take  him  to  follow  thee, 
That  did  the  lateft  fervice  to  my  mafler. 

Ant.  This  was  the  nobleft  Roman  of  them  all ; 
All  the  confpirators,  fave  only  he  % 

*  •  •  fave  only  he,  feV.]  So,  in  the  old  tranflation  of  Plu- 
tarch :  "  For,  it  was  fayd  that  Antonius  fpake  it  openly  diners 
tymes,  that  he  thought,  that  of  all  them  that  had  flayne 
Caefar,  there  was  none  but  Brutus  only  that  was  moued  to  do  it, 
as  thinking  the  acle  commendable  of  it  felfe :  but  that  all  the 
other  confpirators  did  confpire  his  death,  for  fome  priuate  malice 
or  enuy,  that  they  othenvife  did  beare  vnto  him."  STEEVENS. 

Did 


J  U  L  I  U  S     C  &  S  A  R.  119 

Did  that  they  did  in  envy  of  great  Csefar; 

He,  only,  in  a  general  honeft  thought, 

And  common  good  to  all,  made  one  of  them. 

His  life  was  gentle;   and  the  elements5 

So  mix'd  in  him,  that  nature  might  fland  up, 

And  fay  to  all  the  world,  'This  was  a  man  ! 

Ofta.  According  to  his  virtue  let  us  ufe  him, 
With  all  refpedt,  and  rites  of  buml. 
Within  my  tent  his  bones  to-night  fhall  lie, 
Mod  like  a  foldier,  order'd  honourably.  — 
So,   call  the  field  to  reft  :    and  let's  away, 
To  part  the  glories  of  this  happy  day. 


'  3  —  \  -  the  elements 

So  ttiix'd  in  him,  that  Nature  might  fiand  up 
Anctfay  to  all  the  world,      This  ivas  a  man.~\ 
So,  in  the  oifrtnf  Wars,  by  Dray  ton,  Canto  III  : 
He  was  a  man  (then  boldly  dare  to  fay) 
In  whofe  rich  foul  the  virtues  well  did  luit  ; 
In  whom  fo  mix*d  the  element  3  all  lay, 
That  none  to  one  could  fov'reignty  impute  ; 
As  all  did  govern,  fo  did  all  obey  : 
He  of  a  temper  was  fo  abfolute, 
/  "As  that  it  feem'd,  when  nature  him  began, 

**  She  meant  to  fhew  all  that  might  le  in  man." 
This  poem  was  publifhed  in  the  year  1  598..     The  play  of  our 
author  did  not  appear  before  1623.     STEEVENS. 

Of  this  tragedy  many  particular  paflages  deferve  regard,  and 
the  contention  and  reconcilement  of  Brutus  and  Caflius  is  univer- 
fally  celebrated  ;  but  I  have  never  been  ftrongly  agitated  in  per- 
ufing  it,  and  think  it  fomewhat  cold  and  unaftefting,  compared 
with  fpme  other  of  Shakefpeare's  plays  ;  his  adherence  to  the  real 
{lory,  and  to  Roman  manners,  feems  to  have  impeded  the  natural 
vigour  of  his  genius.  JOHNSON. 


ANTONY 


ANTONY 


AND 


CLEOPATRA. 


Perfcns   Reprefented. 


"ar,       ]  Tr 
>idus,  J 


M.  Antony, 

O&avius  Czefar 

jEmilius  Lepid 

Sextus  Pompeius. 

Domitius  Enobarbus, 

Ventidius, 

Canidius, 

Eros, 

Scarus, 

Dercetas, 

Demetrius, 

Philo, 

Mecasnas, 

Agrippa, 

Dolabella, 


riumvirs. 


Proculeius, 


Friends  of  Antony, 


Friends  ofCxhr. 


Thyreus, 

Callus, 

Menas, 

Menecrates,  \  Friends  o/Pompey. 

Varrius,        J 

Silius,  an  Officer  in  Ventidius's  army. 

Taurus,  Lieutenant-General  to  Csefar. 


Mardian, 

^eleucuS;          Servants  to 

Diomed'es, 

ASootkfayer:  A  Clown. 

Cleopatra,  ^ueen  of  Mgypt. 

Odtavia,  Sifter  to  Casfar,  and  Wife  to  Antony, 

Charmian,  7^7,        /-,, 

Iras  \  dltenaaifts  on  Cleopatra. 

rs  from  Antony  to  Gefar,  Captains,  Soldiers^ 
Sy  and  other  Attendants. 


The  SCENE  is  difperfed  in  fever  a  I  p  arts  of  tie  Roman 
Empire* 


ANTONY 


AND 


CLEOPATRA', 


ACT     I.      SCENE     I. 

Cleopatra's  Palace  at  Alexandria. 

Enter  Demetrius,  and  P1:ilo. 

Phil.  Nay,  but  this  dotage  of  our  general's 
O'erflows  the  meafure  :  thofe  his  goodly  eyes, 
That  o'er  the  files  and  mufters  of  the  war 
Have  glow'd  like  plated  Mars,  now  bend,  now  turn, 
The  office  and  devotion  of  their  view 
Upon  a  tawny  front :  his  captain's  heart, 
Which  in  the  fcuffles  of  great  fights  hath  burft 
The  buckles  on  his  breait,  z  reneges  all  temper  ; 

And 

1  Among  the  entries  in  the  books  of  the  Stationers'  Company, 
Oftober  19,  1593,  I  find  "  A  Booke  emituied  the  Tragedie  of 
Cleopatra."  It  is  entered  by  Symon  Waterfon,  for  whom  fome 
or  Daniel's  works  were  printed  j  and  therefore  it  is  probably  by 
that  author,  of  whole  Cleopatra  there  are  feveral  editions. 

In  the  fame  volumes,  May  2,  1608,  Edward  Blount  entered 
"  A  Booke  called  Anthony  and  Cleopatra"  This  is  the  tiril  no- 
tice I  have  met  with  concerning  any  edition  oi  this  play  more  an- 
cient than  the  folio,  1623.  STEEVEXS. 

*  reneges-—  ]  Renounces.     TOPE. 

So, 


i24    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

J  And  is  become  the  bellows,  and  the  fan, 

To  cool  a  4gypfy's  luft.— Look,  where  they  come  ! 

Flourifh.     Enter  Antony  and  Cleopatra?  with  their  trains; 
Eunuchs  fanning  her. 

Take  but  good  note,  and  you  fliall  fee  in  him 
5  The  triple  pillar  of  the  world  transform'd 
Into  a  (trumpet's  fool :  behold  and  fee. 

Cko.  If  it  be  love  indeed,  tell  me  how. much. 


So,  in  K.  Lear :  "  Renege,  affirm  &c."  This  word  is  likewife 
ufed  by  Stanyhurft  in  his  \erlion  of  the  fecond  book  of  Virgil's 
jEneid : 

"  To  live  now  longer,  Troy  burnt,  he  flatly  reneagetb." 

STEEVENS. 
3  And  is  lecome  the  W7«W,  and  the  fan, 

>    Tocoolagypfj\luft. ] 

In  this  paffage  fomething  feems  to  be  wanting.  The  bellows  and 
fan  being  commonly  ufed  tor  contrary  purpofes,  were  probably 
oppofed  by  the  author,  who  might  perhaps  have  written  : 

•  is  become  the  bellows,  and  the  fan, 
To  kindle  and  to  cool  a  gypjy's  lujl,     JOHNSON. 
In  Lylly's  Midas,   i$Q2»  the  lellirws  is  ufed  both  to  cool  and 
to  kindle  :   "  Me  thinks  Venus  and  Nature  itand  with  each  of  than 
a.  pair  of  bello- vr,  one  cooling  my  low  birth,  the  other  kindling  my 
lofty  affections."     STEEVENS. 

I  do  not  fee  any  necefliry  for  fuppofing  a  word  loft.  The  l>el- 
lows,  as  well  sis  the^/Jar-v,  cools  the  air  by  ventilation  ;  and  Shake- 
fpeare  probably  considered  it  in  that  light  only.  We  meet  a  fimi- 
lar  phrafeology  in  his  Venus  and  Adonis,  \  593  : 

"  Then  with  her  -windy  fighs  and  golden  hair 
*'  To  fan  and  blow  them  dry  again,  (lie  feeks." 

MALONE. 

*  — gyff/ys  luft. ]  Gypfy  is  here  ufed  both  in  the  origi- 
nal meaning  for  an  Egyptian,  and  in  its  accidental  lenfe  for  a  lad 
•woman.  JOHNSON. 

5  The  triple  pillar — ]  Triple  is  here  ufed  improperly  for  tbirj, 
or  one  of  three.  One  of  the  triumvirs,  one  of  the  three  matters  of 
the  world.  WAR  BURTON. 


Ant. 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     125 

Ant.  There's  beggary  in  the  love  that  can  be  rec- 

kon'd6. 

Cko.  I'll  fet  a  7  bourn  how  far  to  be  belov'd. 
Ant.  8  Then  muft  thou  needs  find  out  new  heaven, 

new  eartru 

Enter  a  Meflenger. 

Mef.  News,  my  good  lord,  from  Rome. 

Ant.  Grates  me  : — The  fum  9. 

Cleo.  Nay,  hear  them,  Antony  : 
Fulvia,  perchance,  is  angry ;  Or,  who  knows 
If  the  fcarce-bearded  Casfar  have  not  fent 
His  powerful  mandate  to  you,  Do  this,  or  this; 
Take  in  that  kingdom,  and  enfranchife  that ; 
Perform*  t,  or  elje  we  damn  ibee. 

Ant.  How,  my  love  ! 

Cleo.  Perchance, — nay,  and  moft  like, 
You  muft  not  ftay  here  longer,  your  difmiflkm 
Is  come  from  Casfar  ;  therefore  hear  it,  Antony. — 
Where's  Fulvia's  procefs  ?   Caspar's,  I  would  fay  ?— • 

Both  ?— 

Call  in  the  meflengers. — As  I  am  JE^ypt's  queen, 
Thou  blufhcft,  Antony  ;  and  ih:it  blood  of  thine 
Is  Caefar's  homager  :  clle  fo  thy  cheek  pays  Ihame, 
When  ihrill-tongu'd  Fulvia  fcclds. The  meflen- 


6  There  s  beggary  in  the  love  that  can  le  reckon'd.] 
So,  in  Ron:-?  mid  ft 

"  They  are  but  beggars  that  can  count  their  worth." 


*'  Bajiapauca  Lubit,  qui  numcrare poteft." 

Mnrt.  1.  vi.  ep.  36.     STEEVENS. 

7  lourn  —  ]  Bound  or  limit.     POPE. 

8  Then  tntijl  thcu  needs  find  out  ne*vj  /v.'<cv;;,   &c.]  Thou  muft  fet 
the  boundary  ot  my  love  at  a  greater  dilbnce  than  die  preterit  vi- 
lible  univerie  affords.     JOHNSON. 

*  -• — The j'*m.]  Be  brief,  fum  thy  buimefs  in  a  few  words. 

JoKNSON'. 

Ant. 


126    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA: 

Ant.  Let  Rome  in  Tyber  melt !    *  and  the  wide 

arch 

Of  the  rang'd  empire  fall !   Here  is  my  fpace ; 
'""Kingdoms  are  clay  :  our  dungy  earth  alike 
Feeds  beaft  as  man  :   the  noblenefs  of  life 
Is,  to  do  thus ;  when  fuch  a  mutual  pair,  [Embracing* 
And  fuch  a  twain  can  do't ;  in  which,  I  bind 
On  pain  of  punifhment,  the  world  *  to  weet, 
"We  ftand  up  peerlefs. 

Cleo.  Excellent  falfhood  ! 

Why  did  he  marry  Fulvia,  and  not  love  her  ? — -i- 
ril  feem  the  fool  I  am  not ;  J  Antony 
Will  be  himielf. 

Ant.   But  iVirr'd  by  Cleopatra — 
Now,  for  the  love  of  love,    and  his  foft  hours, 
Let's  not  confound  the  time  with  conference  harfh  : 
There's  not  a  minute  of  our  lives  mould  ftretch 
Without  fome  pleafure  now  :   What  fport  to-night  > 

Cleo.  Hear  the  embaffadors. 


1  •  and  the  ivUe  arch 

Of  the  rang'd  empire  fall ! ] 

Taken  from  the  Roman  cuftom  of  raifing  triumphal  arches  to  per- 
petuate their  victories.  Extremely  noble.  WARKURTON. 

I  am  in  doubt  whether  Shakefpeare  had  any  idea  but  of  a  fabrick 
Handing  on  pillars.  The  later  editions  have  all  printed  the  raifed 
empire,  for  the  ranged  empire,  as  it  was  firft  given.  JOHNSON. 

The  rang d  empire  is  certainly  right.  Shakefpeare  ufes  the  fame 
expreffion  in  Coriolanus  : 

"  bury  all  which  yet  diftin&ly  ranges^ 

"  In  heaps  and  piles  of  ruin." 

Again,  in  Much  a  Jo  about  Nothing,  aft  II.  fc.  ii  :  "  V/hatfoevcr 
comes  athwart  his  attention,  ranges  evenly  with  mine." 

STEEVEKS. 
*    ..    ••-fowftt,]  To  know.     POPE. 

3 Antony. 

mil  le  himfflf. 

Ant.  Rui'ftir'd  ly  Ckcpatra.— ] 

"Rut,  in  this  pallage,  feems  to  have  the  old  Saxon  Pgnification  of 
without,  ttnltfi,  except.  Anicny,  fays  the  queen,  will  rccolleft  hit 
thoughts.  Unlefs  kept^  he  replies,  in  commotion  by  Clenpatra. 

JOHNSON. 

Ant. 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.    127 

Ant.  Fye,  wrangling  queen  ! 
Whom  every  thing  becomes,  to  chide,  to  laugh, 
To  weep  ;  whofe  every  paffion  fully  ftrives 
To  make  itfelf,  in  thee,  fair  and  admir'd  ! 
No  meffenger,  but  thine  ;— And  all  alone, 
To-night,  we'll  wander  through  the  flreets,  and  note 
The  qualities  of  people  +.     Come,  my  queen  ; 
Laft  night  you  did  delire  it : — Speak  not  to  us. 

[Exeunt  Ant.  and  Cleop,  with  their  train* 

Dem.  Is  Czefar  with  Antonius  priz'd  fo  flight  ? 

Phil.  Sir,  fometimes,  when  he  is  not  Antony, 
He  comes  too  ihort  of  that  great  property 
Which  ftill  fhould  go  with  Antony. 

Dem.  I  am  full  forry, 
That  he  approves  the  common  liar5,  who 
Thus  fpeaks  of  him  at  Rome  :  But  I  will  hope 
Of  better  deeds  to-morrow.     Reft  you  happy  ! 

[Exeunt. 

*  Tff^nfgit  we'll  wander  through  the  Jlreets,  &c.]  So,  in  fir 
Thomas  North's  Tranjlation  of  the  Life  of  Antonius :  "  — Some- 
time  alfo  when  he  would  goe  up  and  downe  thecitie  difguifed  like 
a  Have  in  the  night,  and  would  peere  into  poore  mens'  windowes 
and  their  (hops,  and  (cold  and  brawl  with  them  within  the  houfe ; 
Cleopatra  would  be  alfo  in  a  chamber  maides  array,  and  ambie  up 
and  down  the  ftreets  with  him,  &c."  STEEVENS. 

5  That  he  approves  the  common  liar, — ]  Fame.  That  he  f  roves 
the  common  lyar,  fame,  in  his  cafe  to  be  a  true  reporter. 

MAJ.ONE. 


SCENE 


128     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

SCENE     II. 

Another  part  of  the  palace* 
Enter  Charmian,  Iras,  Alexas,  and  a  Soothfayer*. 

Char.  Lord  Alexas,  fweet  Alexas,  moft  any  thing 
Alexas,  almoft  moft  abfolute  Alexas,  where's  the 
foothfayer  that  you  prais'd  fo  to  the  queen  ?  O  ! 
that  I  knew  this  hufband,  which,  you  fay,  muft 
7  change  his  horns  with  garlands. 

Alex.  Soothlayer. 

Sooth.  Your  will  ? 


6  Enter  Cbarmian,  Iras,  Alexas,  and  a.  Soothfayer.*\    The  old 
copy  read?  :   "  Enter  Enobarbus,  Lamprius,  aSouthfayer,  Ran- 
iiius,    LuciUius,    Charmian,    Iras,    Mardian    the  Eunuch,    and 
Alexas." 

Plutarch  mentions  his  grandfather  Lamprias,  as  his  author  for 
fome  of  the  ftories  he  relates  of  the  profuienefs  and  luxury  of  An- 
tony's entertainments  at  Alexandria.  Shakefpeare  appears  to  have 
been  very  anxious  in  this  play  to  introduce  every  incident  and 
every  perfonage  he  met  with  in  his  hiftorian.  In  the  multitude 
of  his  characters,  however,  Lamprias  is  entirely  overlook'd,  to- 
gether with  the  others  whofe  names  we  find  in  this  ftage-diredlion. 

STEEVtNS. 

7  change  bis  horns  ivitb  garland*.]    This  is  corrupt;   the 

true  reading  evidently  is  :  mujl  charge  bis  horns  with  garlands, 

i.  e.  make  him  a  rich  and  honourable  cuckold,  having  his  horns 
hung  about  with  garlands.     WARBURTON. 

Sir  Thomas  Hanmer  reads,  not  improbably,  change  for  horns 
his  garlands,  I  am  in  doubt,  whether  to  change  is  not  merely  to 
drefs^  or  to  drefi  -ir///>  changes  <y garlands.  JOHNSON. 

bo,  Taylor  the  water-poet,  deicribing  the  habit  of  a  coachman : 

'*  with  a  cloak  or  iome   py'd  colour,  with  two  or  three 

change  of  laces  about."     Change  of  clothes  in  the  time  of  Shake* 
fpearc  fignillcd  variety  of  them.     Coriclatius  lays  that  he  has  re- 
.:  "  change  of  honours"  from  the  Patricians.     Act  II.  fc.  i. 

STEEVENS. 

Char. 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     129 

Char.  Is  this  the  man  ? — Is't  you,   fir,  that  know 

things  ? 

Sooth.  In  nature's  infinite  book  of  fecrecy, 
A  little  I  can  read. 
Alex.  Shew  him  your  hand* 

Enter  Enpbarbus. 

Eno.  Bring  in  the  banquet  quickly  ;  wine  enough, 
Cleopatra's  health  to  drink. 

Char.  Good  fir,  give  me  good  fortune. 

Sooth.  I  make  not,  but  forefee. 

Char.  Pray  then,  forefee  me  one. 

Sooth.  You  fliall  be  yet  far  fairer  than  yon  are. 

Char.  He  means,  in  flefh. 

Iras.  No,  you  lhall  paint  when  you  are  old. 

Char.  Wrinkles  forbid  ! 

Alex.  Vex  not  his  prefcience  ;  be  attentive. 

Char.  Hufli ! 

Sooth.  You  lhall  be  more  beloving,  than  belov'd. 

8  Char.   I  had  rather  heat  my  liver  with  drinking. 

Alex.  Nay»  hear  him. 

Char.  Good  now,  fome  excellent  fortune  !  Let  me 
be  married  to  three  kings  in  a  forenoon,  and  widow 
them  all !  let  me  have  a  child  at  fifty,  9  to  whom 

Herod 

8  /  bad  rather  beat  my  liver-—]  To  know  why  the  lady  is  fo 
averfe  from  heating  her  liver,  it  muft  be  remembered,  that  a  heat- 
ed liver  is  fuppofed  to  make  a  pimpled  face.     JOHNSON. 

9  to  whom  Herod  of  Jewry  may  do  homage  ! — ]  Herod  pajd 

homage  to  the  Romans,  to  procure  the  grant  of  the  kingdom  of 
Judea ;    but  I  believe  there  is  an  allufion  here  to  the  theatrical 
character  of  this  monarch,  and  to  a  proverbial  expreffion  founded 
on  it.     Herod  was  always  one  of  the  perfonages  in  the  myfteries  of 
our  early  ftage,  on  which  he  was  conflantly  reprefented  as  a  fierce, 
haughty,  bluftering  tyrant,  fo  that  Herod  of  Jewry  became  a 
common  proverb,  expreflive  of  turbulence  and  rage.  Thus,  Hamlet 
lays  of  a  ranting  player,  that  he  "  out-herods  Herod."     And  in 
this  tragedy  Alexas  tells  Cleopatra  that  "  not  even  Herod  of  Jewry 
dare  look  upon  her  when  ftie.  is  angry  ;"  i.e.  not  even  a  man  as 
£erce  as  Herod.    According  to  this  explanation,  the  fenfe  of  the 

VOL.  VIII.  K  prefent 


I3o    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Herod  of  Jewry  may  do  homage  !  find  me  to  marry 
with  O&avius  Ccefar,  and  companion  me  with  my 
miftrefs  ! 

Sooth.  You  fhall  out-live  the  lady  whom  you  ferve. 

Char.  O  excellent !  I  love  Iqng  life  better  than 
figs1. 

Sooth.  You  have  feen  and  prov'd  a  fairer  former 

fortune 
Than  that  which  is  to  approach. 

Cbar.  z  Then,  belike,  my  children  mall  have  no 
names :  Pr'ythee,  how  many  boys  and  wenches  muft 
I  have  ? 

Sooth.  3  If  every  of  your  wifhes  had  a  womb, 

prefent  pafiage  will  be — Charmian  wiflies  for  a  fon  who  may  ar- 
rive to  luch  power  and  dominion  that  the  proudeft  and  fierceft 
monarchs  of  the  earth  may  be  brought  under  his  yoke. 

STEEVENS. 

1   I  love  long  life  letter  than  fgsC\    This  is  a  proverbial  ex- 

preffion.     STE  EVENS. 

*  Then,  belike,  my  children  jball  have  no  names  : — ]  If  I  have 
already  had  the  belt  of  my  fortune,  then  I  fuppofe  /  Jhall  never 
•name  children,  that  is,  I  am  never  to  be  married.  However,  tell 
me  the  truth,  tell  me,  IJ<KV  many  boys  and  ivencbes  ?  JOHNSON. 

A  fairer  fortune ,  I  believe,  means — a  more  reputable  one.  Her 
ar.fwcr  then  implies,  that  belike  all  her  children  will  be  baftards, 
who  have  no  right  to  the  name  of  their  father's  family.  Thus  fays 
Launce  in  the  third  aft  of  the  Tkvo  Gentlemen  of  Verona  :  *'  That's 
as  much  as  to  fay  laftard  virtues,  that  indeed  know  not  their  fa- 
thers, and  therefore  have  no  names"     STEEVENS. 
3  If  every  of  your  ivijbes  bad  a  ivoml, 
And  tore  told  every  vjijb  a  million.] 
This  nonfenfe  fhould  be  reformed  thus  : 

If  ev'iy  of  your  ii'Jj'cs  bad  a  womb, 

And  fertil  ev'ry  -iu//Z', .]      WA  R  BUR  TON. 

TorfiH-etel,  in  ancient  editions,  the  later  copies  have  foretold. 
Foretf'l  favours  the  emendation,  which  is  made  with  great  acute- 
nels ;  yet  the  original  reading  may,  I  think,  fraud.  If  you  bad 
as  many  IVOM&J  as  you  will  Ixive  wijlxs,  and  I  fliould  foretel  all 
tbofe  iviflitSy  I  Jhouldfordcl  a  million  of  children.  It  is  an  ellipfis 
very  frequent  in  convcriation  ;  I  jLouldJbame  you,  and  tell  all;  that 
is,  and  if  I  Jbould  tell  all.  And  is  for  and  if,  which  was  anciently, 
and  is  Hill  provincially  ufed  for  //.  JOHNSON. 

And 


ANTONY   AND  CLEOPATRA.    131 

And  forercl  every  wifh,  a  million. 

Char.  Out,  fool !  I  forgive  thee  for  a  witch. 

Alex.  You  think,  none  but  your  flieets  are  privy  to 
your  wifhes. 

Char.  Nay,  come,  tell  Iras  hers. 

Alex.  We'll  know  all  our  fortunes. 

Eno.  Mine,  and  moft  of  our  fortunes,  to  night, 
fhall  be — drunk  to  bed. 

Iras.  There's  a  palm  prefages  chaftity,  if  nothing 
clfe. 

Char.  Even  as  the  o'erflowing  Nilus  prefageth  fa- 
mine. 

Iras.  Go,  you  wild  bedfellow,  you  cannot  foothfay. 

Char.  Nay,  if  an  oily  palm  be  not  a  fruitful  prog- 
noftication,  I  cannot  fcratch  mine  ear. — Prithee,  tell 
her  but  a  worky-day  fortune. 

Sooth.  Your  fortunes  are  alike. 

Iras.  But  how,  but  how  ?  give  me  particulars. 

Sooth.  I  have  laid. 

Iras.  Am  I  not  an  inch  of  fortune  better  than  fhe  ? 

Char.  Well,  if  you  were  but  an  inch  of  fortune 
better  than  I,  where  would  you  choofe  it? 

Iras.  Not  in  my  hufband's  nofe. 

4  Char.  Our  worfer  thoughts  heavens  mend  !  Alex- 


*  Chaf.  Our  worfer  thoughts  kcav'ns  mend. 

Alex.  Come,  bis  fortune,  bis  fortune.  O,  let  him  marry  a  woman, 
&c.]  Whole  fortune  does  Alexas  call  out  to  have  told  ?  But,  in 
(hort,  this  I  dare  pronounce  to  be  fo  palpable  and  fignal  a  tranf- 
polition,  that  I  cannot  but  wonder  it  ihould  have  llipt  the  obfer- 
vation  of  all  the  editors ;  efpccially  of  the  fagacious  Mr.  Pope, 
who  has  made  this  declaration,  That  if,  throughout  the  plays,  had 
all  the  fpeeches  been  printed  without  the  very  names  of  the  perfons, 
he  believes  one  might  have  applied  them  with  certainty  to  every 
fpeaker.  But  in  how  many  inl>ances  has  Mr.  Pope's  want  of  judg- 
ment falfified  this  opinion  ?  The  fadl  is  evidently  this  ;  Aiexoi 
brings  a  fortune-teller  to  Iras  and  Charmian,  and  lays  himfelf, 
We'll  know  all  our  fortunes.  Well  j  the  foothfayer  begins  with 
the  women  ;  and  fome  jokes  pafs  upon  the  fubjecl  of  hufluiuls  and 
chaility  :  after  which,  the  women  hoping  for  the  facisfacHon  of 
K  2  having 


132     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

as, — come,  his  fortune,  his  fortune. — O,  let  him 
marry  a  woman  that  cannot  go,  fweet  Ifis,  I  befeech 
thec !  And  let  her  die  too,  and  give  him  a  worfe ! 
and  let  worfe  follow  worfc,  'till  the  worft  of  all  fol- 
low him  laughing  to  his  grave,  fifty-fold  a  cuckold ! 
Good  Ifis,  hear  me  this  prayer,  though  thou  deny 
me  a  matter  of  more  weight ;  good  Ifis,  I  befeech 
thee ! 

Iras.  Amen.  Dear  goddefs,  hear  that  prayer  of 
the  people !  for,  as  it  is  a  heart-breaking  to  fee  a  hand- 
fome  man  loofe-wiv'd,  fo  it  is  a  deadly  forrow  to  be- 
hold a  foul  knave  uncuckolded ;  Therefore,  dear  Ifis, 
keep  decorum,  and  fortune  him  accordingly  ! 

Cbar.  Amen. 

Alex.  Lo,  now  !  if  it  lay  in  their  hands  to  make 
me  a  cuckold,  they  would  make  themfelves  whores*, 
but  they'd  do't. 

Eno.  Hufh !  here  comes  Antony. 

Char.  Not  he,  the  queen. 

Enter  Cleopatra. 

Cleo.  Saw  you  my  lord  ? 
Eno.  No,  lady. 
Cko.  Was  he  not  here  ? 
Char.  No,  madam. 

Cleo.  He  was  difpos'd  to  mirth  ;  but  on  the  fudden 
A  Roman  thought  hath  ftruck  him. — Enobarbus, — 
EM.  Madam. 

Cleo.  Seek  him,  and  bring  him  hither.     Where's 
Alexas  ? 

having  fometlungto  laugh  at  in  Alexas*s  fortune,  call  him  to  hold 
out  his  hand,  and  wifh  heartily  that  he  may  have  the  prognoftica- 
tion  of  cuckoldom  upon  him.  The  whole  fpeech,  therefore, 
muft  be  placed  to  Charmian.  There  needs  no  ftrouger  proof  of 
this  being  a  true  corre&ion,  than  the  obfervation  which  Alexas 
immediately  fubjoins  on  their  wilhes  and  zeal  to  hear  him  abuied. 

THEOBALD. 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     133 

Alex.  Here,  at  your  fervice. — My  lord  approaches. 

Enter  Antony ',  with  a  Meflenger,  and  Attendants. 

Cleo.  We  will  not  look  upon  him  :  Go  with  us. 

[Exeunt. 

Mef.  Fulvia  thy  wife  firft  came  into  the  field. 

Ant.  Againft  my  brother  Lucius  ? 

Mef.  Ay: 

But  foon  that  war  had  end,  and  the  time's  flate 
Made  friends  of  them,  jointing  their  force  'gainft 

Ciefar; 

Whofe  better  iffue  in  the  war,  from  Italy, 
Upon  the  firft  encounter,  drave  them. 

Ant.  Well,  whatworft? 

Mef.  The  nature  of  bad  news  infects  the  teller. 

Ant.  When  it  concerns  the  fool,  or  coward. — On : 
Things,  that  are  paft,  are  done,  with  me. — 'Tis  thus ; 
Who  tells  me  true,  though  in  his  tale  lie  death, 
I  hear  him  as  he  flatter'd. 

Mef.  Labienus  (this  is  ftiff  news) 
Hath,  with  his  Parthian  force,  5  extended  Afia, 

From 

5  tK  tended  -.-ffir,  ]  i.e.  widened  or  extended  the  bounds 

of  the  Lefler  Afia.     WAR  BUR  TON. 

To  extend,  is  a  term  uied  tor  to  faze;  I  know  not  whether  that 
be  not  the  lenfe  here.     JOHNSON. 

I  believe  Dr.  Johnfon's  explanation  right.    So,  in  Selimus  Em- 
peror of  the  Turks,  by  T.  Gott",    1638  : 

"  Ay,  though  on  all  the  world  we  male  extent 

"  From  the  Ibuth  pole  unto  the  northern  bear.'* 
Again,  in  Jvoefftb  fright  : 

"  this  uncivil  and  unjuft  extent 

*'  Againit  thy  peace." 

Again,  in  Maffinger's  AViu  Wray  to  pay  old  Debts,  the  Extortioner 
lays: 

"  This  manor  is  extended  to  my  ufe," 

Mr.  Toilet  has  likew  ile  no  doubt  but  that  Dr.  Johnfcn's  explanation 
is  juft  ;  **  for  (fays  he)  Plutarch  iniorms  us  that  Labienus  was  by 
the  Parthian  king  made  general  of  his  troops,  and  had  over-run 
Afia  from  Euphrates  and  Syria  to  Lydia  and  Ionia"  To  extend  is 
a  law  term  uied  tor  to  feize  lands  and  tenements.  In  lupport  of 
his  aflertion  he  adds  the  following  inilance :  "  Thofe  waftcful 
companions  had  nei;her  lands  to  extend  nor  goods  to  be  iei/.cJ. 
K  3  S*i>tiS> 


134    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

From  Euphrates  his  conquering  banner  fhook, 
From  Syria,  to  Lydia,  and  to  Ionia; 
Whilft- 

Ant.  Anton}',  thou  wouldft  fay, — 

Mef.  O  my  lord  ! 

Ant.  Speak  to  me  home,  mince  not  the  general 

tongue ; 

Name  Cleopatra  as  (he's  call'd  in  Rome  : 
Rail  thou  in  Fulvia's  phrafe  ;  and  taunt  my  faults 
With  fuch  full  licence,  as  both  truth  and  malice 
Have  power    to  utter.     O,   then  we  bring    forth 

weeds, 

6  When  our  quick  winds  lie  ftill ;  and  our  ills  told  us, 
Is  as  our  earing.     Fare  thee  well  a  while. 

Mef.  At  your  noble  pleafure.  [Exit. 

Ant.  From  Sicyon  how  the  news  ?  Speak  there. 

1  Att.  The  man  from  Sicyon. — Is  there  fuch  an 

one? 

2  Att.  He  flays  upon  your  will. 
Ant.  Let  him  appear. 

Thefe  ftrong  ^Egyptian  fetters  I  muft  break, 

Enter  a  fecond  MeJJenger. 

Or  lofe  myfelf  in  dotage. — What  are  you  ? 
2  Mef.  Fufaia  thy  wife  is  dead. 
Ant.  Where  died  Ihe  ? 

Savile's  Tranjlation  of  Tacitus,  dedicated  to  j^.  Elizabeth  :"  and  then 
obferves,  that  "  Shakefpeare  knew  the  legal  iignificatio*  of  the 
term,  as  appears  'from  a  paflage  in  As  you  like  it: 
*'  And  let  my  officers  of  fuch  a  nature 
44  Make  an  extent  upon  his  houfe  and  lands."  STEEVENS. 
*  When  our  quick  winds  liejlill;  ]   The  fenfe  is,  that 

man,  not  agitated  by  cenfure,  like  foil  not  ventilated  by  quick 
ivinds,  produces  more  evil  than  good.     JOHN  so  v. 

The  Tragedy  of  Crafus,  1604,  feems  to  contain  afimilar  allufion  : 

44  Whofe  knowledge  clouded  is  with  profprous  winds." 
Some  one,  I  forget  who,  has  propofed  to  read — minds.     It  is  at 
leaft  a  conjedture  thac  ceferves  to  be  mentioned,    STESVENS. 

2  Mef. 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     13$ 

2  Mcf.  In  Sicyon  : 

Her  length"  of  fieknefs,  with  what  elfe  more  ferious 
Imporuth  thee  to  know,  this  bears.     [Gives  a  Letter. 

Ant.  Forbear  me.  —  [Ex  if  Monger* 

There's  a  great  fpiritgone  !  Thus  did  i  clcfirc  it  : 
What  our  contempts  do  often  hurl  from  us, 
We  wilh  it  ours  again  ;  7  the  prefent  pleafure, 
By  revolution  lowering,  does  become 
The  oppofite  of  itielf  :  file's  good,  being  gone  ; 
8  The  hand  could  pluck  her  back,  thatfhov'd  her  on. 
I  muft  from  this  enchanting  queen  break  off; 
Ten  thoufand  harms,  more  than  the  ills  I  know, 
My  idienefs  doth  hatch.  —  How  now  !  Enobarbus  ! 


7  —  —  —  —  the  prefen  t  pleafure, 

By  revolution  lowering,  Joes  become 
The  oppofite  ofitfelf;  -  ] 

The  allufion  is  to  the  fun's  diurnal  cotirfe  ;  vvh:ch  rifmg  in  the 
toft,  and  by  revolution  lowering,  or  letting  in  the  <rw/r,  become* 
the  oppofite  of  iff  elf.  W  A  R  B  u  R  r  <  <  \  . 

This  is  an  obfcure  paflage.  The  explanation  which  Dr.  War- 
burton  has  offer'd  is  fuch,  that  I  can  add  nothing  to  it  ;  yet  per- 
haps Shakefpeare,  who  was  lefs  learned  than  his  commentator, 
meant  only,  that  our  pleafures,  as  they  are  revolved  in  the  mind, 
turn  to  pain.  JOHNSON. 

I  rather  understand  the  paflage  thus  :  *'  IWat  we  often  caft 
from  us  in  contempt  we  wijh  again  for,  and  what  is  at  prefent  our 
greatejl  pleafure,  lowers  in  our  ejlimation  by  the  rev  tint  I  on  rf  time  ;  or 
by  a  frequent  return  of  poffejjion  becomes  undefireable  and  JtfagrceabU, 

TOLLET. 

I  believe  revolution  means  change  of  circumltances.  This  fenfe 
appears  to  remove  every  difficulty  from  the.  paflage.  —  'J  he  pleafure 
of  to-day,  by  revolution  of  events  and  change  of  circumjlances,  often. 
lofes  all  its  value  to  us,  and  becomes,  to-morrmv  a  pain.  SrEtvENs. 

8  The  hand  could  pluck  her  back,  &C.J  The  verb  could  has  a  pe- 
culiar fignification  in  this  place  ,%  it  does  not  denote  po^ver  but  in- 
clination. The  fenfe  is,  the  hand  that  drove  her  off  would  now  i\:il- 
lingly  piuck  her  back  again  .  R  E  V  I  s  A  L  , 

',  wouLl  zndj/;cu!d,  are  a  thoufand  times  indifcriminately: 
ufed  in  the  old  plays,  and  yet  appear  to  have  been  fo  employed 
rather  by  choice  than  by  chance.  STEEVENS* 


Eater 


136    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Enter  Enobarbus. 

Eno.  What's  your  pleafure,  fir  ? 

Ant.  I  mufl  with  hafte  from  hence. 

Eno.  Why,  then  we  kill  all  our  women  :  We  fee 
how  mortal  an  unkindnefs  is  to  them ;  if  they  fuffer 
our  departure,  death's  the  word. 

Ant.  I  muft  be  gone. 

Eno.  Under  a  compelling  occafion,  let  women  die  : 
It  were  pity  to  caft  them  away  for  nothing ;  though, 
between  them  and  a  great  caufe,  they  fhould  be 
eflecm'd  nothing.  Cleopatra,  catching  but  the  leaft 
noiie  of  this,  dies  inflantly ;  I  have  feen  her  die  twen- 
ty times  upon  far  9  poorer  moment :  I  do  think, 
there  is  mettle  in  death,  which  commits  fome  loving 
a£t  upon  her,  Ihe  hath  fuch  a  celerity  in  dying. 

Ant.  She  is  cunning  paft  man's  thought. 

Eno.  Alack,  fir,  no ;  her  paflions  are  made  of 
nothing  but  the  fined  part  of  pure  love  :  We  cannot 
call  her  winds  and  waters,  fighs  and  tears  ;  they  arc 
greater  ftorms  and  tempeib  than  almanacks  can  re- 
port :  this  cannot  be  cunning  in  her  ;  if  it  be,  Ihe, 
makes  a  Ihower  of  rain  as  well  as  Jove. 

Ant.  'Would  I  had  never  feen  her ! 

Eno.  O,  fir,  you  had  then  left  unfeen  a  wonder- 
ful piece  of  work ;  which  not  to  have  been  bleft 
withal,  would  have  difcredited  your  travel. 

Ant.  Fulvia  is  dead. 

Eno.  Sir? 

Ant.  Fulvia  is  dead. 
Eno.  Fulvia? 
Ant.  Dead. 

Eno.  Why,  fir,  give  the  gods  a  thankful  facrifice. 
When  it  pleafeth  their  deities  to  take  the  wife  of  a 

9  —poorer  memcnt; — ]  For  lefs  reafon ;  upon  meaner  motives. 

JOHNSON. 

man 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     137 

man  from  him,  1  it  fhews  to  man  the  tailors  of  the 
earth ;  comforting  therein,  that  when  old  robes  arc 
worn  out,  there  are  members  to  make  new.  If  there 
were  no  more  women  but  Fulvia,  then  had  you  in- 
deed a  cut,  and  the  cafe  to  be  lamented  :  this  grief 
is  crown'd  with  confolation ;  your  old  fmock  brings 
forth  a  new  petticoat : — and,  indeed,  the  tears  live 
in  an  onion,  that  ftiould  water  this  forrow  *. 

Ant.  The  bufinefs  Ihe  hath  broached  in  the  ftate, 
Cannot  endure  my  abfencc. 

Eno.  And  the  bufinefs  you  have  broach'd  here 
cannot  be  without  you ;  efpecially  that  of  Cleopatra's, 
which  wholly  depends  on  your  abode. 

Ant.  No  more  light  anfwers.     Let  our  officers 
Have  notice  what  we  purpofe  :  I  fhall  break 
3  The  caufe  of  our  expedience  to  the  queen, 
And  get  her  love  to  part.     For  not  alone 
The  death  of  Fulvia,  with  4more  urgent  touches, 
Do  ftrongly  fpeak  to  us ;  but  the  letters  too 
Of  many  our  contriving  friends  in  Rome 

1  —  it  Jbews  to  man  the  tailors  of  the  earth,  comforting  therein^ 
&c.]  I  have  printed  this  after  the  original,  which,  though  harlh 
and  obfcure,  1  know  not  ho\v  to  amend.  Sir.  Tho.  Hanmer  reads, 
They  {hew  to  man  the  tailors  of  the  earth  comforting  him  therein. 
I  think  the  paflage,  with  fomewhat  lefs  alteration,  for  alteration 
js  always  dangerous,  may  fland  thus ;  It  Jhews  to  men  the  tailors 
'cf  the  earth,  comforting  them,  feV.  JOHNSON. 

The  meaning  is  this.  As  the  gods  have  beenpleafcd  to  take  away 
your  wife  Fulvia,  fo  they  have  provided  you  with  a  ne^jjone  in  Cleo- 
patra ;  in  like  manner  as  the  tailors  of  the  earth,  when  your  old  gar- 
ments are  worn  out,  accommodate  you  with  new  ones.  ANONYMOUS. 

1  the  tears  live  in  an  onion  &c.]  So,  in  The  noble  Soldier ', 

1634  :  "  So  much  water  as  you  might  fqueeze  out  of  an  onion  ha<J 
been  tears  enough  &c."  STEEVENS. 

5  The  caufe  of  our  expedience ]  Expedience  for  expedition. 

WAKBURTOX. 

*  •  more  urgent  touches,]  Things  that  touch  me  more  fen- 

Jibly,  more  preffing  motives.  JOHNSON. 

Petition 


138    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

5  Petition  us  at  home  :  Sextus  Pompeius 
Hath  given  the  dare  to  Csefar,  and  commands 
The  empire  of  the  fea  :   our  flippery  people 
(Whofe  love  is  never  link'd  to  the  deferver, 
'Till  his  deferts  are  paft)  begin  to  throw 
Pompey  the  great,  and  all  his  dignities 
Upon  his  fon ;  who,  high  in  name  and  power, 
Higher  than  both  in  blood  and  life,  {lands  up 
For  the  main  foldier  ;  whofe  quality,  going  on, 
The  fides  o'  the  world  may  danger :  Much  is  breeding, 
Which,  like  the  6  courfer's  hair,  hath  yet  but  life, 
And  not  a  ferpent's  poifon.     7  Say,  our  pleafure, 

*  Petition  us  at  borne : — ]    Wifh  us  at  home ;  call  for  us  to  re- 
Jide  at  home.     JOHNSON. 

*  the  courfcr's  hair,  &c.]    Alludes  to  an  old  idle  notion 
that  the  hair  of  a  horfe  dropt  into  corrupted  water,  will  turn  to  an 
animal.    POPE. 

So,  in  Holinfhed's  Defcription  of  England,  p.  224  :  "  —A 
t>orfe-baire  laid  in  a  pale  full  of  the  like  water  will  in  a  fhort  time 
itirre  and  become  a  living  creature.  But  fith  the  certaintie  of  thefe 
things  is  rather  proved  by  few  &c."  STEEVENS. 

Dr.  Lifter,  in  the  Philosophical  TranfaRions,  ftiowed  that  wha 
were  vulgarly  thought  animated  horfe-hairs,  are  real  infecls.  I 
was  alfo  affirmed,  that  they  moved  like  ferpents,  and  were  poifor 
ous  to  fwallow.  TOLLET. 

'  'Sayy  our  pleafure 

To  fuck  whofe  places  under  us  require 
Our  quick  remove  from  hence. ~\ 

Such  is  this  pafiage  in  the  firft  copy.     The  late  editors  have  all 
altered  it,  or  received  it  altered  in  filence  thus : 

Say,  our  pleafure j 

Tofucb  ivhofe  place  is  under  us,  requires 
Our  quick  remove  from  hence. 
This  is  hardly  fenfe.     I  believe  we  (hould  read  : 

Their  quick  remove  from  hence. 

Tell  our  defign  of  going  away  to  thofe,  who  being  by  their  places 
obliged  to  attend  us,  muft  remove  in  hafte.     JOHNSON. 

Surely  the  old  reading  with  the  flight  amendment  made  by  fome 

former  editor — wbofi  place  is — affords  perfect  fenfe. "  Say  to 

fuch  whofe  place  is  under  us,  i.  e.  to  our  attendants,  that  our 
pleafure  requires  our  quick  remove  from  hence."    MALONE. 

To 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     139 

To  fuch  whofe  place  is  under  us,  requires 
Our  quick  remove  from  hence. 
Eno.  I  Ihall  do't.  [Exeunt. 

SCENE     III. 

Enter  Cleopatra,  Charmian,  Iras,  and  Alexas* 

Cko.  Where  is  he  ? 

Char.  I  did  not  fee  him  fince. 

Cko.  See  where  he  is,  who's  with  him,  what  he 

does : 

*  I  did  not  fend  you  ; — If  you  find  him  fad, 
Say,  I  am  dancing  ;  if  in  mirth,  report 
That  I  am  fudden  fick :  Quick,  and  return.  \ExitAlex. 
Char.  Madam,    methinks,  if  you  did  love   him 

dearly, 

You  do  not  hold  the  method  to  enforce 
The  like  from  him. 

Cko.  What  fhould  I  do,  I  do  not  ? 

Char.  In  each  thing  give  him  way,  crofs  him  in 

nothing. 
Cko.   Thou  teacheft  like  a  fool :     the  way  to  lofc 

him. 

Char.  Tempt  him  not  fo  too  far :  I  wifh,  forbear; 
In  time  we  hate  that  which  we  often  fear. 

Enter  Antony. 

But  here  comes  Antony. 
Cko.  I  am  fick,  and  fullen, 

Ant.  I  am  forry  to  give  breathing  to  my  purpofe.— • 
Cko.  Help  me  away,  dear  Charmian,  I  ihall  fall  ; 

It  cannot  be  thus  long,  the  fides  of  nature 

Will  not  fuftain  it, 

8  I  did  not  fend  you  ; — ]    You  muft  go  as  if  you  came  without 
fuy  order  or  knowledge.    JOHNSON. 

Ant. 


HO    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Ant.  Noxv,  my  cleared  queen, 

Cko.  Pray  you,  ftand  farther  from  me. 

Ant.  What's  the  matter  > 

Cko,  1  know,  by  that  fame  eye,  there's  fome  good 

news. 

What  fays  the  marry'd  woman  ? — You  may  go ; 
'Would,  fhe  had  never  given  you  lei:ve  to  come  ! 
Let  her  not  fay,  'tis  I  that  keep  you  here, 
I  have  no  power  upon  you  ;  hers  you  are. 

A»t.  The  gods  beft  know, — 

Cleo.  O,  never  was  there  queen 
So  mightily  betray'd  !   Yet,  at  the  firfl, 
I  faw  the  treafons  planted. 

Ant.  Cleopatra,— 

Clea.  Why  ihould  I  think,  you  can  be  mine,  and 

true, 

Though  you  in  fwearing  fhake  the  throned  gods, 
Who  have  been  falfe  to  Fulvia  ?  Riotous  madnefs, 
To  be  entangled  with  thofe  mouth-made  vows, 
Which  break  themfelves  in  fwearing  ! 

Ant.  Mofl  fweet  queen, — 

Cleo.   Nay,    pray  you,  feek  no  colour  for  your 

going, 

But  bid  farewel,  and  go  :  when  you  fu'd  flaying, 
Then  was  the  time  for  words  :  No  going  then ; — 
Eternity  was  in  our  lips,  and  eyes ; 
Blifs  in  our  brows'  bent 9;   none  our  parts  fo  poor, 
But  was  *  a  race  of  heaven  :   They  are  fo  ftill, 
Or  thou,  the  greateft  foldier  of  the  world, 
Art  turn'd  the  greateft  liar. 

Ant.  How  now,  lady  ! 

»  ••  in  our  brows*  bent ; ]  i.  e.  in  the  arch  of  our  eye- 
brows. STEEVENS. 

1  a  race  of  heaven : ]  i.  e.  had  a  fmack  or  flavour  of 

heaven.  WARBURTON-. 

This  word  is  well  explained  by  Dr.  Warburton ;  the  race  of 
wine  is  the  tafte  of  the  foil.  Sir  T.  Hanmer,  not  underftanding 
the  word,  reads,  ray.  JOHNSON. 

Cleo. 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     14, 

Cleo.  I  would,  I  had  thy  inches;  thou  fhould'fl  know, 
There  were  a  heart  in  jEgypt. 

Ant,  Hear  me,  queen  : 
The  ftrong  neceffity  of  time  commands 
Our  fcrvices  a  while  ;  but  my  full  heart 
*  Remains  in  ufe  with  you.    Our  Italy 
Shines  o'er  with  civil  fwords  :  Sextus  Pompeius 
Makes  his  approaches  to  the  port  of  Rome : 
Equality  of  two  domeflic  powers 
Breeds  fcrupulous  faction :    The  hated,  grown  to 

ftrength, 

Are  newly  grown  to  love  :  the  condemn'd  Pompey, 
Rich  in  his  father's  honour,  creeps  apace 
Into  the  hearts  of  fuch  as  have  not  thriv'd 
Upon  the  prefent  ftate,  w.hofe  numbers  threaten ; 
And  quietnefs,  grown  fick  of  reft,  would  purge 
By  any  defperate  change  :   J  My  more  particular, 
And  that  which  moll  with  you  fhould  fafe  my  going, 
Is  Fulvia's  death. 

Cleo.  Though  age  from  folly  could  not  give  me 
freedom, 

*  Remains  in  ufe ]  The  poet  feems  to  allude  to  the  legal 

diltin&ion  between  the  ufe  and  abfolutc poffeflion*     JOHNSON. 
3  My  more  particular, 

And  that  which  mojl  with  you  Jhould  fave  my  goingy 

Is  Fulvia's  death.  ] 

Thus  all  the  more  modern  editions  ;  the  firft  and  fecond  folios 
read  fafe :  All  corruptedly.  Antony  is  giving  feveral  reafons  to 
Cleopatra,  which  make  his  departure  from  JEgypt  neceflary  ;  moft 
of  them,  reafons  of  ftate ;  but  the  death  of  Fulvia,  his  wife,  was 
a  particular  and  private  call.  Cleopatra  is  jealous  of  Antony,  and 
fufpicious  that  he  is  feeking  colours  for  his  going.  Antony  re- 
plies to  her  doubts,  with  the  reafons  that  obliged  him  to  be  abfent 
for  a  time  ;  and  tells  her,  that,  as  his  wife  Fulvia  is  dead,  and  fo 
ilie  has  no  rival  to  be  jealous  of,  that  circumftance  ihould  be  his 
beft  plea  and  excufe,  and  have  the  greateft  weight  with  her  for 
his  going.  Who  does  not  fee  now,  that  it  ought  to  be  read ; 
y  going.  THEOBALD, 


Mr.  Upton  reads,  I  think  rightly  : 

fafe  my  going.    JOHNSON. 


It 


J42     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

It  does  from  childifhnefs : — Can  Fulvia  die4? 

Ant.  She's  dead,  my  queen  : 
Look  here,  and,  at  thy  fovereign  lei  fare,  read 
The  garboils  ftie  awak'd  5 ;  at  the  laft,  beft  : 
See,  when,   and  where  Ihe  died. 

Cleo.  6  O  moft  falfe  love  ! 
Where  be  the  facred  vials  thou  fhouldft  fill 
With  forrowful  water  ?  Now  I  fee,  I  fee, 
In  Fulvia's  death,  how  mine  receiv'd  lhall  be. 

Ant.  Quarrel  no  more,  but  be  prepar'd  to  know 
The  purpofes  I  bear;  which  are,  or  ceafe, 
As  you  fnall  give  the  advice  :  By  the  fire, 
That  quickens  Nilus'  flime,  I  go  from  hence, 

*  Can  Fulvia  die  ?]    That  Fulvia  was  mortal,  Cleopatra 

could  have  no  reafon  to  doubt ;  the  meaning  therefore  of  her  quef- 
tion  feems  to  be  : — Will  there  ever  be  an  end  of  your  excufes  ?  As  of- 
ten as  you  want  to  leave  me,  iviH  not  fame  Fuli'ia,  fame  new  pretext 
le  found  for  your  departure?  She  has  already  faid  that  though  age 
could  not  exempt  her  from  fome  follies,  at  leatt  it  frees  her  from, 
a  childiih  belief  in  all  he  fays.  STEEVENS. 

5  The  garboils  Jbeawak'd; ]  i.e.  the  commotion  fhe  occa- 

fioned.  The  word  is  ufed  by  Heywood  in  the  Rape  of  Lucrcce, 
.1616: 

"  thou  Tarquin,  doll  alrne  furvive, 

«*  The  head  of  all  thok  gartailcs." 
Again,  by  Stanyhurft  in  his  tranilation  of  the  four  firft  books  of 

nriir*jf£uj>  1582: 

*'  Now  manhood  and  garloih  I  chaunt  and  martial  hor- 
ror." 

Again,  in  Jarris  Markham's  EngliJJj  Arcadia,  1607  :     "  Days  of 
mourning  by  continuall  garloiles  were,  however,  numbered  and 
encreafed."     The  word  is  derived  from  the  old  French  garbouilt 
which  Cotgrave  explains  by  huriyburly,  great flir.     STEEVENS. 
6   O  moft  falfe  love  ! 

Where  be  the  facred  vials  tbou  Jbouldjl  fill 

inthforrtKufuI  water  ? — ] 

Alluding  to  the  lachrymatory  vials,  or  bottles  of  tears,  which  the 
Romans  iometimes  put  into  the  urn  or"  a  friend.  JOHNSON. 

So,  in  the  firft  act  of  The  Two  Noble  Klnpnen,  written  by  B.  and 
Fletcher  in  conjunction  with  Shakefpeare : 

"  Balms  and  gums,  and  heavy  cheers, 

"  Sacred  vials  fill' d  with  tean"     STSEVENS. 

Thy 


ANTONY  AND  CLF.OPATRA.     I45 

Thy  folclier,  fervant ;  making  peace,  or  war, 
As  thou  affecTft. 

Cleo.  Cut  my  lace,  Charmian,  come; 

But 'let  it  be. — I  am  quickly  ill,  and  well  : 
So  Antony  loves 7. 

Ant.  My  precious  queen,  forbear ; 
And  give  true  evidence  to  his  love,  which  flands 
An  honourable  trial. 

Cleo.  So  Fulvia  told  me. 
I  pr'y thee,  turn  afide,  and  weep  for  her ; 
Then  bid  adieu  to  me,  and  fay,  the  tears 
Belong  8  to  Egypt :  Good  now,  play  one  fcene 
Of  excellent  diffembling  ;  and  let  it  look 
Like  perfect  honour. 

Ant.  You'll  heat  my  blood ;  no  more. 

Cleo.  You  can  do  better  yet ;  but  this  is  meetly. 

Ant.  Now,  by  my  fword, — 

Cleo.  And  target, — Still  he  mends ; 
But  this  is  not  the  beft  :  Look,  pr'ythee,  Charmian, 
How  this  Herculean  Roman  9  does  become 
The  carriage  of  his  chafe. 

Ant.  I'll  leave  you,  lady. 

Cleo.  Courteous  lord,  one  word. 
Sir,  you  and  I  muft  part, — but  that's  not  it : 
Sir,  you  and  I  have  lov'd, — but  there's  not  it ; 
That  you  know  well :  Something  it  is  I  would,— 
1  O,  my  oblivion  is  a  very  Antony, 

And 

7  So  Antony  laves.]    i.  e.  uncertain  as  the  ftateof  my  health  is 
the  love  of  Antony.     STEEVENS. 

8  • — to  Egypt : — ]  Tome,  the  queen  of  Egypt.     JOHNSON. 

9  — Herculean  Roman — ]  Antony  traced  his  defcent  from^s- 
ton  a  fon  of  Hercules.     STEEVENS. 

1  O,  my  oblivion  is  a  very  Antony  ^ 

And  I  am  all  forgotten.} 

The  plain  meaning  is,  My  forgctfulnrfs  mates  me  forget  myfelf. 
But  fhe  exprefles  it  by  calling  forgetfulncfs  Antony  ;  becaufe/0rgr/- 
fulnefs  had  forgot  her,  as  Antony  had  done.  For  want  of  appre- 
hending this  quaintnefs  of  exprelfion,  the  Oxford  editor  is  forced 

to 


144    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

And  1  am  all-forgotten. 
Ant.  *  But  that  your  royalty 

.Holds 

to  tell  uS  news,  That  all  forgotten  is  an  old  way  off  peaking,  for  apt 
to  forget  every  thing.  WARBURTON. 

I  cannot  underiVand  the  learned  critic's  explanation.  It  ap- 
pears to  me,  that  (he  fhould  rather  have  faid  : 

O  my  remembrance  is  a  very  Antony, 

And  I  am  all  forgotten* 

It  was  her  memory,  not  her  oblivion,  that,  like  Antony,  was 
forgetting  and  deferting  her.  I  think  a  flight  change  will  reilore 
the  paflage.  The  queen,  having  fomething  to  fay,  which  file  is 
not  able,  or  would  not  leem  able  to  recolledt,  cries  out : 

O  my  oblivion  ! — 'Tis  a  very  Antony. 

The  thought  of  which  I  was  in  queft  is  a  very  Antony,  is  treache- 
rous and  fugitive,  and  has  irrevocably  left  me  : 

And  I  am  all  forgotten. 

If  this  reading  ftand,  1  think  the  explanation  of  Hanmer  muft  be 
received.  JOHNSON. 

Dr.  Warburton's  explanation  is  certainly  juft,  but  I  cannot  per- 
ceive any  need  of  change.  Cleopatra  has  fomething  to  fay,  which 
feems  to  be  fupprefs'd  by  forrow,  and  after  many  attempts  to  pro- 
duce her  meaning,  flie  cries  out :  O,  this  oblivious  memory  of 
mine  is  asfalfe  and  treacherous  to  me  as  Antony  is,  and  I  forget  every 
thing.  Oblivion,  I  believe,  is  boldly  ufed  for  a  memory  aft  to  be 
deceitful. 

If  too  great  a  latitude  be  taken  in  this  explanation,  we  might 
with  little  violence  read,  as  Mr.  Edwards  has  propofed  in  his  MS. 
notes : 

Oh  me!  oblivion  is  a  very  Antony  ^  &c.    STEEVENS. 
*  But  that  your  royally 

Holds  idlcnefsyour  fubjeft,  IJbould  take  you 

For  idlenefs  itfelf.'] 

I.  e.  B 'ut  that  your  charms  hold  me,  vjJjo  am  tie  greateftyW  on  earthy 
in  chains,  IJhouldhave  adjudged  you  to  be  the  greatelt.  That  this 
is  the  fenfe  is  (hewn  by  her  anfwer : 

'  TisfiMcating  labour, 

To  bear  fuch  idlenefs  fo  near  the  heart, 

As  Cleopatra,  this. — —     WARBURTON. 

The  fenfe  may  be  : — But  that  yo:ir  qucenjbip  chafes  idlenefs  for 
the  fubjeSl  of  your  converfation,  I fiould  take  you  for  idlenefs  itfelf. 
So  Webfter  (who  was  often  a  very  dole  imitator  of  Shakefpeare) 
in  his  yittoria  Corombona,  1612: 

"  • how  idle  am  I 

*'  To  ^uejlion  my  owa  idlencf>  /" 

Or 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.    145 

Holds  idlenefs  your  fubjcdt,  I  fhould  take  you 
For  idlenefs  itfelf. 

Cleo.  'Tis  fvveating  labour, 
To  bear  fnch  idlenefs  fo  near  the  heart 
As  Cleopatra  this.     But,  fir,  forgive  me  ; 
Since  my  becomings  kill  me  J,  when  they  do  not 
Eye  well  to  you  :  Your  honour  calls  you  hence  ; 
Therefore  be  deaf  to  my  unpitied  folly, 
And  all  the  gods  go  with  you  !  Upoa  your  fword 
Sit  laurell'd  victory  !  and  fmooth  fuccefs 
Be  flrew'd  before  your  feet  ! 

Ant.  Let  us  go.    Come  ; 
Our  feparation  fo  abides,  and  flies, 
That  thou,  refiding  here,  go'ft  yet  with  me, 
And  I,  hence  fleeting,  here  remain  with  thee. 
Away.  [Exeunt. 

SCENE      IV. 

Ctffars  palace  in  Rome. 
Enter  Ottavius  C<efar,  Lepidus,  and  Attendants. 

C<ef.  You  may  fee,  Lepidus,  and  henceforth  know, 
It  is  not  Casfar's  natural  vice  to  hate 
4  One  great  competitor  :  From  Alexandria 
This  is  the  news;  He  fifties,  drinks,  and  waftes 


Or  an  antithefis  may  be  defigned  between  royalty 
f>ut  that  I  knovjyou  to  be  a  qne<:n,  and  that  your  royalty  holds  I 
nefs  infubjcRiontoyou,  exalting  you  far  above  its  influence,  I  Jkould 
fuppofe  you  to  be  the  very  genius  of  idlenefs  itfelf.     STEEVENS. 

3  Since  my  becomings  kill  me,  -  ]    There  is  fomewhat  of 
obfcurity  in  this  expreifion.     In  the  firft  fceneof  the  play  Antony 
had  called  her  : 

"  -  wrangling  queen, 
"  Whom  every  thing  Itcoma" 
It  is  to  this,  perhaps,  that  Ihe  alludes.     STEEVENS. 

4  One  ^eat  competitor  :  -  ]  Perhaps,  Our  great  competitor. 

JOHNSON. 

VOL.  VIII.  L  The 


146   ANTONY   AND   CLEOPATRA. 

The  lamps  of  night  in  revel  :  is  not  more  manlike 
Than  Cleopatra ;   nor  the  queen  of  Ptolemy 
More  womanly  than  he  :  hardly  gave  audience,  or 
VouchfaPd  to  think  he  had  partners  :  You  fliall  find 

there 

A  man,  who  is  the  abflradt  of  all  faults 
That  all  men  follow. 

Lep.  I  mult  not  think,  there  are 
Evils  enough  to  darken  all  his  goodnefs  : 
His  faults,  in  him,  feem  5  as  the  fpots  of  heaven, 
More  fiery  by  night's  blacknefs ;  hereditary, 
Rather  than  6  purchas'd  ;   what  he  cannot  change, 
Than  what  he  choofes. 

5   •  as  the  fpots  of.beav'n, 

More  fiery  by  night's  blacknefs  ;  ] 

If  by  fpots  are  meant  liars,  as  night  has  no  other  fiery  fpots,  the 
comparifon  is  forced  and  harfii,  ftars  having  been  always  fuppofed 
to  beautify  the  night ;  nor  do  I  comprehend  what  there  is  in  the 
counter-part  of  this  fimile,  which  anfwers  to  night's  blaeknefs. 
Hanmer  reads : 

fpots  on  ermine, 

Or  fires,  by  night's  blacknefs.     JoHNSOK. 

The  meaning  feem s  to  be  —  As  tbejlars  or  fpots  of  heaven  are 
not  obfcured,  but  rather  rendered  more  bright  by  the  blacknefs  of  the 
night,  fo  neither  is  the  goodnefs  of  Antony  eclipfed  by  his  evil  qualities, 
but,  on  the  contrary,  his  faults  feem  enlarged  and  aggravated  by  bis 
virtues. 

That  which  anfwers  to  the  blacknefs  of  the  night,  in  the  counter- 
part of  the  fimile,  is  Antony's  goodnefs.  His  goodnefs  is  a  ground 
which  gives  a  relief  to  his  faults,  nnd  makes  them  ftand  out  more 
prominent  and  confpicuous. 

It  is  objected,  that  liars  rather  beautify  rhan  deform  the  night. 
But  the  poet  confiders  them  here  only  with  reipeft  to  their  promi- 
nence andfplendour.  It  is  iufficient  for  him  that  their  fcintillations 
appear  itronger  in  confequence  of  davknefs,  as  jewels  are  more  re- 
fplendent  on  a  black  ground  than  on  any  other. — That  the  promi- 
nence and  fflexdour  of  the  liars  were  alone  in  Shakefpeare's  contem- 
plation, appears  from  a  paflage  in  Hamlet,  where  the  fame  thought 
is  lefs  equivocally  exprefs'd  : 

"  Your  (kill  fliall,  like  a  ftar  i'  the  darkeft  night, 

* '  Stick  fiery  off  i  ndeed. "     MA  LONE. 

*  •  .    purcbasd;—]    Procur'd  by  his  own  fault  or  endeavour. 

JOHNSON. 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.    147 

l  You  arc  too  indulgent :  Let  us  grant,  it  is  not 
A  mils  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  ftreets  at  noon,  and  Hand  the  buffet 
With  knaves  that  fmell  of  fweat :  7  fay,  this  becomes 

him, 

(As  his  compofure  muft  be  rare  indeed, 
Whom  thefe  things  cannot  blemifh)  yetmuft  Antony 
No  way  excufe  his  foils,  when  we  do  bear 

8  So  great  weight  in  his  lightnefs :   If  he  fill'd 
His  vacancy  with  his  voluptuoufnefs, 

Full  forfeits,  and  the  drynefs  of  his  bones, 

9  Call  on  him  for't :  but,  to  confourld  fuch  time, — i 
That  drums  him  from  his  fport,  and  fpeaks  as  loud 
As  his  own  ftatc,  and  ours, — 'tis  to  be  chid 

As  we  rate  '  boys ;  who,  being  mature  in  knowledge, 
Pawn  their  experience  to  their  prefent  pleafure, 
And  fo  rebel  to  judgment. 

7  fay,  ibis  becomes  him  ; 

As  bis  compofure  mujl  be  rare,  indeed, 

Wljom  tbefc  things  cannot  blcmiJJj  ;  •< ] 

This  feems  inconiequent.     I  read  : 

And  bis  compofure,  &c. 

Grant  tbat  tbis  becomes  him,  and  if  it  can  become  bitn,  be  mujl  bave 
in  him  fomctbing  -very  uncommon  ;  yet,  £ffr.  JOHNSON. 

3  So  great  weight  in  bis  ligbtnefs : ]     The  word  light  is  one 

of  Shakefpeare's  favourite  play-things.  The  fenfe  is,  His  trifling 
levity  throws  fo  much  burden  upon  us.  JOHNSON. 

9  Call  on  bim  for1 1: J  Call  on  bim,  is,  vijltbim.     Says 

Casfar,  If  Antony  followed  bis  debaucheries  at  a  time  of  Icifure,  I 
J]}ould  leave  bim  to  be  punijked  by  tbeir  natural  confequences,  by  fur- 
feits  and  dry  bones.  JOHNSON. 

1  boys ;  <ivb(>,  being  mature  in  Jcno*ivled'ge,~\  For  this  Hanmer, 

who  thought  the  maturity  of  a  boy  an  inconfillent  idea,  has  put : 

iv bo,  immature  in  knowledge: 

but  the  words  experience  and  judgment  require  that  we  rt^A  mature: 
though  Dr.  Warburton  has  received  the  emendation.  By  boys  ma- 
tr.-re  hi  kno-.vkagc,  are  meant,  boys  old  enough  to  know  tbeir  duty. 

JOHNSON. 

L  2  Enter 


i43     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA, 

Enter  a  Meflenger. 

Lep.  Here's  more  news. 

Mef.  Thy  biddings  have  been  done ;    and  every 

hour, 

Molt  noble  Ca?far,  fhalt  thou  have  report 
How  'tis  abroad.     Pompey  is  ftrong  at  fea ; 
And  it  appears,  he  is  belov'd  of  thofe 
1  That  only  have  fear'd  Csefar :  to  the  ports 
The  difcontents  repair,  and  mens'  reports 
Give  him  much  wrong'd. 

Gef.  I  fhould  have  known  no'lefs : — 
It  hath  been  taught  us  from  the  primal  ftate, 
That  3  he,  which  is,  was  wiih'd,  until  he  were  ; 
And  the  ebb'd  man,  ne'er  lov'd,  'rill  ne'er  worth  love. 
Comes  dear'd,  by  being  lack'd.  This  common  body,. 
Like  to  a  vagabond  flag  upon  the  ftream, 
4  Goes  to,  and  back,  lackying  the  varying  tide, 

To 

*  That  only  have  feared  Cafar  : — }  Thofe  whom  not  love  but 
fear  made  adherents  to  Caefar,  now  Ihew  their  affection  for  Pom- 
pey. JOHNSON. 

3  be,  ivbicb  is,  ivas  ivlflfd,  until  he  were  ; 

And  the  cltfd  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  earliejl  hif- 
tories  inform  us,  that  the  man  mfitprerat  command  ivas  always  ivijb'd 
to  gain  that  command,  'till  he  had  obtain  d  it.  And  be,  <vjhom  the 
multituJe  has  contentedly  fctn  in  a  low  condition,  tv/jen  he  begins  to  be 
•wanted  by  them,  becomes  to  le  fear  d  by  them.  Bat  do  the  multitude 
fear  a  man,  becaufe  they  want  him  ?  Certainly,  we  muft  read  : 

Comes  dear'd,  by  being  lack'J. 

i.  e.  endear'd,  a  ravourite  to  them.  Betides,  the  context  requires 
this  reading;  for  it  was  not  fear,  but  love,  that  made  the  people 
flock  to  young  Pompey,  and  what  occafion'd  this  reflection.  So, 
in  Coriolanus  : 

"  I  mall  be  lov'J,  when  I  am  lack'd."    WARBURTONV 

4  Goes  to,  and  back,  laming  the  varying  tidet 
To  rot  itfclfivith  motion.} 

How  can  a  flag,  or  rufli,  floating  upon  a  flream,  and  that  has  no 
motion  but  what  the  fluctuation  ot  the  water  gives  it,  be  faidto  lam 

the 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     149 

To  rot  itfelf  with  motion  f. 

Mef.  Casfar,  I  bring  thee  word, 
Menccrates  and  Menas,  famous  pirates, 
Make  the  Tea  ferve  them;  6which  they  ear  and  wound 
With  keels  of  every  kind  :  Many  hot  inroads 
They  make  in  Italy  ;  the  borders  maritime 
7  Lack  blood  to  think  on't,  and  flufh  youth  8  revolt : 
No  veflel  can  peep  forth,  but  'tis  as  foon 
Taken  as  feen  ;  for  Pompey's  name  flrikes  more, 

the  tide  ?  This  is  making  a  fcourge  of  a  weak  ineffective  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  fingle  letter  will  not  only  give  us  good  fenie,  but 
the  genuine  word  of  our  author  into  the  bargain. 

— — — — Lacquing  the  -varying  tide, 

i,  e.  floating  backwards  and  forwards  with  the  variation  of  the  tide, 
like  a  page,  or  lacquey,  at  his  matter's  heels.  THEOBALD. 

Theobald's  conjecture  may  be  fupported  by  a  pailage  in  the  fifth 
book  of  Chapman's  tranflation  of  Homer's  Odyjfiy  : 

"  who  would  willingly 

"  Lacky  along  fo  vail  a  lake  of  brine  ?" 
Again,  in  his  verfionof  the  24th  Iliad: 

"  My  guide  to  Argos  either  fliip'd  orlacfyirrg  by  thy  fide." 
Again,  in  the  Prologue  to  the  lecond  part  of  Antonio  and  Mellidat 
1602: 

"  O  that  our  power 

"  Could  lack)'  or  keep  pace  with  our  defires  !"'STEEVENS. 

5  Perhaps  another  mtffingcr  flhould  be  noted  here,  as  entering 
with  frefh  news.     STEEVENS. 

6  t-ivbicb  they  car -]  To  gar,  is  to  plow  ;  a  common 

metaphor.     JOHNSON. 

To  tar,  is  not,  however,  nt  this  time,  a  common  word.  I  meet 
with  it  in  Turbervile's  Falconry,   1575  : 

"  becaufe  I  have  a  larger  field  to  ear" 

Again,  in  Drayton's  Legend  of  Robert  Dukecf  Normandy : 

"  So  Troy,  thought  I,  her  tfatcly  head  did  rear, 

"  \V  hofe  crazed  ribs  the  furrowing  plough  doth  far." 
Again,  in  Gowerx  DcConfffJione  Amanth,  b.  i.  fol.  26  : 

"  And  ercn  it  with  Itrength  of  plough."    STEEVENS. 

7  Lack  blood  to  think  on' '/, ]  Turn  pale  at  the  thought  of  it. 

JOHNSON. 

8  — and  flufh  youth — ]  Flujh youth  is  youth  ripened  to  manhood; 
ycvtb  whofe  blood  is  at  the  flow.     STEEVENS. 

L  Than 


150    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Than  could  his  war  refitted. 

Caf.  Antony, 

Leave  thy  lafcivious  waflels 9.     When  thou  once 
Waft  beaten  from  Modena,  where  thou  ilew'ft 
Hirtius  and  Panfa,  confuls,  at  thy  heel 
Did  famine  follow ;  whom  thou  fought'ft  againft, 
Though  daintily  brought  up,  with  patience  more 
Than  favages  could  fuffer :  Thou  didft  drink 
The  ftale  of  horfes ',  and  the  gilded  puddle 
Which  beafts  would  cough  at :    thy  palate  then  did 

deign 

The  rougheft  berry  on  the  rudeft  hedge ; 
Yea,  like  the  flag,  when  fnow  the  pafture  fheets, 
The  barks  of  trees  thou  browfed'tl  :  on  the  Alps, 
It  is  reported,  thou  did'ft  eat  ftrange  flelh, 
Which  fome  did  die  to  look  on  :  And  all  this 
(It  wounds  thine  honour,  that  I  fpeak  it  now) 
Was  borne  fo  like  a  foldier,  that  thy  cheek 
So  much  as  lank'd  not. 

Lep.  It  is  pity  of  him. 

Caf.  Let  his  ihames  quickly 
Drive  him  to  Rome  :  Time  is  it,  that  we  twain 
Did  fhew  ourfelves  i'  the  field ;  and,  to  that  end^ 
Affemble  me  immediate  council :  Pompey 
Thrives  in  our  idlcnefs. 

Lep.  To-morrow,  Caefar, 
I  lhall  be  furnifh'd  to  inform  you  rightly 
Both  what  by  fea  and  land  I  can  be  able, 
To  'front  this  prefent  time. 

9  thy  lafcivious  waflels.——]    Waffel  is  here  put  for  in- 
temperance in  general.     So,  in  Love's  Labour's  Loft : 

"  At  wakes  and  wajfih,  meetings,  markets,  fairs." 
For  a  more  particular  account  or"  the  word,  lee  'Macbeth,  ad  I.  fc. 
lilt.     The  old  copy,  however,  reads  vajjailcs.     STEEVENS. 

1  Thou  didft  drink 

Tbejlak  ofborfes, ^ 

All  thefe  circumftances  of  Antony's  diflrefs,  are  taken    literlly 
from  Plutarch.    STEEVENS. 

o/. 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.    151 

Caf.  'Till  which  encounter, 
It  is  my  bufmefs  too.     Farewel. 

Lep.  Farewel,  my  lord  :    What   you  fhall  know 

mean  time 

Of  ftirs  abroad,  I  fhall  befccch  you,  fir, 
To  let  me  be  partaker. 

C*f.  Doubt  it  not,  fir;  I  knew  it  for  my  bond. 

[Exeunt. 

SCENE        V. 

Tbe  Palace  in  Alexandria. 
Enter  Cleopatra*  Cbarmian,  Iras,  and  Mardlan. 

Cleo.  Charmian, — 
Char.  Madam. 

Cleo.  Ha,  ha, — Give  me  to  drink z  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. 

*  — mandrc!gora.~\    A  plant  of  which  the  infufion  was  fuppofed 
to  procure  fleep.     Shakefpeai  e  mentions  it  in  Othello  ; 
"  Not  poppy,  nor  ma«Jragerat 

*'  Can  ever  med'cine  thee  to  that  fweet  fleep."  JOHNSON. 
So,  in  Webfter's  Dutcbefs  of  Malfy,>  1623  : 

"  Come  violent  death, 
"  Serve  for  mandragora^  and  make  me  fleep  " 

STEEVENS. 

to  drink  mandragora.]    Gerard,  in  his  Herbal,  fays  of  the 

mandragoras  '.  "  Diofcorides  doth  particularly  fet  downe  many  fa- 
culties hereof,  of  which  no.twith Handing  there  be  none  proper  un- 
to it,  fave  thofc  that  depend  upon  the  drowlie  and  fleeping  power 
thereof." 

In  Adlington's  Apulci us  (of  which  the  epWHe  is  dated  1566)  re- 
printed 1639,  4to»  bl.l.  p.  187,  lib.  ro :  "I  gave  him  no  poy- 
ibn,  ^but^a  doling  drink  of  mamlragoras,  which  is  of  fuch  force, 
that  it  will  caufe  any  man  to  fleepe,  as  though  he  were  dead." 

PERCY. 

L  4  Cleo. 


i52     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Cleo.  O,  'tis  treafon  ! 

Char.  Madam,  I  trull,  not  fo. 

Cleo.  Thou,  eunuch  !  Mardian ! 

Mar.  What's  your  highnefs'  pleafure  ? 

Cleo.  Not  now  to  hear  thee  fmg ;  I  take  no  pleafure 
In  aught  an  eunuch  has  :  'Tis  \vell  for  thee, 
That,  being  unfeminar'd.  thy  freer  thoughts 
May  not  fly  forth  of  ^Egypt.    Haft  thou  affedions  ? 

Mar.  Yes,  gracious  madam. 

Cleo.  Indeed? 

Mar.  Not  in  deed,  madam ;  for  I  can  do  nothing 
But  what  in  deed  is  honeft  to  be  done  : 
Yet  have  I  fierce  affedions,  and  think, 
What  Venus  did  with  Mars. 

Cleo.  O  Charmian  ! 

Where  think'ft  thou  he  is  now  ?  Stands  he,  or  fits  he  ? 
Or  does  he  walk  ?  or  is  he  on  his  horfe  ? 
O  happy  horfe,  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 
3  And  burgonetof  man.— He's  fpeaking  now, 
Or  murmuring,  Where's  my  ferpent  of  old  Nile  ? 
For  fo  he  calls  me ; — Now  I  feed  myfelf 
With  moft  delicious  poifon  : — Think  on  me, 
That  am  with  Phoebus'  amorous  pinches  black, 
And  wrinkled  deep  in  time  ?  4  Broad-fronted  Caefar, 
When  thou  waft  here  above  the  ground,  I  was 
A  morfel  for  a  monarch  :  and  great  Pompey 

3  And  burgonet  of  man.  ]    A.  burgonet  \s  a  kinder"  helmet* 

So,  in  Hen.  VI  : 

"  This  day  I'll  wear  aloft  my  burgonet." 
So,  in  Hey  wood's  I,  en  Agc>   1632: 

"  I'll  hammer  on  thy  proof- fteel'd  burgoaet." 
Again,  in  the  Birth  of  Merlin^  1662: 

"  This,  by  the  gods  and  my  good.fword,  I'll  fet 
*'  In  bloody  lines  upon  thy  burgonet."     STEEVENS. 

*  Broad-fronted  Cafart~\  Mr.  beyward  is  of  opinion,  that 

the  poet  wrote — bald-fronted  Cafar,    STEEVENS. 

Would 


ANTONY   AND   CLEOPATRA.    153 

Would  {land,  and  make  his  eyes  grow  in  my  brow ; 
There  would  he  anchor  his  afpedt,  and  die 
With  looking  on  his  life. 

Enter  Akxas. 

Alex.  Sovereign  of  ./Egypt,  hail  ! 

Cleo.  How  much  unlike  art  thou  Mark  Antony  ! 
Yet,  coming  from  him,  5  that-great  medicine  hath 
With  his  tincl:  gilded  thee. — 
How  goes  it  with  my  brave  Mark  Antony  ? 

Alex.  Laft  thing  he  did,  dear  queen, 
He  kifs'd,  the  laft  of  many  doubled  kifles, 
This  orient  pearl ; — His  fpeech  flicks  in  my  heart. 

Cleo.  Mine  car  muft  pluck  it  thence. 

Akx.  Good  friend,  quoth  he, 
Say,  the  firm  Roman  to  great  M^ypt  fends 
This  treafure  of  an  oyjler  :  at  whoje  foot, 
To  mend  the  petty  prefent,  I  will  piece 
Her  opulent  throne  with  kingdoms  ;  All  the  eafi, 
Say  thou,  Jhall  call  her  miftrefs.    So  he  nodded, 
And  ibberly  did  mount  an  6  arm-gaunt  fleed, 

Who 

5   that  great  medicine  hath  with  bis  tinft  gilded  tbee.~\     Al- 
luding to  the  philofopher's  ftone,  which,  by  its  touch,  converts 
bafe  metal  into  gold.     The  alchemiib  call  the  matter,  whatever  it 
be,  by  which  they  perform  tranfmutation,  a  medicine.     JOHNSON. 
Thus  Chapman,  in  \\\%  Shadow  of  Night ^   1594  , 

"  O  then,  thou  great  elixir  of  all  treafures." 
And  on  this  paflage  he  has  the  following  note :    **  The  philofo- 
pher's flone,  or  pbilofoplica  medicina  is  called  the  great  Elixir,  to 
which  he  here  alludes."     Thus,  in  the  Chanones  Temannes  Tale 
of  Chaucer,  late  edit.  v.  16330: 

"  the  philofophre's  {tone, 

"  Elixir  cleped,  we  feken  faft  eche  on."    STEEVENS. 

* arm-gaunt fiecd,1  i.e.  his fteed  worn  lean  and  thin  by 

much  fervice  in  war.     So,  Fairfax  : 

"  His  Jiall  worn  fteed  the  champion  flout  beftrode." 

WAR  BUR  TON. 

On  this  note  Mr.  Edwards  has  been  very  lavifli  of  his  pleafantiy, 
and  indeed  has  juftly  cenlured  the  miiquotction  of flail-worn,  for 
J}qU-<wortbt  which  means^ro^g-,  but  makes  no  atieinptto  explain 

the 


154    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA, 

Who  neigh'd  fo  high,  that  what  I  would  have  fpok^ 
7  Was  beaftly  dumb'd  by  him. 

Cleo.  What,  was  he  fad,  or  merry  ? 

Alex.  Like  to  the  time  o'  the  year  between  the 

extreams 
Of  hot  and  cold  ;  he  was  nor  fad,  nor  merry. 

Cleo.  O  well-divided  difpolition  !  —Note  him, 
Note  him,  good  Charmian,  'tis  the  man  ;    but  note 

him  : 

He  was  not  fad  ;  for  he  would  Ihine  on  thofe 
That  make  their  looks  by  his  :  he  was  not  merry  ; 
Which  feem'd  to  tell  them,  his  remembrance  Jay 

the  word  in  the  play.  Mr.  Seyward,  in  his  preface  to  Beaumont, 
has  very  elaborately  endeavoured  to  prove,  that  an  arm-gaunt  :fteed 
is  a  fteed  with  lean  Jboulders.  Arm  is  the  Teutonic  word  for  ivant9 
.or  poverty.  Arm-gaunt  may  be  therefore  an  old  word,  fignifying, 
lean  for  <uwz/,  ill  fed.  Edwards's  oblervation,  that  a  worn-out 
horfe  is  not  proper  for  Atlas  to  mount  in  battle,  is  impertinent  ; 
the  horie  here  mentioned  feems  to  be  a  poft-horfe,  rather  than  a 
war  horfe.  Yet  as  arm-gaunt  feems  not  intended  to  imply  any  de- 
fect, it  perhaps  means,  a  'horie  fo  {lender  that  a  man  might  clafp 
Jlim,  and  therefore  formed  for  expedition.  Hanmer  reads  : 
arm-v\rtjieeil.  JOHNSON". 

The  following  compound  word  which  I  find  in  Chaucer's  de- 
fcription  of  a  king  of  Thrace  in  the  Knight's  Tale,  may  fupport 
Pr.  Johnfon's  explanation  .• 

"  A  wreth  of  gold  arm-gret,  of  huge  weight 
*'  Upon  his  hed  &c."    late  edit.  v.  2147. 
cte  is  as  big  as  the  arm,  and  arm-gaunt  may  mean  as  Jlendtr 

the  arm.  We  Itili  fay,  in  vulgar  companion,  as  long  as  my  arm, 
as  thick  as  r.'.y  leg,  &c.  Again,  in  the  Eooke  of  Fyjling,  &c.  bl.  1. 
no  date:  "  -  cut  between  Michelmas  and  Candellmas  a  fay  re 
flaffof  afadome  and  a  half  longe  and  arm-great,  of  hafyll,  &c." 
Again,  in  Lidgate  :  "  -  Line-right"  i.  e.  as  Itrait  as  a  line. 

STEEVENS. 

7  WasbcaJHy  dumb  ly  him."]  Mr.  Theobald  reads  dtiml'd,  put  to 
filence.  "  Alexas  means,  (fays  he)  the  horfe  made  fuch  a  neigh- 
ing, that  if  he  had  fpoke  he  could  not  have  been  heard." 

JOHNSOX. 

The  verb  which  Theobald  would  introduce,  is  found  in  Pericles 
Priace  of  Tyre,  1  609  : 

"  i)eep  clerks  Hie  dumbs  &c,"    STEEVENS. 

In 


as 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     ,55 

In  jflLgypt  with  his  joy  :  but  between  both  : 

0  heavenly  mingle  ! — Be'rt  thou  fad,  or  merry, 
The  violence  of  either  thee  becomes ; 

So  does  it  no  man  elfe. — Met'ft  thou  my  pofts  ? 

Alex.  Ay,  madam,  twenty  feveral  mefiengers  : 
Why  do  you  fend  fo  thick? 

Cleo.  Who's  born  that  day 
When  I  forget  to  fend  to  Antony, 

Shall  die  a  beggar. — Ink  and  paper,  Charmian - 

Welcome,  my  good  Alexas. — Did  I,  Charmian, 
Ever  love  Csefar  fo  ? 

Char.  O  that  brave  Csefar  ! 

Cleo.  Be  choak'd  with  fuch  another  emphafis  \ 
Say,  the  brave  Antony. 

'Char.  The  valiant  Casfar ! 

Cleo.  By  Ifis,  I  will  give  thee  bloody  teeth, 
If  thou  with  Casfar  paragon  again 
My  man  of  men. 

Char.  By  your  mofl  grapiqus  pardon, 

1  fing  but  after  you. 

Cleo.  8  My  fallad  days  ! 

When 

8  My  fallad  days  ! 

Wlien  I  ivas  green  in  judgment,  cold  in  Mood! 

To  fay,  as  Ifaid  then! ] 

This  puzzles  the  late  editor,  Mr.  Theobald.  He  fays  :  "  Cleo. 
patra  may  fpeak  very  naturally  here  with  contempt  of  her  judg- 
ment at  that  period  :  but  how  truly  with  regard  to  the  coldnefs  of' 
her  blood  may  admit  fome  quefUon  :"  and  then  employs  his  learn- 
ing to  prove,  that  at  this  cold  feafon  of  her  blood,  (he  had  feen 
twenty  good  years.  But  yet  he  thinks  his  author  may  bejuftified, 
becaufe  Plutarch  calls  Cleopatra  at  thofe  years,  KO^JJ,  which  by  ill 
luck  proves  juft  the  contrary  ;  for  that  ftate  which  the  Greeks  de- 
figncd  by  KO'^JJ,  was  the  very  height  of  blood.  But  Shakefpeare's 
belt  j unification  is  reftoring  his  ownfenfe,  which  is  done  merely  by 
a  different  pointing : 

My  fallad  days ; 

When  I  ivas  green  in  judgment.     Cold  in  Hood! 

To  fay  as  Ifaid  then. 

Cold  in  blood,  is  an  upbraiding  expoftulation  to  her  maid.     Tlofe^ 

fays 


156    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

When  I  was  green  in  judgment :  Cold  in  blood, 
To  fay,  as  I  faid  then  ! — But,  come,  away  ; 
Get  me  ink  and  paper  :  he  fhall  have  every  day 
A  feveral  greeting,  or  I'll 9  unpeople  ^igypr. 

[Exeunt. 


A    C    T     IL       S  C  E  N  E     I. 


MeJJina,     Pampers  Houfe, 

Enter  '  Pompey,  Menecrates,  andMenas. 

Pomp.  If  the  great  gods  be  juft,  they  ftiall  affift 
The  deeds  of  jufteft  men. 

Men.  Know,  worthy  Pompey, 
That  what  they  do  delay,  they  not  deny. 

Pomp.    *  Whiles  we  are  fuitors  to  their  throne, 

decays 
The  thing  we  fue  for. 

Men, 

fays  fhe,  were  tny  fallad  Jayst  ixhen  I  =iva  s  green  in  judgment  ;  tut 
yot^r  Hood  is  as  cold  as  my  judgment,  if  you  have  the  fame  opinion  of 
things  now  as  I  bad  then  .  W  A  R  B  u  R  T  o  N  . 

9  -  unpeople  Mgypt."]  By  lending  out  meflengers.  JOHNSON. 
1  The  perfons  are  Ib  named  in  the  firft  edition  ;    but  I  know 
not  why  Menecrates  appears  ;  Menas  can  do  all  without  him. 

JOHNSON, 
*  Whiles  we  are  fuitors  tj  tbeir  throne^  decays 

*The  thing  nuefuefor^} 
This  nonfenfe  fhould  be  read  thus  : 

fP7ji/cs  ive  are  fuitors  to  their  throne^  delay's 
The  thing  we  fue  for. 

Menecrates  had  faid,  The  gods  do  not  deny  that  ivbich  they  delav. 
The  other  turns  his  words  to  a  different  meaning,  and  replies, 
Dfhy  is  the  very  thing  ive  beg  of^tbem,  i.  e.  the  delay  of  our  ene- 
jriies  in  making  preparation  againft  us  ;  which  he  explains  after- 

wards, 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     157 

Men.  We,  ignorant  of  ourfelves, 
Beg  often  our  own  harms,  which  the  wife  powers 
Deny  us  for  our  good  :  fo  find  we  profit, 
By  lofmg  of  our  prayers. 

Pomp.  I  fhall  do  well  : 
The  people  love  me,  and  the  fea  is  mine  ; 
3  My  power's  a  crefcent,  and  my  auguring  hope 
Says,  it  will  come  to  the  full.     Mark  Antony 
In  ./Egypt  fits  at  dinner,  and  will  make 
No  wars  without  doors  :  Czefar  gets  money,  where 
He  lofes  hearts  :   Lepidus  flatters  both, 
Of  both  is  flatter'd  ;  but  he  neither  loves, 
Nor  either  cares  for  him. 

Men.  Czefar  and  Lepidus  are  in  the  field  ; 
A  mighty  flrength  they  carry. 

Pomp.  Where  have  you  this  ?  'tis  falfe. 

Men,  From  Silvius,  fir. 

ljc,nip.  He  dreams  ;  I  know,  they  are  in  Rome  to 

gether, 
Looking  for  Antony  :  But  all  the  charms  of  love, 


wards,  by  faying,  Mark  Antony  was  tied  up  by  luft  in 

Ca?far  by  avarice  at  Rome  ;  and  Lepidus  employed  in  keeping  well 

with  both.     WARBURTON. 

It  is  not  always  prudent  to  be  too  hafly  in  exclamation  ;  the 
reading  which  Dr.  \\arburton  rejects  as  nonfenfe,  is  in  my  opinion 
right  ;  if  delay  be  what  they  fue  for,  they  have  it,  and  the  confo- 
lation  offered  becomes  fuperfluous.  The  meaning  is,  While  vit 
are  praying,  the  thing  for  which  we  fray  is  lofing  its  value. 

JOHNSON. 
3  In  old  editions, 

My  powers  are  cnfient,  avd  my  auguring  hope 
Says  it  will  come  to  tW  full.] 

What  does  the  relative  //  belong  to  ?  It  cannot  \nfenfe  relate  ta 
hope,  nor  in  concord  'to  powers.  The  poet's  allufion  is  to  the  moon  ; 
and  Pompey  would  fay,  he  is  yet  but  a  half  moon,  or  crefcent  ;  but 
his  hopes  tell  him,  that  creicent  will  come  to  a/W/orb. 

THEOBALD. 

Salt 


158     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Salt  Cleopatra,  foften  4  thy  wan  lip  ! 

Let  witchcraft  join  with  beauty,  lull  with  both  ! 

Tie  up  the  libertine  in  a  field  of  feafts, 

Keep  his  brain  fuming ;  Epicurean  cooks, 

Sharpen  with  cloyleis  fauce  his  appetite ; 

That  fleep  and  feeding  may  prorogue  his  honour, 

Even  'till  a  Lethe'd  dulnefs — How  now  Varrius  ? 

Enter  Varrius. 
Far*  This  is  moft  certain  that  I  lhall  deliver  : 

*  tby  ivafl  Up  /]   Jn  the  old  edition  it  is 

thy  wand  Up! 

Perhaps,  for  fond  Yi^,  or  tuonfr  lip,  fays  Dr.  John fon.  Wand^^l 
it  iland,  is  either  a  corruption  of  wan,  the  adjeftive,  or  a  con- 
traction of  wanned,  or  made  wan,  a  participle.  So,  in  Hamlet: 

"  That,  from  her  working,  all  his  vifage  wan'd." 
Again,  in  Marfton's  Antonio  and  Mellida : 

"  a  cheek 

"  Not  as  yet  wan'd." 

Or  perhaps  waned  lip,  i.  e.  decreafed,  like  the  moon,  in  its  beau- 
ty. So,  in  the  Tragedy  of  Mariam,  1613  : 

"  And  Cleopatra  then  to  feek  had  been 

"  So  firm  a  lover  of  her  vjained  face." 

Again,  in  the  Skynner's  Play,  among  the  Cheiter  colle&ion  of  Myf- 
terics,  MS.  Harl.  rot',  p.  152: 

"  O  blefled  be  thou  ever  and  aye 

*'  Now  ivayned  is  all  my  woo." 

Yet  this  expreffion  of  Pompey's  perhaps,  after  all,  implies  a  wifh 
only,  that  every  charm  of  love  may  confer  additional  foftnefs  ort 
the  lips  of  Cleopatra  :  i.  e.  that  her  beauty  may  improve  to  the 
ruin  of  her  lover.  The  epithet  wan  might  have  been  added,  only 
to  fliew  the  fpeaker's  private  contempt  of  it.  Jt  may  be  remarked, 
that  the  lips  of  Africans  and  Afiatics  are  paler  than  thofe  of  Eu- 
ropean nations.  STEEVENS. 

Shakefpeare's  orthography  often  adds  a  d  at  the  end  of  a  word. 
Thus,  vile  is  (in  the  old  editions)  every  where  fpeltw/c/.  Launtl 
is  given  inftead  of  lawn :  why  not  therefore  wau\l  for  wan 
here  ? 

Jf  this  however  fliould  not  be  accepted,  fuppofc  we  read  with 
the  addition  only  of  an  apoitrophe,  tivaraV;  i.e.  waned,  declined, 
gone  off  from  irs  perfection  ;  comparing  Cleopatra's  beauty  to  the 
moon  paft  the  full.  P*RCY. 

Mark 


AN-TONY   AND    CLEOPATRA.    159 

Mark  Antony  is  every  hour  in  Rome    • 
Expected  ;  fince  he  went  from  JEgpyt,  'tis 
A  fpace  for  farther  travel  y. 

Pomp.  I  could  have  given  lefs  matter 
A  better  ear. — Menas,   I  did  not  think, 
This  amorous  furfeiter  would  have  don'd  his  helm6 
For  fuch  a  petty  war  :  his  foldiedhip 
Is  twice  the  other  twain  :  7  But  let  us  rear 
The  higher  our  opinion,  that  our  ttirring 
Can  from  the  lap  of  Egypt's  widow  pluck 
The  ne'er  luft-wearied  Antony. 


3   Jittce  be  went  from  sEgypt^  '//J 

A j pace  for  farther  travel.] 

i.e.  fince  he  quitted  Egypt,  a  fpace  of  time  has  clapfed  in  which 
a  longer  journey  might  have  been  performed  than  from  Egypt  to 
Rome.  STEEVENS. 

0  tufuldbavt  don'd  hh  helm]      To  don  is  to  Jo  on,  to  put 

on.     So,  in  Webfter's  Dutchefs  ofMalfy,   1623: 

"  Call  upon  our  dame  aloud, 

Bid  her  quickly  don  her  fhrowd."    STEEVENS. 
7   •          But  let  us  rear 

The  higher  our  opinion,   that  ourflirritig 

Can  from  the  lap  of  Egyfe'svjidow  pluck 

The  near  htft-ivearied  Antony.'] 

Sextus  Pompeius,  upon  hearing  that  Antony  is  every  hour  ex- 
pecled  in  Rome,  does  not  much  relifh  the  news.  He  is  twice  the 
ibldier,  (fays  he)  that  Odlavius  and  Lepidus  are;  and  I  did  not 
think,  the  petty  war,  which  I  am  railing,  would  rouze  him  from 

his  amours  in  ^Egypt. But  why  mould  Ponvpey  hold  a  higher 

opinion  of  his  own  expedition,  becaufe  it  awaked  Antony  to  arms, 
who  was  near  weary,  almoji  furfeited,  of  lafcivious  pleafures  ?  In- 
dolent and  ftupid  editors,  that  can  difpenfe  with  words  without 
ever  weighing  the  reafon  of  them  !  How  eafy  is  the  change  to  the 
true  reading  ? 

The  nc'er-luft-wearitJ  Antony. 

If  Antony,  though  never  tired  of  luxury,  yet  moved  from  that 
charm,  upon  Pompey's  ftirring,  it  was  a  reafon  for  Pompey  to 
pride  himfelf  upon  being  of  fuch  confequence.  THEOBALD. 

Could  it  be  imagined,  after  this  {"welling  exultation,  that  the 
firlt  edition  ftands  literally  thus  ? 

The  neere  lujl  ^jearied  Antony.     JOHNSON. 

Mm. 


160    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Men.  I  cannot  hope  8, 
Caefar  and  Antony  fhall  well  greet  together  : 
His  wife,  that's  dead,  did  trefpafles  to  Csefar ; 
His  brother  warr'd  upon  him  9 ;  although,  I  think, 
Not  mov'd  by  Antony. 

Pomp.  I  know  not,  Menas, 
How  lefler  enmities  may  give  way  to  greater. 
Were't  not  that  we  Hand  up  againft  them  all, 
Twere  pregnant  they  Ihould  !  fquare  between  them- 

felves ; 

For  they  have  entertained  caufe  enough 
To  draw  their  fwords :  but  how  the  fear  of  us 
May  cement  their  divifions,  and  bind  up 
The  petty  difference,  we  yet  not  know. 
Be  it  as  our  gods  will  have  it !   It  only  Hands 
*  Our  lives  upon,  to  ufe  our  flrongeft  hands. 
Come,  Menas.  [Exeunt. 

8  /  cannot  hope,  &c.]  The  judicious  editor  of  the  Canterbury 
Tales  of  Chaucer  in  four  vols  8vo,   1775,  obferves  that  to  hope  on 
this  occalion  means  to  expeft.     So,  in  the  Rene's  Tale,  v.  4027  : 
"  Our  manciple  I  hope  he  wol  be  ded."     STEEVENS. 

9  warr'd  upon  him  ; ]     Thus  the  fecond  folio ;  the  firft 

«:wr«V.     MALONE. 

1  fquare ]    That  is,  quarrel.     So,  in  the  Shoemaker'* 

Holiday,  or  the  gentle  Craft ,    1600: 

"  What  ?  fquare\\\ey  >  matter  Scott  ?— 

"  —Sir,  no  doubt : 

"  Lovers  are  quickly  in  and  quickly  out." 

The  fame  word  is  ufed  both  in  the  Midfummer  Night's  Dream , 
Titus  Andronicui,  and  in  this  play,  aft  III.  ic.  xi: 

"  Mine  honefty  and  I  begin  lofquare.^    STEEVENS. 

a  Our  lives  upon, ]    This  play  is  not  divided  into  acls 

by  the  authour  or  firft  editors,  and  theretore  the  prefent  diviiion 
may  be  altered  at  pleafure.  I  think  the  firit  a£t  may  be  commodi- 
oufly  continued  to  this  place,  and  the  fecond  a&  opened  with  the 
interview  of  the  chief  perfcns,  and  a  change  of  the  iiite  of  action. 
Yet  it  muft  be  confefled,  that  it  is  of  fmall  importance,  where 
thele  unconnected  and  defultor}'  fcenes  are  interrupted. 

JOHNSON. 


SCENE 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     161 

SCENE     II. 

Rome. 
Enter  Enobarbus,  and  Lepidus. 

Lep.  Good  Enobarbus,  'tis  a  worthy  deed, 
And  fhall  become  you  well,  to  entreat  your  captai^ 
To  foft  and  gentle  fpeech. 

Eno.  I  fhall  entreat  him 
To  anfwer  like  himfelf :  if  C^far  move  him, 
Let  Antony  look  over  Csefar's  head, 
And  fpeak  as  loud  as  Mars.     By  Jupiter, 
3  Were  I  the  wearer  of  Antonius'  beard, 
I  would  not  lhav't  to-day. 

Lep.  JTis  not  a  time  for  private  ftomaching. 

Eno.  Every  time 
Serves  for  the  matter  that  is  then  born  in  it. 

Lep.  But  fmall  to  greater  matters  muft  give  way, 

Eno.  Not  if  the  fmall  come  firft. 

Lep.  Your  fpeech  is  pailion  : 
But,  pray  you,  ftir  no  embers  up.     Here  comei 
The  noble  Antony. 

Enter  Antony  3  and  Ventidius* 
Eno.  And  yonder,  Casfar. 

Enter  C<cfar,  Mec<enas,  and  Jlgr'ippa. 

Ant.  If  we  compofe  well  here,  to  Parthia  ; 
Hark  you,  Ventidius. 

3  Were  I  the  wearer  of  Anlonlu?  ledrd, 

I  VOffttUnotJbcnft  to-day.] 
Alluding  to  the  phrafc,  I  will  beard  him.     WAR  BUR  TON. 

I  believe  he  means,  I  would  meet  him  undreffcd^  without  faiv  of 
refpeft.    JOHNSON. 

VOL.  VIII.  M 


162    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA, 

C<ef.  I  do  not  know, 
Mecasnas ;  afk  Agrippa. 

Lep.  Noble  friends, 

That  which  combin'd  us  was  moft  great,  and  let  not 
A  leaner  action  rend  us.     What's  amifs, 
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  earneftly  befeech) 
Touch  you  the  foureft  points  with  fweeteft  terms, 
4  Nor  curftnefs  grow  to  the  matter. 

Ant.  'Tis  fpokcn  well : 
Were  we  before  our  armies,  and  to  fight, 
I  fhould  do  thus. 

Caf.  Wre!come  to  Rome. 

Ant.  Thank  you. 

C*f.  Sit'. 

Ant.  Sit,  fir! 

Caf.  Nay,  then— 

Ant.  I  learn,  you  take  things  ill,  which  are  not  fo  ; 
Or,  being,  concern  you  not. 

4  Nor  curfr.cfs  grow  to  the  matter.']  Let  not  ill-humour  be  added 
to  the  nzzlfubjeft  of  our  difference.    JOHNSON. 
s  Csef.  Sit. 
Ant.  Sittjir!\ 

Antony  appears  to  be  jealous  of  a  circumftance  which  feemed  to 
indicate  a  confcioufnefs  of  fuperiority  in  his  too  fuccefsful  partner 
in  power ;  and  accordingly  refents  the  invitation  of  Casfar  to  be 

feated  :    Ca?far  anfwers,  Nay  then i.  e.  if  you  are  fo  ready  to 

refent  what  I  meant  an  a6l  of  civility,  there  can  be  no  reafon  to 
fuppofe  you  have  temper  enough  for  the  bufinefs  on  which  at  pre- 
fent  we  are  met.  The  former  editors  leave  a  full  point  at  the  end 
of  this  as  well  as  the  prececding  fpeech.  STEEVENS. 

The  following  circumftance  may  ferve  to  ftrengthen  Mr.  Stee- 
•jens's  opinion  :  When  the  fictitious  SebafKan  made  his  appear- 
ance in  Europe,  he  came  to  a  conference  with  the  Conde  de  Le- 
inos ;  to  whom,  after  the  firft  exchange  of  civilities,  he  faid, 
Confa  dc  Lemos,  be  covered.  And  being  nfked  by  that  nobleman, 
by  what  pretences  he  laid  claim  to  the  fuperiority  exprefled  by 
i  ch  permifiion,  he  replied,  I  do  it  by  right  of  my  birth  ;  I  am 
fctbatliaii. 


ANTONY    AND   CLEOPATRA.    163 

Caf.  I  mull  be  laugh 'd  at, 
If,  or  for  nothing,  or  a  little,  I 
Should  fay  myfelf  offended ;  and  with  you 
Chiefly  i'  the  world  :  more  laugh 'd  at,  that  I  mould 
Once  name  you  derogately,  when   to  found  your 

name 
It  not  concern'd  me. 

Ant.  My  being  in  Egypt,  Csefar, 
What  was't  to  you  ? 

C*f.  No  more  than  my  refiding  here  at  Rome 
Might  be  to  you  in  -#£gypt :  Yet>  if  you  there 
Did  practife  on  my  ftate  6,  your  being  in  Egypt 
Might  be  my  queflion  7. 

Ant.  How  intend  you,  practis'd  ? 

C*ef.  You  may  be  pleas'd  to  catch  at  mine  intent, 
By  what  did  here  befal  me.    Your  wife,  and  brother, 
Made  wars  upon  me ;  and  8  their  contention 

Was 

*  Z)/V/pra£Hfe  on  myjlate,  <  ]  To praftife  means  to  employ 
unwarrantable  arts  or  rtratagems.  So^  in  the  Tragcdie  of  Antonie^ 
done  into  Englifh  by  thecountefs  of  Pembroke,  1595  : 

*'   nothing  kills  me  fo 

"  As  that  I  fo  my  Cleopatra  fee 

"  Praftife  with  Csefar."     STEEVENS. 

7  qucftionC\    i.  e.  My  theme  or  fubjecl  of  converfation. 

So  before : 

**  Out  of  our  quejiioii  wipe  him." 

See  a  note  on  Hamlet,  a£l  I :  "  Thou  com'ft  infuch  a  ^ncjlion- 
«ble  fliape,  &c."  MALONE. 

8  their  contejlation 

Was  theamyir^o^,  you  were  the  ivord  of  war."] 
The  only  meaning  of  this  can  be,  that  the  war,  which  Antony's 
wife  and  brother  made  upon  Caefar,  was  theam  for  Antony  too  to 
make  war ;  or  was  the  occafion  why  he  did  make  war.  But  this  is 
directly  contrary  to  the  context,  which  (liews,  Antony  did  neither 
encourage  them  to  it,  nor  fecond  them  in  it.  We  cannot  doubt 
then,  but  the  poet  wrote  : 

' — and  their  contejlation. 

Was  theam'd  for  you. 

\.  e.  The  pretence  of  the  war  was  on  your  account,  they  took  up 
arms  in  your  name,  and  you  were  made  the  theme  and  fubject  of 
their  inlurre&ion.  WARBURTON. 

Ms  lam 


16+    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Was  theme  for  you,  you  were  the  word  of  war. 
Ant.  You  do  miftake  your  bufmefs ;  9  my  brothcf 

never 

Did  urge  me  in  his  aft :  I  did  enquire  it ; 
And  have  my  learning  from  fometrue  reports  T, 
That  drew  their  fwords  with  you.    Did  he  not  rather 
Difcrcdit  my  authority  with  yours; 
And  make  the  wars  alike  againft  my  ftomach, 
*  Having  alike  your  caufe  ?  Of  this,  my  letters 

Be- 

1  am  neither  fatisfied  vvirh  the  reading  nor  the  emendation  ? 
theam'd  is,  I  think,  a  word  unauthorifed,  and  very  harfli.  Per- 
haps we  may  read  : 

• their  contcjlation 

Had  theme  fromjeu,  you  tvcre  the  word  of  <war. 
jTbe  difpute  derived  its  fubjett  from  you.     It  may  be  corrected  by 
mere  tranfpofiticn  : 

tlelr  contejlation 

You  were  theme  for,  you  were  the  word —  JOHNSOX. 
Was  theatn  for  you,  I  believe  means  only,  was  prcpofed  as  art 
example  for  yo^  to  follow  on  ajct  more  c.\  tcnjive  plan  ;  as  themes  are 
given  for  a  writer  to  dilate  upon.  Shakeipeare,  however,  may 
prove  the  bell  commentator  on  himteif.  Thus,  in  Coriolanusy 
ad  I.  fc.  i  : 

**  ——throw  forth  greater  themes 
*'  For  infurreftion's  arguing." 
Sicinius  calls  Coriolanus,  "          -  the  theme  of  our  aflembly." 

STEEVENS. 

Was  theam  &c.]  I  cannot  help  thinking  Dr.  Warburton's  con- 
jecture right.  Titani'dis  fuch  a  word  as  Shakefpeare  would  not 
fcruple  to  ufe.  In  almoft  every  one  of  his  plays  we  meet  Cub- 
ftantives  uled  as  verbs.  I  read  : 

Was  theam'd  fromj'0w,     MALOKE. 

9 my  brother  never 

Did  urge  me  in  his  aft  : ] 

i.  e.  Never  did  make  ufe  of  my  name  as  a  pretence  for  the  \yar. 

WAR  EUR  TON, 

1 true  reports,]  Reports  for  reporters.     Mr.  Toilet  cbfcrve* 

that  Holinfhed,  p.  uSi,  ufes  records  for  vouchers.     STKEVKN-S. 

*  Having  alike  your  caufe  ? — ]  The  meaning  feems  to  be,  L\rj- 
ing  the  fame  caufe  as  yon  to  be  offended  ivith  me.  But  why,  becaufe 
he  was  offended  with  Antony,  fliould  he  make  war  upon  Caiikr  ? 
i\Iay  it  not  be  read  thus : 

••'•     '  Did  he  not  rather 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     165 

Before  did  fatisfy  yon.     If  you'll  patch  a  quarrel, 
3  As  matter  whole  you  have  not  to  make  it  with, 
It  muft  not  be  with  this. 

C<ef.  You  praife  yourfelf, 
By  laying  defeats  of  judgment  to  me ;  but 
You  patch'd  up  your  .excufcs. 

Ant.  Not  fo,  not  fo  : 

I  know  you  could  not  lack,  I  am  certain  on't, 
Very  neceffity  of  this  thought,  that  I, 
Your  partner  in  thecaufe  'gainfl  which  he  fought, 
Could  not  with  graceful  eyes  4  attend  thole  wars 
Which  5  fronted  mine  own  peace.     As  for  my  wife, 
I  would  you  had  her  fpirit  in  fuch  another  c 
The  third  o'  the  world  is  yours  ;  which  with  a  fnafflc 
YoiT  may  pace  eafy,  but  not  fuch  a  wife. 

Eno.  'Would,  we  had  all  fuch  wives,  that  the  men 
might  go  to  wars  with  the  women  ! 

Ant.  So  much  uncurbable,  her  garboils,  Caefar, 
Made  out  of  her  impatience,  (which  not  wanted 
Shrewdnefs  of  policy  too)  I  grieving  grant, 

Dif credit  my  authority  -with  yours, 
And  make  the  wars  alike  again/I  myjlomach^ 
Hating  alike,  our  caufe  ?     JOHNSON. 

The  old  reading  is  immediately  explained  by  Antony's  being  the 
partner  with  Octavius  in  the  caufe  againft  which  his  brother  fought. 

STEEVE.NS. 

3  As  matter  whole  you  have  not  to  make  it  with^\  The  original 
copy  reads  : 

As  matter  whole  you  have  to  make  it  with. 

Without  doubt  erroneoully  ;  I  therefore  only  obferve  it,  that  the 
reader  may  more  readily  admit  the  liberties  which  the  editors  of 
this  authour's  works  have  neceflarily  taken.  JOHNSON. 

The  old  reading  may  be  right.  It  feems  to  allude  to  Antony's 
acknowledged  neglect  in  aiding  Caefar ;  but  yet  Antony  does  not 
nllow  himfelf  to  be  faulty  upon  the  prefent  caufe  alledged  againft 
him.  STEEVENS. 

4  ivitb  graceful  eyes ]    Thus  the  old  copy  reads,  and 

I  believe,  rightly.     We^itill  fay,  I  could  not  look  handfomely  on 
fuch  or  fuch  a  proceeding.   The  modern  editors  read — grateful. 

STEEVENS. 
'  —-fronted — ]  J.  e,  Oppofed.     JOHNSON. 

M  3  Did 


i66     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Did  you  too  much  difquict :  for  that,  you  muft 
But  fay,  I  could  not  help  it. 

Csf.  I  wrote  to  you, 
When  rioting  in  Alexandria  ;  you 
Did  pocket  up  my  letters,  and  with  taunts 
Did  gibe  my  miffive  out  of  audience. 

Ant.  Sir,  he  fell  on  me,  ere  admitted ;  then 
Three  kings  I  had  newly  feafted,  and  did  want 
Of  what  I  was  i'  the  morning  :  but,  next  day, 
6 1  told  him  of  myfelf ;  which  was  as  much 
As  to  have  afk'd  him  pardon  :  Let  this  fellow 
$e  nothing  of  our  flrife ;  if  we  contend, 
Out  of  our  queftion  wipe  him. 

Cef.  You  have  broken 

The  article  of  your  oath  ;  which  you  mall  never 
Have  tongue  to  charge  me  with. 

Lep.  Soft,  Csefar. 

Ant.  No,  Lepidus,  let  him  fpeak ; 
y  The  honour  is  facred  which  he  talks  on  now, 
Snppofing  that  I  lack'd  it :— But  on,  Caefar; — 
The  article  of  my  oath, 

6  I  told  himofmyfilf; — ]     i.e.  Told  him  the  condition  I  was 
jp,  when  he  had  his  lair,  audience.     WARBURTOTJ. 

7  1 be  honour  Is  facred — ]  Sacred,  for  unbroken,  unviolated. 

WAR  BUR  TON. 

Dr.  Warburton  feems  to  underftand  this  pafiage  thus  ;  The  ho- 
Kour  which  he  talks  of  me  as  lacking,  is  unviolated,  I  never  lacked 
it.  This  may  perhaps  be  the  true  meaning,  but  before  I  read  the 
note,  I  underrtood  it  thus  :  Lepidus  interrupts  Ca?far,  on  the  fup- 
pofuion  that  what  he  is  about  to  fay  will  be  too  harfh  to  be  endur- 
ed by  Antony ;  to  which  Antony  replies,  Na,  Ltpidus,  let  him. 
fprak  ;  the  fecurlty  of  honour  on  which  he  now  fpeaks,  on  which  this 
:nce  is  held  nov.^  is  facred,  even  fuppofing  that  I  lacked  ho- 
$aur  before.  JOHNSON. 

1  do  not  entirely  agree  with  either  of  the  learned  commentators 
on  this  paiTage.  Antony,  in  my  opinion,  means  to  fay  : — "  The 
theme  of  honour  which  he  now  fpeaks  or,  namely  the  religion  of 
an  oath,  for  which  he  fuppofes  me  not  to  have  a  due  regard,  is 
facred ;  it  is  a  tender  point,  and  touches  my  character  nearly. 
Let  him  therefore  urge  his  charge,  that  I  may  vindicate  myfelfV' 

MALONE. 
C.ef, 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     167 

To  lend  me  arms,  and  aid,  when  I  requir'd 

them ; 
The  which  you  both  deny'd. 

Ant,  Neglected,  rather ; 

And  then,  when  poifon'd  hours  had  bound  me  up 
From  mine  own  knowledge.     As  nearly  as  I  may, 
I'll  play  the  penitent  to  you  :  but  mine  honefty 
Shall  not  make  poor  my  greatnefs,  nor  my  power 
Work  without  it :  Truth  is,  that  Fulvia, 
To  have  me  out  of  ^Egypt,  made  wars  here  ; 
For  which  myfelf,  the  ignorant  motive,  do 
So  far  afk  pardon,  as  befits  mine  honour 
To  ftoop  in  fuch  a  cafe. 

Lep.  'Tis  nobly  fpoken. 

Mec.  If  it  might  pleafe  you,  to  enforce  no  further 
The  griefs  between  you  :  to  forget  them  quite, 
Were  to  remember  that  the  prefent  need 
Speaks  to  atone  you. 

Lep.  Worthily  fpoken,  Mecsenas. 

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

Ant.  Thou  art  a  foldier  only ;  fpeak  no  more. 

Eno.  That  truth  ihould  be  filent,  I  had  almoft 
forgot. 

Ant.  You  wrong  this  prefence,  therefore  fpeak  no 
more. 

Eno.  Go  to  then ;  8  your  confederate  flone. 

Caf. 

8  jour  confederate  Jlone.~\  This  line  is  pafled  by  all  the  edi- 
tors, as  it  they  underlined  it,  and  believed  it  univerfally  intelli- 
gible. I  cannot  find  in  it  any  very  obvious,  and  hardly  any  pof- 
iible  meaning.  I  would  therefore  read  r 

Go  to  then,  you  confederate  ones. 

You  who  diflike  my  franknefs  r.nd  temerity  of  fpeech,  and  are  fo 
conjlilerate  and  difcreet,  go  /0,  do  your  own  bufinefs.     JOHNSOW. 
I  believe,  Go  to  then,  your  confederate  ftone,  means  only  this  :  If 
chidden^  henceforward  I  will  la  mute  as  4  marbk  fiatue% 
M  4  wbieb 


168     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

O/.  9 1  do- not  much  diilike  the  matter,  but 
The  manner  of  his  fpeech  :  for  it  cannot  be, 
We  fhali  remain  in  friencllhip,  our  conditions 
So  differing  in  their  adls.     Yet,  if  I  knew 
What  hoop  fhould  hold  us  ftaunch,  from  edge  to  edge 
O'  the  world  I  would  purfue  it. 

Agr.  Give  me  leave,  Casfar, 

Caf.  Speak,   Agrippa. 

Agr.  Thou  haft  a  fifter  by  the  mother's  fide, 
Admir'd  Oftavia  :  great  Mark  Antony 
Is  now  a  widower. 

Caf.  Say  not  fo,  Agrippa ; 
If  Cleopatra  heard  you,  '  your  reproof 

Were 

which  feems  to  think  ^  though  it  can  fay  nothing.  Asjlknt  as  ajlont^ 
however,  might  have  been  once  .a  common  phrafe.  So,  in  the 
Interlude  of  Jacob  and  Ej~au,  >i  558  : 

**  Bring  thou  in  thine,  Mido,  and  fee  thou  be  ajlone. 
«'  Mido.]  AJlone!  how  (hould  that  be  &c. 
"  Rebecca.]   I  meant  thou  Jboulffi,  nothing  fay" 
Again,  in  the  old  metrica.1  romance  of  Syr  Guy  of  Warwick^  bl.  !f 
no  date : 

"  Guy  let  it  pafie  asftitt  asfione, 
"  And  to  the  fteward  word  fpake  none." 
Again,  in  GtftOfT,  De  Confejjione  Amantis^  b.  i.  fol.  17: 

"  But  he  lay  Jlill  as  anyjlone" 
Again,  in  Titus Andronicus^  aft  III.  fc.  i: 

"  hjlone  isjllent  and  ofFendeth  not." 
Again,  Chaucer : 

"  To  riden  by  the  way,  domle  as  thcftone" 
Mr.  Toilet  explains  the  paflage  in  queftion,  thus :    "  \  will 
henceforth  feem  fcnfelefs  as  a  ilone,  however  I  may  obferve  and 
confider  your  words  and  actions. "     STEEVENS. 
9  /  do  not  much  drflike  the  matter,  but 

The  manner  of  his  fpeech :          -j 

I  do  not,  fays  Caefar,  think  the  man  wrong,  but  too  freeof  his  in- 
terpolition  ;  fcr't  cannot  be,  ivfjhall  remain  in  frie»  a/hip:  jet  If  it 
•were  pojjible,  /  would  endeavour  it,     JOHNSON. 
1  ycur  reproof 

Were  well  deferv'd ] 

In  the  old  edition  : 

your  proof 

] 

Which 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     ;fy 

Were  well  deferv'd  of  raflinefs. 

Ant.  I  am  not  married,  Csefar  :  let  me  hear 
Agrippa  further  fpeak. 

Agr.  To  hold  you  in  perpetual  amity, 
To  make  you  brothers,  and  to  knit  your  hearts 
With  an  unflipping  knot,  take  Antony 
Octavia  to  his  wife  :  whole  beauty  claims 
No  worfe  a  hu(band  than  the  beft  of  men ; 
Whofe  virtue,  and  whofe  general  graces,  fpeak 
That  which  none  elfe  can  utter.     By  this  marriage, 
All  little  jealoufies,  which  now  feem  great, 
And  all  great  fears,  which  now  import  their  dangers, 
Would  then  be  nothing^  truths  would  be  tales, 
Where  now  half  tales  be  trutjis :  her  love  to  both 
Would,  each  toother,  and  all  loves  to  both, 
Draw  after  her.     Pardon  what  I  have  fpoke; 
For  'tis  a  ftudied,  not  a  prefent  thought, 
By  duty  ruminated. 

Ant.  Will  C*far  fpeak  ? 

Caf.  Not  'till  he  hears  how  Antony  is  touch'4 
With  what  is  fpoke  already. 

Ant.  What  power  is  in  Agrippa, 
If  I  would  fay,  Agrippa^  be  it  fo, 
To  make  this  good  ? 

Caf.  The  power  of  Czefar,  and 
His  power  unto  Octavia. 
1    Ant.  May  I  never 

To  this  good  purpofe,  thatfo  fairly  mews, 
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, 
And  fway  our  great  deligns  ! 

C*f.  There  is  my  hand. 

Which  Mr.  Theobald,  with  his  ufual  triumph,  changes  to  at>- 
proof,  which  he  explains,  allowance.  Dr.  Warburton  inferred  re- 
properly  into  Hanmer's  edition,  but  forgot  it  in  his  own. 

JOHNSON. 

A  fitter 


170     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

A  fitter  I  bequeath  you,  whom  no  brother 

Did  ever  love  fo  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  fword  'gainft 

Pompey ; 

For  he  hath  laid  flrange  courtefies,  and  great, 
Of  late  upon  me  :  I  mutt  thank  him  only, 
a  Left  'my  remembrance  iuffer  ill  report ; 
At  heel  of  that,  defy  him. 

Lep.  Time  calls  upon  us  : 
Of  us  mufl  Pompey  prefently  be  fought, 
Or  elfe  he  feeks  out  us. 

Ant.  Where  lies  he  ? 

Caf.  About  the  mount  Mifenum. 

Ant.  What  is  his  flrength  by  land  ? 

Caf.  Great,  and  increafing  :  but  by  fea 
He  is  an  abfolute  matter. 

Ant.  So  is  the  fame. 

'Would,  we  had  fpoke  together!  Hafte  we  for  it  i 
Yet,  ere  we  put  ourfelves  in  arms,  difpatch  we 
The  bufmefs  we  have  talk'd  of. 

O/.  With  moft  gladnefs  ; 
And  do  invite  you  to  my  fitter's  view, 
Whither  ftraight  I  will  lead  you. 

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

Lep.  Noble  Antony, 
Not  ficknefs  fhould  detain  me. 

[Fktortfb.     Exeunt  C*far9  Antony,  and  Lepidus. 

Mec.  Welcome  from  ^Egypt,  fir. 

Eno.  Half  the  heart  of  Gefar,  worthy  Mecanas! — 
my  honourable  friend,  Agrippa  ! — 

*  Lcjl  my  remembrance  fujfcr  illrcport  ;]  Left  I  be  thought  too 
willing  to  tbrgct  benefits,  I  mult  barely  return  him  thanks,  and 
then  I  will  defy  him,  JOHNSON. 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     171 

Agr.  Good  Enobarbus ! 

Mec.  We  have  caufe  to  be  glad,  that  matters  are 
fo  well  digefted.  You  ftay'd  well  by  it  in  ^Egypt. 

Eno.  Ay,  fir ;  we  did  fleep  day  out  of  countenance, 
and  made  the  night  light  with  drinking. 

Mec.  Eight  wild  boars  roafted  whole  at  a  breakfaft, 
and  but  twelve  perfons  there  ;  Is  this  true  ? 

Eno.  This  was  but  as  a  fly  by  an  eagle  :  we  had 
much  more  monftrous  matter  of  feafl,  which  wor- 
thily deferved  noting. 

Mec.  She's  a  moft  triumphant  lady,  if  report  be 
fquare  to  her  J. 

Eno.  When  fhe  firfl  met  Mark  Antony,  flie  purs'd 
up  his  heart,  upon  the  river  of  Cydnus. 

Agr.  There  flie  appear'd  indeed ;  or  my  reporter 
Devis'd  well  for  her. 

Eno.  I  will  tell  you  : 

The  barge  flie  fat  in,  like  a  burnifli'd  throne, 
Burnt  on  the  water  :  the  poop  was  beaten  gold ; 
Purple  the  fails,  and  fo  perfumed,  that 
The  winds  were  love-lick  with  them  :  the  oars  were 

filver ; 

Which  to  the  tune  of  flutes  kept  ftroke,  and  made 
The  water,  which  they  beat,  to  follow  fafter, 
As  amorous  of  their  ftrokes.     For  her  own  perfon, 
It  beggar'd  all  defcription  :  fhe  did  lie 
In  her  pavilion,  (cloth  of  gold,  of  tiflue) 
4  O'er-pidturing  that  Venus,  where  we  fee 
The  fancy  out-work  nature :  on  each  fide  her, 
Stood  pretty  dimpled  boys,  like  fmiling  Cupids, 
With  divers-colour'd  fans,  whofe  wind  did  feem 
To  glow  the  delicate  cheeks  which  they  did  cool, 

3  • — le  fquare  to  her,"]  I.  e.  if  report  quadrates  with  her,  or  fuit» 
With  her  merits.     ST  BE  YENS. 

4  O'er-pifluring  that  Venus,  where  lue  fee,  &c.]    Meaning  the 
Venus  of  Protogenes  mentioned  by  Pliny,  1.35-  c.  10. 

WAR  BUR  toy. 

And 


17^     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA, 

5  And  what  they  undid,  did. 

Agr.  O,  rare  for  Antony  ! 

Eno.  Her  gentlewomen,  like  the  Nereides, 
So  many  mermaids,  6  tended  her  i' the  eyes, 
y  And  made  their  bends  adornings :  at  the  helm 

A 

9  And  ivkat  they  unci'd,  d'ul.'}  It  might  be  read  lefs  harfhly  : 
And  what  ihey  did,   undid.     JOHNSON. 

6  -      '  tended  her  /'  t/j*  ryrs.]  Perhaps  tended  her  by  t\f  eyes,  difr 
covered  her  will  by  her  eyes.     JOHNSON. 

7  And  made  their  bends  adornings: ]  This  is  fenfe  indeed, 

and  may  be  undcrftood  thus  ;  her  maids  bowed  with  Ib  good  an 
air,  that  it  added  new  graces  to  them.  But  this  is  not  what  Shaker 
Ipeare  'would  lay:    Clecpa.tra,  in  this  famous  fcene,  perfonated 
Venus  jiift  fifing  from  the  waves  :  at  which  time  the  Mythologies 
tell  us,  the  Sea-deities  furrouuded  the  Goddefs  to  adore,  and  pay 
her  homage.     Agreeably  to  this  fable  Cleopatra  had  drefled  her 
maids,  the   poet  tells  us,  like  Nereids.     To   make  the   whole 
therefore  conformable  to  the  ftory  reprefented,  we  may  be  aflured, 
Shakelpeaie  wro,e : 

And  made  their  lends  ado  rings. 

They  did  her  obfervance  in  the  poiture  of  adoration,  as  if  {he 
had  been  Venus.  WARBURTOM. 

That  .Cleopatra  perfonated  Venus,  we  know  ;  but  that  Shake- 
fpeare  was  acquainted  with  the  circumjita"nce  of  homage  being  paid 
her  by  the  Deities  of  the  fea,  is  by  no  means  as  certain.  The  old 
term  will  probably  appear  the  more  "elegant  of  the  two  to  mo- 
dern readers,  who  have  heard  fo  much  about  the  line  of  beauty. 
The  whole  paflage  is  taken  from  the  following  in  fir  Thomas 
North's  translation  of  Plutarch  :  "  She  difdained  to  let  forward 
otherwife,  but  to  take  her  barge  in  the  riuer  of  Cydnus,  the  poope 
whereof  was  of  gold,  the  failes  of  purple,  and  the  owers  of  liluer, 
which  kept  ilroke  in  rowing  after  the  founde  of  the  muficke  of 
flutes,  howboyes,  citherns,  vioils,  and  fuch  other  inftruments  as 
they  played  vpon  in  the  barge.  And  now  for  the  perfon  of  her 
felfe.;  fhe  was  iayed  vnder  a  pauillion  of  cloth  of  gold  of  tilTue, 
apparelled  and  attired  like  the  Goddefle  Venus,  commonly  drawn 
in  picture  ;  and  hard  by  her,  on  either  hand  of  her,  pretie  faire 
boyes  apparelled  as  painters  do  fet  forth  God  Cupide,  with  little 
fannes  in  their  hands,  with  the  which  they  fanned  wind  vpon  her. 
Her  ladies  and  gentlewomen  allb,  the  faireil  of  them  were  ap- 
parelled like  the  nymphes  Nereides  (which  are  the  mermaidcs  of 
the  waters)  and  like  the  Graces,  fome  flearing  the  helme,  others 
tending  the  tackle  and  ropes  of  the  barge,  out  of  the  which  there 
ca^iie  a  wondcrfull  palling  ftveete  fauor  of  perfumes,  that  perfum- 
ed 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATt?  A.    173 

A  feeming  mermaid  fleers  ;  the  filken  tackles 
Swell  with  the  touches  of  thofe  fiower-foft  hands, 
That  yarely  frame  the  office.     From  the  barge 

A 

ed  the  wharfes  fide,  peftered  with  innumerable  multitudes  of  peo- 
ple. Some  of  them  followed  the  barge  all  alongit  the  riuer's  lide  : 
others  alfo  ranne  out  of  the  citie  to  lee  her  coming  in.  So  that 
in  thend,  there  ranne  fuch  multitudes  of  people  one  after  an- 
other to  fee  her,  that  Antonius  was  left  poft  alone  in  the  market 
place,  in  his  imperiall  feate  to  geve  audience  :"  £c. 

Had  Shakefpeare  written  adore  inftead  of  adorn,  it  has  been 
obferved  that  they  were  once  fynonymouCy  ufed.  So,  in  Speufer's 
Faery  ^uccn,  b.  iv.  c.  r  i  : 

"  Congealed  little  drops  which  do  the  morn  adore" 
Again,  in  the  Elder  Brother  of  Beaumont  and  Fletcher  : 

"  And  thofe  true  tear?,  falling  on  your  pure  chryftals, 
"  Should  turn  to  armlets  for  great  queens  to  adore" 

S.TEEVENS* 

I  think  lends  or  lands'^  the  fame  word,  and  means  in  this  place 
the  feveral  companies  of  Nereids,  that  waited  on  Cleopatra.  It  is 
faid  in  Spenler's  Shepherd's  Calendar  for  May  :  **  A  frefii  lend  vi 
lovely  nymphs  did  attend  on  lady  Flora."  It  is  eafy  to  conceive 
how  thefe  attendants  being  happily  difpofed  in  groups,  mi^hr  add 
new  graces  to  the  appearance  of  their  miu.efs.  So,  in  Titus  An  - 
dro?<!ciis,  aft  II.  fc.  Hi  :  '*  Whom  have  we  here  >  Rome's  rjyal 
emperefs  ?  UnturninYd  of  her  luell-befeervittg  troop  ?"  TOLLET. 

Mr.  Toilet  may  be  right.  So,  in  Tho.  Drant's  tranllation  of 
the  third  epiflle  ot  Horace,  1^67  : 

"  Quid  ftudiofa  cohort  opcrum  ftruit  ?" 
«'  What  doth  our  bufye  bende  of  clarkes  ?" 

Again,  in  Hall's  Chronicle,  K.  Henry  VJ1I.  p.  7;  :  "  —  fhould 
be  fet  in  the  brefte  of  the  battaill  or  lend  of  footmen."  Agr.in, 
*'  .  -  moll  goodly  battaill  or  lead  uf  footmen."  STEEVENS. 

And  made  their  bends  adornixgs  :  —  ]  Their  lends,  I  apprehend, 
refers  to  Cleopatra's  eyes,  and  not  to  her  gentlewomen.  Her  at- 
tendants in  order  to.  learn  their  mtjiref's  c'.vV/,  v;atched  the  motion  of 
her  eyest  the  bends  or  movements  of  which  added  ?te*iv  litftre  to  her 
keauty. 

In  our  author  we  frequently  find  the  word  lend  applied  to  the 
eye.     Thus,  in  the  firil  adl  of  this  play  : 
*'  Thofe  his  goodly  eyes 
--  Bow£?8«)  new  turn,  &c." 
Again-: 

Eternity  was  in  our  lips  and  eyes, 


n 


174    ANTONY  AND    CLEOPATRA. 

A  ftrange  invifible  perfume  hits  the  fenfe 
Of  the  adjacent  wharfs.     The  city  caft 
Her  people  out  upon  her  :  and  Antony, 
Enthron'd  i'  the  market-place,  did  fit  alone, 
Whittling  to  the  air ;  8  which,  but  for  vacancy, 
Had  gone  to  gaze  on  Cleopatra  too, 
And  made  a  gap  in  nature. 

jjgr.  Rare  ^Egyptian ! 

Eno.  Upon  her  landing,  Antony  fent  to  her, 
Invited  her  to  fupper :  Ihe  reply'd, 
It  fhould  be  better,  he  became  her  gueft ; 
Which  Ihe  intrcated  :   Our  courteous  Antony, 
Whom  ne'er  the  word  of  no  woman  heard  fpeak, 
Being  barber'd  ten  times  o'er,  goes  to  the  feaft ; 
And,  for  his  ordinary,  pays  his  heart, 
For  what  his  eyes  eat  only. 

Agr.  Royal  wench ! 

•She  made  great  Casfar  lay  his  fword  to  bed ; 
He  plough'd  her,  and  Ihe  cropt. 

Eno.  I  faw  her  once 

Hop  forty  paces  through  the  publick  flreet : 
And  having  loft  her  breath,  fhe  fpoke,  and  panted, 
That  fhe  did  make  defedt,  perfection, 
And,  breathlefs,  power  breathe  forth. 

Mec.  Now  Antony  muft  leave  her  utterly. 

Eno.  Never ;  he  will  not : 

Again,  in  Cymlellne  : 

"  Although  they  wear  their  faces  to  the  lent 

"  Of  the  king's  looks." 
Again,  in  Troilus  and  Crejjtaa  : 

"  All  gaze  and  lent  of  amorous  view." 

And  laftly,  in  Julius  Cafar,  which  affords  an  infhmce  exa&Iy 
appofite : 

"  And  that  fame  tye  whofe  Jm/doth  awe  the  world." 

MALONB. 


lut  for  vacancy r, 

Had  gone 3 

Alluding  to  an  axiom  in  the  peripatetic  philofophy  then  in  rogue, 
that  Nature  abhors  a  vawmn,    WARBUR.TON. 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     175 

Age  cannot  wither  her,  nor  cuftom  flale  9 
Her  infinite  variety  :  Other  women  cloy  * 
The  appetites  they  feed ;  but  fhe  makes  hungry, 
Where  moft  fhe  fatisfies.     For  vileft  things 
Become  themfelves  in  her ;  that  the  holy  priefls 
Blefs  her,  when  fhe  is  riggifh*. 

Mec.  If  beauty,  wifdom,  modefly,  can  fettle 
The  heart  of  Antony,  Odavia  is  \ 
A  blefied  lottery  to  him. 

Agr.  Let  us  go.— 

Good  Enobarbus,  make  yourfelf  my  gueft, 
Whilft  you  abide  here. 

Eno.  Humbly,  fir,  I  thank  you.  [Exeunt. 


9  , ,          nor  cuftom  flale]  This  verb  is  ufed  by  Heywood  in  the 
Iron  Age,  1632:  "  One  that  hath^/V his  courtly  tricks  at  home." 

STEEVENS. 
1          •  Other  women  clay 

The  appetites  they  feed ;  lut  foe  makes  hungry, 

Where  mojl  Jhc  fatisfes.- ] 

Almoft  the  fame  thought,  cloathed  nearly  in  the  fameexpreflions, 
is  found  in  the  old  piny  of  Pericles  :  "  Whofforves  the  ears  (ha 
feeds,  and  makes  them  hungry  the  more  flie  gives  them  fpeech." 

MA  LONE. 

*  —  —when  fie  is  riggifli.]  Riggis  an  ancient  word  meaning  a 
ftrumpet.     So,  in  "V\  'hetilone's  Caftle  of  Delight,  1576: 

«*  Then  loath  they  will  both  luft  and  wanton  love, 
*'  Or  elfe  be  fure  fuch  ryggs  my  care  lhall  prove." 
Again : 

"  Immodeft  rigg,  I  Ovid's  counfel  ufde."    STEEVENS. 

3 OSlctvia  is 

A  blefled  lottery  to  him.'} 

Dr.  Warburton  fays,  the  poet  wrote  allottery :  but  there  is  no  rea- 
fon  for  this  aflertion.  The  ghoft  of  Andrea  in  the  SpaniJJj  Tra- 
gedy, fays : 

**  Minos  in  graven  leaves  of  lottery 

"  Drew  forth  the  manner  of  my  life  and  death." 

FARMER. 
So,  in  Stanyhurft's  tranflation  of  Virgil,  1582  : 

**  By  this  hap  efcaping  the  filth  of  lottarye  carnal." 
Again,  in  the  Honeji  Man's  Fortune,  by  B.  and  Fletcher : 

u  fainting  under 

**  Fortune's  falfe  lottery."—    STEEVENS. 

SCENE 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 


S  C  E  ft  E    III. 

Enter  Gefar,  Antony^  O&avia  between  them  ;  Attendants, 
and  a  Sootkfaycr. 

Ant;  The  world,  and  my  great  office,  will  fome- 

times 
Divide  me  from  your  bofom. 

Ofta.   All  which  time, 

Before  the  gods  my  knee  fhall  bow  in  prayers* 
To  them  for  you. 

Ant.  Good  night,  fir. — My  Odtavia, 
Read  not  my  blemifhes  In  the  world's  report : 
I  have  not  kept  my  fquare ;  but  that  to  come 
Shall  all  be  done  by  the  rule.     Good  night,   dear 
lady. 

Q&a.  Good  night,  fir. 

C&f.  Goodnight.  {Exeunt  C*efar,  and  Oftavia. 

Ant.  Now,  firrah !  you  do  wifh  yourfelf  in  ^Egypt  ? 

Sooth.  'Would  I  had  never  come  from  thence,  nor 

you 
Thither ! 

Ant.  If  you  can,  your  reafon  ? 

Sooth.  *  I  fee  it  in 

My 

4  ——Jball  IO-M  in  prayers]  The  old  copy  reads : 

•  -    Jliall  bow  my  prayers 

which  I  believe  to  be  the  true  reading.  The  fame  conftruction  it 
in  CoriolamiS)  acll.  fc.  i : 

"  Shouting  their  emulation." 
Again,  in  K.  Lear,  act  II.  fc.  ii : 

"  Smile  you  my  fpeeches  ?"     STEEVENS. 
s  I  fee  it  In 

My  motion,   have  it  not  in  my  tongue : ] 

What  motion  ?  I  can  trace  no  fenfe  in  this  word  here,  unlefs  the 
author  were  alluding  to  that  agitation  of  the  divinity,  which  di- 
viners pretend  to  when  the  fit  of  foretelling  is  upon  them  ;  but 
then,  I  think  verily,  he  would  have  wrote,  emotion.  1  am  per- 
fuaded,  Sh.akefpeaj-e  meant  that  the  Soothfayer  fhould  fayr  he  faw 

area* 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.    177 

My  motion,  have  it  not  in  my  tongue  :  But  yet 
Hie  you  again  to  JEgypt. 

Ant.  Say  to  me, 
Whofe  fortunes  ihall  rife  higher,  Cxfar's,  or  mine  ? 

Sooth.  Csefar's. 

Therefore,  O  Antony,  flay  not  by  his  fide  : 
Thy  dxmon,  that's  thy  fpirit  which  keeps  thee,  is 
Noble,  courageous,  high,  unmatchable, 
Where  Casfar's  is  not;  but,  near  him,  thy  angel 
6  Becomes  a  Fear,  as  being  o'erpo\ver'd  ;  therefore 

a  reafon  in  his  thought  or  opinion,  though  he  gave  that  thought  or 
opinion  no  utterance.     Notion  is  a  word  which  our  author  fre- 
quently chufes  to  exprefs  the  mental  faculties.     See  K.  Lear,  Co- 
riolanvs,  Macbeth,  and  Othello.     THEOBALD. 
I  fee  It  in 

My  motion,  —  —  —  —  ~\ 
i.  e.  the  divinitory  agitation.     WAREURTOX. 

6  Becomes  a  Fear,  -  ]  i.e.  a  fearful  thing.     The  abftraft  for 
the  concrete.     WARBURTON. 
Mr.  Upton  reads  : 

Become*  afear'd,  - 
The  common  reading  is  more  poetical.     JOHNSON. 

A  Fear  was  a  perlbnagein  fome  of  the  old  moralities     Fletcher 
alludes  to  it  in  the  Maid's  Tragedy,  where  Afpafia  is  intruding 
her  fervants  how  to  delcribe  her  iituation  in  needle-work  ; 
"  -  and  then  a  Fear  : 
"  Do  that  Fear  bravely,  wench."  - 
Spenfer  had  likewife  perfonified  Fear,  in  the  i  zth  canto  of  the 
third  book  of  his  Faery  Queen.     In  the  facred  writings  Fear  is 
aifo  a  perfon  :  "  I  will  put  a  Fear  in  the  land  of  Egypt." 


The  whole  thought  is  borrowed  from  fir  T.  North's  trannation 
of  Plutarch  ;  "  With  Antonius  there  was  a  foothfayer  or  aftrono- 
jner  of  Egypt,  that  coulde  cuft  a  figure,  and  iudge  of  mens  natiui- 
ties,  to  tell  them  what  fiiould  happen  to  them.  He,  either  to 
pleafe  Cleopatra,  or  elfe  for  that  he  founde  it  fo  by  his  art,  told 
Antonius  plainly,  that  his  fortune  (which  of  it  felfewas  excellent 
good,  and  very  great)  was  altogether  bleamifhed,  and  obfcured  by 
Caefars  fortune  :  and  therefore  he  counfelled  him  vtterly  to  leaue 
his  company,  and  to  get  him  as  farre  from  him  as  he  could.  For 
thy  Demon  faid  he,  (that  is  to  fay,  the  good  angell  and  fpirit  that 
keepeth  thee)  is  aftraied  of  his  :  and  being  coragious  and  high  when 
he  is  alone,  becometh  fearefull  and  timerous  when  he  commeih 
ueere  vnto  the  other."  SrstvENs. 

VOL.  VIII.'  N  Make 


•«78    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Make  fpace  enough  between  you. 

Ant.  Speak  this  no  more. 

Sooth.  To  none  but  thee  ;  no  more,  but  when  to 

thee. 

If  thou  doft  play  with  him  at  any  game, 
Thou  art- Cure  to  lofe ;  and,  of  that  natural  luck, 
He  beats  thee  'gainft  the  odds ;  thy  luftre  thickens, 
When  he  fhines  by  ;  I  fey  again,  thy  fpirit 
Is  all  afraid  to  govern  thee  near  him ; 
But,  he  away,  'tis  noble. 

Ant.  Get  thee  gone  : 
Say  to  Ventidius,  I  would  fpcak  with  him : — 

[Exit  Sootbfayer. 

He  fhall  to  Parthia. — Be  it  art,  or  hap, 
He  hath  fpoken  true  :  The  very  dice  obey  him ; 
And,  in  our  fports,  my  better  cunning  faints 
Under  his  chance :  if  we  draw  lots,  he  fpeeds : 
His  cocks  do  win  the  battle  (till  of  mine, 
When  it  is  all  to  nought ;  and  7  his  quails  ever 
Beat  mine,  8  inhoop'd,  at  odds.     I  will  to  JEgypt : 
And  though  I  make  this  marriage  for  my  peace, 

T  — . — bis  quaih ]  The  ancients  ufed  to  match  quails  as  we 

match  cocks.    JOHNSON. 

So,  in  the  old  tranilation  of  Plutarch :  '*  For,  it  is  laid,  that 
as  often  as  they  two  drew  cuts  for  pallime,  who  fhould  haue  any 
thing,  or  whether  they  plaied  at  dice,  Antonius  alway  loft.  Of- 
tentimes when  they  were  difpofed  to  lee  cockefight,  orquailes  that 
were  taught  to  fight  one  with  an  other  :  Cacfurs  cockes  or  quailes 
did  euer  ouercome."  STEEVENS. 

8   iuboop*d)  at  odds. }  Thus  the  old  copy.     Inhoop'tl'n 

indofedy  confined,  that  they  may  fight.     The  modern  editions  read  : 
Eeatinlne^  in  whoop'd-at  odds. JOHNSON. 

Shakefpeare  gives  us  the  practice  of  his  own  time  :  and  there  k 
no  occalion  for  in  whoop1  d  att  or  any  other  alteration.  John  Da- 
vies  begins  one  of  his  epigrams  upon  frwtrbs  ; 

'*  He  fets  cocke  on  the  hoope,"  in,  you  would  fay  ; 

'*  For  cocking  I'M  ho  opes  is  now  all  the  play."     FARMER. 

The  attempt  at  emendation,  however,  deferves  fome  refpect ; 

as  in  At  \°u  like  ;'/,  Celia  lays :    "  and  after  that  out  of  all 

whooping*"'   STEBVBNS. 

Enter 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA,     179 

Enter  fcntidit<s. 

I*  the  eaft  my  pleafure  lies. — O,  come,  Ventidius, 
You  muft  to  Parthia ;  your  commiffion's  ready  : 
Follow  me,  and  receive  it.  [Exeunt. 

SCENE         IV. 

We  fame ;  a  Street. 

Enter  Lepidus,  Mecanas^  and  Agrippa. 

Lep.  Trouble  yourfelves  no  farther:    pray  you, 

haften 
Your  generals  afte'r. 

Agr.  Sir,  Mark  Antony 
Will  e'en  but  kifs  Odtavia,  and  we'll  follow* 
•    Lep.  Till  I  lhall  fee  you  in  your  foldiers'  drefs, 
Which  will  become  you  both,  farewel. 

Mec.  We  lhall, 

As  I  conceive  the  journey,  be  at  mount  * 
Before  you,  Lepidns. 

Lep>  Your  flay  is  Ihorter, 
My  purpofes  do  draw  me  much  about ; 
You'll  win  two  days  upon  me. 

Both.  Sir,  good  fuccefs ! 

Lep.  Farewel.  [Exeunt. 

SCENE    V. 

The  Palace  in  Alexandria. 

Enter  Ckopatra,  Charmian,  Iras,  and  Abxas. 

Cleo.  Give  me  fome  mufick ;  9  mufick,  moody  food 

Of 

*  — — at  mount'}  i.e.  Mount  Mlfenum.     STEKVKNS. 
9  — mujick)  moody  food]    The  mood  is  the  mind,  or  mental  dif- 
pofitioii.    Van  Haaren's  panegyrick  on  the  Englilh  begins,  Groot' 


iSo    ANTONY    AND   CLEOPATRA. 

Of  us  that  trade  in  love. 
Omaes.  The  mufick,  ho  ! 

Enter  Mardian. 

Cleo.  tet  it  alone;    let  us  to  billiards  :    come, 
Charm  ian. 

Char.  My  .arm  is  fore,  beft  play  with  Mardian. 

Cleo.  As  well  a  woman  with  an  eunuch  play'd, 
As  with  a  woman  : — Come,  you'll  play.with  me,  fir? 

Afar.  As  well  as  I  can,  madam. 

Cleo.  And  when-good  will  is  fhew'd,  though  it  come 

too  fhort, 

The  actor  may  plead  pardon.     I'll  none  now  : — 
Give  me  mine  angle, — We'll  to  the  river  :  there, 
My  muiick  playing  far  off,  I  will  betray 
1  Tawny-finn'd  fifties :  my  bended  hook  fliall  pierce 
Their  flimy  jaws ;  and,  as  I  draw  them  up, 
I'll  think  them  every  one  an  Antony, 
And  fay,  Ah,  ha !  you're-caught. 

Char.  'Twas  merry,  when 
You  wager'd  on  your  angling ;  when  your  diver 
Did  hang  a  falt-fifn  on  his  hook  %  which  he 
With  fervency  drew  up..    , 

Cleo.  That  time  ! O  times ! 

I  laugh 'd  him  out  of  patience ;  and  that  night 
I  laugh'd  him  into  patience  :  and  next  morn, 
Ere  the  ninth  hour,  I  drank  him  to  his  bed ; 


moedig  Volk)  [great-minded  nation.}    Perhaps  here  is  a  poor  jeft 

intended  between  wed  the  mind  and  moods  of  in  u  fick .     JOHNSON. 

Moody '7  in  this  inftance,  means  melancholy .     Cotgrave  explains 

by  the  French  words,  morne  and  trifle.     STEEVENS. 
1   Tarj:ny-findfij!:es;  —  ]  The  firft  copy  reads  : 

Ta :  y  ney  fine  fifo. JOHNSON. 

*   "Did  bang  afah-fijb  &c.]  This  circumftance  is  likewife  taken 
from  fir  Tho.  North's  tracflation  of  the  life  of  Antony  in  Plutarch. 

STEEVENS. 

Then 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     181 

Then  put  my  tires  and  mantles  on  him,  3  whilft 
I  wore  his  fvvord  Philippan.     O!  from  Italy;— 

Enter  a  Mejfenger. 

Ram  thou  thy  fruitful  tidings  *in  mine  ears, 
That  long  time  have  been  barren. 

Mef.  Madam,  madam, 

Cleo.  Antony's  dead  ? — 

If  thou  fay  fo,  villain,  thou  kill'ft  thy  miftrefs  : 
But  well  and  free 5, 

It"  fo  thou  yield  him,  there  is  gold,  and  here 
My  blueft  veins  to  kifs  ;  a  hand,  that  kings 
Have  lipp'd,  and  trembled  kiffing. 

Mef.  Firft,  madam,  he  is  well. 


•ixbilft 


I  ware  bisf-jcord  Philippan.  •    ] 

We  are  not  to  fuppofe,  nor  is  there  any  warrant  from  hiftory, 
that  Antony  had  any  particular  fword  fo  called.  The  dignifying 
weapons,  in  this  fort,  is  a  cuftom  of  much  more  recent  date. 
This  therefore  feems  a  compliment  a  pofteriori.  We  find  An- 
tony, afterwards,  in  this  play,  boafting  of  his  own  prowefs  at 
•Philippi. 

Ant.  2>j,  my  lord,  yes  ;   be  at  Philippi  kept 
Hisfivord  e'en  like  a  dancer  ;  while  IJtruck 
*3  be  lean  and  winkled  Cajjlus ;   (sV. 

That  was  the  greateft  aclion  of  Antony's  life  ;  and  therefore  this 
feems  a  fine  piece  of  flatter)',  intimating,  that  his  fword  ought  to 
be  denominated  from  that  illuftrious  battle,  in  the  fame  manner 
as  modern  heroes  in  romance  are  made  to  give  their  iworda  pom- 
pous names.  THEOBALD. 

4  Ram  thou  t>y  fruitful  tidings — ]  Shakefpeare  probably  \vrote, 
(as  fir  T.  Hanmer  observes)  Rain  thou  &c.  Rain  agrees  better 
with  the  epithets  fruitful  and  barren.  So,  \nTimon; 

"  Rain  facrificial  whifp'rings  in  his  ear." 
Again;  in  the  Tempejl : 

"  ^-Heavens  rain  grace  !"     STEEVEN-S. 

5  But  well  andfree,  &c.]  This  fpeech  is  but  coldly  imitated  by" 
B.  and  Fletcher  in  The  Faffe  One  : 

*'  Cleop.  What  of  him?  Speak:  if  ill,  Apollodorus, 
"  It  is  my  happinefs  :  and  for  thy  news 
"  Receive  a  favour  kings  l:ave  knecl'd  in  vain  for, 
"  And  kifs  my  hand."    STHEVENS. 

"  N     7  C/.V7. 


*S2     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Cleo.  Why,  there's  more  gold.  But,  firrah,  mark  j 

\\  e  ufe 

To  fay,  the  dead  are  well :  bring  it  to  that, 
The  gold  I  give  thce,  will  I  melt,  and  pour 
"Down  thy  ill-uttering  throat. 

Msf.  Good  madam,  hear  me. 

Clso.  Well,  go  to,  I  will ; 
But  there's  no  goodncfs  in  thy  face  :  If  Antony 
Be  free,  and  healthful, — fotart  a  favour 
To  trumpet  fuch  good  tidings  ?  If  not  well, 
Thou  fhouldft  come  like  a  fury  crown'd  with  makes, 
*  Not  like  a  formal  man. 

Mef.  Will't  pleafe  you  hear  me  ? 

Cleo.  I  have  a  mind  to  ftrike  thee,  ere  thou  fpeak'ft : 
Yet,  if  thou  fay,  Antony  lives,  is  well 7, 
Or  friends  with  Casfar,  or  not  captive  to  him, 
8  I'll  fet  thee  in  a  Ihower  of  gold,  and  hail 

Rich 

.*  NV  like  a  formal  man."}  Formal,  for  ordinary. 

WAR  BURTON, 

Rather  decent,  regular.     JOHNSON. 

By  a  formal  man,  Shakefpeare  means,  a  man  in  bisfenfes.  la- 
formal  women,  in  Mtafurefor  Meafure,  is  ufed  for  women  be/Me 
'them) "elves.  STEEVENS. 

Formal  man,},  believe,  only  means  a  man  inform,  i.  e.  Jhape. 
You  ihall  come  in  the  form  of  a  fury,  and  not  in  the  form  or  ^ 
man.  So,  in  A  mail  World  my  Maflcrst  by  Middleton,  1640: 

"  The  very  ctpvil  aflum'd  thee  formally." 
5.  c.  aflumed  thy  rorm.     MALONE. 

7  /  have  a  mind  tojtrikethfe  ere  tbou  fpeak'jl ; 
Tet,  if  thou  fay,  Aflioity  /;•:•«,  'tis  well, 
Or  friends  =ivitb  Ctefar,  or  not  captive  to  bim, 
r  II fet  tbcc  in  ajhowtr  of  gold,  and  baif 

Ricb  pearls  upon  thee. ] 

We  furely  fhould  read  is  zvett.  The  meflenger  is  to  have  hisre« 
v-ard,  if  )ie  fays,  that  Antony  is  'alive,  in  health,  and  either  friends 
wid>  Ceffar,  or  not  captive  to  him.  TYRWHITT. 

I  have  adopted  this  reading,  being  thoroughly  Convinced  of  its 
probability  and  propriety.  STEEVENS. 


8  r  II fet  thee  in  a  Jho-iuer  of  gold,  and  hail 
Rich  1>ear 


pearls  upon  tbee.] 
I  will  give  thee  a  kingdom:   it  being  the  eaflern  cere- 
mony, 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.    i£3 

Rich  pearls  upon  thec. 

Mef.  Madam,  he's  well. 

Cko.  Well  faid. 

Mef.  And  friends  with  Csefar. 

Cko.  Thou  art  an  honeft  man. 

Mef.  Casfar  and  he  are  greater  friends  than  ever. 

Cko.  Make  thee  a  fortune  from  me. 

Mef.  But  yet,  madam, — 

Cko,  I  do  not  lake  but yel ',  it  does  allay 
The  good  precedence;  fye  upon  but  yet : 
But  yet  is  as  a  jailor  to  bring  forth 
Some  monftrous  malefactor.     Pr'ythec,  friend, 
Pour  out  the  pack  of  matter  to  mine  ear, 
The  good  and  bad  together :  He's  friends  with  Csefar ; 
In  ftate  of  health,  thoufay'ft;  and,  thou  fay'ft,  free. 

Mef.  Free,  madam  !  no ;  I  made  no  fuch  report : 
He's  bound  unto  Octavia. 

Cko.  For  what  good  turn  ? 

Mef.  For  the  beft  turn  i'  the  bed. 

Cleo.  I  am  pale,  Charm ian. 

Mef.  Madam,  he's  married  to  Oclam. 

Cko.  Tie  moft  infectious  peftilcnce  upon  thee ! 

fftri&j  him  dawn. 

Mef.  Good  madam,  patience. 

Cleo*  What  fay  you  ? — Hence,     [Strikes  him  again. 
Horrible  villain  J  or  I'll  fpurn  thine  eyes 
Like  balls  before  me;  I'll  unhair  thy  head  ; 

[She  hales  him  up  and  Joivn. 
Thou  flialt  be  whrpt  with  wire,  and  flewM  in  brine, 

roony,  at  the  coronation  of  their  kings,  to  powder  them  with  *old~ 
iltift  lAX&J'ccd-pcarl;  fo  Milton  : 

44  the  gorgeous  eaft  with  liberal  hand 

"  Showers  on  her  kings  barbaric  pearl  and  gold" 
In  the  Life  of  Timur-bcc  or  Tamerlane,  written  by  a  Perfian  con- 
temporary author,  are  the  following  words,  as  tranllated  by  Monf. 
Petit  de  la  Croix,  in  the  account  there  given  of  his  coronation, 
book  ii.  chap,  i,  **  Les princes  duffing  royal  fe"  Ics  emir*  rebunAirent 
a  pleines  jnahisfurfa  tcte  quantiti  d'or&  at  f\crre r:'ei  felon  la  coii- 
'1  WARBURTO.N. 

N  4  Smarting 


1 84    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA, 

Smarting  in  lingring  pickle. 

Mef.  Gracious  madam, 
I,  that  do  bring  the  news,  made  not  the  match. 

Cko.  Say,  'tis  not  fo,  a  province  I  will  give  thee, 
And  make  thy  fortunes  proud  :  the  blow,  thou  hadft, 
Shall  make  thy  peace,  for  moving  me  to  rage; 
And  I  will  boot  thee  with  what  gift  befide 
Thy  modefty  can  beg. 

Mef.  He's  married,  madam. 

Cko.  Rogue,  thou  haft  liv'd  too  long. 

[Draws  a  dagger  9» 

Mef.  Nay,  then  I'll  run  : — 
V/hat  mean  you,  madam  ?  I  have  made  no  fault. 

[Exit, 

Char.  Good  madam,  keep  yourfelf  within  yourfelf  j 
The  man  is  innocent. 

Cleo.  Some  innocents  'fcape  not  the  thunderbolt.—. 
Melt  ^Egypt  into  Nile  ' !  and  kindly  creatures 
Turn  all  to  ferpents  I—Call  the  Have  again  ; 
Though  I  am  mad,  1  will  not  bite  him  : — Call. 

Char.  He  is  afeard  to  come. 

Cko.  I  will  not  hurt  him  : — 
*  Thefe  hands  do  lack  nobility,  that  they  flrike 

*  Draws  a  dagger.]   The  old  copy Draw  a  knife. 

STEEVENS. 

1  Melt  JEgypt  into  Nile ! ]    So,  in   the  firft  fcene  of  this 

play : 

"  Let  Rome  in  Tyber  «?*//,  &c."    STEEVENS. 
*  Tbffe  haxifs  do  tack  nobility  ^  that  tley  Jlrike 

A  meaner  tlan  myfelf;  —  J 

This  thought  feems  to  be  borrowed  from  the  laws  of  chivalry, 
ii-hich  forbad  a  knight  to  engage  with  his  interior.  So,  in  Albu* 
mazar  : 

Stay ;  underftand'it  thou  well  the  points  of  duel  ? 
Art  born  of  gentle  blood,  and  pure  defcent?  — 
Was  none  of  all  thy  lineage  hang'd,  or  cuckold  } 
Baftard,  or  baftinado'd  ?  is  thy  pedigree 
As  long  and  wide  as  mine  ? — for  othenvife 
Thou  wert  moft  unworthy,  and 'twere  lofj  of  honour 
*?  In  me  to  fight,"     STEEVSNS. 

A  meaner 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.    185 

A  meaner  than  myfelf ;  fmce  I  myfelf 

Have  given  myfelf  the  caufe. — Come  hither,  fir. 

Re-enter  Mejfenger. 

Though  it  be  honeft,  it  is  never  good 
To  bring  bad  news :  Give  to  a  gracious  niefTage 
An  hoft  of  tongues ;  but  let  ill  tidings  tell 
Themfelvcs,  when  they  be  felt. 

Mef.   I  have  done  my  duty. 

Cleo.  Is  he  married  ? 
I  cannot  hate  thee  worfer  than  I  do, 
If  thou  again  fay,  Yes. 

Afef.  He  is  married,  madam. 

Cleo.    The  gods  confound  thec  !    doft  thou  hold 
there  ftill  ? 

Mef.  Should  I  lye,  madam  ? 

Cleo.  O,  I  would,  thou  didft  ; 
So  half  my  ^Egypt  were  fubmerg'd  J,  and  made 
A  ciflern  for  fcal'd  makes !  Go,  get  thee  hence ; 
Hadft  thou  Narciffus  in  thy  face,  to  me 
Thou  wouldft  appear  moil  ugly.     He  is  married  f 

Afef.  I  crave  your  highneiV  pardon. 

Cleo.  He  is  married  ? 

Mef.  Take  no  offence,  that  I  would  not  offend  you : 
To  punifh  me  for  what  you  make  me  do, 
Seems  much  unequal :  He  is  married  to  O&avia. 

Cleo.  O,    that   his  fault  mould  make  a  knave  of 

thee, 

4  That  art  not  what  thou'rt  fure  of ! — Get  thee  hence : 

The 

3  -were  fubmerg'd, }  Suljntrg*J\&  whelm'd  under  wa- 
ter,    So,  in  the  Martial  Maid,  by  B.  and  Fletcher: 

*4  — fpoil'd,   loft,  andjulvnfrg'd  in  the  inundation  &c." 

STEEVENS. 

4  That  art  not  what  tbourtjurc  off—']     For  this,  which  is  not 
pafily  underftood,  fir  Thomas  Hanmerhas  given; 

That  fay'il  but  ivtat  thou'rt  fare  of.1 

I  am 


x86    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

The  merchandife,   which  thou  haft  brought   from 

Rome, 

Are  all  too  dear  for  me ;  Lye  they  upon  thy  hand, 
And  be  undone  by  'em !  [Exit  Mejjengcr. 

Char.  Good  your  highnefs,  patience. 

Cleo.  In  praifing  Antony,   I  have  dilprais'd  Czefar. 

Char.  Many  times,  madam. 

Cleo.  I  am  paid  for  it  now.    Lead  me  from  hence, 
I  faint;  O  Iras,  Charmian, — 'Tis  no  matter : — 
Go  to  the  fellow,  good  Alexas ;  bid  him 
Report  the  feature  of  Oftavia J,  her  years, 

I  am  not  fatisfied  with  the  change,  which,  though  it  affords  fenfe, 
exhibits  little  fpirit.     I  fancy  the  line  coniiits  only  of  abrupt  ftarts. 

O  that  this  fault  Jhould  make  a  knave  of  thee^ 

That  art — not  what  ?— Thou'rt  fure  on't. — Get  thee  hence : 
¥hat  bis  fault  jbould  make  a  knave  of  thee  that  art — but  \v\\mjball  I 
fay  thou  art  not  ?  Thou  art  then  fure  of  this  marriage. — Get  thee 
hence. 

Dr.  Warburton  has  received  fir  T.  Hanmer's  emendation. 

JOHNSOV. 

In  Meafure  for  Mcafure>  act  II.  fc.  ii.  is  a  paflage  lo  much  re- 
ferobling  this,  that  1  cannot  help  pointing  it  out  for  the  ufe  of. 
fome  future  commentator,  though  I  am  unable  to  apply  it  with 
fuccefs  to  the  very  difficult  line  before  us : 

"  Drert  in  a  little  brief  authority, 

**  Mojl  ignorant  of  what  he's  mofl  affur'J, 

"  His  glafly  eflence."    STEEVENS. 

Thoit  art  not  what  thou'rt  fure  of! ]    i.  e.  Thou  art  not  an 

honeft  man,  of  which  thou  art  thyfelf  aflured,  but  thou  art  in  my 
opinion  a  knave  by  thy  matter's  fault  alone.     TOLLET. 

s  —  the  feature  of  Oflavia, J    By  feature  feems  to  be 

meant  the  cafl  and  make  of  her  face.     Feature,  bo-ivever,  ancient- 
ly appears  to  have  fignified  beauty  in  general.     So,  in  Greene's 

Farewcl  to  Folly,   1617:    " rich  thou  art,  featured  thou  art, 

feared  thou  art."     Sfenfer  ufes  feature  for  the  whole  turn  of  the 
fcody.     Faery  S>ueen,  b.  i.  c.  8  : 

"  Thus  when  they  had  the  witch  difrobed  quite, 

"  And  all  her  filthy  feature  open  fhown." 
Again,  in  b.  iii.  c.  o  : 

**  She  alfo  doft  her  heavy  haberjeon 

*«  Which  the  fox  feature  of  her  limbi  did  hide." 

STEEVENI. 

Her 


ANTONY    AND  CLEOPATRA.     187 

Her  inclination,  let  him  not  leave  out 

The  colour  of  her  hair : — bring  me  word  quickly.—* 

[Exit  dkxas. 

*  Let  him  for  ever  go  :— Let  him  not, — Charmian; 
Though  he  be  painted  one  way  like  a  Gorgon, 
The  other  way  he  is  a 7  Mars : — Bid  you  Alexas 

[7b  Martian, 

Bring  me  word,  how  tall  me  is. Pity  me,  Char- 
mian, 

But  do  not  fpeak  to  me. — Lead  me  to  my  chamber. 

[Exeunt. 

SCENE    VI. 

Near  Mifenum. 

Enter  Pompey,  and  Menas,  at  one  door,  with  drum  and 
trumpet :  at  another ,  C<efary  Lepldus,  Antony ',  Enobar- 
bus,  Meaenas,  with  foldiers  marching. 

Pomp.  Your  hoftages  I  have,  fo  have  you  mine ; 
And  we  fhall  talk  before  we  fight. 

Of/  Moil  meet, 

That  firft  we  come  to  words ;  and  therefore  have  we 
Our  written  purpofes  before  us  fent : 
Which,  if  thou  haft  confider'd,  let  us  know 
If  'twill  tie  up  thy  difcontented  fword  ; 
And  carry  back  to  Sicily  much  tall  youth, 
That  elfe  muft  pcrifh  here. 

*  Let  him  for  ever  go. ]  She  is  now  talking  in  broken  fea- 

tences,  not  of  the  melienger,  but  Antony.     JOHNSON. 

7  The  other  way's  a  Mars-. — ]  In  this  paflage  the  fenfe  is  clear» 
but,  I  think,  may  be  much  improved  by  a  very  little  alteration. 

Cleopatra,  in  her  paffion  upon  the  news  of  Antony's  marriage, 
fays : 

Let  him  for  ever  go — Let  him  not — Charmian, — • 
Though  he  be  painted  or.e  way  like  a  Gorgon , 
The  other  ivay  he's  a  Mars.  — — 
"JThi?,  I  think,  would  be  more  fpirited  thus  : 

Let  him  for  ever  go — let  him — no, — Charmian  ; 
Though  he  be  painted \  &c.     T  Y  R  w  H  i  T  T  . 


i88     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Pomp.  To  you  all  three, 
The  fenators  alone  of  this  great  world, 
Chief  faftors  for  the  gods, — I  do  not  know, 
Wherefore  my  father  fhould  revengers  want, 
Having  a  fon,  and  friends;  fince  Julius  C*efar, 
Who  at  Philippi  the  good  Brutus  ghofted, 
There  faw  you  labouring  for  him.     What  was  it, 
That  mov'd  pale  Caffius  to  confpire  ?  And 
What  made,  all-honour'd,  hoheft,  Roman  Brutus, 
With  the  arm'd  reft,  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  \\hofe  burden 
The  anger'd  ocean  foams ;  with  which  I  meant 
To  fcourge  the  ingratitude  that  defpightful  Rome 
Caft  on  my  noble  father. 

Caf.  Take  your  time. 

Ant.  8Thou  canft  not  fear  us,  Pompey,  with  thy 

fails. 

We'll  fpeak  with  thee  at  fea  :  at  land,  thou  knowM 
How  much  we  doo'er-count  thee. 

Pomp.  At  land,  indeed, 

Thou  doft  o'er-count  me  of  my  father's  houfe  : 
9  But,  fince  the  cuckow  builds  not  for  himfelf, 
Remain  in't,  as  thou  may'rt. 

Lep.  Be  pleas'd  to  tell  us, 
(For  this  is  from  the  prefent)  how  you  take 
The  offers  we  have  fent  you. 

Caf.  There's  the  point. 

Ant.  Which  do  not  be  intreated  to,  but  weigh 

z  Trru  canft  not  fear  us— ]  Thou  canlt  not  affright  us  with  thy 
numerous  navy.  JOHNSON. 

9  Rut  fince  the  cuckow  builds  not  for  Lim/lif^]  Since,  like  the 
cuckow,  that  feizes  the  neits  of  other  birds,  you  have  invaded  a 
hcufe  which  you  could  not  build,  keep  it  while  you  can. 

JOHNSON. 
So,  in  P.  Holland's  tranfiation  of  Pliny ,  b.  x.  ch.  9  : 

«'  Theie  (cuckows)  lay  alwaies  ui  other  birds'  nefts." 

STEEVENS. 

What 


ANTONY   AND   CLEOPATRA.    189 

What  it  is  worth  embrac'd. 

C<ef.  And  what  may  follow, 
To  try  a  larger  fortune. 

Pomp.  You  have  made  me  offer 
Of  Sicily,  Sardinia;  and  I  muft    • 
Rid  all  the  feaof  pirates :  then,  to  fend    ; 
Meafures  of  wheat  to  Rome  :  This  'greed  upon,. . 
To  part  with  unhack'd  edges,  and  bear  back       ; 
Our  targes  nndinted. 
Omnes.  That's  our  offer. 
Pomp.  Know  then, 

I  came  before  you  here,  a  man  prepar'd 
To  take  this  offer  :  But  Mark  Antony 
Put  me  to  fomc  impatience  : — Though  I  lofe 
The  praife  of  it  by  telling,  You  muft  know, 
When  Caefar  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  jftudied  for  a  liberal  thanks, 
Which  I  do  owe  you. 

Pomp.  Let  me  have  your  hand  : 
I  did  not  think,  fir,  to  have  met  you  here. 

Ant.  The  beds  i'  the  eaft  are  foft;  and  thanks  to  you 
That  call'd  me,  timelier  than  my  purpofe,  hither; 
For  I  have  gain'd  by  it. 

Gef.  Since  I  faw  you  lafl, 
There  is  a  change  upon  you. 
Pomp.  Well,  I  know  not, 
1  What  counts  harm  fortune  cafls  upon  my  face; 
But  in  my  bofom  lhall  file  never  -come, 
To  make  my  heart  her  vaffal. 
Lep.  Well  met  here.     . 
Pomp*  I  hope  fo,  Lepidus.— Thus  we  are  agreed  : 

1   What  couots  bard  fortune  cafts,  &c,]r  Metaphor  from  making 
marks  or  lines  in  calling  accounts  in  arithmetick.    WAR  BURTON'. 

I  crave, 


I9o    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA, 

I  crave,  our  compofition  may  be  written, 
And  feaFd  between  us. 

C<ef.  That's  the  next  to  da. 

Pomp.  We'll  feaft  each  other,  ere  we  part;  arid  let  u» 
Draw  lots,  who  fhall  begin. 

Ant.  That  will  I,  Periipey. 

Pomp.  No,  Antony,  take  the  lot :  but,  firtf, 
Or  laft,  your  fine  ./Egyptian  cookery 
Shall  have  the  fame.  I  have  heard,  that  Julius  Ca?far 
Grew*  fat  with  feafting  there. 

Ant.  You  have  heard  much. 

Pomp.  I  have  fair  meaning,  fir. 

Ant.  And  fair  words  to  them. 

Pomp.  Then  fo  much  have  I  heard ;— * 
And  I  have  heard,  Apollodorus  carried 

Eno.  No  more  of  that : — He  did  fo.      , 

Pomp.  What,  I  pray  you  ? 

Eno.  A  certain  queen  to  Csefar  *  in  a  mattrefs. 

Pomp.  I  know  thee  now ;  How  far'lt  thou,  foldier  ? 

Eno.  Weli; 

And  well  am  like  to  do ;  for,  I  perceive, 
Four  feafts  are  toward. 

Pomp.  Let  me  make  thy  hand ; 
I  never  hated  thee  :  I  have  feen  thee  fight, 
When  I  have  envied  thy  behaviour. 

Eno.  Sir, 

I  never  lov'd  you  much ;  but  I  have  prais'd  you, 
When  you  have  well  deferv'd  ten  times  as  much 
As  I  have  faid  you  did.  i 

Pomp.  Enjoy  thy  plainnefs, 
It  nothing  ill  becomes  thee.— 
Aboard  my  galley  I  invite  you  all : 
Will  you  lead,  lords  ? 

AH.  Shew  us  the  way,  fir. 

Pomp.  Come.       [Exeunt.  Manent  Enob.  and  Menas. 

*  «toC<tfar—'\  i.e.  To  Julius  Caefar.    STEEVENS. 

Men. 


ANTONY   AND  CLEOPATRA.    i9r 

Men.  [Ajide.']  Thy  father,  Pompey,  would  ne'er 

have  made  this  treaty.— 
You  and  I  have  known,  fir. 

Eno.  At  fea,  I  think. 

Men.  We  have,  fir. 

Eno.  You  have  done  well  by  water. 

Men.  And  you  by  land. 

Eno.  J  I  will  praife  any  man  that  will  praife  me  : 
though  it  cannot  be  denied  what  I  have  done  by  land. 

Men.  Nor  what  I  have  done  by  water. 

Eno.  Yes,  fomething  you  can  deny  for  your  own 
fafety  :  you  have  been  a  great  thief  by  fea. 

Mm.  And  you  by  land. 

Eno.  There  1  deny  my  land  fervice.  But  give  me 
your  hand,  Menas  :  If  our  eyes  had  authority,  here 
they  might  take  two  thieves  kiffing. 

Men.  All  men's  faces  are  true,  whatfoe'er  their 
hands  are. 

Eno.  But  there  is  never  a  fair  woman  has  a  true 
face. 

Men.  No  (lander  ;  they  fleal  hearts. 

Eno.  We  came  hither  to  fight  with  you. 

Men.  For  my  part,  I  am  forry  it  is  turn'd  to  a 
drinking.  Pompey  doth  this  day  laugh  away  his  for- 
tune. 

Eno.  If  he  do,  fure,  he  cannot  weep  it  back  again. 

Men.  You  have  faid,  fir.  We  look'd  not  for  Mark 
Antony  here  ;  Pray  you,  is  he  married  to  Cleopatra  ? 

Eno.  Czefar's  filter  is  call'd 


3  I  -iu  III  praife  any  man  that  will  praife  me,  ~\  The  poet's  art  in 
delivering  this  humourous  fentiment  (which  gives  us  fo  very  true 
and  natural  a  pi6ture  of  the  commerce  of  the  world)  can  never  be 
lufficiently  admired.  The  confeffion  could  come  from  hone  but  ^ 
irank  and  rough  charter  like  the  fpeaker's  :  and  the  moral  leflbn 
iniinuated  under  it,  thac  flattery  can  make  its  jway  through  the 
nioft  ftubbom  manners,  defcrvep  our  ferious  reflexion. 

WAR  BURTON. 


Men, 


ipa     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Men.  True,  fir ;  fhe  was  the  wife  of  Caius  Mar- 
cellus. 

Eno.  But  now  ihe  is  the  wife  of  Marcus  Antonius* 

Men.  Pray  you,  fir  ? 

Eno.  'Tis  true. 

Men.  Then  is  Casfar,  and  he,  for  ever  knit  together* 

Eno.  If  I  were  bound  to  divine  of  this  unity,  I 
would  not  prophefy  fo. 

Men.  I  think,  the'policy  of  that  purpofe  made  more" 
in  the  marriage,  than  the  love  of  the  parties. 

Eno.  I  think  fo  too.  But  you  lhall  find,  the  band^ 
that  feems  to  tie  their  friendfhip  together,  will  be  the 
very  flrangler  of  their  amity  :  Gftavia  is  of  a  holy, 
cold,  and  flill  converfation, 

Men.  Who  would  not  have  his  wife  fo  ? 
•  Eno.  Not  he,  that  himfelf  is  not  fo ;  which  is  Mark 
Antony.  He  will' to  his  Egyptian  diih  again':  then 
lhall  the  fighs  of  Octavia  blow  the  fire  up  in  Casfar ; 
and,  as  I  faid  before,  that  which  is  the  ftrength  of 
their  amity,  fhall  prove  the  immediate  author  of 
their  variance.  /Antony  will  ufe  his  affection  where 
it  is ;  he  marry'd  but  his  occafion  here. 

Men.  And  thus  it  may  be.     Come,  fir,  will  you 

aboard  ? 
I  have  a  health  for  you. 

Eno.  I  lhall  take  it,  fir  :'  we  have  us'd  our  throats 
in.  Egypt. 
Men.  Come  ;  let's  away.  [Exeunt. 


SCENE 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     i91 

SCENE    VII. 

Near  mount  Mifenum. 
On  beard  Pompey's  Galley •< 

Mufick  plays.     Enter  two  or  three  Servants  ivitb  a  ban- 
quet. 

1  Serv.  Here  they'll  be,  man :  4  Some  o'  their  plants 
are  ill-rooted  already,  the  leafl  wind  i'  the  world  will 
blow  them  down. 

2  Serv.  Lepidus  is  high-colour'd. 

1  Serv.  s  They  have  made  him  drink  alms-drink. 

2  Serv.  6  As  they  pinch  one  another  by  the  difpo- 
fition,  he  cries  out,  no  more;  reconciles  them  to  his 
entreaty,  and  himfelf  to  the  drink. 

1  Serv.  But  it  raifes  the  greater  war  between  him 
and  his  difcretion. 

2  Serv.  Why,  this  it  is  to  have  a  name  in  great 
men's  fellowfhip  :  I  had  as  lief  have  a  reed  that  will 
do  me  no  fervice,  as  7  a  partizan  I  could  not  heave. 

i  Serv.  8  To  be  call'd  into  a  huge  fphere,  and  not 

to 

*  —Some  o1  their  plants — ]  Plants,  befides  its  common  meaning, 
is  here  ufed  for  the  foot,  from  the  Latin.    JOHNSON. 

5  They  have  made  him  drink  alms-drink.]    A  phrafe,  amongft 
good  fellows,  to  fignify  that  liquor  of  another's  (hare  which  his 
companion  drinks  to  eafe  him.     But  it  fatirically  alludes  to  Caefar 
and  Antony's  admitting  him  into  the  triumvirate,  in  order  to  take 
off  from  themfelves  the  load  of  envy.     WAR  BURTON. 

6  As  they  pinch  one  another  by  the  difpofition, ]     A   phrafe 

equivalent  to  that  now  in  uie,  of  Touching  one  in  ajore place, 

WARBURTON. 

7  • a  partizan ]  A  pike.     JOHNSON. 

8  To  be  call'd  into  a  huge  fphere,  and  not  to  be  feen  to  move  /"«'/, 
are  the  holes  where  cycsjhould  be,  'which  pitifully  d:f after  the  cketks.] 
This  fpeech  feems  to  be  mutilated  ;  to  fupply  the  deficiencies  is 
impoflible,  but  perhaps  the  fenfe  was  originally  approaching  to  this. 

To  be  called  into  a  hngefphere^  and  not  to  bejeea  to  move  in  //,  is  a 
VOL.  VIII.  O  very 


i94  ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

to  be  feen  to  move  in't,    are  the  holes  where  eyes 
Ihould  be,  which  pitifully  difafter  the  cheeks. 

A  fennel  founded.  Enter  C<?far,  Antony ,  Pompey,  Le- 
ptdus,  Agnppa,  Mecxnas,  Enobaybus,  Menus,  with 
olber  Captains. 

Ant.  Thus  do  they,  fir :  They  take  the  flow  o'  the- 

Nile 

By  certain  fcales  i*  the  pyramid ;  they  know, 
By  the  height,  the  lownefs,  or  the  mean  9,  if  dearth, 
Or  foizon,  follow  '  :  The  higher  Nilus  fwells, 
The  more  it  promifes :  as  it  ebbs,  the  feedfman 
Upon  the  (lime  and  ooze  fcatters  his  grain, 
And  fhortly  comes  to  harveft. 

Lcp.  You  have  ftrange  ferpents  there. 

Ant.  Ay,  Lepidus. 

Lcp.  Your  fcrpcnt  of  JEgypt  is  bred  now  of  your 
mud  by  the  operation  of  your  fun  :  fo  is  your  croco- 
dile. 

Ant.  They  are  fo. 

very  ignominious  ftate  ;   great  offices  are  the  holei  where  ryesjhould 
be,  '<vbiJj,  if  eyes  be  wanting,  pitifully  difafter  the  cheeks. 

JOHNSOV. 

In  the  eighth  book  of  the  Civil  IFars,  by  Daniel,  ft.  103,  is  a 
pafiage  which  refembles  this,  though  it  will  hardly  ferve  to  explain 
it.     The  earl  of  Warwick  fays  to  his  confeflbr : 
I  know  that  I  VCRJVfJ  unto  a  /f  here 
That  is  ordain  (I  to  move.     It  is  the  place 
My  fate  appoints  me ;  and  the  region  where 
I  muft,  whatever  happens  there  embrace. 
Difturbance,  travail,  labour,  hope  and  fear, 
Are  of  that  clime,  ingender'd  in  that  place  : 
And  aftion  beft,  I  fee,  becomes  the  bed  : 
The  ftars  that  have  molt  glory,  have  no  reft.'* 

STEEVENS. 
9  — the  mean, — ]  i.e.  the  middle.     STFEVENS. 

1  Or  iwLQ\\  follow  : ]    Foizon  is  a  French  word  fignifying 

plenty,  abundance.     I  am  told  that  it  is  ftill  in  common  ui'e  in  the 
rionn. 


ANTONY    AND   CLEOPATRA.    195 

Pomp.  Sit,  —  and  fome  wine.  —  A  health  to  Lepi- 
dus. 

Lap.  I  am  not  fo  well  as  I  fhould  be,  but  I'll  ne'er 
out. 

Eno.  Not  'till  you  have  flcpt  ;  I  fear  me,  you'll  be 
in,  'till  then. 

Lep.  Nay,  certainly,  I  have  heard,  the  Ptolemies' 
Pyramifes  are  very  goodly  things  ;  without  contra- 
diction,  I  have  heard  that. 

Men.  Pompey,  a  word.  [A/ide* 

Pomp.  Say  in  mine  ear  :  What  is't? 

Men.  Forfake  thy  feat,  I  do  befeech  thee,  captain, 


And  hear  me  fpeak  a  word. 

Pomp.  Forbear  me  'till  anon.  —  This  wine  for  Le- 
pidus. 

Lep.  What  manner  o'  thing  is  your  crocodile  ? 

Ant.  It  is  fhap'd,  fir,  like  it  felf  ;  and  it  is  as  broad 
as  it  hath  breadth  :  it  is  juft  fo  high  as  it  is,  and 
moves  with  its  own  organs  :  it  lives  by  that  which 
nouriiheth  it  ;  and  the  elements  once  out  of  it,  ic 
tranfmigrates. 

Lep.  What  colour  is  it  of? 

Ant.  Of  its  own  colour  too. 

Lep.  'Tis  a  itrange  ferpent. 

Ant.  'Tis  fo.    And  the  tears  of  it  are  wet, 

C#f.  Will  this  defcription  fatisfy  him  ? 

Ant.  WTith  the  health  that  Pompey  gives  him,  elfe 
he  is  a  very  epicure. 

Pomp.  [To  Menas  afidcJ}  Go,  hang,  fir,  hang  !  Tell 

me  of  that  ?  away  ! 
Do  as  I  bid  you.  —  Where's  the  cup  I  call'd  for  ? 

Men.  If  for  the  fake  of  merit  thou  wilt  hear  me, 
Rife  from  thy  ftool. 

Pomp.  [Rifes,  and  walks  afide.~]  I  think,  thou'rt  mad, 
The  matter  ? 

Mtn.  I  have  ever  held  my  cap  off  to  thy  fortunes. 
O  2 


196     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Pomp.  [To  Menas.~]  Thou  haft  ferv'd  me  with  much 

faith  :  What's  elfe  to  fay  ? — 
Be  jolly,  lords. 

Ant.  Thefe  quick-fands,  Lepidus, 
Keep  off  them,  for  you  fink. 

Men.  Wilt  thou  be  lord  of  all  the  world  ? 

Pomp.  What  fay 'ft  thou  ? 

Men.  Wilt  thou  be  lord  of  the  whole  world  ?  That's 
twice. 

Pomp.  How  (hall  that  be  ? 

Men.  But  entertain  it, 

And,  though  you  think  me  poor,  I  am  the  man 
Will  give  thee  all  the  world. 

Pomp.  Haft  thou  drunk  well  ? 

Men.  No,  Pompey,  I  have  kept  me  from  the  cup. 
Thou  art,  if  thou  dar'il  be,  the  earthly  Jove  : 
Whate'er  the  ocean  pales,  or  iky  inclips1, 
Is  thine,  if  thou  wilt  have  it. 

Pomp.  Shew  me  which  way. 

Men.  Thefe  three  world-fliarers,  thefe  competitors, 
Are  in  thy  veffel :  Let  me  cut  the  cable  l ; 
And,  when  we  are  put  off,  fall  to  their  throats : 
All  then  is  thine 4. 

Pomp.  Ah,  this  thou  ihould'ft  have  done, 

*  "crjky  Inclips,]   i.e.  embraces.    STEEVEXS. 

3  .  Let  me  cut  the  cable  ;]  So,  in  the  old  tnmilation  of  Plu- 
tarch: "  Now  in  the  middeft  ot  the  feail,  when  they  fell  to  be 
merie  v.'ith  Antonius  loue  vnto  Cleopatra  :  Menas  the  pirate  came 
to  Pompey,  and  whifpering  in  his  eare,  faid  unto  him  :  fhall  I  cut 
the  gables  of  the  ankers,  and  make  thee  Lord  not  only  of  Sicile 
and  Sardinia,  but  of  the  whole  empire  of  Rome  beiides  ?  Pompey 
hauing  pawled  a  while  vpon  it,  at  length  auniwered  him  :  thou 
fhouldeft  haue  done  it,  and  neuer  haue  told  it  me,  but  now  we 
muft  content  vs  with  that  we  haue.  As  for  my  felfe,  I  was  ne- 
uer taught  to  breake  my  faith,  nor  to  be  counted  a  traitor." 

STEEVENS. 

*  All  then  It  thine.'}    The  old  copy  reads ;    All  there  is  thine. 
If  alteration  be  necellary,  we  might  as   well  give  :    All  theirs  is 
thine.     All  there,  however,  may  mean  ail  in.  the  vfjJeL.  STEEVENS. 

And 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     197 

And  not  have  fpoke  of  it !  In  me,  'tis  villany ; 
In  thee,  it  had  been  good  fervice.  Thou  muft  know, 
'Tis  not  my  profit  that  does  lead  mine  honour  ; 
Mine  honour,  it.     Repent,  that  e'er  thy  tongue 
Hath  fo  betray'd  thine  act :  Being  done  unknown, 
I  fhould  have  found  it  afterwards  well  done ; 
But  muft  condemn  it  now.     Defift,  and  drink. 

Men.  For  this, 

I'll  never  follow  5  thy  pall'd  fortunes  more. — 
Who  feeks,  and  will  not  take,  when  once 'tis  offer'd, 
Shall  never  find  it  more. 

Pomp.  This  health  to  Lepidus. 

Ant.   Bear  him  aihore. — I'll  pledge  it  for  him, 
Pompey. 

Eno.  Here's  to  thee,  Menas. 

Men.  Enobarbus,  welcome. 

Pomp.  Fill,  'till  the  cup  be  hid. 

Eno.  There's  a  ftrong  fellow,  Menas. 

[Pointing  to  the  attendant  who  carries  off  Lepidus. 

Men.  Why? 

Eno.  He  bears 
The  third  part  of  the  world,  man  ;  See'ft  not  ? 

Men.  The  third  part  then  he  is  drunk  :  'Would  it 

were  all, 
That  it  might  go  on  wheels  ! 

Eno.  Drink  thou  ;  encreafe  the  reels. 

Men.  Come. 

Pomp.  This  is  not  yet  an  Alexandrian  feaft. 

Ant.  It  ripens  towards  it. — 6  Strike  the  veffels,  ho  ! 

Here 

s  —  tJ.y  pall'd  fortunes — ]  Pallet!,  is  vapid,  paft  its  time  of 
excellence  ;  palled  wine,  is  wine  that  has  loft  its  original  fpriteli- 
r.efs.  JOHNSON. 

So,  in  the  Hift.  ofCly onion  Knight  of  the  Golden  Shield,  &c. 
1599: 

"  Can  comfort  more  the   careful  corps  and  over-palled 
ipiight."     STEEVENS. 

* Strike  the  vtjjcb, ]    Try  whether  the  calks  found  as 

empty.    JOHNSON. 

O  3 


I93     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Here  is  to  Csefar. 

Caf.  I  could  well  forbear  it. 
It's  ijionftrous  labour,  when  I  walh  my  brain, 
And  it  grows  fouler. 

Ant.  Be  a  child  o'  the  time. 

Caf.   Poffefs  it, 

I  will  make  anfwer  :  but  I  had  rather  faft 
From  all,  four  days,  than  drink  fo  much  in  one. 

Eno.  Ha,  my  brave  emperor !  [To  Ant. 

Shall  we  dance  now  the  Egyptian  Bacchanals, 
And  celebrate  our  drink. 

Pomp.  Let's  ha't,  good  foldier. 

Ant.  Come,  let's  'all  take  hands ; 
'Till  that  the  conquering  wine  hath  fteep'd  our  fenfc 
In  foft  and  delicate  lethe. 

Eno.  All  take  hands. 

Make  battery  to  our  ears  with  the  loud  muiic  :— 
The  while,  I'll  place  you  :  Then  the  boy  mall  fing; 
7  The  holding  every  man  fhall  bear,  as  loud 
As  his  ftrong  fides  can  volly. 

[Mvjick  plays.     Enobarbus  places  them  band  in  hand. 

I  believe,  ftrikt  the  vtfleh  means  no  more  than  chink  thcvejjels  one 
Rgainjl  the  other,  as  a  mark  of  our  unanimity  in  drinking  as  we  DOW 
faj,  chink  glajfes.     SrEEVENS. 
7  In  old  editions : 

The  holding  every  man  Jkall  beat, — 

The  company  were  to  join  in  the  burden,  which  the  poet  ftiles, 
the  Holding.  But  how  were  they  to  beat  this  with  thtirjides  ?  I 
am  perfuaded,  the  poet  wrote: 

The  holding  r~''ry  manjball  bear,  as  loud 
As  his  Jlrong  Jides  can  volly. 

The  breaft  zndjia'es  are  immediately  concerned  in  draining  to  fing 
as  loud  and  forcibly  as  a  man  can.  THEOBALD. 

Mr.  Theobald's  emendation  is  very  plaufible  ;  and  yet  beat  I 
believe  to  have  been  the  poet's  word,  however  harfti  it  may  ap- 
pear at  prefent.  In  Hen.  VIII.  we  find  a  fimilar  exprellion  : 

"  let  the  mufic  knock  it."     STEEVEKS. 

The  holding  every  man  Jkall  beat, ]  Every  man  (hall  accom- 
pany the  chorus  by  drumming  on  his  fides,  in  token  of  concur- 
pence  and  applaufe.  JOHNSON. 

SONG. 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     199 

SONG. 

Come,  thou  monarch  of  the  vine, 
P lumpy  Bacchus,  with  pink  eyne 8 : 
In  thy  vats  our  cares  be  drown*  d ; 
With  thy  grapes  our  hairs  be  crown'd; 
Cup  us  'till  the  world  %o  round ; 
Cup  us,  *till  the  world  go  round! 

.  What  would  you  more? — Pompey,  goodnight. 

Good  brother, 
Let  me  requeft  you  off:  our  graver  bufinefs 
Frowns  at  this  levity. — Gentle  lords,  let's  part; 
You  fee,  we  have  burnt  our  chee-ks  :  ilrong  knobarbe 
Is  weaker  than  the  wine ;  and  mine  own  tongue 
Splits  what  it  fpeaks  :  the  wild  difguife  hath  almoft 
Antick'd  us  all.     What  needs  more  words  ?  Good 

night. — 
Good  Antony,  your  hand. 

Pomp.  I'll  try  you  on  the  fhore. 
Ant.  And  mall,  fir  :  give's  your  hand. 
Pomp.  9  O,  Antony,  you  have  my  father's  houfe, 

But, 

8  — ivitb  pink  ey ne :"}     Dr.  Johnfon,  in  his  Dictionary  favs  a 
pink  eye  is  a  fmall  eye,  and  quotes  this  pafTage  for  his  authority. 
Phikeyue,  however,  may  be  red  eyes :  eyes  inflamed  with  drinking, 
are  very  well  appropriated  to  Bacchus.     So,  in  Julius  Co-far : 

"  — fuch  jfrm-/  and  fuch  fiery  eyes." 

So,  Greene,  in  his  Defence  of  Coney-catd/ing,  11592:  " — like  a 
phik-cy'd  ferret."  Again,  in  a  fong  fung  by  a  drunken  Clown  iu 
Marius  and  SyUa,  \  594  : 

"  Thou  mr.keft  fome  to  ftumble,  and  many  mo  to  fumble, 
"  And  me  have//'«-fy  eyne,  moil  brave  and  jolly  wine  !" 

STEEVLNS. 

9  O,   Antony,  you  have  my  fatbe r'j  bou/c, ]   The  hillorian  Patcr- 
culus  fays  :   "  Cum  Pompcia  ijunqm  circa  M'fenum pax  in/fa  :   $>jii 
L  :i  <.J  abj'urde  cum  in  navi  Crtfarcmque  et  Antcnium  i\tna  cx;ipcr(t, 
ill^it :     In  Carinis  fitis  fe  cccnam  dare  :   referetts  hoc  diclum  ad  loci 
nomen  in  quo  paier na  dom us  ab  Antonio  pojjuiebaiiir"     Our  author, 
though  he  loft  the  joke,  yet  feems  willing  to  commemorate  the 
fiory .     \  V  A  u  B  u  R  T  o  N  . 

O  4  The 


too    Atf TONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

But  what  ?  we  are  friends :  Come,  down  into  the  boat, 

Eno.  Take  heed  you  fall  not.— 
iMenas  I'll  not  on  Ihore. 

Men.  No,  to  my  cabin. — 

Thefe  drums  !  — rhefe  trumpets,  flutes  !  what  I—- 
Let Neptune  hear  w.ebid  a  loud  farewel 
To  thefe  great  fellows  :  Sound,  and  be  hang'd,  found 
out.  [Sound  aflouri/h,  with  drums. 

Eno.  Ho,  fays  'a  ! — There's  my  cap. 

Men.  Ho ! — noble  captain  !  Come !  [Exeunt. 


ACT    III.      SCENE    L 

A  Plain  in  Syria. 

fnter  Ventidius,  as  after  conqueft ;    with  Silius  and  other 
Romans,  and  the  dead  body  of  Pacorus  borne  before  him. 

Yen.  Now,  darting  Parthia,  art  thou 'ftruck;  and 

now 

Pleas'd  fortune  does  of  Marcus  Craflus'  death 
Make  me  revenger. — Bear  the  king's  fon's  body 
Before  our  army  : — Thy  Pacorus,  Orodes  * ! 
Pays  this  for  Marcus  praffus. 

SiL  Noble  Ventidius, 

Whilft  yet  with  Parthian  blood  thy  fword  is  warm, 
The  fugitive  Parthians  follow ;  fpur  through  Media, 

The  joke  of  which  the  learned  editor  feems  to  lament  the  lofs,  is 
tiot  preserved  in  the  old  tranflation  of  Plutarch,  and  Shakefpeare 
looked  no  further.  STEEVENS. 

*  Struck]  alludes  to  darting.  Thou  whofe  darts  have  fo  often 
ftruck  others,  art  ftruck  now  thyfelf.  JOHNSON. 

a  — Thy  Pacorus,  Orodes  /]  Pacorui  was  the  fon  of  OroJes,  king 
of  Parthia.  STEEVENS, 

Mefopotamia, 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.    201 

Mefopotamia,  and  the  flickers  whither 
The  routed  fly  :  fo  thy  grand  captain  Antony 
Shall  fet  thee  on  triumphant  chariots,  and 
Put  garlands  on  thy  head. 

Ven.  O  Silius,  Silius, 

I  have  done  enough  :  A  lower  place,  note  well, 
May  make  too  great  an  act  :  For  learn  this,  Silius  ; 
Better  to  leave  undone,  than  by  our  deed 
Acquire  too  high  a  fame,  when  he  we  ferve's  away. 
Casfar,  and  Antony,  have  ever  won 
More  in  their  officer,  than  perfon  :  Soflius, 
One  of  my  place  in  Syria,  his  lieutenant, 
For  quick  accumulation  of  renown, 
Which  he  atchiev'd  by  the  minute,  loft  his  favour. 
Who  does  i'  the  wars  more  than  his  captain  can, 
Becomes  his  captain's  captain  :  and  ambition, 
The  foldier's  virtue,  rather  makes  choice  of  lofs, 
Than  gain,  xvhich  darkens  him. 
I  could  do  more  to  do  Antonius  good, 
But  'twould  offend  him ;  and  in  his  offence 
Should  my  performance  perifh. 

Sll  Thou  haft,  Ventidius,  '  that, 
Without  the  which  a  foldier,  and  his  fword, 
Grants    fcarce    diftindrion,      Thou    wilt   write    to 
Antony  ? 

Ven.  I'll  humbly  iignify  what  in  his  name, 
That  magical  word  of  war,  we  have  effected ; 
How,  with  his  banners,  and  his  well-paid  ranks, 
The  ne'er-yet-beaten  horfe  of  Parthia 
We  have  jaded  out  o'  the  field. 

1 that,  without  the  which 

A  foldier,  and  his  fi'.'ord,  grants fcarce  diftinftion  :~\ 
Grant,  for  afford.  It  is  badly  and  obfcurely  exprefled  :  but  the 
fenfe  is  this,  Thou  hjjt  that^  Ventidim,  which  if  thou  didjl  want, 
there  would  be  no  diftinflionbetwcen  thce  and  thy  fword.  Tou  would 
le  loth  equally  cutting  andftnfelefs.  This  was  wifdom  or  knowledge 
pt  the  world.  Ventidius  had  told  him  the  reafons  why  he  did  not 
purfue  bis  advantages  :  and  his  friend,  by  this  compliment,  ac- 
jtnow ledges  them  to  be  of  weight.  WAR  BUR  TON. 

SIL 


202    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Sil,  Where  is  he  now  ? 

Ven.  He  purpofeth  to  Athens :  whither  with  what 

hafie 

The  weight  we  muft  convey  with  us  will  permit, 
We  lhall  appear  before  him. — On,  there ;  pafs  along. 

[Exeunt. 

SCENE      II. 

Rome. 

C<efar's  Houfe. 
Enter  Agrippa  at  one  door,  Enobarbus  at  another. 

Agr.  What,  are  the  brothers  parted  ? 

Eno.  They  have  difpatch'd  with  Pompey,  he  is 

gone  ; 

The  other  three  are  fealing.     O&avia  weeps 
To  part  from  Rome  :  Caefar  is  fad  ;  and  Lepidns, 
Since  Pompey's  feaft,  as  Menas  fays,  is  troubled 
With  the  green  ficknefs, 
Agr.  'Tis  a  nobie  Lepidus. 
Eno.  A  very  fine  one  :  O,  how  he  loves  C^fur  ! 
Agr.  Nay,  but  how  dearly  he  adores  Mark  Antony  ! 
Eno,  Caefar  ?  Why,  he's  the  Jupiter  of  men. 
Agr.  What's  Antony  ?  The  god  of  Jupiter. 
Eno.  Spake  you  of  Casfar  ?  How  ?  the  nonpareil ! 
Agr.  O  Antony  !  O  thou  *  Arabian  bird  ! 
Eno.  Would  you  praife  Ca3 far,  fay, — Ca:far; — go 

no  further. 
Agr.  Indeed,  he  plied  them  both  with  excellent 

praifes. 
Eno.    But  he  loves  Casfar  belt ; — Yet  he  loves 

Antony  : 

Ho !  hearts,  tongues,  figures,  fcribes,  '*  bards,  poets, 
cannot 

Think, 

* — — Arabian  llrJf\  The  phoenix.     JOHNSON. 

3 —  lards t  poets , — ]  Not  only  the  tautology  of  bards  and  poets, 
but  the  want  of  a  correfpondent  action  for  thepoet,  whofe  buiiuefs 

in 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     203 

Think,  fpeak,  caft,  write,  fing,  number,  ho,  his  love 
To  Antony.     But  as  for  Csefar,  kneel, 
Kneel  down,  kneel  down,  and  wonder. 

Agr.  Both  he  loves. 

Eno.  They  are  h  is  fhards,  and  he  their  beetle4.  So,-— 
This  is  to  horfe. — Adieu,  noble  Agrippa.  [Trumpets. 

Agr.  Good  fortune,  worthy  foldier  ;  and  farewel. 

Enter  Ctffar,  Antony,  Lepidus,  and  Ottav'ia* 
Ant.  No  further,  fir. 

in  the  next  line  is  only  to  number,  makes  me  fufpeft  fome  fault  In 
this  pnflage,  which  I  know  not  how  to  mend.  JOHNSON. 

I  fufpeft  no  fault.  The  ancient  lard  fung  his  compofitions  to 
the  harp  ;  the  poet  only  commits  them  to  paper.  Verfes  are  often 
called  numbers,  and  to  number,  a  verb  (in  this  fenfe)  of  Shake- 
fpeare's  coining,  is  to  make  verfes. 

This  puerile  arrangement  of  words  was  much  fludied  in  the  age 
of  Shakefpeare,  even  by  the  firft  writers. 

So  in  An  excellent  Sonnet  of  a  Nymph,  by  Sir  P.  Sidney  ;  printed 
in  E  gland's  Helicon,  1614  : 

*  Vertue,  beautie,  and  fpeech,  did  ftrike,  wound,  charme, 
'  My  heart,  eyes,  eares,  with  wonder,  love,  delight : 

'  Firft,  fecond,  lait,  did  binde,  enforce,  and  arme, 

'  His  works,  fhowes,  futes,  with  wit,  grace,  and  vowes-might: 

'  Thus  honour,  liking,  truft,  much,  farre,  and  deepe, 

*  Held,  pearft,  pofleii,  my  judgment,  fence,  and  will; 

'  Till  wrongs,  contempt,  deceite,  did  grow,  fteale,  creepe, 

*  Bands,  favour,  hiith,  to  breake,  defile,  and  kill. 

'  Then  gricfe,  unkindnes,  proofe,  tooke,  kindled,  taught, 
'  Well  grounded,  noble,  due,  ipite,  rage,  difdaine  : 
'  But  ah,  alas  (in  vaine)  my  mind,  fight,  thought, 
'  Doth  him,  his  face,  his  words,  leave,  fhunne,  refraine  : 

«'  For  nothing,  time,  norplace,  can  loofe,  quench,  eafc, 
"  Mine  own,  embraced,  fought,  knot,  fire,  difeafe." 

STEEVENS. 

*  They  are  bis  fliards,  andbe  their  beetle. — ]  i.  e.  They  are  the 
•wings  that  raife  this  hcaiy  lumpijb  infetf  from  the  ground. 
So  in  Macleth, 

"  the •  Jbard-l>ornc  beetle."    STEEVENS. 

trf. 


204-    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 


You  take  from  me  a  great  part  of  myfelf  J  ; 
Ufe  me  well  in  it.  —  Sifter,  prove  fuch  a  wife 
As  my   thoughts   make  thee,    and  6  as  my  furtheft 

band 

Shall  pafs  on  thy  approof.  —  Moft  noble  Antony, 
Let  not  the  piece  of  virtue,  which  is  fet 
Betwixt  us,  as  the  cement  of  our  love, 
To  keep  it  builded,  be  the  ram,  to  batter 
The  fortrefs  of  it  :  for  better  might  we 
Have  lov'd  without  this  mean,  if  on  both  parts 
This  be  not  cherifh'd. 

Ant.  Make  me  not  offended 
In  your  didruft. 

C*f.  I  have  faid. 

Ant.  You  lhall  not  find, 

Though  you  be  therein  curious  *,  the  leaf!  caufe 
For  what  you  feem  to  fear  :  So,  the  gods  keep  you, 
And  make  the  hearts  of  Romans  ferve  your  ends  ! 
We  will  here  part. 

Off.  Farewel,  my  deareft  fifter,  fare  thee  well  ; 
*  The  elements  be  kind  to  thee,  and  make 

Thy 

5  You  take  from  me  a  great  part  of  myfelf  ;  ] 
So  in  the  Tempcfi  : 

"  I  have  given  you  here  a  third  of  my  own  life." 

STEEVENS. 

6  <as  my  furtheft  land~\  As  I  will  venture  the  greateft 
pledge  of  fecurity,  on  the  trial  of  thy  conduit.     JOHNSON. 

'  -  therein  curious,]  i.  e.  fcrupulous.  So  in  the  Taming 
of  a  Shrew  : 

"  For  curious  I  cannot  be  with  you."    STEEVENS. 
8  The   elements  lie  kind,  &c.]    This  is  obfcure.     It  feems  to 
mean,  May  the  different  elements  of  the  body,  or  principles  of  lifet 
maintain  fuch  proportion  and  harmony  as  may  keep  you  cheerful. 

JOHNSON. 

The  elements  le  kind,  &c.  I  believe  means  only,  May  the  four  elt- 
tnents,  of  which  this  ivorldis  compofeJt  unite  their  injluenccs  to  make 
thee  cheerful. 

There  is,  however,  a  thought  which  feems  to  favour  Dr.  John- 
fon's  explanation  in  The  two  noble  Kinfmen  by  Beaumont,  Fletcher, 
and  Shakefpeare  : 

««  -  My 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     205 

Thy  fpirits  all  of  comfort !  fare  thee  well. 

Otta.  My  noble  brother  ! — 

Ant.  The  April's  in  her  eyes  ;  It  is  love's  fpring, 
And  thefe  the  Ihowers  to  bring  it  on  : — Be  cheerful. 

Otta.  Sir,  look  well  to  my  huiband's  houfe  ;  and— 

C*f.  What,  Odavia? 

O&a.  I'll  tell  you  in  your  ear. 

Ant.  Her  tongue  will  not  obey  her  heart,  nor  can 
Her  heart  inform  her  tongue :  the  fwan's  down  feather, 
That  ftands  upon  the  fwell  at  full  of  tide, 
And  neither  way  inclines. 

Eno.  Will  Cffifar  weep  ? 

Agr.  He  has  a  cloud  in  his  face. 

Eno.  He  were  the  worfe  for  that  were  he  a  horfe 9; 
So  is  he,  being  a  man. 

Agr.  WThy,  Enobarbus  ? 
When  Antony  found  Julius  Csefar  dead, 
He  cried  almoft  to  roaring  :  and  he  wept, 
When  at  Philippi  he  found  Brutus  flain. 

44  My  precious  maid, 

"  Thofe  beft  affedions  that  the  heavens  infufe 

"  In  their  beft  temper'd  pieces,  keep  enthron'd 

"  In  your  dear  heart !" 
Again,  in  Twelfth  Night : 

**  Does  not  our  life  confift  of  the  four  elements  f— Faith,  fo 
they  fay." 
And  another,  which  may  ferve  in  fupport  of  mine, 

**   "  the  elements ^ 

"  That  know  not  what  nor  why,  yet  do  effect 

"  Rare  i flues  by  their  operance." 

Thefe  parting  words  of  Casfar  to  his  fitter,  may  indeed  mean  no 
more  than  the  common  compliment  which  the  occafion  of  her 
voyage  very  naturally  required.  He  wifhes  that  ferene  weather 
and  profperous  winds  may  keep  her  fpirits  free  from  every  apprehenfio* 
that  might  difturb  or  alarm  them.  STEEVENS. 

9  — were  he  a  horfe ;]  A  horfe  is  faid  to  have  a  cloud  in  his  face, 
when  he  has  a  black  or  dark-coloured  fpot  in  his  forehead  between 
his  eyes.  This  gives  him  a  four  look,  and  being  fuppofed  to  in- 
dicate an  ill-temper,  is  of  courfe  regarded  as  a  great  blemifh. 

STEEVENS. 

Eno> 


to6    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

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

rheum  ; 

What  willingly  he  did  confound,  he  waird  : 
1  Believe  it,  'till  I  weep  too. 

Off.  No,  fwect  Odlavia» 

You  fhall  hear  from  me  dill ;  the  time  fhall  not 
Out-go  my  thinking  on  you. 

Ant.  Come,  fir,  come; 
1*11  wreftle  with  you  in  my  ftrength  of  love  : 
Look,  here  I  have  you;  thus  I  let  you  go, 
And  give  you  to  the  gods. 

Ctff.  Adieu ;  be  happy  ! 

Lep.  Let  all  the  number  of  the  ftars  give  light 
To  thy  fair  way  ! 

C<ef.  Farewel,  farewel !  [Rifles  ORavia. 

Ant.  Farewel!  [Trumpets foundi     Exeunt* 

S    .C      E      N      E        III. 

fhe  palace  in  Alexandria. 
Enter  Cleopatra,  Cbarmiatt,  Irast  and  Alexas. 

Cleo.  Where  is  the  fellow  ? 

Alex.  Half  afeard  to  come. 

Cleo.  Go  to,  go  to  :— Come  hither,  fir. 

Enter  Meffenger. 
Alex.  Good  majefty, 
Herod  of  Jewry  dare  not  look  upon  you, 
But  when  you  are  well  pleas'd. 

1  Believe  ity  till  I  weep  too.']  I  have  ventur'd  to  alter  the  tenfe 
of  the  verb  here,  againft  the  authority  of  all  the  copies.  There 
was  no  fenfe  in  it,  I  think,  as  it  ftood  before.  THEOBALD. 

I  am  afraid  there  was  better  fenfe  in  this  paflage  as  it  ftood  be- 
fore, than  Mr.  Theobald's  alteration  will  afford  us.  Believe  />, 
(fays  Enobarbus)  that  Antony  didfo,  i.e.  that  be  wept  over  fuch 
an  event)  till  you  fee  me  weeping  on  the  fame  occafon,  vjhen  I  Jhall  be 
oW'^ed  to  you  for  putting  fucb  a  conftruftion  on  my  tears,  which ,  in, 
reality ',  (like  ibis)  will  be  tears  of  joy.  I  have  replaced  the  old 
reading.  Theobald  reads,  "•//'///  wept  too,"  STEEVENS. 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     207 

Cleo.  That  Herod's  head 
I'll  have  :  But  how  ?  when  Antony  is  gone, 
Through  whom  I  might  command  it. — Come  thou 
near. 

Mef.  Moft  gracious  majefty, — 

Cleo.  Didft  thou  behold 
Oftavia  ? 

Mef.  Ay,  dread  queen. 

Cleo.  Where? 

Mef.  Madam,  in  Rome 
I  look'd  her  in  the  face  ;  and  faw  her  led 
Between  her  brother  and  Mark  Antony. 

Cleo.  Is  fhe  as  tall  as  me  a  ? 

Mef.  She  is  not,  madam. 

Cleo.  Didft  hear  her  fpeak  ?  Is  fhe  fhrill-tongu'd, 
or  low  ? 

Mef.  Madam,  I  heard  her  fpeak ;  fhe  is  low-voic'd. 

Cleo.  That's  not  fo  good : — he  cannot  like  her  long. 

Char.  Like  her  ?  O  Ifis !  'tis  impoffible. 

Cleo.  I  think  fo,  Charmian:  Dull  of  tongue,  and 

dwarfifh  !  — 

What  majefty  is  in  her  gait  ?  Remember, 
If  e'er  thou  look'dft  on  majefty. 

Mef.  She  creeps ; 

Her  motion  and  her  ftation  J  are  as  one : 
She  fhews  a  body  rather  than  a  life  ; 
A  ftatue,  than  a  breather. 

Cleo.  Is  this  certain  ? 

Mef.  Or  I  have  no  obfervance. 

*  Isjbcastall  as  we?  &c.  &c.  &c.]  Thisfcene  (fays  Dr.  Gray) 
is  a  manifeft  allufion  to  the  queftions  put  by  queen  Elizabeth  to 
fir  James  Melvil,  concerning  his  miftrefs,  the  queen  of  Scots. 
Whoever  will  give  himfelf  the  trouble  to  confult  his  Memoirs, 
will  probably  fuppofe  the  refemblance  to  be  more  than  accidental. 

STEEVENS. 

3  -  •  her  Nation]  Station,  in  this  inftance,  means  the  aft  of 
Jlandlng.  So  \\\  Hamlet : 

"  Aviation  like  the  herald  Mercury."  STEEVENS, 

2,  Char. 


ao8    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA, 

Char.  Three  in  JEgypt 
Cannot  make  better  note. 

Cleo.  He's  very  knowing, 

I  do  perceive't: — There's  nothing  in  her  yet  :— 
The  fellow  has  good  judgment. 

Char.  Excellent. 

Cleo.  Guefs  at  her  years,  I  pr'ythec. 

Mef.  Madam,  fhe  was  a  widow. 

Cleo.  Widow  ? — Charmian,  hark. 

Mef.  And  I  do  think,  (he's  thirty. 

Cleo.  Bear'fl  thou  her  face  in  mind  ?  is  it  long,  or 
round  ? 

Mef.  Round  even  to  faultinefs. 

Cleo.  For  the  molt  part  too, 
They  are  foolim  that  are  fo. — Her  hair,  what  colour  ? 

Mef.  Brown,  madam  :  And  her  forehead 
As  low  as  fhe  would  wifh  it. 

Cleo.  There's  gold  for  thee. 
Thou  muft  not  take  my  former  fharpnefs  ill  : — 
I  will  employ  thee  back  again ;  I  find  thee 
Moft  fit  for  bufinefs  :  Go,  make  thee  ready  ; 
Our  letters  are  prepar'd. 

Char.  A  proper  marl. 

Cleo.  Indeed,  he  is  fo  :  I  repent  me  much, 
That  I  fo  harry'd  him  4.     Why,  methinks,  by  him, 
This  creature's  no  fuch  thing. 

Char.  Nothing,  madam. 

Cleo.  The  man  hath  feen  fome  majefly,  and  fhould 
know. 

*  fo  harry'd  him. — ]  To  harry,  is  to  ufe  roughly.     I  meet 

with  the  word  in  The  Revenger's  Tragedy ',   1607  : 

"  He  harried  her,  and  midtt  a  throng,  &c." 
Again,  in  The  Downfall  of  Robert  Earl  of  Huntin*ton,    1601, 

**  Will  harry  me  about  inftead  of  her." 

Holinfhed,  p.  735,  fpeaking  of  the  body  of  Rich.  III.  fays,  it  wa» 
*'  harried  on  horfeback,  dead." 

The  fame  expreffion  had  been  ufed  by  Harding  in  his  Chro- 
nicle. Again,  Nafh  ui  his  Lenten  Stuff,  1599,  "  ——as  if  he 
were  harrying  and  chafing  hi«  enemies."  STEEVENS. 

Char. 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     209 

Char.  Hath  he  feen  majctfy  ?  Ifis  elfe  defend, 
And  ferving  you  fo  long  ! 

Cleo.  I  have  one  thing  more  to  afk  him  yet,  good 

Charmian  :  — 

But  'tis  no  matter ;  thou  fhalt  bring  him  to  me 
Where  I  will  write:  All  may  be  well  enough. 

Cbar.  I  warrant  you,  madam.  [Exeunt. 

SCENE       IV. 

Antony's  boufe  at  Athens. 
Enter  Antony,  and  Oclavia. 

Ant.  Nay,  nay,  Odtavia,  not  only  that, — • 
That  were  excufable,  that,  and  thoufands  more 
Of  femblable  import, — but  he  hath  wag'd 
New  wars  'gainft  Pompcy  ;  made  his  will,  and  read  it 
To  public  ear : 

Spoke  fcantily  of  me  :  when  perforce  he  could  not 
But  pay  me  terms  of  honour,  cold  and  fickly 
He  vented  them  ;  moft  narrow  nieafure  lent  me  : 
5  When  the  beft  hint  was  given  him,  he  not  took  it, 
Or  did  it  from  his  teeth. 

Ofia.  O  my  good  lord, 
Believe  not  all ;  or,  if  you  mufl  believe, 
Stomach  not  all.     A  more  unhappy  lady, 
If  this  divifion  chance,  ne'er  flood  between, 
Praying  for  both  parts ;  The  good  gods  will  mock 

me  prefently 

When  I  {hall  pray,  O,  bkfs  my  lord  and  bujband! 
Undo  that  prayer,  by  crying  out  as  loud, 
Of  blefs  my  brother  !  Huiband  win,  win  brother, 
Prays,  and  deftroys  the  prayer  ;  no  midway 
'Twixt  thcfe  extremes  at  all. 

5        When  the  left  lint  was  given  L!mt  /?>£  o'erlook'd. 

Or  did  it  from  his  teeth.'] 

The  firft  folio  reads,  not  look'd.    Dr.  Thirlhy  ndvis'd  the  emen- 
dation which  I  have  inferred  in  the  text.     TKSOBAJLD. 

VOL.  VIII.  1>  Ant. 


*ro    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

A:t.  Gentle  Odavia, 

Let  your  belt  love  draw  to  that  point,  which  feeks 
Be  ft  to  preferve  it :  If  I  lofe  mine  honour, 
I  lofe  myfelf  :  better  I  were  not  yours, 
Than  yours  fo  branchlefs.     But,  as  you  requested, 
Yourfclf  lhall  go  between  us  :  6  The  mean  time,  lady, 
J'll  raifc  the  preparation  of  a  war 
Shall  ftain  your  brother  :  Make  your  fooneft  hafte  ; 
So  your  deiires  are  yours. 

Ofta.  Thanks  to  my  lord. 

The  Jove  of  power  make  me  mofl  weak,  moft  weak, 
Your  reconciler !  7  Wars  'twixt  you  twain  would  be 
As  if  the  world  ihould  cleave,  and  that  flain  men 
Should  folder  up  the  rift. 

Ant.  When  it  appears  to  you  where  this  begins, 
Turn  your  difpleafure  that  way  ;  for  our  faults 
Can  never  be  fo  equal,  that  your  love 
Can  equally  move  with  them.     Provide  your  going ; 
Choofe  your  own  company,  and  command  what  coft 
Your  heart  has  mind  to.  [Exeunt. 

*       — —  the  mean  time,  lady, 

I'll  ralj'e  the  preparation  of  a  "Mar 

Shall  ftain  your  brother  ; ] 

Thus  the  printed  copies.  But,  fure,  Antony,  whofe  bufincfs 
here  is  to  mollify  Odtavia,  does  it  with  a  very  ill  grace  :  and  'tis 
a  very  odd  way  of*  fatisfying  her,  to  tell  her  the  war,  he  raifes, 
(hall  J'tain,  i.  e.  caft  an  odium  upon  her  trjther.  I  have  no 
doubt,  but  we  muft  read,  with  the  addition  only  of  a  fingte 
letter. 

Shall  ftrain  jwzr  brother  ; 

i.  e.  (hall  lay  him  under  conftraints;  fliall  put  him  to  fnch  fliifrs, 
that  he  (hall  neither  be  able  to  make  a  progrefs  againrt,  or  to  pre- 
judice me.  Plutarch  fays,  that  O&avius,  underfhnJing  the  Cud- 
den  and  wonderful  preparations  of  Antony,  was  alionifh'd  at  it ; 
for  he  himfelf  was  in  many  wants  ;  and  the  people  were  forely  op- 
preflcdwith  grievous  exactions.  THEOBALD. 

I  do  not  fee  but  ftain  may  be  allowed  to  remain  unaltered, 
meaning  no  more  tianjbamc  or  difgrace.  JOHNSON. 

7  — wars  'twixt you  twain  would  Ic,  &c.]  The  fenfe  is,  that 
warbetween  Cscfar  and  Antony  would  engage  the  world  between 
them,  aud  that  the  (laughter  would  be  great  in  fo  extenlive  a 
commotion.  JOHNSON. 

SCENE 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     211 

SCENE     V. 

The  fame. 
Enter  Enobarbus,  and  Eros. 

Eno.  How  now,  friend  Eros  ? 

Eros.  There's  flrange  news  come,  fir. 

Eno.  What,  man  ? 

Eros.  C«efar  and  Lepidus  have  made  wars  upon 
Pompey. 

Eno.  This  is  old ;  What  is  the  fuccefs  ? 

Eros.  Caefar,  having  made  ufe  of  him  in  the  wars 
'gainft  Pompey,  prefently  denied  him  *  rivality  ; 
would  not  let  him  partake  in  the  glory  of  the  action  : 
and  not  refling  here,  accufes  him  of  letters  he  had 
formerly  wrote  to  Pompey  ;  9  upon  his  own  appeal, 
feizes  him  :  So  the  poor  third  is  up,  'till  death  en- 
large his  confine. 

Eno.  l  Then  'would  thou  had'fl  a  pair  of  chaps,  no 

more  ; 

And  throw  between  them  all  the  food  thou  haft, 
They'll  grind  the  other.     Where  is  Antony  ? 

Eros.  He's  walking  in  the  garden — thus ;  andfpurns 
The  rum  that  lies  before  him  :  cries,  Fool,  Lepidus! 
And  threats  the  throat  of  that  his  officer, 
That  murder'd  Pompey., 

*  rivalify.]  Equal  rank.     JOHNSON. 

9  Upon  his  tnvn  appeal,~\  To  appeal,  in  Shakefpeare,  is  to  accufei 
Caefar  feized  Lepidus  without  any  other  proof  than  Caefar's  ao 
cufation.  JOHNSON. 

1  Then  Vw/A/  tbou  bacTft  a  pair  of chaps ,  no  more",  and  throw 
let-iveen  them  all  the  food  thou  haft,  they'll  grind  the  other.  Where's 
Antony  ?]  This  is  obfcure,  I  read  it  thus, 

Then,  world,  thou  haft  a  pair  of  chaps,    no  more t 
And  fhro'iv  between  them  all  the  food  thou  hajl, 
They'll  grind  the  one  the  other.      Where's  Antony  ? 
Csefar  and  Antony  will  make  war  on  each  other,    though  they 
iwvc  the  world  to  prey  upon  between  them. 
P  2, 


2i2     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Eno.  Our  great  navy's  rigg'd. 

Eros.'  For  Italy,  and  Czefar.     2  More,  Domitius ; 
My  lord  dcfires  you'prefently  :  my  news 
I  might  have  told  hereafter. 

Eno.  'Twill  be  naught  : 
But  let  it  be. — Bring  me  to  Antony. 

Eros.  Come,  fir.  [Exeitni. 

S    C    E,  N   E     VI. 

Rome.     C^far's  loufe. 
Enter  Co-far,  dgrippa,  and  Macaias. 

Ccf.  Contemning  Rome,  he  has  done  all  this :  And 

more ; 

In  Alexandria,  — here's  the  manner  of  it, — 
T  the  market-place  J,  on  a  tribunal  filver'd, 
Cleopatra  and  himfelf  in  chairs  of  gold 
Were  publickly  enthron'd  :  at  the  feet,  fat 
Czefarion,  whom  they  call  my  father's  fon ; 
And  all  the  unlawful  iiiue,  that  their  luft 
Since  then  hath  made  between  them.     Unto  her 

*  —  jl/fln-,  Domitius  ;~\  I  have  fomething  more  to  tell  you, 
which  I  might  have  told  at  firft,  and  delayed  my  news.  Antony 
requires  your  pretence.  JOHNSON. 

3  /'  tie  market-place, — ]  So  in  the  old  tranflation  of  Plutarch. 
«'  For  he  aifembled  all  the  people  in  the  ihovv  place,  where  younge 
men  doe  exercile  them  felues,  and  there  vpon  a  high  tribunal? 
filuered,  he  fet  two  chayres  of  gold,  the  one  tor  him  felfe,  and 
the  other  for  Clecpatra,  and  lower  chaires  for  his  children  :  then- 
he  openly  published  before  the  affembly,  that  firft  of  nil  he  did 
eftablifn  Clecpatra  queene  of  Egypt,  of  Cyprvs,  of  Lyuia,  and  of 
the  lower  Syria,  and  at  that  time  alfo,  Caefarion  king  of  the  fame 
realmes.  This  Csefarion  was  iuppofed  to  be  the  Ibnne  of  Julius 
Csefar,  who  had  left  Cleopatra  great  with  child.  Secondly,  he 
called  the  fonnes  he.  had  by  her,  the  kings  of  kings,  -and  gaue 
Alexander  for  his  portion,  Armenia,  Media,  and  Parthia,  when 
he  had  conquered  the  contry  :  and  vnto  Ptolemy  for  his  portion, 
Phcnicia,  Syria,  and  Cilicia."  STEEVENS. 

He 


ANTONY,AND  CLEOPATRA.     413 

He  gave  the  'flablifhment  of  JEgypt ;  made  her 
Of  lower  Syria,  Cyprus,  4  Lydia, 
Abfolute  queen. 

Mac.  This  in  the  public  eye? 

C*f.  Pthe  common  mew-place,  where  they  ex- 

crcife. 

His  fons  he  there  proclaim'd,  The  kings  of  k  ngs  : 
Great  Media,  Parthia,  and  Armenia, 
He  gave  to  Alexander  ;  to  Ptolemy  he  aflign'd 
Syria,  Cilicia,  and  Phoenicia  :  She 
In  the  habiliments  of  the  goddefs  Ifis  5 
That  day  appear'd  ;  and  ott  before  gave  audience, 
As  'tis  reported,  fo. 

Mec.  Let  Rome  be  thus 
Inform'd. 

Agr.  Who,  queafy  with  his  infolence 
Already,  will  their  good  thoughts  call  from  him. 

C#f.  The  people  kno'.v  it ;  and  have  now  received 
His  accufations. 

Avr.  Whom  docs  he  accufe  ? 

C<zf.  C^far  :  and  that,  having  in  Sicily 
Sextus  Pcmpeius  fpoil'd,  we  had  not  rated  him 
His  part  o'  the  ifle  :  then  does  he  fay,  he  lent  me 
Some  Shipping  unreflor'd  :  laftly,  he  frets, 

*  For  LyJia,  Mr.  Upton,  from  Plutarch,  has  reilored  Lylia. 

JOHNSON* 

In  the  tranflation  from  the  French  of  Ainyot,  by  Tho.  North, 
in  ioiio,  1^9-'',  \\illbefeenatoncetheoriginofthianv  . — 
"'  Firil  of  all  he  tlid  eftablifli  Cleopatra  queen  of  JEgypt,  of  Cy- 
prus, ot  LyJ:ay  and  the  lower  Syria."  FARMER. 

5  the  gos/tfffs  7/fj]  So  in  the  old  trantlution  of  Plutarch. 

"  Now  f  >r  Cleopatra,  ihe  cid  not  onely  weare  at  that  time  (but 
nt  all  other  times  els  when  Ihe  came  abroad^  rhe  apparell  of  the 
godddSe  Ills,  and  fo  gaue  audience  vnto  all  her  fubje<fts,  as  u  new 
Ii»s."  STEEVENS. 

•  I  fiird  the  charafter  of  this  work  pretty  early  delineated  : 
"  '  Twns  Greek  at  niit,  tl^'  Greek  was  Latin  made, 
That  L-nin  French,  that  French  to  English  ftraid  : 
'J'hus  'twixt  OHC  Plutarch  there'*  mere  <iifference, 
.Than  i'  th*  fame  Englilhajan  rtrui n'd  from  Fiance.** 

FAIT 

P   ;  That 


2i4    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

That  Lepidus  of  the  triumvirate 

Should  be  depos'd  ;  and,  being,  that  we  detain 

-All  his  revenue. 

Agr.  Sir,  this  fliould  be  anfwer'd. 

Caf.  'Tis  done  already,  and  the  meflenger  gone* 
I  have  told  him,  Lepidus  was  grown  too  cruel  ; 
That  he  his  high  authority  abus'd, 
And  did  deferve  his  change  :  for  what  I  have  con- 

.     quer'd, 

I  grant  him  part  ;  but  then,  in  his  Armenia, 
And  other  of  his  conquer'd  kingdoms,  I 
Demand  the  like. 

Msc.  He'll  never  yield  to  that. 

Gef.  Nor  mull  not  then  be  yielded  to  in  this. 

Enter  Oftavia. 
Ofta.  Hail,  Casfar,  and  my  lord  !  hail,  moft  dear 


C<ef.  That  ever  I  fhould  call  thee,  caft-away  ! 

Ofla.  You  have  not  call'd  me  fo,  nor  have  yoq, 
caufe. 

Qef.  Why  have  you  ftol'n  upon  us  thus  ?  You 

come  not 

Like  Csefar's  filler  :  The  wife  of  Antony 
Should  have  an  army  for  an  ufher,  and 
The  neighs  of  horfe  to  tell  of  her  approach, 
Long  ere  fhe  did  appear  :  the  trees  by  the  way, 
Should  have  borne  men  ;  and  expectation  fainted, 
Longing  for  what  it  had  not  :  nay,  the  duft 
Should  have  afcended  to  the  roof  of  heaven, 
Rais'd  by  your  populous  troops  :   But  you  are  come 
A  market-maid  to  Rome;  and  have  prevented 
The  orientation  of  our  love,  which,  left  unihewn^ 
Is  often  left  unlov'd  :  we  fhould  have  met  you 
By  fea,  and  land  ;  fupplying  every  ilage 
With  an  augmented  greeting. 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     21$ 

Oft  a.  Good  my  lord, 

To  come  thus  was  I  not  conftrain'd,  but  did  it 
On  my  free  will.     My  lord,  Mark  Antony, 
Hearing  that  you  prepar'd  for  war,  acquainted 
My  grieved  ear  withal ;  whereon,  I  begg'd 
His  pardon  for  return. 

Caff  6  Which  foon  he  granted, 
Being  an  obftrudt  'tween  his  lull  and  him. 

Ofta.  Do  not  fay  fo,  my  lord. 

Caf.  I  have  eyes  upon  him, 
And  his  affairs  come  to  me  on  the  wind* 
Where  is  he  now  ? 

Ofta.  My  lord,  in  Athens. 

Caf.  No,  my  mod  wronged  fitter ;  Cleopatra 
Hath  nodded  him  to  her.   He  hath  given  his  empire 
Up  to  a  whore  ;  who  now  are  levying 
7  The  kings  o'  the  earth  for  war  :  He  hath  aiTcmblcd 
Bocchns,  the  king  of  Libya  ;  Archelaus, 
Of  Cappadocia  ;  Philadelphos,  king 
Of  Paphlagonia ;  the  Thracian  king,  Adallas ; 
King  Malchus  of  Arabia ;  king  of  Pont ; 
Herod  of  Jewry ;  Mithridates,  king 
Of  Comagene  ;  Polemon  and  Amintas, 
fhe  kings  of  Mede,  and  Lycaonia, 
With  a  more  larger  lift  of  fcepters. 

*        IVhicb  foon  be  granted, 

Being  an  abftradt  'tween  hhluft  and  him. ,] 

Antony  very  foon  comply  M  to  let  O&avia  go  at  her  requeft,  fays 
Caefar  ;  and  why  ?  Becaufe  flie  was  an  abftratt  between  his  inor- 
dinate paflion  and  him  ;  this  is  abfurd.  We  mud  read, 

Being  an  obftru£t  'tween  his  lujl  and  him, 

i.  e.  his  wife  being  an  obitru&ion,  a  bar  to  the  profecutlon  of  his 
wanton  pleafures  with  Cleopatra.    WAR  BURTON. 

7  Mr.  Upton  remarks,  that  there  are  fome  errours  in  this  enu- 
meration of  the  auxiliary  kings  :  but  it  is  probable  that  the  au- 
thour  did  not  much  wifli  to  be  accurate.     JOHNSON. 
Mr.  Upton  propofes  to  read  : 

**  • Polemon  and  Amintas 

"  Of  Lycnonia ;  and  the  king  of  Mede." 
And  {his  obviates  all  impropriety.    STEEVENS. 

P  4  Off  A 


ai6     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA, 

Qfta.  Ay  me,  moil  wretched, 
That  have  my  heart  parted  betwixt  two  friends, 
That  do  afflid:  each  other  ! 

Caf.  Welcome  hither  : 

Your  letters  did  withhold  our  breaking  forth  ;     • 
'Till  we  perceived,  both  how  you  were  wrong  led, 
And  we  in  negligent  danger.     Cheer  your  heart  : 
Be  you  not  troubled  with  the  time,  which  drives 
O'er  your  content  thefe  ftrong  ncceffities  ; 
But  let  determin'd  things  to  de'Ji'ny 
Hold  unbewail'd  their  way.     Welcome  to  Rome  ; 
Nothing  more  dear  to  me.     You  are  abus'd 
Beyond  the  mark  of  thought  :  and  the  high  gods, 
To  do  you  juftice,  make  their  minifters 
Of  us,  and  thole  that  love  you.     Be  of  comfort  8  $ 
And  ever  welcome  to  us. 

Agr.  Welcome,  lady. 

Mec.  Welcome,  dear  madam* 
Each  heart  in  Rome  does  love  and  pity  you  ; 
Only  the  adulterous  Antony,  moft  large 
In  his  abominations,  turns  you  off; 
And  gives  his  9  potent  regiment  to  a  trull, 
That  noifes  it  againft  us. 


8  Be  of  comfort.']  The  old  ooyy—Bcft  of  comfort.  STEEVENS, 

9  —  potent  regiment  —  ]  Regiment,  is,  government,  authority  ;  he 
puts  \\\s  power  and  his  empire  into  the  hands  of  a  falfe  woman. 

It  may  be  obferved,  that  trull  \vas  not,  in  our  author's  time,  a 
term  of  mere  infamy,  but  a  word  of  flight  contempt,  as  wench  is 
now.  JOHNSON. 

Regiment  is  ufed  for  regimen  or  government  by  moil  of  our  an- 
cient writers.     The  old  tranflatioa  of  the  Scbela  Salcrnitanat  ij 
called  the  Rcgin:cnt  of  He/to. 
Again,  in  Lylly's  Ji'owi  in  the  IToon,   i  597  : 

"  Or  Hn\.tr  in  I^luto's  regiment." 
Again,  in  S;  enicr's  F,  ,  B.  II.  c.  x  : 

*'  So  ;v'-n  he  ha>:  rcli/n'd  his  regiment" 

Trull  is  not  employed  in  an  unfavourable  feme  by  G.  Peele  in  the 
Song  or  Ccridon  and  Mel.nt'pus,  pubiifned  in  England's  Helicon: 
"  When  fwaines  fwect  pipes  are  putt,  and  truh  arc  \varme." 

Again, 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     2t* 

Ocia.  Is  it  fo,  fir  ? 

Ctf.  Moil  certain-.  Sifter,  welcome  :  Pray  you, 
£e  ever  known  to  patience  :  My  deareft  lifter  ! 

{Exeunt^ 

SCENE        VII. 

/Intones  campt  near  the  promontory  of  Aftium. 
Enter  Cleopatra,  and  Enobarbus. 

Cleo.  I  will  be  even  with  thee,  doubt  It  not. 

Eno.  But  why,  why,  why  ? 

Cleo.    Thou  haft    *  forfpoke  my  being  in   thefg 

wars  ; 

And  fay 'ft,  it  is  not  fit. 
Eno.  Well,  is  it,  is  it  ? 

Again,  in  Damtetas's  Jigge  in  praife  of  his  love,  by  John  WooN 
ton  ;  printed  in  the  fame  collection  : 

«'  be  thy  mirth  feene  ; 

**  Heard  to  each  hvaine,  feene  to  each  /;•#//."     STEEVENS. 

1    forfpcke  my  being ]     To  forfpealt^  is  to  contrad'tR^  to 

fpcak  agauift,  as  forbid  is  to  order  negatively.     JOHNSON. 
Thus,  in  the  Arraignment  of  Paris,   1580: 

«  _thy  \\feforfpoJte  by  love." 

To  for/peak  like\vife  fignifieJ  to  curfe.     So  in  Drayton's  Ep'-Jlle 
from  Elinor  Cobham  to  Duke  Humphrey : 

"  Or  toferfotak  whole  flocks  as  they  did  feed." 
foforfpeaJt,  in  the  laft  initance,  has  the  fame  power  as  to  forbid 
in  MaL-5ftb : 

"  He  faall  live  a  man  forW 
So  to  for think  meant  anciently  to  repent, 

"  Thertore  of  it  be  not  to  boolde, 

«'  Lelt  ti\ou  for  think  it  when  thou  art  olde." 

Interlude  ofToutb,  bl.  1.  no  date. 

And  in  Gower,  De  Confcjjione  Amantis^  b.  i.  to  forjhape   is  to 
itiijbape. 

"  Out  of  a  man  into  a  ftone 

«'   Fnrfbape,  &-c." 
Toforfyeak  has  genernlly  reference  to  the  mifchiefs  effected  by 

enchantment.     So   in  Ben  Jonfon's  Staple  of  Nt^vs^  '" a 

\vitcii,  golUp  to  fcrjj. :-ak  the  mutter  thus.''     In  SLukefpeare  it  is 

j lite  of  bfftca':,      ii T £ E V E K S. 

Cleo. 


*i$     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Cko.  Is't  not  denounc'd  againft  us  ?  Why  Ihould 

not  we 
Be  there  in  perfon  *  ? 

Eno.  [4fide.~]  Well,  I  could  reply  : 

If  we  iliould  ferve  with  horfe  and  mares  together, 
The  horfe  were  merely  loft  ;  the  mares  would  bear 
A  foldier,  and  his  horfe. 

Cko.  What  is't  you  fay  ? 

Eno.  Your  prefence  needs  muft  puzzle  Antony  ; 
Take  from  his  heart,  take  from  his  brain,  from  his 

time, 

What  fliould  not  then  be  fpar'd.     He  is  already 
Traduc'd  for  levity ;  and  'tis  faid  in  Rome, 
That  Photinus  an  eunuch,  and  your  maids, 
Manage  this  war. 

Cleo.  Sink  Rome;  and  their  tongues  rot, 
That  fpeak  againft  us  ?  A  charge  we  bear  i'  the  war, 
And,  as  the  prefident  of  my  kingdom,  will 
Appear  there  for  a  man.     Speak  not  againft  it ; 
I  will  not  ftay  behind. 

Eno.  Nay,  I  have  done  :   Here  conies  the  em- 
peror. 

Enter  .Antony,  and  Camdius. 

Ant.  Is  it  not  ftrange,  Canidius, 
That  from  Tarentum,  and  Brundufium, 
He  could  fo  quickly  cut  the  Ionian  fea, 
And  take  in  Toryne  8  ? — You  have  heard  on't,  Aveet? 

Cleo. 

*  ///  not  denounc'd  again/I  us  ?  &c.]     I  would  read  : 

**  Is't  not  ?  Denounce  againft  us,  why  fhould  not  we 
*'  Be  there  in  perfon  ?"  TYRWHITT. 

1  y?tf*/takc  in  Toryne.~\  To  take  in  is  to  gain  by  conqueft, 
So  in  the  1 8th  Song  of  Drayton's  Polyolbion  : 

"  He  took  ftrong  I  very  /'»,  &c." 
Again,  in  Knolles's  Hi//,  of  the  Turks : 

*'  He  lent,  &c.  to  take  in  the  other  cities  of  Tunis." 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     219 

CUo.  Celerity  is  never  more  admir'd, 
Than  by  the  negligent. 

Ant.  A  good  rebuke, 

Which  might  have  well  becom'd  the  beft  of  men, 
To  taunt  at  flacknefs. — Canidius,  we 
Will  fight  with  him  by  Tea. 

Cleo.  By  fea  !  What  elfe  ? 

Can.  Why  will  my  lord  do  fo  ? 

Ant.  For  that  he  dares  us  to't. 

Eno.  So  hath  my  lord  dar'd  him  to  (ingle  fight. 

Can.  Ay,  and  to  wage  this  battle  at  Pharfalia, 
Where  Casfar  fought  with  Pompey  :  But  thefe  offers, 
Which  ferve  not  for  his  vantage,  he  lhakes  off; 
And  fo  fhould  you. 

Eno.  Your  Ihips  are  not  well  mann'd  : 
Your  mariners  are  muleteers  *,  reapers,  people 
Ingroft  by  fwift  imprefs ;  in  Casfar's  fleet 
Are  thofe,  that  often  have  'gainfl  Pompey  fought : 
Their  fiiips  are  yare ;  yours,  heavy  5  :  No  difgrace 
Shall  fall  you  for  refufing  him  at  fea, 
Being  prepar'd  for  land. 

Ant.  By  fea,  by  fea. 

Eno.  Moft  worthy  fir,  you  therein  throw  away 
The  abfolute  foldierfnip  you  have  by  land  ; 
Diftract  your  army,  which  doth  molt  confift 
Of  war-mark'd  footmen  ;  leave  unexecuted 
Your  own  renowned  knowledge ;  quite  forego 

Again,  in  the  Poly  oil  ion,  Song  I : 

"  Where  tak<»g  in  the  towns  pretended  to  belong 
*'  Unto  that  Grecian  lord,  &c." 
Again,  in  Warner's  Albion's  England,    1602,  chap.  3  : 

.  *'  He  therefore,  landing  took  in  Crete,  &c."    STEETEICS. 
*  — muleteers, — ]  The  old  c«pv  reads  mditen.     MA  LOME. 

5   Their  fops  arc  yare;   years   heavy; ]    So   in    fir   Tho. 

North's  Plntarcb.  — "  Casfar's  fliips  were  not  b'.iilt   for  pomp, 
hifi[h  and  great,  &c.  but  they  were  light  ofyarage,"     Tare  gene- 
Hilly  fijjnifies,  Jrxtrou*,  manageable. 
§0  in  Goxver,  DtCtitftjioileAmantls,  lib.  v.  fol.  loi.b. 

*'  The  wiuUc  was  good,  the. fhip  was  var*.'J    STEEVEVS. 

The 


220     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA, 

The  way  which  promifes  afTurance  ;  and 
Give  up  yourfelf  merely  to  chance  and  hazard, 
From  firm  fecurity. 

Ant.  I'll  fight  at  fea. 

Cleo.  I  have  fixty  fails,  Carfar  none  better. 

Ant.  Our  overplus  of  fliipping  will  we  burn  ; 
And,  with  the  refc  full-mann'd,  from  the  head  of 

Aftium 

Beat  the  approaching  C^far.     But  if  we  fail, 
We  then  can  do't  at  land.— Thy  bufinefs  ? 

Enter  a  Mejfenger. 

Mef.  The  news  is  true,  my  lord ;  he  is  defcried  ; 
Casfar  has  taken  Toryne. 

Ant.  Can  he  be  there  in  perfon  ?  'tis  impoflible  ; 
Strange,  that  his  power  Ihouid  be. — Canidius, 
Our  nineteen  legions  thou  ihalt  hold  by  kind, 

our  twelve  thoufand  horfe  : — We'll  to  our  fhip  j 
,  my  Thetis  *  ! — How  now,  worthy  foldicr  ? 

Enter  a  Soldier. 

Sold.  O  noble  emperor  6,  do  not  fight  by  fea  ; 
Truft  not  to  rotten  planks  :  Do  you  mifdoubt 
This  fvvord,  and  thefe  my  wounds  ?   Let  the  ^Egyp- 
tians, 

*  — my  Thetis  ! ]  Antony  addrefles  Cleopatra  by  the  name 

of  tliis  fea-nymph,  becaufe  fhe  had  jult  promifcd  him  alFiilance  in 
his  naval  expedition.     STEEVENS. 

*  O  nolle  emperor,  feV.]  So  in  the  old  tranflation  of  Plutarch. 
11  Now,  as  he  was  fettinghis  men  in  order  of  battcl,  there  was  a 
captaine,  &  a  valliant  man,  that  had  ferued  Antonius  in  many 
battels  8c  conflicts,  &c  had  all  his  body  hacked  &  cut .-  who  as  An- 
tonius pafled  by  him,  cryed  out  vnto  him,    &  fnyd  :  O,  noble 
emperor,  how  commeth  it  to  pafie  that  you  truft  to  there  vile 
brittle  (hippes  ?  wh^t,  doe  you  miiiruft  thefe  woundes  of  myne, 
and  this  iword  ?  let  the  jEgyptia:;s  and  Phaenicians  fight  by  fea, 
and  fet  vs  on  the  mnine  land,  where  we  vfe  to  cor/jr-er,  or  to  be 
fl'.iyne  on  our  feete.     Antonius  pafled  by  him,  ano  fayd  nciicr  a 
word,  but  only   beckoned  to  him  with  his  hand  and  head,    as 
though  he  willed  him  to  be  of  good  cor::ge,  although  indeede  he 
had  no  great  corage  himfeife."    STEEVENS. 

And 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     221 

And  the  Phoenicians,  go  a  ducking;  we 
Have  us'd  to  conquer,  {landing  on  the  earth, 
And  fighting  foot  to  foot. 

Ant.  Well,  well,  away. 

[Exeunt  Antor.y,  Cleopatra,  and  Enobarbus. 

Sold.  9  By  Hercules,  I  think,  I  am  i'  the  right. 

Can.  Soldier,  thou  art :  but  his  whole  action  grows 
Not  in  the  power  on't :  So  our  leader's  led, 
And  we  are  women's  men. 

Sold.  You  keep  by  land 
The  legions  and  the  horfe  whole,  do  you  not  ? 

Can.  Marcus  Odavius,  Marcus  Jufteius, 
Publicola,  and  Qelius,  are  for  fea  : 
F)Ut  we  keep  whole  by  land.     This  fpecd  of  Cgefar'a 
Carries  beyond  belief. 

Sold.  While  he  was  yet  in  Rome, 
His  power  went  out  in  fuch  '  diitradtions,  as 
Beguil'cl  all  fpies. 

Can.  Who's  his  lieutenant,  hear  you  ? 

Sold.  They  fay,  one  Taurus. 

Can.  Well  I  know  the  man. 

Efi/cr  a  Mejjenger. 

Mef.  The  emperor  calls  Canidius. 

Can.  With  news  the  time's  with  labour ;  and  throws 

forth, 
Each  minute,  fome.  [Exeunt. 

9  By  Hercules,  I*  think,  lam  ?  the  right. 

Can.  Soldier,  theu  art ;  but  his  whole  aftion  grows 

Not  in  the  power  on't : ] 

That  is,  his  whole  conduct  becomes,  ungoverned  by  the  right,  or 
by  reafon.     JOHNSON". 

*  — diftraflions — ]  Detachments;  feparate  bodies.     JOHNSON. 
The  word  is  thus  ufed  by  fir  Paul  Rycaut   in  his  Maxims  of 

Turk'Jb  Polity  :    " and  not  fuffer  his  afie6lions  to  \vander  on 

other  wives,  Haves,  or  diJiraflioHs  of  his  love."     STEKVUNS. 


SCENE 


222     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

SCENE    VIII. 
Defame.     A  Plain. 

Enter  Cafar,  Taurus,  Officers,  6ft*. 

C<ef.  Taurus. — 

Taur.  My  lord. 

O/  Strike  not  by  land  ;  keep  whole  :  provoke  not 

battle, 

'Till  we  have  done  at  fea.     Do  not  exceed 
The  prefcript  of  this  fcrowl  :  Our  fortune  lies 
Upon  this  jump.  [Exeunt. 

Enter  Antony,  and  Enobarbus. 

Ant.  Set  we  our  fquadrons  on  yon'  fide  o'  the  hill. 
In  eye  of  Casfar's  battle ;  from  which  place 
We  may  the  number  of  the  Ihips  behold, 
And  fo  proceed  accordingly.  [Exeunt. 

Enter  Canidius,  marching  witb  his  land  army  one  way  over  - 
the  ft  age  ;  and  Taurus,  the  lieutenant  of  C<£Jar,  the  other 
way.     After  their  going  in,  is  heard  the  noife  ofafea- 
fght.     Alarum.     Enter  Enobarbus. 

Eno.  Naught,  naught,  all  naught !  I  can  behold  no 

longer : 

2  The  Antoniad,  the  ^Egyptian  admiral, 
With  all  their  fixty,  fly,  and  turn  the  rudder  ; 
To  fee't,  mine  eyes  are  blafted. 

Enter  Scarus. 

Scar.  Gods,  and  goddefles, 
All  the  whole  fynod  of  them ! 

*  77*  Ar.toniaJ,  &c.]    Which  Plutarch  fays,  was  the  name  of 
Cleopatra's  fhip.    POPE. 

Eno, 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     223 

Eno.  What's  thy  paffion  ? 

Scar.  5  The  greater  cantle  of  the  world  is  loft 
\V"ith  very  ignorance ;  we  have  kifs'd  away 
Kingdoms  and  provinces. 

JLno.  How  appears  the  fight  ? 

Scar.  On  our  fide  like  the  4  token'd  peftilence, 
Where  death  is  lure.     Yon' s  ribald  nag  of  ^Egypt, 

Whom 

3   The  greater  cantle     ••     "]  A  piece  or  lump.     POPE. 
Cantle  is  rather  a  corner.   Czfar  in  this  play  mentions  the  three- 
*0dtV«wr&     Of  this  triangular  world  every  triumvir  had  a  cor- 
ner.    JOHNSON. 

The  word  is  ufed  by  Chaucer  in  the  Knight's  Tale,  late  edit, 
v.  5010 : 

"  Of  no  partie  necantelof  a  thing."     STEEVENS. 

*  taken*  d •]  Spotted.     JOHNSON. 

The  death  of  thofe  viiited  by  the  plague  was  certain  when  par- 
ticular eruptions  appeared  on  the  Ikin  ;  and  thefe  were  called  GoJ's 
tokens.     So,  in  the  comedy  of  T--VO  ivife  Men  and  all  the  reft  Fools, 
in  feven  adts,   1619  :    "   A  will  and  a  tolling  bell  are  as  prefent 
death  as  Goers  tokens."     Again,  in  Herod  and  Antipater,   1622: 
**  His  ficknefs,  madam,  rage  ill  like  a  plague 
**  Once  fpotted,  •never  cur'd." 
Again,  in  'love's  Labour's  Lofl  : 

"  For  the  Lord's  tokens  on  you  both  I  fee."    STEEVENS. 

5   ribald ]    A  luxurious  f^uanderer.     POPE. 

The  word  is  in  the  old  edition  ribaudrtd,  which  I  do  not  under- 
fland,  but  mention  it,  in  hopes  others  may  raife  fome  happy  con- 
jecture. JOHNSON. 

A  ribald  is  a  lewd  fellow.     So,  in  Aracn  r.f  Fc--jcrjbam%  \  592  : 
*'   ...    .  i.   that  injurious  riball  that  attempts 
**  To  vyolate  my  dear  wyve's  chaltity." 
Again : 

'*  Injurious  ftrumpet  and  thou  ribald  knave." 
Rilaudrcd,  the  old  reading,  is,  I  believe,  no  more  than  a  cor- 
ruption.    Shakefpeare,  who  is  not  always  very  nic«  about  his  ver- 
iitication,  might  have  written  : 

Ton  ribald-rid  nag  of  Egypt,— 

i.  e.  Yon  ftrumpet  who  is  common  to  every  wanton  fellow.  It 
appears  however  from  Barrett's  Alvcaric,  i;8c,  that  the  word 
was  fometimes  written  ri&amArotts.  STEEVENS. 

'Ton  ribahl  nzg  of  jJLgypt,}  I  believe  we  fliQuld  read — bag* 

What  follows  feems  to  prove  it : 

"  She  once  being  looft, 

*'  The  noble  ruin  of  her  magic,  Anton jf, 

"  Clapiou  his  fei-wing.- TVIIWHITT. 

The 


224     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

horn  leprofy  o'crtake  !  i'  the  midft  o'  the  fight^— * 
When  vantage  like  a  pair  of  twins  appear'd, 
Both  a>  the  lame,  or  rather  ours  the  elder, 
The  brize  upon  her  7,  like  a  cow  in  June, 
Hoifts  fails,  and  flies. 

Ena.  That  1  beheld  : 

Mine  eyes  did  ficken  at  the  fight,  and  could  not 
Endure  a  further  view. 

Scar.  She  once  being  looft 8, 
The  noble  ruin  of  her  magic,  Antony, 
Claps  on  his  fea-wing,  and,  like  a  doating  mallard. 
Leaving  the  fight  in  he;ght,  flies  after  her: 
I  never  law  an  action  of  fuch  fhame  ; 
Experience,  manhood,  honour,  ne'er  before 
Did  violate  fo  itfelf. 

Eno.  Alack,  alack! 

Enter  Canidius. 

Can.  Our  fortune  on  the  fea  is  out  of  breath, 
And  finks  moft  lamentably.     Had  our  general 

The  brieze,  or  ceftrum,  the  fly  that  flings  cattle,  proves  that 
nag  is  the  right  word.  JOHNSON. 

6  Whom  leprojy  overtake  ! — ]    Leprrfy,  an  epidemical  diftemper 
of  the  ^Egyptians ;  to  which  Horace  probably  alludes  in  the  con- 
troverted line : 

* '  Contaminato  cum  grege  turplum 

*'  Morbo  virorttm."     JOHNSON. 

Leprojy  was  one  of  the  various  names  by  which  the  Lues  vene- 
rea  was  uiftinguiihed.  So,  in  Greene's  Difputation  between  a  He 
Concycatcbcr  and  a  She  Coney  catcher  ^  1592:  "  Into  what  jeopardy 
a  man  will  thruit  himfelf  for  her  that  he  loves,  altho'  for  his  fvveete 
villanie  he  be  brought  to  loathfbine  leprofie.^  STEEVENS. 

7  The  brize  upon  her, ]  The  Iri^e  is  the.  gad-Jiy.     So,  in 

Spenfer  : 

"  a  Irize,  a  fcorned  little  creature, 

*'  Through  his  fair  hide  his  angry  iting  did  threaten." 

STEEVENS. 

8  lelng  looft,]  To  Jonf  is  to  bring  a  (hip  clofe  to  the  wind. 

This  expreflion  is  in  the  old  tranflation  of  riutarch.    STEEVENS. 

Been 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.   225 

Been  what  he  knew  himfelf,  it  had  gone  well  : 
O,  he  has  given  example  for  our  flight, 
Moft  grofsly,  by  his  own. 

Eno.  Ay,  are  you  thereabouts  ?  Why  then,  good 

night 
Indeed. 

Can.  Towards  Peloponnefus  are  they  fled. 

Scar.  'Tis  cafy  to't;  and  there  will  I  attend 
What  further  comes. 

Can.  To  Csefar  will  I  render 
My  legions,  and  my  horfc  ;  fix  kings  already 
Shew  me  the  way  of  yielding. 

Eno*  I'll  yet  follow 

The  wounded  chance  of  Antony9,  though  my  reafon 
Sits  in  the  wind  againft  me.  [Exeunt. 

SCENE      IX. 

tfhe  palace  in  Alexandria, 

Enter  Antony,  with  Eros,  and  other  attendants. 

Ant.  Hark,  the  land  bids  me  tread  no  more  upon't, 
It  is  afham'd  to  bear  me  !  —  Friends,  come  hither  ; 
I  am  fo  '  lated  in  the  world,  that  I 
Have  lofl  my  way  for  ever  :  —  I  have  a  ihip 

»  The  wounded  chance  of  Antony,  —  ]  I  know  not  whether  the  au- 
thor, who  loves  to  draw  his  images  from  the  fports  of  the  field, 
might  not  have  written  : 

The  wounded  chafe  of  Antony,  - 

The  allulion  is  to  a  deer  wounded  and  chafed,  whom  all  other 
deer  avoid.     I  will,  fays  Enobarbus,  follow  Antony,  though  chafed 


The  common  reading,  however,  may  very  well  ftand. 

JOHNSON. 

1   .-  .....  ~fo  lated  in  the  war/*/,—     •  •  ]    Alluding  to  a  benighted 
traveller.     JOHNSON. 
So,  in  Macbeth,  aft  III  : 

«*  Now  fpurs  the  lated  traveller  apace."    STEEYENS, 

VOL.  VIII.  O  Laden 


226    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA, 

Laden  with  gold  ;  take  that,  divide  it ;  fly, 
And  make  your  peace  with  Casfar. 

Omnes.  Fly  !  not  we. 

Ant.  I  have  fled  myfelf ;  and  have  inftru&ed  cowards 
To  run,  and  lhc\v  their  ftioulders. — Friends,  be  gone  : 
I  have  myfelf  refolv'd  upon  a  courfe, 
Which  has  no  need  of  you  ;  be  gone  : 
My  treafure's  in  the  harbour,  take  it. — O, 
I  follow'd  that  I  blufh  to  look  upon  : 
My  very  hairs  do  mutiny  ;  for  the  white 
Reprove  the  brown  for  rafhnefs,  and  they  them 
For  fear  and  doating. — Friends,  be  gone ;  you  fhall 
Have  letters  from  me  to  fome  friends,  that  will 
Sweep  your  way  for  you.     Pray  you,  look  not  fad, 
Nor  make  replies  of  lothnefs  :  take  the  hint 
Which  my  defpair  proclaims ;  let  that  be  left 
Which  leaves  itfelf :  to  the  fea  fide  ftraightway  : 
I  will  poflefs  you  of  that  fliip  and  treafure. 
Leave  me,  I  pray,  a  little  :  pray  you  now  : — 
Nay,  dofo;  for,  indeed,  *  I  have  loft  command, 
Therefore  I  pray  you  : — I'll  fee  you  by  and  by. 

Enter  Eros,  and  Cleopatra,  led  ly  Charm'ian  and  Iras. 

Eros.  Nay,  gentle  madam,  to  him  : — Comfort  him. 

Iras.  Do,  moil  dear  queen. 

Char.  Do  !  Why,  what  elfe  ? 

Cleo.  Let  me  fit  down.     O  Juno ! 

Ant.  No,  no,  no,  no,  no. 

Eros.  See  you  here,  fir  ? 

Ant.  O  fye,  fye,  fye. 

Char.  Madam, 

Iras.  Madam  ;  O  good  emprefs  ! 
Eros.  Sir,  fir, • 

*"  — I've  lofl  command^]  I  am  not  maker  of  my  own  emotions. 

JOHNSON. 

Surely,  he  rather  means, — I  intreat  you  to  leave  me,  becaufe 
J  have  Icil  ;:I1  power  to  cttmiMnd  your  abfence.    STEEVENS. 

Ant, 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.    227 

Ant.  Yes,   my  lord,  yes; — 'He,  at  Philippi,  kept 
His  fword  even  like  a  dancer;  while  I  ftruck 
The  lean  and  wrinkled  Caffius  ;  4and  'twas  I, 
That  the  mad  Brutus  ended  :  5  he  alone 

Dealt 

3  He,  at  Philippi,  kept 

Hisfvjord  even  like  a  dancer , ] 

[n  the  Morifco,  and  perhaps  anciently  in  the  Pyrrhick  dance,  the 
iancers  held  fvvords  in  their  hands  with  the  points  upward. 

JOHN  so  v. 

I  am  told  that  the  peafants  in  Northumberland  have  a  fiuorj- 
dance  which  they  always  praftife  at  Chriftmas.  STEEVENS. 

The  Goths  in  one  of  their  dances  held  fwords  in  their  hands  with 
the  points  upwards,  fhcathed  and  unfheathed.  Might  not  the 
Moors  in  Spain  borrow  this  cuftom  of  the  Goths  who  intermixed 
viththem?  TOLLET. 

I  believe  it  means  that  Csefar  never  offered  to  draw  his  fword, 
>ut  kept  it  in  the  fcabbard,  like  one  who  dances  with  a  fword  on, 
.vhich  was  formerly  the  cuftom  in  England.  There  is  a  fimilar 
illufion  in  Titus  Andromcus,  act  II.  fc.  i : 

**  our  mother,  unadvis'd, 

"  Gave  you  a  dancing  rapier  by  your  fide."     STE EVENS. 
*  and  'hvas  /, 

That  the  mad  Brutus  ended:--     ] 

Nothing  can  be  more  in  character,  than  for  an  infamous  debauch- 
:d  tyrant  to  call  the  heroic  love  of  one's  country  and  publick  li- 
)erty,  madnefs.     WAR  BUR  TON. 
s  he  alone 

Dealt  on  lieutenant^,——] 

[  know  not  whether  the  meaning  is,  that  Cajfar  acted  only  as 
ieutenant  at  Philippi,  or  that  he  made  his  attempts  only  on  lieu- 
:enants,  and  left  the  generals  to  Antony.  JOHNSON. 

Dealt  on  lieutenantry ,  I  believe,  means  only, — fought  ly  proxy, 
"nade  war  by  his  lieutenants,  or,  on  the  ftrength  of  his  lieutenants. 
3o,  in  the  countefs  of  Pembroke's  Antonie,  1 595 : 

"  > CaiTms  and  Brutus  ill  betid, 

"  March'd  againft  us,  by  us  twice  put  to  flight, 
"  But  by  my  fole  condu<5l ;   for  all  the  time, 
"  Cxfar' heart-lick  with  fear  and  leaver  lay." 
To  deal  on  any  thing,  is  an  exprelTion  often   ufed  in  the  old 
plays.     So,  \ntheRoaringGtrI,   1611: 

14  You  vvill  deal  upon  men's  wives  no  more." 
rhe  prepofitions  ox  and  upon  are  fometimes  oddly  employed  by  our 
ancient  writers.     So,  in  Drayton's  Mife ries  of  %.  Margaret ; 
"  That  it  amaz'd  the  marchers,  to  behold 
"  Men  fo  ill  arm'd  upon  their  bows  fo  bold." 

Q  2  Upon 


228   ANTONY   AND  CLEOPATRA, 

Dealt  on  lieutenantry,  and  no  practice  had 

In  the  brave  fquares  of  war  :  Yet  now  —  No  matter. 

Cleo.  Ah,  ftand  by. 

Eros.  The  queen,  my  lord,  the  queen. 

Iras.  Go  to  him,  madam,  fpeak  to  him  ; 
He  is  unquality'd  with  very  fhame. 

Cleo.  Well  then,—  Suftain  me  :—  O  ! 

Eros.  Moft  noble  fir,  arife  ;  the  queen  approaches; 
Her  head's  declin'd,  and  6  death  will  feize  her  ;  but 
Your  comfort  makes  the  refcue. 

'Ant.  I  have  offended  reputation; 
A  moft  unnoble  fwerving. 

Eros.  Sir,  the  queen. 

Ant.  O,  whither  haft  thou  led  me,  ^Egypt  ?  See, 
7  How  I  convey  my  fhame  out  of  thine  eyes, 
By  looking  back  on  what  I  have  left  behind 
'Stroy'd  in  difhonour. 

Cleo.  O  my  lord,  my  lord  ! 
Forgive  my  fearful  fails  !   I  little  thought, 
You  would  have  follow'd. 

Ant..  -/Egypt,  thou  knew'ft  too  well, 
My  heart  was  to  thy  rudder  8  ty'd  by  the  firings, 


Upon  their  bows  muft  here  mean  on  tlefirength  of  their  faw—  re* 
lying  on  their  bows.     Again,  in  Have  with  you  to  Saffron  Walden 
&c.  by  Naflie,  1596  :  "At  Wolfe's  he  is  billeted,  fweating  and 
dealing  upon  it  molt  intentively."     Again,  in  Othello: 
"  Upon  malicious  bravery  doft  thou  come 
*'  To  ftart  my  quiet." 
Again,  in  K.  Richard  III  : 

"  -  are  they  that  I  would  have  thee  deal  upon." 

STEEVENS. 

Jeath  ixillfcize  her,  but 
Tour  comfort,  &c.] 

But  has  here,  as  once  before  in  this  play,  the  force  of  except    or 
jttilefi.     JOHNSON. 

\  How  I  convey  tnyjbame-*—]  How,  by  looking  another  way, 
X  withdraw  my  ignominy  from  your  fight.     JOHNSON. 

•  ~/yV  by  the  firings}  That  is,  by  the  heart-firing.     JOHNSOIT. 
So,  m  the  Tragcdie  of  Antonie,  done  into  Englifli  by  the  coun- 
ters of  Pembroke,   1595; 

* 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     229 

And  thou  fhould'fl  tow  me  after  :  O'er  my  fpirit 
Thy  full  fupremacy  thou  knevv'ft  ;  and  that 
Thy  beck  might  from  the  bidding  of  the  gods 
Command  me. 

Cleo.  O,  my  pardon. 

Ant.  Now  I  muft 

To  the  young  man  fend  humble  treaties,  dodge 
And  palter  in  the  fhifts  of  lownefs ;  who 
With  half  the  bulk  o'  the  world  play'd  as  I  pleas'd, 
Making,  and  marring  fortunes.     You  did  know. 
How  much  you  were  my  conqueror  ;  and  that 
My  fword,  made  weak  by  my  affedtion,  would 
Obey  it  on  all  caufe. 

Cleo.  Pardon,  pardon. 

Ant.  Fall  not  a  tear,  I  fay ;  one  of  them  rates 
All  that  is  won  and  loft  :  Give  me  a  kifs ; 
Even  this  repays  me. — We  fent  our  fchool-mafter, 
Is  he  come  back  ? — Love,  I  am  full  of  lead  : — 

Some  wine,    there,    and  our  viands : Fortune 

knows, 
We  fcorn  her  mod,  when  moft  fhe  offers  blows. 

[Exeunt* 

SCENE    X. 

C<efar's  camp,  in  Egypt. 
Enter  Cafar,  Dolabella,  Thyreus'*,  with  others. 

O/.  Let  him  appear  that's  come  from  Antony.— 
Know  you  him  ? 
^  Dol.  Czefar,  'tis  his  fchoolmafter  '  : 

"  asifhisfoule 

'  Unto  his  ladies  foule  had  been  enchained^ 

"  He  left  his  men  &c."     STEEVENS. 

9  — Ttyreus, — ]  In  the  old  copy  always — Tbldias.  STEEVEXS. 
1  —bisfiboolmafter ;]  The  name  of  this  perfon  was  Eupbronius* 

STEEVENS. 

0.3  A 


23o     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

An  argument  that  he  is  pluck'd,  when  hither 
He  fends  fo  poor  a  pinion  of  his  wing, 
Which  had  fuperflnous  kings  for  mefiengers, 
Not  many  moons  gone  by. 

Enter  Ambajfador  from  Antony. 

Caf.  Approach,  and  fpcak. 

Slmb.  Such  ai  I  am,  I  come  from  Antony  : 
I  was  of  late  as  petty  to  his  ends, 
AS  is  the  morn-dew  on  the  myrtle  leaf1 
To  his  grand  fea. 

C*f.  "Be  it  fo  ;  Declare  thine  office. 

Amb.  Lord  of  his  fortunes  he  falutes  thee,  and 
Requires  to  live  in  ./Egypt :  which  not  granted, 
He  leffens  his  requefts ;  and  to  thee  lues 

*  .  as  petty  to  his  ends, 

As  is  the  morn-dew  on.  the  myrtle  leaf 

To  \\\s  grand fea."] 

Thus  the  old  copy.  To  ivhofe  grand  fea  ?  I  know  not.  Perhaps 
\ve  fhould  read  : 

To  this  grand  feet, 

\Ve  may  fuppole  that  the  fea  was  within  view  of  Cn-far's  camp, 
•  ar.d  at  no  great  diftance.     TYRWH-ITT. 

The  modern  editors  arbitrarily  read  -.—the  grand  fea. 
I  believe  the  old  reading  is  the  true  one.     His  grand  fea  may 
mean   his  full  tiJe  of  proj'perity.     So,  in  The  t-ivo  Noble  Kinfincn 
by  B.  and  Fletcher  ; 

**    •    — though  T  know 

"  His  ocean  needs  not  my  poor  drops,  yet  they 

*'  Muil  yield  their  tribute  here." 

There  is  a  play-houfe  tradition  that  the  lirft  act  of  this  play  was 
written  by  Shakefpeare.  Mr.  Toilet  offers  a  further  explanation  of 
the  change  propoied  by  Mr.  Tyrwhitt :  "Alexandria,  towards  which 
Cajfar  was  marching,  is  fituatedon  the  coait  of  the  Mediterranean 
fea,  which  is  fometimes  called  mare  magnum.  Pliny  terms  it,  "  im- 
vtcufa  tcquorum  i-ajiitas."  I  may  add,  that  lit  John  Mandevile, 
p.  8.),  calls  that  part  of  the  Mediterranean  which  waflies  the  coaft 
ot  Paleftine,  *'  thegretcfec"  The  paflage,  however,  is  capable 
ot  yet  another  explanation.  His  grand/?-//  may  mean  the  fea  from 
which  the  dew-drop  is  exhaled.  Sliaktfpeare  might  have  con- 
fidered  the  iea  as  the  fource  of  dews  as  well  as  rain,  His  is  ufed. 
ii>  Head  of  its.  ST&EVE.NS. 

To 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.    231 

To  let  him  breathe  between  the  heavens  and  earth, 
A  private  man  in  Athens  :  This  for  him. 
Next,  Cleopatra  does  confefs  thy  greatnefs  ; 
Submits  her  to  thy  might  ;  and  of  thee  craves 
3  The  circle  of  the  Ptolemies  for  her  heirs, 
Now  hazarded  to  thy  grace. 

Caf.  For  Antony, 

I  have  no  ears  to  his  requeft.     The  queen 
Of  audience,  nor  defire,  fhall  fail  ;  fo  fhe 
From  ^Egypt  drive  her  all-difgraced  friend, 
Or  take  his  life  there  :  This  if  ihe  perform, 
She  fhall  not  fue  unheard.     So  to  them  both. 

Am]j.  Fortune  pnrfue  thee  ! 

Caf.  Bring  him  through  the  bands. 

[Exit  Ambaffador. 

To  try  th>y  eloquence,  now  'tis  time  :  Difpatch  ; 
From  Antony  win  Cleopatra  :  promife,    [70  T/yreiis. 
And  in  our  name,  what  fhe  requires  ;  add  more, 
From  thine  invention,  offers  :  Women  are  not, 
In  their  belt  fortunes,  itrong  ;  but  want  will  perjure 
The  ne'er-touch'd  veftal  :  Try  thy  cunning,  Thyreus; 
Make  thine  own  edict  for  thy  pains,  which  we 
Will  anfwer  as  a  law. 

Vhyr.  Casfar,  I  go. 

C*f.  Obferve  4  how  Antony  becomes  his  flaw  ; 
And  what  thou  think'ft  his  very  action  fpeaks 
In  every  power  that  moves. 

Csefar,  I  fhall.  [Exeunt. 


3  The  circle  of  tie  Ptolemies  .....  ]  The  diadem  ;  the  enfign  of 
royalty.     JOHNSON. 

4  —  bow  Antony  becomes  bis  Jlaiv  ;"]  That  is,  how  Antony  con- 
forms himfclf  to  this  breach  of  his  fortune,    JOHNSON. 


SCENE 


232    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

SCENE    XI. 

The  palace  in  Alexandria. 
Enter  Cleopatra,  Enolarbus^  Ckarmian,   and  Iras. 

Cleo.  What  (hall  we  do,  Enobarbus  ? 
Eno.  s  Think,  and  die. 

Cleo. 

'  Think,  and  die.}  Read: 

Drink,  and  die. 

This  reply  of  Enobarbus  feems  grounded  upon  a  peculiarity  in  the 
conduct  of  Antony  and  Cleopatra,  which  is  related  by  Plutarch  : 
that,  after  their  defeat  at  Aftium,  they  inilituted  a  fociety  of 
friends,  who  entered  into  engagement  to  die  with  them,  not 
abating,  in  the  mean  time,  any  part  of  their  luxury,  excefs,  and 
riot,  in  which  they  had  liv'd  before.  HANMER. 

This  reading,  offered  by  fir  T.  Hanmer,  is  received  by  Dr. 
Warburton  and  Mr.  Upton,  but  I  have  not  advanced  it  into  the 
page,  not  being  convinced  that  it  is  neceflary.  Think,  and  die  ; 
that  is,  Rejleft  onyour  folly,  and  leave  the  world,  is  a  natural  an- 
fwer.  JOHNSON. 

Sir  T.  Hanmer  reads  : 

Drink,  and  die. 

And  his  emendation  has  been  approved,  it  feems,  by  Dr.  War- 
burton  and  Mr.  Upton.  Dr.  Johnfon,  however,  "  has  not  ad- 


cording  to  this  explanation,  a  very  proper  anfwer  from  a  moralift  or 
a  divine ;  but  Enobarbus,  I  doubt,  was  neither  the  one  nor  the 
other.  He  is  drawn  as  a  flain,  blunt  foldier ;  not  likely,  however, 
to  offend  fo  grofsly  in  point  of  delicacy  as  fir  T.  Hanmer's  altera- 
tion would  make  him.  I  believe  the  true  reading  is  : 

Wink,  and  die. 

When  the  ftiip  is  going  to  be  caft  away,  in  the  Sea-voyage  of  Beau- 
mont and  Fletcher,  (aft  I.  fc.  i.)  and  Aminta  is  lamenting,  Ti- 
balt  fays  to  her : 

"  Go,  take  your  gilt 

**  Prayer-book,  and  to  your  bufinefs  ;  ivink,  and  die:" 
infinuating  plainly,  that  (he  was  afraid  to  meet  death  with  her  eyes 
open.     And  the  lame  infinuaticn,  I  think,  Enobarbus  might  very 
naturally  convey  in  h'is  return  to  Cleopatra's  defpcnding  queftion. 

TYRWHITT. 

lad- 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.    233 

Cleo.  Is  Antony,  or  we,  in  fault  for  this  ? 

Eno.  Antony  only,  that  would  make  his  will 
Lord  of  his  reafon.     What  though  you  fled 
From  that  great  face  of  war,  whofe  feveral  ranges 
Frighted  each  other  ?  why  fhould  he  follow  ? 
The  itch  of  his  affedtion  fhould  not  then 
Have  nick'd  his  captainfhip ;  at  fuch  a  point, 
When  half  to  half  the  world  oppos'd,  6  he  being 

The 

I  adhere  to  the  old  reading,  which  may  be  fupported  by  the 
following  paffage  in  Julius  Cafar : 

**  all  that  he  can  do 

"  Is  to  himfelf ;  take  thought,  and  die  for  Casfar." 
Mr.  Toilet  obferves  that  the  expreffion  of  taking  thought,  in  our 
old  Englifti  writers  is  equivalent  to  the  being  anxious  or  felicitous,  of 
laying  a  thing  much  to  heart.     So,  fays  he,  it  is  ufed  in  our  tranfla- 
tions  of  the  New  Teftament.    Matthew  vi.  25,  &c.     So,  in  Ho- 

linfhed,  vol.  III.  p.  50,  or  anno  1 140  :  " taking  thought  for 

the  lofle  of  his  houfesand  money,  he  pined  away  and  died."  In 
the  margin  thus  :  "  The  bifhop  of  Salilburie  dietb  of  thought" 
Again,  in  p.  833.  Again,  in  Stowe's  Chronicle,  anno  1508: 
"  Chriftopher  Hawis  fhortened  his  life  by  thought-taking"  Again, 
in  p.  546,  edit.  1614.  Again,  in  Leland's  Collectanea,  vol.  I. 
p.  234  :  "  ——their  mother  died  for  thought" — Mr.  Tyrwhitt 
might  have  given  additional  fupport  to  the  reading  which  he  of- 
fers, from  a  paflage  in  the  fecond  part  of  K.  Hen,  IV  : 

"  led  his  powers  to  death, 

"  And  winking  leapt  into  deftruclion."  STEEVENS. 
After  all  that  has  been  written  upon  this  paflage,  I  believe  the 
old  reading  is  right ;  but  then  we  muft  underftand  think  and  die  to 
mean  the  fame  as  die  of  thought,  or  melancholy,  in  this  fenfe  is 
thought  ufed  below,  a<St  IV.  ic.  vi.  and  by  Holinfhed,  Chron.  of 
Ireland,  p.  97.  "  His  father  ll'ved  in  the  tower — where  for  thought 
of  tlie  young  man  hisfollie  he  died."  There  is  a  paflage  almoft  ex- 
aclly  fimilar  in  the  Beggar's  Bujh  of  Beaumont  and  Fletcher, 
vol.  II.  p.  423  : 

Can  I  not  think  away  myfelf  and  die  ?"    TYRWHITT. 


6  he  ben 


ing 

The  meered  quejiion :  —————  ] 

The  meered  queftion  is  a  term  I  do  not  underftand.     I  know  not 
what  to  offer,  except  : 

The  mooted  quejiion. 

That  is,  the  diluted  point,  the  fubjecl  of  debate.    Mere  is  indeed 

a  loun- 


234    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

The  meered  queftion  :  'Twas  a  lhame  no  lefs 
Than  was  his  lofs,  to  courfc  your  flying  flags, 
And  leave  his  navy  gazing. 
Cko*  Pr'ythee,  peace. 

Enter  Antony,  with  the  AmbaJJador, 

Ant.  Is  that  his  anfwer  ? 

Amb.  Ay,  my  lord. 

Ant.  The  queen  {hall  then  have  courtefy, 
So  llie  will  yield  us  up. 

Amb.  He  fays  fo. 

Ant.  Let  her  know  it. — 
To  the  boy  Casfar  fend  this  grizled  head, 
And  he  will  fill  thy  wilhes  to  the  brim 
With  principalities. 

Cleo.  That  head,  my  lord  ? 

Ant,  To  him  again ;  Tell  him,  he  wears  the  rofe 
Of  youth  upon  him ;  from  which,  the  world  Ihould 

note 

Something  particular  :  his  coin,  {hips,  legions, 
May  be  a  coward's ;  whofe  miniflers  would  prevail 
Under  the  fervice  of  a  child,  as  foon 
As  i'  the  command  of  Czefar :  I  dare  him  therefore 
To  lay  7  his  gay  comparifons  apart, 

And 

a  boundary  ^  and  the  meered  quejlion,  if  it  can  mean  any  thing,  may, 
with  lome  violence  of  language,  mean,  the  d/fputed  boundary. 

JOHNSON. 
So,  in  Stanyhu rft's  translation  of  Virgil,  b.  iii.   1582: 

4i  Whereto  joinetlye  mearing  a  cantel  of  Italye  neereth." 
Barrett  in  his  Alvcarie  or  Quadruple  Dittionary,   1580,  interprets 
a  mttrf-Qooc  by  lapis  terminal:!.     .Queftion  is  certainly  the  true 
jreading.     So,  in  Hamlet,  a6t  I.  fc.  i : 

" the  king 

*'  That  was  and  is  the  queftion  of  thefe  wars." 

STEEVENS. 
7  •     •        Ins  gay  companions  apart, 

And  anfvscr  me  dedin'd, ] 

I  require  of  Ca;far  not  to  depend  on  that  Aipcri.  r'ry  which  tke 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     235 

And  anfvver  me  declin'd,  fword  againft  fvvord, 
Ourfelves  alone  :  Til  write  it ;  follow  me. 

[Exeunt  Antony  and  Amb. 

Eno.  Yes,  like  enough,  high-battled  Cafar  will 
Unftate  his  happinefs,  and  be  ftag'd  to  the  fhew  * 
Againft  a  fworder. — I  fee,  men's  judgments  are 
A  parcel  of  their  fortunes ;  and  things  outward 
Do  draw  the  inward  quality  after  them, 
To  fuffer  all  alike.     That  he  ihould  dream, 
Knowing  all  meafures,  the  full  Csefar  will 
Anfwer  his  emptinefs ! — Csefar,  thou  haft  fubdu'd 
His  judgment  too. 

Enter  an  Attendant. 

Attend.  A  meflenger  from  Ca^far. 

Cleo.  What,  no  more  ceremony? — See,my  women!— 
Againft  the  blown  rofe  may  they  ftop  their  nofe, 
That  kneel'd  unto  the  buds. — Admit  him,  fir. 

comparifon  of  our  different  fortunes  may  exhibit  to  him,  but  to  an- 
i\ver  me  man  to  man,  in  this  decline  ot  my  age  or  power. 

JOHNSON-. 
To  lay  bis  gay  comparifons  apart,]  I  fufpeft  Shakefpeare  wrote, 

his  gay  cafarifons. 

Let  him  divert  himfelf  of  the  fplendid  trappings  of  power,  bis 
coin,  Jbips,  legions,  &c.  and  meet  me  in  fingle  combat. 

C'aparifon  is  frequently  ufed  by  our  author  and  his  contempo- 
raries, for  an  ornamental  drefs. 
So  in  As  yon  Like  it,  act  III.  fc.  2  : 

"  Though  I  am  caparifon'dVike  a  man"— 
Again,  in  The  Winter's  Tale,  aft  IV.  fc.  2  : 

"  With  die  and  drab  I  purchas'd  this  cafarifou" 
The  old  reading  is  however  fuppor ted  by  a  paflhge  in  Macletb: 
*'  'Till  that  Bellona's  bridegroom,  lapt  in  proof, 
"  Confronted  him  Vi\\.\\.felf-comparifons, 
"  Point  againft  point,  rebellious." 

Dr.  Johnfon's  explanation  of  declin'd  is  certainly  right.     So  in 
Timon : 

"  Not  one  accompanying  his  declining  foot."      MALONE, 

8  bcfagtitojbevj ] 

So  Goff,  in  his  Raging  Turk,   163 1  : 

' '   as  i  f  he  Jlagd 

••  The  wounded  Friam— ,"    STEEVENS. 

Eno» 


236     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Eno.  Mine  honefty,  and  f,  begin  to  fqnare.  [AJlde. 
9  The  loyalty,  well  held  to  fools,  does  make 
Our  faith  meer  folly  : — Yet,  he,  that  can  endure 
To  follow  with  allegiance  a  fallen  lord, 
Does  conquer  him  that  did  his  mailer  conquer, 
And  earns  a  place  i'  the  flory. 

Enter  eflyrettSm 

Cleo.  Csefar's  will  ? 

fbyr.  Hear  it  apart. 

Cleo.  None  but  friends  ;  fay  boldly. 

I'hyr.  So,  haply,  are  they  friends  to  Antony.' 

Eno.  He  needs  as  many,  fir,  as  Casfar  has  ; 
Or  needs  not  us.     If  Cseiar  pleafe,  our  matter 
Will  leap  to  be  his  friend  :   For  us,  you  know, 
Whofe  he  is,  we  are ;  and  that  is,  C^far's. 

27*yr.  So. — 

Thus  then,  thou  mod  renown'd ;  '  Caefar  intreats, 
Not  to  confider  in  what  cafe  thou  itand'ft 
Further  than  he  is  Csefar. 

Cleo.  Go  on  :  Right  royal. 

*  The  loyalty,  well  held  to  fools,  &c.]  After  Enobarbus  has  faid, 
that  his  honeity  and  he  begin  to  quarrel,  he  immediately  falls  into 
this  generous  reflexion  :  **  Though  loyalty,  ftubbornly  preferv'd 
to  a  mailer  in  his  declin'd  fortunes,  feems  folly  in  the  eyes  of  fools  ; 
yet  he,  who  can  be  fo  obftinately  loyal,  will  make  as  great  a  figure 
on  record,  as  the  conqueror."  I  therefore  read, 

Though  loyalty,  vjell  held,  to  fools  does  make 

Our  faith  mcer  folly THEOBALD. 

I  have  preferved  the  old  reading  :  Enobarbus  is  deliberating 
upon  defeition,  and  finding  it  is  more  prudent  to  forfake  a  fool, 
and  more  reputable  to  be  faithful  to  him,  makes  no  pofuive  con- 
clufion.  Sir  T.  Hanmer  follows  Theobald  j  Dr.  Warburton  re- 
tains the  old  reading.  JOHNSON. 

1        C(ffar  intreats, 

Not  to  confider  in  what  cafe  thoujland*ft 
Further  than  be  is  Ct?far.~\ 

i.  C.  Ctffar  intreats,  that  at  the  fame  time  you  conjtdcr  your  defpfrate 
fortunes,  you  ivou'd  conf.der  he  is  Cafar :  That  is,  generous  and 
forgiving,  able  and  willing  to  reitore  them.  WARSURTON. 

fiyr. 


ANTONY   AND   CLEOPATRA.   237 

*Tkyr.  He  knows,  that  you  embrace  not  Antony 
As  you  did  love,  but  as  you  fear'd  him. 

Cleo.  O  ! 

y/?yr.  The  fears  upon  your  honour,  therefore,  he 
Does  pity,  as  conftrained  blemifties, 
Not  as  deferv'd. 

Cleo.  He  is  a  god,  and  knows 
What  is  moft  right :  Mine  honour  was  not  yielded, 
But  conquer'd  merely. 

Eno.  To  be  fure  of  that,  [AJide. 

I  will  afk  Antony. — Sir,  fir,  thou  art  fo  leaky, 
That  we  muft  leave  thee  to  thy  linking,  for 
Thy  dearcft  quit  thee.  [Exit  Enobarbus. 

%r.  Shall  I  fay  to  Czefar 
What  you  require  of  him  ?  for  he  partly  begs 
To  be  defir'd  to  give.     It  much  would  pleafe  him, 
That  of  his  fortunes  you  would  make  a  ftaff 
To  lean  upon  :  but  it  would  warm  his  fpirits, 
To  hear  from  me  you  had  left  Antony, 
And  put  yourfelf  under  his  fhrowd, 
The  univerfal  landlord. 

Cleo.  What's  your  name  ? 

Thyr.  My  name  is  Thyreus. 

Cleo*  *  Moft  kind  meffenger, 

Say 

*       Mojl  kind  mcflenger. 

Say  to  great  Cafar  this  in  difputation, 

1 kifs  bis  conquering  band: ] 

The  poet  certainly  wrote, 
Moft  kind  mcffcnger, 
Say  to  great  Cafar  this ;  in  deputation 
/  kifs  his  conquering  hand :         • 

i.  e.  by  proxy ;  I  depute  you  to  pay  him  that  duty  in  my  name. 

WARBURTON. 

I  am  not  certain  that  this  change  is  neceffarjr. /  kifs  his  hand 

in  difputation — may  mean,  I  own  he  has  the  better  in  the  contro- 

verfy. 1  contefs  my  inability  to  difpute  or  contend  with  him.  To 

difpute  may  have  no  immediate  reference  to  words  or  language  by 
which  controverfies  are  agitated.  So  in  Macbeth,  "  Difpute  it 
like  a  man  ;"  and  Macduff,  to  whom  this  Ihort  fpeech  isaddrefled, 
ng  or  contending  with  hiiniclf  only.  Again,  in  Twelfth 

Night. 


238     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Say  to  great  Casfar  this,  In  difputation 
I  kifs  his  conquering  hand  :  tell  him,  I  am  prompt 
To  lay  my  crown  at  his  feet,  and  there  to  kneel : 
3  Tell  him,  from  his  all-obeying  breath  I  hear 
The  doom  of  JEgypt. 

T/.yr.  'Tis  your  nobleft  courfe. 
Wifdom  and  fortune  combating  together, 
If  that  the  former  dare  but  what  it  can, 
No  chance  may  fhake  it.     4  Give  me  grace  to  lay 
My  duty  on  your  hand. 

Cleo.  Your  Csefar's  father  oft, 
When  he  hath  mus'd  of  taking  kingdoms  in, 
Beftow'd  his  lips  on  that  unworthy  place, 
As  it  rain'd  kiffes. 

Re-enter  Antony  t  and  Enobarbus. 

A  lit.  Favours,  by  Jove  that  thunders ! — 
What  art  thou  fellow  ? 

T/.yr.  One,  that  but  performs 
The  bidding  of  the  fulleft  man,  and  worthieft 
To  have  command  obey'd. 

Eno.  You  will  be  whipp'd. 

Night. — "  For  though  my  foul  tlifputes  well  with  my  fenfe."— • 

If  Dr.  Warburton's  change  be  adopted,  we  (houldread «•  by 

deputation  "     STKEVEXS. 

3  Tell  him,  that  from  bis  all-obeying  breath,  &c. — J  Doom  is  de- 
clared rather  by  an  all-cn;n;nanding,  than  an  all-obeying  breath.  I 
fuppoie  we  ought  to  read, 

////-obeyed  breath.  JOHNSON-. 

Perhaps  there  is  no  need  ot  change.  In  the  Gentlemen  of  Vcronay 
Shakelpeare  ufes  longing,  a  participle  aflii'ey  with  a  pajjivc  ligni- 
fication : 

"  To  furnifh  me  upon  my  longing  journey," 
i.  e.  my  journey  longd  for. 

In  the  Unnatural  Coinbat,  by  Maflinger,  the  a6livc  parriciple  is 
yet  more  irregularly  employed: 

"  For  the  recovery  of  zjlran^ing  ktijband." 
\.  e.  one  that  -ivas  to  Ic  ilrangled.     STEEVENS. 

*  —Give  me  grate — ]  Grant  me  the  favour.     Jonxsox. 


ANTONY   AND   CLEOPATRA.    23? 

Ant.  Approach,  there  : — Ah,    you  kite  ! — Now, 

gods  and  devils  ! 
Authority  melts  from  me :  Of  late,  when  I  cry'd, 

ho! 

5  Like  boys  unto  a  mufs,  kings  would  ftart  forth, 
And  cry,  Tour  will?  Have  you  no  ears  ?  I  am 

Enter  Attendants. 

Antony  yet.     Take  hence  this  Jack,  and  whip  him. 

Eno.  'Tis  better  playing  with  a  lion's  whelp, 
Than  with  an  old  one  dying. 

Ant.  Moon  and  ftars  I—- 
Whip him  : — Were't  twenty  of  the  greatefl  tri- 
butaries 

That  do  acknowledge  Czefar,  fhould  I  find  them 
So  faucy  with  the  hand  of  flie  here,    (What's  her 

name, 

Since  ilie  was  Cleopatra  ?) — Whip  him,  fellows, 
'Till,  like  a  boy,  you  fee  him  cringe  his  face, 
And  whine  aloud  for  mercy  :  Take  him  hence. 

T/yr.  Mark  Antony, — 

Ant.  Tug  him  away  :  being  whipp'd, 
Bring  him  again  : — This  Jack  of  C^far's  fhall 
Bear  us  an  errand  to  him. —  [Exeunt  Att.  with  Tlyreus. 
You  were  half  blafted  ere  I  knew  you  : — Ha ! 
Have  I  my  pillow  left  unpreft  in  Rome, 

5  Like  lays  unto  a  mufs, ]  i,  e.  a  fcramble.     POPE. 

So  ufed  by  Ben  Jonfon  in  his  Magnetic  Lady: 

** nor  are  they  tl-irown 

"  To  make  a  mufs  among  the  gamefome  fuitors.'* 
And  again  in  his  Bartholomew  Fair; 

**  God's  fo,  a  mufs,  a  mufs,  a.  mufs,  a  mufs  f 
Again,  in  Middleton's  comedy  of  A  mad  World  my  Ma/ten,  1608  : 
"  I  would  you  could  make  fuch  another  mufs. 
"  Do'ft  call  it  a  mufs  fn 

Again,  in  the  Spanijb  Gipfie,  by  Middleton  and  Rowley,  1653: 
"  To  fee  if  thou  be'ft  Alcumy  or  no, 
^  They'll  throw  down  gold  in  mujfis."         STEEVENS. 

For- 


240    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Forborne  the  getting  of  a  lawful  race, 
And  by  a  gem  of  women,  to  be  abus'd 
6  By  one  that  looks  on  feeders  ? 

Qco.  Good  my  lord, — 

Ant.  You  have  been  a  boggier  ever  : — 
But  when  we  in  our  vicioufnefs  grow  hai'd, 
(O  mifery  on't !)  the  wife  gods  feel  our  eyes7 ; 
In  our  own  filth  drop  our  clear  judgments ;    make  us 
Adore  our  errors ;  laugh  at  us,  while  we  flrut 
To  our  confufion. 

Cleo.  O,  is  it  come  to  this  ? 

Ant.  I  found  you  as  a  morfel,  cold  upon 
Dead  Czefar's  trencher  :  nay,  you  were  a  fragment 
Of  Cneius  Pompey's ;  betides  what  hotter  hours, 
Unregifter'd  in  vulgar  fame,  you  have 
Luxuriouily  pick'd  out : — For,  I  am  fure, 
Though  you  can  guefs  what  temperance  fhould  be, 
You  know  not  what  it  is. 

Cleo.  Wherefore  is  this  ? 
Ant.  To  let  a  fellow  that  will  take  rewards, 
And  fay,  God  quit  you  !  be  familiar  with 
My  play-fellow,  your  hand  ;  this  kingly  feal, 
And  plighter  of  high  hearts  ! — O,  that  I  were 
Upon  the  hill  of  Bafan,  to  out-roar 

6  By  one  that  looks  on  feeders  ?]  One  that  waits  at  the  table  while 
others  are  eating.     JOHNSON. 

A  feeder,  or  an  eater,  was  anciently  the  term  of  reproach  for  afer- 
t'ant.  So  in  Ben  Jonfon's  Silent  Woman :  "  Bar  my  doors.  Where 
are  all  my  eaters  ?  My  mouths  now  ?  bar  up  my  doors,  my  varlets." 
One  --Mho  looks  on  fee  Jen,  is  one  who  throws  away  her  regard  onfer- 
va.vts,  fuch  as  Antony  would  reprefent  Thyreus  to  be.  Thus  in 
Cymbeline  : 

" that  bafe  wretch, 

"  One  bred  of  alms,  and  fofter'd  with  cold  difhes, 

*'  The  very  fcraps  o'  the  court."  STEEVEXS. 

7  feel  our  eyes']  This  paflage  fliould  rather  be  pointed  thus : 

feel  our  eyes ;  In  our  own  filth  drop  our  clear  judgments. 

TYRWHITT. 
1  have  adopted  this  punctuation.     Formerly, 

feel  our  eyes 

In  our  own  filth  ;  &c.  STEEVENS. 

The 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     241 

1  The  horned  herd  !  for  I  have  favage  caufe ; 
And  to  proclaim  it  civiliy,  were  like 
A  halter'd  neck,  which  does  the  hangman  thank 
For  being  yare  about  him. — Is  he  whipp'd  ? 

Re-enter  Attendants,  with  T/yreus. 

Attend.  Soundly,  my  lord. 

Ant.  Cry'd  he  ?  and  begg'd  he  pardon  ? 

Attend.  He  did  afk  favour. 

Ant.  If  that  thy  father  live,  let  him  repent 
Thou  waft  not  made  his  daughter ;  and  be  thou  forry 
To  follow  Cicfar  in  his  triumph,  fmce 
Thou  haft  been  whipp'd  for  following  him  :  hence- 
forth, 

The  white  hand  of  a  lady  fever  thee, 
Shake  thou  to  look  on't. — Get  thee  back  to  Csbfar, 
Tell  him  thy  entertainment :  Look,  thou  fay  9, 
He  makes  me  angry  with  him  :  for  he  feems 
Proud  and  difdainful ;  harping  on  what  I  am, 
Not  what  he  knew  I  was  :  He  makes  me  angry ; 
And  at  this  time  moft  eafy  'tis  to  do't ; 
When  my  good  ftars,  that  were  my  former  guides, 
Have  empty  left  their  orbs,  and  fhot  their  fires 
Into  the  abifm  of  hell.     If  he  miflike 

8  The  horned  herd, ]  It  is  not  without  pity  and  indignation 

that  the  reader  of  this  great  pcet  meets  fo  often  with  this  low  jeft, 
which  is  too  much  a  favourite  to  be  left  out  of  either  mirth  or  fury. 

JOHNSON. 

»  tboufay,  &c.]  Thus  in  the  old  tranflation  of  Plutarch. 

"  Whereupon  Antonius  caufed  him  to  be  taken  and  well  fauoredly 
whipped,  and  fo  fent  him  vnto  Csefar  :  and  bad  him  tell  him  that 
he  made  him  angrie  with  him,  bicaufe  he  fliewcd  him felf  prowde 
and  difdainfull  towards  him,  and  now  fpecially  when  he  was  eafie 
to  be  angered,  by  reafon  of  his  prefent  miferie.  To  be  fliort,  if 
this  miilike  thee  faid  he,  thou  huft  Hipparchus  one  of  my  intran- 
chifed  bondmen  with  thee :  hang  him  if  thou  wilt,  or  whippe 
Jiim  at  thy  pleafure,  that  we  may  eric  quittaunce."  STEEVENS. 

VOL.  VIII.  R  My 


242     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

My  fpeech,  'and  what  is  done  ;  tell  him,  he  has 
Hipparchus,  my  enfranchis'd  bondman,  whom 
He  may  at  pleafure  whip,  or  hang,  or  torture, 
As  he  iliall  like,  *  to  quit  me  :  Urge  it  thou  : 
Hence  with  thy  itripes,  begone.  [Exit  Tbyreus. 

Cleo.  Have  you  done  yet? 

Ant.  Alack,  our  terrene  moon 
Is  no;v  eciips'd  ;  and  it  portends  alone 
The  fall  of  Antony  ! 

Cleo.  I  muft  flay  his  time. 

Ant.  To  flatter  Caefar,  would  you  mingle  eyes 
With  one  that  ties  his  points  ? 

Cleo.  Not  know  me  yet  ? 

Ant.  Cold-hearted  toward  me  ? 

Cleo.  Ah,  dear,  if  I  be  fo, 
From  my  cold  heart  let  heaven  ingender  hail, 
And  poifon  it  in  the  fource  ;  and  the  firft  ftonc 
Drop  in  my  neck  :  as  it  determines,  fo 
Diflblve  my  life  !  *  The  next  Casfarion  fmite  ! 
Till,  by  degrees,  the  memory  of  my  womb, 
Together  with  my  brave  jiEgyptians  all, 
s  By  the  difcandying  of  this  pelleted  ftorm, 
Lie  gravelefs ;  'till  the  flies  and  gnats  of  Nile 
Have  buried  them  for  prey  ! 

Ant.  I  am  fatisfy'd  : 
Casfar  fits  down  in  Alexandria ;  where 
I  will  oppofe  his  fate.     Our  force  by  land 
Hath  nobly  held  ;  our  fever'd  navy  too 


1   to  quit  met"       ]  To  repay  me  this  infulr ;  to  requite  me. 

JOHNSON. 

*  — the  next  Cafarion  finite  !]  Czfarion  was  Cleopatra's  fon  by 
Julius  Csefar.    .STEEVENS. 

*  JRy  the  difcattering  of  this  pelleted flarm,]    This   reading  we 
owe  firft,  I  prefume,  to  Mr.  Rowe  :  and  Mr.  Pope  has  very  faith- 
fully fallen  into  it.     The  old  folios  read,    difcandcring':    from 
which  corruption  both    Dr.  Thirlby  and  I  faw,  we  muft  retrieve 
the  word  with  which  I  have  reform '"d  the  text.    THEOBALD. 

Have 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.    243 

Have  knit  again, 4  and  fleet,  threat'ning  moft  fea-like. 
Where  haft  thou  been,  my  heart  ? — Doft  thou  hear, 

lady  ? 

If  from  the  field  I  ftiould  return  once  more 
To  kifs  thefe  lips,  I  will  appear  in  blood  ; 
I  and  my  fword  will  earn  my  chronicle  ; 
There  is  hope  in  it  yet. 

Cleo.  That's  my  brave  lord  ! 
Ant.  I  will  be  treble-fmew'd,  hearted,  breath'd, 
And  fight  malicioufly  :  for  when  mine  hours 
5  Were  nice  and  lucky,  men  did  ranfom  lives 
Of  me  for  jefls ;  but  now,  I'll  fet  my  teeth, 
And  fend  to  darknefs  all  that  flop  me. — Come, 

+  and  float, — ]  This  is  a  modern  emendation,  perhapa 

right.     The  old  reading  is, 

and  fleet, JOHNSON. 

I  have  replaced  the  old  reading.  So  in  the  tragedy  of  Edwardll* 
by  Marlow,   1622  : 

"  This  ifle  (hz\\J?eet  upon  the  ocean." 
Again,  in  Tmmhtfkuue^   i  590  : 

"  Shall  meet  thofe  Chriftians^////^-  with  the  tide." 
Again,  in  the  Coblcr's  Prophecy,   159-1-  : 

"  And  envious  fnakes  among  i\\e  Jleetiag  fifh." 
Again,  in  Spenier's  Faery  S>ueen,  b.  ii.  c.  7  : 

"  And  in  frayle  wood  on  Adrian  gulte  dothjkftt 
Again,  in  Har dingus  Chronicle ,    i  543  : 

«•  The  bodies  Jlete  amonge  our  fhippes  eche  daye." 
Mr.  Toilet  has  fince  furniflied  me  with  inilances  in  fupport  of  thia 
old  reading,  from  Verftegan's  Rtftitutio*  of  decay1  d  Intelligence^ 
Holinfhed's   Defcription  of  Scotland,    and   Spenfer's  Colin  Clout's 
come  home  again.     STEEVENS. 

The  old  reading  (hould  certainly  be  rertored.     Fleet  is  the  old 
word  for  float.  See  Chaucer's  Canterbury  Tales,  ,1958,  2399,4883. 

TYRWHI  f  T. 

5  Were  ri\cz  and  lucky,  —  ]  Nice,  for  delicate,  courtly,  flowing 
in  peace.  .  WAR  BUR  TON. 

Nice  rather  feems  to  be,  juft  ft  for  my  purpofe,  agreeable  to  my 
viljh.     So  we  vulgarly  fay  of  any  thing  that  is  done  better  than 
was  expected,  itis«;V?.     JOHNSON. 
.  Nice  is  trifling.     So  in  Romeo  and  Jul!tt,  ad  V.  fc»  ii  : 

"  The  letter  was  not  nice,  but  full  of  charge." 
See  a  note  on  this  pafiage.    STEEVENS. 

R  2  Let'* 


244    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Let's  have  one  other  gaudy  night6  :  call  to  me 
All  my  fad  captains,  fill  our  bowls  ;  once  more 
Let's  mock  the  midnight  bell. 

Clco.  It  is  my  birth-day  : 
I  had  thought,  to  have  held  it  poor  ;  but,  fince  my 

lord 
Is  Antony  again,  I  will  be  Cleopatra. 

Ant.  We'll  yet  do  well. 

Cko.  Call  all  his  noble  captains  to  my  lord. 

Ant.  Do  fo,  we'll  fpeak  to  them  ;  and  to-night  I'll 

force 
The  wine  peep  through  their  fears. — Come  on,  my 

queen  ; 

There's  fap  in't  yet.     The  next  time  I  do  fight, 
I'll  make  death  love  me  ;  for  I  will  contend 
Even  with  his  peftilent  fcythe.     [Exeunt  Ant.  andCleo. 

Eno.  Now  he'll  out-flare  the  lightning.     To  be 

furious, 

Is,  to  be  frighted  out  of  fear  :  and  in  that  mood, 
The  dove  will  peck  the  eltridge  ;  and  I  fee  ftill, 
A  diminution  in  our  captain's  brain 
Reftores  his  heart :  When  valour  preys  on  reafon, 
It  eats  the  f-.vord  it  fights  with.     I  will  feck 
Some  way  to  leave  him.  [Exit. 


A  C  T     IV.      S  C  E  N  E    I. 

CsfaSs  Camp  at  Alexandria. 

Enter  C#Jlir,  reading  a  kticr ;  dgrippa,  M-:c<enas9  &c. 

Caf.  He  calls  me  boy;  and  chides,    as  he  had 

power 
To  beat  me  out  of  JEgypt :  my  meflenger 

6  — gaudy  night."}  This  is  ftill  an  epithet  beftow'd  on  feaft 
days  in  the  colleges  of  either  univerfity.    STEEVENS. 

8  He 


ANTONY    AND  CLEOPATRA.    245 

He  hath  whipp'd  with  rods ;  dares  me  to  perfonal 

combat, 

Csefar  to  Antony  :  Let  the  old  ruffian  know, 
7  I  have  many  other  ways  to  die  ;  mean  time, 
Langh  at  his  challenge. 

Mec.  Casfar  mutt  think, 

When  one  fo  great  begins  to  rage,  he's  hunted 
Even  to  falling.     Give  him  no  breath,  but  now 
Make  boot  *  of  his  diftraclion  :  Never  anger 
Made  good  guard  for  itfelf. 

Gef.  Let  our  beft  heads 

Know,  that  to-morrow  the  laftof  many  battles 
We  mean  to  fight : — Within  our  files  there  are 
Of  thofe  that  ferv'd  Mark  Antony  but  late, 
Enough  to  fetch  him  in.     See  it  done  ; 
And  feaft  the  army  :  we  have  ftore  to  do't, 
And  they  have  earn'd  the  waile.     Poor  Antony  ! 

[Exeunt. 

7  I  have  many  other  ways  to  die: ]  What  a  reply  is  this  to 

Antony's  challenge  t  'tis  acknowledging  that  he  fliould  die  under 
the  unequal  combat ;  but  if  we  read, 

He  hath  many  other  ways  to  die :  mean  timet 
I  "laugh  at  bis  challenge, 

In  this  reading  we  have  poignancy,  and  the  very  repartee  of  Cae- 
far.  Let's  hear  Plutarch.  After  thh,  Antony  fent  a  challenge  to 
Ceefar^  to  Jight  bint  hand  to  hand^  and  received  for  anfkuer^  that  he 
might  find  leveral  otherways  to  end  his  life.  UPTON. 

I  think  this  emendation  deferves  to  be  received.     It  had,  be- 
fore Mr.  Upton's  book  appeared,  been  made  by  fir  T.  Hanmer. 

JOHNSON. 

Moft  indifputably  this  is  the  fenfe  of  Plutarch,  and  given  fo  in 
the  modern  tranfiations ;  but  Shakefpeare  was  milled  by  the  am- 
biguity of  the  old  one.  '*  Antonius  lent  again  to  challenge  Caefar 
to  fight  him  :  Caefar  anfvvered,  that  he  had  many  other  ways  to 
die,  than  fo."  FARMER. 

8  Make  hoot  of ]  Take  advantage  of.     JOHNSON. 


SCENE 


246    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

SCENE        II. 
The  palace  at  Alexandria. 

Enter  Antony y  and  Cleopatra^  Enobarbus,  Charmiany  Irasy 
siiexas,  with  others. 

Ant.  He  will  not  fight  with  me,  Domitius. 

Eno.  No. 

Ant.  Why  fhould  he  not  ? 

Eno.  He  thinks,  being  twenty  times  of  better  for- 
tune, 
He  is  twenty  men  to  one. 

Ant.  To-morrow,  foldier, 
By  fea  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.   Pllftrike;  and  cry,  <>  Take  all. 

Ant.  Well  faid  ;  come  on. — 
Call  forth  my  houlhold  fervants  ;  let's  to-night 

Enter  Servants. 

Be  bounteous  at  our  meal. — Give  me  thy  hand, 
Thou  haft  been  rightly  honeft  ; — fo  haft  thou  ;— 
And    thou  ;< — and    thou  ; — and   thou  : — you  have 

ferv'd  me  well, 

And  kings  have  been  your  fellows. 
Cleo.  What  means  this  ? 
Eno.  [_/Jide.~]  'Tis  '  one  of  thofe  odd  tricks,  which 

forrow  (hoots 
Out  of  the  mind. 

9  /a&all.]  Let  the  fumvor  take  all.  Nocompofition, 

vi&ory  or  death.  JOHNSON. 

*  — one  of  tljvfe  odd  tricks  j—~\  I  know  not  what  obfcuritv  the 
editors  find  in  this  paflage.  Trick  is  here  ufed  in  the  fenfe  in 
which  it  is  uttered  every  day  by  every  mouth,  elegant  and  vul- 
gar :  yet  fir  T.  Hanmer  changes  it  tofmah,  and  Dr.  Warburton, 
in  his  rage  of  Gallicifm,  to  traits.  JOHNSON. 

Ant, 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     247 

Ant.   And  thou  art  honcfc  too. 
I  wifh,  I  could  be  made  fo  many  men; 
And  all  of  you  clapt  up  together  in 
An  Antony  ;  that  I  might  do  you  fervice, 
So  good  as  you  have  done. 

Omnes.  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  fuffer'd  my  command. 

Cleo.  What  does  he  mean  ? 

Eno.  To  make  his  followers  weep. 

Ant.  Tend  me  to-night ; 
May  be,  it  is  the  period  of  your  duty  : 
Haply,  you  (hall  not  fee  me  more  ;  *  or  if, 
A  mangled  lhadow  :  perchance,  to-morrow 
You'll  ferve  another  mafler.     I  look  on  you, 
As  one  that  takes  his  leave.     Mine  honeft  friends, 
I  turn  you  not  away  ;  but,  like  a  matter 
Married  to  your  good  fervice,  flay  'till  death  : 

*  or  if, 

A  manghdj]}3doci\!.'\ 

Or  //you  fee  me  more,  you  will  fee  me  a  mangled  fiadtr-M^  only 
the  external  form  of  what  I  was.  JOHNSON. 

A  mangled  ji.'tidi)~jc. ] 

The  thought  is,  as  ufual,  taken  from  fir  Thomas  North's  tranf- 
lation  of  Plutarch:  "  So  being  at  fupper,  (as  it  is  reported)  he 
commaunded  his  officers  and  houfehold  feruauntes  that  waited  on 
him  at  his  bord,  that  they  fliould  fill  his  cuppes  full,  and  make  as 
much  of  him  as  they  could  :  for  faid  he,  you  know  not  whether 
you  (hall  doe  fo  much  for  me  to  morrow  or  nor,  or  whether  you 
ihall  ferue  an  other  maifter  :  and  it  may  be  you  fliall  fee  me  no 
more,  but  a  dead  bodie.  This  notwithltanding,  perceiuing  that 
his  frends  and  men  fell  a  weeping  to  heare  him  fay  fo  :  to  falne 
that  he  had  fpokcn,  he  added  this  more  vnto  it,  that  he  would 
not  le.tde  them  to  battell,  where  he  thought  not  rather  fafely  to 
rctunie  with  victoric,  than  valliantly  to  dye  with  honor." 

STEEVENS. 

R  4  Tend 


a4S    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Tend  me  to-night  two  hours,  I  afk  no  more, 
And  the  gods  yield  you  for't 3  ? 

Eno.  What  mean  you,  fir, 

To  give  them  this  difcomfort  ?  Look,  they  weep  ; 
And  I,  an  afs,  am  4  onion-ey'd  :  for  lhame, 
Transform  us  not  to  women. 

Ant.  Ho,  ho,  ho ! 

Now  the  witch  take  me,  if  I  meant  it  thus  ! 
Grace  grow  where  thole  drops  fall  5 !    My  hearty 

friends, 

You  take  me  in  too  dolorous  a  fenfe  : 
For  I  fpake  to  you  for  your  comfort ;  did  defire  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  6  death  and  honour.     Let's  to  fupper;  come, 
And  drown  conlideration.  [Exeunt.. 

SCENE       III. 

Before  the  Palace.  . 

Enter  a  Company  of  Soldiers. 

i  Sold.  Brother,  goodnight:  to-morrow  is  the  day. 
i  Sold.  It  will  determine  one  way  :  fare  you  well. 
Heard  you  of  nothing  ftrange  about  the  ftreets  ? 

3  Andtke  gfith  yield  you  for't  ?]  i.e.  re-u'ard  you.     See  a  note 
on  Macbeth^  a«5t  I.  ic.  vi.  and  another  on  As  you  like  it,  adl  V.  fc.  iv. 

STEEVENS. 

4 onion-ry'-tl — ]  I  have  my  eyes  as  full  of  tears  as  if  they 

had  been  fretted  by  onions.     JOHNSON.' 
So  in  the  Birth  <<f  Merlin,    1662  : 

"  I  foe  ibmcthing  like  a  pcel'd  onion  ; 
«'  It  imkis  me  weep  again."  STEEVENS. 

5  Grace  grov;  ivki  ;v  tbffc  drcp  j\:U !]  So  in  A'.  R!cf.'f>;l  II  : 
"   Here  Jlil  foe  drap  a  tear  ;   here,   in  this  place, 
"  I'll  fct  a  bank  of  rue,  four  herb  of  :-racc  "     STERVENS. 

* dfatb  atul honour.*     ...]   That  is,  an.  honourable  death. 

UPTON* 

i  Sold. 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     249 

1  Sold.  Nothing  :  What  news  ? 

2  Sold,  Belike,  'tis  but  a  rumour  :  Good  night  to 

you. 

1  Sold.  Well,  fir,  good  night. 

[They  meet  with  other  foldiers. 

2  Sold.  Soldiers,  have  careful  watch. 

1  Sold.  And  you  :  Good  night,  good  night. 

[They  place  themfehes  on  every  corner  of  thejlage. 

2  Sold.  Here  we  :  and  if  to-morrow 
Our  navy  thrive,  I  have  an  abfolutc  hope 
Our  landmen  will  ftand  up. 

i  Sold.  'Tis  a  brave  army,  and  full  of  purpofc. 

[Mvjick  of  hautboys  under  thejlage. 
2,  Sold.  Peace,  what  noife  7  ? 

1  Sold.  Lift,  lift ! 

2  Sold.  Hark ! 

i  Sold.  Mufick  i'  the  air. 

3  Sold.  Under  the  earth. 

4  Sold.  It  figns  well,  8  does  it  not  ? 
3  Sold.  No. 

1  Sold.  Peace,  I  fay.     What  fhould  this  mean  ? 

2  Sold.  'Tis  the  god  Hercules,  whom  Antony  lov'd, 
Now  leaves  him. 

i  Sold.  Walk  ;  let's  fee  if  other  watchmen 
Do  hear  what  we  do. 

7  Peace,  what  noife  f]  So  in  the  old  tranflation  of  Plutarch. 
"  Furthermore,  the  felfe  fame  night  within  litle  or"  midnight, 
when  all  the  citie  was  quiet,  full  of  feare,  and  forrowe,  thinking 
what  would  be  theiffue  and  ende  of  this  warre  :  it  is  faid  that  Ib- 
dainly  they  heard  a  maruelous  fweete  harmonic  of  fundrie  fortes  of 
inftrumentesof  mulicke,  with  the  crieof  a  multitude  of  people,  as 
they  had  bene  dauncir.g,  and  had  fong  as  they  vfe  in  Bacchus 
lealles,  with  mouinges  and  turnings  after  the  maner  of  the  fatyres  ? 
&  it  feemed  that  this  daunce  went  through  the  city  vnto  the  gate 
that  opened  to  the  enemies,  &  that  all  the  troupe  that  made  this 
noife  they  heard,  went  out  of  the  city  at  that  gate.  Now,  fuch  as 
in  reafon  fought  the  depth  of  the  interpretacion  of  this  wonder, 
thought  that  it  was  the  god  vnto  whom  Aiuonius  bare  lingular 
deuotion  to  counterfeate  and  refemblehim,  that  did  forfake  them." 

STEEVENS. 

*  Itjrgm  ivt.'I,  £c.]  i,  e.  it  bodes  well,  8cc.     STEEVENS. 

2  Sold. 


150    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

2  Sold.  How  now,  matters  ?  [Speak  together. 
Omnes.  How  now  ?  how  now  ?  do  yotr  liear  this  ? 
i  Sold.  Ay  ;  Is't  not  ftrange  ? 

3  Sold.  Do  you  hear,  matters  ?  do  you  hear  ? 

i  Sold.  Follow  the  noife  fo  far  as  we  have  quarter; 
Let's  fee  how  it  will  give  off. 

Omnes.  Content : — 'Tis  ttrange.  [Exeunf. 


SCENE    IV. 

Cleopatra  s  palace. 
Enter  Antony,  and  Cleopatra,  with  Charmia/i,  and  others. 

Ant.  Eros  !  mine  armour,  Eros  ! 
Cleo.   Sleep  a  little. 

Ant.  JS'o,  my  chuck. — Eros,  come  ;  mine  armour, 
Eros ! 

Enter  Eros,  with  armour. 

Come,  good  fellow,  put  thine  9  iron  on  : — 
If  fortune  be  not  ours  to-day,  it  is 
Becaufe  we  brave  her. Come. 

Cleo.  '  Nay,  I'll  help  too. 

Ant.  What's  this  for  ?  Ah,  let  be,  let  be  !  thou 

art 
The  armourer  of  my  heart : — Falfe,  falfe;  this,  this. 

Cleo.  Sooth,  la,  I'll  help  :  Thus  it  mutt  be. 

Ant.  Well,  well ; 

WTe  mall  thrive  now. — Seeft  thou,  my  good  fellow  ? 
Go,  put  on  thy  defences. 

»  thine  iron ]  I  think  it  fhould  be  rather, 

— — —  mine  iron JOHNSON". 

1  Nay,  rUMptoo."]  Thefe  three  little  fpeeches,  which  in  the 
other  editions  are  only  one,  and  given  to  Cleopatra,  were  hap- 
pily diientangled  by  fir  T.  Haarner.  JOHNSON. 

Eros. 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     251 

Eros.  9  Briefly,  fir. 

Cleo.  Is  not  this  buckled  well  ? 

Ant.  Rarely,  rarely : 

He  that  unbuckles  this,  'till  we  do  pleafe 
To  doff  it '  for  our  repofe,  fhall  hear  a  ftorm. — 
Thou  fumbleft,  Eros ;  and  my  queen's  a  fquire 
More  tight  at  this,  than  thou  :  Difpatch.— O  love, 
That  thou  could'ft  iee  my  wars  to-day,  and  knew'ft 
The  royal  occupation  !  thou  ihould'ft  lee 

Enter  an  Officer,  armed. 

A  workman  in't. — Good  morrow  to  thee ;  welcome : 
Thou  look'ft  like  him  that  knows  a  warlike  charge: 
To  bufineis  that  we  love,  we  rife  betime, 
And  go  to  it  with  delight. 

Off.  A  thoufand,  fir, 

Early  though  it  be,  have  on  their  rivetted  trim, 
And  at  the  port  expect  you.    [Shout.  Trumpets  Jlourl/h* 

Enter  other  Officer -j,   and  Soldiers. 

Cap.  The  morn  is  fair.— Good  morrow,  general  *! 

AIL  Good  morrow,  general ! 

Ant.  'Tis  well  blown,  lads. 
This  morning,  like  the  fpirit  of  a  youth 
That  means  to  be  of  note,  begins  betimes. — 
So,  fo  ;  come,  give  me  that :  this  way;  well  faid. 
Fare  thee  well,  dame,  whate'er  becomes  of  me  : 
This  is  a  foldier's  kifs  :  rebukeable,  [Kiffes  her. 

And  worthy  fhameful  check  it  were,  to  Hand 
On  more  mechanic  compliment ;  I'll  leave  thee 

9  Briefly,  fir.]  That  is,  quickly,  fir.     JOHNSON. 

1   To  doff  it  — ]  To  doff  is  to  do  off,  to  put  oft'.     So,  in  Mac- 
letb : 

"  To  d^"  their  dire  diftrefles."     STEEVENS. 

a   The  morn  is  fair.— Goad  morro-yj,  general .']    This  fpeech.  in 
the  old  copy,  is  erroneoufly  given  to  Alexas.    STEEVENS. 

Now 


*52     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Now,  like  a  man  of  fteel.  —  You,,  that  will  fight, 
Follow  me  clofe  ;  I'll  bring  you  to't.  —  Adieu. 

[Exeunt  Ant.  Officers,  &V. 

Cl\r,\  Pleafe  you,  retire  to  your  chamber? 

Cleo.  Lead  me. 

He  goes  forth  gallantly.     That  he  and  Ca?far  might 
Determine  this  great  war  in  tingle  fight  ! 
Then,  Antony,—  But  now,  —  Well,  on.        [Exeunt. 

SCENE        V. 

Near 


Trumpets  found.     Enter    Antony,   and  Eros  ;    a  foldier 
meeting  them. 

3  Sold.  The  gods  make  this  a  happy  day  to  Antony  ! 

Ant.  'Would,  thou  and  thole  thy  fears  had  once 

prevailed 
To  make  me  fight  at  land  ! 

Eros.  Hadft  thou  done  fo, 
The  kings  that  have  revolted,  and  the  foldier 
That  has  this  morning  left  thee,  would  have  flill 
Follow'd  thy  heels. 

/int.  Who's  gone  this  morning  ? 

Eros.  Who? 

One  ever  near  thee  :  Call  for  Enobarbus, 
He  Ihall  not  hear  thee  ;  or  from  Czefar's  camp 
Say,  /  am  none  of  thine. 

Jnt.  What  fay  'ft  thou  ? 

Sold.  Sir, 
He  is  with  Caefar. 

3  Eros.  The  gods  make  this  a  happy  day  to  Antony  /]  'Tis  evident, 
as  Dr.  Thiriby  iikewife  conjectured,  by  what  Antony  immediately 
replies,  that  this  line  ihould  not  be  placed  to  Eros,  but  to  the  fol- 
dier, who,  before  tlie  b.ittlc  of  Aftium,  ad.  v!  fed  Antony  to  try  his 
faie  at  land  .  T  u  EC  r  A  L  r-  , 

Eros. 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     253 

Eros.  Sir,  his  chefts  and  treafure 
He  has  not  with  him. 

Ant.  Is  he  gone  ? 

Sold.  Moll  certain. 

Ant.  Go,  Eros,  fend  his  treafure  after ;   do  it  ; 
Detain  no  jot,  I  charge  thee  :  write  to  him 
(I  will  fubfcribe)  gentle  adieus,  and  greetings  : 
Say,  that  I  wilh  he  never  find  more  caufe 
To  change  a  matter. — O,  mv  fortunes  have 
Corrupted  honefl  men  ! — *  Difpatch. — Enobarbus ! 

[Exeunt. 

SCENE    VI, 

Ctefars  camp. 
Enter  Gefar, '  Agnppa,  with  Enobarbus,  and  others. 

C*f.  Go  forth,  Agrippa,  and  begin  the  fight : 
5  Our  will  is,  Antony  be  took  alive  ; 
Make  it  fo  known. 

Agr.  Csefar,  I  fliall.  [Exit  Agrippa. 

Caf.  The  time  of  univerfal  peace  is  near  : 
Prove  this  a  profperous  day,  the  three-nook'd  world 

*  'Dffiatcb,  my  Eros.]  Thus  the  modern  editors.  The  old 

edition  reads :     t 

• Difpatch  Enolarlus. 

Perhaps,  it  (hould  be  : 

Difpatch!   To  Enelarlus !     JOHNSON. 

5  Our  '•Mill  is,  'Antony  be  took  alive  ;]  It  is  obfervable  with  what 
judgment  Shakefpeare  draws  the  character  of  O6tavius.  Antony 
was  his  hero  ;  fo  the  other  was  not  to  fhine  :  yet  being  an  hifto- 
rical  character,  there  was  a  neceffity  to  draw  him  like.  But  the  an- 
cient hifforians,  his  flatterers,  had  delivered  him  down  fo  fair, 
that  he  feems  ready  cut  and  dried  for  a  hero.  Amidft  thefe  diffi- 
culties Shakefpeare  has  extricated  himfelf  with  great  addrefs.  He 
has  admited  all  thofe  great  ftrokes  of  his  chara^er  as  he  found 
them,  and  yet  has  made  him  a  very  unamiable  character,  deceit- 
ful, mean-fpirited,  narrow-minded,  proud,  and  revengeful. 

WAR  BURTON. 

Shall 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

*  Shall  bear  the  olive  freely, 

Enter  a  Mejfcnger^ 


Antony 
Is  come  into  the  field. 

C<zf.  Go,  charge  Agrippa 
Plant  thofe  that  have  revolted  in  the  vant, 
That  Antony  may  feem  to  fpend  his  fury 
Upon  himfelf.  [Exeunt  C<efar,  &V. 

Eno.  Alexas  did  revolt  ;  and  went  to  Jewry,  on 
Affairs  of  Antony  ;  there  did  7  perfuade 
Great  Herod  to  incline  himfelf  to  Ccefar, 
And  leave  his  matter  Antony  :  for  this  pains, 
Csfar  hath  hang'd  him.     Canidius,  and  the  reft 
That  fell  away,  have  entertainment,  but 
No  honourable  truft.     I  have  done  ill  ; 
Of  which  I  do  accufe  myfelf  fo  forely, 
That  I  will  joy  no  more. 

Enter  a  Soldier  of  C<efar's. 

Sold.  Enobarbus,  Antony 
Hath  after  thee  fent  all  thy  treafure  %  with 
His  bounty  over-plus  :  The  meffenger 
Came  on  my  guard  ;  and  at  thy  tent  is  now, 
Unloading  of  his  mules. 

Eno.  I  give  it  you. 

6  Shall  bear  the  olive  freely  ,]    i.  e.  (hall  fpring  up  every  where 
fpontaneoufly  and  without  culture.     WAR  BURTON. 

7  -  perfuade}  The  old  copy  has  dijjuade^  perhaps  rightly. 

JOHNSON. 

8  Hath  after  theefent  all  thy  treafure,  &c.]  So,  in  the  old  tranf- 
lation  of  Plutarch  :    "  Furthermore,  he  delt  very  friendly  and 
courteoufly  with  Domitius,  and  againft  Cleopatraes  mynde.     For, 
he  being  ficke  of  an  agewe  when  he  went,  and  tooke  a  little  boate 
to  go  to  Csefar's  campe,  Antonius  was  very  fory  for  it,  but  yet  he 
lent  after  him  all  his  caryage,  trayne,  and  men  :    and  the  fame 
Domitius,  as  though  he  gaue  him  to  vnderftand  that  he  repented 
his  open  treafon,  he  died  immediately  after."    STEEYENS. 

i  Sold. 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     255 

Sold.  Mock  not,  Enobarbus, 
I  tell  you  true  :  Beft  you  fafed  the  bringer 
Out  of  the  hoft  ;  I  muft  attend  mine  office, 
Or  would  have  done't  myfclf.     Your  emperor 
Continues  ftill  a  Jove.  [Exit. 

Eno.  1  am  alone  the  villain  of  the  earth, 
And  feel  I  am  fo  moil.     O  Antony, 
Thou  mine  of  bounty,  how  would'il  thou  have  paid 
My  better  fervicc,  when  my  turpitude 
Thou  doft  fo  crown  with  gold!    9This  blows  my 

heart  : 

If  fwift  thought  break  it  not,  a  fwifter  mean 
Shall  out-ftrike  thought;    but  thought  will  do't,  I 
feel. 

I  fight  againft  thee  ! No  :  I  will  go  feek 

Some  ditch,  wherein  to  die;  the  foul'it  belt  fits 
My  latter  part  of  life.  [Exit. 

SCENE        VII. 

Before  the  Walls  of  Alexandria. 
Alarum.  Drums  and  Trumpets.  Enter  Agrippa,  and  others. 

Agr.  Retire,  we  have  engag'd  ourfelves  too  far : 
Casfar  himfelf  has  work,  '  and  our  oppreffion 

9  •          This  blows  my  heart:}  All  the  Intter  editions  have  : 

This  bows  my  heart: 

I  have  given  the  original  word  again  the  place  from  which  I  think 
it  unjuftly  excluded.  This  genemfty,  (fays  Enobarbus)  fweils  my 
heart,  ib  that  it  will  quickly  break,  if  thought  break  it  not,  a 

•ntan.     JoHNSO;\. 

The  reading  of  the  old  copy  is  fupported  by  another  paflage  in 
this  play,  where  the  word  blow  is  uled  in  the  fame  fenfe: 

*' Here  on  her  breall 

"  There  is  a  vent  of  hlood,  and  fomething  llo*wn" 

MA  LONE. 

1  and  our  oppreilion]  Opprejjion  for  oppofition. 

WAR  EUR  TON". 
Sir  T.  Hanmer  has  received  oppofition.    Perhaps  rightly. 

JOHNSON". 

Exceeds 


256     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Exceeds  what  we  expected.  [Exeunt. 

Alarum,     Enter  Antony,  and  Scants,  wounded. 

Scar.  O  my  brave  emperor,  this  is  fought  indeed  ! 
Had  we  done  ib  at  firft,  we  had  driven  them  home 
With  clouts  about  their  heads. 

Ant:  Thou  bleed  'il  apace. 

Scar.  I  had  a  wound  here  that  was  like  a  T, 
But  now  'tis  made  an  H. 

Ant.  They  do  retire. 

Scar.  We'll  beat  'em  into  bench-holes  ;  I  have  yet 
Room  for  fix  fcotches  more. 

Enter  Eros. 

Eros.  They  are  beaten,  fir;    and  our  advantage 

fcrves 
For  a  fair  victory. 

Scar.  Let  us  fcore  their  backs, 
And  fnatch  'em  up,  as  we  take  hares,  behind  ; 
'Tis  fport  to  maul  a  runner. 

Ant.   I  will  reward  thee 

Once  for  thy  fp  rightly  comfort,  and  ten-fold 
For  thy  sjood  valour.     Come  thee  on. 

Scar.  1'il  halt  after.  [Exeunt. 

SCENE       VIII. 

Under  tbe  walls  of  Alexandria. 

Alarum.     Enter  Antony  again  in  a  inarch.     Scarus,  with 
others. 

Ant.  We  have  beat  him  to  his  camp  :  z  Run  one 
before, 

And 


*  run  one 

And  hi  the  queen  bio\»  of  cur  guefo.  -  ] 

What  gueus  was  the  queen  to  know  of?  Antony  was  to  fight  again 

on 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     257 

And  let  the  queen  know  of  ourguefts. — To-morrow, 
Before  the  fun  lhall  fee  us,  we'll  fpill  the  blood 
That  has  to-day  efcap'd.     I  thank  you  all ; 
For  doughty-handed  are  you  ;  and  have  fought 
Not  as  you  ferv'd  the  caufe,  but  as  it  had  been 
Each  man's  like  mine  ;  you  have  ftiewn  all  He&ors. 
Enter  the  city,  clip  your  wives  ',  your  friends, 
Tell  them  your  feats ;  whilft  they  with  joyful  tears, 
Wafh  the  congealment  from  your  wounds,  and  kifs 
The  honour'd  gaflies  whole. — Give  me  thy  hand; 

[To  Scarus. 

Enter  Cleopatra. 

4  To  this  great  fairy  I'll  commend  thy  a&s, 
Make  her  thanks  blefs  thee. — Othou  day  o'  the  world, 
Chain  mine  arm'd  neck ;  leap  thou,  attire  and  all, 
Through  proof  of  harnefs  *  to  my  heart,  and  there 
Ride  on  the  pants  triumphing. 

Cleo.  Lord  of  lords ! 

O  infinite  virtue  !  com'il  thou  fmiling  from 
The  world's  great  fnare  uncaught  ? 

on  the  morrow ;  and  he  had  not  yet  faid  a  word  of  marching  to 
Alexandria,  and  treating  his  officers  in  t  lit  palace.  We  mult  read: 

.Ami  let  the  queen  knovj  of  our  gefts. 

i.  c.  res  gcjlce:  our  feats,  our  glorious  actions.     A  term  then  in 
common  ufe.     WAR  BUR  TON. 

This  paliage  needs,  neither  correftion  nor  explanation.  Antony 
after  his  fuccefs  intends  to  bring  his  officers  to  fup  with  Cleopatra, 
and  orders  notice  to  be  given  her  of  their  gxsjls.  JOHNSON. 

3  < c\\y ycur  *--s:-~-cs, ]     To  clip  is  to  eiabrace.     So, 

Shakcfpeare,  in  another  play  : 

"  Neptune's  arms,  who,  clippetb  thec  about." 

STEEVENS. 

4  T:>  .'•':•'<  ycat  fairy ]    Mr.  Upton  has  well  oblerved,  that 

fiiiry,  which  Dr.  \Vurburton  and  iir  T.  Hanmer  explain  by  In- 
cbantrefs,  compriies  the  idea  of  power  and  beauty.     JOHNSON'. 

5   proof  of  harnefs,— — — J    i.  e.  armour  ot  proof.     So,  in 

Macbeth: 

«'  At  leaft  we'll  die  with  harnefs  on  our  back." 
Harriots^  French.     Arntfe,  Ital.     JJTEEV£NS. 

VOL.  VIII.  S  Ant. 


258     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Ant.  My  nightingale, 
We  have  beat  them  to  their  beds.     What,   girl  ? 

though  grey 
Do  fojnething  mingle  with  our  younger  brown  ;  yet 

have  we 

A  brain  that  nourifhes  our  nerves,  and  can 
6  Get  goal  for  goal  of  youth.     Behold  this  man  ; 
Commend  unto  his  lips  thy  favouring  hand  ; — 
K,-ils -it,  my  warriour  : — He  hath  fought  to-day, 
As, if  a  god,  in  hate  of  mankind,  had 
Deftroy'd  in  fuch  a  fhape. 

Cleo.  I'll  give  thee,  friend, 
An  armour  all  of  gold  ;  it  was  a  king's 7. 

•Ar.i.   He  has  deferv'd  it,  were  it  carbuncled 
Like  holy  Phoebus'  car. — Give  me  thy  hand  ;— 
Through  Alexandria  make  a  jolly  march  ; 
?  Bear  our  hack'd  targets  like  the  men  that  owe  them  : 
Had  our  great  palace  the  capacity 

6  Get  goal  for  goal  of youtb. ]  At  all  plays  of  barriers,  the. 

boundary  is  called  a.gnal;  to  vciu  a  goal,  is  to  be»a  fuperiour  in  a 
contcii  of  activity.     JOHNSON. 

7 itivas  a  king's.]  So,  in  fir  T.  North's  tranflation  of  Plu- 
tarch :  ^  Then  came  Antony  again  to  the  palace  greatly  boafting 
of  this  victory,  and  fweetly  kitted  Cleopatra,  armed  as  he  was  when 
he  came  from  the  fight,  recommending  one  of  his  men  of  arms 
unto  her,  that  had  valiantly  fought  in  this  flcirmifh.  Cleopatra, 
to  reward  his  miinlir.efs,  gave  him  an  armour  and  head-piece  of 
clean  gold."  STF EVENS. 

8  Bear  our  hack'd  targets  like  the  men  that  o\ve  them :]  i.e.  hack'd 
as  much  as  the  men  to  whom  they  belong.  WAR  BURTON. 

Why  not  rather,  Bear  our  hack'd  targets  with  fpirit  and  exulta- 
tion, fuch  as  becomes  the  brave  warriors  that  o-iva  them  ? 

JOHNSON. 

So,  in  Decker's  If  this  be  not  a  good  Plajt  the  Devil  is  in  /'/„• 
1612  : 

"  fix  days;—  the  feventh 

"  Be  his  that  o--:\~s  it." 

Again,  \nAflrofbeHbisfongtoPbiHiJaantiCoriJon^  published  in 
England 's  Helico  n,    1614: 

"  Poor  Coridon  doth  keepe  the  fields 
••  Though  Phillida  be  ihe  that  owes  them."  Sf  EEVENS. 

To 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA,     259 

To  camp  this  hoft,  we  xvould  all  fup  together  ; 
And  drink  caroufcs  to  the  next  day's  fate, 
Which  promifcs  royal  peril. — Trumpeters, 
With  brazen  din  blaft  you  the  city's  ear ; 
Make  mingle  with  our  rattling  tabourines 9 ; 
That  heaven  and  earth  may  flrike  their  founds  to- 
gether, 
Applauding  our  approach.  [Exeunt* 

SCENE         IX. 

Ctefafs  camp* 
Enter  a  Centinel,  and  his  company.     Enobarbus  folbws. 

Cent.  If  we  be  not  reliev'd  within  this  hour, 
We  muft  return  to  the  court  of  guard  J  :  The  night 
Is  fhiny ;  and,  they  fay,  we  fhall  embattle 
By  the  fecond  hour  i'  the  morn. 

j  Sold.  This  laft  day  was  a  fhrewd  one  to  us. 

Eno.  O,  bear  me  vvitnefs,  night  !— 

2  Sold.  What  man  is  this  ? 

i  Sold.  Stand  clofe,  and  lift  him. 

Eno.  Be  witnefs  to  me,  O  thou  blefled  moon, 
When  men  revolted  ihall  upon  record 
Bear  hateful  memory,  poor  Enobarbus  did 
Before  thy  face  repent ! 

Cent.  Enobarbus ! 

3  Sold.  Peace ;  hark  further. 

Eno.  O  fovereign  miftrefs  of  true  melancholy, 
The  poifonous  damp  of  night  difpunge  upon  me ; 

9  'tdb(rurines;~\    A  tabourin  was  a  fmall  drum.     It  is  often 

mentioned  in  our  ancient  romances.  So,  in  the  Hijlory  of  Helyas 
Knight  of  the  Sivanne,  bl.  1.  no  date  ;  **  Trum petes,  clerons,  ta» 
lourins,  and  other  minltrelly."  STEEVENS. 

the  court  of  guardi ]  i.  e.  the  guard-room,  the  place 

the  guard  muiters.     The  exprelfion  occurs  again  in  Othello. 

STEEVENS. 

S  z  That 


260    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

That  life,  a  very  rebel  to  my  will, 

May  hang  no  longer  on  me  :  *  Throw  my  heart 

Againft  the  flint  and  hardnefs  of  my  fault ; 

Which,  being  dried  with  grief,  will  break  to  powder, 

And  finifh  all  foul  thoughts.     O  Antony, 

Nobler  than  my  revolt  is  infamous, 

Forgive  me  in  thine  own  particular; 

But  let  the  world  rank  me  in  regifter 

A  matter-leaver,  and  a  fugitive  : 

O  Antony  •!  O  Antony  !  "  [Dies. 

1  Sold.  Let's  fpeak  to  him. 

Cent.  Let's  hear  him,  for  the  things  he  fpeaks 
May  concern  Caifar. 

2  Sold.  Let's  do  fo.     But  he  fleeps. 

Cent. . Swoons  rather;  for  fo  bad  a  prayer  as  his 
Was  never  yet  for  ileep. 

1  Sold.  Go  we  to  him. 

2  Sold.  Awake,  fir,  awake;  fpeak  to  us. 
i  SokL  (Hear  you,  fir  ? 

Cent.  The  hand  of  death  hath  raught  him  \ 

[Drums  flfor'of. 

*Hark,  how  the  drums  demurely  wake  the  fleepers : 
Let's  bear  him  to  the  court  of  guard ;  he  is 
Of  note  :  our  hour  is  fully  out. 

*   TJjrir'j  my  leart\   The  pathetick  of  Shakefpeare  too 

often  ends  in  the  ridiculous.  It  is  painful  to  find  the  gloomy  dig- 
nity of  this  nohie  fcene  dciTroyed  by  the  intrufion  df  a  conceit  ib 
far-fetched  and  unaffedting.  JOHNSON. 

3  The' band  of  death  hath  raught  him.]    Rau^bt  is  the  ancient 
preterite  of  the   verb  to  reach.     So,    in   'Tanked  and  Guifniund, 
1592: 

"  flie  rangbt  the  cane, 

**  And  with  her  own  iweet  hand  did  give  it  me." 
A^ain  : 

**  Therewith  flie  Taught  from  her  alluring  locks 
"  This  golden  treis."     STEEVENS. 

4  Hark,  /M-IV  the  drums  demurely — -]  Demurely  for  fQlemnly. 

WAR  BUR  TON. 

6  2  Sold. 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     261 

2  Sold.  Come  on  then  ; 
He  may  recover  yet.  [Exeunt,  with  the  body. 

SCENE    X. 

Between  the  two  Camps. 

Enter  Antony,  and  Scarus,  with  their  army* 

Ant.  Their  preparation  is  to-day  by  fea  ; 
We  pleafe  them  not  by  land. 

Scar.  For  both,  my  lord. 

Ant.  I  would,  they'd  fight  i*  the  fire,  or  in  the  air; 
We'd  fight  there  too.     But  this  it  is ;  Our  foot 
Upon  the  hills  adjoining  to  the  city, 
Shall  flay  with  us  :  order  for  fea  is  given ; 

5  They  have  put  forth  the  haven, 

6  Where  their  appointment  we  may  belt  difcover, 
And  look  on  their  endeavour.  [Exeunt. 

Enter  C<efar,  and  his  army. 

Off.  7  But  being  charg'd,  we  will  be  flill  by.  land, 

Which, 

5  They  have  put  forth  the  haven.  Further  on.]  Thefe  words, 
further  on,  though  not  neceflary,  have  been  inferted  in  the  later 
editions,  and  are  not  in  the  firft.  JOHNSON. 

6  Wl:ere  their  appointment  ive  may  beft  difcover^ 
And  look  on  their  endeavour.] 

i.  e.  where  we  may  beft  difcover  their  numbers,  and  fee  their  mo' 
tions.  WAREURTOV. 

7  But  being  chargd,  ive  will  bejlill  by  land, 

Mich,  as  I  take' t,  ivcjhall- ] 

i.  e.  unlefs  we  be  charged  we  will  remain  quiet  at  land,  which 
quiet  I  fuppofe  we  fhall  keep.  Bat  being  charged  was  a  phrafe  of 
that  time,  equivalent  to  ««/<•/}  ^ve  !>e,  which  the  Oxford  editor  not 
underftanding,  he  has  alter'd  the  line  thus  : 

Not  being  charged,  we  I'.-ill  be  Jlill  by  land, 
Which  as  I  takft  ^e  jball  not.     WA  RBURTOK. 
"  But  (fays  Mr.  Lambe  in  bis  notes  on  the  ancient  metrical 
hiftory  of  the  Battle  of  Floddon)  fignifies  without?  in  which  fenfc 
it  is  often  ufed  in  the  North.     **  Boots  but  I'sun"    Viilg. 

Je  «  Sic 


•afa  -ANTON'Y  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Which,  as  I  take  it,  we  fliall ;  for  his  beft  force 

Is  forth  to  man  his  gallies.     To  the  vales, 

And  hold  bur  beft  advantage.  [Exeunt. 

Re-enter  Antony,  and  Scants. 

Ant.  Yet  they're   not  join'd  :  Where  yonder  pine 

does  fland, 

I  lhall  difcover  all :  I'll  bring  thee  word 
Straight^how  'tis  like  to  go.  [Exit. 

Scar.  Swallows  have  built 
In  Cleopatra's  fails  their  nefts  :  the  augurers8 
Say,  they  know  not/ they  cannot  tell; look 

grimly, 

And  dare  not  fp.eak  their  knowledge.     Antony 
Isvalianti  and  deje&ed ;  and,  by  ftarts, 
His  fretted  fortunes  give  him  hope,  and  fear, 
Of  what  he  has,  and  has  not.  [Exit. 

Alarum  afar  off,  as  at  afea-fgkt. 

Re-enter  Antony. 
Ant.  All  is  loft ; 

*'  Sic  nonfenfe  !  love  tak  root  but  tocher-good, 

"  Tvveen  a  herd's  bairn,  and  ane  of  gentle  blood." 

Gent.  SbcpherJ. 

Again,  in  Kelly's  Colle&ion  of  Scots  proverbs :    " He  could 

eat  me  but  fait."  Again  :  "He  gave  me  whitings  but  bones." 
Again,,  in  Chau«er's  Perfines  Tale,  late  edit.  "  Ful  oft  time  I  - 
rede,  that  no  man  truft  in  his  owen  perfection,  lut  he  be  ftronger 
than  Sampfon,  or  holier  than  David,  or  wifer  than  Solomon." 
But  is  from  the  Saxon  Butan.  Thus  butan  leas;  abfque  falfo, 
without  a  lye.  Again,  in  the  fintner's  Play  in  the  Chefter  col- 
lection. Brit.  Muf.  MS.  Harl.  2013.  p.  29  : 

'*  Abraham.  Oh  comely  creature  but  I  thee  kill 

"  I  greeve  my  God  and  that  full  ill." 
See  alfo  Ray's  North  Country  l}rords.     STEEVENS. 
'     *  ' the  augureri\  The  old  copy  has  auguries.     This  leads  US 

to  what  feems  molt  likely  to  be  the  true  readmg — augurers,  which 
word  is  uled  in  the  laft  aft  : 

"  You  are  too  fure  an  augurer."    MALONE, 

8  This 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     263 

This  foul  ./Egyptian  hath  betrayed  inc  : 
My  fleet  hath  yielded  to  the  foe  ;  and  yonder 
They  cafl  their  caps  up,  and  caroufe  together 
Like  friends  long  loft. —  9  Triple-turn'd  whore  !  'dS 

thou 

'Haft  fold  me  to  this  novice ;  and  my  heart 
Makes  only  wars  on  thee. — Bid  them  all  fly  ; 
For  when  I  am  reveng'd  upon  my  charm, 
I  have  done  all : — Bid  them  all  fly,  be  gone* 

0  fun,  thy  upriie  fliall  I  fee  no  more  : 
Fortune  and  Antony  part  here ;  even  here 

Do  we  lhake  hands.  — All  come  to  this  ? — The  hearts 

1  That  fpaniel'd  me  at  heels,  to  whom  I  gave 

9  Trifle-tint* J  whore  ! ]  She,  ..s  firft  for  Antony,  then 

was  fuppofed  by  him  to  have  turned  to  Cosfar,  when  he  found  his 
meflenger  killing  her  hand ;  then  flic  turned  again  to  Antony,  and 
now  has  turned  to  Ca:iUr.  Shall  I  mention  what  has  dropped  in- 
to my  imagination,  that  our  author  might  perhaps  have  written 
triple-tongued?  Double-tongued  is  a  common  term  of  reproach, 
which  rage  might  improve  to  triple -tongue  d.  But  the  prefent  read- 
ing may  (land.  JOHNSON. 

She  was  firft  for  Julius  Caefar,  then  for  Pompey  the  great,  and 
afterwards  for  Antony.  TOLLET. 

1  <Tbat  fpaniel'd  me  at  heeh,  •• ]  All  the  editions  read  : 

That  pannell'd  me  at  heels, 

Sir  T.  Hanmer  fubftituted^«/WV  by  an  emendation,  with  which 
it  was  reafonable  to  expert  that  even  rival  commentators  would  be 
fatisfied ;  yet  Dr.  Warburton  propofes  pantler\d,  in  a.  note,  of 
which  he  is  not  injur'd  by  thefupprefiion  ;  and  Mr.  Upton  having 
in  his  firft  edition  propoled  plauiibly  enough  : 

That  paged  me  at  heels, 

in  the  fecond  edition  retraces  his  alteration,  arid  maintains  pannelFd 
to  be  the  right  reading,  being  a  metaphor  taken,  he  fays,  from  a 
pannel  of  wainfcot.  JOHNSON. 

Spaniel*  d  is  fo  happy  a  conjecture,  that  I  think  we  ought  to  ac- 
tjuiefce  in  it.  It  is  of  fome  weight  with  me  that  fpanlel  was  often 
formerly  written  JpaawL  Hence  there  is  only  the  omilfion  of_the 
firft  letter,  which  has  happened  eliewhere  in  our  poet,  as  in  the 
word  chear  &c.  To  dag  them  at  the  heels  is  not  an  uncommon 
expreffion  in  Shakefpeare  ;  and  in  the  MUfmnmer  Night's  Dreamy 
act  II.  fc.  ii.  Helena  lays  to  Demetrius  : 

"  I  am  your  fpaniel — only  give  me  leave, 

•'  Unworthy  as  I  am,  tafoUavijou."     TOLLET. 

S  4  Their 


i64    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Their  wifhes,  do  difcandy,  melt  their  fweets 

On  bloffoming  Caefar  ;  and  this  pine  is  bark'd, 

That  over-topp'd  them  all.     Betray  'd  I  am  : 

O  this  falfe  ibul  of  ^Egypt  !   *  this  grave-charm,  — 

Whofe  eye  beck'd  forth  my  wars,  and  call'd  them 

home  ; 

Whofe  bofom  was  my  crownet  *,  my  chief  end,  — 
Like  a  -right  gipfy  '-,  hath,  at  faft  and  loofe, 

.       Be- 

4  —  —  this  grave  charm,  -  ]  I  know  not  by  what  authority, 
fcor  for  what  reafon,  this  grave  charm,  which  the  firft,  the  only 
original  copy  exhibits  h.\s  been  through  all  the  modern  editions 
changed  to  this  gay  *,  •//,,  By  this  grave  charm,  is  meant,  this 
/Mime,  this  majrftic  b&k,  y.'  JOHNS  ON  . 

I  believe  grave  charm  means  only  deadly,  or  ekjlrufli'u'e  piece  of 
•witchcraft.     In  this  fenfe  the  epiihet'gravt  is  often  iifed  by  Chap- 
'  man  in  his  tranflation  of  Homer.     So,  in  the  igth  book  : 
but  not  far  hence  the  fatal  minutes  are 


It  feem»  to  be  employed  in  the  fenfe  of  the  Latin  word  gravis. 

STEEVENS. 

s  '  ii'as  my  crownet,  my  cliirf  cr.d,-~—~\  Dr.  Johnfon  fup- 
pofes  that  crcnvt/rt  means  iail  purpofe,  probably  from  finis  coronat 
opus.  Chapman,  in  his  tranflation  of  the  fecond  book  of  Ho- 
mer, ufes  crown  in  the  fenfe  which  my  learned  coadjutor  would  re- 
commend : 

'*  -  all  things  have  their  crowe." 
Again,  in  our  author's  Cvmbiliiie,: 

"  My  fupreme  rrriivf  of  grief."     STFEV    ;  r. 
*  Like  a  right  gipfy,  hath  at  fall  and  loofe, 


There  is  a  kind  of  pun  in  this  pafTage,  nrifing  from  the  coi  rup- 
tion  of  the  word  Egyptian  into  ^/r  AT.  The  old  law-hooks  term 
fuch  perfons  as  ramble  about  the  o-untry,  anu  pretend  (kill  in 
palmiftry  and  fortune  telling;,  ]E?yptibiK.  Fuji  find  loofe  is  a  term 
to  fignify  a  cheating  game,  "of  which  the  following  is  adefcriptiou. 
A  leathern  belt  is  made  up  into  a  number  ot  intricate  tolds,  and 
placed  edgewife  upon  a  tahlf.  Oneof  ihe  iolJ.  is  n,ade  to  refem- 
ble  the  middle  of  the  girdle,  fo  that  whoever  fhould  thruft  a  Ikewer 
Into  it  would  think  he  l.eld  it  full  to  the  t-ible  ;  whereas,  when  he 
has  fo  done,  the  perfon  with  whom  he  plays  may  take  holdot  both 
ends  and  draw  it  away.  This  trick  is  now  known  to  the  common 
people,  by  the  name  of  '  pricking  at  the  belt  or  giriUe,  and  perhaps 
was  pradifed  by  the  Gyplies  in  the  time  of  Shakefpeare. 

Sir  J.HAWKINS. 

Sir 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     265 

Beguil'd  me  5  to  the  very  heart  of  lofs.-—  • 
What,  Eros,  Eros! 

Enter  Cleopatra. 

Ah,  thou  fpell !   A  vaunt. — 

Cleo.  Why  is  my  lord  enrag'd  againft  his  love  ? 

Ant.  Vanifh  ;  or  I  ihall  give  thee  thy  deferving, 
And  blemilh  Co}far*s  triumph.     Let  him  take  thee, 
And  hoift  thee  up  to  the  fronting  Plebeians  : 
Follow  his  chariot,  like  the  greateft  fpot 
Of  all  thy  fex ;  6  moil  monfter-like,  be  Ihewn 

For 

Sir  John  Hawkins's  fuppofmon  is  confirm'd  by  the  following 
Epigram  in  an  anciemyfjiledion  called  Run  and  a  great  Ca/t,  by 
Tho.  Freeman,  1614: 

In  jEgyptum  fufpenfum.     Epig.  9J. 

Charles  the  uSgyjbtlaa^  who  by  jugling  could 
Make/rt/?  or  loofe,  or  whatfoere  he  would; 
Surely  it  feem'd  he  was  not  his  craft's  matter, 
*    Striving  to  loofe  what  ftruggling  he  made  fafter : 
The  hangman  was  more  cunning  of  the  twaine, 
Who  knit  what  he  could  not  unknit  againe. 
You  countrymen. ^Egyptian!,  make  fuch  fots, 
Seeming  to  loofe  indiilbluble  knots : 
Had  you  been  there,  but  to  fee  the  caft, 
You  would  have  won,  had  you  but  laid — 'tis  fail." 

STEEVENS. 

to  tie  very  heart  of  lofs. —  ]    To  the  utmoft  lois  poffible. 

JOHNSON. 
mojl  mnnfter-like,  be  Jbe^iun 


For  poor  Jl  diminutives^  for  dolts  ;< ] 

As  the  allufion  here  is  to  mongers  carried  about  in  fliews,  it  is 
plain,  that  the  words,  for  poorejl  diminutives,  muft  mean  for  the 
leait  piece  of  money  ;'  we"  mull  therefore  read  the  next  word  : 

i.  e.  farthings,  which  (hews  what  he  means  by  poorejl  diminutives. 

WARBURTON. 

There  was  furely  no  occafion  for  the  poet  to  foe™  ivbat  he  meant 
by  poorejl  diminutives.  The  exprellion  is  clear  enough,  and  cer- 
tainly requires  no  additional  force  from  the  explanation.  I  rather 
believe  we  fliould  read : 

For  pooreft  dijninutirvest  TO  DOITS;———— 

Thii 


266    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

For  noor'ft  diminutives  to  dolts ;  and  let 
Patient  Odtavia  plough  thy  vifage  up 

7  With  her  prepared  nails.   'Tis  well  thou'rt  gone,— 

[Exit  Cleopatra. 

If  it  be  well  to  live  :  But  better  'twere, 
Thou  fell'ft  into  my  fury  ;  for  one  death 

Might  have  prevented  many.— Eros,  ho  ! 

The  fhirt  of  Neffus  is  upon  me  :  Teach  me, ' 
Alcides,  thou  mine  anceftor,  thy  rage  : 

8  Let  me  lodge  Lichas  on  the  horns  o'  the  moon  ; 
And  with  thofe  hands,  that  grafp'd  the  heavieft  club, 
Subdue  my  worthieft  felf.     The  witch  lhall  die ; 

To  the  young  Roman  boy  fhe  hath  fold  me,  and  I  fall 

Under  this  plot :  ftie  dies  for't. — Eros,  ho !      [Exit. 

. 

This  aggravates  the  contempt  of  her  fuppofed  fituation ;  to  be 
fhewn,  as  monfters  are,  not  only  for  the  fmaileft  pieces  of  money  ^  but 
to  the  mojl  Jtupid  and  vulgar  fpefiators.  TYRWHITT. 

I  have  adopted  this  truly  ieniible  emendation.     STE EVENS. 

7  With  her  prepared  nails. ]  i.  e.  with  nails  which  (lie  fuf- 

fered  to  grow  for  this  purpofe.     WAR  BUR  TON. 

8  Let  me  lodge  Lichas ]  Sir  T.  Han.mer  reads  thus  : 

thy  rage 

Led  thee  lodge  Lichas — and— 

Subdue  thy  worthieft  felf. 

This  reading,  harfh  as  it  is,  Dr.  Warburton  has  received,  after 
having  rejected  many  better.  The  meaning  is,  Let  me  do  fome- 
thing  in  my  rage,  becoming  the  fucceflbr  of  Hercules. 

JOHNSON. 

Let  me  lodge  Lichas  on  the  horns  o1  t/S  moon,}  This  image  our 
poet  feems  to  have  taken  from  Seneca's  Hercules,  who  fays  Lichas 
being  launched  into  the  air,  fprinkled  the  clouds  with  his  blood. 
Sophocles,  on  the  fame  occafion,  talks  at  a  much  foberer  rate. 

WARBURTON. 

Shakefpeare  might  have  taken  part  of  this  imagery  from  Hey- 
wood's  Silver  Age,  1613: 

"  To  fee  this  wanton,  with  her  baftard,  blown 
*'  And  hang'd  ufati  the  high  horns  of  the  moos" 

STEEVENSi 


SCENE 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     267 

S    C     E    N     E        XI. 

Ckopatras  Palace. 

Enter  Cleopatra,  Clwm'um,  Ins,  and  Mar  Man. 

Cleo.  Help  me,  my  women  !  O,  he  is  more  mad 
Than  Telamon  for  his  fliield  9  ;  the  boar  of  Theffaly 
Was  never  fo  embofs'd  '. 

Char.  To  the  monumen*  ; 

There  lock  yourfelf,  and  fend  him  word  you  are  dead. 
The  fool  and  body  rive  not  more  at  parting, 
Than  greatnefs  going  off. 

Cleo.  To  the  monument  :  — 
Mardian,  go  tell  him  I  have  ilain  myfelf  ; 
Say,  that  the  laft  I  fpoke  was,  Antony, 
And  word  it,  pr'ythee,  piteoufly  :  Hence,  Mardian  ; 
And  bring  me  how  he  takes  my  death.  —  To  the  mo- 
nument. [Exeunt. 

SCENE        XII. 

The  fame. 
Enter  Antony,  and  Eros. 

Ant.  Eros,  thon  yet  behold'fl  me  ? 
Eros.  Ay,  noble  lord. 

Ant.  *  Sometime,  we  fee  a  cloud  that's  dragonifh  ; 

A 

9  TJjan  Telansnfor  bis  flrield  ;  -  ]  i.e.  than  Ajax  Telamon. 
for  the  armour  of  Acbillts,  the  moft  valuable  part  of  which  was  the 
ihield.  The  boar  of  Tbejjaly  was  the  boar  killed  by  Meleaggr. 

STEEVENS. 

1  Was  never  fo  embofs'd.]  A  hunting  term  :  when  a  deer  is  hard 
run  and  'foams  at  the  mouth,  he  is  faid  to  be  imboft.  A  dog  alfo, 
when  he  is  drained  with  hard  running,  will  have  his  knees  fwelfed, 
and  then  he  is  faid  to  be  imbojl,  from  the  French  word  bajjc,  which 
lijgnifies  a  tumour.  HANMER. 

'     a  Sometime,  ive  fee  a  cloud  that's  dragonijb,  &c.]     So,  Arifto- 
phanes,  Nulei,  v.    4^  : 


"H  wapi«?a»,  i?  Xvx»»,   vreiVfUi  Sir  W.  RAWLIN5ON. 

Perhaps 


z68    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

A  vapour,  fometime,  like  a  bear,  or  lion, 

A  tower'd  citadel,  a  pendant  rock, 

A  forked  mountain,  or  blue  promontory 

With  trees  upon't,  that  nod  unto  the  world, 

And  mock  our  eyes  with  air  :  Thou  haft  feen  thefc 

figns ; 
They  are  black  vefper's  pageants. 

Eros.  Ay,  my  lord. 

Ant.  That,  which  is  now  a  horfe,  even  with   a 

thought, 

s  The  rack  diflimns ;  and  makes  it  indiftincl:, 
As  water  is  in  water. 

Eros.  It  does,  my  lord. 

Ant.  My  good  knave,  Eros 4,  now  thy  captain  is 
Even  fuch  a  body  :  here  I  am  Antony ; 
Yet  cannot  hold  this  vifible  lhape,  my  knave. 
I  made  thefe  wars  for  ^Egypt ;  and  the  queen,— 
Whofe  heart,  I  thought,  I  had,  for  fhe  had  mine ; 
Which,  whilft  it  was  mine,  had  annex'd  unto't 
A  million  more,  now  loft, — fhe,  Eros,  has 

Perhaps  Shakefpeare  received  the  thought  from  P.  Holla  nd'stranf- 

lation  of  Pliny's  Nat.  Hift.  b.  ii.  c.  3  :   "  our  eiefighttef- 

tifieth  the  fame,  whiles  in  one  place  there  appeareth  the  refem- 
blanceof  a  waine.or.  chariot,  in  another  of  a  bearc,  the  figure  of  a 
bull  in  this  part,  &c."  or  from  Chapman's  Monfieur  D'Olive, 
1606: 

"  Like  to  a  mafs  of  clouds  that  now  feem  like 
"  An  elephant,  and  ftraJghuvays  like  an  ox, 
"  And  then  a  moufe  &c."     STEEVENS. 

3  The  rack  tUJlimns ;  — —  ]  i.  e.  The  fleeting  away  of  the  clouds 
cleftroys  the  picture.     STEEVEI^S. 

4  My  good  knave,  Eros, ]  Knave  is  fervant.     So,  in  A 

Mery  Gefte  of  Rolyn  HonSe,  bl.  1.  no  date  : 

"  I  fliall  thee  lencle  lyttle  John  my  man, 

"  For  he  fhali  be  thy  knave.'' 

Again,  in  the  okl  n-.ctrica!  roivmnce  of ~SyrDigorc9  bl.  1.  no  date: 
"  He  fent  the  chylde  tu  her  :\iii  rathe 
*'  With  much  money  by  his  'knave."    STEEVENS. 

Pack'd 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     269 

5  Pack'd  cards  with  Csefar,  and  falfe  play'd  my  glory 
Unto  an  enemy's  triumph. — 
Nay,  weep  not,  gentle  Eros ;  there  is  left  us 
Ourielves  to  end  ourfelves. — O,  thy  vile  lady  ! 

Enter  Mardian. 

She  has  robb'd  me  of  my  fword. 

Mar.  No,  Antony; 

My  miftrefs  lov'd  thee,  and  her  fortunes  mingled 
"With  thine  entirely. 

Ant.  Hence,  faucy  eunuch ;  peace ; 
'She  hath  betray'd  me,  and  fhall  die  the  death. 

Mar.  Death  of  one  perfon  can  be  paid  but  once ; 
And  that  fhe  hath  difcharg'd :  What  thou  would'ftdo, 
Is  done  unto  thy  hand ;  the  laft  fhe  fpake 
Was,  Antony  !  moft  noble  Antony  ! 
Then  in  the  midft  a  tearing  groan  did  break 
The  name  of  Antony ;  it  was  divided 
Between  her  heart  and  lips  :  Ihe  rendered  life, 
The  name  ib  buried  in  her. 

Ant.  Dead  then  ? 

5  Pack'd  cards  with  C<?/ar,  and  falfe  play'd  my  glory 

Unto  an  enemy's  triumph. ] 

Shakefpeare  has  here,  as  ufual,  taken  his  metaphor  from  a  low 
trivial  lubjeft  ;  but  has  enobled  it  with  much  art,  by  fo  contriv- 
ing that  the  principal  term  in  the  fubjecl  from  whence  the  meta- 
phor was  taken,  fhould  belong  to,  and  fuit  the  dignity  of  the  fub- 
ject  to  which  the  netaphor  is  transferred ':  thereby  providing  at 
once  for  the  integrity  of  the  figure,  and  the  noblenefs  of  the 
thought.  And  this  by  the  word  triumph,  which  either  fignifies 
OStavius's  conqueft,  or  what  we  now  call,  contra&edly,  the  trump 
at  cards,  then  called  the  triumph  or  the  triumphing  fort. 

WAR  BURTON. 

This  explanation  is  very  juft,  the  thought  did  not  deferve  fo 
good  an  annotation.     JOHNSON. 

A'paflage  in  Ben  Jonfon's  Fortunate  IJles,  a  mafque,  I  think  fuf- 
ficicntly  lupports  Dr.  Warburton's  etymology  : 

' '  The  kings  and  queens  that  triumph  in  the  cards." 
This  ufeof  the  word  comes  to  us  from  the  French,  who  at  this 
day  call  the  trump  at  cards,  k  triompbe.    STEEVENS. 

Mar. 


*7o     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

-  'Mar.  Dead. 

Ant.  Unarm,  Eros;  the  long  day's  tafk  is  done, 
And  we  muft  fleep  : — That  thou  depart'ft  hence  fare, 
Does  pay  thy  labour  richly  ;  Go. — Off,  pluck  off  ;— 

\_Exit  Mardlan. 

The  feven-fold  ftiield  of  Ajax  cannot  keep 
6  The  battery  from  my  heart. ,    O,  cleave,  my  fides ! 
Heart,  once  be  ftronger  than  thy  continent7, 
Crack  thy  frail  cafe  ! — Apace,'  Eros,  apace. — 
No  more  a  foldier  : — Bruifed  pieces,  go ; 
You  have  been  nobly  borne. — From  me  a  while.—- 

{Exit  Eros. 

I  will  o'ertake  thee,  Cleopatra,  -end 
JVVeep  for  my  pardon.     So  it  muft  be,  for  no'.v- 
All  length  is  torture  : — Since  the  torch  is  out, 
Lie  down,  and  ftray  no  further:  No*.v  all  labour 
Marrs  what  it  does;  yea,  very  force  entangles 
Itfelf  with  ftrength  :  8  Seal  then,  and  all  is  done. — 
Eros  ! — I  come,  my  queen  : — Eros  ! — Stay  for  me  : 
Where  fouls  do  couch  on  flowers,  we'll  hand  in  hand, 
And  with  our  fprightly  port  make  the  ghofts  gaze  : 
Dido  and  her  Aneas  lhali  want  troops, 

*  The  lattery  from  my  heart. ]   I  would  read  : 

This  lattery  from  my  heart. JOHNSON. 

7  , tly  continent,}  i.e.  the  thing  that  contains  thee.    So, 

in  another  of  our  author's  plays  :  "  You  (hall  find  in  him  the  con- 
tinent of  what  part  a  gentleman  would  fee.     STEEVENS. 

*  .     .  .  Seal  -then,  and  all  is  done. ]    Metaphor  taken  from 

civil  contracts,  where,  when  all  is  agreed  on,  thefealing  eompleats 
the  contract ;  fo  he  hath  determined  to  die,  and  nothing  remain'd 
but  to  give  the  ftroke.     The  Oxford  editor  not  apprehending  this, 
alters  it  to' 

deep  then,        - ]     WARBURTON. 

I  believe  the  reading  is  :  • 

feel  t'jc»y  and  all  is  done. 

To  feel  ha-vks,  is  to  clofe  their  eyes.    The  meaning  will  be  : 

• face  the  torch  is  out, 

Lie  do'-'.'n,  and  fir  ay  no  further.      ~N o<vj  all  labour 

Marrs  what  it  does. Seel  flicn,  and  all  is  done. 

Clofe  thine  eyes  far  ever,  and  be  quiet,     JOHKSON. 

And 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.    2?; 

And  all  the  haunt  be  ours. — Come,  Eros,  Eros! 

Re-enter  Eros. 

Eros.  What  would  my  lord  ? 

Ant.  Since  Cleopatra  dy'd, 
I  have  liv'd  in  men  difhonour,  that  the  gods 
Deteft  my  bafenek.     I,  that  with  my Avord 
Quarter'd  the  world,  and  o'er  green  Neptune's  back 
With  Ihips  made  cities,  condemn  my fc-f,  to  lack 
The  courage  of  a  woman,  lefs  noble  mind 
Than  Ihe,  which,  by  her  death,  our  Cselar  tells, 
Iqm  conqueror  of  my/elf .     Thou  art  fworn,   Eros, 
That,  when  the  exigent  fhould  come,  (-vhich  now 
Is  come,  indeed)  when  I  fhould  fee  behind  me 
The  inevitable  profecution  of 
Difgrace  and  horror,  that,  on  my  command, 
Thou  then  would'ft  kill  me :  do't,  the  time  is  come : 
Thou  ftrik'ft  not  me,  'tis  Casfar  thou  defeat'il. 
Put  colour  iruthy  cheek. 

Eros.  The  gods  withhold  me  ! 
Shall  I  do  that,  which  all  the  Parthian  darts, 
Though  enemy,  loft  aim,  and  could  riv>t  ? 

A/it.  Eros, 

Would'ft  thou  bewindow'd  in  great  Roma,  and  fee 
Thy  mailer  thus  -  with  pleach'd  arms,  bending  down 
His  corrigible  neck  ',  his  face  fubdu'd 

s  pleached  arms, ]  Arms  folded  in  each  other. 

JOHNSON. 

Apaflage  very  like  this  occurs  in  Thomas  Ryd's  tranilation  of 
Robert  Gamier' s  Cornelia,  publiflied  in  159,: 

"  Now  (halt  tuou  march  (thy  hanus  raft  bound  behind 

thee) 

"  Thy  head  hung  down,  ;hy  cheeks  with  tears  befprent, 
*'  Be  to  re  tht  victor  ;   while  rhy  relx     jn 
"  VVitii  crowned  front  triumphing  lol1   AS  thee  " 

STEEVENS. 

1   His  corrigible  neck,  ]     Cor   ,;•  '  le  for  corrected,  and 

afterwards  penetrative  for  penetrnting.      -~>J  \r'i"Ji'i  '1!^s  "  penetraliU 
frigus"  for  "  penctrans  frigus,"  m  his  Georg^cks.     STEEYENS. 

To 


272     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

To  penetrative  lhame ;  whilft  the  wheel'd  feat 
Of  fortunate  Ca^far,  drawn  before  him,  branded 
*  His  bafenefs  that  enfued  ? 

Eros.  1  would  not  fee't. 

Ant.  Come  then;  for  with  a  wound  I  miift  be  cur'd. 
Draw  that  thy  honeft  fword,  which  thou  haft  worn 
Moft  ufeful  for  thy  country. 

Eros.  O,  fir,  pardon  me. 

Ant.  When  I  did  make  thee  free  ?,  fwor'ft  thou  not 

then 

To  do  this  when  I  bade  thee  ?  Do  it  at  once ; 
Or  thy  precedent  feryices  are  all 
But  accidents  unpurpos'd.     Draw,  and  come. 

Eros.  Turn  from  me  then  that  nobie  countenance, 
Wherein  4  the  worfhip  of  the  whole  world  lies. 

Ant.  Lo  thee. —  [Turning  from  him. 

*  His  bafcncfs  that  enfued  ?]    The  poor  conquered  wretch  that 
followed.     JOHNSON. 

3  When  I  did  make  thee  free,  &c.]  So,  in  the  old  tranflation  of 
Plutarch :    "  Now  he  had  a  man  of  his  called^Eros,  whom   he 
loued  and  trufted  much,  and  whom  he  had  long  before  caufed  to 
fweare  vijto  him,  thathefhould  kill  him  when,  he  did  commaunde 
him  :    an.l  then  he  willed  him   to  keepe  his  promife.     His  man 
drawing  his  fworde,  lift  it  vp  as  though  he'had  ment  to  haue  ftri- 
ken  h  s  maifter :  but  turning,  his  head  at  one  fide,  he  thruft  his 
fword  into  him  felfe,  and  fell  downe  dead  at  his  maiiter's  foote. 
Then  faid  Antonius,  O  noble  Eros,  I  tlranke  thee  for  this,  and 
it  is  valliantly  done  of  thee,  to  fhew  me  what  I  fhculd  do  to  my 
felfe,    which  thou  couldelt  not  doe  for  me.     Therewithal'   he 
tooke  his  fword,  and  thruft  it  into  his  bellie,  and  fo  fell  downe 
•vpon  a'litlebed.     The  wounds  he  had,  killed  him  not 'prefently, 

•  for  the  blood  itinted  a  litle  when  he  was  layed  :  and  when  he  came 
fomwhat  to  him  felfe  againe,  he  praied  them  that  were  about  him 
to  difpatch  him.  But  they  all  fled  out  of  the  chamber,  and  left 
him  crying  out  and  tormenting  him  felfe  :  vntill  at  lart  there  came 
a  fecretarie  vnto  him  called  Diomedes,  who  \\as  commaunded  to 
bring  him  into  the  tombe  or  monument  where  Cleopatra  was. 
When  he  heard  that  (lie  was  aliue,  he  verie  earneftlie  prayed  his 
men  to  cane  his  bodie  thither,  and  fo  he  was  caried  in  his  men's 
ames  into  the  entry  of  the  monument."  STEEVENS. 

4  tbeworjlrip  of  the  whole  world— —  ]  The  worjbip,  is  the 

dignity ,  the  authority.     JOHNSON. 

Eros. 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.    273 

Eros.  My  fword  is  drawn. 

Ant.  Then  let  it  do  at  once 
The  thing  why  thou  haft  drawn  it. 

Eros.  My  dear  matter, 
My  captain,  and  my  emperor  !  let  me  fay, 
Before  I  ftrike  this  bloody  ftroke,  farewel. 

Ant.  'Tis  faid,  man  ; — and  farewel. 

Eros.  Farewel,  great  chief.     Shall  I  ftrike  now  ? 

Ant.  Now,  Eros. 

Eros.  Why,  there  then : — Thus  do  I  efcape  the 

forrow  [Eros  kills  himfelf. 

Of  Antony's  death.  [vits* 

Ant.  Thrice  nobler  than  myfelf ! 
Thou  teacheft  me,  O  valiant  Eros,  what 
I  fhould,  and  thou  could'ft  not.    My  queen  and  Eros 
Have,  by  their  brave  inftrudtion,  got  upon  me 
A  noblenefs  in  record  :  '  But  I  will  be 
A  bridegroom  in  my  death,  and  run  into't 
As  to  a  lover's  bed.     Come  then ;  and,  Eros, 
Thy  mailer  dies  thy  fcholar ;  to  do  thus 

[Falling  on  his  fword. 

I  learn'd  of  thee.     How  !  not  dead  ?  not  dead  ?— 
The  guard  ?— how  ! — O,  difpatch  me. 

Enter  Dercetas^  and  Guards. 

1  Guard.  What's  the  noife  ? 

Ant.  I  have  done  my  work  ill,  friends ;  O,  make  an 

end 
Of  what  I  have  begun. 

2  Guard.  The  ftar  is  fallen. 

i  Guard.  And  time  is  at  his  period. 
All.  Alas,  and  woe ! 

•     But  I  will  1>e 

A  bridegroom  in  my  death,  &c.] 

This  thought  has  occurred  before  in  Mcafurefor  Mcafurt  • 
I  will  encounter  darkncfs  as  a  bride, 
And  bug  it  In  my  armt.  STEEVENS. 

VOL.  VIII.  T 


274   ANTONY   AND   CLEOPATRA. 

Ant.  'Let  him  that  loves  me,  ftrike  me  dead. 

1  Guard.  Not  I. 

2  Guard.  Nor  I. 

3  Guard.  Nor  any  one.  [Exeunt. 
Do:  Thy  death  and  fortunes  bid  thy  followers  fly 

This  fword  but  fliewn  to  Csefar,  with' this  tidings/ 
bhall  enter  me  with  him. 

Enter  Diomedes, 
Dio.  Where's  Antony  ? 
Der.  There,  Diomed,  there. 
Dio.  Lives  he  ?  Wilt  thou  not  anfwer,  man  ? 

[Exit  Dercetas. 
Ant.  Art  thou  there,  Diomed  ?  Draw  thy  fword 

and  give  me 

Sufficing  ftrokes  for  death. 
Dio..  Moft  abfolute  lord, 
My  miftrefs  Cleopatra  fent  me  to  thee. 

Ant.  V,-  hen  did  fhe  lend  thee  ? 
-   Dio.  ,N.Q\Y,  my  lord. 
Ant.  Where  is  me  ? 
Dio.  Lock'd  in  her  monument.     She  had  a  pro- 

phefying  fear 

Of  what  hath  come  to  pafs  :  for  when  fhe  faw 
(Which  never  {hall  be  found)  you  did  fufpedt 
She  had  difpos'd  *  with  Caefar,  and  that  your  rage 
Would  not  be  purg'd,,  fhe  fent  you  word  fhe  was 

dead ; 

But,  tearing  fjnce  how  it  might  work,  hath  fent 
Me  to  proclaim  the  truth  ;  and  I  am  come, 
I  dread,  too  late. 

Ant.  Too  late,  good  Diomed  .-—Call  my  guard    I 
pr'ythee. 

Dio.  What,    ho  !    the   emperor's    guard  !    The 

guard,  what,  ho! 
Come,  your  lord  calls. 

*   Sbtba* difpos'd  r,:VA   C^far.1  To  ,/#,/,,    in  this  inlhncc, 
perhaps  hgmfaea  to  //;.;.«  ,'tr/.yy,  toji-tilt  matters.    STEEYSNS. 

Enter 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.    275 

Enter  a  Guard. 

Ant.  Bear  me,    good  friends^    where  Cleopatra 

bi.bs  ; 
'Tis  the  laft  lervice  that  I  lhall  command  you. 

i  Guard.  Woe,  woe,  are  we,  fir,  you  may  net  live 

to  wear 

All  your  true  followers  out. 
All.  Moft  heavy  day  ! 
Ant.  Nay,  good  my  fellows,  do  not  pleafe  marp 

fate 

To  grace  it  with  your  fcrrows  :  bid  that  welcome 
Which'  comes  to  punifh  us,  and  we  punim  it 
Seeming  to  bear  it  lightly.     Take  me  up  : 
I  have  led  you  oft ;  carry  me  now,  good  friends, 
And  have  my  thanks  for  all. 

[Exeunt,  bearing  Antony* 

SCENE       XIII. 

A  Monument. 
Enter  Cleopatra,  Cbarmlan,  and  Iras,  above. 

Cleo.  O  Charmian,  I  will  never  go  from  hence, 

Char.  Be  comforted,  dear  madam. 

Cleo.  No,  I  will  not : 

All  ftrange  and  terrible  events  are  welcome, 
But  comforts  we  defpife  ;  our  fizeof  forrow, 
Proportion'd  to  our  caufe,  muft  be  as  great 

Enter  Diomedes. 

As  that  which  makes  it. — How. now  ?  is  he  dead? 

Dio.  His  death's  upon  him,  but  not  dead. 
Look  out  o'  the  other  fide  your  monument, 
His  guard  have  brought  him  thither. 

T  i  Enter 


276    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA, 

Enter  Antony,  borne  by  the  guard. 

Cleo.  J  O  fun, 
Burn  the  great  fphere  thou  mov'fl  in  .'—darkling  4 

ftand 

The  varying  fliore  o'  the  world ! — O  Antony  ! 
Antony,  Antony  ! 

Help,  Charmian,  help  ;  Iras,  help ;  help,  friends 
Below  ;  let's  draw  him  hither. 

Ant.  Peace  : 

Not  Csefar's  valour  hath  o'erthrown  Antony, 
But  Antony's  hath  triumph'd  on  itfelf. 

Cleo.  So  it  fliould  be,  that  none  but  Antony 
Should  conquer  Antony ;  but  woe  'tis  fo  ! 

Ant.  I  am  dying,  ./Egypt,  dying ;  only 
5 1  here  importune  death  a  while,  until 

Of 

»       Ofun 

Burn  the  great  fphere  thou  mov'jl  in  ! — darkling./?*™// 
J7je  vzryingjhorc  o'  tlj1  ivorld  !  -  ] 

T7jt  varying  fiorc  a'  t/S  -world!  i.  e.  of  the  earth,  where  light 
and  darknefs  make  an  inceflant  variation.  But  then,  if  the  fun 
fhould  fet  on  fire  the  whole  fphere,  in  which  he  was  fuppofed  to 
move,  how  could  the  earth_/r }a»d darkling?  On  the  contrary  it 
would  be  in  perpetual  light.  Therefore,  if  we  allow  CJeopatra 
not  to  be  quite  mad,  we  muft  believe  flie  faid, 

Turn  trom  tb^  great  fphere— — 

i.  e.  forfake  it,  fly  off  from  it :  and  then  indeed  the  confequence 
would  be,  that  the  varying  Jkore  would  become  invariably  dark. 

WAR  EUR  TON*. 

She  defires  the  fun  to  lum  his  own  orb,  the  vehicle  of  light, 
and  then  the  earth  will  be  dark.  JOHNSONS 

4  — darkling— 1  i.  e.  without  light.    So  in  the  Two  angry  Wo» 
men  of  Abington^  1599  : 

"  — my  mother  hath  a  torch,  your  wife 

**  Goes  darkling  up  and  down."  STEEVENS. 

5  I  here  importune  death ]   I  folicit  denth  to  delay;    or.    I 

trouble  death  by  keeping  him  in  waiting.     JOH.NSOM. 

/  here  importune  death  a  ci'/}//V,   until 
Of  many  thoufatid  kijjes  the  poor  hijl 
Hay  upon  thy  l:ps. — Cane  down. 

Cleo. 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.    277 

Of  many  thoufand  kiffcs  the  poor  laft 
I  lay  upon  thy  lips.— 

Cko.  I  dare  not, 

Dear,  dear,  my  lord,  pardon  ;  I  dare  not, 
Left  I  be  taken  :  not  the  imperious  ftiew 
Of  the  full-fortun'd  Ca?far  ever  (hall 
Be  brooch'd  with  me  6 ;    if  knife,  drugs,  ferpents, 
have 

Edge, 

Cleo.  /  dare  not, 

Dear,  dear,  my  lord,  your  pw Jon  ;   that  /  dare  not, 

Left  I  be  taken. 

What  curious  hobbling  verlification  do  we  encounter  here  in  the 
laft  line  but  one  ?  Belides,  how  inconfiftently  is  the  lady  made  to 
reply  ?  Antony  fays,  he  only  holds  life,  till  he  can  give  her  one 
laft  kifs  :  and  flie  cries,  flie  dares  not :  What  dares  fhe  not  do  ? 
kifs  Antony  ?  But  how  ihould  flie  ?  fhe  was  above,  lock'd  in  her 
monument ;  and  he  below,  on  the  outfide  of  it.  With  a  very 
flight  addition,  I  think,  I  can  cure  the  whole ;  and  have  a  war- 
rant from  Plutarch  for  it  into  the  bargain. 

Now  Plutarch  fays,  that  "  Antony  was  carried  in  his  men's 
arms  into  the  entry  of  the  monument :  Notwithftanding,  Cleopatra 
would  not  open  the  gates,  but  came  to  the  high  windows,  and  call  out 
certain  chains  and  ropes,  &c." — So  that  Antony  might  very  rea- 
fonably  delire  her  to  come  down,  and  (he  as  reafonably  excufe 
herfelr  for  fear  of  being  infnared  by  Cajfar.  THEOBALD. 

Mr.  Theobald's  emendation  is  received  by  the  fucceeding  edi- 
tors ;  but  it  feems  not  neceflary  that  a  dialogue  fo  diftrefsful 
fhould  be  nicely  regular.  I  have  therefore  preferved  the  original 
reading  in  the  text,  and  the  emendation  below.  JOHNSON. 

6  Be  brooch'd  v:ith  me.]  Be  brooch' d,  i.e.  adorn*  d.  A  brooch 
was  an  ornament  formerly  worn  in  the  hat.  So  in  Ben  Jonfon's 
Poetajlcr,  "  Honour's  a  good  brooch  to  wear  in  a  man's  hat  at  all 
times."  Again,  in  his  Staple  of  News : 

"  The  very  broch  o'  the  bench,  gem  of  the  city." 
Again,  in  the  Magnetic  Lady  : 

"  The  brooch  to  any  true  ftate  cap  in  Europe." 
The  Rev.  Mr.  Lambe  obfervcs  in  his  notes  on  the  ancient  metrical 
Hijlcry  of  Floddon  Field,  t\\M  brooches  in  the  North  are  buckies  let 
with  ilones,  fuch  as   thofe  with  which  fhirt-bofoms  and  handker- 
chiefs are  clafped.     STEEVENS. 

be  brooch*  d  with  me. 

Brooch  is  properly  a  bodkin,  or  fome  fuch  inflrjmcnt  (originally  a 

fpit)   and  ladies'  bodkins  being  headed  with  gems,  it  fometimes 

ftaods  for  an  ornamental  trinket  or  jewel  in  general,  in  whic.i 

T  3  leaf.- 


278     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Edge,  fling,  or  operation  •*,  I  am  .fafe. 
Your  wife  Octavia,  with  her  modeit  eyes, 
And  *  flill  conclufion,  mall  acquire  no  honour 
Demuring  upon  me.  -  But  come,  come,  Antony,— 
Help  me,  my  women, — we  muft  draw  thee  up ; — 
Aflift,  good  friends. 

A-.it.  O,,  quick,  or  I  am  gone, 

Cko.  9  Here's  fport,  indeed  ! — How  heavy  weighs 

my  lord  ! 

Our  flrength  is  all  gone  into  heavinefs, 
That  makes  the  weight :  Had  I  great  Juno's  power, 
The  ilrong-wing'd  Mercury  Ihould  fetch  thee  up, 
And  fet  thee  by  Jove's  fide.     Yet  come  a  little, — 
Wilhers  were  ever  fools ; — O,  come,  come,  come  ;— • 
\*fbey  drazv  Antony  up  to  Cleopatra. 
Arid  welcome,  welcome  !  die,  where  thou  haft  liv'd : 
1  Quicken  with  kifling; — had  my  lips  that  power, 
Thus  would  I  wear  them  out. 

fenfe  it  is  perhaps  ufed  at  prefent,  or  as  probably  in  its  original 
one,  for  pinned  up,  as  we  now  fay  pin  up  the  lafket ;  brooch* d  with 
me,  i.  e.  pinned  up,  compleated  with  having  me  to  adorn  his 
triumph.  PERCY. 

7        if  knife,  drugs,  ferpents,  have 

E  (foe.  fling,   or  operation, ~\ 

Here  is  the  fame  irregular  pofiticn  of  the  words,  that  Mr.  War- 
ner would  avoid  or  amend  in  Hamlet :  and  yet  Shakefpeare  feems 
to  have  attended  to  this  matter  in  the  very  play  before  us,  act  III. 
fc.  ii.  TOLLET. 

This  thought  occurs  in  Permits  Prince  of  Tyre  : 

"  If  fires  be  hot,  knives  fliarp,  or  waters  deep, 
"  Unty'd  I  ftill  rny  virgin  knot  will  keepe." 

STEEVENS. 

8  — — ftill  condition, ]  Sedate  determination  ;  filent  cool- 

nefs  of  refolution.     JOHNSON. 

9  Here'sfport,  indeed! ]   I  fuppofe  the  meaning  of  thefc 

ftrar.ge  \vords  is,  here's  trifling,  you  do  not  work  in  carnejl. 

JoH.VSON. 

1   £>aicken  with  ki fling ]   That  is,  Revive  ly  ny  k:fs. 

JOHNSON'. 

So  .in  Hey  wood's  Rcysl  King±  &c,   1637  : 

"  AuJ  quickens  moft  where  he  wculd  mcft  deftroy." 

STEEVEXS. 

All 


ANTONY  A&D  CLEOPATRA.     279 

'All  A  heavy  fight ! 

Ant.  I  am  dying,  JEgynt,  dying  : 
Give  me  fonic  wine,  and  let  me  fpeak  a  little.8. 

Clea.  No,  let  me  (peak  ;  and  let  me  rail  ib  i/i.^li, 
That  the  falfe  5  hufwifc  Fortune  break  her  wheel, 
Provok'd  by  my  offence. 
'    Ant.  One  word,  Aycct  queen  : 
Of  Ciefar  feek  your  honour,  with  your  fafety.— O  ! — 

Cko.  They  do  not  go  together. 

Ant.  Gentle,  hear  me  : 

None  about  Crefar  trull,  but  Prcculeius. 

Cko.  My  refolution,  and  my  hands,  i'll-tr. 
None  about  Ca?far. 

Ant.  The  mifcrablc  change.  no\v  at  mv  end  •*-, 
Lament  nor  forrow  at :  but  pleafe  your  thoughts 
In  feeding  them  with  thofe  my  former  fortunes 
Wherein  I  liv'd,  the  greatcli  prince  o'  the  world, 
The  noble'il :  and  do  now  not  bafely  die, 
Nor  cowardly ;  put  off  my  helmet  to 
My  country  mar,,  a  Romany  by  a  Roman 
Valiantly  vanquiih'd.     Now,  my  fpirit  is  going  ; 
I  can  no  more. [Antony  dies. 

*  Gi"jemcfcr:c--S>;ic,  &:c.]  This  circumftance,  like  almbft  every 
other,  Shakefpeare  adopted  from  Plutarch.  Sir  Tho.  North,  in 
his  tranflation,  fays, —  "  Antony  made  her  ceafe  from  lamenting, 
and  called  for  wine,  either  becaufe  he  was  athirft,  or  elfe  for  that 
thereby  to  haften  his  death.  When  he  had  dronke,  he  earneltly 
prayed  her,  and  perfuaded  that  flie  would  feeke  to  fuvc  her  life,  if 
fhe  could  poffible,  without  reproache  and  difhonor :  and  that  flie 
fhould  chiefly  truft  Proculeius  abpve  any  man  elfe  about  Cajfar." 

STEEVENS. 

3  —bujkvife  Fortune ]  This  defpicable  line  has  occurred 

before.     JOHNSON- . 

4  The  mifirable  change,  &c.]  This  fpeech  ftands  thus  in  fir  Tho. 
North's  tranflation  of  Plutarch. — "  As  for  himfelf,  flie  fhould 
not  lament  nor  forrow  for  the  niiferable  change  of  his  fortune  at 
the  end  of  his  days  ;   but  rather,    that  (he  fhould  think  him  the. 
more  fortunate,  for  the  former  triumphs  and  honours  he  hail  re- 
ceived, confidering  that  while  he  lived,  he  was  the  noblefl  and 
greateli:  prince  of  the  vvcricl,  and  that  now  he  was  overccir.e,  not 
cowardly,  but  valiantly,  a  Roman,  by  another  Roman." 

STEEVENS. 

T  4  Qco* 


«8o    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA, 

Cleo.  Nobleft  of  men,  woo't  die  ? 
Haft  thou  no  care  of  me  ?  lhall  I  abide 
In  this  dull  world,  which  in  thy  abfence  is 
No  better  than  a  ftye  ?  — O,  fee,  my  women, 
The  crown  o'  the  earth  doth  melt : — My  lord  ! — 
O,  wither'd  is  the  garland  of  the  war, 
5  The  foldier's  pole  is  fallen  ;  young  boys,  and  girls, 
Are  level  now  with  men  :  the  odds  is  gone, 
And  there  is  nothing  left  remarkable 
Beneath  the  vifiting  moon.  [She  faints* 

Char.  O,  quietnefs,  lady  ! 

Iras.  She  is  dead  too,  our  fovereign. 

Cf}ar.  Lady ! 

Iras.  Madam  !— 

Char.  O  madam,  madam,  madam,—. 

Iras.  Royal  ^Egypt !  emprefs  ! 

Ckar.  6  Peace,  peace,  Iras. 

Cleo. 

5  Tic  folder's  pole ]  He  at  whom  the  foMiers  pointed,  as 

at  a  pageant  held  high  forobfcrvation.     JOHNSON. 

6  The  common  copies, 

Peace,  peace,  Iras. 

Cleo.  No  mere  but  a  meer  ivoman,        •     - 

Cleopatra  is  fallen  into  a  fwoon  ;  .her  maids  endeavour  to  recover 
her  by  invoking  her  by  her  feveral  titles.  At  length,  Charm  i;.n 
fays  to  the  other,  Pence,  peace,  Iras  ;  on  which  Cleopatra  conies 
to  herfelf,  and  replies  to  thele  laft  words,  No,  you  are  »<;/lake:i. 
/  am  a  mere  woman  like yourf elf.  Thus  (lands  this  fenfelefs  dia- 
logue. But  Shakefpeare  never  wrote  it  fo :  we  muft  obferve 
then,  that  the  two  women  call  her  by  feveral  titles,  to  fee  which 
beft  pleafed  her  ;  and  this  was  highly  in  character  :  the  ancients 
thought  that  not  only  men,  but  gods  too,  had  fume  names,  which 
above  others  they  much  delighted  in,  and  would  iboneft  anfwer 
to  ;  as  we  may  lee  by  the  hymns  of  Orpheu;,  Homer,  and  Calli- 
machus.  The  poet,  conforming  to  this  notion,  makes  the  maids 
fay,  Sovereign  tads,  madam,  rrynl  j&gypt,  emprefs.  And  now  \ve 
come  to  the  place  in  queftion  :  Charmian,  when  flic  faw  none  of 
thefe  titles  had  their  effect,  invokes  her  by  a  (till  more  flattering 
one ; 

Peace,  peace,  Is  is! 

for  fo  it  fhould  be  read  and  pointed :  i.  e.  Peace,  we  can  never 
jnove  her  by  thefe  titles :  let  us  give  her  her  favourite  name  <»*' 

'the 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     281 

Cko.   No  more — but  e'en  a  woman  ;    and  com- 
manded 


the  goddefs  Is  is.  And  now  Cleopatra's  anfwer  becomes  pertinent 
and  fine  : 

No  more  but  a  mere  woman  ;  and  commanded 
By  fucb  poor  pajfion  as  the  maid  that  milks  — 

i,  e.  I  now  fee  the  tolly  of  afluming  to  myfelf  thefe  flattering  title* 
of  divinity.  My  misfortunes,  and  my  impotence  in  hearing  them, 
convince  me  I  am  a  mere  woman,  and  lubjecito  all  the  paifions  of 
the  meaneil  of  my  fpecies.  Here  the  poet  has  followed  hiftory 
exactly,  and,  what  is  more,  his  author  Plutarch  in  Antonio  ;  who 
fays  that  Cleopatra  aflumed  the  habit  and  attributes  of  that  god- 
defs, and  gave  judgments  or  rather  oracles  to  her  people  under 

the  quality    of  the    NEW  ISIS.      K^toiraiffa.   /M.W  y£%   KOU    T3Tt   y.ctl 


x*»  NEA  IEILtxei»|"»T»£.      WARBURTON. 

Of  this  note  it  may  be  truly  faid,  that  it  at  leaft  deferves  to  be 
right,  nor  can  he,  that  fljall  queftion  the  juitnefs  of  the  emen- 
dation, refufe  his  efteem  to  the  ingenuity  and  learning  with  which 
it  is  propofed. 

Hamner  had  propofed  another  emendation,  not  injudicioufly. 
He  reads  thus  : 

Iras.  Royal  JEgypt  !  emprcfi  ! 

Cleo.  Peace,  feme,  Iras. 

No  more  but  a  mere  woman,  &c. 
That  is,   no  more  an  cmprefs,  but  a  mere  woman* 

It  is  fomewhat  unfortunate  that  the  words,  mere  woman,  which 
fo  much  ftrengthen  the  oppofition  to  either  emfrefs  or  Ifa,  are  net 
in  the  original  edition,  which  Ihmds  thus  : 

No  more  but  in  a  woman  ^   &c. 

Mere  woman  was  probably  the  arbitrary  reading  of  Rowe.     I  fup- 
pofe,  however,  that  we  may  juitly  change  the  ancient  copy  thus  : 

No  more,  but  e'en  a  woman, 
which  will  enough  accommodate  either  of  the  editors. 

I  am  inclined  to  think  that  Ihe  fpeaks  abruptly,  not  anfwering 
her  woman,  but  difcourfing  with  her  own  thoughts; 

No  more  -  but  e'en  a  woman, 

I  bave  no  more  of  my  wonted  greatmfs,  but  am  even  a  woman,  on 
the  level  with  other  women  ;  were  I  what  I  once  was, 

-  It  were  for  me 

To  throw  my  fcepter,  l^fc. 

If  this  fimple  explanation  be  admitted,  how  much  labour  has 
been  thrown  away.  Peace,  peace,  Iras,  is  faid  by  Charmian, 
when  fl-,e  fees  the  queen  recovering,  aud  thinks  fpeech  trouble- 
ibiue.  JOHNSON, 

By 


^z     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA: 

By  fucii  poor  pamon  as  the  maid  that  milks,    • 
And  does  the  meaneft  chares  7.  —  It  \vcre  for  me 
To  throw  my  fcepter  at  the  injurious  gods  ; 
To  tell  them,  that  this  world  did  equal  theirs, 
'Till  they  had  ilolen  our  jewel.  .  All's  but  naught  ; 
Patience  is  fotti*h  ;  and  impatience  does 
Become  a  dog  that's  mad  :   Then  is  it  fin, 
To  rnfh  into  "the  ibcret  houfe  of  death, 
Ere  death  dare'  come  to  us  ?  —  How  do  you,  women  ? 
What,  what  ?  good  cheer!  Why*  how  now,  Char- 

mian  r 

My  noble  girls  !  —  Ah,  women,  women  !  look, 
Our  lamp  is  fpent,  it's  cut  :—  Good  firs,  take  heart  :  — 
•I  bury  him  :    and  then,   what's  brave,    what's 

noble, 

Let's  do  it  after  the  high  Roman  fufhion, 
And  make  death  proird  to  take  us.     Come,  away  : 
This  cafe  of  tha.t  huge  .fpirit  now  is  cold. 
Ah,  women,  women  !  come  ;  we  have  no  friend 
But  refolution,  and  the  briefeft  end. 

,  bearing  off  Antonfs  body* 


T  -  tig  meanejl  chares  --  ]    i.e.  talk-work.     Hence  our 
term  cbare-ivoman.    So  in.  Hey  wood's  Tarquinand  Lucrece^  1630  : 
"  She,  like  a  good  wife,  is  teaching  her  iervants  fuudiy  ckarcs." 
Again,  in  Hevwcod's  Brazen  A^e^   1613: 
'  «*  '  —  *  --  ipins, 
**  Cards,  and  does  chare-work,"—— 
Again, 

*'  Augment  my  talk  into  a  treble  chare.''* 
Again,  in  Promos  and  Cajjandra,   1  578  : 

"  Well  I  rr.uft  trudge  to  do  a  certain  chare" 

STEEVENS. 


ACT 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.    28j 


ACTV.       SCENE      I. 

Ctcfar's  Camp. 

*  Enter  C*far,   Agrippa*   Dolabella,   Mectnas,  Callus, 
Procuk'ius,  and  train. 

C<ef.  Go  to  him,  Dolabella,  bid  him  yield  ; 
Being  fo  fruftrated,  tell  him,  he  mocks 
The  paufes  that  he  makes  9. 

1  Dol.  Cafar,  I  fliall.  [Exit  Dolabella. 

Enter 

8  Enter  Cafar,  Agrippa,  Dolabclla,  and  Menas.]  But  Menas 
and  Menecrates,  we  may  remember,  were  two  famous  pirates, 
linked  with  Sextus  Pompeius,  and  who  affifted  him  to  infeft  the 
Italian  coaft.  We  no  where  learn,  exprefsly  in  the  play,  that  Me- 
nas ever  attached  himfelf  to  Octavius's  party.  Notwithstanding 
the  old  folios  concur  in  marking  the  entrance  thus,  yet  in  the 
two  places  in  the  fcene,  where  this  character  is  made  to  fpeak, 
they  have  marked  in  the  margin,  Mcc.  fo  that,  as  Dr.  Thirlby 
fagacioufly  conjectured,  we  muft  cafliier  Menas,  and  fubilitute 
Mecacnas  in  his  room.  Menus,  indeed,  deferted  to  Csefar  no  lefs 
than  twice,  and  was  preferred  by  him.  But  then  we  are  to  con- 
fider,  Alexandria  was  taken,  and  Antony  kill'd  himfelf,  anno 
U.  C.  723.  Menns  made  the  fecond  revolt  over  to  Auguftus, 
U.  C.  7  1  7  ;  and  the  next  year  was  flain  at  the  liege  of  Belgrade 
in  Pannonia,  five  years  before  the  death  of  Antony. 

THEOBALD. 

*  He  mocks  tbepaufestbat  be  makes.']  i.e.  he  plays  wantonly  with  the 
intervals  of  time  which  he  fhould  improve  to  his  own  prefervation. 
Or  the  meaning  may  be  —  being  thus  defeated  in  all  his  efforts, 
and  left  without  refource,  tell  him  that  thele  affe&ed  paufes  and 
delays  of  his  ;n  yielding  himfelf  up  to  me,  are  mere  idle  mockery. 
He  mocks  tbepaufe^  may  be  a  licentious  mode  of  expreflion  for  — 
be  makes  a  mockery  of  us,  ly  thefe  paufes  j  i.  e.  he  trifles  with  us. 

STEEVENS. 

1  Dol.  C<rfar,  I  flail.]    I  make   no  doubt  but  it   fliould  be 

maiked  here,  that  Dolabella  goes  out.     'Tis  reafonable  to  ima- 

gine he  flicuid  prefeutly  depart  upon  Caefar's  command  ;  fo  that 

the  fpceches,  placed  to  him  in  the  fequel  of  this  fccne,  muft  be 

8  trans- 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 


Enter  Dercetas,  with  the  fword  of  Antony. 

C<ef.  Wherefore  is  that  ?  and  what  art  thou,  that 

dar'fl 
Appear  thus  to  us  ? 

Der.  I  am  call'd  Dercetas  ; 
Mark  Antony  I  ferv'd,  who  beft  was  worthy 
Beft  to  be  ferv'd  :  whilft  he  flood  up,  and  fpoke, 
He  was  my  matter ;  and  I  wore  my  life, 
To  fpend  upon  his  haters  :  If  thou  pleafe 
To  take  me  to  thee,  as  I  was  to  him 
I'll  be  to  Ceefar  ;  if  thou  pleafefl  not, 
1  yield  thee  up  my  life. 

Caf.  What  is't  thou  fay 'ft  ? 

Der.  I  fay,  O  Csefar,  Antony  is  dead. 

Caf.  The  breaking  of  fo  great  a  thing  fhould  make 
A  greater  crack :  *  The  round  world 

Should 

transferred  to  Agrippa,  or  he  is  introduced  as  a  mute.  EefiJes, 
that  Dolabella  fhouia  be  gone  out,  appears  from  this,  that  when 
Caefar  aflts  for  him,  he  recollects  that  he  had  fent  him  on  bufinefs. 

THEOBALD, 

~  Tljc  round  world Jhould  hemejbook 

Lions  into  civiljireets,  &c.] 

I  think  here  is  a  line  loll,  after  which  it  is  in  vain  to  go  in  queft. 
The  fenle  feems  to  have  been  this  :  The  round  world  Jhonid  have 
JJjook,  and  this  great  alteration  of  the  fyftem  of  things  {hould  lend 
lions  into  greets  ^  and  citizens  into  dens.  There  is  fenfe  itill,  but  it 
is  harfh  and  violent.  JOHNSON'. 

I  believe  we  {hould  re;;d — The  rttitid world,  i.e.  the  general 
difruption  of  elements  {hould  have^^-,  &c.  Shakefpeare  feems 
to  mean  that  the  death  of  fo  great  a  man  ought  to  have  produced 
effects  fimilar  to  thofe  which  might  be  expected  from  the  difib- 
lution  of  the  univerfe,  when  all  difti  notions  fhall  be  loll.  To 
Jhalte  any  thing  out,  is  a  phrafe  in  common  ufe  among  our  an- 
cient writers.  So  Hoiinflied,  p.  743  :  "  God's  providence 

Jhakiag  men  out  of  their  fliifts  of  luppofed  fafctie,  &c." 

Perhaps,  however,  Shakefpeare  might  mean  nothing  more  here 
than  merely  an  earthquake,  in  which  the  making  of  the  round 
v.-cr'.d  was  to  be  fo  violent  as  to  tofs  the  inhabitants  of  woods  into 
cities,  and  the  inhabitants  of  cities  into  woods. 


ANTONY   AND   CLEOPATRA.    285 

Should  have  Ihook  lions  into  civil  (Ireets, 

And  citizens  to  their  dens  : — The  death  of  Antony 

Is  not  a  fingle  doom  ;  in  the  name  lay 

A  moiety  of  the  world. 

Der.  He  is  dead,  Czefar  ; 
Not  by  a  publick  minifter  of  juftice, 
Nor  by  a  hired  knife;  but  that  felf  hand, 
Which  writ  his  honour  in  the  a&s  it  did, 
Hath,  with  the  courage  which  the  heart  did  lend  it, 
Splitted  the  heart. — This  is  his  fword, 
I  robb'd  his  wound  of  it ;  behold  it  ftain'd 
With  his  molt  noble  blood. 

C<ef*  Look  you  fad,  friends  ? 
The  gods  rebuke  me,  '  but  it  is  a  tidings 
To  waih  the  eyes  of  kings. 

Agr.  And  ftrange  it  is, 
That  nature  muft  compel  us  to  lament 
Our  moft  perfifted  deeds. 

Mec.  His  taints  and  honours 
*  Waged  equal  with  him. 

Agr. 

—  The  round  world — ]  The  defective  metre  of  this  line  ftrongly 
fupports  Dr.  Johnfon's  conjecture,  that  fomething  is  loft.  1  believe 
only  two  words  are  wanting.  Perhaps  the  paflage  originally  flood 
thus  : 

A  greater  crack.     The  round  world fyould  bavcjbooky 
Thrown  raging  lions  into  civil Jireets, 

And  citizens  to  their  dens. MALONE. 

The  fenfe,  I  think,  is  complete  and  plain,  if  we  confider./Wfc 
(more  properly  foaken}  as  the  participle  part  of  a  verb  atfive.  The 
metre  would  be  improved  if  the  lines  were  diftributed  thus : 

The  round  world  Jkould  havejbook 

Lions  into  civil  jlreets,  and  citizens 
Into  their  dens.     TYRWHITT. 

1  but  /'/  is  a  tidings 

To  wo/I}  the  eyes  of  kings.  ] 

That  is,  May  the  gods  rebuke  we,  if  this  be  not  tidings  to  make  king* 
'weep. 

But,  again,  for  if  not.     JOHNSON. 

*  Waged  equal  with  him,'}  For  waged,  the  modern  editions  have 
fVfigbfd,  JOHNSON. 

It 


286    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Agr.  A  rarer  fpirit  never 

Did  fteer  humanity  :  but  you,  gods,  will  give  us 
Some  faults  to  make  us  men.     C^far  is  touch'd. 

Mec.  When  fuch  a  fpacious  mirror's  fet  before  him, 
He  needs  muft  fee  himfelf. 

O/  O  Antony ! 

I  have  follow'd  thee  to  this ; — But  we  do  lance 
Difeafes  in  our  bodies  *.     I  muft  perforce 
Have  fhewn  to  thee  fuch  a  declining  day, 
Or  look  on  thine ;  we  could  not  ftall  together 
>  In  the  whole  world  :  But  yet  let  me  lament, 
With  tears  as  fovereign  as  the  blood  of  hearts, 
That  thou,  my  brother,  my  competitor 
In  top  of  all  defign,  my  mate  in  empire, 
Friend  and  companion  in  the  front  of  war, 
The  arm  of  mine  own  body,  and  the  heart 
Where  mine  his  thoughts  did  kindle, — that  our  flars, 
Unreconciliable,  4  fhould  divide 
Our  equalnefs  to  this. — Hear  me,  good  friends, — 
But  I  will  tell  you  at  fome  meeter  feafon ; 

It  is  not  eafy  to  determine  the  precife  meaning  of  the  word 
•wage.     In  Othello  it  occurs  again  : 

"  To  wake  and  wage  a  danger  profitlefs." 

It  may  lignify  to  oppofe.     The  fenfe  will  then  be,  bis  taints  and 
honours  were  an  equal  match  ;  i.  e.  were  oppofed  to  each  other 
in  juft  proportions,  like  the  counterparts  of  a  wager.    S  TEEVENS. 
3 But  ive  do  lance 

D'Jeafes  in  our  bodies,  ~\ 

The  old  copy  reads  : 

But  we  do  launch, 

Difeafes  in  our  bodies. 

Perhaps  rightly — and  the  meaning  may  be  :  "I  have  followed 
thee  to  the  death.  But  why  do  I  lament  thy  fall  ?  We  are  all 
mortal  Our  fate  is  predeftin'd  at  our  birth  ;  and  when  we  launch 
on  the  fea  of  life,  the  principles  of  decay  are  interwoven  with  our 
conftitution."  MALONE. 
*  fyould  divide 

Our  equalnefs  to  this. ] 

That  is,  fiould  have  made  us,  in  our  equality  of  fortune,  difagree 
to  a  pitch  like  this,  that  one  of  us  muft  die,    JOHNSON. 


ANTONY    AND   CLEOPATRA.   287 


• 

The  bufinefs  of  this  man  looks  out  of  him, 
We'll  hear  him  what  he  fays.—  Whence  are  you  ? 
j&gypt.  s  A  poor  ^Egyptian  yet  :    The  queen  my 

miftrefs, 

Confin'd  in  all  fhe  has,  her  monument, 
Of  thy  intents  defines  inftrudion  ; 
That  ihe  preparedly  may  frame  hcrfelf 
To  the  way  fhe's  forc'd  to. 
•    Caf.  Bid  her  have  good  heart  ; 
She  loon  fhall  know  of  us,  by  fome  of  ours, 
How  honourably  and  how  kindly  we 
Determine  for  her  :  for  Czefar  cannot  live 
To  be  ungentle. 


So  the  gods  preferve  thee  !  [Exit. 

C*f.  Come  hither,  Proculeius  ;  Go,  and  fay, 
We  purpoie  her  no  lhame  :  give  her  what  comforts, 
The  quality  of  her  paffion  lhall  require  ; 
Left,  in  her  greatnefs,  by  fome  mortal  flroke, 
She  do  defeat  us  :  for  6  her  life  in  Rome 
Would  be  eternal  in  our  triumph  :  Go, 
And,  with  your  fpeediefl,  bring  us  what  ihe  fays, 
And  how  you  find  of  her. 

5  A  poor  ^Egyptian  yet  ;  the  queen  my  mijlrefs,  &c.j  If  this  punc- 
tuation be  right,  the  man  means  to  fay,  that  he  h  yet  an  ^Egyptian, 
that  is,  yet  a  few  ant  of  the  queen  of  jEgypt,  though  foon  to  become 
a  fubject  of  Rome.     JOHNSON. 
<s  --  her  life  in  Rom* 

Would  be  erernal.in  our  triumph  :—  —  ] 
Haniner  reads  iudicioully  enough,  but  without  neceffity: 

Vl'oulA  t'f  eternnlling-flar  triumph  : 

The  fenfe  is,  If  Jh  dies  here,  fie  iviL'  be  forgotten,  lut  if  I  fend  bet 
In  triumph  to  Rome,  her  memory  and  my  glory  will  be  eternal. 

JOHNSON. 

The  following  pafTa^e  in  the  Scourge  of  Vcnus^  &c.    a  poem, 
2614,  will  futticiently  fupport  the  old  reading  : 

"  If  fome  foule-fwelling  ebon  cloud  would  fall, 
"  For  her  to  hide  herfelf  eternal  in  "     STEEVENS. 

Pro. 


iSS    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA, 

Pro.  Caefar,  I  (hall.  [Exit  Proculeitts. 

C*?/  Gallus,  go  you  along — Where's  Dolabella, 
To  fecond  Proculeius  ?  [Exit  Gallus. 

All.  Dolabella! 

Gef.  Let  him  alone,  for  I  remember  now 
How  he's  employ'd  ;  he  lhall  in  time  be  ready. 
Go  with  me  to  my  tent ;  where  you  lhall  fee 
How  hardly  I  was  drawn  into  this  war; 
How  calm  and  gentle  I  proceeded  flill 
In  all  my  writings  :  Go  with  me,  and  fee 
What  I  can  fhew  in  this.  \JLxeunt. 

SCENE    II. 

The  Monument. 
Enter  Ckopatra,  Charmian,  and  Iras. 

Cleo.  My  defolation  does  begin  to  make 
A  better  life  :  'Tis  paltry  to  be  Casfar ; 


Not  being  fortune,  he's  but 7  fortune's  knave, 
A  minifter  of  her  will ;  And  it  is  great 8 


To 


i               fortune's  knave,]  Thefcrvaxt  of  fortune.     JOHNSON. 
* and  it  is  great 

To  Jo  that  thing,  that  ends  all  other  deeds ; 

Which  Jhackles accidents,  and  bolts  up  change  ; 

Which  Jlceps,  and  never  palates  more  the  dung : 

The  beggar's  nurfe  and  Cafar's. ] 

The  action  of  luicide  is  here  faid,  to  jhackle  accidents  ;  to  bolt  up 
change  ;  to  be  tl>e  beggar's  nurfe,  and  Cafar's.  So  tar  the  defcrip- 
tion  is  intelligible.  But  when  it  is  faid,  that  /'/  Jlteps,  and  never 
palates  more  the  dung,  we  find  neither  fenfe  nor  propriety  ;  which 
is  occaiioned  by  the  iofs  of  a  whole  line  between  the  third  and 
fourth,  and  the  corrupt  reading  of  the  laft  word  in  the  fourth. 
We  ftiould  read  the  p.iliage  thus  : 
••  and  it  is  %reat 

To  Jo  that  thing,  that  ends  all  other  deeds  ; 

Which  Jbacltles  accidents,  and  baits  up  change  ; 

[Lulls  wearied  nature  to  a  found  repofe] 

(Which  Jlreps,  and  never  palates  more  the  dugg  :) 

The  beggar's  »nrfet  and Cajai'*. 

That 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     289 

To  do  that  thing  that  ends  all  other  deeds ; 
Which  {hackles  accidents,  and  bolts  up  change  $ 
Which  flceps,  and  never  palates  more  the  dung, 
The  beggar's  nuric  and  Casfar's. — 

Enter,  Iclow^  Procttkius,  Gdlus,  &c. 

Pro.  Csefar  fends  greeting  to  the  queen  of  ^Egypt; 
And  bids  thce  iludy  on  what  fair  demands 

That  this  line  in  hooks  was  the  fubftance  of  that  loft,  is  evident 
from  its  making  fenfe  of  rill  the  reit :  which  are  to  this  eiFe£r,  It 
is  great  to  do  that  v:hich  frees  us  from  all  the  accidents  of  humanity  t 
luils  forever-wearied  nature  to  rrpnfe,  (which  now  jbep's^  and  has  no 
ftim-e  appetite  for  ^McrliUy  enjoyments,'}  and  is  equally  the  nurfe  of  Co-fat' 
and  the  bc-.^ar.  V.'A  u  F,  i  K  -i  o : : . 

I  ct'nnoi  perceive  the  lofs  of  a  line,  or  the  need  of  an  emenda- 
tion. The  com;nentat(/r  feetns  to  have  entangled  his  own  ideas  } 
his  fuppofition  thatyivV///i'  is  called  the  beggar's  m/ffc  and  C.-r/xr'st 
and  his  concern  that  the  pofition  is  lntc:i:gl?>!f,  fhrr.v,  I  think,  a 
mind  not  intent  upon  the  bulinels  before  it.  The  a 
paflage,  if  any  difficulty  there  be,  arifes  only  froin  this,  that  th« 
aft  of  fuicide,  and  the  llate  which  is  the  effect  of  fuicide  ~re  con- 
founded. Voluntary  death,  fays  fhe,  is  an  acl:  which  bolts  up 
change  ;  it  produces  a  (late, 

Wbicb  Jltsps,  and  never  palates  more  the  du'»g> 
The  beggar's  nurfe,  and  Cjefdrs. 

Which  has  no 'longer  need  of  the  grofs  and  terene  fallenance,  m 
the  ufe  of  which  Casfar  and  the  beggar  are  on  a  level. 

The  fpeech  is  abrupt,  but  perturbation  in  iuch  z  ibte  is  fureljr 
natural.     JOHNSON. 

It  has  been  already  f:dd  in  this  play,  that 

"  our  dunvy  earth,  alike 

<*  Feeds  man  as  beaft." 

rmd  Mr.  Toilet  obferVes,  *'  that  in  Herodotus,  book  iii.  the  ./Ethi- 
opian king,  upon  hearing  a  delcription  of  the  nature  ot  wheat, 
replied,  that  he  was  not  at  all  furprized,  if  men,  who  cat  nothing 
but  dung,  did  not  attain  a  longer  life."  Shake fpeare  has  the  fame 
epithet  in  the  Winter"**  Tale : 

— t'ne  face  to  fweeten 

Of  the  whole  dungy  earth."—— 
in  Timon: 

the  earth's  a  thief 

That  leeds  and  breeds  by  a  compofture  {lolcn 
From  general  excrement"    STEEYENS, 

VOL.  VIII.  U  Thou 


290    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA, 

Thou  mean'fl  to  have  him  grant  thee. 

Cleo.  What's  thy  name  ? 

Pro.  My  name  is  Proculeius. 

Cleo.  Antony 

Did  tell  me  of  yon,  bade  me  truft  you ;  but 
I  do  not  grently  care  to  be  deceiv'd, 
That  have  no  ufe  for  trufting.     If  your  mafler 
Would  have  a  queen  his  beggar,  you  mufl  tell  him> 
That  majefty,  to  keep  decorum,  muft 
No  lefs  beg  than  a  kingdom  :  if  he  pleafe 
To  give  me  conqucr'd  ^Egypt  for  my  fon, 
He  gives  me  fo  much  of  mine  own,  as  I 
Will  kneel  to  hirrxwith  thanks. 

Pro.  Be  of  good  cheer ; 

You  are  fallen  into  a  princely  hand,  fear  nothing : 
Make  your  full  reference  freely  to  my  lord, 
Who  is  fo  full  of  grace,  that  it  flows  over 
On  all  that  need  :  Let  me  report  to  him 
Your  Avcet  dependancy  ;  and  you  lhall  find 
A  conqueror,  v  that  will  pray  in  aid  for  kindnefs, 
Where  he  for  grace  is  kneel'd  to. 

Cleo.  Pray  you,  tell  him 
I  am  his  fortune's  vaflal,  and  I  '  fend  him 
The  greatnefs  he  has  got.     I  hourly  learn 
A  doctrine  of  obedience ;  and  would  gladly 
Look  him  i'  the  face. 

Pro.  This  I'll  report,  dear  lady. 
Have  comfort ;  for,  I  know,  your  plight  is  pity'd 
Of  him  that  caus'd  it. 

9  that  will  pray  in  aid  far  JciaJncfs^]  Praying  In  aid  is  a  lav* 

Jerm,  ufedfor  a  petition  made  in  acourtofjuftice  for  the  calling  in 
of  help  from  another  that  luith  an  intereft  in  the  caufe  in  queilion. 

HAMMER. 

1  • fend  him 

The  greatnrfs  be  has  got. ] 

I  allow  him  to  be  my  conqueror ;  I  own  his  fuperiority  with  com- 
f  letQ  fubmilliou.    JQHNSCN. 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     291 

[Aj1de.~]  l  You  fee  how  eafily  Ihe  may  be  furpriz'd  ; 
[Here  Gallus  a/id  guard  afcend  tht 

monument,  and  enter  behind. 

Guard  her,  'till  Caefar  come.  [Exit. 

Iras.  Royal  queen  ! 

Cbar.  O  Cleopatra!  thou  art  taken,  queen!  —  • 
Cleo.  Quick,  quick,  good  hands. 

[Drawing  a  dagger* 

Proculcius  rifles  in,  and  dlfiirms  tke  queen, 

Pro.  Hold,  worthy  lady,  hold  : 
Do  not  vourfdf  luch  wrong,  l  who  are  in  this 

RelievM, 

*  Char.-  2*0*  fee  bow  eajily  fie  may  lefurprlz'J.'}  HereCharmian, 
who  is  fo  faithful  as  to  die  with  her  miftrefs,  by  the  flupidity  of 
the  editors  is  made  to  countenance  and  give  directions  for  her  be- 
ing furprized  by  Cnsiar's  meflengers.  But  thi;  bhv/.ticr  is  for  want 
of^knou-ing,  orobferving,  the  hiftorical  fact.  When  Cafcfar  feat 
Proculeius  to  the  queen,  'he  lent  Gallus  after  him  with  new  inilri:.-- 
tions  :  and  while  one  amufed  Cleopatra  with  propofitions  front 
Ctelar,  through  the  crannies  of  the  monument,  the  other  fcaled  it 
by  a  ladder,  entered  it  at  a  window  backward,  and  made  Cleopa- 
tra, and  thofe  with  her,  prifcncrs.  I  have  reformed  the  paflage 
therefore,  (as,  lam  perfuaded,  the  author  defigaed  it;)  from 
the  authority  of  Plutarch.  THEOBALD. 

This  line"  in  the  ririt  edition  is  given  not  to  Charmian,  but  to. 
Proculeius  ;  and  to  him  it  certainly  belongs,  though  perhaps  mif- 
placed.     I  would  put  it  at  the  end  of  his  foregoing  Ipeech  : 
Where  he  for  grace  is  loutfd  to. 

[Afide  to  Gallus.]  Toufte^  how  eaftly  fie  may  faforprix  dt 
Then  while  Cleopatra  makes  a  formal  aritwer,  Gallus,  upon  the 
hint  given,  feizes  her,  and  Proculeius,  interrupting  the  civility  of 
his  anfwer  : 

your  flight  is 


Of  him  that  caufil  it* 
Cries  out  : 

Guard  her  'till  Cafar  come.     JOHNSON* 
3  •  who  are  in  this 

Reliev'd,  but  not  letrafJ.~\ 

As  plaufible  as  this  reading  is,'  it  is  corrupt.  Had  Shalcefpeare  ufed 

the  word  rdlcifd,  he  would  have  added,  and  not  betray'd.     But 

«hat  he  ufcd  another  word  the  reply  thews  :    Wb«t  of  death  too  f 

U  a 


292    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Reliev'd,  but  not  betray'd. 

Clco.  What,  of  death  too,  that  rids  our  dogs  of 
4  languid? 

Pro.  Cleopatra, 

Do  not  abufe  our  mailer's  bounty,  by 
The  undoing  of  yourfclf  :  let  the  world  fee   • 
His  noblenefs  well  acled,  which  your  death 
Will  never  let  come  forth. 

Cleo.  Where  art  thou,  death  ? 

Come  hither,  come  !  come,  come,  and  take  a  queen 
5  Worth  many  babes  and  beggars  ! 

Pro.  O,  temperance,  lady ! 

Cleo.  Sir,  I  will  eat  no,  meat,  I'll  not  drink,  fir  ;  • 
*  If  idle  talk  will  once  be  neceilary, 

I'll 

which  will  not  agree  with  relieved;  but  will  direft  us  to  the  genu- 
ine \voi\l,  v. hich  is:  , 

Bereaved,   but  not  "betrayed. 

5.  e.  &ir<aved  oi  i!c:uh,  or  of  the  means  of  deftroying  yourfelf,  bul 
r.ot  lc'.rc.)-d  to  j'c'j.r  deuruftion.  By  the  particle  too,  in  her  reply, 
flic  alK:.;,js  to  her  being  before  bereaved  oi  Antony.  And  thus  his 
fpeech  becomes  correct,  and  her  reply  pertinent.  WAREUKTON-. 

I  do  not  think  the  emendation  neceflary,  lince  the  fenle  is  not 
made  better  by  it,  and  the  abruptnefs  in  Cleopatra's  anfweris  more 
forcible  in  the  old  reading.  JOHNSON. 

*  •Lingxijb—']  For  langiiijl},  I  think  we  may  read, — anw.ijb. 

JOHN'SO.N1. 

I*an«Hljfij  is  the  true  reading.  So,  in  Romeo  and  Juliet,  acl:  I. 
fc.  ii : 

"  One  defperate  grief  cure  with  another's  languijh"  • 

oTEEVENS. 

5  Worth  many  laid  and  beggars!}  Why,  death,  wilt  thou  not 
rather  feize  a  queen,  than  employ  thy  force  upon  bales  and  lergars. 

JOHNSON. 

6  If  idle  talk  will  once  le  aecpffary^  This  nonfenfe  fliould  be  re- 
formed  thus  : 

If  idle  time  cv '//  once  le  Keceffary. 
i.  e.  if  reppje  be  neceiiary  to  chsriih  life,  I  will  not  deep. 

WAR  BUR  TON. 

1  do  not  fee  that  the  nonfenfe  is  made  fenfe  by  the  change.  Sir 
T.  Hanmer  reads  : 

1  If  Idle  txik  "Jjlll  once  le  acccfiary  ; 

^either  is  this  better.    1  know  not  what  to  offer  better  than  an 

eaiy 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     293 

I'll  not  flecp  neither  :  This  mortal  houfc  I'll  ruin, 
Do  Casfar  what  he  can.     Know,  fir,  that  I 
Will  not  wait  pinion'd  at  your  mailer's  court ; 
Nor  once  be  chaflis'd  with  the  ibber  eye 
Of  dull  Oclavia.     Shall  they  hoill  me  up, 
And  {hew  me  to  the  fhouting  varletry 
Of  ccnluring  Rome  ?  Rather  a  ditch  in  ^Egypt 
Be  gentle  grave  unto  me  !  rather  on  Nilus'  mud 
Lay  me  ftark  naked,  and  let  the  water-flies 
Blow  me  into  abhorring  !   rather  make 
My  country's  high  pyramides  my  gibbet 7, 
And  hang  me  up  in  chains  ! 

cafy  explanation.  Thar  is,  I will  not  cat ',  and//"//  cu/77 1 e  necff- 
fary  now  for  once  to  wafte  a  moment  in  idle  talk  of  my  purpofe,  / 
will  not  fteep  neither.  In  common  converfation  we  often  ule  will 
le,  with  as  little  relation  to  futurity.  As,  Now  I  am  going,  it 
cu/7/  le  fit  for  me  to  dine  tirft.  JoHHSOK. 

Once  may  meanjometimcs.  Of  this  ufe  of  the  word  I  have  already 
given  inllances,  both  in  the  Merry  Wives  of  Wiiul/brt  and  A". 
Hen.  VIII.  The  meaning  of  Cleopatra  feems  to  be  this.  If  Idle 
talking  be  fometimes  neceflary  to  the  prolongation  of  life,  why  I 
will  notf/Ii\j>  for  fear  of  talking  idly  in  myfieep. 

The  fente  defigned,  however,  may  be  —  If  it  be  neceflary  to 
talk  of  performing  impofiibilities,  why,  I'll  not  lleep  neither. 

STEEVENS. 

If  idle  talk  cv///  once  be  necejjaryt 

I'll  not  lleep  neither  •'  •        ] 
I  fufpeft  our  author  wrote  : 

PR  not  fpeak  neither.     MA  LONE. 

7  My  country  s  high  pyramides  my  gibbet,}  The  poet  feems  to  have 
defigned  we  Ihould  read — pyramides,  Lat.  inftead  ®l  pyramids,  and 
fo  the  folio  reads.  The  verle  will  otherwiie  be  defective.  Thus, 
in  Dr.  Fauf.us,  1604: 

"  Belidcs  the  gates  and  high  pyramides 

"  That  Julius  Caeiar  brought  from  Africa." 
Again,  in  Tamburlaine,   1590: 

**  Like  to  the  fhadows  of  Pyramides*n 
Again,  in  Warner's  Atlioiis  England,    1602.  b.  xii.  c.  75  : 

"  The  theaters,  pyramides,  the  hilis  of  half  a  mile." 
Mr.  Toilet  obferves,  "  that  Sandys  in  his  Travels,  as  well  as  Dray- 
ton  in  the  26th  fang  of  his  Polyoibicn,  \ifes  pyramids  as  a  qu;ulri- 
fyllable,    STKEYENS. 

U  7  Pro. 


3,94    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Pro.  You  do  extend 

Thefe  thoughts  of  horror  further  than  you  lhall 
Find  cauie  in  C<eiar, 

Enter  DolabeUa. 

Dol.  Proculeius, 

What  thou  haft  done  thy  mailer  Czefar  knows, 
And  he  hath  fent  for  thee  :  as  for  the  queen, 
I'll  take  her  to  my  guard, 

Pro.  So,  Dolabella, 

It  lhall  content  me  belt :  be  gentle  to  her.—- 
To  Ca^far  I  will  fpeak  what  you  lhall  pleafe, 

[To  Cleopatra. 
If  you'll  employ  me  to  him. 

Clco.  Say,  I  would  die.  [Exit  Proculeius. 

Dot.  Mofc  noble  emprefs,  you  have  heard  of  me  ? 

Clco.  I  cannot  tell. 

Dol.  Afluredly,  you  know  me. 

Clco.  No  matter,  fir,  what  I  have  heard,  or  known. 
You  laugh,  when  boys,  or  women,  tell  their  dreams; 
Is't  not  your  trick  ? 

Dol  I  underftand  not,  madam. 

Clto.  I  ciream'd,  there  was  an  emperor  Antony; — • 
O,  fuch  another  fleep,  that  I  might  fee 
But  fuch  another  man  ! 

Dol.  If  it  might  pleafe  you, — 

Cleo.  His  face  was  as  the  heavens ;  and  therein  ftuck 
*  A  fun,  and  moon ;  which  kept  their  courfe,  and 
lighted 

The 

1  A  fun  ar.d  mcoy,  T'.v'iA/'  kept  tveir  courfe^  and  lighted 
?/jf  little  (?  the  earth. 

Dol.  Mxftfoi-crc-gn  creature! ] 

\V!nt  a  blefied  limping  verie  thefe  bemifticbi  give  us  !  Had  none 
ot  rb.e  editors  an  car  to  find  the  hitch  in  its  pace  ?  There  is  but  a 
fythbie  wanting,  and  that,  i  believe  verily,  was  but  of  a  fir.gle 
letter.  I  reftore  : 

1i:i  little  O  o  tV  earth. 

c. 


ANTONY   AND  CLEOPATRA.    295 

The  little  O,  the  earth. 

Dol.  Moil  fovereign  creature, — 

Cleo.  His  legs  beftrid  the  ocean  ;  his  rear'd  arm 
Crefted  the  world  :  his  voice  was  property 'd 
As  all  the  tuned  fpheres,  and  that  to  friends9 ; 
But  when  he  meant  to  quail  and  fhake  the  orb, 
He  was  as  rattling  thunder.     '  For  his  bounty, 
There  was  no  winter  in't ;  an  autumn  'twas, 
That  grew  the  more  by  reaping  :  His  delights 
Were  dolphin-like  ;  they  fhevv'd  his  back  above 
The  element  they  liv'd  in :  In  his  livery 
Walk'd  crowns,  and  crownets;  realms  and  iflands 

were 
As  plates  *  dropt  from  his  pocket, 

Dol. 

5.  e.  the  little  orb  or  circle.  Our  poet  in  other  pafiages  chufes  to 
exprefs  himfelf  thus.  THEOBALD. 

9  and  that  to  friends ;]  Thus  the  old  copy.     The  modern 

editors  read,  with  no  lefs  obfcurity  : 

w  h  en  that  to  friends.     STEEVENS. 

1 For  his  bounty, 

There  tvas  no  winter  in't ;  an  Antony  //  was, 
1  hat  grew  the  more  liy  reaping :  ••         "   '  ] 

There  was  certainly  a  contrait  both  in  the  thought  and  terms,  de- 
lign'd  here,  which  Is  loft  in  an  accidental  corruption.  How  could 
an  Antony  grow  the  more  by  reaping  ;  I'll  venture,  by  a  very 
eafy  change,  to  reliore  an  exquifite  fine  allufion  ;  which  carries  its 
reafon.with  it  too,  why  there  was  no  winter  in  his  bounty. 

For  his  bounty ) 

There  xvtfj  no  winter  int ;  an  autumn  VEIVM, 
That  grcrjj  the  more  by  reaping* 

I  ought  to  take  notice,  that  the  ingenious  Dr.  Thirlby  likewife 
ftarted-this  very  emendation,  and  had  mark'd  it  in  the  margin  of 
his  book.  THEOBALD. 

I  cannot  reiift  the  temptation  to  quote  the  following  beautiful 
paflage  from  B.  Jonfon's  Nev:  Inn,  on  the  fubjecft  of  liberality. 
'  He  gave  me  my  firft  breeding,  I  acknowledge ; 
'  Then  fliowr'd  his  bounties  on  me,  like  the  hours 
*  That  open-handed  fit  upon  the  clouds, 
'  And  prefs  the  liberality  of  heaven 
'  Down  to  the  laps  of  thankful  men."     STEEVENS. 

*  As  plates ]  Plates  mean,  I  believe,  Jilvcr  money.     So,  in 

JMarlow's  JcvJ  of  Malta,  1633  : 

V  4  "  Waft 


296     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Dol.  Cleopatra, 

Cleo.  Tliink  yon,  there  Was,  or  might  be,  fuch  a 

man 
As  this  I  dream'd  of? 

Dc>L  Gentle  madam,  no. 

<    ,9.  Yon-lye,  up  to  the  hearing  of  the  gods. 
But,  if  there  be,  or  ever  were  one  fuch, 
It's  pail  the  fize  of  dreaming  :  Nature  wants  fluff 
To  vie  ftrange  forms  with  fancy ;  *  yet,  to  imagine 
An  Antony,  were  nature's  piece  'gainft  fancy, 
Condemning  (hadows  quite. 

Dol.  Hear  me,  good  madam  : 

«*  What"  3  tie  price  of  this  Jlave  200  CTOVJXS  ?—— 
"  And  if  he  has,  he's  worth  300  plates" 
Again : 

"  Rat'ft  thou  this  Moor  but  at  200 plates?"    STEEVENS. 

3   yd  to  imagine 

An  Antony  ivtrc  nature's  piece  yg ainfl  fancy  j 
Condemning  JeaJews  quite. 

This  is  a  fine  fentimeni ;  but  by  the  falfe  reading  and  pointing  be- 
comes unintelligible.     Though  when  ftt  right,  obfcure  enough  to 
deierve  a  comment.     Shakefpeare  wrote  : 
-  — • — yet  to  imagine 

A*  Antony,   tvfi-c  nature's  prize  *  *ainft  fancy  ^ 
Co ndem a  'tig  Jbadff-TVSIgti  h' c . 

The  fenle  of  whicti  is  this,  Nature,  in  general,  has  not  materials 
enough  to  fumijk  out  real  forms,  for  t<vc,y  model  that  the  bounJlefs 
power  of  tic  ln:^ii:aticn  canftetch  out:  [Nature  wants  matter  to 
v'e  flrunge  forms  wilh  fancy.]  But  though  this  bf  true  in  general^ 
that  nature  is  more  poor,  nanwj,  and  coxji-.icd  than  fancy,  yet  it 
muji  be  fl'ivued,  that  ivben  nature  iirefents  an  Antony  to  ust  jhe  then 
gets  the  better  tf/1  Fancy,  and  makes  (vcn  the  imagination  appear  poor 
and  narro~M  :  or  in  our  author's  phrafe,  [condemns Jbad^-'MS  quite ^\ 
The  worJ^r/^f,  which  I  have  reflored,  is  very  pretty,  as  figuring 
a  contention  between  Nature  and  Imagination  about  the  larger  ex- 
tent of  their  powers  ;  and  Nature  gaining  the  prize  by  producing 
Antony.  \V  AH  L  UR  TON. 

In  this  paOage  I  cannot  diiVovcr  c:ny  temptation  to  critical  ex- 
per  :  .  e  word  piece,  is  a  term  appropriated  to  works  of 

art.  Here  Nature  and  Fancy  produce  each  their  piece,  and  the 
piece  uouc  by  Nature  had  the  preference!  Antony  was  in  reality 
p-:tji  :/-cj:ze  tf  dreaming  •  he  was  more  by  Nature  than  Fancy  could 
prefciit  in  ileep.  JOHNSON. 

To  inc  was  a  term  at  cards.     See  a  note  on  the  Taming  of  tie 

••    p.  451.       SiEEVLNS. 

Your 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     297 

Your  lofs  is  as  yourfclf,  great ;  and  you  bear  it 

As  anfwcring  to  the  weight :  'Would  I  might  never 

O'ertake  puriu'd  fuccefs,  but  I  do  feel, 

By  the  rebound  of  yours,  a  grief  that  Ihoots  4 

My  very  heart  at  root. 

Clco.  I  thank  you,  fir. 
Know  you,  what  Casfar  means  to  do  with  me  ? 

Dot.  I  am  loth  to  tell  you  what  I  would  you  knew. 

Cleo.  Nay,  pray  you,  fir, — 

Dot.  Though  he  be  honourable, — 

Cleo.  He'll  lead  me  then  in  triumph  ? 

Dot.  Madam,  he  will ;  I  know  it. 

AIL  Make  way  there, — Casfar. 

Enter  C<efar,    Callus,  Mec<enas,  Proculeius,  and  Atten- 
dants. 

Cef.  Which  is  the  queen  of  ^gypt  ? 

Dot.  It  is  the  emperor,  madam.  [Cleo.  kneels* 

Caf.  Arife,  you  lhall  not  kneel : 
I  pray  you,  rife ;  rife,  ^Egypt. 

Cleo.  Sir,  the  gods 

Will  have  it  thus ,  my  mafter  and  my  lord 
I  mu ft  obey. 

Caf.  Take  to  you  no  hard  thoughts : 
The  record  of  what  injuries  you  did  us, 
Though  written  in  our  flelh,  we  lhall  remember 
As  things  but  done  by  chance. 

Cleo.  Sole  fir  o'  the  world, 
5 1  cannot  project  mine  own  caufe  fo  well 

To 

*  floats]  The  old  copy  reads fuites.    STEEVENS. 

5  /  cannot  project  mine  ovon  caufe  fo  iw//]  Projcft  fignifies  to  in- 
vent :i  caufe,  nottojWWitj  which  is  the  fenfe  here  required.  It 
is  plain  that  we  fhould  read : 

/  cannot  prodter  my  own  caufe  fo  ivcll. 

The  technical  term,  to  plead  by  an  advocate,     WARBURTON. 
i>ir  T.  Hanmer  reads  : 

I  cannot  parget  my  own  caufe 

meaning,  I  cannot  <wbitnw/bt  varniflt  or  glofs  my  caufe.    I  be- 
lieve 


£98     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

To  make  it  clear ;  but  do  confefs,  I  have 
Been  laden  with  like  frailties,  which  before 
Have  often  ftam'd  our  fex. 

Gff.  Cleopatra,  know, 
We  will  extenuate  rather  than  enforce  : 
If  you  apply  yourfelf  to  our  intents, 
(\Vhich  towards  you  are  moft  gentle)  you  fhall  find 
A  benefit  in  this  change  :   but  if  you  feek 
To  lay  on  me  a  cruelty,  by  taking 
Antony's  courfe,  you  lhall  bereave  yonrfclf 
Of  my  good  purpofes,  and  put  your  children 
To  that  deitrudtion  which  I'll  guard  them  from, 
If  thereon  you  rely.     I'll  take  my  leave. 

Cleo.  And  may,  through  all  the  world  :  'tis  yours  ; 

and  we 

Your  'fcutcheons,  and  your  figns  of  conqueft,  fhall 
Hang  in  what  place  you  pleafe.  Here,  my  good  lord. 

C*f.  You  ihall  ad  vile  me  in  all  for  Cleopatra. 

Cleo.  This  is  the  brief  of  money,  plate,  and  jewels, 
I  am  pofiefs'd  of :  6  'tis  exactly  valued  ; 

Not 

lieve  the  prefent  reading  to  be  right.  To  project  a  cavfe  is  to  re- 
frtfent  a  caufe ;  to  project  it  «iu7/,  is  to  flan  or  contrive  z  fchemeof 
defence.  JOHNSON. 

The  old  reading  may  be  the  true  one.  Sir  John  Harington  in 
his  Mtlamorpbofoof  Ajax,  1596,  p.  79,  lays:  "I  have  chofen 
Aiax  tor  ti\z  projcft  of  this  difcourfe."  Yet  Hanmer's  conjecture 
may  be  likewiie  countenanced  ;  for  the  word  hewiflies  to  bring  in, 
is  ulied  in  the  4th  eclogue  of  Drayton  : 

"  Scorn'd  paintings,  pargit,  and  the  borrowed  hair." 
And  feveral  times  by  Ben  Jonfon.     So,  in  the  Silent  W'oman  : 

*k  flic's  iibove  fifty  too,  lad  ftrgettS*    STEEVEXS. 

*  '/«  exactly  valued. 

Not prtty  tbi.'.gs  admitted. ] 

Sagacious  eoitors  !  Cleopatra  gives  in  a  lift  of  her  wealth,  fays, 
'tis  exactly  valued,  but  that  petty  things  are  not  admitted  va.  this 
lift :  and  then  fne  appeals  to  her  treasurer,  that  flie  has  reierved 
nothing  to  herfelf.  And  when  he  betrays  her,  flie  is  reduced  to 
the  fiiitt  of  exclaiming  agair.fr  the  ingratitude  of  fervants,  and  of 
makmg  apologies  for  having  fccreted  certain  triCes.  Who  does  not 
fee,  that  we  ought  to  read  : 

Nef/c.-y  !';:i:^  omitted  ? 

Tor 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     29? 

Not  petty  things  admitted. — Where's  Seleucus  ? 

Sel.  Here,  madam. 

Cleo.  This  is  my  treafurer ;  let  him  fpeak,  my  lord, 
Upon  his  peril,  that  I  have  referv'd 
To  my felf  nothing.     Speak  the  truth,  Seleucus. 

SeL  Madam, 

I  had  rather  feel  my  lips7,  than,  to  my  peril, 
Speak  that  which  is  not. 

Cleo.  What  have  1  kept  back  ? 

Sel.  Enough  to  purchafe  what  you  have  made 
known. 

Cef.  Nay,  blufli  not,  Cleopatra;  I  approve 
Your  \vifdom  in  the  deed. 

Cleo.  See,  Caefar!  O,  behold, 
How  pomp  is  follow'd  !  mine  will  now  be  yours ; 
And,  Ihould  we  fhift  eflates,  yours  would  be  mine. 
The  ingratitude  of  this  Seleucus  does 
Even  make  me  wild  : — O  flave,  of  no  more  tmft 
Than  love  that's  hir'd !—  What,  goefl  thou  back  ? 

thou  ftialt 

Go  back,  I  warrant  thee ;  but  I'll  catch  thine  eyes, 
Though  they  had  wings :  Slave,  foul-lefs  villain,  dog ! 
O  rarely  bale 8 ! 

Caf.  Good  queen,  let  us  intreat  you. 

Cleo.  O  Casfar,  what  a  wounding  fhame  is  this 9 ; 

That 

For  this  declaration  lays  open  her  faUhood ;  and  makes  her  angry 
when  her  treafurer  detects  her  in  a  direct  lie.     THEOBALD. 

Notwithftanding  the  wrath  of  Mr.  Theobald,  I  have  reflored 
the  old  reading.  She  is  angry  afterwards,  that  fhe  is  accufed  of 
having  referved  more  than  petty  things.  Dr.  Warburton  and  fir 
T.  Hanmer  follow  Theobald.  JOHNSON. 

7  ——feel  my  /z/u,— — •]  Sew  up  my  mouth.     JOHNSON. 

It  means,  dole  up  my  lips  as  effectually  as  the  eyes  of  a  hawk 
are  clofed.  To  feel  hawks  was  the  technical  term.  STEEVENS. 

8  O  rarely  bafe .']  i.  e.  bafe  in  an  uncommon  degree. 

STEEVENS. 

9  O  Cfffar,  &;c.]  This  fpeech  of  Cleopatra  is  taken  from  fir 
Thomas  North's  tranflation  of  Plutarch,  where  it  ftands  as  follows. 
*'  O  Caefar,  is  not  this  great  ftiame  and  reproach,  that  thou  hav- 
ing 


3oo     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

That  thou,  vouchfafing  here  to  vifit  me, 

Doing  the  honour  of  thy  lordlinefs 

To  one  fo  meek,  that  mine  own  fervant  mould 

1  Parcel  the  fum  of  my  difgraces  by 

Addition  of  his  envy  !  Say,  good  Casfar, 

That  I  fome  lady  trifles  had  reierv'd, 

Immoment  toys,  things  of  fuch  dignity 

As  we  greet  modern  friends  withal ;  and  fay, 

Some  nobler  token  I  have  kept  apart 

For  Livia,  and  Octavia,  to  induce 

Their  mediation  ;  mud  I  be  unfolded 

With  one  that  I  have  bred  ?  The  gods  !  Itfmites  me 

Beneath  the  fall  I  have.     Pr'ythee,  go  hence  ; 

[2~b  Scleucus* 

Or  I  mall  mew  the  cinders  of  my  fpirits 
*  Through  the  ames  of  my  chance  : — Wert  thou  a 
man, 

Thou 

ing  vouchfafed  to  take  the  pains  to  come  unto  me,  and  haft  done 
me  this  honour,  poor  wretch  and  caitiff  creature,  brought  into  this 
pitiful  and  rniferable  eflate,  and  that  mine  own  fervants  fliould 
come  now  to  accufe  me.  Though  it  may  be  that  I  have  referred 
fome  jewels  and  trifles  meet  for  women,  but  not  for  me  (poor  foul) 
to  fet  out  myfelf  withal ;  but  meaning  to  give  fome  pretty  prefents 
unto  O&avia  and  Livia,  that  they  making  means  and  interceiHon 
for  me  to  thee,  thou  mighteft  yet  extend  thy  favour  and  mercy 
upon  me,  &c."  STEEVENS. 

1  Parcel  the  fum  of  my  difgraces  ly~\  To  parcel  her  difgraces^ 
might  be  expreifed  in  vulgar  language,  to  bundle  up  her  calamities. 

JOHNSON. 

*  Through  the  ajbes  of  my  chance  : — ]  Or  fortune.  The  mean- 
ing is,  Begone,  or  I  fhall  exert  that  royal  fpirit  which  I  had  in  my 
profperity,  in  fpite  of  the  imbecillity  of  my  prefeut  weak  condi- 
tion. This  taught  the  Oxford  editor  to  alter  it  to  mifchance* 

WARBURTOK, 

Or  Ifrallfonv  the  cinders  t/f  *y fyiritt 

Through  the  aflies  of '  fny  chance : ] 

Thus  Chaucer  in  his  Canterbury  Tales,  late  edit.  v.  3  180  : 

**  Yet  in  our  aflicn  cold  is  fire  yreken." 

And  thus  (ns  the  learned  editor  of  the  Cant.  Talcs  has  obferred) 
Mr.  Gray  in  his  Cburcb-yard  Elegy  : 

*•  Even  In  our  ajies  live  their  wonted  fires." 

Mr. 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     301 

Thou  woulcTft  have  mercy  on  me. 

Cf/i  Forbear,  Seleucus.  [Exit  Sdeucus. 

Cleo.  9  Be  it  known,  that  we,  the  greateft,  aremif- 
thought 

For 

Mr.  Gray  refers  to  the  following  paflagc  in  the  169  (171)  fonnet 
of  Petrarch,  as  his  original : 

"  CiSi  veggie  nel  penjier,  dolce  mio  foco, 

**  Fredda  una  lingua,  e  due  legli  occhi  chinjl 

"  Rimaner  dopo  noi  pien  ilifavillc"     Edit.  1564.  p.  771. 

STEEVLNS. 

9  Be  it  kn(K.vn,  that  we  the  grcatcjl  arc  mis-thought 
For  things  that  others  do ;  and  when  we  fall \ 
We  anfwer  other*   merits,  in  our  nai>ns 
Are  therefore  to  le  pitied.~\ 

This  falfe  pointing  has  rendered  the  fentiment,  which  was  not 
very  eafy  at  beft,  altogether  unintelligible.  The  lines  fliould  be 
pointed  thus : 

Bf'tksown,  that  we,  the  greateft,  arc  mi  thought 
For  things  that  others  Jo.     And  -when  <we  fall 
We  anfwer.     Others'  merits,  in  our  names 
Are  therefore  to  le  pitied. 

i.e.  We  monarchs,  while  in  pew cr,  arc  accufed  and  llamed  for  the 
mifcarriagcs  of  our  minijlers  ;  and  when  any  misfortune  hathfxh- 
jecied  us  to  the  power  of  our  enemies,  we  are  fure  to  Ic  punijhcd  for 
thofe  faults.  As  this  is  the  cafe,  it  is  but  rcafonalle  that  we  Jlculd 
have  the  merit  ofourminijlers'goodaRioKS,  as  w:!las  bear  the  blame 
of  their  bad.  But  fhe  foftens  the  word  merit  into^>//y.  The  rea- 
fon  or"  her  making  the  reflexion  was  this :  her  former  conduct 
was  liable  to  much  cenfure  from  O&avius,  which  ihe  would 
hereby  artfully  infinuate  was  owing  to  her  evil  minifters.  And 
as  her  prcfent  conduct,  in  concealing  her  treafures,  appeared  to 
be  her  own  aft,  ftie  being  detefted  by  her  miuifler;  flie  begs,  that 
as  fhe  now  anivvers  for  her  former  minifter's  mifcarriages,  fo  her 
prefent  minifter's  merit  in  this  difcovery  might  likewife  be  placed 
to  her  account :  which  fhe  thinks  but  reasonable.  The  Oxford 
editor  is  here  again  at  his  old  work  of  altering  what  he  did  not  un- 
tlerftand,  and  ib  transforms  the  paflfage  thus : 
.  . .  and  ivbi'ii  we  fall, 

We  pander  others  merits  with  our  names ; 
And  therefore  to  be  pitied.  WAR  EUR  TON. 

I  do  not  think  that  either  of  the  criticks  have  reached  the 
fenfe  of  the  author,  which  may  be  very  commodioufly  explained 
thus : 

We  fuffer  at  our  higheft  ftate  of  elevation  in  the  thoughts  of 
mankind  for  that  which  others  do ;  and  when  ivefallt  thole  that 

con- 


302     ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

For  things  that  others  do  ;  and,  when  we  fall, 
We  anfvver  others'  merits  in  our  names, 
Are  therefore  to  be  pitied. 

C<ef.  Cleopatra, 

Not  what  you  have  referv'd,  nor  what  acknowledg'd, 
Put  we  i'  the  roll  of  conqueft  :  ftill  be  it  yours, 
Beftow  it  at  your  pleafure;  and  believe, 
Czefar's  no  merchant,  to  make  prize  with  you 
Of  things  that  merchants  fold.  Therefore  be  cheer'd  ; 
1  Make  not  your  thoughts   your  prifons  :  no,  dear 

queen  ; 

For  we  intend  fo  to  difpofe  you,  as 
Yourfelf  fhall  give  us  counfel.     Feed,  and  fleep  : 
Our  care  and  pity  is  fo  much  upon  you, 
That  we  remain  your  friend  ;  And  fo,  adieu. 

Cleo.  My  rnafter,  and  my  lord  ! 

Caf.  Not  fo  :   Adieu.    [Exeunt  C<tfar,  and  his  train. 

Cleo.  He  words  me,  girls,  he  words  me,  that  I 

fliould  not 
Be  noble. to  myfelf :  But  hark  thee,  Charmian. 

\_lVhifpers  Cbarmian. 

Iras.  Finiih,  good  lady ;  the  bright  day  is  done, 
And  \ve  are  for  the  dark. 

Cleo.  Hie  thee  again  : 
I  have  fpoke  already,  and  it  is  provided  ; 
Go  put  it  to  the  hafte. 

Char.  Madam,  I  will. 

contented  themfelves  only  to  think  ill  before,  call  us  to  anfivtr 
in  our  own  names  for  the  merits  of  others.  We  are  therefore  to  be 
fitted.  Merits  is  in  this  place  taken  in  an  ill  fenfe,  for  actions 
meriting  cenfure. 

If  any  alteration  be  neceiTary,  I  fhould  only  propofe, 

Bc't  known,  that  -ivr  -At  great  eft,  &c.  JoHNSOV. 

1  Make  not  your thoughts  your  prifons  ; — ]  I  once  wiihed  to  read, 

Make  not  your  thoughts  your  poifon  : 

Do  not  deftroy  yourfelf  by  muling  on  your  misfortune.  Yet  I 
would  change  nothing,  as  the  old  reading  prefents  a  very  propet 
feiife.  Be  not  aprlfoner  in  imagination^  Wbfn  in  reality  you  arc  free* 

JOHKSON. 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.    303 

Re-enter  DoLibella. 

DoL  Where  is  the  queen  ? 

Cbar.  Behold,  fir.  \ILxit  Charmian. 

Cleo.  Dolabelia? 

Dot.  Madam,  as  thereto  fworn  by  your  command, 
Which  my  love  makes  religion  to  obey, 
I  tell  you  this  :  Cxfar  through  Syria 
Intends  his  journey  ;  and,  within  three  days, 
You  with  your  children  will  he  fend  before  : 
Make  your  beft  ufe  of  this  :  I  have  perform'd 
Your  pleafure,  and  my  promife. 

Cleo.  Dolabella, 
I  fhall  remain  your  debtor. 

DoL  I  your  fervant. 
Adieu,  good  queen  ;  I  muft  attend  on  Csefar.  [Exit. 

Cleo.  Farewel,    and  thanks.      Now,    Iras,    what 

think'fl  thou  ? 

Thou,  an  ^Egyptian  puppet,  flialt  be  Ihewn 
In  Rome,  as  well  as  I :  mechanic  Haves 
With  greafy  aprons,  rules,  and  hammers,  lhall 
Uplift  us  to  the  view  ;  in  their  thick  breaths, 
Rank  of  grofs  diet,  fnall  we  be  enclouded, 
And  forc'd  to  drink  their  vapour. 

Iras.  The*  gods  forbid  ! 

Cleo.  Nay,  'tis  mod  certain,  Iras  :  Saucy  lictors 
Will  catch  at  us,  like  ftrumpets ;  and  "~  fcald  rhijners 
Ballad  us  out  o'  tune  :  the  3  quick  comedians 
Extemporally  will  ftage  us,  and  prefent 
Our  Alexandrian  revels ;  Antony 
Shall  be  brought  drunken  forth,  and  I  lhall  fee 

* fcald  rbhneri]  Sir  T.  Hanmer  reads, 

itall'd  rbimers. 

ScaU Vas  a  word  of  contempr,  implying  poverty,  difeafe,  and 
filth.     JOHNSON. 

3  —  fjuifk  corns diant\  The  gay  inventive  players.    JOHNSON, 

Some 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Some  fqueaking  Cleopatra  4  boy  my  greatnafs 
1'  the  pofture  of  a  whore. 

Iras.  O  the  good  gods  ! 

Cko.  Nay.  that's  certain. 

Iras.  I'll  never  Ice  it ;  for,  I  am  fure,  my  nails 
Are  ftronger  than  mine  eyes. 

Cko.  Whv,  that's  the  way 
To  fool  their  preparation,  and  to  conquer 
5  Their  moil  abiurd  intents. — Nov.',  Charmian  ?— 

Enter  CL\ir;nlan. 

Shew  me,  my  women,  like  a  queen  ; — Go  fetch 
My  beft  attires ; — I  am  again  for  Cydnus, 

To  meet  Mark  Antony  : — Sirrah,  Iras,  go. 

Now,  noble  Charmian,  we'll  difpatch  indeed  : 
And,  when  thou  haft  done  this  chare,  I'll  give  thee 

leave 

To  play  'till  dooms-day. — Bring  our  crown  and  all. 
V/herefore's  this  nolle  ?  [A  ;:o>fe  within. 

4  — lay  »y  grcatnrfi,]  The  parts  of  women  were  acted  on  the 
fiage  by  boys .     H  A  N  M  E  R  . 

Nafh,  in  Pierce  Pennylcfie  his  Supplication,  Sec.  i.p<j,  fcys, 
*'  Our  players  are  not  as  the  players  beyond  iea,  a  fort  ot  l^uirr- 
ing  bawdy  comedians,  that  h-.Lve  whore;  :ir.d  common  courteians  ro 
play  women's  parts,  &c."  To  obviate  this  impropriety  of  men 
reprefenting  women,  T.  GofF,  in  his  tragedy  of  the  Racing  Turk, 
1631,  has  no  female  character.  STEF.VENS. 

5  Their  moft  abfiird  intents. — ]  Why  Ihould  Cleopatra  call  Cz- 
far's  defigns  abfurd?  She  could  not  think  his  intent  of  carrying 
her  in  triumph,  i'uch,  with  regard  to  his  own  glory  :  r.n.1  her  rind- 
ing an  expedient  to  disappoint  him,  could  not  bring  it  under  that 
predicament.     I  much  rather  think  the  poet  wrote, 

Their  mojl  affur'd  Intents 

i.  e.  the  purpofes,  which  they  make  themfelves  mod;  fure  of  ac- 
complithing.     THEOBALD. 

I  have  prefers  ed  the  old  reading.  The  defign  certainly  appeared 
alfurd enough  to  Cleopatra,  both  as  fhe  thought  it  unreasonable 
in  itfelf,  and  as  ftie  knew  it  would  fail.  JOHNSON. 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.    3d5 

Enter  one  of  the  Guard. 

Guard.  Here  is  a  rural  fellow, 
That  will  not  be  deny'd  your  highnefs*  prefcnce  ; 
He  brings  you  figs. 

;    Clco.  Let  him  come  in.     What  a  poor  inftrument 

[Exit  Guard* 

May  do  a  noble  deed  !  he  brings  me  liberty. 
Mv  refolution's  plac'd,  and  i  have  nothing 
Of  woman  in  me  :  Now  from  head  to  foot 
I  am  marble-ccnitant  :  6  now  the  fleeting  moon 
No  planet  is  of  mine. 

Re-enter  Guard,  with  a  Cloivn  bringing  a  bajket. 

Guard.  This  is  the  man. 

Cleo.  Avoid,  and  leave  him.  [Exit  Guard. 

Haft  thou  7  the  pretty  worm  of  Nilus  there, 

That 

6  noiv  the  fleeting  moon 

No  planet  is  of  mine.] 

Alluding  to  the  ./Egyptian  devotion  paid  to  the  moon  under  the 
name  of  ffis.     WAR  BUR  TON. 

I  really  believe  that  our  poet  was  not  at  all  acquainted  with  the 
devotion  that  the  /Egyptians  paid  to  this  planet  under  the  name  of 
liis ;  but  that  Cleopatra  having  faid,  /  have  nothing  of  woman  in 
me,  added,  by  way  of  amplification,  that  (he  had  not  even  the 
changes  of  d'fpojttion  pecul'ar  to  the  fex,  and  which  fometlme s  happeii 
as  frequently  as  thofe  of  the  moon  ;  or  that  Ihe  was  nor,  like  the  fea, 
governed  by  the  moon.  So,  in  Rlchard\\\  : — "  I  being  govern'd 
by  the  watry  moon,  &c."  Why  mould  Ihe  fay  on  this  occafion 
that  (he  no  longer  made  ufe  of  the  forms  of  worihip  peculiar  to 
her  country  ? 

Fleeting  is  incrmftant.  So  in  Greene's  Never  too  late,  1616: 
*'  If  thou  bee'it  daunted  on  thy  marriage  day,  thou  wilt  \>z  fleeting 

hereafter."     Again,  in  Green's  Mftamorphofts^    1617: "to 

fliew  the  world  fue  was  not  flct ting."     SrEtv  t  vs. 

7  — the  pretty  worm  of  Nilus — ]  Worm  is  the  Teutonick  word 
for ferpent ;  we  have  the  blind-worm  and  Jlovj.  worm  Hill  in  our 
language,  and  the  Norwegians  call  an  enormous  monfter,  feen 
fometimes  in  the  northern  ocean,  thcfea-'Morm.  JOHNSON. 

VOL.  VIII.  X  So, 


3o6    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

That  kills  and  pains  not  ? 

Clown.  Truly  I  have  him :  but  I  would  not  be 
'the  party  that  frioukl  dcfire  you  to  touch  him,  for 
his  biting  is  immortal ;  thofe,  that  do  die  of  it,  do 
feldom  or  never  recover. 

Cko.  Remember'it  thou  any  that  have  dy'd  on't  ? 

Clown.  Very  many,  men  and  women  too.  I  heard 
of  one  of  them  no  longer  than  yeiterday  :  a  very  ho- 
ned woman,  but  fomething  given  to  lye ;  as  a  wo- 
man fhould  not  do,  but  in  the  way  of  honefty :  how 
ihe  dy'd  of  the  biting  of  it,  what  pain  fhe  felt, — Truly, 
ihe  makes  a  very  good  report  o*  the  worm :  8  But 
he  that  will  believe  all  that  they  fay,  fliall  never  be 
faved  by  half  that  they  do  :  But  this  is  moft  fallible^ 
the  worm's  an  odd  worm. 

Cleo.  Get  thee  hence  ;  farewel. 

'down.  I  wifh  you  all  joy  of  the  worm. 

So,  in  the  Dumb  Kn;gbt,   1633  :     > 

*'  Thofe  coals  the  Roman  Portia  did  devour, 
'*  Are  not  burnt  out,  nor  have  th'  ./Egyptian  worm 
"  Yet  loft  their  ftings." 
Aoain,  in  the  Tragedy  of  Hoffman,  1631  : 

<« I'll  watch  for  fear 

Of  venomous  worms."    STEEVENS. 

In  the  Northern  counties,  the  word  worm  is  dill  given  to  the  ler- 
pent  fpecies  in  general.  I  have  feen  a  Northumberland  ballad, 
entituled,  TbelaidlyWormcfSpincUeftonUcitgbs,  i.e.  Theloath- 
fome  or  foul  ferpent  of  Spindlefton  Craggs  ;  certain  rocks  fo  called, 
ner.r  Bamburgh  Cattle. 

Shakefpeare  ufes  worm  again  in  the  fame  fenfe.  See  theSecon<t 
part  of  King  Henry  VI. 

"  The  mortal  warm  might  make  the  flecp  eternal. 

PERCY. 

Afain,    in   the   old  verlion  of  the   NC~M  Tcj1a;n-nt^  Ads  xxviii. 
«'  Now  when  the  barbarians  fawe  the  worme  hang  on  his  hand,&c." 

TOLLET. 

8  But  he  that  ivitt  believe  all  that  they  fay,  fiallncvcrbefavedlf 
half  that  they  do:'}  Shakefpeare's  clowns  are  always  jokers,  and 
deal  in  fly  fa  tire.  It  is  plain  this  mull  be  read  the  contrary  way, 
and  all  and  £«//" change  places.  WAR  BURTON. 

Probably  Shakelpeare  defigned  that  confufion  which  the  critidc 
would  difentangle.  STEEVENS.  , 

i  Qm 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     307 

Cleo.  Farevvel. 

Clown.  You  muft  think  this,  look  you,  that  the 
worm  9  will  do  his  kind. 

Cleo.  Ay,  ay  ;  farewel. 

Clown.  Look  you,  the  worm  is  not  to  be  trufted, 
but  in  the  keeping  of  wife  people ;  for,  indeed,  there 
is  no  goodnefs  in  the  worm. 

Cleo.  Take  thou  no  care  ;  it  fhall  be  heeded. 

Clffivn.  Very  good  :  give  it  nothing,  I  pray  you, 
for  it  is  not  worth  the  feeding. 
»    Cleo.  Will  it  cat  me  ? 

Qffiva.  You  muft  not  think  I  am  fb  fimple,  but  I 
know,  the  devil  himfelf  will  not  eat  a  woman :  I 
know,  that  a  woman  is  a  difli  for  the  gods,  if  the 
devil  drefs  her  not.  But,  truly,  thefe  fame  whore- 
fon  devils  do  the  gods  great  harm  in  their  women  ; 
for  in  every  ten  that  they  make,  the  devils  mar 
.five. 

Cleo.  Well,  get  thee  gone  ;  farewel. 

Ctoqn*  Yes,  forfooth ;  J  wilh  you  joy  o'  the  worm. 

[Exit. 

Cleo.  Give  me  my  robe,  put  on  my  crov/n  ;  I  have 
Immortal  longings  in  me  :  Now  no  more 
The  juice  of  Egypt's  grape  ftiall  moid  this  lip  : — 

Tare,   yare  ',  good  Iras ;    quick Methinks,    I 

hear 

An- 

'  will  do  bis  linJ.~\  The  ferpent  will  acl  according  to  his  na- 
ture. JOHNSON. 

So  in  Heywood's  If  you  know  not  Me  you  know  Nobody,    1633  ' 

"  Good  girls,  they  do  their  kind." 

Again,  in  the  ancient  black  letter  romance  of  Syr  Tryamouret  no 
date : 

"  He  dyd  full  gentylly  his  kinde"  STEEVENS. 

1  Tare,  yare, — ]  i.  e  make  hafte,  be  nimble,  be  ready.  Many 
inftances  of  the  ufe  of  the  word  have  been  already  given.     So 
in  the  oldbl.  romance  of  Syr  Eglamoure  cf  Artoys ; 
*'  Ryght  foone  he  made  him^ar*." 

X  2  Again, 


3o3    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Antony  call ;  I  fee  him  roufe  himfelf 
To  praife  my  noble  act ;  I  hear  him  mock 
The  luck  of  Casfar,  which  the  gods  give  men 
To  excufe  their  after  wrath  :  Hufband,  I  come  : 
Now  to  that  name  my  courage  prove  my  title  ! 
I  am  fire,  and  air  ;  my  other  elements 
I  give  to  bafer  life. — So, — have  you  done  ? 
Come  then,  and  take  the  laft  warmth  of  my  lips. 
Farewel,  kind  Charmian;— Iras,  long  farewel. 

{applying  the  afp. 

Have  I  the  afpick  in  my  lips  ?  Doft  fall  *  ?    [To  Iras. 
If  thou  and  nature  can  fo  gently  part, 
The  ftroke  of  death  is  as  a  lover's  pinch, 
Which  hurts,  and  is  defir'd.     Doft  thou  lye  dill  ? 
If  thus  thou  vaniflieft,  thou  tell'ft  the  world 
It  is  not  worth  leave-taking.  [Iras  dies. 

Char.  Diffolve,    thick  cloud,    and   rain;    that  I 

may  fay, 
The  gods  themfelves  do  weep  ! 

Cleo.  This  proves  me  bafe  : 
If  fhe  firft  meet  the  curled  Antony, 
5  He'll  make  demand  of  her  ;  and  fpend  that  kifs, 
Which  is  my  heaven  to  have. — Come,  thou  mortal 

wretch, 
With  thy  fharp  teeth  this  knot  intdnficate 

[To  the  afp. 

Of  life  at  once  untie  :  poor  venomous  fool, 
Be  angry,  and  difpatch.     O,  could  ft  thou  fpeak  ! 

Again, 

u  To  hym  fhe  went  full  jw?, 
"  Syr,  ftie  fayde,  how  do  you  fare  ?" 
Again, 

"  They  bulked  and  made  themjwv."    STEEVENS. 
*  —••    Drft  fall?]  Iras  muft  be  fuppofed  to  have  applied  an  afp 
to  her  arm  while  her  miilrefs  was  fettling  her  drefs,  or  I  kno\v  not 
why  fhe  fliould  tail  fo  foon.     STEEVENS. 

3  HSl!  ma\c  demand  of  her.']  He  will  enquire  of  her  concerning 
Mie,  and  kifs  her  forgiving  him  intelligence.    JOHNSON. 

8  That 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.    309 

That  I  might  hear  thec  call  great  Csefar,  afs 
Unpolicy'd  4  ! 

Char.  O  caftern  fiar  ! 

Cleo.  Peace,  peace  ! 

Doft  thou  not  fee  my  baby  at  my  breaft, 
That  fucks  the  nurfe  aflecp  5  ? 

Ckar.  O,  break !  O,  break  ! 

Cleo.  As  fweet  as  balm,  as  foft  as  air,  as  gentle,— 

6  O  Antony  ! — Nay,  I  will  take  thee  too  : 

\_Applying  another  afp  to  her  arm. 
What  ihould  I  flay [Dies. 


-aft 


Unpolicy'd !] 

i.  e.  an  afs  without  more  policy  than  to  leave  the  means  of  death 
within  my  reach,  and  thereby  deprive  his  triumph  of  its  nobleit 
decoration.  STEEVENS. 

s  That  fucks  the  nurfe  ajleep?~\  Before  the  publication  of  this 
piece,  The  Tragedy  of  Cleopatra,  by  Daniel,  1599,  had  made  its 
appearance  ;  but  Dryden  is  more  indebted  to  it  than  Shakefpeare. 
Daniel  has  the  following  lines : 

"  Better  than  death  death's  office  thou  difchargeft, 

"  That  with  one  gentle  touch  can  free  our  breath  ; 
*'   And  in  a  pleating  ileep  our  foul  enlargeft, 

"  Making  ourfelves  not  privy  to  our  death. — 
*'  Therefore  come  thou,  of  wonders  wonder  chief, 

"  That  open  canft  with  fuch  an  eafy  key 
*'  The  door  of  life  ;  come  gentle,  cunning  thief, 

"  That  from  ourfelves  fo  fteal'ft  ourfelves  away.*' 
Dryden  fays  on  the  fame  occafion  : 

Welcome  thou  kind  deceiver  ! 

Thou  bell  of  thieves  ;  who  with  an  eafy  key 
Doll  open  life,  and,  unperceiv'd  by  us, 
Even  fteal  us  from  ourfelves  :  Difcharging  fo 
Death's  dreadful  office  better  than  himfelf, 
Touching  our  limbs  fo  gently  into  [lumber, 
That  death  Hands  by,  deceiv'd  by  his  own  image, 
And  thinks  himfelf  but  ileep."  STEEVENS. 

6  O  Antony!  nay,  Iivilltakc  thee  too.]  As  there  has  been  hi- 
therto no  break  in  this  verfe,  nor  any  marginal  direction,  thee  ne- 
ceflarily  muft  feem  to  refer  to  Antony.  But  Cleopatra  is  here 
defigned  to  apply  one  afpick  to  her  arm,  as  fhe  had  betore  clapp'd 
one  to  her  breafh  And  the  laft  fpeech  of  Dolabella  in  the  play  is 
a  confirmation  of  this. 

The  like  is  on  Ler  arm.  THEOBALD. 

X  3  Char- 


3io    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA. 

Char.  In  this  wild  world  7  ? — So,  fare  thee  well. 
Now  boaft  thee,  death  !  in  thy  pofleffion  lies 
A  lafs  unparallel'd. — Downy  windows,  clofe  ; 
And  golden  Phoebus  never  be  beheld 
Of  eyes  again  fo  royal !  8  Your  crown's  awry  ; 
I'll  mend  it,  and  then  play. 

Enter  the  Guard,  ru/Jring  in. 

i  Guard.  Where  is  the  queen  ? 
Char.  Speak  foftly,  wake  her  not. 
i  Guard.  Csfar  hath  fent— 
Char.  Too  flow  a  meffenger.— 

[Charmian  applies  the  afp. 
O,  come  ;  apace,  difpatch  : — I  partly  feel  thee. 

1  Guard.  Approach,  ho  !  All's  not  well :  Caefar's 

beguilM. 

2  Guard.^  There's  Dolabella  fent  from  Catfar;— call 

him. 
i  Guard.  What  work  is  here  ?— Charmian,  is  this., 

well  done  ? 

Char.  It  is  well  done,  and  fitting  for  a  princefs 
Defcended  of  fo  many  royal  kings  9. 
Ah,  foldier !  [Charmian  dies. 

Enter 

7  In  this  wild  world?]  Thus  the  old  copy.  I  fuppofe  fhe  means 
by  this  wild  world,  this  world  which  by  the  death  of  Antony  is 
become  a  defert  to  her.     A  wild  is  a  defert.     Our  author,  how* 
ever,  might  have  written  wild  (i.  e.  <vilc  according  to  ancient  fpell- 
ing)  for  worthlefs.     STEEVENS. 

8  — —  Your  crown's  awry  ;]  This  is  well  amended  by  the  edi- 
tors.    The  old  editions  had, 

~  Tour  cro-ivn's  away.    JOHNSON'. 

So,  in  Daniel's  Tragedy  of  Cleopatra >  1599: 

And  fenfelels,  in  her  (inking  down,  {he  ivryes 
The  diadem  which  on  her  head  fhe  wore ; 
Which  Charmian  (poor  weak  feeble  maid)  efpyes, 
And  haftes  to  right  it  as  it  was  before  ; 
For  Eras  now  was  dead."    STEEVENS. 
•  pefcended  of  fo  many  royal  kings.]   Almoil   thefe  very  Word* 
are  found  in  fir  T.  North's  tranflation  of  Plutarch ;  and  in  Daniel's 

play 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.    3n 

Enter  Dolabella. 

Dot.  How  goes  it  here  ? 

2  Guard.  All  dead. 

Dot.  Ccefar,  thy  thoughts 

Touch  their  effects  in  this  :  Thyfelf  art  coming 
To  fee  perform'd  the  dreaded  a<ft,  which  thou 
So  fought'ft  to  hinder. 

Enter  Co-far,  and  Attendants. 

IVitkin.  A  way  there,  a  way  for  Czefar  ! 

Dol.  O,  fir,  you  are  too  fure  an  augurer ; 
That  you  did  fear,  is  done. 

Ceef.  Bravefl  at  the  laft  : 

She  levelled  at  our  purpofes,  and,  being  royal, 
Took  her  own  way. — The  manner  of  their  deaths  ? — 
I  do  not  fee  them  bleed. 

Dol.  Who  was  laft  with  them  ? 

i  Guard.  A  fimple  countryman,  that  brought  her 

figs; 
This  was  his  bafket. 

C*f.  Poifon'd  then. 

I  Guard.  O  Csefar, 

This  Charmian  liv'd  but  now ;  ihe  flood,  and  fpake  : 
I  found  her  trimming  up  the  diadem 
On  her  dead  miftrefs ;  tremblingly  (lie  flood, 
And  on  the  fudden  drop'd. 

C<ef.  O  noble  weaknefs !  — 
If  they  had  fwallow'd  poifon,  'twould  appear 
By  external  fvvelling  :  but  fhe  looks  like  fleep, 
As  fhe  would  catch  another  Antony 
In  her  ftrong  toil  of  grace. 

play  on  the  fame  fubjeih  The  former  book  is  not  uncommon, 
and  therefore  it  would  be  impertinent  to  crowd  the  page  with  every 
circumftance  which  Shakefpeare  has  borrowed  from  the  lame 
original.  STEEVENS, 

X  4  DoL 


312    ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA, 

DoL  Here,  on  her  breaft 

There  is  a  vent  of  blood,  and  '  fomething  blown : 
The  like  is  on  her  arm. 

i  GuariL  This  is  an  afpick's  trail ;  and  thefe  fig- 
leaves 

Have  flime  upon  them,  fuch  as  the  afpick  leaves 
Upon  the  caves  of  Nile. 

C*f.  Moft  probable, 

That  Ib  Ihe  dy'd  ;  tor  her  phyfician  tells  me, 
She  hath  purfu'd  conclufions  infinite 
Of  eafy-  ways  to  die. — Take  up  her  bed  ; 
And  bear  her  women  from  the  monument  :— 
She  lhall  be  buried  by  her  Antony  : 
No  grave  upon  the  earth  lhall  clip  in  it 
A  pair  fo  famous.     High  events  as  thefe 
Strike  thofe  that  make  them  :  and  their  ftory  is 
No  lefs  in  pity,  than  his  glory,  which 
Brought  them  to  be  lamented.     Our  army  fhall, 
In  folcmn  Ihew,  attend  this  funeral ; 
And  then  to  Rome. — Come,  Dolabella,  fee 
High  order  in  this  great  folemnity.       [Exeunt  omnes. 


1  —fomeihlng  blown  ;]  The  flefti  is  fcmewhat/o^Jv/or/uWw. 

JOHNSON. 

So,  in  the  ancient  metrical  romance  of  Syr  Betys  of  Hampton, 
bl.  1.  no  date  : 

That  with  venim  upon  him  throwen, 
The  knight  lay  then  lo-wnanr.** 


n  the  romance  of  Syr  Ifenbras,  bl.  1.  no  date  : 
With  adders  all  your  belles  ben  ilaine, 


Again, 


Again, 


THIS  play  keeps  curiofity  always  bufy,  and  the  paflions  always 
interefted.  The  continual  hurry  of  the  action,  the  variety  of  in- 
cidents, and  the  quick  fuccefficn  of  one  perlbnage  to  another, 
pall  the  mind  forward  without  intermiffion  from  the  firfl  aft  to  the 

lad. 


With  venymeare  they  blovce." 
L  Ben  Jonfon's  Magnetic  Lady  : 

What  is  Ih^-K.  puft  ?  fpeak  Englifh.— . 

Tainted  an'  pleafe  you,  fome  do  call  it. 

fo/L'c//f,  &c."         STE EVENS. 


ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA.     31J 

laft/  But  the  power  of  delighting  is  derived  principally  from  the 
frequent  changes  of  the  fcene ;  for,  except  the  feminine  arts, 
fome  of  which  are  too  low,  which  diftinguilh  Cleopatra,  no  cha- 
racter is  very  ftrongly  di  (criminated.  Upton,  who  did  not  eafily 
mifs  what  he  defired  to  find,  has  discovered  that  the  language  of 
Antony  is,  with  great  fkill  and  learning,  made  pompous  and  fu- 
perb,  according  to  his  real  practice.  But  I  think  his  diction  not 
diftinguifhable  from  that  of  others  :  the  moft  tumid  fpeech  in  the 
play  is  that  which  Caefar  makes  to  Octavia. 

The  events,  of  which  the  principal  are  defcribed  according  to 
hiftory,  are  produced  without  any  art  of  connexion  or  care  of  dif- 
pofuion.  JOHNSON. 


T I  M  O  N  OF  A  T  H  E  N  S. 


Perfons   Reprefented. 

obi 
ius,  J 


Timon,  A  noble  Athenian. 

Lucius, 

Lucullus,       \  Lords. 

Semproni 

Apemantus,  a  Phikfopher. 

Alcibiades. 

Flavius,  Steward  to  Timon. 

Flaminius,  "i 

JLucilius,      \    Titnon's  Servants. 

Servilius,    J 

Caphis,        1 

Varro, 

Philo,  \    „ 

/  Servants* 
Titus,  ( 

Lucius, 

HortenfiuSjJ 

Ventidius,  one  o/Timon'j  Friends. 

Cupid  and  Majkers* 

Strangers. 

T±!dr.,}    ^-/«'"  Alcibiades. 

'Thieves,  Senators,  Poet,    Painter,    Jeweller,  and  Mer- 
chant ;  with  Servants  and  Attendants. 

SCENE,  Athens ;  and  the  Woods  not  far  from  it. 


TIMON  OF  ATHENS 


ACT     I.      SCENE     I. 

Athens. 
A  Hall  in  Timon's  Houfe. 

Enter  Poet,  Painter,  Jeweller,  and  Merchant)    *  at  ft* 
veral  doors. 

Poet.  Good  day,  fir  *. 

Pain.  I  am  glad  you  are  well. 

Poet. 

1  Timon  of  Athens."]  The  fbry  of  the  Mifanthrope  is  told  in  al- 
moft  every  collection  of  the  time,  and  particularly  in  two  books, 
with  which  Shakefpeare  was  intimately  acquainted ;  the  Palace  of 
Pleafure,  and  the  Englijh  Plutarch.  Indeed  from  a  paflage  in  an 
old  play,  called  Jack  Drum's  Entertainment,  I  conjecture  that  he 
had  before  made  his  appearance  on  the  ftage.  FARMER. 

The  paflage  in  Jack  Drum's  Entertainment  or  Pafquil  and  Ka- 
therine,  1601,  is  this  : 

"  Come,  I'll  be  as  fociableas  Timon  of  Athens." 

But  theHdlufion  is  fo  flight,  that  it  might  as  well  have  been  bor- 
rowed from  Plutarch  or  the  Novel. 

Mr.  Strutt  the  engraver,  to  whom  our  antiquaries  are  under  no 
inconfiderable  obligations,  has  in  his  poffeffion  a  MS.  play  on  this 

fubjeft. 


*  In  the  old  copy  :  Enter,  &c.  Merchant  and  Mercer,  £sV . 

STEEVENS. 

3  Poet.  Good  Jay,  fir.~\    It  would  be  lefs  abrupt,  to  begin  the 
flay  thus : 

Poet.   Good  day* 

Pain.  Good  day,  fir  :  I  am  glad  you're  well.    FARMER. 


3i8        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

Poet.  I  have  not  feen  you  long  ,*    How  goes  the 

world  ? 

Pain.  It  wears,  fir,  as  it  grows. 
Poet.  Ay,  that's  well  known  : 
4 But  what  particular  rarity  ?  what  ftrange, 

Which 

fubje&.  It  appears  to  have  been  written,  or  tranfcribed,  about 
the  year  1 6co.  There  is  a  fcene  in  it  refembling  Shakefpeare's 
t>anquet  given  by  Timon  to  his  flatterers.  Inftead  of  warm  water 
he  fets  before  them  Jtones  painted  like  artichokes,  and  afterwards 
beats  them  out  of  the  room.  He  then  retires  to  the  woods  attend- 
ed by  his  faithful  fteward,  who  (like  Kent  in  K.  Lear}  has  dif- 
guifed  himfelf  to  continue  his  fervices  to  his  mailer.  Timon,  io 
the  laft  aft  is  followed  by  his  fickle  miftrefs,  &c.  after  he  was  re- 
ported to  have  difcovered  a  hidden  treafure  by  digging.  The 
piece  itfelf  (though  it  appears  to  be  the  work  of  an  academlck)  is 
a  wretched  one.  The  perfonae  dramatis  are  as  follows. 

The  aftors  names. 
Timon. 

Laches,  his  faithful  fervant. 
Eutrapelus,  a  diflblute  young  man. 
Gelafimus,  a  cittie  hevre. 
Pfeudocheus,  a  lying  travailer. 

Demeas,  an  orator.  .      ,    1 

Philargurus,  a  covetous  churlifh  ould  man. 
Hermogenes,  a  fidler. 
Abyffus,  a  ufurer. 
Lollio,  a  cuntrey  clowne,  Philargurus  fonne. 

i±^»,   }   Two  lying  phWophen, 

Grunnio,  a  lean  fervant  of  Philarguru*. 

Obba,  Tymon's  butler. 

Pcedio,  Gelafimus  page. 

Two  ferjeants. 

A  failor. 

Callimela,  Philargurus  daughter. 

JJlatte,  her  prattling  nurfe. 

SCENE,  Athens.  STEEVINS. 

*  But  what  particular  rarity ,  &c.]  Our  author,  it  is  oblervable, 
has  made  his  poet  in  this  play  a  knave.  But  that  it  might  not  re- 
fleft  upon  the  profejfion  he  has  made  him  only  a  pretender  to  it,  as. 
appears  from  his  having  drawn  him,  all  the  way,  with  a  falfe  taft« 
and  judgment.  One  infallible  mark  of  which  is,  a  fondnefs  for 
every  thing  ilrange,  furprizing,  and  porteutouj ;  and,  a  difregard 

for. 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS.        319 

Which  manifold  record  not  matches  ?  See, 
Magick  of  bounty  !  all  thefe  fpirits  thy  power 
Hath  conjur'd  to  attend.     I  know  the  merchant. 

Pain.  I  know  them  both ;  the  other's  a  jewellery 

Mer.  O,   'tis  a  worthy  lord ! 

Jew.  Nay,  that's  mod  fix'd. 

Mer.  A  moft  incomparable  man  ;  'breath'd;  asip 

were 

To  an  untirable  and  continuate  goodnefs : 
Hepaffes6. 

Jew.  I  have  a  jewel  here. 

Mer.  O,  pray,  let's  .fee't :    For  the  lord  Timon. 
fir? 

for  whatever  is  common,  or  in  nature.    Shakefpeare  therefore  ha» 
with  great  delicacy  of  judgment  put  his  poetafter  upon  this  inquiry. 

WAR  BUR  TOM. 

The  learned  commentator's  note  muft  ftiift  for  itfelf.  I  cannot 
but  think  that  this  patfage  is  at  prefent  in  confulion.  The  poet 
alks  a  queition,  and  flays  not  for  an  anfwer,  nor  has  his  queftion 
any  apparent  drift  or  confequente.  I  would  range  the  paflage 
thus : 

Poet.  Ay,  that's  well  known. 
But  what  particular  rarity?  iwhatfoj}ran^el 
That  manifold  record  not  matches  ? 
Pain.  See! 

Poet.  Magick  of  bounty,  &c. 

It  may  not  be  improperly  obfenred  here,  that  as  there  is  onlf 
one  copy  of  this  play,  no  help  can  be  had  from  collation,  and  more 
liberty  muft  be  allowed  to  conjecture.  JoHxsorf. 

5 treat)? d  as  it  =ivere 

To  an  untirable  and  continuate  goodnefs,] 

Breathed  is  inured  by  conjiant  practice  ;  fo  trained  as  not  to  be  wea- 
ried.    To  breathe  a  horie,  is  to  exercife  him  for  the  courfe. 

JOHNSON. 

<——contintiate ]    This  word  is  ufed  by  many  ancient  En- 

glith  writers.     Thus,  by  Chapman  in  his  verfion  of  the  4th  book 
of  the  OtfyJTy  : 

"  Her  handmaids  join'd  in  a  continuate  yell."   STEEVENS. 
6  He  pafTes.]    i.  e.  he  exceeds,  goes  beyond  common  bounds. 
So,  in  the  Merry  Wives  of  Windfor  : 

"  Why  this  faffes,  mailer  Ford."    STEEVENS. 


5zo        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 
*\ 

Jew*  If  he  will  7  touch  the  eftimate  :     But,  for 
.    that  — 

Poet.  8  When  we  for  recompence  have  prats' d  tie  vile, 
It  Jlains  the  glory  in  that  happy  verfe 
Which  aptly  fings  the  geod. 

Mer.  'Tis  a  good  form.  [Looking  on  the  jewel. 

Jeiu.  And  rich  :  here  is  a  water,  look  you. 

Pain.  You  are  rapt,  fir,  in  fo'me  work,  fome  de- 
dication 
To  the  great  lord. 

Poet.  A  thing  flipt  idly  from  me. 
Our  poefy  is  as  a  gum,  9  which  oozes 
Prom  whence  'tis  nourifhed  :  The  fire  i'  the  flint 
Shews  not,  "till  it  be  ftruck ;  our  gentle  flame 
Provokes  itfelf,  '  and,  like  the  current,  flies 

Each 

7  touch  tie  eftimate  : ]  Come  up  to  the  price. 

JOHNSON. 

8  Wen  we  for  recompence  &c.]    We  muft  here  fuppofe  the  poet 
bufy  in  reading  his  own.  work  ;  and  that  thefe  three  lines  are  the 
introduction  of  the  poem  addrefled  to  Timor.,  which  he  afterwards 
gives  the  painter  an  account  of.     WAR  EUR  TON. 

9  which  oozes]  The  folio  copy  reads, — which  ufes.     Th« 

modern  editors  have  given  it, — which  iffues.     JOHNSOV. 

The  only  ancient  copy  reads  :  Our  poejie  is  as  a  gowne  which 
ufes.  STEEVENS. 

1    • and,  like  the  current  files 

Each  bound  it  chafes. ] 

Thus  the  folio  reads,  and  rightly.     In  later  editions — r£.7/?;. 

WAR'BURTON'. 

This  fpeech  of  the  poet  is  very  obfcure.  He  feems  to  boaft  the 
copioufnefs  and  facility  or  his  vein,  by  declaring  that  verfes  drop 
from  a  poet  as  gums  from  odoriferous  trees,  and  that  his  flame 
kindles  itfelf  without  the  violence  neccflary  to  elicit  fparkles  from 
the  flint.  What  follows  next  ?  that  it,  like  a  current,  Jlies  each 
bound  it  chafes.  This  may  mean,  that  it  expands  itfelf  notwith- 
ftanding  all  obftruftions  :  but  the  images  in  the  comparifon  are  fo 
ill-forted,  and  the  effect  fo  obfcurely  exprefled,  that  I  cannot  but 
think  Ibmething  omitted  that  connected  the  bft  fentence  with  the 
former.  It  is  well  known  that  the  players  often  fliorten  fpeeches 
to  quicken  the  reprefentation  :  and  it  may  be  fufpecled,  that  they 

fome- 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS.        321 

Each  bound  it  chafes.     What  have  you  there  ? 

Pain.  A  piflure,   fir.     When  comes  your   book 
forth  ? 

Poet.  *  Upon  the  heels  of  my  prefentment J,  fir. 
Let's  fee  your  piece. 

Pain.  'Tis  a  good  piece. 

Poet.  So  'tis  :   4  this  comes  off  well  and  excellent* 

Pain.   Indifferent. 

Poet.  Admirable :  *  How  this  grace 

Speaks 

fometimes  performed  their  amputations  with  more  hafle  than 
judgment.  JOHNSON. 

Perhaps  the  fenfe  is,  that  having  touched  on  one  ft&jctf,  it  flies 
effimiueft  of  another.  The  old  copy  feems  to  read  : 

Each  bound  it  chafes. 

The  letters  /  and  /  are  not  always  to  be  diftinguifted  from  each 
other,  efpecially  when  the  types  have  been  much  worn,  as  in  the 
firft  folio.  If  chafes  be  the  true  reading,  it  is  beft  explained  by 

the   "  -fe  fequiturque  fugitq ue— "  of  the  Roman  poet. 

STEEVENS. 

*  Upon  the  heels  &c.]  As  foon  as  my  book  has  been  preferred 
to  lord  Timon.  JOHNSON. 

s  preferment, ]  The  patrons  of  Shakefpeare's  age  do 

not  appear  to  have  been  all  Timons. 

"  I  did  determine  not  to  have  dedicated  my  play  to  any  body, 
becaufe  forty  fallings  I  care  not  for,  and  above,  few  or  none  will 
beftow  on  thefe  matters."  Preface  to  a  Woman  is  a  Weathercock^ 
by  N.  Field,  1612.  STEEVENS. 

4  — this  comes  off  well  and  excellent."]  By  this  we  are  to  under- 
fland  what  the  painters  call  the  goings-  of  of  a  pifture,  which  re- 
quires the  niceft  execution.  WARBURTON. 

The  note  I  underftand  lefs  than  the  text.  The  meaning  is : 
The  figure  rifes  well  from  the  canvas.  C\Jl  ken  relevt. 

JOHNSON. 

What  is  meant  by  this  term  of  applaufe  I  do  not  exadly  know. 
It  occurs  again  in  the  Widow,  by  B.  Jonfon,  Fletcher,  and  Mid« 
dleton : 

"  It  comes  of  very  fair  yet." 

Again,  in  A  Trick  to  catch  the  old  One,   1616  :    <{  Put  a  good  tale 
in  his  ear,  fo  that  it  comes  of  cleanly,  and  there's  a  horfe  and  man 
for  us,  I  warrant  thee."     STEEVENS. 
5  '  biKv  this  grace 

Sfeaks  its  own  rtanding  ? ] 

This  relates  to  the  attitude  of  the  figure  j  and  mean*  that  it  (tends 

VOL.  VIII.  Y  -judicioufly 


322        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

Speaks  his  own  (landing  ?  what  a  mental  power 
This  eye  fhoots  forth  ?  how  big  imagination 
Moves  in  this  lip  ?  to  the  dumbnefs  of  the  gefture 
One  might  interpret. 

Pain.  It  is  a  pretty  mocking  of  the  life. 
Here  is  a  touch  ;  Is't  good  ? 

Poet.  I'll  fay  of  it, 
It  tutors  nature  :  6  artificial  flrife 

Lives 

judicioufly  on  its  own  centre.  And  not  only  fo,  but  that  it  has  a 
graceful  ftanding  likewife.  Of  which  the  poet  in  Hamlet,  fpeak- 
ing  of  another  picture,  fays : 

'*  A  Station  like  the  Herald,  Mercury, 

<c  New-lighted  on  a  heav'n-kiffing  hill." 

which  lines  Milton  feems  to  have  had  in  view,  where  he  fays  of 
Raphael : 

"  At  once  on  th'  eaftern  d>ff  of  Paradife 

"  He  lights,  and  to  his  proper  fhape  returns. 

*'  — —  Like  Maia'sfon  hejlood."  WARBURTON. 
This  fentence  feems  to  meobfcure,  and,  however  explained,  not 
very  forcible.  This  grace  fpeaks  his  own  ftanding^  is  only,  The 
gracefulncfs  of  this  figure  fyews  h<nv  it  ftands.  I  am  inclined  to 
think  fomething  corrupted.  It  would  be  more  natural  and  clear 
thus: 

•  hffw  this  Handing 
Speaks  his  own  graces  ? 

Ho*iv  this  poflure  difplays  its  own  gracefulnefs.  But  I  will  indulge 
conjecture  further,  and  propofe  to  read  : 

•  how  this  grace 

Speaks  undemanding  ?.  ichat  a  mental  power 

This  eye  Jhools  forth  f JOHNSON. 

The  paflage,  to  my  apprehenfion  at  \QZ&^  fpeaks  its  own  meaning, 
which  is,  how  the  graceful  attitude  of  this  figure  proclaims  that 
it  {lands  firm  on  its  centre,  or  gives  evidence  in  favour  of  its  owrf 
fixure.  Grace  is  introduced  as  bearing  wirnefs  to  propriety.  A  fi- 
milar  expreflion  occurs  in  Cymocline^  act  II.  fc.  iv  : 

*'  never  faxv  I  figures 

**  So  likely  to  report  thenifelves"    STEEVENS. 
6  •    •  •  artijlciai  ftrifej    Strife  tor  action  or  motion. 

WAR  EUR  TON. 
Strife  is  either  the  conteft  or  act  with  nature. 

**  Hie  itte  eft  Raphael,  timuity  quofofpite  vinci 
"  Rerum  magna  far  ens  ^  13  moriente  mori." 
Or  it  is  the  contrail  of  forms  or  oppofitiou  of  colours.   JOHNSON-. 


TIMON    OF     ATHENS.        323 

Lives  in  thefe  touches,  livelier  than  life. 

Enter  certain  Senators* 

Pain.  How  this  lord  is  follow'd ! 

Poet.  The  fenators  of  Athens  ; — Happy  men 7 ! 

Pain.  Look,  more  ! 

Poet.  You  fee 8  this  confluence,  this  great  flood  of 

vifitors. 

I  have,  in  this  rough  work,  fhap'd  out  a  man, 
Whom  this  beneath  world  doth  embrace  and  hug 
With  ampleft  entertainment :  My  free  drift 
9  Halts  not  particularly,  but  moves  itfelf 
1  In  a  wide  fea  of  wax  :  *  no  levelled  malice 
Infects  one  comma  in  the  courfe  I  hold  ; 
But  flies  an  eagle  flight,  bold,  and  forth  on, 
Leaving  no  tract  behind. 

So,  in  fome  lines  under  one  of  Faithorne's  heads : 
"  Faithorne,  with  nature  at  a  noble_/?r//>, 
"  Hath  paid  the  author  a  great  (hare  of  life,  &c." 

STEEVENS. 

'  — —Happy  men  !]    I  think  we  had  better  read :     Happy 

man  !  It  is  the  happinefs  of  Timon,  and  not  of  the  fenators,  upon 
which  the  Poet  means  to  exclaim.     STEEVENS. 

b   This  confluence,  this  great  flood  of  vifitors.~\ 

"  Mane  falutantum  totis  vomit  tedihus  undam.n     JOHIckOir. 

9  Halts  not  particularly, ]  My  defign  does  not  flop  at  any 

fmgle  charaders.     JOHNSOM. 

'  In  a  wide  fea.  of  wax  : — ]  Anciently  they  wrote  upon  waxen 
tables  with  an  iron  itile.     HANMER. 

*  no  levell'd  malice']    Why  this  epithet  to  malice  ?    which 

belongs  to  all  actions  whatlbever,  which  have  their  aim  or  level. 
Shakelpeare  wrote  : 

no  leven'd  malice, 

which  is  not  only  a  proper  epithet  for  the  acidity  of  that  paflion, 
but  anfwers  well  to  the  next  words  infefls,  and  leaving  no  tra£l  be- 
hind, as  any  thing  fermenting  or  corrofive  does.  WAR  BUR  TON. 
To  level  is  to  aim,  to  point  the  fliot  at  a  mark.  Shakeipeare's 
meaning  is,  my  poem  is  not  a  latire  written  with  any  particular 
view,  or  It-veiled  at  any  angle  perfon  ;  I  fly  like  an  eagle  into  the 
general  expanfe  ot  life,  and  leave  not,  by  any  private  miichiei, 
the  trace  of  my  paflage.  JOHNSON. 

Y    2 


324        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

Pain.  How  fhall  I  underftand  you  ? 

Poet.  3  I'll  unbolt  to  you. 
You  fee,  how  all  conditions,  how  all  minds, 
(As  well  of  *  glib  and  ilippery  creatures,  as 
Of  grave  and  auftere  quality)  tender  down 
Their  fervices  to  lord  Timon  :  his  large  fortune, 
Upon  his  good  and  gracious  nature  hanging, 
Subdues  and  properties  to  his  love  and  tendance 
All  forts  of  hearts ;  yea,  from  the 5  glafs-fac'd  flatterer 
To  Apemantus,  that  few  things  loves  better 
Than  to  abhor  himfelf;  6  even  he  drops  down 
The  knee  before  him,  and  returns  in  .peace 
Moft  rich  in  Timon's  nod. 

Pain.  I  faw  them  fpeak  together. 

Poet.  Sir,  I  have  upon  a  high  and  pleafant  hill 
Feign'd  Fortune  to  be  thron'd  :  The  bafe  o'  the  mount 
Is  7  rank'd  with  all  deferts,  all  kind  of  natures, 
That  labour  on  the  bofom  of  this  fphere 
8  To  propagate  their  ftates :  amongfl  them  all, 
Whofe  eyes  are  on  this  fovereign  lady  fix'd, 
One  do  I  perfonate  of  Timon's  frame, 
.  Whom  Fortune  with  her  ivory  hand  wafts  to  her ; 

3  m  unbolt ]  I'll  open,  I'll  explain.     JOHNSON. 

*  glib  andjlipp'ry  creatures, ]    Hanmer,  and  Warbur- 

ton  after  him,  read,  natures.     Slippery  isjinooth,  unrefifting. 

JOHNSON. 

s    glap-fac  d flat? rer"\    That  (hows  in  his  own  look,  as  by 

reflection,  the  looks  of  his  patron.    JOHNSON. 

* even  he  drops  down  &c.J  Either  Shakefpeare  meant  to  put 

a  falfhood  into  the  mouth  of  his  poet,  or  had  not  yet  thoroughly 
planned  the  character  of  Apemantus  ;  for  in  the  cnfuing  Icenes, 
his  behaviour  is  as  cynical  to  Timon  as  to  his  followers. 

STEEVENS. 

7      •         rank'd  with  all  dffcrts,   •         ]  Covered  with  ranks  of  all 
kinds  of  men.     JOHNSON. 

*  fo  propagate  their  Jlatei:——]  To  propagate,  for  to  make. 

WARBURTON. 
To  advance  or  improve  their  various  conditions  of  life. 

JOHNSON. 

Whofe 


T  I  M  O  N    OF    ATHENS.        325 

Whofe  prefent  grace  to  prefent  flaves  and  fervanrs 
Translates  his  rivals. 

Pain.  ' Tis  9  conceiv'd  to  fcope. 
This  throne,  this  Fortune,  and  this  hill,  methinks, 
With  one  man  beckon'd  from  the  reft  below, 
Bowing  his  head  againft  the  lleepy  mount 
To  climb  his  happinefsi  would  be  well  exprefs'd 
1  In  our  condition. 

Poet.  Nay,  fir,  but  hear  me  on  : 
All  thofe  which  were  his  fellows  but  of  late, 
(Some  better  than  his  value)  on  the  moment 
Follow  his  {hides,  his  lobbies  fill  with  tendance, 
*  Rain  facrificial  whifperings  in  his  ear, 
Make  facred  even  his  ftirrop,  and  J  through  him 
Drink  the  free  air. 

Pain.  Ay,  marry,  what  of  thefe  ? 

Poet    When  Fortune,  in  her  fhift  and  change  of 

mood, 

Spurns  down  her  late  belov'd,  all  his  dependants, 
Which  labour'd  after  him  to  the  mountain's  top, 
Even  on  their  knees  and  hands,  let  him  flip  down4, 
Not  one  accompanying  his  declining  foot. 

9  >  conceived  to  fcope.]    Properly  imagined,  appoGtely,  to 

the  purpofe.    JOHNSON. 

1  In  our  condition.]  Condition,  for  art.     WARETJRTON. 

a  Rain  facrificial  vidrijy  rings  in  bis  ear,]  The  fenfe  is  obvious, 
and  means,  in  general,  flattering  him.  The  particular  kind  of 
flattery  may  be  collected  from  the  circumftance  of  its  being  of- 
tered  up  in  ivbifpers :  which  (hews  it  was  the  calumniating  thofe 
whom  Timon  hated  or  envied,  or  whofe  vices  were  oppofite  to  hi« 
own.  This  offering  up,  to  the  perfon  flattered,  the  murdered  re- 
putation of  others,  Shakefpeare,  with  the  utmofl  beauty  of 
thought  and  expreffion,  calls  facrifcial  <wbi/]>'ringst  alluding  to 
the  victims  offered  up  to  idols.  WARBURTON, 

3   through  him 

Drink  the  free  air.'] 
That  is,  catch  his  breath  in  affected  fondnefs.    JOHNSON, 

*  let  him  flip  down,]  The  old  copy  reads : 

let  him  fit  down : 

Xfce  emendation  was  made  by  Mr.  Rowe.    STEEVENS^ 


326        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

Pain.  *Tis  common  : 
A  thoufand  moral  paintings  I  can  mew  J, 
That  fhall  demontfrate  thcfe  quick  blows  of  fortune  . 
More  pregnantly  than  words.     Yet  you  do  well, 
To  fhew  lord  Timon,  that  mean  eyes  6  have  feen 
The  foot  above  the  head. 

'Trumpets  found.     Enter  Timon  ,  addr  effing  himfdf  courte- 
to  eveiy  fuitor. 


Tim.  Imprifon'd  is  he,  fay  you  ?      [To  a  mcffenger. 

Mef.  Ay,  my  good  lord  :  five  talents  is  his  debt  ; 
His  means  moft  fhort,  his  creditors  moft  flrait  : 
Your  honourable  letter  he  defires 
To  thofe  have  fhut  him  up  ;  which  failing  him, 
7  Periods  his  comfort. 

Tim.  Noble  Ventidius  !  Well  ; 
I  am  not  of  that  feather,  to  fhake  off 
My  friend  when  he  muft  need  rne.     I  do  know  him 
A  gentleman,  that  well  deferves  a  help, 
Which  he  fhall  have  :  I'll  pay  the  debt,  and  free  him. 

Mef.  Your  lordfhip  ever  binds  him. 

Tim.  Commend  me  to  him  :  I  will  fend  his  ranfom; 

s  A  toon  Tand  moral  la'ait'ings  Icanficv:^  Shakefpeare  feems  to 
intend  in  this  dialogue  to  exprefs  fome  competition  between  the 
two  great  arts  of  imitation.  Whatever  the  poet  declares  himfelf 
.to  have  fliewn,  the  painter  thinks  he  could  have  {hewn  better. 

JOHNSOX. 

.  6  -  mean  ()/«—  ]  i.e.  inferior  fpe&atcrs.  So,  in  Jf'c>:C::'s 
Letter  to  Bacon,  dated  March  the  laft,  1613:  "  Before  their  ina- 
ieities,  and  almoft  as  many  other  meaner  eyes,  &c."  .  TOLLET.  * 
7  Periods  hh  comfort.  "\  Topcricd  is,  perhaps,  a  verb  or'Shake- 
fp^are's  introduction  into  the  Englifh  language.  I  find  it  however 
\ifed  by  Hey  wood,  after  him,  va.  A  Maidenhead  wll  Loft  ^  1634.: 

"  How  eafy  could  I  feriodzM  my  care.'* 
Again,  in  the  Country  Gir!,  by  T.  B.    1647  : 

"  To  period  our  vain  grievings." 

Again,  in  The  Aclno-jjleJgement  t  a  poem  by  Barton  Holyday  : 
«'  'Tis  fome  poor  comfort  that  this  mortal  fcope 
."—  —     STEEVENS. 

6  And, 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS.        327 

And,  being  enfranchis'd,  bid  him  come  to  me  :— 
8  'Tis  not  enough  to  help  the  feeble  up, 
But  to  fupport  him  after. — Fare  you  well. 

Mef.  All  happinefs  to  your  honour9  !  [Exit. 

Enter  an  old  Athenian. 

Old  Ath.  Lord  Timon,  hear  me  fpeak. 

"Tim.  Freely,  good  father, 

Old  Ath.  Thou  haft  a  fervant  nam'd  Lucilius. 

Tim.  I  have  fo  :  What  of  him  ? 

Old  Ath.  Moft  noble  Timon,  call  the  man  before  • 

thee. 
Tim.  Attends  he  here,  or  no  ? — Lucilius ! 

Enter  Lucilius. 

Luc.  Here,  at  your  lordfhip's  fervice. 

Old  Ath.  This  fellow  here,  lord  Timon,  this  thy 

creature, 

By  night  frequents  my  houfe.     I  am  a  man 
That  from  my  firft  have  been  inclin'd  to  thrift; 
And  my  eftate  deferves  an  heir  more  rais'd, 
Than  one  which  holds  a  trencher. 

Tim.  Well ;  what  further  ? 

Old  Ath.  One  only  daughter  have  I,  no  kin  elfe, 
On  whom  I  may  confer  what  I  have  got : 
The  maid  is  fair,  o'  the  yonngeft  for  a  bride, 
And  I  have  bred  her  at  my  deareft  coft, 
In  qualities  of  the  beft.     This  man  of  thine 
Attempts  her  love  :  I  pr'ythee,  noble  lord, 

8  "T/V  not  enough  &c.]  This  thought  is  better  exprefled  by  Dr. 
Madden  in  his  Elegy  on  archbifliop  Boulter : 

"  He  thought  it  mean 

"  Only  to  help  the  poor  to  beg  again."     JOHNSON. 

9  your  honour!]  The  common  addrefs  to  a  lord  in  our  au- 
thor's time,  was  your  honour,  which  was  indifferently  ufed  with 
your  lordfhip.     See  any  old  letter,  or  dedication  of  that  age. 

STEEYEXS. 

Y  4  Join 


3*8        TIMON    OF     ATHENS. 

Join  with  me  to  forbid  him  her  refort ; 
Myfelf  have  fpoke  in  vain. 

'Tim.  The  man  is  honed. 

OLiAtb.  '  Therefore  he  will  be,  Timon  : 
His  honefty  rewards  him  in  itfelf, 
It  muft  not  bear  my  daughter. 

Tim.  Does  fhe  love  him  ? 

Old  Ath.  She  is  young,  and  apt : 
Our  own  precedent  paffions  do  inftrucl  us 
What  levity  is  in  youth. 

Tim.  [70  Lucil.~^  Love  you  the  maid  ? 

Luc.   Ay,  my  good  lord,  and  flie  accepts  of  it. 

Old  Aih.   If  in  her  marriage  my  confent  be  miffing, 
I  call  the  gods  to  witnefs,  I  will  choofe 
Mine  heir  from  forth  the  beggars  of  the  world, 
And  difpoflefs  her  all. 

%im.  How  fhali  Ihe  be  endow'd 
If  ihe  be  mated  with  an  equal  hufband  ? 

Qld  Atb.  Three  talents,  on  the  prefent ;  in  future, 
all. 

2l#.  This  gentleman  of  mine  hath  ferv'd  me  long; 
To  build  his  fortune,  I  will  drain  a  little, 
For  'tis  a  bond  in  men.     Give  him  thy  daughter  : 

1  Therefore  be  willle,  Timon:——]  The  thought  is  clofely  ex« 
prefled,  and  obfcure  :  but  this  feems  the  meaning :  If  the  man  be 
bontft)  my  lord^  for  that  reafon  be  will  befo  hi  this  ;  and  not  endea- 
votr  at  the  injujlice  of  gaining  my  daughter  without  my  confent. 

WARBURTON. 

1  rather  think  an  emendation  neceflhry,  and  read  : 


Therefore  well  be  him,  Timon  : 
His  honejry  rewards  him  in  itfelf. 
That  is,  If  he  is  bonc(l,  bene  fit  iili,  I wijh  him  the  proper 


tf  an  honrft  man,  but  his  honejly  gives  him  no  claim  to  my  daughter. 

The  firft  transcriber  probably  wrote  wilt  be  him,  which  the  next, 

not  underftanding,  changed  to,  he  will  be.     JOHNSON. 

I  think  Dr.  Warburton's  explanation  is  beft,  becaufe  it  exa&S 

mo  change.    So,  in  K.  Hen.  VIII : 
*'  May  he  continue 

*    Long  in  his  highnefs'  favour  ;  and  do  jiifticc 
*'  For  truth's  fake  and  h'u  conscience"    STEEVENS* 

What 


TIMON     OF     ATHENS.        329- 

What  you  beftow,  in  him  I'll  counterpoife, 
And  make  him  weigh  with  her. 

OldAtb.  Moil  noble  lord, 
Pawn  me  to  this  your  honour,  ihe  is  his. 
'    Tim.  My  hand  to  thee ;  mine  honour  on  my  pro- 
mife. 

Luc.  Humbly  I  thank  your  lordfhip  : z  Never  may 
That  ftate  or  fortune  fall  into  my  keeping, 
Which  is  not  ow'd  to  you  !  [Exit.  LuciL  and  old  Ath. 

Poet.  Vouch fafe  my   labour,  and  long  live  your 
lordihip  ! 

Tim.  I  thank  you  ;   you  mall  hear  from  me  anon  : 
Go  not  away. — What  have  you  there,  my  friend  t 

Pain.  A  piece  of  painting  ;  which  I  do  bcfeech 
Your  lordihip  to  accept, 

Tim.  Painting  is  welcome. 
The  painting  is  almoft  the  natural  man  ; 
For  lince  diihonour  trafficks  with  man's  nature, 
He  is  but  outiide  :  Tbefe  J  pencil'd  figures  are 
Even  fuch  as  they  give  out.     I  like  your  work ; 
And  you  ihall  find,  I  like  it :  wait  attendance 
'Till  you  hear  further  from  me. 

Pain.  The  gods  preferve  you  ! 

fim.  Well  fare  you,  gentleman :   Give  me  your 
hand; 

a  "never  may 

Tbatjiate,  or  fortune,  fall  into  my  keeping^ 
Which  is  not  ow'd  toyou  /] 

i.  e.  may  I  never  have  any  acceffion  of  fortune  which  you  are  not 
the  author  of.     An  odd  itrain  of  complaifance.     We  fliould  read : 

Which  is  not  own'd  to  yon. 

i.  e.  which  I  will  not  acknowledge  you  laid  the  foundation  of  in 
this  generous  a6t.     WAR  BUR  TON. 

The  meaning  is,  let  me  never  henceforth  confider  any  thing 
that  I  poflefs,  but  as  owed  or  due  to  you  -,  held  for  your  fervice, 
and  at  your  difpofal,'    JOHNSON. 
3  —  -     penciled figures  are 

Even  fuch  as  they  give  out. ] 

Pictures  have  no  hypocrily  j  they  are  what  they  profefs  ro  be. 

JOHNSON. 

4  We 


33o        TIMON     OF    ATHENS. 

We  mud  needs  dine  together. — Sir,  your  jewel 
Hath  fuffer'd  under  praife. 

Jew.  What,  my  lord?  difpraife? 

Tim.  A  meer  fatiety  of  commendations. 
If  I  fhould  pay  you  for't  as  'tis  extoll'd, 
It  would  4  unclew  me  quite. 

Jew.  My  lord,  'tis  rated 

As  thofe,  which  fell,  would  give  :  But  you  well  know, 
Things  of  like  value,  differing  in  the  owners, 
5  Are  prized  by  their  matters :  believe  it,  dear  lord, 
You  mend  the  jewel  by  the  wearing  it. 
.  Tim.  Well  mock'd. 

Mr.  No,  my  good  lord ;  he  fpeaks  the  common 

tongue, 
Which  all  men  fpeak  with  him. 

Tim.  Look,  who  comes  here.    Will  you  be  chid  ? 

*  Enter  dpemantus. 

Jt®.  We  will  bear,  with  your  lordfhip. 
Mer.  He'll  fpare  none. 

7  Tim.  Good  morrow  to  thee,  gentle  Apemantus ! 
Apem.  Till  I  be  gentle,  flay  for  thy  good  morrow; 

When 

*  — unclew  me  quite.']  To  unclew,  is  to  unwind*  ball  of  thread. 
To  uncle-™  a  man,  is  to  draw  out  the  whole  mafs  of  his  fortunes. 

JOHNSON. 

5  Are  prized  ly  their  mafte rs : ]  Are  rated  according  to  the 

efteem  in  which  their  pofleflbr  is  held.    JOHNSON. 

6  Enter  Apemantus.~\  See  this  character  of  a  cynic  finely  drawn 
by  Lucian,  in  his  Aufiion  of  the  Pbilofofbers ;  and  how  well  Shake- 
fpeare  has  copied  it.     WAR  BUR  TON. 

7        Tim,  Good  morrow  to  thee,  gentle  Apemantus  ! 

Apem .  'TV//  /  le  gentle,  Jiay  for  tby  good  morrw  • 

JPbcn  tbou  art  Timon's  dog,  and  thefe  knaves  bone/1, ] 

The  firft  line  of  Apemantus's  anfwer  is  to  the  purpole  ;  the  fe- 
cond  abfurd  anu  nonfeallcal ;  which  proceeds  from  the  lois  of  a 
ipecch  drppt  from  between  them,  that  (hould  be  thus  reftored  : 

Tim. 


TIMON    OF     ATHENS.        331 

When  thou  art  Timon's  dog,    8  and  thefe  knaves 

honeft. 
Tim.  Why  doft  thou  call  them   knaves  ?  thou 

know'ft  them  not. 
Apem.  Are  they  not  Athenians  ? 
Tim.  Yes. 

Apem.  Then  I  repent  not. 
Jew.  You  know  me,  Apemantus. 
Apem.  Thou  know'ft,  I  do ;  I  call'd  thee  by  thy 

name. 

Tim.  Thou  art  proud,  Apemantus. 
Apem.  Of  nothing  fo  much,  as  that  I  am  not  like 

Timon. 

Tim.  Whither  art  going? 

Apem.  To  knock  out  an  honeft  Athenian's  brains. 
Tim.  That's  a  deed  thou'lt  die  for. 
Apem.  Right,  if  doing  nothing  be  death  by  the  law. 
Tim.  How  lik'ft  thou  this  picture,  Apemantus  ? 
Apem.  The  beft,  for  the  innocence. 
Tim.  Wrought  he  not  well,  that  painted  it  ? 
Apem.  He  wrought  better,  that  made  the  painter ; 
and  yet  he's  but  a  filthy  piece  of  work. 
Poet.  You  are  a  dog. 

Apem.  Thy  mother's  of  my  generation ;  What's  flic,' 
if  I  be  a  dog  ? 

Tim.  Good  morrow  to  tbee,  gentle  Apemantus ; 

Apem.  'Till  I  be  gentle,  Jlay  for  thy  good  morrow. 

[Poet.   Whni  •mill  that  be?] 

Apem.  When  tbou  art  Timon  3  dog,  and  tbefe  knaves  bonejl, 

WAR  BURTON. 

I  think  my  pun&uation  may  clear  the  paflage  without  any 
greater  effort.     JOHNSON. 

8  When  thou  art  Timon  s  dog, ]   When  thou  haft  gotten  a 

better  character,  and  inftead  of  being  Timon,  as  thou  art,  flialt  be 
changed  to  Timon's  dog,  and  become  more  worthy  of  kindnefs  and 
falutation.  JOHNSON. 

Wlw n  thou  art  Timon  s  dog,  •          ]   This  is  fpoken  <Ji»jcnxo^,  as 
Mr.  Upton  fays  fomewhere  : — finking  his  hand  on  his  brealt. 

«'  Wot  you  who  named  me  firft  the  kinge's  dogge  ?"  fays  Ari- 
flippus  in  Damon  and  Pythiai.     FAR  MER. 

Tim. 


33*.        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

Tim.  Wilt  dine  with  me,  Apemantus? 

Apem.  No  ;  I  cat  not  lords. 

Tim.  An  thou  fhould'ft,  thou'dft  ange-r  ladies. 

Apem.  O,  they  eat  lords ;    fo  they  come  by  great 
bellies. 

'Tim.  That's  a  lafcivious  apprehenfion. 

Apem.  So  thou  apprehend'ft  it :    Take  it  for  thy 
labour. 

Tim.  How  doft  thou  like  this  jewel,  Apemantus  ? 

Apem.  Not  fo  well  as  plain-dealing  9,  which  will  not 
coft  a  man  a  doit. 

Tim.  What  dofl  thou  think  'tis  worth  ? 

Apem.   Not  worth   my  thinking. Ho'.v  now, 

poet  ? 

Poet.  How  now,  philofopher  ? 

Apem.  Thou  Heft. 

Poet.  Art  not  one  ? 

Apem.  Yes. 

Poet.  1  hen  I  lie  not. 

Apem.  Art  not  a  poet  * 

Poet.  Yes. 

Apem.  Then  thou  Heft:  look  in  thy  laft  work, 
where  thou  haft  feign'd  him  a  worthy  fellow. 

Poet.  That's  not  feign'd,  he  is  fo. 

Apem.  Yes,  he  is  worthy  of  thee,  and  to  pay  thee 
for  thy  labour :  He,  that  loves  to  be  flatter'd,  is  wor- 
thy o*  the  flatterer.     Heavens,  that  I  were  a  lord  ! 
Tim.  What  would'ft  do  then,  Apemantus  ? 
Apem.  Even  as  Apemantus  does  now,  hate  a  lord 
with  my  heart. 

Tim.  What,  thyfelf  > 

Apem.  Ay. 

Tim.  Wherefore? 

*  Not  fo  well  as  plain-dealing,— •  ]    Alluding  to  the  proverb : 
44  Plain  dealing  is  a  jewel)  but  they  that  ufe  it  die  beggars." 

STEEVENS. 

Apem, 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS.        333 

dp:m.  '  That  I  had  no  angry  wit  to  be  a  lord.— 
Art  thou  not  a  merchant  ? 
Mer.  Ay,  Apemantus. 

Apem.  Traffick  confound  thee,  if  the  gods  will  not! 
Mer.  If  traffick  do  it,  the  gods  do  it. 
dpem.  Traffick's  thy  god,  and  thy  god  confound 
thee ! 

trumpets  found.     Enter  a  Mejenger. 

1"im.  What  trumpet's  that  ? 

Mef.  Tis  Alcibiacies,  and  fome  twenty  horfe, 
All  of  companionfhip  *. 

'Tim.  Fray,  entertain  them ;  give  them  guide  to  us. 
You  muft  needs  dine  with  me  : — Go  not  you  hence, 
'Till  I  havethank'd  you;  and,  when  dinner's  done, 
Shew  me  this  piece. — I  am  joyful  of  your  fights.— 

1  That  I  had  no  angry  w!tt  to  le  a  lord.  <  •  ]  This  reading  it 
abfurd,  and  unintelligible.  But,  as  I  have  reftored  the  text,  that 
I  bad  fo  hungry  a  wit,  to  be  a  lord,  it  is  fatirical  enough  of  con- 
fcience,  viz.  I  would  hate  myfelf,  for  having  no  more  wit  than  to 
covet  fo  infignificant  a  title.  In  the  fame  fenfe,  Shakefpeare  ufei 
lean-witted  in  his  Richard  II. 

"  And  thou  a  lunatick,  lean-fitted^  fool." 

WARBURTOH. 

The  meaning  may  be,  I  fhould  hate  myfelf  impatiently  enduring 
to  le  a  lord.  This  is  ill  enough  exprefled.  Perhaps  fome  happy- 
change  may  fet  it  right.  I  have  tried,  and  can  do  nothing,  yet  I 
cannot  heartily  concur  with  Dr.  Warburton.  JOHNSON. 

]  f  1  hazard  one  conjecture,  it  is  with  the  fmalleft  degree  of  con- 
fidence. By  an  angry  wit  Apemantus  may  mean  the  poet,  who  hag 
been  provoking  him.  The  fenfe  will  then  be  this  :  1 Jhould  hate 
myfelf,  becaufe  I  could  prevail  on  no^captious  wit  (like  him)  to  take 
the  title  in  my  Jiead.  The  Revifal  reads  : 

That  Ihadfo  wrong'd  my  wit  to  le  a  lord.    S  TEE  YENS. 

4  All  of  companion/hip.^  This  expreffion  does  not  mean  barely 
that  they  all  belong  to  one  company,  but  that  they  are  all  fuch  as 
Alcibiailes  honours  with  his  acquaintance ^  and  fets  on  a  level  with 
STEEVENS. 


Enter 


534        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

Enter  Alcibiades,  with  the  reft. 

Moft  welcome,  fir ! 

Apem.  So,  fo;  there!  — 

Aches  contract  and  flarve  your  fupple  joints  !— 
That  there  Ihould  be  fmall  love  'mongft  thefe  fweet 

knaves, 

And  all  this  courtefy  !  3  The  ftrain  of  man's  bred  out 
Into  baboon  and  monkey. 

Ale.  Sir,  you  have  fav'd  my  longing,  and  I  feed 
Moft  hungrily  on  your  fight. 

fim.  Right  welcome,  fir  : 
*  Ere  we  depart,  we'll  fliare  a  bounteous  time 
In  different  pleafures.     Pray  you,  let  us  in. 
[Exeunt 

Enter  two  Lords. 

i  Lord.  What  time  a  day  is't,  Apemantus  ? 
Apem.  Time  to  be  honeft. 

1  Lord.  That  time  ferves  flill. 

Apem.  The  moft  accurfed  thou,  that  ftillomit'ft  it. 

2  Lord.  Thou  art  going  to  lord  Timon's  feaft  ? 
Apem.  Ay ;  to  fee  meat  fill  knaves,  and  wine  heat 

fools. 

3   —          Tbeftrain  of  man  3  IreJ  out 

Into  baboon  and  monkf\.  ] 

Man  is  exhaufted  and  degenerated  ;  his  Jlrain  or  lineage  is  worn 
down  into  monkey.     JOKNSOK. 

4  Ere  ive  depart, ]  Who  depart?  Though  Alcibiades  was 

to  leave  Timoii,  Timon  was  not  to  depart.  Common  fenfe  favours 
my  emendation.    THEOBALD, 

Theobald  propoies  do  part.  Common  fcnfe  may  favour  it,  but 
an  acquaintance  with  the  language  of  Shakefpeare  would  not  have 
been  quite  fo  propitious  to  his  emendation.  Depart  and/ar/  have 
the  fame  meaning.  ' 

"  Hath  willingly  Jepartc£vnth»  part."     K.  John. 
\.  e.  Hath  willingly  pen-ted  with  a  part  of  the  thing  in  queftion. 
Again,  Spcnfer; 

"  And  to  depart  them,  if  that  fo  he  may."    STEEVHNS. 

2  Lord. 


TIMON     OF    ATHENS.        ^ 

2  Lord.  Fare  thee  well,  fare  thee  well. 
Apem.  Thou  art  a  fool,  to  bid  me  farewel  twice. 
2  Lord.  Why,  Apemantus  ? 
Apem.  Should'ft  have  kept  one  to  thyfelf,  for.  I 
mean  to  give  thee  none. 

1  Lord.  Hang  thyfelf. 

Apem.  No,  I  will  do  nothing  at  thy  bidding :  make 
thy  requefts  to  thy  friend. 

2  Lord.    Away,  unpeaceable  dog,    or   I'll  fpurn 
thee  hence. 

Apem.  I  will  fly,  like  a  dog,  the  heels  of  the  afs. 

1  Lord.  He's  oppoiite  to  humanity.     Come,  lhall 

we  in, 

And  tafle  lord  Timon's  bounty  ?  he  out-goes 
The  very  heart  of  kindnefs. 

2  Lord.  He  pours  it  out ;  Plutus,  the  god  of  gold, 
Is  but  his  fteward  :  no  meed  *,  but  he  repays 
Sevenfold  above  itfelf ;  no  gift  to  him, 

But  breeds  the  giver  a  return  exceeding 
6  All  ufe  of  quittance. 

1  Lord';  The  nobleft  mind  he  carries, 
That  ever  govern'd  man. 

2  Lord.  Long  may  he  live  in  fortunes !  Shall  we  in  ? 
i  Lord.  I'll  keep  you  company.  [Exeunt. 

* no  meed,—]  Meed,  which  in  general  fignifies  reward  or 

recompence,  in  this  place  feems  to  mean  defert.     So,  in  Hey- 
wood's  Silver  Age,   1613: 

"  And  yet  thy  body  meeds  a  better  grave." 
i.e.  deferves.     Again,  in  a  comedy  called  Look  about  you ,  1600: 
"  Thou  rtialtbe  rich  in  honour,  full  of  fpeed  ; 
"  Thou  fhalt  win  foes  by  fear,  and  friends  by  meed." 

STEEVENS. 

6  All  ufe  of  quittance.]  i.  e.  All  the  cuftomary  returns  made  in 
iifcharge  of  obligations.    WARBURTON. 


SCENE 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

SCENE      II. 

Another  apartment  in  Timon's  houfe. 

Hautboys  playing  loud  mufiik.  A  great  banquet  ferv'd  in  ; 
and  then  enter  Timon,  Alcibiades,  Lucius,  Luculliis, 
Sempronius,  and  other  Athenian  Senators,  with  Ventl- 
di:is.  "Then  comes,  dropping  after  all,  Apemantus  dif- 
contentedly,  like  himfelf. 

Fen.    Mofl  honour'd  Timon,  it  hath  pleas'd  the 

gods  to  remember 

My  father's  age,  and  call  him  to  long  peace. 
He  is  gone  happy,  and  has  left  me  rich  : 
Then,  as  in  grateful  virtue  I  am  bound 
To  your  free  heart,  I  do  return  thofe  talents, 
Doubled,  with  thanks,  and  fervice,  from  whofe  help 
I  deriv'd  liberty. 

'Tim.  O,  by  no  means, 
Honeft  Ventidius :  you  miftake  my  love ; 
I  gave  it  freely  ever ;  and  there's  none 
Can  truly  fay,  he  gives,  if  he  receives  : 
7  If  our  betters  play  at  that  game,  we  muft  not  dare 
To  imitate  them ;  Faults  that  are  rich,  are  fair. 

Ven. 

7  If  our  letters  play  at  that  game,  ive  muji  not  dare^ 

¥o  imitate  them  ;  Faulti  that  are  rich  arc  fair.] 
Thefe  two  lines  are  abfurdly  given  to  Timon.     They  fliould  be 
read  thus : 

Tim.  If  our  letters  play  at  that  game,  we  mufl  not.  ' 
Apem.  Dare  to  imitate  them.  Faults  that  are  rich  are  fair. 
This  is  faid  fatirically  and  iu  charafter.  It  was  a  fober  refledion 
in  Timon ;  who  by  our  betters  meant  the  gods,  which  require  to 
be  repaid  for  benefits  received ;  but  it  would  be  impiety  in  men 
to  expedl  the  fame  obfervance  for  the  trifling  good  they  do.  Ape- 
mantus, agreeably  to  his  character,  perverts  this  fentiment  j  as  if 
Timon  had  fpoke  of  earthly  grandeur  and  potentates,  who  expeft 
largeft  returns  for  their  favours ;  and  therefore,  ironically  replies 
as  above.  WARJSURTON. 

lean- 


TIMON     OF     ATHENS.        337 

Ven.  A  noble  fpirit. 

[They  alljland  ceremoriioi'jly  looking  on  Timon, 

"Tim.  Nay,  my  lords,  ceremony 
Was  but  devis'd  at  firft 

To  let  a  g^ofs  on  faint  deeds,  hollow  wekomes, 
Recanting  goodncfs,  fdrry  ere  'tis  ihown  ; 
But  where  there  is  true  friendfhip,  there  needs  none. 
Pray,  fit ;  more  welcome  are  ye  to  my  fortunes, 
Than  they  to  me.  [They Jit* 

i  Lord.  My. lord,  we  always  have  confeft  it. 

Apem.  Ho,  ho,  confeft  it?  hang'd  it,  have  you  not  ? 

Tim.  O,  Apemantus ! — you  are  welcome. 

Apem.  No  ;  you  ihall  not  make  me  welcome  : 
I  come  to  have  thee  thruft  me  out  of  doors. 

Tim.  Fye,  thou  art  a  churl ;  you  have  got  a  humour 

there 

Does  not  become  a  man,  'tis  much  to  blame :— • 
They  fay,  my  lords,  tra  furor  brevis  e/}> 
But  yonder  man  is  ever  angry. — 
Go,  let  him  have  a  table  by  himfelf ; 
For  he  does  neither  affec?c  companyj 
Nor  is  he  fit  for  it,  indeed. 

Apem.  Let  me  ftay  at  thine  own  peril,  Timon  ; 
I  come  to  obferve  ;  I  give  thee  warning  oir  r. 

Tim.  I  take  no  heed  of  thee  ;  thou  art  an  Athenian, 
Therefore  welcome:  8 1  myfclf  would  have  no  power  : 

I  pr'y- 

I  cannot  fee  that  thefe  lines  are  more  proper  in  any  other  mouth 
than  Timon's,  to  \vhofe  character  of  generality  and  condeicenfion 
they  are  very  fuituble.  To  fuppofe  that  by  ow  betters  are  meant 
ilie  gods,  is  very  harili,  hocaule  to  imitate  the  gods  has  been 
hitherto  reckoned  the  higheit  pitch  of  human  virtue.  The  whole 
is  a  trite  and  obvious  thought,  uttered  by  Timon  with  3  kind  or 
affedled  modefty.  If  I  would  make  any  alteration,  it  fhouid  he 
only  to  reform  the  numbers  thus : 

Our  betters  play  that  gaatf  ;  ice  fnujl  not  dare 
T'  iriiitatc  them  :'  faults  that  are  rich  are  fair. 

JOHNSON". 

*   /  nyfilf  would  have  no  flower.]  If  this  be  the  true  reading, 

the  fenfe  is,  all ditcnlans  are  -welcome  tofiare  nyfjrtu.:e  :   I  would 

Voz..  VIII.  Z  nwfclf 


33&        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

I  pr'ythee,  let  my  meat  make  thee  Client. 

Apem.  9 1  fcorn  thy  meat;  'twould  choak me,  fo^ 

I  fhould 

Ne'er  flatter  thee. — O  you  gods  !  what  a  number 
Of  men  eat  Timon,  and  he  fees  them  not ! 
It  grieves  me,  to  fee  '  fo  many  dip  their  meat 
In  one  man's  blood  ;  and  all  the  madnefs  is, 
He  cheers  them  np  too. 

I  wonder,  men  dare  truft  themfelves  with  men  : 
Methinks,  they  Ihould  invite  them  without  knives; 
Good  for-their  meat,  and  fafer  for  their  lives. 
There's  much  example  for't ;  the  fellow,  that 

my felf  have  no  exclufive  right  or  power  in  this  boufe.  Perhaps  we 
might  read,  /  myfclf  would  have  no  poor.  I  would  have  every 
Athenian  confider  himfelf  as  joint  poireflbr  of  my  fortune. 

JOHNSON. 

I  (hould  think,  I  my  felf  would  have  no  power  ^  referred  to  the 
fubfequent  rather  than  to  the  preceding  words — /  claim  no  extra- 
ordinary  power  in  right  of  my  leing  majier  of  the  boufe  :  I  wijh  not 
by  niy  commands  to  impofe  filence  on  any  one  :  but  though  I  my  felf  do 
not  enjoinyou  tojilcncc^  let  my  meat  flop  your  mouth.  MALONE. 

I  understand  Timon's  meaning  to  be  :  /  myfelf  would  have  no 

power  to  make  thee  lilent,  but  I  wifh  thou  would'Jt  let  my  meat 

make  theejilent.   Timon,  like  a  polite  landlord,  difclaimsrf//^Mtvr 

over  the  meanelt  or  moil  troublelbme  of  his  guefts.     TYRWHITT. 

9  I  fcorn  thy  meat ;    'twould  choak  met  for  Ijhould 

Ne'er  flatter  thee ] 

A  very  pretty  reafon  why  his  meat  would  choak  him,  becaufe  he 
fhould  never  flatter  him.  We  fhould  read  and  point  this  nonfcnfe 
thus; 

I  fcorn  thy  meat ;  *twould  choak  me  'fore 
Ifoould  e'er  flatter  thee. 
\.  e.  before  I  fhould  ever  flatter  thee.     WAR  BURTON. 

Of  this  emendation  there  is  little  need.  The  meaning  is,  I 
could  not  fwallow  thy  meat,  for  I  could  not  pay  for  it  with  flat- 
tery ;  and  what  was  given  me  with  an  ill  will  would  fKck  in  my 
throat.  JOHNSON. 

*   fo  many  dip  their  meat 

In  one  man's  llood'y  •  ] 

The  allufion  is  to  a  pack  of  hounds  trained  to  purfuit  by  being 
gratified  with  the  blood  of  an  animal  which  they  kill,  and  the 
wonder  is  that  the  animal  on  which  they  are  feeding  cheers  thtn* 
to  the  chafe,  JOHNSON. 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS.        339 

Sits  nest  him  now,  parts  bread  with  him,  pledges 
The  breath  of  him  in  a  divided  draught, 
Is  the  readied  man  to  kill  him  :  it  has  been  prov'd. 
If  I  were  a  huge   man,   I  fhould  fear  to  drink  at 

meals; 

Left  they  Ihould  fpy  my  *  wind-pipe'sdangerons  notes : 
Great  men  flionld  drink  with  harnefs  on  their  throats. 

Tim.  J  My  lord,  in  heart ;  and  let  the  health  go 
round. 

2  Lord.  Let  it  flow  this  way,  my  good  lord. 

Apem.  Flow  this  way ! 

A  brave  fellow  ! — he  keeps  his  tides  well.     Timon, 
Thofe  healths  will  make  thee,  and  thy  ftate,  look  ill. 
Here's  that,  which  is  too  weak  to  be  a  finner, 
Honeft  water,  which  ne'er  left  man  V  the  mire  : 
This,  and  my  food,  arc  equals ;  there's  no  odds. 
Feafts  are  too  proud  to  give  thanks  to  the  gods. 


* wind-pipe's  dangerous  notes  :]  The  notes  of  the  wind-pipe 

feem  to  be  only  the  indications  which  fliew  where  the  wind-pipe  is. 

JOHNSON. 

Shakefpeare  is  very  fond  of  making  ufe  of  mufical  terms,  when 
he  is  fpeaking  of  the  human  body,  and  wind-pipe,  and  notes  iavour 
ftrongly  of  a  quibble.  STEEVENS. 

3  My  lord,  in  heart ;  ]  That  is,  my  lord's  health  witbjiuccritjt 
An  emendation  has  been  propofcd  thus : 

My  love  in  heart ;  —  -  

but  it  is  not  neceflary.     JOHNSON-. 

So,  in  the  Queen  of ' Corinth,  by  B.  and  Fletcher : 

"  I  will  be  never  more  in  heart  to  you." 
Again,  in  Lov c's  Labour's  Loft  : 

**  By  heart,  and  in  heart,  boy." 
Again,  in  K.  Henry  IV.  p.  I.  art  IV.  fc."  i : 

*'   in  heart  defiring  Itill 

"  You  may  behold,  &c." 
Again,  in  "Love's  Labour's  Loft,  acVV.  fc.  ii  : 
"— —  Dclt  thou  not  wifli  in  heart, 
"  The  chain  were  longer,  and  the  lerter  fhort  ?*' 

Sx£EVEHS. 

Z  2  APE- 


540        TIM  ON     OF     ATHENA 

APEMANTUS'S  GRACE; 

Immortal  gods,  I  crave  no  pelf ; 
I  pray  for  no  man  but  myfelf: 
Grant  I  may  never  prove  fo  fond, 
To  truft  man  on  his  oath,  or  bond  ; 
Or  a  harlot,  for  her  weeping  ; 
Or  a  dog,  that  feems  ajleeping  ; 
Or  a  keeper  with  my  freedom  ; 
Or  my  friends,  if  IJhould  need  'em. 
Amen.     So  fall  to't  : 
Rich  men  Jin,  and  I  eat  root* 

[Eats  and  drinks  t 

Much  good  dich  thy  good  heart;  Apemantus  ! 

Tim.  Captain  Alcibiades,  your  heart's  in  the  field 
now. 

Ale.  My  heart  is  ever  at  your  fervice,  my  lord. 

Tim.  You  had  rather  be  at-  a  breakfaft  of  ene- 
mies, than  a  dinner  of  friends. 

Ale.  So  they  were  bleeding  new,  my  lord,  there's 
no  meat  like  'em ;  I  could  wifh  my  beft  friend  at 
fuch  a  feaft. 

Apem.  'Would  all  thofe  flatterers  were  thine  ene- 
mies then  ;  that  thou  might'il  kill  'em,  and  bid  me 
to  'em. 

i  Lord.  Might  we  but  have  that  happinefs,  my  lord, 
that  you  would  once  ufe  our  hearts,  whereby  we  might 
exprefs  fome  part  of  our  zeals,  we  iliould  think  our- 
felves  4  for  ever  perfect. 

Tim.  O,  no  doubt,  my  good  friends,  but  the  gods 
themfelves  have  provided  that  I  lhall  have  much 
help  from  you  :  s  How  had  you  been  my  friends  elfe  ? 

why 

*  for  ever  perftft~\  That  is,  arrived  at  the  perfe&ion  of  happi- 
aefs.  JOHNSON. 

5  How  had  you  been  my  friends  elfe  ?  w!y  have  you  that  charitable 
ti th  from  thoufamk,']  The  Oxford  editor  alters  char  italic  title  to 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS.        341 

why  have  you  that  charitable  title  from  thoufands, 
*  did  not  you  chiefly  belong  to  my  heart  ?  I  have 
told  more  of  you  to  myfelf,  than  you  can  with  mo- 
defty  fpeak  in  your  behalf ;  and  thus  far  7 1  confirm 
you.  O,  you  gods,  think  I,  what  need  we  have 
any  friends,  if  we  fhould  never  have  need  of  them  ? 
they  were  the  moft  needlefs  creatures  living,  ihould 
we  ne'er  have  ufe  for  them  :  and  *  would  moft  re- 
femble  fvveet  inflruments  hung  up  in  cafes,  that  keep 
their  founds  to  themfelves.  Why,  I  have  often 

charafter  and  title.  He  did  not  know  that  charitable  fignifies, 
dear,  endearing  ;  nor  confequently  underilood  what  Milton 
meant  by, 

**  Relations  dear,  and  all  the  charities 

"  Of  father,  Con,  and  brother " 

Alms,  in  Englifh,  are  called  charities,  and  from  thence  we  may 
collect  that  our  nnceilors  knew  well  in  what  the  virtue  of  alms- 
giving conflicted  j  not  in  the  atf,  but  the  difpofition. 

WAR  BUR  TON. 

6  — did  not  you  chiefly  belong  to  my  heart .?]  I  think  it  ihould  be  in- 
verted thus  :  did  I  not  chiefly  belong  to  your  hearts.     Lucius  vviflies 
that  Timon  would  give  him  and  the  reft  an  opportunity  of  exprejj"- 
ing  fame  part  of  their   zeals.     Timon   anfwers  that,  doubtlefs  the 
gods  have  provided  that  I  Jhould  have  help  from  you  ;  hovj  elfe  arc 
you  my  friends  f  why  are  you  ftiled  my  friends,  if— what  ?  tf  I  do 
not  love  you.     Such  is  the  prefent  reading  ;  but  the  confequence 
is  not  very  clear  :  the  proper  clofe  mult  be,  if  you  do  not  love  me, 
and  to  this  my  alteration  reftores  it.     But,  perhaps,  the  old  read- 
ing may  ftand.     JOHNSON'. 

ff7jy  have  you  that  charitable  title  from  thoufar.ds,  did  not  yau 
chiefly  belong  to  my  heart  f]  I  believe  Shakefpeare  wrote,  "  \\  hy 
have  you  not  that  charitable  title  from  thoufands,  did  you  not 
chiefly  belong  to  my  heart  ?"  i.  e.  Why  do  not  thoufands  more  give 
\ou  that  charitable  title  of  friends,  if  it  ivcre  not  that  my  heart  hiith  a, 
peculiar  and  principal  claim  to  your  friendjhip?  REVISAL. 

Wljy  have  you,  &c.]  The  meaning  is  probably  this.  Why  are 
you  diftinguilhed  from  thousands  by  that  title  ot  endearment,  wns 
there  not  a  particular  conaedtion  and  intercourfe  of  tendernefs  be- 
tween you  and  me.  JOHNSON. 

7  I  confirm you.~\  I  rix  your  characters  firmly  in  my  o;vn  mind. 

JOHNSON. 

8  — they  futrc  the  moft  needlcfe  creature!  living,  Jliculdvoe  ne'er  have 
nfc  for  them;  and         ]  This  pafiage  I  have  veilored  from  the  old 
copy,     STEEVENS. 

Z  3  wilh'd 


542        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

wifli'd  myfelf  poorer,  that  I  might  come  nearer  to 
you.  We  are  born  to  do  benefits  :  and  what  better 
or  properer  can  we  call  our  own,  than  the  riches  of. 
our  friends  ?  O,  what  a  precious  comfort  'tis,  to 
have  fo  many,  like  brothers,  commanding  one  an- 
other's fortunes  !  9Ojoy,  e'en  made  away  ere  it 
can  be  born  !  '  Mine  eyes  cannot  hold  water,  me- 
thinks  :  to  forget  their  faults,  I  drink  to  you. 
jipem.  Thou  weep'lt  *  to  make  them  drink,  Timon. 

2  Lord.  Joy  had  the  like  conception  in  our  eyes, 
And,  at  that  inftant,  J  like  a  babe  fprung  up. 

. 

9  O  joy,  cen  made  aivay  ere  it  can  be  born  /  j  For  this  Hanmer 
writes,  O  joy,  e'en  made  a  joy  erc't  can  be  born  ;  and  is  followed  by 
Dr.  Warburton.  I  am  always  inclinable  to  think  well  of  that 
which  is  approved  hv  ib  much  learning  and  ftgacity,  yet  cannot 
receive  this  alteration.  Tears  being  the  effect  both  of  joy  and 
grief,  fupplied  our  author  with  an  opportunity  of  conceit,  which 
he  feldom  fails  to  indulge.  Timou,  weeping  with  a  kind  of  ten- 
der pleafurc,  cries  out,  O  joy,  e'en  made  away,  deftroyed,  turned 
to  tears,  before  it  can  be  lorn,  before  it  can  be  fully  poflefled. 

JOHNSON. 

*  $line  eyes,  &c..]  In  the  original  edition  the  words  ftand  thus : 
Mine  eyes  cannot  laid  out  -uvz/rr,  met  kink?.     7 o  forget  their  faults,  I 
drink  to  you.     Perhaps  the  true  reading   is  this,  Mine  eya  cannot 
holdout;   they  ^vater.    Metbinks,  to  forget  their  faults,  f<will4rink 
toyou.     Or  it  may  be  explained  without  any  change.     Mine  eyes 
cannot  hold  out  water,  that  is,  cannot  keep  water  from  breaking 
in  upon  them.     JOHNSON. 

*  •  '          to  make  them  drink, •]  Ilanmer  reads, 

•          to  make  them  drink  thee  : 

and  is  again  followed  by  Dr.  Warbuiton,  I  ihink  without  fufficient 
reafon.  The  covert  fenfe  of  Apemantus  is,  ivbat  tbou  lofcft,  they 
get.  JOHNSON. 

3  • like  a  bale ]  That  !s  a  weeding  babe.     JOHNSON-. 

I  queflion  if  Shakefpeare  meant  the  propriety  of  allution  to  be 
carried  quite  fo  far.     To  look  for  babies  in  the  eyes  of  another,  is 
110  uncommon  expreffion. 
So,  in  Love's  Miftrcfs,  by  Hey  wood,   1636  : 

"  Joy'd  in  his  looks,  look'd  babies  in  his  eyes." 
Again,  in  T^c  Chriftian  turn V  Turk,   1612: 

"  She  makes   him  fing  fongs  to  her,  looks  fortunes  in  his 
fills,  and^A-j  in  his  eyes." 

Again, 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS.        343 

'jtpcm.  Ho,  ho !  I  laugh  to  think  that  babe  a  baftard. 
3  Lord.  I  promife  you,  my  lord,  you  mov'd  me 

much. 
Apem.  Much. 

Sound  Bucket. 

Tim.  What  means  that  trump  ?— How  now  ? 
Enter  a  Servant. 

Serv.  Pleafe  you,  my  lord,  there  are  certain  ladies 
moft  defirous  of  admittance. 

'Tim.  Ladies  ?  What  are  their  wills  ? 

Serv.  There  comes  with  them  a  fore-runner,  my 
Jord,  which  bears  that  office,  to  fignify  their  pleafures. 

Twi.  I  pray,  let  them  be  admitted. 

Enter  Cupid. 

Cup.  Hail  to  thee,  worthy  Timon  •, — and  to  all 
That  of  his  bounties  taite  !— The  five  bed  fenfes 
Acknowledge  thee  their  patron  ;  and  come  freely 
To  gratulatc  thy  plenteous  bofom  : 
?  The  ear,   tafte,    touch,    fmell,    pleas'd  from  thy 
table  rife ; 

They 

Again,  in  Dray  ton's  Pofyolbhn,  Song  the  nth  : 

"  Whiiit  in  their  chryltal  eyes  he  doth  for  Ctipub  look." 
Again,  in  the  Loyal  Subject,  by  B.  and  Fletcher  : 

"  Can  you  look  babies,  filter, 

"  In  the  young  gallant's  eyes  f"  STEEVENS. 

Does  not  Lucullus  dwell  onTimon's  metaphor  by  referring  to 
circumllances  preceding  the  birth,  and  means  joy  uas  conceived 
in  their  eyes,  and  fprung  up  there,  like  the  motion  oi  a  babe  in 
the  womb  ?     TOLLET. 
3  In  former  copies  : 

There  tajie,  touch,  all  pica ^J  from  tJ.y  table  rife, 

They  o>,ly  JUKV ] 

The  jive  fenfes  are  talked  of  by  Cupid,  but  three  of  them  only 
are  made  out ;  and  thofe  only  in  a  very  heavy  unintelligible  man- 
ner. It  is  plain  therefore  we  fliould  read, 

Th'ear,  tajie,  touch,  fmell,  fleai'ii  from  tly  talk  rife, 

Thefe  onlj  /.<?w,  &c. 

Z  4  i.  e. 


344        TIM  ON    OF     ATHENS. 

They  only  now  come  but  to  feaft  thine  eyes. 

cTim.  They  are  welcome  all ;  let  'em  have  kind  ad- 
mittance : — 
Mufick,  make  their  welcome.  {Exit  Cupid. 

i  Lord.  Ycufee,my  lord,howampleyouarebelov'd. 

Re-enter  Cupid,    with  a  mafque  of  Ladies  as 
Amazons,    with  lutes  in  their  hands,    dancing,   and 

playing. 

Apem.  Heyday  !  what  a  fweep  of  vanity  comes  this 

way  \ 
*  They  danc6  !  6  they  are  mad  women. 

Like 

7.  e.  the  five  fenfes,  Timon,  acknowledge  thee  their  patron ; 
four  of  them,  viz.  the  hearing,  tajlc,  touch,  andy///<>//,  are  all 
feafled  at  thy  board  ;  and  thefe  ladies  come  with  me  to  entertain 
your  Jigbt  in  a  mafque.  '  Mallinger,  in  his  Duke  of  Millahic,  co- 
pied the  pafTage  from  Shakefpeare  ;  and  apparently  before  it  was 
thus  corrupted  ;  where,  fpeaking  of  a  banquet,  he  fays  ; 

-' — • — All  that  may  le  bad 
To  pleafc  the  eye,  /A? ear,  tafte,  touch,  or  fmell, 

Are  carefully  provided. WAR  EUR  TON. 

5   They  dance  .'   Tbcy  are  mad  women. 
Like  madnefs,  is  the  glo/'v  of  this  life  ; 
As  this  pomp  J}jc~vs  to  a  little  oil  and  rootJ\ 

This  is  Apemantus's  reflection  on  the  mafque  of  ladies  :  and  for 
its  obfcurity,  would  become  any  Pagan  philofopher.  The  firft 
line  is  a  complete  fentence :  \\\zfecnnd  is  the  beginning  of  a  new 
reflection ;  and  the  third,  the  cor.diifion  of  it  by  a  fimilitude. 
Hence  it  aupnrs,  that  fome  lines  are  dropt  out  and  loft  from  be- 
tween theieconu  and  third  verfes.  I  conjeclure  the  fenfeofthe 
\^-hole  might  be  this,  The  glory  of  human  life  is  like  the  madnefs  of 
this  mafk  ;  it  is  a  lalie  aim  at  happinels,  which  is  to  be  obtained 
only  by  ibbrtety  and  temperance  ip  a  private  and  retired  life. 
But  fuperficial  judges  will  always  prefer  pomp  and  glory  ;  becaufe 
in  outward  appearance  it  has  fo  much  the  advantage  :  as  great  as 
this/>0OT/i>#r  i  upper. appears  to  have  above  my  oil  end  root.  This, 
in  my  opinion,  was  the  fcntimcnt  that  connected  the  fecond  and 
lines:  together  :  which  for  the  future  mould  be  read  with 
tfterilks  between  them.  WARBI;RTON. 

When  I  read  this  paflage,  I  was  atfirir.  of  the  fame  opinion  with 
iliis  learned  man  ;  but,  upon  longer  confideration,  I  grew  lefs 
corvfident,  becaufe  I  think   the  prefent  reading  fafceptible  of  ex- 
planation 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS.        3^ 

Like  madnefs  is  the  glory  of  this  life, 

As  this  pomp  fhews  to  a  little  oil,  and  root. 

We  make  ourfelves  fools,  to  difport  ourfelves  ; 

And  fpend  our  flatteries,  to  drink  thofe  men, 

•Upon  whole  age  we  void  it  up  again, 

With  poifonous  fpite,  and  envy.    Who  lives,  that's 

not 

Depraved,  or  depraves  ?  who  dies,  that  bears 
Not  one  fpurn  to  their  graves  of  their  friends' gift 7  ? 
I  fhould  fear,  thofe,  that  dance  before  me  now, 
Would  one  day  (lamp  upon  me  :  It  has  been  done  ; 
Men  fliut  their  doors  againft  a  fetting  fun. 

1'he  Lords  rife  from  table,  vvith  much  adoring  of  Timon ; 
ana\  tofoew  their  loves,  each  Jingles  out  an  Amazon, 
and  all  dance,  men  with  women ;  a  lofty  Jlrain  or  two 
to  the  hautboys,  and  ceafe. 

Tim.  You  have  done  our  pleafures  much  grace, 

fair  ladies, 

Set  a  fair  faihion  on  cur  entertainment, 
Which  was  not  half  fo  beautiful  and  kind ; 
You  have  added  worth  unto't,  and  lively  luflre, 
And  entertain'd  me  with  8  mine  own  device ; 
J  am  to  thank  you  for  it. 

planation,  with  no  more  violence  to  language  than  is  frequently 
found  in  our  author.  The  glory  of  this  Irfe  is  very  near  to  madnefs^ 
as  may  be  made  appear  from  tbiipomp,  exhibited  in  a  place  where 
a  philofopher  is  feeding  on  oil  and  roots.  When  we  fee  by  example 
how  few  are  the  neceflaries  of  life,  we  learn  what  madnefs  there 
is  in  fo  much  fuperfluity.  JOHNSON. 

6  They  dance  ! ]  I  believe  They  dance  to  be  a  marginal  note 

only  ;  and  perhaps  we  (hould  read, 

Thefe  are  mad vjomen.  TYRWHITT. 

7  Of  their  friend?  gift?]  That  is,  given  them  by  their  friends. 

JOHNSON. 

8 mine  own  device:"]  The  mafk  appears  to  have  been  de- 

Jign'd  by  Timon  to  furprile  his  guefls.     JOHNSON. 

I  Lady. 


346        TIMON     OF    ATHENS. 

i  Lady*  8  My  lord,  you  take  us  even  at  the  beflf, 

Apem.  'Faith,  for  the  worfl  is  filthy  ;  and  would 

not  hold 
Taking,  I  doubt  me. 

Tim.  Ladies,  there  is  an  idle  banquet  attends  you, 
Pleafe  you  to  difpofe  yourfelves. 

All  Lad.  Moll  thankfully,  my  lord.  [Exeunt. 

y/ffj.  Flavius,— 

Ftav.  My  lord. 

Tim.  The  little  cafket  bring  me  hither. 

Flav.  Yes,  my  lord — More  jewels  yet ! 
There  is  no  crofting  him  in  his  humour ;         [Afide. 
Elfe  I  mould  tell  him,— Well,— i'faith,  I  mould, 
\Vhcn  all's  fpent,  '  he'd  be  crofs'd  then,  an  he  could, 
'Tis  pity,  bounty  had  not  *  eyes  behind; 

8  My  lord>— — ]  This  anfwer  feems  rather  to  belong  to  one 
of  the  ladies.     It  was  probably  only  mark'd  L  in  the  copy. 

JOHNSON. 

In  the  old  copy  this  fpeech  is  given  to  the  i  Lord.  I  have  ven- 
tured to  change  it  to  the  i  La<fy,  as  the  author  of  the  Revifal,  and 
Mr.  Edwards,  as  well  as  Dr.  Johnfon,  concur  in  the  emendation. 
There  may  not,  however,  be  fufficient  reaibn  for  the  change; 
efpecially  if  the  preceding  line,  "  I  km  to  thank  you  for  it,"  be 
addrefled  to  the  lords  by  whom  this  mafque  appears  to  have  been 
contrived.  STEEVENS. 

9  — even  at  the  bffi.~\  Perhaps  we  fhould  read, 

—ever  at  the  befi. 

So,  aftlU.  fc.vi, 

Ever  r.t  tie  left.  TYRWHITT. 

Take  us  cve-i  at  the  brfi,  I  believe,  means,  you  have  feen  the 
belt  we  can  do.  They  ure  fuppoled  to  be  hired  dancers,  and  there- 
fore there  is  no  impropriety  in  fuch  a  confellion.  STEEVENS. 

1  .  .  1-"  £  lg  crofi'd  then,  if  he  could  :~\  The  poet  does  not 
mean  here,  that  he  would  be  crofs'J  in  humour,  but  that  he 
would  h~ve  hii  hand  crcf'd  with  money,  if  he  could.  He  is 
playing  on  the  word,  and  alluding  to  our  old  filver  penny,  uied 
berore  K.  Edward  the  firft's  time,  which  had  a  croft  o\\  the  reverie 
with  a  creafe,  that  it  might  be  more  easily  broke  into  halves  and 
quarters,  half-pence  and  farthings.  From  this  penny,  and  other 
.pieces,  was  our  common  exprefiion  derived,  /  have  not  a  crofs 
alout  me  ;  i.  e.  not  a  piece  of  money.  THEOBALD. 

* eyeibebirttt;]  To  fee  the  mifeiies  that  are  following 

her.     TOHXSOK. 

That 


TIMON     OF     ATHENS.        347 

That  man  might  ne'er  be  wretched  J  for  his  mind. 
[E.V/V,  and  returns  with  the  cajket, 

1  Lord.  Where  be  our  men  ? 
Serv.  Here,  my  lord,  in  readinefs. 

2  Lord.  Our  horfes. 

1"i/'fi.  O  my  friends,  I  have  one  word 
To  fay  to  you  : — Look,  you,  my  good  lord,  I  mull 
Intreat  you,  honour  me  fo  much,  as  4  to 
Advance  this  jewel;  accept,  and  wear  it,  kind  my 
lord. 

1  Lord.  I  am  fo  far  already  in  your  gifts,— 
Att»  So  are  we  all. 

Enter  a  Servant. 

Serv.  My  lord,   there  are   certain   nobles  of  the 

fenate 
Newly  alighted,  and  come  to  vifit  you. 

Tim.  They  are  fairly  welcome. 

Flav.  I  befeech  your  honour, 
Vouchfafe  me  a  word  ;  it  does  concern  you  near. 

Tim.  Near  ?  why  then  another  time  I'll  hearthee  : 
I  pr'ythee,  let  us  be  provided 
To  ihew  them  entertainment. 

Flav.  \_Afide.~\  I  fcarce  know  how. 

Enter  another  Servant. 

2  Serv.  May  it  pleafe  your  honour,  lord  Lucius, 
Out  of  his  free  love,  hath  prefented  to  you 
Four  milk-white  horfes,  trapt  in  filver. 

Tim.  I  ihall  accept  them  fairly  :  let  the  prefents 
Be  worthily  entertained. — How  now  ?  what  news  ? 

3  ——for  bis  mitut]  For  noblenefs  of  foul.     JOHNSON. 

Advance  this  jewel;  >  •        — 
To  prefer  it ;   to  rcife  it  to  honour  by  wearing  it.    JOHNSON. 

Enter 


34S        TIMON     OF    ATHENS. 

Enter  a  third  Servant. 

3  Serv.  Pleafe  you,  my  lord,  that  honourable  gen«. 
tleman,  lord  Lucullus,  entreats  your  company  to- 
morrow to  hunt  with  him  ;  and  has  fent  your  honour 
two  brace  of  greyhounds. 

Tim.  Pll  hunt  with  him  ;  And  let  them  be  receiv'd, 
Not  without  fair  reward. 

Flav.  [_Ajide.~]  What  will  this  come  to  ? 
He  commands  us  to  provide,  and  give  great  giftSj 
And  all  out  of  an  empty  coffer. — 
Isfor  will  he  know  his  purfe  ;  or  yield  me  this, 
To  fhew  him  what  a  beggar  his  heart  is, 
Being  of  no  power  to  make  his  wiihes  good  : 
His  promifes  fly  fo  beyond  his  (late, 
.That  what  he  fpeaks  is  all  in  debt,  he  owes 
For  every  word  ;  he  is  fo  kind,  that  he  now 
Pays  intcreft  for't ;  his  land's  put  to  their  books, 
Well,  'would  I  were  gently  put  out  of  office, 
Before  I  were  forc'd  out ! 
Happier  is  he  that  has  no  friend  to  feed, 
Than  fuch  that  do  even  enemies  exceed. 
J  bleed  inwardly  for  my  lord.  [Exit. 

Tim.  You  do  yourfelves  much  wrong,  you  bate 

too  much" 

Of  your  own  merits  : — Here,  my  lord  ;  a  trifle  of 
our  love. 

2  Lord.  With  more  than  common  thanks  I  will 
receive  it. 

3  Lord.  O,  he  is  the  very  foul  of  bounty  ! 
Tim.  And  now  I  remember,  my  lord,  you  gave 

Good  words  the  other  day  of  a  bay  courfer 
I  rode  on  :   it  is  yours,  becaufe  you  lik'd  it. 

2  Lord.  O,  I  befeech  you,  pardon  me,  my  lord, 
In  that. 

Tim.  You  may  take  my  word,  my  lord;  I  know, 

no  man 
Can  jullly  praife,  but  xvhat  he  does  affect : 

I  weigh 


TIMON  OF  ATHENS; 

I  weigh  my  friend's  affedliori  with  mine  own  ; 
*  I  tell  you  true.     I'll  call  on  you. 

All  Lords.  O,  none  fo  welcome. 

Vim.  I  take  all  and  your  feveral  violations 
So  kind  to  heart,  '  'tis  not  enough  to  give  ; 
Methinks,  1  could  deal  kingdoms  to  my  friends, 
And  ne'er  be  weary.— Aicibiades, 
Thou  art  a  foldier,  therefore  feldom  rich, 
It  comes  in  chtirity  to  thee  :  for  all  thy  living 
Is  'mongft  the  dead  ;  and  all  the  lands  thou  haft 
Lie  in  a  pitch'd  field. 

Ale.  *  In  defiled  land,  my  lord. 

i  Lord.  We  are  fo  virtuoufly  bound, 

Vim.  And  fo  am  I  to  you. 

2,  Lord.  So  infinite  endear'd, — 

Tim.  All  to  you  '. — Lights  !  more  lights. 

i  Lord.  The  belt  of  happinefs, 

Honour,    and  fortunes,    keep  with  you,    lord  Ti- 
mon  !  — 

Tim.  Ready  for  his  friends. 

[Exeunt  Aicibiades,  Lords,  csfr. 

*  /  tellyou  true. ]  The  other  modem  editions  : 

I'll  tell  you. JOHNSON. 

'   — i 'tis  not  enough  to  give  ; 

Methinks,  /  could  deal  k!ngdo?ijs 3 

Thus  the  palfage  flood  in  all  editions  before  Hanmer's,  who  re- 
ftored  my  thanks*  JOHNSON. 

I  have  difplaced  the  words  inferted  by  fir  T.  Hanmer.  What 
I  have  already  given,  fays  Timon,  is  net  fufficient  on  the  occa- 
fion :  Methinks  I  could  deal  kingdoms,  5.  e.  I  coald  difpenfe 
them  on  every  fide  with  an  ungrudging  distribution,  like  that  with 
which  I  could  deal  out  cards.  STEEVENS. 

1  r  defiled  land, ]    This  is  the  old  reading,  which  appa- 

r£ntly  depends  on  a  very  low  quibble.  Aicibiades  is  told,  that 
hit  ejlate  lies  in  a  pitch'd  field.  Now^//c6,  as  Falftafffays,  doth 
defile.  Aicibiades  therefore  replies,  that  his  eftate  lies  in  defiled 
land.  This,  as  it  happened,  was  not  underflood,  and  all  the  edi- 
tors published  : 

/  ilffy  land, JOHNSON. 

3  All  to  you. ]  i.  e.  all  good  wifhes,  or  all  happinefs  to  you. 

So,  Macbeth: 

**  All  to  all."    STEEVENS. 


350        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

Jpem.  What  a  coil's  here  ! 
4  Serving  of  becks,  and  jutting  out  of  bums ! 
5 1  doubt,  whether  their  legs  be  worth  the  fums 
That  are  given  for  'em.     Friendship's  full  of  dregs  J 
Methinks,  falfe  hearts  Ihoukl  never  have  found  legs, 

*  Serving  of  lech, -]  This  nonfenfe  fhould  be  read: 

Serring  of  becks , 

from  the  Frenchymvr,  to  join  clofe  together.    A  metaphor  taken 
from  the  billing  of  pigeons.     WAR  BUR  TON. 

The  commentator  conceives  beck  to  mean  the  mouth  or  the  head* 
after  the  French  j  bee,  whereas  it  means  a  falutation  made  with  the 
head.  So  Milton  : 

"  ftodf  and  becks,  and  wreathed  fmiles." 
Toferve  a  beck,  is  to  offer  a  falutation.     JOHNSON. 

To/erve  a  beck,  means,  I  believe,  to  pay  a  courtly  obedience  to  a 
nod.  Thus,  in  The  Death  of  Robert  Earl  of '  Huntington%  1601  : 

**  And  with  a  low  beck 

"  Prevent  a  fharp  check." 
Again,  in  The  Play  of  the  Four  P's,   1569  : 

"  Then  I  to  every  foul  again, 

"  Did  give  a  leek  them  to  retain." 
In  Merry  Trices  or  Ram-alley,   1611,  I  find  the  fame  word  : 

**  I  had  my  winks,  my  leeks,  treads  on  the  toe." 
Again,  in  Hey  wood's  Rape  of  Lucrece,   1630  : 

"  -wanton  looks, 

"  And  privy  becks,  favouring  incontinence." 
Again,  in  Lylly's  Woman  in  the  Moon,   1597  : 

"  And  he  that  with  a  leek  controuls  the  heavens." 
It  happens  then  that  the  word  leek  has  no  lefs  than  four  diftinft  fig- 
nifications.  In  Drayton's  Polyollion,  it  is  enumerated  among  the 
appellations  of  /mail  Jf reams  of  Water.  In  Shakefpeare's  Antony 
and  Cleopatra,  it  has  its  common  meaning — a  Jign  of  invitation 
made  by  the  hand.  In  Timon,  it  appears  to  denote  a  pfw*  and  in 
Lylly's  play,  a  nod  of  dignity  or  command,  as  well  as  in  Marius 
and  Sylla,  1  594  : 

"  Yea  Sylla  with  a  beck  could  break  thy  neck." 
Again,  in  the  interlude  of  Jacob  and  Efau,   i  568  : 

**  For  what,  O  Lord,  is  fo  poffible  to  man's  judgment 

"  Which  thou  canft  not  with  a  beck  perform  incontinent  rn 

STEEVENS. 
.See  Surrey's  Poems,  p.  29  : 

"  And  with  a  becke  full  lowe  he  bowed  at  her  feete." 

TVRWHITT., 

5  I  doubt,  whether  their  legs  &c.]  He  plays  upon  the  word  /<£, 
as  it  fignifies  a  'limb  and  a  low  or  aft  of  obeifance,  JOHNSON. 

Thus 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

Thus  honeft  fools  lay  out  their  wealth  on  court'fies. 

Tim.  Now,   Apemantus,  if  thou  wert  not  fallen, 
I  would  be  good  to  thee. 

Apem.  No,  I'll  nothing :  for, 
If  I  Ihould  be  bribed  too,  there  would  be  none  left 
To  rail  upon  thee ;    and  then  thou  would'ft  fin  the 

fafter. 

Thou  giv'ft  fo  long,  Timon,  6 1  fear  me,  thou 
Wilt  give  away  thyfelf  in  paper  fhortly  : 
What  needthefe  feafts,  pomps,  and  vain-glories? 

Tim.  Nay, 

If  you  begin  to  rail  once  on  fociety, 
I  am  fworn,  not  to  give  regard  to  you. 
Farewel ;  and  come  with  better  mufick.  [Exit. 

Apem.  So; — 
Thou  wilt  not  hear  me  now, — thou  fhalt  not  then,  I'll 

lock 
7  Thy  heaven  from  thee.     O,  that  men's  ears  ihould 

be 
To  counfel  deaf,  but  not  to  flattery  !  [Exit. 

*    .-     •  •  I  fear  me,  thou 

Wilt  give  arxay  thy f elf  in  paperj#w/£r;] 

5.  e.  be  ruined  by  his  fecurities  entered  into.  But  this  fenfeis  flat, 
and  relifhes  very  little  of  the  fait  in  Apemantus's  other  refle&ions. 
We  fhould  read : 

— — — give  away  tlyfclfjn  proper  Jhortly. 

i.  e.  in  perfon  ;  thy  proper  felf.  This  latter  is  an  expreflion  of 
our  author's  in  the  Yemptft  : 

"  And  ev'n  with  fuch  like  vnlour  men  hang  and  drotfft,' 
"  Their  proper  ffhes."    WAR  EUR  TON 
Hanmer  reads  very  plaufibly  : 

—  tbou 

Wilt  give  away  t/.yfelf'in  perpetimm.     JOHNSON. 
I  am  fatisfied  with  Dr.  Warburton's  explanation  of  the  text, 
but  cannot  concur  in  his  emendation.     STEEVENS, 

7  7~£y  heaven—]  The  pleafure  of  being  flattered.    JOHNSON. 


ACT 


35a       TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 


T 

.ij 


ACT    II.     SCENE 

A publlck  place  in  ihs  city. 
Enter  a  Senator. 

Sen.  And  late,  five  thoufand  to   Varro ;    and  to 

Ifidore, 

He  owes  nine  thoufand; — befides  my  former  fum, 
Which  makes  it  five  and  twenty. — Still  in  motion 
Of  raging  wafte  ?  It  cannot  hold  ;  it  will  not. 
If  I  want  gold,  fteal  but  a  beggar's  dog, 
And  give  it  Timon,  why,  the  dog  coins  gold  : 
If  I  would  fell  my  horfe,  and  buy  twenty  more 
Better  than  he,  why,  give  my  horfe  to  Timon, 
*  Afk  nothing,  give  it  him,  it  foals  me,  ftraight, 
And  able  horfes :  9  No  porter  at  his  gate ; 

But 

*  In  old  editions : 

AJk  nothing,  give  it  him,  it  foals  meftraigbt 

An  able  horfe. ] 

*'  If  I  want  gold  (fays  the  fenator)  let  me  fteal  a  beggar's  dog,  and 
give  it  Timon,  the  dog  coins  me.  gold.  If  I  would  fell  my  bo*fet 
and  had  a  mind  to  buy  ten  better  inftead-of  him  ;  why,  I  need  but 
give  my  horfe  to  Timon,  to  gain  this  point ;  and  it  preiently  retches 
me  an  hor/i."  But  is  that  gaining  the  point  prop  .s'd  ?  TUc  firf! 
folio  reads,  lefs  corruptly  than  the  modern  impreffions : 

And  able  horfes. 

Which  reading,  joined  to  the  reafoning  of  the  paffage,  gave  me 
the  hint  for  this  emendation.  THEOBALD. 

Inftead  of  ten  horfes  the  old  copy  reads  twenty.  The  paflage 
which  Theobald  would  alter,  means  only  this.  If  I  give  my  horfe 
to  Timon,  it  immediately  foals,  and  not  only  produces  more,  but  able 
lorfes.  The  fame  conftrudion  occurs  in  Much  ado  about  Nothing  • 
"  -'-and  men  are  only  turned  into  tongue,  and  trim  ones  too." 

STEEVENS. 
9  — — — —  No  porter  at  bis  gate ; 

But  rather  one  that  fmiles,  andjlill  invites'] 
I  imagine  that  a  line  is  loft  here,  in  which  the  behaviour  of  a  furly 
porter  was  defcribcd.    JOHNSON. 

Therf 


T1MON     OF     ATHENS,        353 

But  rather  one  that  fmiles,  and  ftill  invites 
All  that  pafs  by.     It  cannot  hold  ;   '  no  reafon 
Can  found  his  date  in  fafcty. — Caphis,  ho ! 
Caphis,  I  fay ! 

Enter  Cup1:  is. 

Caph.  Here,  fir  ;  What  is  your  pleafure  ? 

Sea.  Get  on  your  cloak,    and  hafte  you  to  lord 

Timon ; 

Importune  him  for  my  monies  ;  be  not  ceas'd  * 
With  flight  denial ;  nor  then  filenc'd  J,  when— 
Commend  me  to yov.r  wqfter — and  the  cap 
Plays  in  the  right  hand,  thus : — but  tell  him,  firrah, 

There  is  no  occafion  to  fuppofe  the  lofs  of  a  line.  Sternncfs  was 
the  charadteriftic  of  a  porter.  There  appeared  at  Kiilingworth 
caftle,  "a/0r/*r,  tall  of  parfon,  big  of  lim,  and  Jlearn  of  counii- 
vauris."  FARMER. 

1  -  no  reafon 

Can  found  hisjlate  infafcty. ] 

The  fuppofed  meaning  of  this  muft  be,  No  reafon^  by  founding^ 
fathoming,  or  trying,  bisjlate,  can  find  it  fafe.  But  as  the  words 
itand,  they  imply,  that  no  reafon  can  faic\y  found  bisjlate.  I  read, 
thus : 

no  reafon 

Can  found  his  flat e  iitfafefy.    •  •  — 

Renfon  cannot  find  his  fortune  to  have  any  fafe  or  folid  foundation. 
The  types  of  the  firit  printer  of  this  play  were  fo  worn  and  de- 
faced, that/and/are  no:  always  to  be  diftinguiflied.     JOHNSOV. 

a  le  not  ceas'd]    i.  e.  ftopp'd.     So,   in  Claudius  Tileriui 

Nero,   1607  : 

*«  Why  •fhould  Tiberius'  liberty  be  ceafcd." 
Again,  in  the  Faiiant  Welcbman,    1615: 

"  pity  thy  people's  wrongs, 

*'  And  ceafe  the  clamours  both  of  old  and  young." 
Again,  in  Warner's  AlbioJi  England,   1602,  b.  v.  ch.  28: 

"  By  war  the  t\ueen  that  was,  did  ceafe  her  hufband's  tra- 
gic reign." 

Again,  in  Holinfhed,  p.  643  :  *'  The  king  defiring  them  to  ceajt 
:ht-ir  people."  ST^.EVENS. 

»  nor  theny//e«fV, ]  The  old  copy  reads — when. 

STEEVENS. 

VOL,  VIII.  A  a  My 


-54        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

My  ufes  cry  to  me,  I  muft  ferve  my  turn 

Out  of  mine  own  ;  his  days  and  times  are  paft,. 

And  my  reliances  on  his  fnufted  dates 

Has  fmit  my  credit  :  I  love,  and  honour  him  ; 

But  muft  not  break  my  back,  to  heal  his  finger  : 

Immediate  are  my  needs  ;  and  my  relief 

Muft  not  be  toft  and  turn'd  to  me  in  words, 

But  find  fupply  immediate.     Get  you  gone  : 

Put  on  a  moft  importunate  afpect, 

A  vifage  of  demand  ;  for,  I  do  fear, 

When  every  feather  fticks  in  his  own  wing, 

Lord  Timon  will  be  left  a  naked  gull  4, 

5  Which  fiafhes  now  a  phoenix.     Get  you  gone^ 

Capb.  I  go,  fir. 

Sen.  I  go,  fir?  —  6  take  the  bonds  along  with  you, 
And  have  the  dates  in  compt. 

Capb.  I  will,  fir. 

Sen.  Go. 


*  —  a  naked  gull,  ~\  A  '  g:tll  is  a  bird  as  renwrkable  for  the  po- 
yerty  of  its  feathers,  as  a  phoenix  is  fuppoled  to  be  for  the  rich- 
uefs  of  its  plumage.  STEEVEKS. 

5  Which  Jla/hes  &c.]  Which,  the  pronoun  relative,  relating  to 
things,  is  frequently  ufed,  as  in  this  inftance,  by  Shakefj>eare,  in- 
ftead  of  ivbot  the  pronoun  relative,  applied  to  perfoni.  The  uia 
of  the  former  inftead  of  the  latter  is  ftill  preferved  in  the  Lord's 
prayer.  STEEVENS. 

*  take  the  bonds  along  with  you, 

And  have  the  dates  in.     Come.] 

Certainly,  ever  fince  bonds  were  given,  the  date  was  put  in  when 
the  bond  was  entered  into  :  and  thefe  bonds  Timon  hud  already 
given,  and  the  time  limited  for  their  payment  was  lapfed.  The 
Senator's  charge  to  his  fervant  muft  be  to  the  tenour  as  I  have- 
amended  the  text  j  Take  good  notice  of  the  dates,  for  the  bettei- 
computation  of  the  intereft  due  upon  them.  THEOBALD. 

Theobald's  emendation  may  be  lupported  by  the  following  in- 
ffonce  in  Macbeth  : 

"  Have  theirs,  themfrlves,  and  what  is  theirs,  in  compt" 

STEEVENS. 


SCENE 


TIIVION     OF    ATHENS.        355 

SCENE    II. 

'  Timor? s  ML 
Enter  Flavins,  ivlth  many  bills  in  bis  kand. 

Flav.  No  care,  no  ftop  !    fo  fenfelefs  of  expence, 
That  he  will  neither  know  how  to  maintain  it, 
Nor  ceafe  his  flow  of  riot ;  Takes  no  account 
How  things  go  from  him  ;  nor  refumes  no  care 
Of  what  is  to  continue ;  7  Never  mind 
Was  to  be  fo  unwife,  to  be  fo  kind. 
What  fhall  be  done  ?  He  will  not  hear,  'till  feel  i 
I  muft  be  round  with  him,  now  he  comes  from  hunt* 
jdgi 

Enter  Cuphis,  with  the  fervants  of  Ifidore  and  farro. 

Fye,  fye,  fye*  fye ! 

Capb.  8  Good  even,  Varro  :  What, 

You 

7  Never  mind 

Wai  to  befo  zwviv/?',  to  It  fo  kind.~\ 

Nothing  can  be  worfe,  or  more  obfcurely  expfefled  :  nnd  all  for 
the  fake  of  a  wretched  rhime.  To  make  it  feni'e  and  grammar,  it 
ihould  be  fupplied  thus  : 

Never  mind 

Wai  [made]  to  befo  un^.-ife^   [in  order]  to  Ic  fo  kind. 
i.  c.  Nature,  in  order  to  make  a  protufe  mind,  never  betore  en- 
dowed any  Juan  with  fo  large  a  ik:re  of"  folly.     WAR  BURTON. 

Of  this  mode  of  expreffion,  converfation  aftbrds  ma::y  examples  : 
«'  I  was  always  to  be  blamed,  whatever  happened.1'  "  I  am  in 
the  lottery,  but  I  was  always  to  draw  blanks/'  JOHNSON. 

*  Good  even,  Varro: ]   It  is  obfervable,  that  this  gaod  even- 

ingis  before  dinner  ;  for  Timon  tells  Alcibiades,  that  they  will  go 
forth  a^aln  asfoon  as  dialer's  done,  which  may  prove  that  by ..' 
our  author  meant  not  the  c&na  of  ancient  times,  but  the  mid-day's 
repair,.     I  do  not  fuppofe  the  pafiage  corrupt:  fuch  inadvertencies 
neither  author  nor  editorc;;n  cfcape. 

There  isaiiother  remark  to  be  made.     Varro  and  Ihdore  fink  a 

few  lines  altenvards  into  tUe  fervants  of  Varro  r.nu  lliJore.    \Vlio- 

A  a  2  ther 


356        TIMON     OF    ATHENS. 

You  come  for  money  ? 

far.  Is't  not  your  bufinefs  too  ? 

Capb.  It  is; — And  your's  too,  Ifidore  ? 

Ifid.  It  is  fo. 

Capb.  'Would  \ve  were  all  difcharg'd  ! 

Var.  I  fear  it. 

Capb.  Here  comes  the  lord. 

Enter  Timon,  dkibiades,  &V. 

TV*.  So  foon  as  dinner's  done,  we'll  forth  attain, 
My  Alcibiades. —  With  me  ?  What  is  your  will  ? 

[_T bey  prefent  their  bilk. 

Capb.  My  lord,  here  is  a  note  of  certain  dues. 

77»/.  Dues  ?  Whence  are  you  ? 

Capb.  Of  Athens  here,  my  lord. 

57/7.  Go  to  my  ft e ward. 

Capb.  Plcafe  it  your  lordfhip,  he  hath  put  me  off 
To  the  fucceffion  of  new  days  this  month  : 
My  mafter  is  awak'd  by  great  occafion, 
To  call  upon  his  own  ;  and  humbly  prays  you, 

ther  fervants,  in  our  author's  time,  took  the  names  of  their  m af- 
ters, I  know  not.     Perhaps  it  is  a  flip  of  negligence.      JOHNSON. 
In  the  old  copy  it  ftands  :  Enter  Capbh,  JJiJore,  and  farro. 

STEEVENS. 

"  Good  even,  or,  as  it  is  fometimes  lefs  accurately  written,  Good 
Jen,  was  the  ufual  falutation  from  noon,  the  moment  that  Good 
morrow  became  improper.  This  appears  plainly  from  the  follow- 
ing pafTage.  Romeo  and  "Juliet,  a<ft  II.  fc.  iv  : 

"  Nurfe.  God  ye  good  morrow,  gentlemen. 

**  Mcrcutlo.  God  ye  good  den,  rair  gentlewoman. 

«*  Nrtr.   \s\tgoodticn? 

"  3/tv-f.  'Tis  no  lefs  I  tell  you  ;  for  the hand  of  the 

dial  is  now  upon  ....  noon." 

So,  in  Hamlet's  greeting  to  Marcellus.  A£l  I.  fcene  5.  Sir  T. 
Jianmer  and  Dr.  Warburton,  not  being  aware,  I  prefume,  of  this 
wide  tenie  ot  Good  even,  have  altered  it  to  Good  morning  ;  without 
any  neceflky,  as  from  the  courle  of  the  incidents,  precedent  and 
fiib&quent,  the  day  may  well  be  fuppofed  to  be  turn'd  of  noon. 

TYRWHITT. 

That 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS.        357 

That  with  your  other  noble  parts  you*ll  fuit  9, 
In  giving  him  his  right. 

'Tim.  Mine  honeft  friend, 
I  pr'y  thee,  but  repair  to  me  next  morning. 

Caph.  Nay,  good  my  lord,  -  - 

Tim.  Contain  thy  felt",  good  friend. 

Var.  One  Varro's  fervant,  my  good  lord,  —  r 

IJid.  From  Ifidorc  ; 
He  humbly  prays  your  fpeedy  payment,  — 

Capb.    If  you   did    know,    my  lord,  my  mailer's 
wants,  — 

Far.  'Twasdue  on  forfeiture,  my  lord,   fix  weeks, 
And  paft.  — 

I/id.  Your  fteward  puts  me  off,  my  lord  ;  and  I 
Am  fcnt  exprefsly  to  your  lordfhip. 

Tim.  Give  me  breath  :  — 
I  do  befeech  you,  good  my  lords,  keep  on  ; 

[Exeunt  Alcibiades,  &c. 

I'll  wait  upon  you  inftantly.  —  Come  hither,  pray  you. 

[To  Flav/us. 

How  goes  the  world,  that  I  am  thus  encounter'd, 
With  clamorous  demands  of  broken  bonds  ', 
And  the  detention  of  long-iince-due  debts, 
A  gain  it  my  honour  ? 

Flav.  Plenfc  you,  gentlemen, 
The  time  is  unagreeable  to  this  bufinefs  : 
Your  importunacy  ceafe,  'till  after  dinner; 
That  I  may  make  his  lordfhip  underftand 
Wherefore  you  are  not  paid. 

Tim.    Do  fo,  my  friends  :    See  them  well  enter- 
tain'd.  [Exit  Timon. 

Flav.  Pray  draw  near.  [Exit  klxv'w.s. 

9   That  ivitbyour  otbt'rnoMe  parts  you  '//  /?///,]   i.e.  that  you  will 
lifhave  on  this  occnfion  in  a  manner  confident  \vith    our  other  no- 


-  of  broken  bonds,]  The  firft  folio  reads  : 
——of  debt;  broken  bonds.     STEEVKNS. 


A  a  «  Enter 


TIMON     OF     ATHENS. 


"  Enter  Apemanti'.s,  and  a  Fool. 

Cap!?.  Stay,  flay,  here  comes  the  fool  with  Ape- 

mantus ; 
Let's  have  fome  fport  xvith  'em. 

Yar.  Hang  him,  he'll  abufe  us. 

'I/id.  A  plague  upon  him,  clog! 

Far.  How  doft,  fool  ? 

Apem.  Dofl  dialogue  with  thy  fhadow  ? 

Var.  I  fpeak  not  to  thee. 

Apem.  No,  'tis  to  thyfelf.  —  Come  away. 

[To  the  Fool. 

Ifid.  [To  Far.~]  There's  the  fool  hangs  on  your 
£>ack  already. 

Apem.  No,  thou  fland'fl  fingle,  thou  art  not  on  him 
yet. 

Capk.  Where's  the  fool  now  ? 

-     Apem.  He  laft  aik'd  the  queftion.     ?  Poor  rogues, 
and  ufurers'  men  !  bawds  between  gold  and  want  ! 

All 

"*•  Enter  Apcmanf.is,  and  a  Fool.'}  I  fufpeft  fome  fcene  to  be  loft, 
in  which  the  entrance!  of  the  fool,  and  the  page  that  follows  him, 
was  prepared  by  fome  Introductory  dialogue,  in  which  the  audience 
was  informed  that  they  were  the  fool  and  page  of  Phrynia,  Ti- 
znnndra,  or  fome  other  courtefan,  upon  the  knowledge  of  which 
depends  the  greater  part  of  the  enfuing  jocularity.  JOHXSO.V. 

3  Poor  rcgu(St  atul  v.furcr?  men  !  bawils,  &c.]  This  is  faid  fo 
abruptly,  that  I  am  inclined  to  think  it  mifplaced,  and  would  re- 
gulate the  paflage  thus  : 

Caph.   Where's  tbe  fool  now? 

Apem.  He  laft  cj^ei  the  queftion, 

All.   Wkatarc<v; 

Apem.  AJJcs. 


Apem.  11}at  you  ajk  me  ivbat  you  are,  and  do  not 

yeurfelves.     Poor   rogues^    and  ufurerJ  men!    bawds 

gold  and  want!     Speak,  &c. 

Thus  every  word  will  have  its  proper  place.     It  is  likely  that 

:he  paflage  tranipoled  was  forgot  in  the  copy,  and  inferted  in  the 

margin,  perhaps  a  little  befide  the  proper  place,  which  the  trnn- 

fcriber 


TIMON     OF     ATHENS.        359 

ML  What  are  we,  Apemantus  ? 

Apem.  Aflcs. 

All.  Why? 

Apem.  That  you  afk  me,  what  yon  are,  and  do  not 
know  yourfclvcs. — Speak  to  'em,  fool. 

Fool.  How  do  you,  gentlemen  ? 

All.  Gramercies,  good  fool ;  How  does  your  mif- 
trefs  ? 

Fool.  *  She's  e'en  fetting  on  water  to  fcald  fuch 
chickens  as  you  are.  5  'Would,  we  could  fee  you  at 
Corinth. 

Apem.  Good!  gramercy. 

Enter  Page.     ' 
Fool.  Look  you,  here  comes  my  matter's  page 6. 

fcriber  wanting  either  fkill  or  care  to  obferve,  wrote  it  where  it 
now  ftands.  JOHNSOX. 

*  She's  e'en  fitting  on  water  to  fcald  &c.]    The  old  name  for  the 
<difeafe  got  at  Corinth  was  the  braining,  and  a  fenfe  of  fcalding  is 
one  of  its  firft  fymptoms.     JOH \so.v. 
The  fame  thought  appears  in  the  Old  Law,  by  Maffinger : 

"  look  parboil'd 

"  As  if  they  came  from  Cupid's  fcaldiag  houfe." 

STEEVEXS. 

5  'JfouLl  we  could  fee  you  at  Corinth.]  A  cant  name  forabawdy- 
houfe,  I  iuppofe,  froni  the  diflblutenefs  of  that  ancient  Greek 
city  ;  of  which  Alexander  ab  Alexandra  has  thefe  words :    "  Co- 
R  I  N  T  H I  fupe r  mille  profiitutte  in  tewplo  Vcneris  ajjiiiua  dcgerc,  fe"  in  - 

flammata  llbidine  qtueftni  nicrctriclo  operam  dare,  et  vc/ut  facrorunt 
'  mintftree  Dete  famulnri  folcbant."  Milton,  in  his  Apology  far  Since- 
lynumus,  fays :  "  Or  fearching  for  me  at  the  Bordellos7  where,  it 
may  be,  he'has  loft  himfelf,  and  raps  up,  without  pity,  the  iage 
and  rheumatic  old  prelatefs,  with  all  her  young  Corinthian  laity, 
to  enquire  for  fuch  a  one.  WAR  BUR  TON. 

6  »/y  matter's  page.]  In  the  firflpaflage  the  Fool  fpeaks  of 

his  niajler,  "in  the  fecond  of  his  miflrefi.     Jn  the  old  copy  it  is  maf- 
*tr  in  both  places.     Jt  fhould  rather,  perhaps,  be  miftrefs'm  both, 
as  it  is  in  a  following  and  a  preceding  paflage  : 

•«  All.  How  does  your  miftn/H* 

«c  Fcol.  INIy  m'frefs  "15  one,  and  I  am  her  fool." 

STEEVENS. 

A  a  4  Page. 


36o        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

Page.  [To  the  Fool.']  Why,  how  now,  captain  ? 
ivhat  do  you  in  this  wife  company  ? — How  doft  thou, 
Apcmantus  ? 

Apem.  'Would  I  had  a  red  in  my  mouth  that  I 
might  anfwer  rhee  profitably. 

Page.  Pr'ythee,  Apemantus,  read  me  the  fuper- 
fcription  of  thefe  letters;  I  know  not  which  is  which. 

yjpe/n.  Can'ft  not  read  ? 

Page.  No. 

Apem.  There  will  little  learning  die  then,  that  day 
thou  art  hang'd.  This  is  to  lord  Timon ;  this  to 
Alcibiades.  Go;  thou  waft  born  a  baftard,  and 
thou'it  die  a  bawd. 

Page.  Thou  waft  whelp'd  a  dog  ;  and  thou  fhalt 
famifh,  a  dog's  death.  Anfwer  not,  I  am  gone. 

[Exit. 

Apem.  Even  fo,  thou  out-run'ft  grace. 
Fool,  I  will  go  with  you  to  lord  Timon's. 

Fool.  Will  you  leave  me  there  ? 

Apem.  If  Timon  (lay  at  home. — You  three  ferye 
three  ufurers  ? 

Ml.   Ay  ;  'would  they  ferv'd  us  ! 

Apem.  So  would  I, — as  good  a  trick  as  ever  hang- 
man ferv'd  thief. 

Fool.  Are  you  three  ufurers'  men  ? 

Ml.  Ay,  fool. 

Fool  I  think,  no  ufurer  but  has  a  fool  to  his  fer- 
vant :  My  miftrefs  is  one,  and  1  am  her  fool.  When 
men  come  to  borrow  of  your  matters,  they  approach 
fadly,  and  go  away  merry ;  but  they  enter  my  maf- 
ter's  houfe  merrily,  and  go  away  fadly  :  The  reafon 
of  this  ? 

Var.  I  could  render  one. 

Apem.  Do  it  then,  that  we  may  account  thee  a 
whore-mafter,  and  a  knave ;  which  notwithftanding, 
thou  fhalt  be  no  lefs  efteemed. 

Var.  What  is  a  whore-m after,  fool  ? 

Fool.  A  fooJ,  in  good  clothes,  and  fomething  like 

thee. 


TIMON     OF     ATHENS.        361 

thee.  'Tis  a  fpirit :  fometime,  it  appears  like  a  lord ; 
fometime,  like  a  lawyer ;  fometime,  like  a  philofo 
pher,  with  two  (tones  more  than's  7  artificial  one : 
He  is  very  often  like  a  knight;  and,  generally,  in  all 
lhapes,  that  man  goes  up  and  down  in,  from  four- 
fcore  to  thirteen,  this  fpirit  walks  in. 

far.  Thou  art  not  altogether  a  fool. 

Fool.  Nor  thou  altogether  a  wife  man  :  as  much 
foolery  as  1  have,  fo  much  wit  thou  lack'ft. 

Apem.  That  anfwer  might  have  become  Apemantus. 

All.  Aiide,  afide ;  here  comes  lord  Timon. 

Re-enter  Timon,  and  Flavins. 

A'pem.  Come  with  me,  fool,  come. 

Fool  I  do  not  always  follow  lover,  elder  brother, 
and  woman  ;  fometime,  the  philofopher. 

Flav.  Pray  you,  walk  near ;  I'll  fpeak  with  you 
anon.  [Exeunt  dpemantus,  and  Fool, 

Tim.  You  make  me  marvel :  Wherefore,  ere  this 

time, 

Had  you  not  fully  laid  my  flate  before  me ; 
Thar  I  might  fo  have  rated  my  expence, 
As  I  had  leave  of  means  ? 

Flav.  You  would  not  hear  me, 
At  many  leiiures  I  propos'd. 

Tim.  Go  to  : 

Perchance,  feme  fingle  vantages  you  took, 
When  my  indifpofition  put  you  back  ; 

7  — his  artificial  one ; — ]  Meaning  the  celebrated  philofopher> 
ftone,  which  w:is  in  thofe  times  much  talked  of.  Sir  Thomas 
Smith  was  one  of  thofe  who  loll  confiderable  fums  in  feeking  of  it. 

JOHNSON. 

Sir  Richard  Steele  was  one  of  the  lait  eminent  men  who  enter- 
tajned  hopes  of  being  fuccelsful  in  this  purfuit.  His  laboratory 
was  nt  Poplar,  a  village  near  London,  and  is  now  converted  into  a 
garden  houle.  STEEVENS. 

And 


56i         TIMON    OF     ATHENS. 

And  that  .unaptnefs  8  made  your  minifler, 
Thus  to  excujfe  yourfelf. 

Flav.  O  my  good  lord  ? 
At  many  times  I  brought  in  my  accounts, 
Laid  them  before  you ;  you  would  throw  them  off, 
And  fay,  you  found  them  in  mine  honefty, 
\Vhen,  for  fome  trifling  prefent,  you  have  bid  me 
Return  fo  much,  I  have  fhook  my  head,  and  wept ; 
Yea,  'gainfl  the  authority  of  manners,  pray'd  you 
To  hold  your  hand  more  clofe  :  I  did  endure 
Not  feldom,  nor  no  flight  checks ;  when  I  have 
prompted  you,  in  the  ebb  of  your  eftate, 
And  your  great  flow  of  debts.     My  dear-lov'd  lord, 
5 Though  you  hear  now,  yet  now's  too  late  a  time; 
The  greateit  of  your  having  lacks  a  half 
To  pay  your  prefent  debts. 

TV/;/.  Let  all  my  land  be  fold. 

Flav.  'Tis  all  cnga^'d,  fome  forfeited  and  gone; 
And  what  remains  will  hardly  flop  the  mouth 
Of  prefent  dues  :  the  future  comes  apace  : 
What  fhall  defend  the  interim  ?  '  and  at  length 
How  goes  our  reckoning  ? 

Tim, 

*  made  your  mi»ijter~\  So  the  original.     The  later  editions 

have  all : 

.        made  you  mini  ft  er     J  o  H  N  s  o  x . 

The  conllruction  is  : — And  made  that  unaplnrfi \  your  ni'nifter. 

MALONE. 

9  Tljov^Jj  -;o'4 hear  nova  too  late ,  yet  HPIV'J  a  time  ; ]   i.e.  Though 

\r.  he  now  too  late  to  retrieve  your  former  fortunes,  yet  it  is  nor  too 

jcire  to  prevent  by  the  alliilance  of  your  friends,  your  future  mife- 

.     Had  the  Oxford  editor  underftood  the  lenfe  he  would  not 

};:ive  altered  the  text  to, 

Tbottgl  you  hear  me  »<KV,  yet  now's  too  late  a  time. 

WARBURTOK. 
I  think  Har.mer  right,  and  have  received  his  emendation. 

JOHNSON. 

1   a>i<l  at  length 

Hc\v  goes  our  reckoning ?~\ 

This  fteu-ard  talks  very  wildly.   The  lord  indeed  might  have  alked, 
what  a  lord  feldorn  knows : 


TIMON     OF    ATHENS.        363 

fbfi.  To  Lacedaemon  did  my  land  extend. 

Flav.  *  O  my  good  lord,  the  world  is  but  a  word ; 
Were  it  all  yours,  to  give  it  in  a  breath, 
How  quickly  were  it  gone  ? 

Tim.  You  tell  me  true. 

Flav.  If  youfufpedtmy  hufbandry,  or  falfhood, 
Call  me  before  the  exafteft  auditors, 
And  fet  me  on  the  proof.     So  the  gods  blefs  me, 
When  all  our  offices  have  been  opprefl 
With  riotous  feeders  J ;  when  our  vaults  have  wept 
With  drunken  ipilth  of  wine ;  when  every  room 
Hath  blaz'd  with  lights,  and  bray'd  with  minftrelfy; 
I  have  retir'd  me  to  4  a  waftcful  cock, 

And 

HO--M  goes  our  reckoning  f 

But  the  fteward  was  too  well  Yatisfied  in  that  matter.   I  would  read 
therefore : 

Hold  good  our  reckoning  f 

The  Oxford  editor  would  appropriate  this  emendation  to  himfelf, 
by  altering  it  to  make  good,     WARBURTON. 

It  is  common  enough,  and  the  commentator  knows  it  is  com- 
mon to  propofe  interrogatively,  that  of  which  neither  the  fpeaker 
nor  the  hearer  has  any  doubt.  The  prefent  reading  may  therefore 
Jiand.  JOHNSON. 

*  O  my  good  lord,  tie  world  is  but  a  world  ;  ]  The  folio  reads  : 

but  a  word ; 

And  this  is  the  right.     The  meaning  is,  as  the  'world  itfelf  may  be 
compriled  in  a  word,  you  might  give  it  away  in  a  breath. 

WARBURTON. 

3  With  riotous  feeders;  —  ]    Feeders  are  fervants,   whofe  low 
debaucheries  are  pradifed  in  the  offices  of  a  houfe.     See  a  note  on 

Antony  and  Cleopatra,  aft  III.  fc.  xi :    "  one  who  looks  on 

fieders."     It  appears  that  what  we  now  call  offices,  were  anciently 
called  bovfes  of  office.     So,  in  Chaucer's  Clerkes  Talc,  late  edit. 
y,  8140: 

"  Hor/fes  of  office  fluffed  with  plentee 

•*  Ther  raayit  thou  lee  of  deinteous  vittaille." 

STEEVENS. 

4  a  ivaffcful  cock,]  i.  e.  a  cockloft,  a  garret.    And  ztva/ff- 

ful  cock,  lignifies  a  garret  lying  in  wafte,  neglected,  put  to  no  ufe. 

HANMER. 

Hanmer's  explanation  is  received  by  Dr.  Warburton,  yet  I  think 
them  both  apparently  miftaken.  A  wajleful  cock  is  a  cock  or  pipe 

with 


364        TIMON     OF    ATHENS. 

And  fct  mine  eyes  at  flow. 

Tim.  Pr'ythee,  no  more. 

Flav.  Heavens,  have  I  faid,  the  bounty  of  this 

lord!    • 

How  many  prodigal  bits  have  Haves,  and  peafants, 
This  night  englutted  !  Who  is  not  Timon's  ? 
What  heart,  head,  fword,  force,  means,  but  is  lord 

Timon's  ? 

Great  Timon's,  noble,  worthy,  royal  Timon's  ? 
Ah  !  when  the  means  are  gone,  that  buy  this  praife, 
The  breath  is  gone  whereof  this  praife  is  made : 
Feafl-won,  faft-loft ;  one  cloud  of  winter  Ihowers, 
Thefe  flies  are  couch'd. 

'Tim    Come,  fermon  me  no  further  : 
No  villainous  bounty  yet  hath  pad  my  heart J ; 
Unwifely,  not  ignobly,  have  I  given. 
Why  doft  thou  weep  ?    Can'ft  thou  the  confcienc^ 

lack, 

To  think  I  lhall  lack  friends  ?  Secure  thy  heart ; 
If  I  would  broach  the  veflels  of  my  love, 

with  a  turning  ftoppie  running  to  ivafle.  In  this  fenfe,  both  the 
terms  have  their  ulual  meaning  ;  but  1  know  not  that  cock  is  ever 
ufed  for  cockloft,  or  vcajicful  tor  lying  in  vcafte,  or  that  lying  in 
\vafte  is  at  ail  a  phrafe.  JOHNSON'. 

Whatever  be  the  meaning  of  the  prefent  paflage,  it  is  certain, 
that  lying  in  iva'lc  is  rtill  a  very  common  phrafe.  FARMER. 

A  ivaffeful  cock  is  what  we  now  call  a  ifiafte  pipe ;  a  pipe  which 
is  continually  running,  and  thereby  prevents  the  overflow  ofcif- 
terns  and  other  refervoirs,  by  carrying  off  their  fuperfluous  water. 
This  circumfrance  ferved  to  keep  the  idea  of  Timon's  unceafing 
prodigality  in  the  mind  of  the  fteward,  while  its  remotenefs  from 
the  fcenes  of  luxury  within  the  houfe,  was  favourable  to  medita- 
tion. COLLINS. 

s  No  villainous  bounty  yet  bath  paft  my  heart ; 

Univifefy,  not  ignobly,  have  I  given.] 

Every  reader  muft  rejoice  in  this  circumftance  of  comfort  which 
prefents  itfelf  to  Titnon,  who,  although  beggar'd  through  want  of 
prudence,  confoles  himfelf  with  rettecYion  that  his  ruin  was  not 
brought  on  by  the  purfuit  ot  guilty  pleafures.  STEEVENS. 

And 


TIMON     OF     ATHENS.        365 

*  And  try  the  argument  of  hearts  by  borrowing, 
Men,  and  men's  fortunes,  could  I  frankly  ufe, 
As  1  can  bid  thee  fpeak. 

Flav.  Affurance  blefs  your  thoughts  ! 

Tim.  And,  in  ibmc  fort,  thcfe  wants  of  mine  are 

crown'd, 

That  I  account  them  bleffings  ;  for  by  thefe 
Shall  I  try  friends  :   You  mall  perceive,  how  you 
Miftake  my  fortunes ;   I  am  wealthy  in  my  friends. 
Within  there, — Flaminius  !  Servilius  ! 

Enter  Flaminius,  Servilius,  and  other  Servants. 

Serv.  My  lord,  my  lord, 

Tim.  I  will  difpatch  you  feverally, — You,  to  lord 

Lucius, 

To  lord  Lucullus  you  ;  I  hunted  with  his 
Honour  to-day, — You,  to  Sempronius,— 
Commend  me  to  their  loves ;  and,  I  am  proud,  fay, 
That  my  occafions  have  found  time  to  ufe  them 
Toward,  a  fupply  of  money  :  let  the  requeft 
Be  fifty  talents. 

Vhm.   As  you  have  faid,  my  lord. 

Flav.  Lord  Lucius,  and  Lucullus  ?  hum  !— 

Tim.  Go  you,  fir,  to  the  fenators,        [To  Flavius. 
(Of  whom,  even  to  the  date's  beft  health,  I  have 
Deferv'd  this  hearing)  bid  'em  fend  o'  the  inftant 
A  thoufand  talents  to  me. 

Flav.  I  have  been  bold, 
(For  that 7 1  knew  it  the  mod  general  way) 

6  And  try  the  arguments — ]  Arguments  for  natures. 

WAR  EUR  TON. 

How  arguments  fhould  Hand  for  natures  I  do  not  fee.  But  the 
licentioufneis  of  our  author  forces  us  often  upon  far  fetched  expo- 
iitions.  Arguments  may  mean  contents,  as  the  arguments  of  a  book  j 
or  tor  evidences  and  proofs.  JOHNSON. 

— /  kneiv  it  the  moft  gen'ral  ivoy]  General  is  not  fpeedy,  but 
the  way  to  try  many  at  a  time.     JOHNSON. 

To 


366        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

To  them  to  ufe  your  figner,  and  your  name  ; 
But  they  do  lhake  their  heads,  and  I  am  here 
No  richer  in  return. 

Vim.  Is't  true  ?  can't  be  ? 

Flav.  They  anfwer,  in  a  joint  and  corporate  voice, 
That  now  they  are  at  fall,  want  treafure,  cannot 
Do  what  they  would ;  are  fony — you  are  honour- 
able,— 

But  yet  they  could  have  wifh'd — they  know  not  — 
Something  hath  been  amifs — a  noble  nature 
May  catch    a  wrench — would  all  were  well — 't\i 

pity — 

And  fo,  8  intending  other  ferious  matters, 
After  diftafteful  looks,  9  and  thefe  hard  fractions, 
With  certain  r  half-caps,  and  r  cold-moving  nods, 
They  froze  me  into  filence. 

8  Intending  is  regarding,  turning  their  notict  to  other  things. 

JOHNSON. 

To  intend  and  to  attend  had  anciently  the  fame  meaning.     So 
:n  the  Spanijh  Curate  of  Beaumont  and  Fletcher: 

**  Good  fir,  intend  this  bufinefs."      STEEVENS. 
So,  vc\Wits,  Fits,  and  Fancies,  &c.    1595: 

*'  Tell  this  man  that  I  am  going  to  dinner  to  my  lord  inaior, 
and  that  I  can  not  now  intend  his  tittle-tattle." 
Again,  in  Pafquil's  Night-Cap,  a  poem,   1623  : 
**  For  \ve  hare  many  lecret  ways  to  fpend, 
«'  Which  are  not  fit  our  hufbands  fliould  intend" 

MA  LONE. 

9  — and  tbcfe  hard  fractions,]  An  equivocal  allufion  to  tractions 
in  decimal  arithmetic.  So  Flavius  had,  like  Littlewit,  in  Bartho- 
lomew-Fair, a  conceit  left  in  bis  mifcry.  WAR  BURTON. 

This  is,  I  think,  no  conceit  in  the  head  of  Flavins,  rdio,  by 
fraftions,  means  Iroken  hints,  interrupted  fentences,  abrupt  rein  arks* 

JOHNSON. 

1   half-caps, ]  A  half-cap  is  a  cap  (lightly  moved,  nof 

put  off.     JOHNSON. 

1  cold-moving  nods,]  All  the  editions  exhibit  thefe  as  w> 

diftinft  adjectives,  to  the  prejudice  of  the  author's  meaning  ;  but 
they  muft  be  joined  by  a  hyphen,  and  make  a  compound  adjec- 
tive out  of  a  fubftantivc  and  a  particle,  and  then  we  have  the  true 
fenfe  of  the  place  ;  cold-moving,  cold-provoking  ;  nods  fo  difcou- 
raging,  that  they  chilled  the  very  ardor  of  our  petition,  and  froze 
itf  into  (iknctt  THEOBALD. 

Tim . 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

ftm.  You  gods  reward  them  !  — 
i  pr'ythee,  man,  look  cheerly  :  Thefe  old  fellows 
3  Have  their  ingratitude  in  them  hereditary  : 
Their  blood  is  cak'd,  'tis  cold,  it  feldom  flows  ; 
'Tis  lack  of  kindly  warmth,  they  are  not  kind  ; 
And  nature,  as  it  grows  again  toward  earth, 
Is  faftiion'd  for  the  journey,  dull,  and  heavy  4,— 
Go  to  Ventidius,  —  Pr'ythee,  be  not  lad, 
Thou  art  true,  and  honeft  ;  ingennoufly  I  fpeak, 
No  blame  belongs  to  thee  :  —  Ventidius  lately 
Bury'd  his  father  ;  by  whole  death,  he's  fteppM 
Into  a  great  eftate  :  when  he  was  poor, 
Imprifon'd,  and  in  fcarcity  of  friends, 
I  clear'd  him  with  five  talents  :  Greet  him  from  me  ± 
Bid  him  fuppofe,  fome  good  neccflity 
Touches  his  friend,  which  craves  to  be  rememberM 
With   thofe  five  talents  :•  —  that  had,   give   it  thefe 

fellows 

To  whom  'tis  infiant  due.     Ne'er  fpeak,  or  think, 
That  Timon's  fortunes  'mong  his  friends  can  fink. 
FUrj.  s  1   would,    I  could   no:   think  it:  ;    That 

thought  is  bounty's  foe  ;• 
Being  6  free  itfelf,  it  thinks  ail  others  fo.      [Exeunt, 

3  Have  tklr  fngfafitatft  In  tl-en  Hereditary  :]  /AvY./.Vurv,  for  by 
natural  conltitution.  But  foine  diuempers  of  natural  cunititutk'tv 
being  called  btreditary^  he  calls  their  ingratitude  fo,  ' 


4  And  nature  ,  as  it  ?ro-\vs  again  to-ivar<?  tart!', 
Is  fajbiond  for  the  journey,  dull  and  /jca-vv.  -  ] 

The  fame  thought   occurs  in  Tot  Wife  for  a  Mct:tb  of  Beaumont 

and  Fletcher  : 

"  Rejide,  the  fair  frufs  ol:l  toet  :'(  gririvs  covetous  y 

*'   Irbicbjbffvjs  all  honour  is  departed  ftdin  ust 

"  jAJ  *are  are  earth  again."  STEEVEXS. 


.  . 

-  'Would  I  coitMnot:  -  ]  The  original  edition  has, 

I  would)   I  could  not  think  i^   that  thought)  &c. 
It  has  been  changed,  to  mend  the  numbers,  without  authority., 

JOHNSON. 

*  Fffe,  ]  is  liberal,  not  p.irfimonious.     TOHNSOK. 


.ACT 


363        TIM  ON     OF    ATHENS. 
ACT    III.       SCENE      I. 

Lucullus's  bovfe  in  Athens. 
rur//i!nlus  waiting*     Enter  a  Servant  to  him. 

Serv.  I  have  told  my  lord  of  yon,  he  is  coming 
down  to  you. 

Flam.  I  thank  you,  fir. 

Enter  Lucullus. 

Serv.  Here's  my  lord. 

Li'.cul.  \_Afide.~]  One  of  lord  Timon's  men  ?  a  gift, 
I  warrant.  Why,  this  hits  right ;  I  dreamt  of  a 
fiiver  bafon  and  ewer  to-night.  Flaminius,  honeft 
Flaminius ;  you  are  very  rcipedtively 7  welcome,  fir. 
— Fill  me  fome  wine.-— And  how  does  that  honour* 
able,  complete,  free-hearted  gentleman  of  Athens, 
thy  very  bountiful  good  lord  and  matter  ? 

Flam.  His  health  is  well,  fir. 

Lucul.  I  am  right  glad  that  his  health  is  well,  fir: 
And  what  haft  thou  there  under  thy  cloak,  pretty 
Flaminius  ? 

Flam.  'Faith,  nothing  but  an  empty  box,  fir ; 
which,  in  my  lord's  behalf,  I  come  to  entreat  your 
honour  to  fupply  ;  who,  having  great  and  inftant 
occafion  to  ufe  fifty  talents,  hath  fent  to  your  lord- 
Ihip  to  furnifh  him  ;  nothing  doubting  your  p relent 
afii ftance  therein. 

Lticul,  La,  la,  la,  la, — nothing  doubting  fays  he? 
alas,  good  lord  !  a  noble  gentleman  'tis,  if  he 
would  not  keep  fo  good  a  houfe.  Many  a  time  and 

— -"-:-.-;^refpcft:vely-.iv/Vr/.f(  .&c.]  i.e.  rcfpeftfuily,  §n\r.K.Jobnt 

1   BeGcb   .   "::=''•>••,'•'••'<''.„•.•'.  5:'-."     STESVF.NS, 

often 


TIM.ON     OF     ATHENS.        369 

often  I  ha'  din'd  with  him,  and  told  him  on't ;  and 
come  again  to  fupper  to  him,  of  purpofe  to  have  him 
fpend  lefs :  and  yet  he  would  embrace  no  counfel, 
take  no  warning  by  my  coming.  Every  man  has 
his  fault,  and  honefty  is  his ;  I  ha'  told  him  on'tj 
but  I  could  never  get  him  from't. 

Re-enter  fervant,  with  wine. 

Serv.  Pleafe  your  lordfhip,  here  is  the  wine. 

Lucid.  Flaminius,  I  have  noted  thee  always  wife.' 
Here's  to  thee. 

Flam.  Your  lordfhip  fpeaks  your  pleafure. 

Lucul.  I  have  obferv'd  thee  always  for  a  towardly 
prompt  fpirit, — give  thee  thy  due, — and  one  that 
knows  what  belongs  to  reafon ;  and  canft  ufe  the 
time  well,  if  the  time  ufe  thee  well  :  good  parts  in 
thee. — Get  you  gone  firrah.  [50  the  Servant,  who 
goes  out.~\-~ Draw  nearer,  honeft  Flaminius.  Thy 
lord's  a  bountiful  gentleman  :  but  thou  art  wife ; 
and  thou  know'ft  well  enough,  although  thou 
com'ft  to  me,  that  this  is  no  time  to  lend  money  ; 
efpecially  upon  bare  friendfhip,  without  fecurity. 
Here's  three  folidares  '  for  thee ;  good  boy,  wink 
at  me,  and  fay,  thou  faw'ft  me  not.  Fare  thee 
well. 

Flam.  Is't  poffible,  the  world  fhould  fo  much  differ  ; 
*  And  we  alive,  that  liv'd  ?  Fly,  damned  bafenefs, 
To  him  that  worftiips  thee.  [Throwing  the  money  away. 

Lucul.  Ha  !  Now  I  fee,  thou  art  a  fool,  and  fit  for 
thy  matter.  [Exit  Lucullus. 

Flam.  May  thefe  add  to  the  number  that  may 
fcald  thee  ! 

1  — tlree  folidares — ]  I  believe  this  coin  is  from  the  mint  of 
the  poet.  STEEVENS. 

*  And  we  alive,  that  liv'd  f ]  i.  e.  And  we  who  were  alive 

then,  alive  now.     As  much  as  to  fay,  info  Jbort  a  time. 

WA&BURTON. 

VOL.  VIII,  B  b 


37o        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

Let  molten  coin  be  thy  damnation  % 

Thou  difeafe  of  a  friend,  and  not  himfelf ! 

Has  friendlhip  fuch  a  faint  and  milky  heart, 

4  It  turns  in  lefs  than  two  nights  ?  O  you  gods, 

I  feel  my  mailer's  paffion  !  This  flave, 

Unto  his  honour  s,  has  my  lord's  meat  in  him  : 

Why  Ihould  it  thrive,  and  turn  to  nutriment, 

When  he  is  turn'd  to  poifon  ? 

O,  may  difeafes  only  work  upon't ! 

And,  when  he's  fkk  to  death,  let  not  that  part  of 

6  nature 

Which  my  lord  paid  for,  be  of  any  power 
To  expel  ficknefs,  but  prolong  his  hour  !         [Exit., 

SCENE        II. 

A  ptiblick  Jireet. 
Enter  Lucius,  with  three  Jlrangers. 

Luc.  Who,  the  lord  Timon  ?  he  is  my  very  good 
friend,  and  an  honourable  gentleman. 

3  Let  molten  coin  le  thy  damnation,]  Perhaps  the  poet  allude* 
to  the  punifhment  infli&ed  on   M.  Aquilius  by  Mithridates.     In 
the  Shepherd's  Calendar,    however,    Lazarus  declares  himfelf  to 
have  feen  in  hell  "  a  great  number  of  wide  cauldrons  and  kettles, 
full  of  boy  ling  lead  and  oyle,  with  other  hot  metals  molten,  in  the 
which  were  plunged  and  dipped  the  covetous  men  and  women, 
for  to  fullfill  and  replenifh  them  of  their  infatiate  covetife." 

ST  F.  E  v  E  N  s . 

4  It  turns  in  lefs  than  two  nights? — ]  Alluuing  to  the  turning  or 
acefcence  of  milk.    JOHNSON. 

5  Unto  his  honour — ]  Thus  the  old  copy.  What  Flaminius  feems 
to  mean  is, — This  flave  (to  the  honour  of  his  character)  has,  &c. 
The  modern  editors  read,  unto  this  hour)  which  may  be  right. 

STEEVENS. 

6  — of  nurture]  The  common  copies  read  nature.     The  emenr 
elation  is  fir  T.  Hanmer's.    JOHNSON. 

Of  nature  is  furely  the  molt  expreffive  reading.  Flaminius  con- 
iiders  that  nutriment  which  Lucullu?  had  for  a  length  of  time 
received  at  Timon's  table,  as  conititu'ang  a  great  part  of  his  ani- 
mal fyftem.  STEEVENS. 

i  Stran. 
6 


TIMON     OF    ATHENS.        371 

1  Stran.  7  We  know  him  for  no  lefs,  though  we 
are  but  ftrangers  to  him.     But  I  can  tell  you  one 
thing,  my  lord,  and  which  I  hear  from  common  ru- 
mours, now  lord  Timon's  happy  hours  are  done  and 
pad,  and  his  eftate  (hrinks  from  him. 

Luc.  Fye,  no,  do  not  believe  it ;  he  cannot  want 
for  money.  f 

2  Si  ran.  But  believe  you  this,  my  lord,  that,  not 
long  ago,  one  of  his  men  was  with  the  lord  Lucullus, 
to  borrow  fo  many  talents 8  ;  nay,  urg'd  extremely 
for't,  and  fhew'd  what  neceffity  belong'd  to't,  and 
yet  was  deny'd. 

Luc.  How  ? 

2  Stran.  I  tell  you,  deny'd,  my  lord. 

Luc.  What  a  ftrange  cafe  was  that  ?  now,  berore 
the  gods,  I  am  afliam'd  on't.  Deny'd  that  honour- 
able man  ?  there  was  very  little  honour  fhew'd  in't. 
For  my  own  part,  I  muft  needs  confefs,  I  have  re- 
ceiv'd  fome  fmall  kindnefles  from  him,  as  money, 
plate,  jewels,  and  fuch  like  trifles,  nothing  com- 
paring to  his ;  9  yet,  had  he  miitook  him,  and  fent 

i  We  knew  him  for  no  Iff*,—]  That  is,  "Me  know  him  by  rep  ort 
to  be  no  lefs  than  you  reprefent  him,  though  we  are  ftrangers  to  hi» 
perfon.  JOHNSON. 

5  —to  borrow  fo  many  talents  ;— ]  'Such  is  the  reading  of  the 
old  copy.  The  modern  editors  read  arbitrarily,  fifty  talents.  So 
many  is  not  an  uncommon  colloquial  expreffion  for  an  indefinite 
number.  The  ftranger  might  not  know  the  exadt  fum. 

STEEVENS. 

9  —yet  bad  be  miftook  him,  and  fent  to  me, ]    We  (hould 

read, 

i  miflook'd  him, 

\.  e.  overlooked,  ne<;le6ted  to  fend  to  him.    WARBTJRTON. 

I  rather  read,  yet  had  be  not  miftook  him,  and  fent  to  me. 

JoHr  SON. 

Mr.  Edwards  propofes  to  read,  yet  bad  be  miffed  him.  Lueiui 
has  juft  declared  that  he  had  had  fewer  prefects  trom  Timori, 
than  Lucullus  had  received,  who  therefore  ought  to  have  been 
the  firft  to  aflift  him.  Yer,  lays  he,  had  Timon  mijlook  blm,  or 
overlooked  that  circumftance,  and  lent  to  me,  I  fhouid  not  have 
denied.  &c.  STEEVENS. 

Bbi  to 


372        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

to  me,  I  Ihould  ne'er  have  deny'd  his  occafion  fo 
many  talents. 

Enter  Servllius. 

Ser.  See,  by  good  hap,  yonder's  my  lord  ;  I  have 
fvveat  to  fee  his  honour. — My  honour'd  lord, — 

[To  Lucius. 

Luc.  Servilius !  you  are  kindly  met,  fir.  Fare 
thee  well  : — Commend  me  to  thy  honourable-vir- 
tuous lord,  my  very  exquilite  friend. 

Scr.  May  it  pleafe   your  honour,    my  lord  hath 
fent 

Luc.  Ha  !  what  hath  he  fent  ?  I  am  fo  much  en- 
dear'd  to  that  lord ;  he's  ever  fending ;  How  fhall 
I  thank  him,  think'ft  thou  ?  And  what  has  he  fent 
now  ? 

Ser.  He  has  only  fent  his  prefent  occafion  now, 
my  lord  ;  requefting  your  lordfhip  to  fupply  his  in- 
fant ufe  with  fo  many  talents  '. 

Luc.  I  know,  his  lordfhip  is  but  merry  with  me  ; 
He  cannot  want  fifty-five  hundred  talents. 

Ser.  But  in  the  mean  time  he  wants  lefs,  my  lord. 
4  If  his  occafion  were  not  virtuous, 

*  -"-V'ltlfo  many  talents.'}  Such  again  is  the  reading  with 

which  the  old  copy  fupplies  us.  Probably  the  exacl:  number  of 
the  talent j  waateJwas  not  exprefsly  fet  down  by  Shakefpeare.  If 
this  was  the  cafe,  the  player  who  reprefented  the  character  fpoke 
of  the  firft  number  that  was  uppermoft  in  his  mind ;  and  the 
printer,  who  copied  from  the  playhoufe  books,  put  down  an  in- 
definite for  the  definite  lum,  which  remained  unfpecified.  The 
modern  editors  read  again  in  this  inftance,  fffy  talents.  Perhap* 
the  fervant  brought  a  note  with  him  which  he  tender'd  to  Lu- 
cullus.  STEEVENS. 

1  If  his  occafion  were  not  virtuous,]  Virtuous  ^  for'ftrong,  forc- 
ible,, prefling.  WAREVRTOV. 

The  meaning  may  more  naturally  be ;  — If  he  did  not  want  it 
far  a  good  ufe.  J  o  H  .\  s  o  v . 

Dr  Johnfon's  explication  is  certainly  right We  had  before  : 

'*  Some  good  nccejf.ty  touches  his  friend."  MALONE. 

8  I  Ihould 


TIMON     OF     ATHENS.        373 

I  fliould  not  urge  it  *  half  fo  faithfully. 

Luc.  Doft  thou  fpeak  ferioufly,  Servilius  ? 

Set:  Upon  my  foul,  'tis  true,  fir. 

Luc.  What  a  wicked  bead  was  I,  to  disfurnifh 
myfelf  againft  fuch  a  good  time,  when  I  might 
have  ihewn  myfelf  honourable  ?  how  unluckily  it 
happen'd,  4  that  I  fhould  purchafe  the  day  before 
for  a  little  part,  and  undo  a  great  deal  of  honour  ? — 
Servilius,  now  before  the  gods,  I  am  not  able  to 
do't;  the  more  beaft,  I  fay  : — I  was  fending  to  ufe 
lord  Timon  myfelf,  thefe  gentlemen  can  witnefs; 
but  I  would  not,  for  the  wealth  of  Athens,  I  had 
done.it  now.  Commend  me  bountifully  to  his  good 
lordfhip  ;  and,  I  hope,  his  honour  will  conceive 
the  faireft  of  me,  becaufe  I  have  no  power  to  be 
kind  : — And  tell  him  this  from  me,  I  count  it  one 
of  my  greateft  afflictions,  fay,  that  I  cannot  plea- 
fure  fuch  an  honourable  gentleman.  Good  Servilius, 
will  you  befriend  me  fo  far,  as  to  ufe  my  own  words 
to  him  ? 

3  —lalffo  faithfully.]  Faithfully,  for  fervently*  Therefore, 
without  more  ado,  the  Oxford  editor  alters  the  text  to  fcrvcntl\. 
But  he  might  have  feen,  that  Shakefpeare  ufed  faithfully  for  fer- 
vently, as  in  the  former  part  of  the  fentence  he  had  ufed  vir- 
tuous for  forcible.  WARBURTON. 

*  that  I  Jhould  purchafe  the  (fay  before  for  a  little  p^rt,  and 

•undo  a  great  deal  of  honour  ? — ]  Though  there  is  a  feeming  plau- 
lible  antithefis  in  the  terms,  I  am  very  well  aflured  they  are  cor- 
rupt at  the  bottom.  For  a  little  part  of  what  ?  Honour  is  the  only 
fubitantive  that  follows  in  the  fentence.  How  much  is  the  an- 
tithefis improved  by  the  fenfe  which  my  emendation  gives  ? 
"  That  I  fliould  purchafe  for  a  little  <//;•/,  and  undo  a  great  cLal 
of  honour!"  THEOBALD. 

This  emendation  is  received,  like  all  others,  by  fir  T.  Han- 
mer,  but  neglected  by  Dr.  Warburton.  I  think  Theobald  right 
in  fufpecling  a  corruption  ;  nor  is  his  emendation  injudicious, 
though  perhaps  we  may  better  read,  purchafe  the  day  before  for  a 
little  park.  JOHNSON. 

I  am  fatisfied  with  the  old  reading,  which  is  fufficiently  in  our 
author's  manner.  By  purchafing  what  brought  me  but  little  ho- 
nour, I  have  loft  the  more  honourable  opportunity  ot  uinplying 
the  wants  of  my  friend.  STEEVENS. 

B  b  3  Ser. 


374        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

Ser.  Yes,  fir,  I  fhall. 

Luc.  I'll  look  you  out  a  good  turn,  Servilius.-- 

[Exit  Servilius. 

True,  as  you  faid,  Timon  is  fhrunk,  indeed  ; 
And  he,  that's  once  deny'd,  will  hardly  fpeed. 

[Exit. 

1  Stran.  Do  you  obferve  this,  Hoftilius  > 

2  Stran.  Ay,  too  well. 

i  Stran.  Why,  this  is  the  world's  fport ; 
And  juft  of  the  fame  piece  is  every  5  flatterer's  foul. 
Who  can  call  him  his  friend, 
That  dips  in  the  fame  dilh  ?  for,  in  my  knowing, 
Timon  has  been  this  lord's  father, 
And  kept  his  credit  with  his  purfe  ; 
Supported  his  eihte  ;  nay,  Timon's  money 
Has  paid  his  men  their  wages  :   He  ne'er  drinks, 
But  Timon's  filver  treads  upon  his  lip; 
And  yet,  (O,  fee  the  monftn  ufnefs  of  man, 
When  he  looks  out  in  an  ungrateful  lhape !) 
He  does  deny  him,  6  in  refpecft  of  his, 
What  charitable  men  afford  to  beggars. 

s  m-Jlattercr* s  fpirit.]  This  is  Dr.  Warburton's  emendation. 
The  other  editions  read, 

Why  ibis  is  the  world's  foul ; 
Of  the  f'i','1,  piece  is  every  flatterer's  fport. 

Mr.  Upton  has  not  unluckily  tranfpofed  the  two  final  words,  thus  : 
WLy>  this  is  the  world's  fport : 
Of  the  fame  pi  fee  is  erf  ry  flatterer's  foul. 

The  paifrge  is  not  fo  obfcure  as  to  provoke  fo  much  enquiry. 
77  .'.f,  fays  he.  is  the  foul  or  fpirit  of  the  world:  every  flatterer 
plays  the  fame  game,  makes  fport  with  the  confidence  of  his 
friend.  JOHNSON." 

I  have  adopted  Upton's  tranfpofition  rather  than  Ur.  Warbur- 
ton's alteration.  STEEVENS. 

6  — in  refpetl  of  his,  ]  i.e.  confidering  Timon's  claim  for  what 
he  afks.  WAR  BUB  TON. 

*  -  in  rfffefl  of  his,~\  That  is,  in  rcfbcft  of  his  fortune,  what  Lu- 
cius denies  to  Timon  is  in  proportion  to  what  Lucius  poflelfes, 
lefs  than  the  ufual  alms  given  by  good  men  to  beggars. 

JOHNSON. 

3  Stran. 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS.        375 

3  Stran.  Religion  groans  at  it. 

i  Stran,  For  mine  own  part, 
I  never  tafted  Timon  in  my  life, 
Nor  came  any  of  his  bounties  over  me, 
To  mark  me  for  his  friend  ;  yet,  I  protefr, 
For  his  right  noble  mind,  illuflrious  virtue, 
And  honourable  carriage, 
Had  his  neceffity  made  ufe  of  me, 
7  I  would  have  put  my  wealth  into  donation  % 
And  the  beft  half  Ihould  have  returned  to  him, 
So  much  I  love  his  heart :  But,  I  perceive, 
Men  mud  learn  now  with  pity  to  difpenfe ; 
For  policy  fits  above  confcience.  [Exeunt. 

7  I  would  have  put  my  ivealf/j  into  donation, 

And  the  left  half  Jbould  have  return 'd  to  bim^\ 
Hanmer  reads, 

I  would  have  put  myiveahb  into  partition, 

And  the  left  half  Jbould  have  attorn 'd  to  him. 

Dr.  Warburton  receives  attorn*  J.  The  only  difficulty  is  in  the 
word  returned,  which,  fince  he  had  received  nothing  from  him, 
cannot  be  ufed  but  in  a  very  low  and  licentious  meaning. 

JOHNSON. 

8  Had  bis  neceffity  made  ufe  of  me,  I  would  ban>e  put  my  fortune 
into  a  condition  to  be  alienated^  and  the  bejl  balfofivbat  I  bad  gained 
niyfelf)  or  received  from  others^  Jbould  /.'-awe  found  its  ivay  to  him, 
Hither  fuch  licentious  expofition  muft  be  allowed,  or  the  paflage 
remain  in  obfcurity,  as  fome  readers  may  not  chufe  to  receive 
Hanmer's  emendation. 

There  is,  however,  fuch  a  word  as  attorned.     See  Holinfhed's 

Reign  of  K.  Richard  II.  p.  481  :  "  they  plainly  told  him 

they  would  not  atturne  to  him,  nor  be  under  his  juriidiction,  &c." 
The  following  lines  in  Hamlet,  aft  II.  fc.  ii.  perfuade  me  that 
my  explanation  of — put  my  wealth  into  donation—  is  very  doubt- 
ful: 

*'  Put  your  dread  pleafures  more  into  command 

"  Than  to  entreaty." 
Again,  in  Cymbeliue^  act  III.  fc.  iv  : 

"  And  mad'lt  me  put  into  contempt  the  fuits 

"  Of  princely  fellows,  &c." 

Perhaps  the  ftnmger  means  to  fay,  I  would  have  treated  my  wealth 
as  a  prefent  originally  received  "trom  him,  and  on  this  ojcaiion 
have  return'd  him  the  half  of  that  whole  for  v»  hich  I  fuppjfed  my- 
fclf  to  be  indebted  to  his  bounty.  STEEVEXS. 

B  b  4  SCENE 


376        TIMON    OF    ATHENS, 

SCENE       III. 

Sempronius's  Houfe. 
Enter  Sempronlus,  with  a  Servant  of  Timorfs. 

Sem.  Muft  he  needs  trouble  me  in't  ?  Hum !  'Bove 

all  others  ? 

He  might  have  try'd  lord  Lucius,,  or  Lucullus ; 
And  now  Ventidius  is  wealthy  too, 
Whom  he  redeem'd  from  prifon  :  All  thefe 
Owe  their  eftates  unto  him. 

Serv.  My  lord, 
9  They  have  all  been  touch'd,  and  found  bafe  me-. 

tal;  for 
They  have  all  deny'd  him  ? 

Sem.  How  !  have  they  deny'd  him  ? 
Has  Ventidius  and  Lucullus  deny'd  him  ? 
And  does  he  fend  to  me  ?  Three  ?  hum  !— 
It  (hews  but  little  love  or  judgment  in  him. 
Muft  I  be  his  laft  refuge  ?  '  His  friends,  like  phy- 

licians, 

Thrive,  give  him  over ;  Muft  I  take  the  cure  upon 
me  ? 

He 

9  They  have  all  leen  touch'd, — ]   That  is,  tried,  alluding  to  th? 
tonc/i/lone.     JOHNSOX. 

1   bis  friends  like  phyjlciam 

Thriv'd,  give  him  over?~\ 

I  have  reflored  this  old  reading,  only  amending  the  pointing, 
which  was  faulty.  Mr.  Pope,  lufpecling  the  phrafe,  has  fubfti- 
tuted  three  in  the  room  of  thrived,  and  fo  difarmed  the  poet's  fa- 
tire.  Phyficians  thrived  is  no  more  than  phyficians  grown  rich  : 
Only  the  adjective  paffive  of  this  verb,  indeed,  is  not  fo  common 
in  u-!e;  and  yet  it  is  a  familiar  expreffion,  to  this  day,  to  fay,  Such 
(i  one  is  well  thriven  on  his  trade.  THEOBALD. 
The  original  reading  is, 

• his  friends,  (Uke 

Thrive,  give  him  O-T 
which  Theobald  has  mifreprefented.  Hanmer  reads,  /ryV,  plau 
fibly  enough.  Inftead  of  three  propofed  by  Mr.  Pope,  I  fliould 
jrcad  thrice.  But  perhaps  the  old  reading  is  the  true.  JOHNSON. 

Pet* 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS.        377 

He  has  much  difgrac'd  me  in't;  I  am  angry  at  him, 

That  might  have  known  my  place :  I  fee  no  fenfe  for't, 

But  his  occafions  might  have  woo'd  me  firft ; 

For,  in  my  confcience,  I  was  the  firfl  man 

That  e'er  receiv'd  gift  from  him  : 

And  does  he  think  fo  backwardly  of  me  now, 

That  I'll  requite  it  laft  ?  No  : 

So  it  may  prove  an  argument  of  laughter 

To  the  reft,  and  I  'mongft  lords  be  thought  a  fool. 

I  had  rather  than  the  worth  of  thrice  the  fum, 
He  had  fent  to  me  firfl,  but  for  my  mind's  fake ; 

I 1  had  fuch  a  courage  to  do  him  good.     But  now 

return, 

And  with  their  faint  reply  this  anfwer  join ; 
Who  bates  mine  honour,  lhall  not  know  my  coin. 

[Exit. 
Serv.  Excellent !    a  Your  lordfhip's  a  goodly  vil- 

Perhaps  we  fliould  read— •Jhriv'd.  They  give  him  over  firin?d  ; 
that  is,  prepared  for  immediate  death  by  JJjrift.  TYRWHITT. 

Perhaps  the  following  paflage  in  Webfter's  Dutcbefs  of  Maljy  is 
the  beft  comment  after  all : 

"  •  Phyficians  thus 

*'  With  their  hands  full  of  money,  ufe  to  give  o'er 
"  Their  patients." 

The  paflage  will  then  mean  :— — "  His  friends,  like  phyficians, 
thrive  by  his  bounty  and  fees,  and  either  relinquifi,  and  forfake 
him,  or  give  his  cafe  up  as  defperate."     To  give  over  in  the  Tam- 
ing of  the  Shrew  has  no  reference  to  the  irremediable  condition  of  a 
patient,  but  limply  means  to  leave,  to  forfake,  to  quit : 
"  And  therefore  let  me  be  thus  bold  with  you 
'*  To  give  you  over  at  this  firft  encounter, 
"  Unlefs  you  will  accompany  me  thither."      STEEVENS. 
1  /  had  fuch  a  courage — ]  Such  an  ardour,  fuch  an  eager  defire. 

JOHNSON. 

a  Excellent,  &c.]  I  fuppofe  the  former  part  of  this  fpeech  to 
have  been  originally  written  in  verfe,  as  well  as  the  latter ;  though 
the  players  having  printed  it  as  profe  (omitting  feveral  fyl- 
lables  neceflary  to  the  metre)  it  cannot  now  be  reftored  without 
fuch  additions  as  no  editor  is  at  liberty  to  infert  in  the  text. 

STEEVENS. 

lain." 


378        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

lain.  J  The  devil  knew  not  what  he  did,  when  he 
made  man  politick ;  he  crofs'd  himfelf  by't :  and  I 
cannot  think,  but,  in  the  end,  the  villainies  of  man  4 
will  fet  him  clear.  How  fairly  this  lord  ftrives  to  ap- 
pear foul  ?  5  takes  virtuous  copies  to  be  wicked ; 

3  — 77v  devil  knew  not  what  be  d':d, ~]    I  cannot  but  think 

that  the  negative  not  has  intruded  into  this  paflage,  and  the  reader 
will  think  Ib  too,  when  he  reads  Dr.  Warburton's  explanation  of 
the  next  words.  JOHNSON. 

* '•Mill  fet  him  clear.  —  ]  Set  him  clear  does  not  mean  acquit 

liim  befo/e  heaven  ;  for  then  the  devil  muft  be  fuppofed  to  know 
•what  he  did :  but  it  fignifies  puzzle  him,  outdo  ham  at  his  own 
weapons.  WAR  BURTON. 

How  the  devil,  or  any  other  being,  fhould  be  fit  dear  by  be- 
ing puzzled  and  outdone,  the  commentator  has  not  explained. 
When  in  a  crowd  we  would  have  an  opening  made,  we  fay,  Starul 
clear,  that  is,  out  of  the  ivay  of  danger.  With  fome  affinity  to  this 
life,  though  not  without  great  harfhnefs,  to  fit  clear,  may  be  to 
fet  afiJe.  But  I  believe  the  original  corruption  is  the  infertion  or" 
the  negative,  which  was  obtruded  by  fome  tranfcriber,  who  fup- 
pofed crojjed  to  mean  thwarted,  when  it  meant,  exempted  from  evil. 
The  ufe  of  crojjitig,  by  way  of  protection  or  purification,  was  pro- 
bably not  worn  out  in  Shakefpeare's  time.  The  fenfe  of  fet  clear 
is  now  eafy ;  he  has  no  longer  the  guilt  of  tempting  man.  To 
crofs  himfelf  may  mean,  in  a  very  familiar  fenfe,  to  dear  hisfeore, 
to  get  out  of  chit,  to  quit  his  reckoning.  He  knew  not  -what  he  diJ, 
may  mean,  he  knew  not  how  much  good  he  was  doing  himfelf. 
There  is  then  no  need  of  emendation.  JOHNSON. 

Perhaps  Dr.  Warburton's  explanation  is  the  true  one.  Clear  1$ 
an  adverb,  or  fo  u.ed  ;  and  Dr.  Johnibn's  Dictionary  obferves  that 
to  fet  means,  in  Addiion,  to  embarrafs,  to  diftrefs,  to  perplex.-— 
If  then  the  devil  made  men  politic,  he  has  thwarted  his  own  inte- 
reft,  becaufe  the  fuperior  cunning  of  man  will  at  lai\  puzzle  him, 
or  be  above  the  reach  of  his  temptations.  TOLLET. 

5  —takes  virtuous  copies  to  be  wicked  \  like  thofe  &c.]  This  is  a 
reflection  on  the  puritans  of  that  time.  Thefe  people  were  then 
fet  upon  a  project  of  new  modelling  the  ecclefiaitical  and  civil  go- 
vernment according  to  fcripture  ruies  and  examples ;  which  makes 
him  fay,  that  under  zcat  for  the  word  of  God,  they  wotuJJetwMt 
realms  on  fire.  So  Sempronius  pretended  to  that  warm  affection 
and  generous  jealoufy  of  friendfliip,  that  is  affronted,  if  any  other 
be  applied  to  before  it.  At  belt  the  fimilirude  is  an  auk'.vard 
one :  but  it  fitted  the  audience^  though  not  shzfpeaker. 

WARBURTON. 

like 


TIMON     OF     ATHENS. 

like  tbofe  thr,    under  hot  ardent  zeal,  would  fet 

whole  realms  on  fire 

Of  fuch  a  natare  is  his  politick  love. 

This  was  my  lord's  bcft  hope  ;  now  a'l  are  fled, 

Save  only  the  gods  :   No:.v  his  friends  are  dend, 

Doors,  that  were  ne'er  acquainted  with  their  wards 

Many  a  bounteous  year,  mutt  be  employ'd 

Now  to  guard  fure  their  matter. 

And  this  is  a',1  a  liberal  courfe  allows; 

Who  cannot  keep  his  wealth,  muft  6  keep  his  houfe. 


SCENE    IV. 

Timotfs  hall. 

Enter  Varro,  'fit  us,  Hortenfius,  ''Lucius,  and  other  fer- 
vantsoflimon's  creditors,  who  wait  for  his  coming  out. 

Var.  Well  met;  good  morrow,  Titus,  andJHor- 
tenfius. 

Tit.  The  like  to  you,  kind  Varro. 

Hor.  Lucius  ? 
What,  do  we  meet  together  ? 

IMC.  Ay,  and,  I  think, 
One  bufinefs  does  command  us  all  ;  for  mine 
Is  money. 

Tit.  So  is  theirs,  and  ours. 

Enter  Phllotus. 

Luc.  And  fir  Philotus  too  ! 
Phi.  Good  day  at  once. 

6  keep  bh  bovfe.]  i.e.  keeg  within  doors  for  fear  of  duns. 

JOHNSON. 

7  -  Luc  /?«,—.]  Lucius  is  here  again  for  the  fervant  of  Lu- 
cius.   JOHNSON. 

Luc. 


380        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

Luc.  Welcome,  good  brother.  What  do  you  think 
the  hour  ? 

Phi.  Labouring  for  nine. 

Luc.  So  much  ? 

Phi.  Is  not  my  lord  feen  yet  ? 

Luc.  Not  yet. 

PH.  I  wonder  on't;  he  was  wont  to  fhine  at  fcvcn. 

Luc.  Ay,  but  the  days  are  waxed  fhorter  with  him  : 
You  mult  confider,  that  *  a  prodigal's  courfe 
Is  like  the  fun's  ;  but  not,  like  his,  recoverable. 
I  fear, 

>Pis  deepeft  winter  in  lord  Timon's  purfe; 
That  is,  one  may  reach  deep  enough,  and  yet 
Find  little. 

Phi.  I  am  of  your  fear  for  that. 

Tit.  I'll  fhew  you  how  to  obferve  a  ftrange  event. 
Your  lord  fends  now  for  money. 

Hor.  Moft  true,  he  does. 

7//.  And  he  wears  jewels  now  of  Timon's  gift, 
For  which  I  wait  for  money. 

Hor.  It  is  againft  my  heart. 

Luc.  Mark,  how  flrange  it  Ihows, 
Timon  in  this  ihould  pay  more  than  he  owes  : 
And  e'en  as  if  your  lord  mould  wear  rich  jewels, 
And  fend  for  money  for  'em. 

Hor.  9 1  am  weary  of  this  charge,  the  gods  can 

witnefs : 

I  know,  my  lord  hath  fpent  of  Timon's  wealth, 
And  now  ingratitude  makes  it  worfe  than  Health. 

Tar.  Yes,  mine's  three  thqufand  crowns :  What's 
yours  ? 

Luc.  Five  thoufand  mine, 

8  •  •  a  prodigal's  ccurfe 

L  like  tic  fun*  3  ; . ] 

That  is,  like  him  in  blaze  and  fplendour. 

"  Soles  eccitiere  et  redlre poflunt"     Cntul.     JOHNSON'. 
9  I  am  weary  of  this  charge ^  ]   That  is,  of  this  ccmmijjioHt 

of  this  employment.     JOHNSON. 

Var. 


TIMON     OF     ATHENS.        381 

Var.  Tis  much  deep  :  and  it  fhould  feetn  by  the 

fum, 

Your  matter's  confidence  was  above  mine  ; 
1  Elfe,  furely,  his  had  equall'd. 

Enter  Flamlnius. 

fit.  One  of  lord  Timon's  men. 

Luc.  Flaminius !  fir,  a  word :  Pray,  is  my  lord 
Ready  to  come  forth  ?. 

Flam.  No,  indeed,  he  is  not. 

Tit.  We  attend  his  lordfhip ;  pray,  fignify  fo  much. 

Flam.  I  need  not  tell  him  that ;  he  knows,  you 
are  too  diligent.  [Exit  Flaminius. 

Enter  Flavius  in  a  cloak,  miffled. 

Luc.  Ha !  is  not  that  his  fteward  muffled  fo  ? 
He  goes  away  in  a  cloud  :  call  him,  call  him. 
Tit.  Do  you  hear,  fir  ? 

Var.  By  your  leave,  fir, 

Flav.  What  do  you  alk  of  me,  my  friend  ? 
Tit.  We  wait  for  certain  money  here,  fir. 

'  Elfe,furcly,  bis  bad  equal? d.]  Should  it  not  be,  £/fe,  /#/?/>, 
mine  bad  equali  d.  JOHNSON. 

The  meaning,  I  think  is : — The  confidence  repofed  in  your 
matter  was  greater  than  that  repofed  in  mine,  elfe,  furely,  the 
fum  demanded  from  him,  i.  e.  from  your  mailer,  would  have  been 
equal  to  that  demanded  from  mine :  which  equality  would  have 
been  produced  by  the  demand  on  my  mailer  being  raifed  from  three 
thoufand  crowns  to  five  thoufand. 

A  large  fum  may  be  equalized  to  a  fmall  one  as  well  by  addi- 
tion to  the'fmaller,  as  by  fubitradion  from  the  greater.— —The 
words  mean  the  fame  as  if  Varro's  fen-ant  had  faid : — elfe  furely  the 
t-wo  demands  bad  been  equal, 

The  paflage  however  may  be  explained  thus — His  may  refer  to 
mine ;  as  if  he  had  faid  :  Your  matter's  confidence  was  above  my 
maficr'i ;  elfe  furely  bl^  \.  e.  the  fum  demanded  from  my  matter 
<for  that  is  the  laft  antecedent)  had  been  equal  to  the  film  demand- 
ed from  yours.  MAIONE. 

Flav. 


383        TIM  ON"    OF    ATHENS. 

Flav.  Ay,  if  money  were  as  certain  as  your  wait- 
ing* 

'Twere  fure  enough. 

Why  then  preferr'd  you  not  your  fums  and  bills, 
"When  your  falfe  matters  eat  of  my  lord's  meat  ? 
Then  they  would  fmile,  and  fawn  upon  his  debts, 
And  take  down  the  intereft  in  their  gluttonous  maws ; 
You  do  yourfelves  but  wrong,  to  ftir  me  up ; 
Let  me  pafs  quietly  : 

Believe't,  my  lord  and  I  have  made  an  end  ; 
I  have  no  more  to  reckon,  he  to  fpend. 

Luc.  Ay,  but  this  anfwer  will  not  ferve. 

Flav.  If  'twill  not  ferve,  'tis  not  fo  bafe  as  you  ; 
For  you  ferve  knaves.  [Exit* 

Var.  How  !  what  does  his  caftrier'd  worihip  mutter? 

Tit.  No  matter  what ;  he's  poor, 
And  that's  revenge  enough.   Who  can  fpeak  broader 
Than  he  that  has  no  houfe  to  put  his  head  in  ? 
Such  may  rail  'gainft  great  buildings. 

-  Enter  Servilius. 

Tit.  O,  here's  Servilius ;  now  we  fliall  know 
Some  anfwer. 

Serv.  If  I  might  befeech  you,  gentlemen, 
To  repair  fome  other  hour,  I  fliould 
Derive  much  from  it :  for,  take  it  on  my  foul, 
My  lord  leans  wond'rouily  to  difcontent : 
His  comfortable  temper  has  forfook  him  ; 
He  is  much  out  of  health,  and  keeps  his  chamber. 

Luc.  Many  do  keep  their  chambers,  are  not  fick  : 
And,  if  he  be  fo  far  beyond  his  health, 
Methinks,  he  fhould  the  fooner  pay  his  debts, 
And  make;a  clear  way  to  the  gods. 

Ser.  Good  gods ! 

*  Enter  Scrvillus.'}  It  may  be  obferved  that  Shakefpeare  hasun- 
ikilfully  filled  his  Greek  ftory  with  Roman  names.    JOHNSON. 

To. 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS.        38* 

Tit.  We  cannot  take  this  for  anfwer,  fir. 
Flam.  \W"ithin.~\  Servilius,  help  ! — my  lord !  my 
lord!    ' 

Enter  Timon,  In  a  rage. 

Vim.  What,  are  my  doors  oppos'd  againft  my  paf- 

fage  ? 

Have  I  been  ever  free,  and  muft  my  houfe 
Be  my  retentive  enemy,  my  jail  ? 
The  place,  which  I  have  feafted,  does  it  now, 
Like  all  mankind,  Ihew  me  an  iron  heart  ? 

Luc.  Put  in  now,  Titus. 

Tit.  My  lord,  here  is  my  bill 

Luc.  Here's  mine. 

Var.  And  mine,  my  lord. 

Caph.  And  ours,  my  lord. 

Phi.  All  our  bills. 

Tim.  Knock  me  down  with  'em  J,  cleave  me  to  the 
girdle. 

Luc.  Alas !  my  lord, — 

Tim.  Cut  my  heart  in  fums. 

Tit.  Mine,  fifty  talents. 

Tun.  Tell  out  my  blood. 

Lite.  Five  thoufand  crowns,  my  lord. 

'Tim.  Five  thoufand  drops  pays  that.— 
What  yours  ? — and  yours  ? 

3  Knock  me  down  -^ItJj  'tm : ]  Timon  quibbles.  Theypre- 

fent  their  written  bills ;  he  catches  at  the  word,  and  alludes  to  the 
tills,  or  battle-axes,  which  the  ancient  foldiery  carried,  and  were 
ftill  ufed  by  the  watch  in  Shakefpeare's  time.  See  the  fcene  be- 
tween Dogberry  &c.  in  Much  ado  about  Nothing ;  and  Heywood's 
Fair  Maid  of  tie  Weft,  16:5: 

*'  write  them  a  lill.  • 

"  I'll  watch  them  for  that,  'tis  no  time  of  night  to  ufe  our  bilk" 

Again,  in  Heywood's  If  you  know  not  Me  you  know  Noboefyt 
1 63  3,  fecond  Pan,  fir  John  Grefham  fays  to  his  creditors:  "  Friends, 
you  cannot  beat  me  down  with  your  bills"  Again,  in  Deckar's 
Giih  Hornbook,  1609:  «*  ——they  durltnot^/7/krffcw*  their  cuf- 
tomers  witfc  large  bilh"  STEEVENS. 

i  Par, 


384        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

1  Far.  My  lord, 

2  Far.  My  lord, 

2"«».  Tear  me,  take  me,  and  the  gods  fall  upon  you  ! 

[Exit. 

Hor.  Taith,  I  perceive,  our  matters  may  throw 
their  caps  at  their  money  ;  thefe  debts  may  be  well 
called  defperate  ones,  for  a  madman  owes  'em. 

{Exeunt. 

Re-enter  Timon^  and  Flavins. 

Tim*  They  have  e'en  put  my  breath  from  me,  the 

Haves : 
Creditors ! — — devils. 

Flav.  My  dear  lord, — 

'Tim.  What  if  it  fhould  be  fo  ? 

Flav.  My  lord,— 

3'im.  I'll  have  it  fo  : — My  fleward ! 

Flav.  Here,  my  lord. 

T'im.  So  fitly  ? — Go,  bid  all  my  friends  again, 
Lucius,  Lucullus,  and  Sempronius*,  all; 
I'll  once  more  feaft  the  rafcals. 

Flav.  O  my  lord, 

You  only  fpeak  from  your  diffracted  foul ; 
There  is  not  fo  much  left,  to  furnilh  out 
A  moderate  table. 

2Vw.  Be  it  not  in  thy  care ;  go, 
I  charge  thee,  invite  them  all :  let  in  the  tide 
Of  knaves  once  more ;  my  cook  and  I'll  provide. 

[Exeunt. 

*  Lucius,  Lucullus,  &c.]  The  old  copy  reads :  Lucius,  Lucul* 
/w,  and  Semproniui  Fllorxa  ;  all.     StEEVENS. 


SCENE 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS.        385 

SCENE        V. 

?he  Senate-Jo  oufe. 
Senators,  and  Alcibiades. 

i  Sen.    My  lord,  you  have  my  voice  to't;    the 

fault's  bloody  ; 
"Tis  neceflary,  he  fhould  die  : 
Nothing  emboldens  fin  fo  much  as  mercy. 

2,  Sen.  Moft  true ;  the  law  lhall  bruife  'em. 

Ale.  Honour,  health,  and  companion  to  the  fenate  J 

i  Sen.  Now,  captain  ? 

Ale.  I  am  an  humble  fuitor  to  your  virtues; 
For  pity  is  the  virtue  of  the  law, 
And  none  but  tyrants  ufe  it  cruelly. 
It  pleafes  time,  and  fortune,  to  lie  heavy 
Upon  a  friend  of  mine,  who,  in  hot  blood, 
Hath  ftept  into  the  law,  which  is  part  depth 
To  thofe  that,  without  heed,  do  plunge  into  it. 
5  He  is  a  man,  6fetting  his  fate  afide, 
Of  comely  virtues  : 

Nor  did  he  foil  the  fact  with  cowardife ; 
(An  honour  in  him,  which  buys  out  his  fault) 
But,  with  a  noble  fury,  and  fair  fpirit, 
Seeing  his  reputation  touch'd  to  death, 

5  He  is  a  man,  &c.]  I  have  printed  thefe*lines  after  the  original 
copy,  except  that,  for  an  honour,  it  is  there,  and  honour.  All  the 
latter  editions  deviate  unwarrantably  from  the  original,  and  give 
the  lines  thus : 

He  is  a  man,  fetting  his  fault  ajicle, 

Of  virtuous  honour,  which  buys  out  his  fault  j 

Nor  did  he  foil,  Si  c .      JOHNSON. 

6 fitting  hisfaah  ajti'f,'} 

\Vc  muft  read  : 

this/*™//. WARBURTON. 

The  reading  of  the  old  copy  is,— -fetting  his  fate  afidf,  i.  e.  put- 
ting this  acYion  of  his,  which  was  pre-detennined  by  fate,  out  of 
•the  queilion.  STEEVENS. 

VOL.  VIII.  C  c  He 


386        TIMON     OF    ATHENS, 

He  did  oppofe  his  foe  : 
And  with  fuch  fober  7  and  unnoted  paffion 
8  He  did  behave  his  anger,  ere  'twas  fpent, 
As  if  he  had  but  prov'd  an  argument. 

i  Sen.  9  You  undergo  too  ftridt  a  paradox, 
Striving  to  make  an  ugly  deed  look  fair  : 
Your»words  have  took  fuch  pains,  as  if  they  laboured 
To  bring  man-flaughter  into  form,  and  fet  quarrelling. 
Upon  the  head  of  valour  ;  which,  indeed, 
Is  valour  mifbegot,  and  came  into  the  world 
When  fedts  and  factions  were  newly  born  : 

•  7  and  unnoted  pa//ion}  Unnoted,  for  common,  bounded. 

WAR  BURTON-. 

8  He  did  behave  his  anger, ]    Behave,  for  curb,  manage. 

But  the  Oxford  editor  equips  the  old  poet  with  a  more  modern 
phrafe : 

He  did  behave  in's  anger, 
A  paltry  dipt  jargon  of  modern  fops,  for  behave  himfelf. 

WARBURTOV. 

The  original  copy  reads  not  behave  but  behoove.  I  do  not  well 
underfhmd  the  pallage  in  either  reading.  Shall  we  try  a  daring, 
conjecture  ? 

iviffj  fuch  fiber  and  unnoted  paffion 

He  did  behold  his  adverfary  (hent, 

As  if  he  had  but  prov'd  an  argument, 

He  looked  with  fuch  calmnefs  on  his  (lain  adv'erftry.     I  do  not 
fuppofe  that  this  is  right,  but  put  it  down,  for  want  of  better. 

JOH.VSON. 

Cunffa  prius  tenianda. 
I  would  rather  read  : 

and  unnoted pajfion 

He  did  behave,  ere  ivas  his  angtr  fpent. 

Unnoted  paffiaa.  means,  I  believe,  an  uncommon  command  of  hi« 
paffion,  fuch  a  one  as  has  not  hitherto  been  obferved.  Behave  bis 
•  linger  may,  however,  be  right.  In  fir  W.  Darenant's  play  of  the- 
the  Jujl  Italian,  1630,  behave  is  ufeJ  in  as  fingulara  mauuer  : 

**  How  well  my  liars  behave  their  influenced* 
Again  : 

"  You  an  Italian,  fir,  and  thus 

"  Behave  the  knowledge  of  difgrace  !" 
In  both  thefe  inftances,  to  behave  is  to  manage-     STEEVENS. 

9  Ton  undergo  tov  Jlrift  a  paradox,}  You  undertake  a  paradox 
too  hard.    JOHNSON. 

He's- 


TI1VION    OF    ATHENS,        387 

He's  truly  valiant,  that  can  wifely  fufTer 

The  worft  that  man  can  breathe ;    '  and  make  his 

wrongs 
His  outfides ;  to  wear  them  like  his  raiment,  care- 

lefly; 

And  ne'er  prefer  his  injuries  to  his  heart, 
To  bring  it  into  danger. 
If  wrongs  be  evils,  and  enforce  us  kill, 
What  folly  'tis,  to  hazard  life  for  ill  ? 

Ale.  My  lord, — 

i  Sen.  You  cannot  make  grofs  fins  look  clear; 
To  revenge  is  no  valour,  but  to  bear. 

Ak.  My  lords,  then,  under  favour,  pardon  me, 
If  I  fpeak  like  a  captain. — 
Why  do  fond  men  expofe  themfelves  to  battle, 
And  not  endure  all  threats  ?  fleep  upon  it, 
And  let  the  foes  quietly  cut  their  throats, 
Without  repugnancy  ?  If  there  be 
Such  valour  in  the  bearing,  2  what  make  we 
Abroad  ?  why  then,  women  are  more  valiant, 
That  flay  at  home,  if  bearing  carry  it ; 
*  The  afs,  more  captain  than  the  lion  ;  and  the  fel- 
low, 

Loaden 

1    -  and  made  "kh  wrongs 

His  outfides  ;  wear  them  like  bis  raiment  carelejly  ;] 
It  fhould  be  read  and  pointed  thus  : 

'"  and  make  his  wrongs 
His  ontfide  wear ;   bang  like  bis  raiment,  carelcftly. 

WAR  BURTON^ 
The  prefent  reading  is  better.     JOHNSON. 

x  what  make  ive 

Abroad? ] 

What  do  we,  or  what  have  we  to  Jo  in  the  f eld.     JOHNSON. 

3   The  afs,  more  than  tlx  lion  ;  &c.]    Here  is  another  arbitrary 
regulation,  the  original  reads  thus  : 

what  make  we 

Abroad?  wJjy  then,  women  are  more  valiant 

*Jbat  Jlay  at  home,  if  I  ear  ing  carry  it : 

And  tic  afi  mart  captain  than  the  lion, 

'7 be  fellow,  loaden  witb  irons,  wifer  :Lan  ike  ittdget 

Ifwifdom  5cc. 

C  c  z  I  think 


388        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

Loaden  with  irons,  wifer  than  the  judge, 

If  wifdom  be  in  fuffering.     O  my  lords, 

As  you  are  great,  be  pitifully  good  : 

Who  cannot  condemn  rafhnefs  in  cold  blood  ? 

To  kill,  I  grant,  is  4  fin's  extreamell  guft ; 

But,  in  defence,  5  by  mercy,  'tis  moftjuft. 

To  be  in  anger,  is  impiety  ; 

But  who  is  man,  that  is  not  angry  ? 

Weigh  but  the  crime  with  this. 

2,  Sen.  You  breathe  in  vain. 

Ale.  In  vain  ?  his  fervice  done 

I  think  it  may  be  better  adjufted  thus  : 
•  ivhat  make  \ve 

Abroad  f  ivhy  then  the  women  are  more  valiant 
Jliatjfay  at  home ; 
If  bearing  carry  //,  then  is  the  ajs 
More  captain  than  the  lion,  and  the  felon 
Leaden  with  irons  i^'lfer,  &c.     JOHNSON. 

As  the  words—  more  captain  than  the  lion — are  found  in  the  old 
copy,  on  what  principle  can  they  be  changed,  however  harfh  the 
phrafe  may  found  to  our  ears  ? That  it  was  the  author's,  ap- 
pears, I  think,  not  only  from  the  introduction  to  this  fpeech  of 

Alcibiades : 

"  My  lord,  then  under  favour  pardon  me 

"  If  I  fpeak  like  a  captain :"- 

but  from  Shakelpeare's  66th  Sonnet,  where  the  word  captain  it 
ufed  with  at  lea  (I  as  much  bafffihefi  as  in  the  text : 
**  And  captive  good  attending  captain  ill." 
Again,  in  another  of  his  Sonnets  : 

**  Like  ftones  of  worth  they  thinly  placed  are 
"  Or  captain  jewels  in  the  curkanet."     MALONE. 
**-~JtfitJrtreaa*$g»fl\\   Gujl^  for  aggravation. 

WAR  BUR  TON. 

Guft  is  here  in  its  common  fenfe;  the  utmoft  degree  of  appetite 
for  fin.  JOHNSON.  • 

I  believe  guft  means  rajhnffs.  The  allufion  may  be  to  a  fuddep 
guft  cf  <avW.  STF.EVENS. 

5  ly  mercy,  'tis  moft  juji,]    By  mercy  is  meant  equity.     But 

we  mult  read : 

'tis  madejuft.     WAR  EUR  TON. 

Mercy  is  not  put  tor  equity.  If  fuch  explanation  be  allowed, 
what  can  be  difficult  f  The  meaning  is,  /  call  mere}'  bcrfilfto  wit^ 
nefs,  that  defentive  violence  is  juft.  "  JOHNSON. 

At 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS.        389 

At  Lacedasmon,  and  Byzantium, 
Were  a  fufficient  briber  for  his  life. 

1  Sen.  What's  that  ? 

Ak.  Why,  I  fay,  my  lords,  he  has  done  fair  fer- 

vice, 

And  flain  in  fight  many  of  your  enemies  : 
How  full  of  valour  did  he  bear  himfelf 
In  the  laft  conflict,  and  made  plenteous  wounds  ? 

2  Sen.  He  has  made  too  much  plenty  6  with  'em;  he 
7  Is  a  fworn  rioter :  he  has  a  fin 

That  often  drowns  him,  and  rakes  his  valour  prifoner: 

If  there  were  no  foes,  that  were  enough 

To  overcome  him  :  in  that  beaftly  fury 

He  has  been  known  to  commit  outrages, 

And  cherifh  factions  :  'Tis  inferr'd  to  us, 

His  days  are  foul,  and  his  drink  dangerous. 

i  Sen.  He  dies. 

Ale.  Hard  fate  !  he  might  have  died  in  war. 
My  lords,  if  not  for  any  parts  in  him, 
(Though  his  right  arm  might  purchafe  his  own  time, 
And  be  in  debt  to  none)  yet,  more  to  move  you, 
Take  my  deferts  to  his,  and  join  'em  both  : 
And,  for  I  know,  8  your  reverend  ages  love 
Security,  I'll  pawn  my  victories,  all 
My  honours  to  you,  upon  his  good  returns. 
If  by  this  crime  he  owes  the  law  his  life, 
Why,  let  the  war  receive't  in  valiant  gore  ; 

*  ivitb'em', ]  The  folio,  <iu//£him.     JOHNSON. 

7  He's  a  fworn  rioter  ;  be  has  a  Jin 

That  often  drowns  him,  and  takes  valour  prifoner.} 
What  is  a/'.w«  rioter?  We  fhould  read  : 

He's  a  fwol'n  rioter, 

that  is,  given  to  all  excefles,  as  he  fays  of  another,  in  another 
place,  fo  furfeit-fajoln  or  fwell'd.     WAR  BURTON-. 

A  fworn  rioter  is  a  man  who  pra&ilcs  riot,  as  if  he  had  by  an 
oath  made  it  his  duty.     JOHNSON. 
*  your  reverend  ages  love 

Security,  -         ] 
He  charges  them  obliquely  with  being  ufurers.    JOHNSON. 

C  c  2  For 


390         TIMON     OF     ATHENS. 

For  law  is  ftrict,  and  war  is  nothing  more. 

1  Sen.  We  are  for  law, .  he  dies ;  urge  it  no  more, 
On  height  of  our  difpleafure  :  Friend,  or  brother, 
He  forfeits  his  own  blood,  that  fpills  another. 

Ak.  Mufl  it  be  fo  ?  it  mult  not  be.     My  lords, 
I  do  befeech  you,  know  me. 

2  Sen.  How  ? 

Ale.  Call  me  to  your  remembrances. 

£&».  What? 

Ak.  I  cannot  think,  but  your  age  has  forgot  me ; 
It  could  not  elfe  be,  9 1  fhould  prove  fo  bafe, 
To  fue,  and  be  deny'd  fuch  common  grace  : 
My  wounds  ake  at  you. 

i  Sen.  1  Do  you  dare  our  anger  ? 
'Tis  in  few  words,  but  fpacious  in  effedt; 
We  banifh  thee  for  ever. 

Ale.  Banifh  me  ? 

Banifh  your  dotage  ;  banilh  ufury, 
That  makes  the  fenate  ugly. 

i  Sen.    If,  after  tOvo  days'  fliine,  Athens  contain 

thee, 

Attend  our  weightier  judgment. 
*  And,  not  to  fwell  our  fpirit, 

He 

9  1 ' fiould  prove  fo  lafe,]  Eafc^  for  diflionour'd. 

WAR  EUR  TON. 
1  Do  you  (fare  our  anger  f 

'TV.)  in  fcvj  words,  but  Jpacious  in  cffefl ;] 
This  reading  may  pafs,  but  perhaps  the  author  wrote  : 
-        our  anger  ? 

*-Tisfe-iv  in  ivords^  lut  fpacious  ineffcft.     JOHNSON. 
*  And  (not  tofwell  our^>;V//)]  What  this  nonfenfe  was  intend- 
ed to  mean  I  don't  know,  but  it  is  plain  Shakelpeare  wrote : 

And  now  to  (well  your  fpirit : 
i.  e.  to  provoke  you  Hill  more.     WAR  BUR  TON. 

Not  to  /'well  our  fpirit)  I  believe,  means,  not  to  put  ourf elves  intt 
any  tumour  of  rage,  take  our  definitive  refolution.  So.  in  K.  Htn. 
VIII.  ad  III.  fc.  i : 

The  hearts  of  princes  kifs  obedience, 

So 


TIMON    OF     ATHENS.        391 

He  fliall  be  executed  prefently.  [Exeunt  Senate. 

Ale,  Now  the  gods  keep  you  old  enough  ;    that 

you  may  live 

Only  in  bone,  that  none  may  look  on  yon  ! 
I  am  xvorfe  than  mad  :  I  have  kept  back  their  foes, 
While  they  have  told  their  money,  and  let  out 
Their  coin  upon  large  intereft  ;  I  myfelf, 
Rich  only  in  large  hurts,  —  All  thofe,  for  this  ? 
Is  this  the  balfant,  that  the  ufuring  fenate 
Pours  into  captains'  wounds  ?  Ha  !  banifhment  ? 
It  comes  not  ill  ;  I  hate  not  to  be  baniih'd  ; 
It  is  a  caufe  worthy  my  fpleen  and  fury, 
That  I  may  ftrike  at  Athens.     I'll  cheer  up 
iMy  difcontented  troops,  J  and  lay  for  hearts. 


So  much  they  love  it  ;  but,  to  ftubborn  fpirits, 
Theyjkvell  and  grow  as  terrible  as  ftorms. 

STEEVENS. 
s  In  former  copies  : 

i         And  lay  for  hearts, 
'57.$  honour  with  mo/i  lands  to  Ic  at  odds  ; 

But  furely,  even  in  a  foldicr's  fenfe  of  honour,  there  is  very  little 
in  being  at  odds  with  all  about  him  ;  which  (hews  rather  a  quar- 
relfome  difpoiition  than  a  valiant  one.  Befides,  this  \v:is  not  Al- 
cibiades's  cafe.  He  was  only  fallen  out  with  the  Athenians.  A 
phrafe  in  the  foregoing  line  will  direct  U9  to  the  right  reading.  E 
will  lay,  fays  he,  for  hearts  ;  which  is  a  metaphor  taken  from  card- 
play,  and  fignifies  to  game  deep  and  boldly.  It  is  plain  then  the 
figure  was  continued  in  the  following  line,  which  fhould  be  read 
thus  : 

'Th  bvnour  tultb  mojl  hands  to  If  at  odd*  ; 

i.  e.  to  fight  upon  odds,  or  at  difadvantage;  as  he  mult  do  againft 
the  united  ftrength  of  Athens  :  and  this,  byfoldiers,  is  accounted 
honourable.  Shakefpeare  ufes  the  fame  metaphor  on  the  fame  oc- 
calion,  in  Coriolanus: 

"  He  lurched  all  fwords/'     WARBURTON. 
I  think  haruh  is  very  properly  fubliituted  for  lands.     In  the 
foregoing  line,  tor,  lay  for  hearts,  I  would  read,  play  for  hearts. 

JOHNSON. 

I  do  not  conceive  that  to  Jay  for  hearts  is  a  metaphor  taken  torn 

card-play,  or  that  .lay  (hould  be  changed  into  play.     We  fhould 

now  fay  to  lay  out  for  hearts,  i.  e.  the  affections  of  the  people  ; 

C  c  4  but 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

'Tis  honour,  with  moft  lands  to  be  at  odds ; 
Soldiers  as  little  fhould  brook  wrongs,  as  gods. 

[Exit. 

SCENE    VI. 

limotfs  houfe. 
Enter  divers  Senators  at  fever al  doors. 

1  Sen.  The  good  time  of  day  to  you,  fir. 

2  Sen.  I  alfo  wilh  it  to  you.     I  think,  this  honour- 
able lord  did  but  try  us  this  other  day. 

1  Sen.  4Upon  that  were  my  thoughts  tiring,  when 
we  encounter'd  :  I  hope,  it  is  not  fo  low  with  him, 
as  he  made  it  feem  in  the  trial  of  his  fevcral  friends. 

2  Sen.    It  Ihould  not  be,  by  the  periuafion  of  his 
new  feafting. 

1  Sen.  I  Ihould  think  fo  :  He  hath  fcnt  me  an  car- 
neft  inviting,  which  many  my  near  occafions  did  urge 
me  to  put  off;    but  he  hath  conjur'd   me  beyond 
them,  and  I  muft  needs  appear. 

2  Sen.  In  like  manner  was  I  in  debt  to  my  impor- 
tunate biiufids,  but  he  would  not  hear  my  excufc. 
I  am  forry,  when  he  fent  to  borrow  of  me,  that  my 
provifion  was  out. 

i  Sen*  I  am  fick  of  that  grief  too,  'as  I  undcrftand 
how  all  things  go. 

but  lay  is  ufed  fingly,  as  it  is  here,  bv  Jonfon,  in  Toe  "Dei.il  is  an 
jt/},  vol.  IV.  p.  33: 

"  Lay  ior  feme  pretty  principality."     TYRV.HITT. 

4  Upon  that  were  my  thoughts  tiring, ]  A  hawk,    i  think,  is 

faid  to  tire,  when  fhe  amufes  herfelf  with  pecking  a  pheafant's 
wing,  or  any  thing  that  puts  her  in  mind  of  prey.     To  tire  upon 
a  thing,  is  therefore,  to  be  idly  employed  upon  it.     JOHNSON. 
Sp,  in  Decker's  Match  me  in  London,   163  i  : 

*'  the  vulture  tires 

*'  Upon  the  eagle's  heart."    STEEVEXS. 

i  Sen. 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS.        393 

2,  Sen.  Every  man  here's  fo.  What  would  he  have 
borrow'd  of  you  ? 

1  Sen.  A  thoufand  pieces. 

2  Sen.  A  thoufand  pieces  ! 
i  Sen.  What  of  you  ? 

3  Sen.  He  fent  to  me,  fir, — Here  he  comes. 

Enter  Tlmon,  and  Attendants. 

Tim.  With  all  my  heart,  gentlemen  both  :— And 
how  fare  you  ? 

1  Sen.  Ever  at  the  beft,  hearing  well  of  your  lord- 
fliip. 

2  Sen.  The  fwallow  follows  not  fummer  more  wil- 
lingly, than  we  your  lordihip. 

Tim.  \_Ajide.~]  Nor  more  willingly  leaves  winter ; 
fuch  fummer-birds  are  men. — Gentlemen,  our  dinner 
will  not  recompenfe  this  long  flay  :  feaft  your  ears 
with  the  mufick  awhile  ;  if  they  will  fare  fo  harihly 
as  on  the  trumpet's  found  :  we  mall  to't  prefently. 

1  Sen.  I  hope,  it  remains  not  unkindly  with  your 
lordfhip,  that  I  return'd  you  an  empty  meffenger. 

Tim.  O,  fir,  let  it  not  trouble  you. 

2  Sen.  My  noble  lord, — 

Tim*  Ah,  my  good  friend  !  what  cheer  ? 

[The  banquet  brought  in. 

z  Sen.  My  mofl  honourable  lord,  I  ame'enfickof 
fhame,  that,  when  your  lordihip  this  other  day  fent 
to  me,  I  was  fo  unfortunate  a  beggar. 

Tim.  Think  not  on't,  fir. 

2  Sen.  If  you  had  fent  but  two  hours  before, 

Tim.  Let  it  not  cumber  your  better  remembrance. 
— Come,  bring  in  all  together. 

2  Sen.  All  cover'd  dimes  ! 

i  Sen.  Royal  cheer,  I  warrant  you. 

3  Sen.  Doubt  not. that,  if  money,  andthefeafon  can 
yield  it. 

i  Sen.  How  do  you  ?  What's  the  news  ? 

6  3  Sen. 


394        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

3  Sen.  Alcibiades  is  banifti'd  :  Hear  you  of  it  ? 
Moth.  Alcibiades  banilh'd ! 
3  Sen.  'Tis  fo,  be  fure  of  it. 

1  Sen.  How  ?  how  ? 

2  Sen.  I  pray  you,  upon  what  ? 

Tim.  My  worthy  friends,  will  you  draw  near  ? 

3  Sen.  I'll  tell  you  more  anon.  Here's  a  noble  feaft 
toward. 

2  «SV#.  This  is  the  old  man  ftill. 

3  Sen.  Will't  hold  ?  will't  hold  ? 

2  &».  It  does :  but  time  will — and  fo — • 

3  Sen.  I  do  conceive. 

5T/V«.  Each  man  to  his  (tool,  with  that  fpur  as  he 
•would  to  the  lip  of  his  miftrefs  :  your  diet  fhall  be 
jn  all  places  alike*.  Make  not  a  city  feaft  of  it,  to  let 
the  meat  cool  ere  we  can  agree  upon  the  firft  place  : 
Sit,  fit.  The  gods  require  our  thanks. 

You  great  benefaftors,  fprinkle  our  fociety  with  thank* 
fulnefs.  For  your  own  gifts,  make  your j'elvespratid :  but 
referveftill  to  give,  left  your  deities  be  dejpifed.  Lend  to 
each  man  enough,  that  one  need  not  lend  to  another  :  for, 
were  your  godheads  to  borrow  of  men,  men  would  forfake 
the  gods.  Make  the  meat  be  beloved,  more  than  the  man  that 
gives  it.  Let  no  affembly  of  twenty  be  without  a  fcore  of 
'villains:  If  there  fit  twelve  women  at  the  table,  let  a  dozen 
of  them  be  as  they  are. — 6  The  reft  of  your  fees,  Ogods,-— 
thefenators  of  Athens,  together  with  the  common  lag  of  peo- 
ple,— what  is  amifs  in  them,  you  gods,  make  fult  able  for  de- 
jlruttion.  For  thefe  my  prej'ent  friends, — as  they  are  to  me 
nothing,  fo  in  nothing  blefs  them,  and  to  nothing  are  they 
welcome. 
Uncover,  dogs,  and  lap. 

[Tke  diflies  uncovered  are  full  of  warm  water. 

s  — — your  diet  fnall  be  In  all  places  alike. ]  See  a  note  on 

the  Winter  s  Talc,  ad  I.  fc.  i.     STEEVENS. 

*  Tbt  reft  of  your  fees, — ]   We  fhould  read— -foes. 

WAR  BUR.  TON. 
Some 


TIMON     OF    ATHENS.        395 

Somefpeak.  What  does  his  lordfhip  mean  ? 

Some  other.  1  know  not. 

Tim.  May  you  a  better  feaft  never  behold, 
You  knot  of  mouth-friends  !   fmoke,  and  luke-warm 

water 

7  Is  your  perfe&ion.     This  is  Timon's  lafl ; 
Who  ftuck  and  fpangled  8  you  with  flatteries, 
Walhes  it  off,  and  fprinkles  in  your  faces 

[Throwing  water  in  their  faces, 
Your  reeking  villainy.     Live  loath'd,  and  long 9, 
Moft  fmiling,  fmooth,  detefted  paraiites, 
Courteous  deftroyers,  affable  wolves,  meek  bears, 
You  fools  of  fortune,  trencher-friends,  '  time's  flies, 
Cap  and  knee  flaves,  vapours,  and  *  minute-jacks ! 
Of  man,  and  beaft,  the  3  infinite  malady 
Crufl  you  quite  o'er  ! — What,  doft  thou  go  ? 
Soft,  take  thyphyfick  firft, — thou  too, — and  thou;— 
[Throws  the  di/hes  at  them. 

7  Is  your  perfe&ion. — ]  Pfrfeftion  for  exaft  or  perfecl:  likenefs. 

WAR  BUR  TON. 
Your  perfection,  is  the  higbejt  of  your  excellence.     JOHNSON. 

*  ••  and  fpangled  you  with  flatteries,  ]    We  fhould  certainly 
read : 

and  fpangled  with  your  flatteries.     WARBURTON. 

The  prefent  reading  is  right.     JOHNSON. 
9  — —  Live  loath* d)  and  long^\  This  thought  has  occurred  twice 
before  : 

«'  let  not  that  part 

«'  Of  nature  my  lord  paid  for,  be  of  power 
"  To  expel  ficknefs,  but  prolong  bis  hour: 
Again  : 

"  Gods  keep  you  old  enough  &c."    STEEVEUS. 
1          •  time's  flies  j\  Flies  of  a  feafon.     JOHNSON. 

*  minute-jacks  !\    Hanmer  thinks  it  means  Jack-a-lantern^ 

which  fliines  and  difappears  in  an  inflant.     What  it  was  I  know 
not ;    but  it  was    fomeching  of  quick  motion,    mentioned  in 
Richard  III.     J  o  H  N  s  o  x . 

A  minute -jack  is  what  was  called  formerly  a  Jack  of  the  clock- 
boufe;  an  image  whofe  office  was  the  fame  as  one  of  thofe  at  St. 
Dunilan's  church  in  Fleet-ftrcet.  See  Sir  John  Hawkins's  note 
on  a  paflage  in  Ricbard  III.  vol.  VII.  STKEVENS. 

3  —the  infinite  malady\  Every  kind  of  diieafe  incident  to  man 
and  beaft.  JOHNSON. 

Stay, 


TIMON     OF    ATHENS. 

Stay,  I  will  lend  thee  money,  borrow  none.— 
What,  all  in  motion  ?  Henceforth  be  no  feaft, 
Whereat  a  villain's  not  a  welcome  gueft. 
Burn,  houfe;  fink,  Athens!  henceforth  hated  be 
Of  Timon,  man,  and  all  humanity  !  [Exif* 

Re-enter  tie  Senators. 

1  Sen.  How  now,  my  lords  ? 

2  Sen.  Know  you  the  quality  of  lord  Timon's  fury  ?* 

3  Sen.  Prfti !  did  you  fee  my  cap  ? 

4  Sen.  I  have  loft  my  gown. 

i  Sen.  He's  but  a  mad  lord,  and  nought  but  hu- 
mour fways  him.  He  gave  me  a  jewel  the  other  day, 
and  now  he  has  beat  it  out  of  my  hat: — Did  you  fee 
my  jewel  ? 

2,  Sen.  Did  you  fee  my  cap  ? 

3  Sen.  Here  'tis. 

4  Sen.  Here  lies  my  gown. 
i  Sen.  Let's  make  no  ftay^ 
2,  Sen.  Lord  Timon's  mad. 

3  Sen.  I  feel't  upon  my  bones. 
4,  Sen.  One  day  he  gives  us  diamonds,  next  day 
ftones*  [Exeunt. 


A  C  T     IV.        S  C  E  N  E     I. 

Without  the  walls  of  Athens. 
Enter  Timon. 

Let  me  look  back  upon  thee,  O  thou  wall, 
That  girdleft  in  thofe  wolves  !  Dive  in  the  earth, 
And  fence  not  Athens !  Matrons,  turn  incontinent ; 
Obedience  fail  in  children  !  flaves,  and  fools, 
Pluck  the  grave  wrinkled  fenate  from  the  bench, 

And 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS.        397 

And  minifter  in  their  {leads  !  to  general  filths 
Convert  o'  the  inftant,  green  virginity  ! 
Do't  in  your  parents'  eyes  !  bankrupts,  hold  faft  ; 
Rather  than  render  back,  out  with  your  knives, 
And  cut  your  trufters'  throats !  bound  fervants,  fteal ; 
Large-handed  robbers  your  grave  matters  are, 
And  pill  by  law  !  maid,  to  thy  matter's  bed  ; 
Thy  miftrefs  is  *  o'  the  brothel !  fon  of  fixteen, 
Pluck  the  lin'd  crutch  from  thy  old  limping  (ire, 
With  it  beat  out  his  brains !  piety,  and  fear, 
Religion  to  the  gods,  peace,  juftice,  truth, 
Domeftick  awe,  night-reft,  and  neighbourhood, 
Inftrudtion,  manners,  myfteries,  and  trades, 
Degrees,  obfervances,  cuftoms,  and  laws, 
Decline  to  your  confounding  contraries, 
And  *  yet  confufion  live ! — Plagues,  incident  to  men, 
Your  potent  and  infectious  fevers  heap 
On  Athens,  ripe  for  ftroke  !  thou  cold  fciatica, 
Cripple  our  fenators,  that  their  limbs  may  halt 
As  lamely  as  their  manners !  luft  and  liberty 
Creep  in  the  minds  and  marrows  of  our  youth ; 
That  'gainft  the  ftream  of  virtue  they  may  ttrive, 
And  drown  themfelves  in  riot !  itches,  blains, 
Sow  all  the  Athenian  bofoms ;  and  their  crop 
Be  general  leprofy  !  breath  infedl  breath  ; 
That  their  fociety,  as  their  friendmip,  may 
Be  meerly  poifon  !  Nothing  I'll  bear  from  thee, 
But  nakednefs,  thou  deteftable  town  ! 
Take  thou  that  too,  with  multiplying  banns ! 
Timon  will  to  the  woods ;  where  he  lhall  find 

1  — ?  the  brothel !]  So  Hamrer.  The  old  copies  read,  o*  th* 
brothel.  JOHNSON. 

The  old  reading  is  the  true  one.  The  fenfe  is,  Go,  maid,  with 
Security  to  thy  mailer's  bed,  for  thy  m'-Jlrefi  is  a ba-iud to  thy  amours. 

STEEVENS. 

* — -yet  confujlon  — — "]  Hanmer  reads,  let  confufion  ;  but  the 
meaning  may  be,  though  by  fucb  confujlon  all  things feem  to  hafien 
to  tlffilution,  yet  let  not  dljjblution  ciinit't  but  the  mtjertet  of  con- 
fwliou  continue.  JOHNSON. 

The 


398        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

The  unkindeft  bead  more  kinder  than  mankind. 
The  gods  confound  (hear  me,  you  good  gods  all) 
The  Athenians  both  within  and  out  that  wall  ! 
And  grant,  as  Timon  grows,  his  hate  may  grow 
To  the  whole  race  of  mankind,  high,  and  low  ! 
Amen.  [£jc/V. 

SCENE      II. 

Timor? s  koafe. 
3  Enter  Fkvius,  with  two  or  three  fervants. 

i  Serv.  Hear  you,  mafler  tteward,  where  is  our 

matter  ? 

Are  we  undone  ?  caft  off?  nothing  remaining  3 
Flav.  Alack,  my  fellows,  what  fhould  I  fay  to 

you  ? 

Let  me  be  recorded  by  the  righteous  gods, 
I  am  as  poor  as  you. 

1  Serv.  Such  a  houfe  broke  ! 

So  noble  a  matter  fallen  !   All  gone  !  and  not 
One  friend,  to  take  his  fortune  by  the  arm, 
And  go  along  with  him  ! 

2  Serv.  As  we  do  turn  our  backs 

From  our  companion,  thrown  into  his  grave ; 
So  his  familiars  4  from  his  buried  fortunes 
Slink  all  away;  leave  their  falfe  vows' with  him, 
Like  empty  purfes  pick'd  :  and  his  poor  felf, 
A  dedicated  beggar  to  the  air, 

3  Enter  Flavius,]  Nothing  contributes  more  to  the  exaltation 
of  Timon's  character  than  the  zeal  and  fidelity  of  his  fervants. 
Nothing  but  real  virtue  can  be  honoured  by  domefticks  ;  nothing 
but  impartial  kindnefs  can  gain  affection  from  dependants. 

JOHNSON. 

4  from  hh  buried  fortunes]  The  old  copies  have  to  in  ftead 
of  from.    The  correction  is  Hanmer's ;  but  the  old  reading  might. 
(land.     JOHNSON. 

7  With 


TIMON     OF    ATHENS.        399 

With  his  difeafe  of  all-fhunn'd  poverty, 

Walks,  like  contempt,  alone. — More  of  our  fellows. 

Rnter  other  fervants. 

Flav.  All  broken  implements  of  a  ruin'd  houfe. 

3  Serv.  Yet  do  our  hearts  wear  Timon's  livery, 
That  fee  I  by  our  faces  ;  we  are  fellows  flill, 
Serving  alike  in  forrovv  :  Leak'd  is  our  bark ; 
And  we,  poor  mates,  ftand  on  the  dying  deck, 
Hearing  the  furges  threat :  we  muft  all  part 
Into  this  feaof  air. 

Flav.  Good  fellows  all, 

The  lateft  of  my  wealth  I'll  mare  amongfl  you. 
Wherever  we  mall  meet,  for  Timon's  fake, 
Let's  yet  be  fellows ;  let's  make  our  heads,  and  fay, 
As  'twere  a  knell  unto  our  mailer's  fortunes, 
We  bavefeen  better  days.     Let  each  take  fome ; 

[Giving  them  money. 

Nay,  put  out  all  your  hands.  Not  one  word  more  : 
Thus  part  we  rich  in  forrow,  parting  poor. 

[Exeunt  Servants. 

5  O,  the  fierce  wretchednefs  that  glory  brings  us ! 
Who  would  not  wifh  to  be  from  wealth  exempt, 
Since  riches  point  to  mifery  and  contempt  ? 

5  (7,  tie  fierce  ivretcbcdnefs  -<  ]  I  believe  fierce  is  here  ufeJ 
for  hafty,  precipitate.  Perhaps  it  is  employed  in  the  fame  fenfe  by 
Ben  Jonfon  in  his  Poetajler: 

'*  And  Lupu?7  for  your  fierce  credulity, 

"  One  fit  him  with  a  larger  pair  of  ears." 

In  another  play  our  author  \\zsfieree  'vanities.  In  all  inftances  it 
may  mean  glaring,  confpicuous,  'violent.  So  in  Ben  Jonfon's  £ar~ 
tholome^M  Fair,  the  Puritan  fays  : 

"  Thy  hobby-horfe  is  an  idol,  a  fierce  and  rank  idol.** 
Again,  in  King  John  : 

**  O  vanity  of  {icknefs !  fierce  extremes 

*'  In  their  continuance  will  not  feel  themfelves." 
Again,  in  Love's  Labour's  Loft  : 

*•*  With  all  the  farce  endeavour  of  your  wit." 

STEEVEXS. 

Who'd 


400        TIM  ON     OF    ATHENS. 

Who'd  be  fo  mock'd  with  glory  ?  or  to  live 

But  in  a  dream  of  friendlhip  ? 

To  have  his  pomp,  and  all  what  flate  compounds, 

But  only  painted,  like  his  varnifh'd  friends  ? 

Poor  honefl  lord,  brought  low  by  his  own  heart; 

Undone  by  goodnefs  !  6  Strange,  unufual  blood, 

When  man's  worft  fin  is,  he  does  too  much  good  ! 

Who  then  dares  to  be  half  fo  kind  again  ? 

For  bounty,  that  makes  gods,  does  (till  mar  men. 

My  deareft  lor'd,  —  bleft,  to  be  moft  accurs'd, 

Rich,  only  to  be  wretched;  -  thy  great  fortunes 

Are  made  thy  chief  afflictions.     Alas,  kind  lord  ! 

He's  flung  in  rage  from  this  ungrateful  feat 

Of  monftrous  friends  :  nor  has  he  with  him  to 

Supply  his  life,  or  that  which  can  command  it. 

I'll  follow,  and  enquire  him  out  : 

I'll  ever  ferve  his  mind  with  my  befl  will  ; 

Whilft  I  have  gold,  I'll  be  his  fteward  Hill.      [Exif. 

6  ——Strange,  unufual  blood,]  Of  this  paflage,  I  fuppofe,  every 
reader  would  wi(h  for  a  correction  :  but  the  word,  harlh  as  it  is, 
Hands  fortified  by  the  rhyme,  to  which,  perhaps,  it  owes  its  in- 
troduction. I  know  not  what  to  propofe.  Perhaps, 

-  -Jlran^c  itn;:fual  mood, 

may,  by  fome,  be  thought  better,  and  by  others  worfe. 

JOHNSON. 

I  mould  fuppofe,  that  the  fteward  meant  to  apoftrophize  Ti- 
rnon's  ungrateful  and  unnatural  friends,  by  calling  them 

-  Jlramee  unufual  brood  ! 

who  could  treat  excefs  of  liberality  as  they  would  have  treated  ex- 
cefs  of  guilt. 

The  following  paflage,  however,  is  in  the  £th  book  of  Gower 
De  Corifcjjione  Amanth,  tol.  iii.  b. 

«'  And  thus  of  thiike  unkinde  llood 

*'  Stant  the  memcrie  unto  this  duie." 

Govyer  is  fpeaking  of  the  ingratitude  of  one  Adrian,  a  lord  of 
Rome. 

In  the  Torkjhirc  Tragrty,  1619,  attributed  to  Shakefpeare, 
llnod  feeins  to  be  uied  for  ii^lln.itisn,  propcnjity  : 

"  For  'tis  our  llood  to  love  what  we  arc  forbidden." 
Strange^  unufual  blood^  may  dieiciore   mean,  ilia:;ge  unuiual  drf- 


SCENE 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS,        40* 

SCENE    III. 

Tbe  woods. 
Enter  Timon. 

'Tim.    7  O  blefTed  breeding  fun,  draw  from  the 

earth 

Rotten  humidity  ;  below  8  thy  fitter's  orb 
Infedt  the  air !  Twinn'd  brothers  of  one  womb,— • 
Whofe  procreation,  refidence,  and  birth, 
Scarce  is  dividant, — touch  them  with  feveral  for- 
tunes ; 
The  greater  fcorns  the  lefler  :  9  Not  nature, 

To 

7  O  blefled  breeding  fun, ]  The  fenfe,  as  well  as  elegance 

ef  the  expreffion,  requires  that  we  fhould  read, 

O  blefs/Kg" -breeding  fun,' 

i.  e.  Thou  that  before  ufed  to  breed  blellings,  now  breed  curfe* 
and  contagion  ;  as  afterwards  be  fays, 

Thou  fun  that  comforfft,  burn.  WAR  BURTON. 

I  do  not  fee  that  this  emendation  much  ftrengthens  the  fenfe. 

JOHNSON. 

8  dy  JiftcSs  orb]    That   is,    the  moon's,    this  fullunary 

world.     JOHNSON. 

9  Not  nature, 

To  iv  horn  all  fores  lay  fifge, 

He  had  faid  the  brother  could  not  bear  great  fortune  without  de- 
fpifing  his  brother.  He  now  goes  further,  and  aflerts  that  even 
human  nature  cannot  bear  it,  but  with  contempt  of  its  common 
nature.  The  fentence  is  ambiguous,  and,  beudes  that,  othenvife 
obfcure.  I  am  perfuaded,  that  our  author  had  Alexander  here 
principally  in  mind  ;  whofe  uninterrupted  courfe  of  fuccefies,  at 
we  learn  from  hiitory,  turned  his  head,  and  made  him  fancy  him- 
felfaG0//,  and  contemn  his  human  origin.  The  poet  fays,  even 
nature,  meaning  nature  in  its  greatefr.  perfection  :  And  Alexander 
is  reprefented  by  the  ancients  as  the  mod  accompliflied  perfon  that 
ever  was,  both  for  his  qualities  of  mind  and  body,  a  kind  cf  ma- 
fler-piece  of  nature.  He  adds, 

To  ivkom  all  fores  lay  Jiege, 

i.  e.  Although  the  imbecility  of  the  human  condition  might  eafily 

have  informed  him  of  his  error.     Here  Shakefpeare  feems  to  have 

had  an  eve  to  Plutarch,  who,  in  his  life  of  Alexander,  tolls  u» 

VOL.  VIII.  D  d  that 


402        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

To  whom  all  fores  lay  fiege,  can  bear  great  fortune, 

But  by  contempt  of  nature. 

1  Raife  me  this  beggar,  and  denude  that  lord  ; 

The  fenator  lhall  bear  contempt  hereditary, 

The  beggar  native  honour. 

that  it  \vas  that  which  ftagger'd  him  in  his  fober  moments  concern- 
ing the  belief  of  his  divinity.    *Eteyn  01 
TB  xafiii^W  xa»  (rvvicia£n»'  fr'c  »Vo  /x»aj  ify 
TO  mow  Kai  TO  v&pew.      WAR  EUR  TON. 

I  have  preferved  this  note  rather  for  the  fake  of  the  com- 
mentator than  of  the  author.  How  nature,  to  whom  att fores  lay 
fiege,  can  fo  emphatically  exprefs  nature  in  its grtateft  pcrfe8iony  I 
fhall  not  endeavour  to  explain.  The  meaning  I  take  to  be  this  :• 
Brother ,  ivben  his  fortune  is  enlarged,  ivill  fcorn  brother ;  for  this 
is  the  general  depravity  of  human  nature,  which,  bejlegcd  as  it  it 
by  mifery,  admonifhed  as  it  is  of  want  and  imperfection,  when  ele- 
vated by  fortune  ^  will  defpife  beings  of  nature  like  its  awn. 

JOHXSOX. 

1  Ralfe  me  this  beggar ',  and  deny't  that  lord,~\  Where  is  the  fenfe 
and  Englilh  of  deny't  that  lord  ?  Deny  him  what  ?  What  pre- 
ceding noun  is  there  to  which  the  pronoun  //  is  to  be  referr'd? 
And  it  would  be  abfurd  to  think  the  poet  meant,  deny  to  raife 
that  lord.  The  antithefis  muft  be,  let  fortune  raife  this  beggar, 
and  let  \\erjlrip  and  dcfpoil  that  lord  of  all  his  pomp  and  orna- 
ments, &c.  which  fenfe  is  compleated  by  this  flight  alteration, 

and  denude  that  lord. 

So  lordjRea  in  his  relation  of  M.  Hamilton's  plot,  written  in  1630  : 

"  All  thefe  Hamiltons  had  denuded  themfelves  of  their  fortunes 

"  and  eftates." 
And  Charles  the  Firft,  in  his  meffage  to  the  parliament,  fays  : 

"  Denude  ourfelves  of  all." — Clar.  vol.  III.  p.  i  5.  octavo  edit. 

WARBURTON. 

I  believe  the  former  reading  to  be  the  true  one.  Raife  me  that 
beggar,  and  deny  a  proportionable  degree  of  elevation  to  that 
lord.  A  lord  is  not  fo  high  a  title  in  the  fiate,  but  that  a  man. 
originally  poor  might  be  raifed  to  one  above  it.  We  might  read 
Jfjeft  that  lord.  Deveft  is  an  Englifh  law  phrafe.  Shakclpeare 
ufes  the  word  in  K.  Lear  : 

"  Since  now  we  will  devcft  us,  both  of  rule,  &c." 
The  word  which  Dr.  Warburton  would  introduce,  is  not,  how- 
ever, uncommon.     I  find  it  in  the  Tragedie  of  Crcefus,  1604  : 
*'  As  one  of  all  happinefs  dituukd"  '          iiTEBVENS. 

It 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS.        46  j 

*  It  is  the  paftor  lards  the  brother's  fides, 
The  want  that  makes  him  leave.     Who  dares,  who 
dares, 

la 

*  //  is  the pafture  lards  the  beggar's  fides,]  This,  as  the  editors 
have  ordered  it,  is  an  idle  repetition  at  the  beft  ;  fuppofingit  did, 
indeed,  contain  the  fame  fentiment  as  the  foregoing  lines.  But 
Shakefpeare  meant  a  quite  different  thing :  and  having,  like  a 
fenfible  writer,  made  a  Imart  obfervation,  he  illustrates  it  by  a 
fimilitude  thus  : 

//  is  the  pafture  lards  /£r  \veather'j  j£&.r, 

'The  want  titat  makes  him  lean. 

And  the  fimilitude  is  extremely  beautiful,  as  conveying  this  fati- 
rical  reflection ;  there  is  no  more  difference  between  man  and 
man  in  the  efteem  of  fuperficial  and  corrupt  judgments,  than  be- 
tween a  fat  flieep  and  a  lean  one.  WAR  BUR  TON. 

This  paflage  is  very  obfcure,  nor  do  I  difcover  any  clear  fenfe, 
even  though  we  fhould  admit  the  emendation.     Let  us  infpedt  tko 
text  as  I  have  given  it  from  the  original  edition* 
It  is  the  paftour  lards  the  brother'.*  Jides% 
The  want  that  makes  htm  leave. 

Dr.  Warburton  found  the  paffage  already  changed  thus : 
It  is  the  pafture  lards  the  beggar's  fides, 
The  want  that  makes  him  lean. 

And  upon  this  reading  of  no  authority,  raifed  another  equally 
uncertain. 

Alterations  are  never  to  be  made  without  neceffity.  Let  us  fee 
what  fenfe  the  genuine  reading  will  afford.  Poverty,  fays  the 
poet,  bears  contempt  hereditary,  and  wealth  native  honour.  To  il- 
luftrate  this  pofition,  having  already  mentioned  the  cafe  of  a 
poor  and  rich  brother,  he  remarks,  that  this  preference  is  given 
to  wealth  by  thofe  whom  it  leaft  becomes  ;  //  is  the  paftour  that 
greafes  or  flatters  the  rich  brother,  and  will  greafe  him  on  till  want 
make  him  leave.  The  poet  then  goes  on  to  alk.  Who  dares  to  /of 
this  man,  this  paftour,  is  a  flatterer  ;  the  crime  is  univerfal ; 
through  all  the  world  the  learned  pate,  with  allufion  to  the  paf- 
tour, ducks  to  the  golden  fool.  If  it  be  objected,  as  it  mayjuftly 
be,  that  the  mention  of  a  paftour  is  unfuitable,  we  mult  re- 
member the  mention  of  grace  and  cherulims  in  this  play,  and 
many  fuch  anachronifms  in  many  others.  I  would  therefore  read 
thus  : 

//  is  the  paftour  lards  the  brother's  Jtdest 
'Tis  want  that  makes  him  leave. 

The  obfcurity  is  ftill  great.  Perhaps  a  line  is  lofl.  I  have  at  leaft 
jiven  the  original  reading.  JOHNSON. 

Perhaps  Shakefpeare  wrote  pafterer^  for  I  meet  with  fuch  a  word 
P  d  a  2* 


404        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

In  purity  of  manhood  fiand  upright, 
And  fay,  TLh  man's  a  flatterer  ?  if  one  be, 
So  are  they  all ;  J  for  every  grize  of  fortune 
Is  fmooth'd  by  that  below  :  the  learned  pate 
Ducks  to  the  golden  fool :  All  is  oblique  ; 
There's  nothing  level  in  our  curfed  natures, 
But  dire<ft  villainy.     Therefore,  be  abhorr'd 
All  feafts,  focieties,  and  throngs  of  men  ! 
His  femblable,  yea,  himfelf,  Timon  difdains : 
Deftru&ion   fang  mankind  4  ! — Earth,    yield    me 

roots  !  [Digging  the  earth. 

Who  feeks  for  better  of  thee,  fauce  his  palate 
\Vith  thy  mofl  operant  poifon  !  What  is  here  ? 
Gold  ?  yellow,  glittering,  precious  gold  ?  No,  gods, 
I  am  no  s  idle  votarift  :  Roots,  you  clear  heavens  6 1 
Thus  much  of  this,  will  make  black,  white ;  foul, 

fair; 
Wrong,  right ;  bafe,  noble ;  old,  young ;  coward, 

valiant. 

in  Greene's  Farewell  to  Follic,  1617,  "  Alexander  before  he  fell 
into  the  Perlian  delicacies,  refufed  thofe  cooks  and  pafterers  that 
Ada  queen  of  Caria  fent  to  him."  There  is  likevvife  a  proverb 
among  Ray's  collection  which  feems  to  afford  much  the  famt 
meaning  as  this  paflage  in  Shakefpeare.  "  Every  one  balteth  the. 
fat  hog,  while  the  lean  one  burneth."  STEEVENS. 

3  for  every  grize  of  fortune]  Grize  for  fiep  or  degree. 

POPE. 

4  fang  mankind ! — ]  i.  e.  feize,  gripe.     This  verb  is  ufed 

by  Decker  in  his  Match  me  at  London^   1631  : 

**        •  bite  any  catchpole  that  fangs  for  you." 

STEEVENS. 

5  — —  no  idle  votarij!.— —  ]  No  infmcere  or  inconftant  iuppti- 
cant.     Gold  will  not  ferve  me  inlteadof  roots.     JOHNSON.- 

6  you  clear  heavens!]  This  may  mean  either  ye   cloud- 

lefsjkies,  or  ye  deities  exempt  from  guilt.     Shakefpeare    mention* 
the  cltartft  gods  in  K-  I.ear  ;  and  in  Acolaftus  a  Comedy,   1^29, 
a  ilranger  is  thus  addrcfled.     "  Good  ilranger  or  alyen,  ckn  geit, 
&c."     Again,  in  the  Rape  of  Lucrccc: 

"  Then  Collatine  again  by  Lucrece  fide, 
»  **  In  his  clear  bed  might  have  repofed  ftill." 
i,  e.  his  H»contaminated\>^     ST££V£NS. 

Ha! 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS.        405 

Ha,  you  gods  !    why  this  ?   What  this,  you  gods  ? 

7  Why  this 

Will  lug  your  priefts  and  fervants  from  your  Gdes  ; 
1  Pluck  ftout  men's  pillows  from  below  their  heads  : 
This  yellow  Have 

Will  knit  and  break  religions;  blefs  the  accurs'd  ; 
Make  the  hoar  leprofy  9  ador'd  ;  place  thieves, 
And  give  them  title,  knee,  and  approbation, 
With  fenators  on  the  bench  :  this  ii>  it, 
1  That  makes  the  wappen'd  widow  wed  again  ; 

She, 

T   -  Illy  this 

Will  lug  your  priefts  and  fervants  from  yourjides  :  ] 
Ariftophanes,    in  his  Plutus,    aft  V.  fc.  ii.  makes  the  priefl  of 
Jupiter  defect  his  fervice  to  live  wirh  Plutus.     WARBURTON. 

6  Pluck  (tout  men's  pillows  from  below  their  beads:}  i.e.  men 
who  have  ftrength  yet  remaining  to  ftruggle  with  their  chftemper. 
This  alludes  " 

under  the 
parture  the 
nify  healthy, 


This  alludes  to  an  old  cuftom  or"  drawing  away  the  pillow  from 
under  the  heads  of  men  in  their  laft  agonies,  to  make  their  de- 
parture the  eafier.  But  the  Oxford  editor,  fuppofmg/<7«/  to  fig- 
nify  healthy,  alters  it  to/c/fr,  and  this  he  calls  emending. 


WARBURTON. 

9  _  the  hoar  leprofy  -  ]  So  in  P.  Holland's  trantlation  of 
Pliny's  Nat.  Hifi.  b.  xxviii.  th.  12.  -  "  the  foul  white  leprle 
called  elepbantiafis"  STEEVENS. 

1  That  makes  the  wappen'd  widttv  wd  again  ;]  Wjtped  orivaf- 
pen'd  fignifies  both  forrowful  and  terrified,  either  for  the  lofs  ot  a 
good  hufband,  or  by  the  treatment  of  a  bad.  But  gold,  he  fays, 
can  overcome  both  her  affe&ion  and  her  fears.  WA  RBU  RTON. 

Of  wappencd  I  have  found  no  example,  nor  know  any  meaning. 
To  avchape  is  ufed  bySpenfer  in  his  Hubberd's  Tale,  but  I  think 
not  in  either  of  the  fenfes  mentioned.  I  would  read  <wained,  tor 
decayed  ly  time.  So  our  author  in  Richard  the  Third  : 

**  A  ^fla/y-waining  and  diflrejjed  wiJfW.'*      JOHNSON. 
In  the  comedy  of  the  Roaring  Girl,  by  Middleton  and  Decker, 
161  1,  I  meet  with  a  word  very  like  this,  which  the  reader  will 
•afcly  explain  for  himfelf,  when  he  has  ieen  the  following  paflage  : 
"  Moll.  And  there  you  fliall  ivap  with  me. 
«*  Sir  B.  Nay,  Moll,  what's  that  wap  ? 
««  Moll.  Wappcning  and  niggling  is  all  one,  the  rogue  my  man 

can  tell  you." 

Again,  in  Ben  Jcnfon's  Mafque  of  Gy//«  Met  amor  phofed  i 
**  Boarded  at  Tappington, 
*'  Bedded  at  /f^/ington." 

D  d  3  Again, 


4©6        TIMON    OF    ATHENS, 

She,  whom  the  fpital-houfe  and  ulcerous  fores 
Would  caft  the  gorge  at,  this  embalms  and  fpices 
a  To  the  April  day  again.     Come,  damned  earth, 
Thou  common  whore  of  mankind,  that  put'il  odds 
Among  the  rout  of  nations,  I  will  make  thee 

Again,  In  Martin  Mark-alFs  Apologie  to  the  Bel-man  of  London ;, 
j&io.  **  Niggling  is  company-keeping  with  a  woman  :  this  word 
is  not  ufed  now,  but  Capping,  and  thereof  comes  the  name  capping- 
morts  for  whores." 

It  muft  not,  however,  be  concealed,  that  Chaucer,  in  the  Com- 
plaint of  Annelida,  line  217,  ufes  the  word  with  the  fenfe  in  which 
Dr.  Warburton  explains  it : 

*'  My  fewertye  in  waped  countenance/' 

JJ'appcned,  according  to  the  quotations  I  have  already  given,  would 
mean — The  -widow  vobofe  curiofity  andpajjions  bad  been  already  grati* 
ficd.  So  in  Hamlet : 

"  The  inftances  that  fecond  marriage  move, 

"  Are  bafe  refpeds  of  thrift  ^  but  none  of  love" 
And  if  the  word  defunfl,  in  Othello,  be  explained  according  to  itt 
primitive  meaning,  the  lame  fentiment  may  be  difcovered  there» 
There  may,  however,  be  lome  corruption  in  the  text. 

STEEVENS. 

*  To  the  April  day  again  ]  That  is,    to  the  wedding 

day,  called  by  the  poet,  latirically,  April  day,  or  foots  day. 

JOHNSON. 

The  April  day  does  not  relate  to  the  widow,  but  'to  the  other 
d'feafed  female,  who'  is  ,reprefented  as  the  ovtcajlofan  hofpltal. 
She  it  is  whom  gold  embalms  and  fpices  to  the  April  day  again: 
j.  e.  gold  reitores  her  to  all  the  frejbnefsandfivcctnefs  of  youth. 
Such  is  the  power  of  gold,  that  it  will 

"  make  black,  white  j  foul,  fair  ; 

?<  Wrong,  right;  &c." 

A  quotation  or  two  may  perhaps  fupport  this  interpretation.  Sid- 
pey's  Arcadia,  p.  262,  edit.  1633:  "  Do  you  fee  how  the  fpring 
time  is  full  of  flowers,  decking  itfelf  with  them,  and  not  afpinng 
fo  the  fruits  of  autumn  ?  What  leflon  is  that  unto  you,  but  that 
in  the  April  of  your  age  you  mould  be  like  Afril* 
Again,  in  Stephens's  Apology  for  Herodotus,  1007,  "Heisayoung 
man,  and  in  \ht  April  of  bis  age.  Peacham's  Complcat  Gentleman^ 
chap.  iii.  callsyoutb  "  the  April  of  man's  life."  Shakelpeare's 
Sonnet  entitled  Lovers  Cruelty .  has  the  fame  thought : 

"  Thou  art  thy  mother's  glais,  and  fhe  in  thee 

**  Calls  back  the  lovely  April  of  her  prime." 

Daniel's  31  it  ionnet  has,  " :the  April  oi  my  years."  Mailer 

fenton  ?'  fmells  ^>r//and  May."    TOLLET. 

'  Do 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS.        407 

*  Do  thy  right  nature. — [March  afar  off.~] — Ha !   a. 

drum  ? — *  Thou'rt  quick, 

But  yet  I'll  bury  thee  :  Thou'lt  go,  ftrong  thief, 
When  gouty  keepers  of  thee  cannot  ftand  :— 
Nay,  flay  thou  out  for  earnefl.       [Keeping  fome  gold. 

Enter  Akibiades,  ivitb  drum  and  fife,  in  warlike  manner, 
and  Pbrynia  and  Tytnandra. 

Ale.  What  art  thou  there  ?  fpeak. 

Tim.  A  beaft,  as  thou  art.     The  canker  gnaw  thy 

heart, 
For  fhewing  me  again  the  eyes  of  man  ! 

Ale.  What  is  thy  name  ?  Is  man  fo  hateful  to  thee, 
That  art  thyfelf  a  man  ? 

Tim.  1  am  mifantbropos^  and  hate  mankind. 
For  thy  part,  I  do  wifh  thou  wert  a  dog, 
That  I  might  love  thee  fomething. 

Ale.  I  know  thee  well ; 
But  in  thy  fortunes  am  unlearn'd  and  ftrange. 

'Tim.  I  know  thee  too ;    and  more,   than  that  I 

know  thee, 

I  not  defire  to  know.     Follow  thy  drum  ; 
With  man's  blood  paint  the  ground,  gules,  gules  : 
Religious  cr.nons,  civil  laws  are  cruel ; 
Then  what  ihould  war  be  ?  This  fell  whore  of  thine 
Hath  in  her  more  deftruction  than  thy  fword, 
For  all  her  cherubin  look. 

Phry.  Thy  lips  rot  off! 

3jm.  5 1  will  not  kifs  thee ;  then  the  rot  returns 

To 

s  Do  tJy  right  nature. — ]  Lie  in  the  earth  where  nature  laid 
thee.      JOHNSON. 

4  Tbou'rt  quick)"}  Thou  haft  life  and  motion  in  thee. 

JOHNSON. 

5  /  will  not  kifs  tbec,  —  ]  This  alludes  to  an  opinion  in  former 
times,  generally  prevalent,  that  the  venereal  infection  tranfmittecf 
to  another,  left  the  infefter  free.     I  will  not,  fays  Timon,  take 
the  rot  from  thy  lips  by  kifling  thee.    JOHNSON. 

D  d  4.    '  Thus 


4oS        TIM  ON    OF    ATHENS. 

To  thine  own  lips  again. 

Me.  How  came  the  noble  Timon  to  this  change  ? 

Tim.  As  the  moon  4pes,  by  wanting  light  to  give  : 
But  then  renew  I  could  not,  like  the  moon; 
There  were  no  funs  to  borrow  of. 

Ale.  Noble  Timon, 
What  friendship  may  I  do  thee  ? 

Tim.  None,  but  to 
Maintain  my  opinion. 

Ak.  What  is  it,  Timon  ? 

'Tim.  Promife  me  friendfhip,  but  perform  none  :  If 
6  Thou  wilt  not  promife,  the  gods  plague  thee,  for 
Thou  art  a  man !  if  thou  dolt  perform,  confound 

thee, 
For  thou  art  a  man  ! 

Ale.  I  have  heard  in  fome  fort  of  thy  miferies. 

Tim.  Thou  faw'ft  them,  when  I  had  profperity. 

•Ai~-  I  fee  them  now  ;  then  was  a  blefled  time. 

Tim.  As  thine  is  now,  held  with  a  brace  of  harlots. 

Tyman.  Is  this  the   Athenian  minion,  whom  the 

world 
Voic'd  fo  regardfully  ? 

Tim.  Art  thou  Tymandra  ? 

Tyman.  Yes. 

Tim.  7  Be  a  whore  flill !    they  love  thee  not,  that 
ufe  thee ; 

Give 

Thus  the  Humorous  Lieutenant  fays  : 

*'  He  has  fome  wench,  or  fuch  a  toy  to  kifs  over, 
"  Before  he  go  :  'would  I  had  fuch  another, 
"**  To  draw  this foolijb  pain  down."  STEEVEKS. 

6  If 

Thou  wilt  not  promife ',  &c.] 

That  is,  however  thou  may'lt  adt,  lince  thou  art  man,  hated  man, 
I  wifli  thee  evil.     JOHNSON. 

9  Be  a  whore  Jiill!   They  love  thee  not  that  ufe  thee  ; 
Give  them  fiifeafcs,  leaving  with  thee  their  lujl ; 
Make  ufe  of  thy  fait  hours,  &c.] 
There  is  here  a  flight  tranfpofuion.     I  would  read  : 
— —  Ibey  love  thee  ;:ot  that  vfe  theet 


TIMON     OF     ATHENS.        409 

Give  them  difeafes,  leaving  with  thee  their  luft. 

Make  uie  of  thy  fait  hours  :  feafon  the  Haves 

For  tubs,   and  baths;    bring    down    rofe-cheeked 

youth 
1  To  the  tub-fall,  and  the  diet. 

Tynan* 

Leaving  *with  thee  their  luft ;  give  them  difeajes^ 
Make  vfe  of  thy  fait  hour \j,  feafon  thejlaves 
For  tubs  and  baths ;         •     JOHNSON. 

1  To  the  fub-faft,  and  the  diet. ~\  One  might  make  a  very  long 
and  vain  fearch,  yet  not  be  able  to  meet  with  this  prepoiLrous 
word  fub-faji)  which  has  notwithftanding  pafled  current  with  all 
the  editors.  We  fliould  read  tub-fajl.  The  author  is  alluding  to 
the  lues  venerea,  and  its  efFecls.  At  that  time  the  cure  of  it  was 
performed  either  by  guaiacum,  or  mercurial  unclions  :  and  in  both 
cafes  the  patient  was  kept  up  very  warm  and  clofe ;  that  in  the 
firft  application  the  fweat  might  be  promoted  ;  and  left,  in  the 
other,  he  ftiould  take  cold,  which  was  fatal.  "  The  regimen  for 
the  courfe  of  guaiacum  (fays  Dr.  Freind  in  his  HiJIory  of  Phyjick^ 
vol.  II.  p.  380.)  was  at  firfl  ftrangely  circumftantial ;  and  ib  ri- 
gorous, that  the  patient  was  put  into  a  dungeon  in  order  to  make 
him  fweat ;  and  in  that  manner,  as  Fallopius  expreffes  it,  the  bones, 
and  the  very  man  himfelf  was  macerated."  Wifeman  fays,  in 
England  they  ufed  a  tub  for  this  purpofe,  as  abroad,  a  cave,  or 
oven,  or  dungeon.  And  as  for  the  uncHoo,  it  was  fometimes  con- 
tinued for  thirty-feven  days  (as  he  obferves,  p.  37?.)  and  during 
this  time  there  was  neceflarily  an  extraordinary  abjliuence  required. 
Hence  the  term  of  the  tub-fajl.  WARBURTON. 
So,  in  Jafper  Maine's  City  Match,  1639  : 

" You  had  better  match  a  ruin'd  bawd, 

"  One  ten  times  cur'd  by  fweating,  and  the  tub." 

Again,  in  The  Family  of  Love •,    1608,  a  doctor  fays :  "  O  for 

one  of  the  hoops  of  my  Cornelius'  tub,  I  fhall  burft  myfelf  with 
laughing  elfe."  Again,  in  Monjicur  D"1  Olive,  1606:  "  Our  em- 
baflage  is  into  France^  there  may  be  employment  for  thee  :  Haft 
thou  a  tub  ?" 

The  diet  was  likewife  a  cuftomary  term  for  the  regimen  pre-» 
fcribed  in  thefe  cafes.  So,  in  Springes  to  catch  Woodcocks t  a  col- 
lection of  Epigrams,  1606 : 

"  Prifcus  gave  out  See. 

"  Prifcus  had  tane  the  diet  all  the  while." 

Again,  in  another  Collection  of  ancient  Epigrams  called  the 
Mafiive,  Sec  : 

"  She  took  not  diet  nor  the  fweat  in  feafon." 
So,  in  Beaumont  ai:d  Fletcher's  Kn'-gbt  of  the  Burning  Pcftlc: 

*•  — — whom 


410         TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

Tyman.  Hang  thee,  monfter  ! 

Ak.  Pardon  him,  fweet  Tymandra ;  for  his  wit8 
Are  drown'd  and  loft  in  his  calamities.— 
I  have  but  little  gold  of  late,  brave  Timon, 
The  want  whereof  doth  daily  make  revolt 
In  my  penurious  band  :  I  have  heard,  and  griev'd, 
How  curfed  Athens,  mindlefs  of  thy  worth, 
Forgetting  thy  great  deeds,  when  neighbour  ftates, 
But  for  thy  fword  and  fortune,  trod  upon  them, — 

Tim.  I  pr'ythee,  beat  thy  drum,  and  get  thee  gone. 

Ak.  I  am  thy  friend,  and  pity  thee,  dear  Timon. 

Tim.  How  dolt  thou  pity  him,  whom  thou  dofl 

trouble  ? 
I  had  rather  be  alone. 

Ak.  Why,  fare  thee  well : 
Here  is  fome  gold  for  thee. 

Tim.  Keep  it,  I  cannot  eat  it. 

Ale.  When  I  have  laid  proud  Athens  on  a  heap, — 

Tim.  Warr'ft  thou  'gainft  Athens  ? 

Ak.  Ay,  Timon,  and  have  caufe. 

Tim.  The  gods  confound  them  all  in  thy  conqueft ; 

and 
Thee  after,  when  thou  haft  conquer'd ! 

Ak.  Why  me,  Timon  ? 

Tim.  That,  by  killing  of  villains,  thou  waft  bora 
To  conquer  my  country. 

Put  up  thy  gold ;  Go  on, — here's  gold,— go  on  ; 
*  Be  as  a  planetary  plague,  when  Jove 

"  whom  I  in  diet  keep, 

*'  Send  lower  down  into  the  cave, 
"  And  in  a  tub  that's  heated  imoaking  hot,  &c." 
Again,  in  the  fame  play  : 

"  caught  us,  and  put  us  in  a  tub^ 

"  Where  we  this  two  months  fweat,  &c. 

"  This  bread  and  water  hath  our  diet  been,  &:c." 

STEEYEXS. 
*  Be  as  a  planetary  plague^  ivbcn  Jove 

Will  o'er  fome  high-vie1  d  city  bang  bis  poifott 
In  thejick  air: ] 

This  is  wonderfully  fublime  and  pifturefciue.    WARBURTOV. 

Will 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

Will  o'er  fome  high-vic'd  city  hang  his  poifon 
In  the  fick  air  :  Let  not  thy  fword  ikip  one  : 
Pity  not  honour'd  age  for  his  white  beard, 
He  is  an  ufurer :  Strike  me  the  counterfeit  matron, 
It  is  her  habit  only  that  is  honeft, 
Herfelf's  a  bawd  :  Let  not  the  virgin's  cheek 
Make  foft  thy  trenchant  fword ;  for  thofe  milk-paps, 
3  That  through  the  window-bars  bore  at  men's  eyes, 

Are 

3  not  through  the  window  barne——']  How  the  words  come  to 
be  blundered  into  this  flrange  nonfenfe,  is  hard  to  conceive.  But 
it  is  plain  Shakefpeare  wrote  : 

window-lawn 

i.  e.  lawn  almoft  as  tranfparent  as  glafs  windows.    WAR  BURTON. 

The  reading  is  more  probably  : 

The  virgin  that  fhevvs  her  bofom  through  the  lattice  of  her  cham- 
ber. JOHNSON. 

Dr.  Johnfon's  explanation  is  almoft  confirmed  by  the  following 
jpaflage  in  Cymbeline  : 

"  'or  let  her  beauty 

'*  Look  through  a  cafement  to  allure  falfe  hearts^ 

"  And  be  falfe  with  them." 

Shakefpeare  at  the  fame  time  might  aim  a  llroke  at  this  indecency 
in  the  women  of  his  own  time,  which  is  animadverted  on  by  feve- 
ral  contemporary  dramatics.  So,  in  the  ancient  interlude  of  the 
Repentance  of  Marie  Magdalene,  \  567  : 


ance  of  Marie  Magdalene,  1 567  : 
*  Your  garments  muft  be  worne  alway, 


'  That  your  white  pappes  may  be  feene  if  you  may. 

*  If  young  gentlemen  may  fee  your  white  Jkin, 

*  It  will  allure  them  to  love,  and  foon  bring  them  in. 

*  Both  damfels  and  wives  ufe  many  fuch  feates. 

*  I  know  them  that  will  lay  out  \\\z\\  faire  teates." 
^nd  all  this  is  addreffed  to  Mary  Magdalen.     STEEVENS. 

I  believe  we  fhould  read  nearly  thus : 

-  nor  thofe  milk-paps, 

That  through  the  widow  s  barb  lore  at  men's  eyest 

Are  not  within  the  leaf  of  pity  writ." 

The  ufe  of  the  doubled  negative  is  fo  common  in  Shakefpeare,  that 
it  is  unneceflary  to  fupport  it  by  inftances.  The  barbe,  I  believe, 
was  a  kind  of  veil.  Creffida,  in  Chaucer,  who  appears  as  a  widow,  it 
defcribed  as  wearing  a  larle,  Troilus  and  Crejfida,  b.  II.  v.  1 10. 
in  which  place  Caxton's  edition  (as  I  learn  from  the  Gloflary) 
yeads  wimple,  which  certainly  fignifies  a  veil,  and  was  probably 
fubftituted  as  a  fynonymous  word  for  barlet  the  more  antiquated 

reading 


412        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

Are  not  within  the  leaf  of  pity  writ, 

Set  them  down  horrible  traitors  :  Spare  not  the  babe, 

Whofe   dimpled  fmiles   from   fools  4  exhauft  their 

mercy ; 

Think  it  a  $  baftard,  whom  the  oracle 
Hath  doubtfully  pronounc'd  thy  throat  fhall  cut, 
And  mince  it  fans  remorfe  :  Swear  againft  objeds 6 ; 
Put  armour  on  thine  ears,  and  on  thine  eyes ; 
Whofe  proof,  nor  yells  of  mothers,  maids,  nor  babes, 
Nor  fight  of  priefts  in  holy  veftments  bleeding, 
Shall  pierce  a  jot.     There's  gold  to  pay  thy  foldiers : 
Make  large  confufion ;  and,  thy  fury  ipent, 
Confounded  be  thyfelf  !   Speak  not,  be  gone. 

Me.  Haft  thou  gold  yet  ?  I'll  take  the  gold  thou 

giv'fl  me, 
Not  all  thy  counfcl. 

Tim.  Doft  thou,  or  doft  thou  not,  heaven's  curfc 

upon  thee ! 
Plr.  and  Tym.  Give  us  fome  gold,   good  Timon  : 

Halt  thou  more  ? 

Tim.  Enough  to  make  a  whore  forfwear  her  trade, 
7  And  to  make  whores,  a  bawd.    Hold  up,  you  fluts, 

Your 

reading  of  the  manufcripts.     Unvaried  is  ufed  by  Shnkefp'eare  for 
uncovered,  in  Coriolamis,  aft  III.  fc.  v : 

"  Muft  I  go  Ihew  them  my  unbarbed  fconce  ?" 
See  alfo  Leland's  Collcflanca,  vol.  V.  p.  317,  new  edit,  where  the 
ladfes,  mourning  at  the  funeral  of  Q^  Mary,  are  mentioned  as 
having  ibeir  barbes  above  tbelr  chlnnes.     TYRWHITT. 

4  exbaujl  tbelr  mercy  ;]    For  e xhauft,  fir  T.  Hanmer,  and 

after  him  Dr.  Wavbuvton,  read  extort ;     but  exbaujt  here  iignifies 
literally  to  draw  forth.     JOHNSON. 

s  baflard, ]  An  allufion  to  the  tale  of  Oedipus. 

JOHNSON. 

6  Swear  againft  o&/ctfs;]  Sir  Tho.  Hanmer  reads  : 

'gain ft  all  objcfts: 

Perhaps  objc&s  is  here  ufed provincially  for  abjefts.     FARMER. 

7  And  to  make  whore  a  bawd. — ]    The  power  of  gold,  indeed, 
may  be  fuppofed  great,  that  can  make  a  whore  forfake  her  trade ; 
but  what  mighty   difficulty  was  there   in    making  a  whore  turn 
bawd?  Andyec,  'tis  plain,  here  he  is  deicrib; ng  the  mighty  pcwer 

.1  ef 


TIMON    OF     ATHENS.        413 

Your  aprons  mountant :  You  are  not  oathable,— 
Although,  I  know,  you'll  fwear,  terribly  fwear, 
Into  ftrong  ftiudders,  and  to  heavenly  agues, 
The  immortal  gods  that  hear  you  % fpare  your 

oaths, 

'  I'll  truft  to  your  conditions  :  Be  whores  ftill ; 
And  he  whofe  pious  breath  feeks  to  convert  you, 
Be  ftrong  in  whore,  allure  him,  burn  him  up ; 
Let  your  clofe  fire  predominate  his  fmoke, 
And  be  no  turn- coats :    l  Yet  may  your  pains,  fix 

months, 

Be 

of  gold.  He  had  before  {hewn,  how  gold  can  perfuade  to  any 
villainy  ;  he  now  Ihews  that  it  has  ftill  a  greater  force,  and  can 
even  turn  from  vice  to  the  practice,  or  at  lead,  the  femblance  ot 
virtue.  We  muft  therefore  read,  to  reftore  fenfe  to  our  author  : 

And  to  make  whole  a  hnatt 

\.  e.  not  only  make  her  quit  her  calling,  but  thereby  reftore  her  to 
reputation.    WAREURTON. 
The  old  edition  reads : 

And  to  make  whores  a  bawd. 

That  is,  e nougb  to  make  a  whore  leave  whoring,  and  a  la-ivd  ledve 
making  whores.  JOHNSON. 

*  The  immortal  gods  that  bear  you, ]  The  fame  thought  is 

found  in  Antony  and  Cleopatra,  acl  I.  fc.  Hi : 

**  Though  you  with  fwearing^wfo  the  throned  gods," 
Again,  in  the  Winter's  Tale: 

"  Though  you  would  feek  to  unfphere  the  ftars  with 
oaths."    STEEVENS, 

9  /'//  truft  to  your  conditions : ]  You   need  not  fwear  t» 

continue  whores,  I  will  truft  to  your  inclinations.     JOHNSON. 

1   Tet  may  your  pains,  fix  months, 

Be  quite  contrary :  —•  •  <  >    ] 

This  is  obfcure,  partly  from  the  ambiguity  of  the  word  pains,  and 
partly  from  the  generality  of  the  expreffion.  The  meaning  is  this  : 
he  had  laid  before,  follow  constantly  your  trade  of  debauchery  : 
that  is  (fays  he)  for  fix  months  in  the  year.  Let  the  other  fix  be 
employed  in  quite  contrary  pains  and  labour,  namely,  in  the  fe- 
vere  d;fcipline  neceflary  for  the  repair  of  thole  diforders  that  your 
debaucheries  occafion,  in  order  to  fit  you  anew  to  the  trade ;  and 
thus  Lt  the  whole  year  be  fpent  in  thefe  different  occupations. 
On  this  account  he  goes  on,  and  fays,  Makefalfe  hair,  &c.  But 
tor,  pains  Jix  months,  the  Oxford  editor  reads  pains  exterior*  What 
he  means  1  know  not.  WAR  BUR  TON. 

The 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

Be  quite  contrary  :  And  thatch  your  poor  thin  roofs  * 
With  burdens  of  the  dead ; — fome  that  were  hang'd, 

The  explanation  is  ingenious,  but  I  think  it  very  remote,  and 
would  willingly  bring  the  author  and  his  readers  to  meet  on  eafier 
terras.  We  may  read  : 

Yet  may  your  pains  fx  months ', 

Be  quite  contraried. 

Timon  is  wifhing  ill  to  mankind,  but  is  afraid  left  the  whores 
(hould  imagine  that  he  wifhes  well  to  them  ;  to  obviate  which  he  lets 
them  know,  that  he  imprecates  upon  them  influence  enough  to 
plague  others,  and  difappointments  enough  to  plague  themielves. 
He  wiflies  that  they  may  do  all  poffible  mifchief,  and  yet  take 
pains  fix  months  of  the  year  in  vain. 

In  this  fenfe  there  is  a  connection  of  this  line  with  the  next* 
Finding^o«r/<z/;w  contraried,  try  new  expedients,  thatch  your  thin 
roofs,  and  faint. 

To  contrary  is  an  old  verb.    Latymer  relates,  that  when  he  went 
to  court,  he  was  advifed  not  to  contrary  the  king.     JOHNSON. 
Yet  may  your  pains  fix  months 

Be  quite  contrary  : ] 

I  believe  this  means, — Yet  for  half  tie  year  at  leafi,  may  you  fuffef 
fiu~h  punijbment  as  is  inflicled  on  harlots  in  houfes  of  correction. 

STEEVENS. 

a  — thatch  your  poor  thin  roofs,  &c.]  About  the  year  1 595,  when 
the  faftiion  became  general  in  England  or  wearing  a  greater  quantity 
of  hair  than  was  ever  the  produce  of  a  fingle  head,  it  was  danger- 
ous for  any  child  to  wander,  as  nothing  was  more  common  than  for 
women  to  entice  fuch  as  had  fine  locks  into  private  places,  and  there 
to  cut  them  off.  I  have  this  information  from  Stubbs's  Anatomy  of 
dbufes,  which  I  have  often  quoted  on  the  article  of  drefs.  To 
this  fafhion  the  writers  of  Shakefpeare's  age  do  not  appear  to  have 
been  reconciled.  So,  in  A  Mad  World  my  Makers,  1 608  :  " — to 
wear  perriwigs  made  of  another's  hair,  is  not  this  againft  kind:" 
Again,  in  Drayton's  Mooncalf; 

"  And  with  large  fums  they  flick  not  to  procure 
"  Hair  from  the  dead,  yea,  and  the  moft  unclean  ; 
*'  To  help  their  pride  they  nothing  will  difdain." 
Again,  in  Shakefpeare's  obth  Sonnet : 

*'  Before  the  golden  trefles  of  the  dead, 
"  The  right  of  iepulchres,  were  {horn  away, 
«'  To  live  a  fecond  life  on  fecond  head, 
**  Ere  beau'y'-  dead  fleece  made  another  gay." 
Warner,  in  his  Albion 'j  England,   1602,  b.  ix.  c.  47,  is  likewife 
very  levere  on  this  tafljion.     Sanve  informs  us,  that  "  women's 
pcriivigs  were  firft  brought  into  England  about  the  time  of  the 
maflacre  of  Paris."    STEEVEMS. 

8  No 


TIM  ON     OF    ATHENS.        415 

No  matter  : — wear  them,  betray  with  them  :  whore 

flill; 

Paint  'till  a  horfe  may  mire  upon  your  face, 
A  pox  of  wrinkles  ! 

Phr.  and  lym.  Well,  more  gold ; — What  then  ?— 
Believe't,  that  we'll  do  any  thing  for  gold. 

Tim.  Confumptions  fow 

In  hollow  bones  of  man  ;  flrike  their  lharp  fliins, 
And  marr 3  men's  fpurring.  Crack  the  lawyer's  voice, 
That  he  may  never  more  falfe  title  plead, 
Nor  found  his  quillets  mrilly  4 :  hoar  the  flamen  J, 
That  fcolds  againft  the  quality  of  flefh, 
And  not  believes  himfelf :  down  with  the  nofe, 
Down  with  it  flat ;  take  the  bridge  quite  away 
Of  him,  6  that  his  particular  to  forefee, 

Smells 

3  mem1  fpurring.  ]  Hanmer  reads— -fparring,  pro- 

perly enough,  if  there  be  any  ancient  example  of  the  word. 

JOHNSON. 

Spurring  is  certainly  right.     The  difeafe  that  enfeebled  their 
Jinn*)  would  have  this  effect.     STEEVENS. 

+  Nor  found  his  quillets  Jbrilly  : — ]    Quillets  are  fubtilties.     So, 
in  La-iv  Tricks  &c.   1608  :  "  -——a  quillet  well  applied !" 

STEEVENS. 

s  hoar  the  flamen  ^\    Mr.  Upton  would  read  boarfe,  i.  e. 

make  hoarfe ;  for  to  be  boary  claims  reverence.  Add  to  this  ('fays 
he)  that  hoarfe  is  here  moft  proper,  as  oppos'd  tofcoUs.  It  mav, 
however,  mean, — Give  the  flamen  the  boary  leprofy.  So,  in  Web- 
fter's  Dutcbefs  ofMalfy,  1623  : 

"  fliew  like  leprojy, 

"  The  whiter  the  fouler." 
And  before,  in  this  play  : 

"  Make  the  hoar  leprofy  ador'd."    STEEVENS. 
6  *-—tbat  Ins  particular  to  forefee]    In  this  beautiful  paflage 
there  is  a  ftrange  jumble  of  metaphors.     Tofmell  in  order  to  fore- 
fee,  is  ufing  the  benefit  of  the  fenfes  in  a  very  abfurd  way.     The 
fenfe  too,  is  as  bad  as  the  expreffion  :  Men  do  not  forfake  and  be- 
tray the  public  in  order  to  forefee  their  own  particular  advantage, 
kut  to  provide  for  it.    Forefeeing  is  not  the  confequenceof  betray- 
ing, but  one  of  the  caufes  of  it.     Without  doubt  we  fhould  read : 
Of  him t  that  hh  particular  to  forefend, 
Smtlhfrom  the  general  weal,— • 

Lfc 


416        TIMON     OF    ATHENS. 

Smells  from  the  general  weal:    make  curl'd-^ate 

ruffians  bald  ; 

And  let  the  unfcarr'd  braggarts  of  the  war 
Derive  fome  pain  from  you  :  Plague  all ; 
That  your  adtivity  may  defeat  and  quell 
The  fource  of  all  eredtion. — There's  more  gold  :  — 
Do  you  damn  others,  and  let  this  damn  you. 
And  ditches  grave  you  all 7 ! 

Phr.  and  Tym.  More  counfel,  with  more  money, 

bounteous  Timon. 
Tim.  More  whore,   more  mifchief  firft  ;    I  have 

given  you  earneft. 

Ale*  Strike  up  the  drum  towards  Athens.     Fare- 
wel,  Timon ; 

i.  e.  provide  for,  fecure.  Forefend  has  a  great  force  and  beauty 
in  this  place,  as  fignifyhig  not  barely  tofecure,  but  to  make  3.  pre- 
vious provifion  for  fecuring.  WARBURTON. 

The  metaphor  is  apparently  incongruous,  but  the  fenfe  is  good. 
Toforcfee  bis  particular,  is  to  provide  for  his  private  advantage,  tor 
which  be  leaves  the  right  fcent  of  publick  good.  In  hunting,  when 
hares  have  crofs'd  one  another,  it  is  common  for  fome  of  the 
hounds  to  fmell  from  the  general  *iveal,  andforefee  their  otvn  particu- 
lar. Shakefpeare,  who  feems  to  have  been  a  Ikilful  fportfman, 
and  has  alluded  often  to  falconry,  perhaps,  alludes,  here  to 
hunting. 

To  the  commentator's  emendation  it  may  be  objected,  that  he 
ufed  forefend  in  the  wrong  meaning.  To  forefend,  is,  I  think, 
never  to  provide  for,  but  to  provide  againft.  The  verbs  compound- 
ed wither  or  fore  have  commonly  either  an  evil  or  negative  fenfe. 

JOHNSON. 

"  4nd  ditches  grave  you  all!]  To  grave  is  to  entomb.  The 
word  is  now  obfolete,  though  Ibmetimes  ufed  by  Shakefpeare  and 
his  contemporary  authors.  So,  in  lord  Surrey's  Tranflation  of  the 
fourth  book  of  Virgil's  sEneid: 

"  Cinders  (think'ft  thou)  mind  this  ?  or  jrarW  ghoftes  ?" 
To  ungravc  was  likewife  to  turn  out  of  a  grave.  Thus,  in  Mar- 
lion's  Sophonifoa: 

"  and  me,  now  dead, 

*'  Deny  a  grave  ;  hurl  us  among  the  rocks 

"  To  ilanch  beafts  hunger  :  therefore,  thus  ungrat^J, 

••  I  feek  flow  reft."    STEEVSKS. 

If 


TIMON     OF    ATHENS.        417 

If  I  thrive  well,  I'll  vifit  thce  again. 

Tim.  If  I  hope  well,  I'll  never  fee  thee  more* 

Ale.  I  never  did  thee  harm. 

Tim.  Yes,  thou  fpok'lt  well  of  me. 

Ale.  Call'ft  thou  that  harm  > 

Tim.  Men  daily  find  it. 
Get  thee  away,  and  take  thy  beagles  with  thee. 

Ale.  We  but  offend  him. — Strike. 

[Drum  beats.     Exeunt  Alciblactest 
Phrynia,  andTymandra. 

Tim.  [Digging."]  That  nature,  being  Tick  of  man's 
unkindnefs, 

Should  yet  be  hungry ! Common  mother,  thou 

1  Whofe  womb  unmeafurable,  and  infinite  breaft, 
Teems,  and  feeds  all;  whofe  felf-fame  mettle, 
Whereof  thy  proud  child,  arrogant  man,  is  puft, 
Engenders  the  black  toad,  and  adder  blue, 
The  gilded  newt,  and  *  eyelefs  venom'd  worm, 
With  all  the  abhorred  births  ;  below  crifp  heaven 

1  Wl}ofe  womb  unmeafurablc,  and  infinite  breafi\  This  image  U 
taken  from  the  ancient  ftatues  of  Diana  Ephefia  Multimammia, 
called  «7«»awXo;  epvcn;  Wm;x  Mvnjp ;  and  is  a  very  good  comment  on 
thofe  extraordinary  figures.  See  Montfaucon,  fAntiqttiti  expliquee, 
1.  iii.  c.  15.  Heiiod,  alluding  to  the  fame  reprefentations,  calls 
the  earth,  TAl'  ETPYSTEPNOE.  WAREURTON. 

Wbofe  infinite  breajl  means  no  more  than  ivhofe  boundlefi  furface . 
Shakefpeare  probably  knew  nothing  of  the  ftatue  to  which  the  com- 
mentator alludes.  STEEVENS. 

1 eyelefs  *ve nom V  ivorm ;  ]  The  ferpent,  which  we,  from  the 

fmallnefs  of  his  eyes,  call  the  blind  worm,  and  the  Latins,  ctecilia. 

JOHNSON. 

3  lelow  crifp  leaven,']  We  fliould  read  cript^  i.  e.  vaulted, 

from  the  Latin  crypta,  a  vault.  WARBURTON. 

Mr.  Upton  declares  for  cri/p,  curled,  bent,  hollow.    JOHNSON. 

Perhaps  Shakefpeare  means  curfd,  from  the  appearance  of  the 
clouds.  In  the  Tempeft,  Ariel  talks  of  riding 

On  the  curVd  clouds. 
Chaucer  in  his  Houfe  of  Fame,  fays, 

"  Her  here  that  was  oundie  and  crips.19 
i>  e.  ivaiy  and  curled. 
Again,  in  the  Phihfopber's  Satires,  by  Robert  Anton. 

*'  Her  face  as  beauteous  as  the  rr//jWmorn."  STEEVEXS. 

VOL.  VIII.  E  e  Whereon 


4i8        TIMON     OF     ATHENS. 

Whereon  Hyperion's  quickening  fire  doth  fhinc  ^ 
Yield  him,  who  all  thy  human  fons  doth  hate, 
From  forth  thy  plenteous  bofom,  one  poor  root! 
Enlear  thy  fertile  and  conceptions  womb4, 
5  Let  it  no  more  bring  out  ingrateful  man! 
Go  great  with  tigers,  dragons,  wolves  and  bears; 
Teem  with  new  monfters,  whom  thy  upward  face 
Hath  to  the  marbled  manfion  all  above  6 
Never  prefented! — O,  a  root, — Dear  thanks! 
7  Diy  up  thy  marrows,  vines,  and  plough-torn  leas; 

Whereof 

*  Efifcar  thy  fertile  and  conceptious  womb.]   So  in  K.  Lear : 

"**  Dry  up  in  her  the  organs  of  encrcafe."  STEEVENS. 

5  Let  it  no  more  bring  out  ungrateful  man  !]  This  is  an  abfurd 
reading.  Shakefpeare  wrote, 

Irii:^  out  to  ungrateful  man  ! 

i.  e.  fruits  for  his  fuilena-nce  and  lupport;  but  let  It  rather  teem 
with  monfters  to  his  definition.  Nor  is  it  to  be  pretended,  that 
this  alludes  to  the  fable:  for  he  isfpeaking  of  what  the  earth  now 
brings  forth  ;  which  thought  he  repeats  afterwards : 

Dry  np  tby  barro-vj'd  veins,  and  plow -torn  leas,  &c. 

WAR  EUR  TON. 

It  is  plain  that  bring  out  is  bring  forth,  with  which  the  following 
lines  correfpond  fo  plainly,  that  the  commentator  might  be  ful- 
pe&ed  of  writing  his  note  without  reading  the  whole  palfage. 

JoHi^SON. 

6  the  marbled  manfion ]  So  Milton,  B.  iii.  1.  564  : 

"  Through  the  pure  marble  air——     STEEVENS. 
*  Dry  np  tby  marrows,  veins,  and  plow-torn  leas;]  The  integri- 
ty of  the  metaphor  abfolutely  requires  that  we  ihould  read, 

Dry  up  tby  harrow'd  veins,  and  plow-torn  leas. 
Mr.  Theobald  owns  that  this  gives  a  new  beauty  to  the  verfe,  yet, 
as  untfuous  morfels  follows,  marrows  might  have  gone  before,  and 
mean  the  fat  of  the  land.  That  is,  becaufe  there  is  a  metaphor 
afterwards  that  fuits  it,  it  may  be  admitted,  though  it  violates  the 
metaphor  in  the  place  it  is  ufed  in.  But  this  unhappy  critic  never 
confidered  that  men  ought  to  earn  this  /rf/  before  they  eat  it. 
From  this  emendation  the  Oxford  editor  has  fprung  another,  and 
reads, 

D>y  up  thy  meadows,  vineyards  WAR  BURTON. 

I  cannot  concur  to  cenfure  Theobald  as  a  critic  very  unhappy. 
He  was  weak,  but  he  was  cautious  :  finding  but  little  power  in 
his  mind,  he  rarely  ventured  far  under  its  conduct.  This  timidity 

hindered 


TIMON     OF     ATHENS.        419 

Whereofingrateful  man,  with  liquorifti  draughts, 
And  morfels  unctuous,  greafes  his  pure  mind, 
That  from  it  all  confideration  flips! 

Enter  Apemantus. 

More  man?  Plague!  plague! 

Apem.  I  was  directed  hither :  Men  report, 
Thou  doft  affect  my  manners,  and  doft  ufe  them* 

Tim.  'Tis  then,  becaufe  thou  doft  not  keep  a  dog 
Whom  I  would  imitate:  Consumption  catch  thee! 

Apem.  This  is  in  thee  a  nature  but  affected; 
A  poor  unmanly  melancholy,  fprung 
From  change  of  fortune.  Why  this  fpade?  this  place? 
This  flave-like  habit?  and  thefe  looks  of  care  ? 
Thy  flatterers  yet  wear  (ilk,  drink  wine,  lie  foft; 
Hug  their  difeas'd  perfumes,  and  have  forgot 
That  ever  Timon  was.     Shame  not  thefe  woods, 
By  putting  on  8  the  cunning  of  a  carper. 

hindered  him  from  daring  conjectures,  and  fometimes  hindered 
him  happily. 

This  palfage,  among  many  others,  may  pafs  without  change. 
The  genuine  reading  is  not  marrows,  veins,  but  marrows,  vines  : 
the  fenfe  is  this;  O  nature!  ceafe  to  produce  men,  e  nfear  thy  womb  ; 
but  if  thou  wilt  continue  to  produce  them,  atleaft  ceafe  to  pamper 
them  ;  dry  up  thy  marrows,  on  which  they  fatten  with  unRuous  mor- 
fels, thy  'vines,  which  give  them  liquorijlj  draughts,  and  thy^/o-tu- 
torn  leas.  Here  are  effects  correfponding  with  caufes,  liquori/f? 
draughts  with  vines,  and  unfluous  morfels  with  marrows,  and  the 
old  reading  literally  preserved.  JOHNSON. 

8   the  cunning  of  a  carper.]  For  the  philofophy  of  a  Cynic, 

of  which  feel  Apemantus  was;  and  therefore  he  concludes: 
Do  not  affume  my  likenefs.     WAR  BURTON. 

Cunning  here  feems  to  liguify  counterfeit  appearance.     JOHNSON. 

The  cunning  of  a  carper,  is  the  infidious  art  of  a  critic.  Shame 
not  thefe  woods,  fays  Apemantus,  by  coming  here  to  find  fault. 
Maurice  Kyffin  in  the  preface  to  his  tranflation  of  Terence's  Andria, 
1588,  fays;  "  Of  the  curious  carper  I  look  not  to  be  favoured." 
Again  Uifula  fpeaking  of  the  farcafms  of  Beatrice,  obferves, 

"  Why  fure,  fuch  carping  is  not  commendable." 
There  is  no  apparent   reafon  why  Apemantus  (according  to  Dr. 
Warburton's  explanation)  (hould  ridicule  his  own  fedt.  STEEVEXS. 
Eez  Be 


420        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

Be  thou  a  flatterer  now,  and  feek  to  thrive 
By  that  which  has  undone  thee  :  hinge  thy  knee^ 
And  let  his  very  breath,  whom  thou'lt  obferve, 
Blow  off  thy  cap  ;   praife  his  moft  vicious  drain, 
.And  call  it  excellent:  Thou  waft  told  thus; 
Thou  gav'ft  thine  ears,  like  tapfters,  that  bid  welcome, 
To  knaves,  and  all  approaches  :  'Tis  moft  juft, 
That  thou  turn  rafcal;  hadft  thou  wealth  again, 
Rafcals  fhould  have't.     Do  not  aflame  my  likenefs. 

Tim.  Were  I  like  thee,  I'd  throw  away  myfelf. 

Apem.    Thou  haft  caft  away  thyfelf,  being  like 

thyfelf; 

A  madman  fo  long,  now  a  fool;  What,  think'ft 
That  the  bleak  air,  thy  boifterous  chamberlain, 
Will  put  thy  ftiirt  on  warmV  Will  thefe  9  moift  trees, 
That  have  out-liv'd  the  eagle1,  page  thy  heels, 
And  ikip  when  thou  point'ft  out?  will  the  cold  brook, 
Candied  with  ice,  caudle  thy  morning  tafte 
To  cure  thy  o'er-night's  furfeit?  Ca.ll  the  creatures, — 
Whofe  naked  natures  live  in  all  the  fpight 
Of  wreakful  heaven;  whofe  bare  unhoufed  trunks, 
To  the  conflicting  elements  expos'd, 
Anfwer  meer  nature1, — bid  them  flatter  thee; 
O!  thouflialt  find— 

Tim.  A  fool  of  thee  :  Depart. 

Apem.  I  love  thee  better  now  than  e'er  I  did. 

Tim.  I  hate  thee  worfe. 


9  — moift  trees,]  Hanmer  reads  very  elegantly, 

mois  'd  trees.     JOHNSON. 

Shakefpeare  ufes  the  fame  epithet  in  As  you  like  it,  Aft  IV. 

**  Under  an  oak,  whofe  boughs  were  mcfid  with  age." 

STEEVENS. 

1   outliv'ti the  eagle, ]  AquiL?  Scneftus  is  a  proverb.    I 

learn  from  Turbervile's  book  of  falconry  1575,  that  the  great  age 
of  this  bird  has  been  afcertained  from  the  circumftance  of  its  al- 
ways building  itsryr/V,  or  neit,  in  the  fame  place.  STEEVENS. 

*  Anf-jjer  mere  nature, ]  So  in  K.  Lear,  Aft  II. 

•'  And  with  prefented  nakednefs  outface 
*'  The  winds,  See."    STEEVENS. 


TIMON     OF    ATHENS.        421 

Apem.  Why? 

'Tim.  Thou  flatter'ft  mifery. 

Apem.  I  flatter  not;  but  fay,  thou  art  a  caitiff. 

Tim.  Why  doft  thou  feek  me  out? 

Apem.  To  vex  thee. 

J  Tim.  Always  a  villain's  office,  or  a  fool's. 
Poftpleafe  thyfelf  in't? 

Apem.  Ay. 

Tim.  What !  a  knave  too  ? 

Apem.  If  thou  didit  put  this  four  cold  habit  on 
To  caftigate  thy  pride,  'twere  well :  but  thou 
Doft  it  enforcedly;  thou'dft  courtier  be  again, 
Wertthou  not  beggar.     Willing  mifery 
Out-lives  incertain  pomp,  4is  crown'd  before : 

*  Tim.  Akvay s  a  villain's  office  or  a  foo?f. 

Dojlpkafe  tbyfelfint? 

Apem.  Ay. 

Tim.  What!  a  knave  too?] 

Mr.  Warburton  propofes  a  correction  here,  which,  though  is 
oppofes  the  reading  of  all  the  printed  copies,  has  great  juitneis  and 
propriety  in  it.  He  would  read  : 

IVbat!  and  know't  too  ? 

The  reafoning  of  the  text,  as  it  ftands  in  the  books  is,  in  fome 
fort,  concluding  backward;  or  rather  making  a  knave's  and  a 
villain's  office  different ;  which,  furely,  is  abfurd.  The  correction 
quite  removes  the  abfurdity,  and  gives  this  fenfible  rebuke. 
*'  What !  Do'it  \ko\\pleafe  thyfelf  in  vexing  me,  and  at  the  fame 
"  time  know  it  to  be  the  office  of  a  villain  or  fool?"  THEOBALD. 
Such  was  Dr.  Warburton's  firit  conjecture,  but  afterwards  he 
adopted  Sir  T.  Hanmer^s  conjecture : 

What  a  knave  thou  ! 

but  there  is  no  need  of  alteration.  Timon  had  juft  called  Apeman- 
tus/0o/,  in  confequence  of  what  he  had  known  ot  him  by  for- 
mer acquaintance;  but  when  Apemantus  tells  him,  that  he  comes 
to  vex  him,  Timon  determines  that  to  vex  is  either  the  office  of  a 
•villain  or  a  fool;  that  to  vex  ly  dejign  is  villainy,  to  vex  without 
dejign  is  folly.  He  then  properly  alks  Apemantus  whether  he  takes 
delight  in  vexing,  and  when  he  anfwers,  yes,  Tiraon  replies, 
Wljat  !  and  knave  too  ?  I  before  only  knew  thee  to  be  zfool,  but 
I  now  find  thee  likewife  a  knave.  This  feems  to  be  fo  clear  as  not 
to  ftand  in  need  of  a  comment.  JOHNSON. 

*  is  crown' <t before:]  Arrives  fooner  at  high  ivijb ;  that  is. 

at  the  completion  of  in  ivijbes.     JOHNSON. 

E  e  3  The 


422        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

The  one  is  filling  ftill,  never  compleat ; 

The  other,  at  high  wifli :  Beft  ftate,  contentlefs, 

Hath  a  diftra&ed  and  mofl  wretched  being, 

Worfethan  the  worft,  content5. 

Thou  fhould'ft  defire  to  die,  being  miferable. 

Tim.  Not 6  by  his  breath,  that  is  more  miferable. 
Thou  art  a  Have,  whom  fortune's  tender  arm 
With  favour  never  clafp'd;  7  but  bred  a  dog. 
8Hadft  thou,  like   us,  from  our  9  firft  fwath,  pro- 
ceeded 

The 

5  Worfe  than  the  ivorjl,  content.]  This  line,  defective  both   in 
fenfe  and  metre,  might  be  thus  fupplied : 

44  Worfe  than  the  luorft  contented  is  mofl  happy.'* 
*'  I  have  repeated  this  conje&ure,  in  the  words  in  which  it  v.'js 
fent   to  be  -nferted  in  the  laft  edition,  merely  as  it   ferves  to   intro- 
duce the  following  explanation  of  the  pafTage,  being  now  con- 
vinced myfelf  that  no  alteration  fliould  be  attempted." 

TYR  \VHITT. 

Befl  ftates  contentlefs  have  a  wretched  being,  a  being  worfe 
than  that  of  the  worit  ilates  that  are  content,  This  one  would 
think  too  plain  to  have  been  miftaken.  JOHNSON. 

6  by  his  breath , ]  It  means,  I  believe,  by  his  counfelt 

by  his  direclion.     JOHXSON, 

by  his  breath, I  believe,  is    meant   his  fentence.     To 

Ireathe  is  as  licentioufly  ufed  by  Shakefpeare  in  the  following  in- 
ftance  from  Hamlet : 

"  Having  ever  feen,  in  the  prenominate  crimes, 

*'  The  youth  you  breathe  of,  guilty,  &c."     STEEVENS. 

7  • but  bred  a  dog.]  Alluding  to  the  word  Cynic,  of  which 

fe£t  Apemantus  was.     WARBURTON. 

8  HaJft  thou,   like  us, ]  There  is  in  this  fpeech  a  fullen 

haughtinefs,   and  malignant  dignity,    fuitable  at  once  to  the  lord 
and  the  man-hater.     The  impatience  with  which  he  bears  to  have 
his  luxury  reproached  by  one  that  never  had  luxury  within  his 
reach,  is  natural  and  graceful. 

There  is  in  a  letter,  written  by  the  earl  of  Eflex,  juft  before  his 
execution,  to  another  nobleman,  a  pafTage  fomewhat  refembling 
this,  with  which,  I  believe  every  reader  will  be  pleafed,  though  ic 
is  6>  ferious  and  foleran  that  it  can  fcarcely  be  inferted  without  ir- 
reverence. 

"  God  grant  your  lordfliip  may  quickly  feel  the  comfort  I  now 
enjoy  in  my  unfeigned  converfion,  but  that  you  may  never  feel 
the  torments  I  have  fuflfered  for  my  long  delaying  it.  I  had  none 

but 


TIMON     OF     ATHENS.        423 

The  fiveet  degrees '  that  this  brief  world  affords 

To  fuch  as  may  the  paffive  drugs  of  it 

Frc-ely  command,  thou  wouldft  have  plungM  thyfclf 

In  general  riot;   melted  down  thy  youth 

In  different  beds  of  lufl;  and  never  learn'd 

The  icy  z  precepts  of  refped:,  but  follow'd 

The  fugar'd  game  before  thee.     3  But  myfelf, 

Who  had  the  world  as  my  confectionary  ; 

The  mouths,  the  tongues,  the  eyes,  and  hearts  of  men 

but  dectivers  to  call  upon  me,  to  whom  I  faid,  if  my  ambition  could 
have  a: tend  into  their  narrow  breafts,  they  '•Mould  not  have  been  fo 
humble ;  or  if  my  delights  had  been  once  taftedby  them,  they  would  not 
have  been  Jo  freeze.  But  your  lordjhip  hath  one  to  call  upon  you, 
that  knowetb  what  it  is  you  now  enjoy  ;  and  what  the  greateft  fruit 
and  end  is  of  all  contentment  that  this  world  can  afford.  Think, 
therefore,  dear  earl,  that  I  have  flaked  and  buoyed  all  the  ways  of 
t>leafure  unto  you,  and  left  them  as  fea-marks  for  you  to  keep  the 
channel  of  religious  virtue.  For  fliut  your  eyes  never  fo  long, 
they  muft  be  open  at  the  laft,  and  then  you  mutt  fay  with  me 
there  is  no  peace  to  the  ungodly . "  JOHNSON. 

9  — -firftfivath — ]  From  infancy.     Swath  is  the  drefs  of  a  new- 
born child.     JOHNSON. 
So  in  Hey  wood's  Golden  Age,   162  £  : 

,**  No  more  their  cradles  fhallbe  made  their  tombs, 
*'  Nor  their  fohfivatbs  become  their  winding  fheets." 

STEEVENS. 

*  Tie  fweet  degrees ]  Thus  the  folio.  The  modern  edi- 
tors have,  without  authority,  read  Through,  &c.  but  this  negledt 
of  the  prepofition  was  common  to  many  other  writers  of  the  age 
of  Shakefpeare.  STEEVENS. 

* preceptsofrefyetf, — J  Of  obedience  to  laws.     JOHNSOV. 

Rrfpefl,  I  believe,  means  the  qtSen  dira't  on?  the  regard  of 
Athens,  that  ftrongeft  reftraint  on  licentioufnefs  :  the  icy  precepts, 
i.  e.  that  cool  hot  blood.  STEEVENS. 

3  But  myfclf,~\  The  connexion  here  requires  fome  at- 
tention. But  is  here  ufed  to  denote  oppofition  ;  but  what  imme- 
diately precedes  is  not  oppofed  to  that  which  follows.  The  ad- 
verfative  particle  refers  to  the  two  firft  lines. 

Thou  artajlave,  whom  fortune's  tender  arm 
With  favour  never  clafpt ;  but  bred  a  dog, 

But  my f elf, 

Who  bad  the  world  as  my  confeftionary,  &c. 

The  intermediate  lines  are  to  be  confidered  as  a  parenthefis  of 
pafllon.    JOHNSON, 

E  e  4  At 


424        TIMON     OF    ATHENS. 

At  duty,  more  than  I  could  frame  employment, 
(That  numberlefs  upon  me  ftuck,  as  leaves 
Do  on  the  oak,  have  with  one  winter's  brufh4- 
Fell  from  their  boughs,  and  left  me  open,  bare 
For  every  ftorm  that  blows)     I  to  bear  this, 
"   That  never  knew  but  better,  is  fome burden: 
Thy  nature  did  commence  in  fufferance,  time 
Hath  made  thee  hard  in't.     Why  fliould'ft  thou  hate 

men? 

They  never  flatter'd  thee  :     What  haft  thou  given  ? 
If  thou  wilt  curfe, — thy  father,  s  that  poor  rag, 
Muft  be  thy  fubject;  who  in  fpight,  put  (luff 
To  fome  fhe  beggar,  and  compounded  thee 
Poor  rogue  hereditary.     Hence!  begone!  — 
If  thou  hadfl  not  been  born  the  worft  of  men, 
*  Thou  hadfl  been  a  knave,  and  flatterer. 

Apem, 

* ivitb  one  winter's  IruJJ?,  &c.]    So  in  Maflinger's  Maid  of 

Honour 

•    O  fummcr  friendihip, 

Whofe  flatt'ring  leaves  that  Jhadow'd  us  in  our 
Profperity,  with  the  leaft  guft  drop  off 
In  the  autumn  of  adverfky."    STEEVENS. 

5  that  poor  rag,]  If  we  read  poor  rogue,  it  will  correfpond, 

father  better  to  what  follows.    JOH  NSOK. 

In  Richard  III.  Margaret  calls  Glolter  rag  of  honour  ;  and  in 
the  fame  play,  the  overweening  rags  of  France  are  mentioned. 
The  old  reading,  1  believe,  Ihould  ftand.  STEEVENS. 

6  Thou  hadft  been  knave  and  flatterer.]     Dryden  has  quoted  two 
verfes  of  Virgil  to   (hew  how  well  he  could  have  written  fatircs, 
Shakefpeare  has  here  given  a  fpccimen  of  the  fame  power  by  a 
line  bitter  beyond  all  bitternefs,  in  which  Timon  tells  Apeman- 
tus,  that  he  had  not  virtue  enough  for  the  vices  which  he  con* 
demos. 

Dr.  Warburton  explains  worft  by  loweft,  which  fomewhat 
weakens  the  fenfe,  and  yet  leaves  it  fufficiently  vigorous. 

I  have  heard  Mr,  Burke  commend  the  fubtilty  of  difcrimina- 
tion  with  which  Shakefpeare  diftinguimes  the  prefent  character 
of  Timon  from  that  of  Apemantus,  whom  to  vulgar  eyes  he  would 
now  refemble.  JOHNSON. 

Knave  is  here  to  be  underftood  of  a  man  who  endeavours  to  re- 
commend himfelfby  a  hypocritical  appearance  of  attention,  and 
iuperfluity  of  fawning  officioufnefs ;  fuch  a  one  as  is  called  in  King 

Lear* 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS,        42$ 

Apem.  Art  thou  proud  yet  ? 

Tim.  Ay,  that  I  am  not  thee. 

Apem.  I,  that  I  was  no  prodigal. 

"Tim.  I,  that  I  am  one  now  : 
Were  all  the  wealth  I  have,  fhut  up  in  thee, 
I'd  give  thee  leave  to  hang  it.     Get  thee  gone,  —  • 
That  the  whole  life  of  Athens  were  in  this  ! 
Thus  would  I  eat  it.  \Eallng  a  root. 

Apem.  Here;  I  will  mend  thy  feaft. 

[Offering  him  fame  thing. 

Tim.  Firft  mend  my  company,  take  away  thyfelf  7. 

Apem*  So  I  fliall  mend  my  own,  by  the  lack  of 
thine. 

Tim.  Tis  not  well  mended  fo,  it  is  but  botch'd; 
If  not,  I  would  it  were. 

Apem.  What  wouldft  thou  have  to  Athens  ? 

Tim.  Thee  thither  in  a  whirlwind.     If  thou  wilt, 
Tell  them  there  I  have  gold  ;  look,  fo  I  have. 

Apem.  Here  is  no  ufe  for  gold,  • 

Tim.  The  beft,  and  trueft  : 
For  here  it  fleeps,  and  does  no  hired  harm. 

Apem.  Where  ly'ft  o'nights,  Timon  ? 

Tim.  Under  that's  above  me. 
Where  feed'ft  thou  o'days,  Apemantus? 

Apem.  Where  my  ftomach  finds  meat;  or,  rather, 
where  I  eat  it. 

Tim.  'Would  poifon  were  obedient,  and  knew  my 
mind  ! 

Apem.  Where  wouldft  thou  fend  it? 

Tim.  To  fauce  thy  diihes. 


3.  finical  fuperfervicealle  rogue.  —  If  he  had  had  virtue  enough 
to  attain  the  profitable  vices,  he  would  have  been  profitably  vicious. 

STEEVENS. 

7  -  take  aivay  thfilf-]  This  thought  feems  to  have  been 
adopted  from  Plutarch's  life  of  Antony.  It  llands  thus  in  Sir 
Tho.  North's  tranflation.  "  Apemantus  faid  unto  the  other;  O, 
here  is  a  trimine  banket  Timon.  Timon  aunfvvered  againe,  yea, 
^aid  he,  fo  tbon  wert  not  here"  STEEVENS. 


426        TIMON     OF    ATHENS. 

Apem.  The  middle  of  humanity  thou  never  kneweft, 
but  the  extremity  of  both  ends :  When  thou  waft  in 
thy  gilt,  and  thy  perfume,  they  mock'd  thee  8  for  too 
much  curiofity;  in  thy  rags  thou  knoweft  none,  but 
art  defpis'd  for  the  contrary.  There's  a  medlar  for 
thee,  eat  it 

I'm.  On  xvhat  I  hate,  I  feed  not. 

Apem.  Doft  hate  a  medlar? 

Tim.  9  Ay,  though  it  look  like  thee. 

Apem*  An  thou  hadft  hated  medlers  fooner,  thou 
ftiouldft  have  lov'd  thyfelf  better  now.  What  man 
didft  thou  ever  know  unthrjft,  that  wasbclov'd  after 
his  means  ? 

Tim.  Who,  without 'thofe  means  thou  talk'fl  of, 
didft  thou  ever  know  beloved  ? 

Apem.  Myfeif. 

Tim.  I  underftand  thee;  thou  had'ft  fome  means  to 
keep  a  dog. 

8  — for  too  viucb  curiofity ;]  i.  e.  for  too  much  finical  delicacy. 
The  Oxford  editor  alters  it  to  courtejy.     WARBURTON. 

Dr.  Warburton  has  explained  the  word  juftly.  So  in  Jervas 
Markham's  Engtijh  Arcadia  1606.  "  for  all  thofe  eye- 
charming  graces,  of  which  with  fuch  curiofity  fhe  had  boafted." 
So  in  Hobby's  tranflation  of  Caftiglione's  Cortegiano,  1556,  "  A 
waiting  gentlewoman  fhould  flee  affeftion  or  curiojjty."  Curiofity  is 
here  inferted  as  a  fynonyme  to  affeSlion.  which  means  affectation. 
Curiofity  likewife  feems  to  have  meant  capricioufncfs.  So  in  Greene's 
Mamillia,  1593*  "  Pharicles  hath  fhewn  me  fome  curtefy,  and 
I  have  not  altogether  requited  him  with  curiofity :  he  hath  made 
fome  (hew  of  love,  and  I  have  not  wholly  feemed  to  miflike." 

STEEVENS. 

9  ^,  though  it  look  like  tbee.']  Timon  here  fuppofes  that  an  ob- 
jection againft  hatred,  which  through  the  whole  tenor  of  the  con- 
verfation  appears  an  argument  for  it.     One  would  have  expected, 
him  to  have  anfwered, 

Yes,  for  it  looks  like  thee. 

The  old' edition,  which  always  gives  the  pronoun  iniiead  of  the 
affirmative  particle,  has  it, 

7,  though  it  look  like  thee. 
Perhaps  we  fhould  read, 

/  thought  /'/  look'd  like  thee.    JOHNSON. 


TIMON     OF     ATHENS         427 

Apem.  What  things  in  the  world  canft  thou  neareft 
compare  to  thy  flatterers  ? 

Tim.  Women  neareft ;  but  men,  men  are  the 
things  themfelvcs.  What  wouldft  thou  do  with  the 
world,  Apemantus,  if  it  lay  in  thy  power  ? 

dpcm.  Give  it  the  beafts,  to  be  rid  of  the  men. 

Tim.  Wouldft  thou  have  thyfelf  fall  in  the  confu- 
fion  of  men,  and  remain  a  beaft  with  the  beafts  ? 

Apem.  Ay,  Tirr.on. 

Tim.  A  bcaftly  ambition,  which  the  gods  grant  thee 
to  attain  to !  If  thou  wert  the  lion,  the  fox  would  be- 
guile thee  :  if  thou  wert  the  lamb,  the  fox  would  eat 
thee :  if  thou  wert  the  fox,  the  lion  would  fufpect 
thee,  when,  perad venture,  thou  wert  accus'd  by  the 
a  is :  if  thou  wert  the  afs,  thy  dulnefs  would  torment 
thee;  and  (till  thou  liv'dft  but  as  a  breakfaft  to  the 
wolf:  if  thou  wert  the  wolf,  thy  greedinefs  would 
afflidt  thee,  and  oft  thou  fhouldft  hazard  thy  life  for 
thy  dinner:  wert  thou  the  '  unicorn,  pride  and  wrath 
would  confound  thee,  and  make  thine  own  felf  the 
conqueft  of  thy  fury:  wert  thou  a  bear,  thou  wouldft 
be  kill'd  by  the  horfe;  wert  thou  a  horfe,  thou  wouldft 
be  feiz'd  by  the  leopard;  wert  thou  a  leopard,  thou 
wert  *  german  to  the  lion,  and  the  fpots  of  thy  kindred 
were  jurors  on  thy  life :  all  thy  fafety  were  remo- 
tion'; and  tfcy  defence,  ab fence.  What  beaft  couldft 

1  the  unicorn,  &c.]  The  account  given  of  the  unicorn  is  this  ; 
that  he  and  the  lion  being  enemies  by  nature,  as  foon  as  the  lion 
fees  the  unicorn  hebetates  himfelf  to  a  tree:  the  unicorn  in  his 
fury,  and  with  all  the  fwiftnefs  of  his  courfe,  running  at  him,  flicks 
his  horn  faft  in  the  tree,  and  then  the  lion  falls  upon  him  and  kills 
him.  Gefner  Hijl.  Animal.  H A N M E R . 

See  a  note  on  Julius  Ctefar,  Ai5t  II.  Sc.  i.     STEEVENS. 

*  tbouwert  german  to  the  tion,~\  This  feems  to  be  an  allufion  to 
Turkifh  policy : 

"  Bears,  like  the  Turk,  no  brother  near  the  throne." — Pope. 

STEEVENS. 

3  were   remotion ;]    i.   e.   removal  from  place   to  place. 

'Jo  in  King  Lear; 

"''Tis  th.e  remotion  of  the  duke  and  her."    STEEVENS. 

thou 


428        TIMON    OF     ATHENS. 

thou  be,  that  were  notfubject  toabeafl?  and  what  a 
beafl  art  thou  already,  and  feeft  not  thy  lois  in  trans- 
formation ? 

Apem.  If  thou  couldft  pleafe  me  with  fpeaking  to 
me,  thou  might'ft  have  hit  upon  it  here  :  The  com- 
monwealth of  Athens  js  become  a  foreft  of  beafts. 

'Tim.  How  has  the  afs  broke  the  wall,  that  thou  art 
out  of  the  city  ? 

Apem.  Yonder  comes  a  poet,  and  a  painter  :  The 
plague  of  company  light  upon  thee!  I  will  fear  to 
catch  it,  and  give  way :  When  I  know  not  what  elfe 
to  do,  I'll  fee  thee  again. 

Tim.  When  there  is  nothing  living  but  thee,  thou 
ihalt  be  welcome.  I  had  rather  be  a  beggar's  dog, 
than  Apemantus. 

Apem.  4  Thou  art  the  cap  of  all  the  fools  alive. 

Tim.  'Would  thou  wert  clean  enough  to  fpitupon. 
5  A  plague  on  thee! 

Apem.  Thou  art  too  bad  to  curfe. 

Tim.  All  villains,  that  do  ftand  by  thee,  are  pure. 

Apem.  There  is  no  Ieprofy5  but  what  thou  fpeak'ft. 

Tim*  If  1  name  thee. — 
I'll  beat  thee, — but  I  fhould  infect  my  hands. 

Apem.  I  would  my  tongue  could  rot  them  off! 

Tim.  Away,  thou  iflue  of  a  mangy  dog! 
Choler  does  kill  me,  that  thou  art  alive; 
}  fwoon  to  fee  thee. 

Apem.  'Would  thou  wouldftburft! 

Tim.  Away. 

*  Tlou  art  the  cap,  &c.]  i,  e.  the  property,  the  bubble. 

WARBURTON, 

I  rather  think,  the/0^,  ti\t  principal. 
The  remaining  dialogue  has  more  malignity  than  wit. 

JOHNSON, 
5  A  plague  on  tbee  ! 
Apem.   Ibou  art  ton  lad  to  curfe.'] 

In  the  former  editions,  this  whole  verfe  was  placed  to  Apeman- 
tus :  by  which,  abfurdly,  he  was  made  to  curfe  Timon,  and  imme- 
diately to  fubjoin  that  he  was  too  bad  to  curfe.  Tn  EOB  ALD. 

Thou 


TIMON     OF     ATHENS.        429 

Thou  tedious  rogue!   I  am  forry,  I  fhall  lofe 
A  ftone  by  thee4 

Apem.  Beaft ! 

Tim.  Slave! 

Apem.  Toad ! 

Tim.  Rogue,  rogue,  rogue! 

[Apemantia  retreats  backward,  as  going. 
I  am  fick  of  this  falfe  world;  and  will  love  nought" 
But  even  the  meer  neceffities  upon  it. 
Then,  Timon,  prefently  prepare  thy  grave ; 
Lie  where  the  light  foam  of  the  fea  may  beat 
Thy  grave- Hone  daily :  make  thine  epitaph, 
That  death  in  me  at  others'  lives  may  laugh. 
O  thou  fweet  king-killer,  and  dear  divorce 

[Looking  on  the  gold* 

6  'Twixt  natural  fon  and  fire  !  thou  bright  defiler 
Of  Hymen's  pureft  bed!  thou  valiant  Mars! 
Thou  ever  young,  frefh,  lov'd,  and  delicate  wooer, 

7  Whofe  blufh  doth  thaw  the  confecrated  fnow 
That  lies  on  Dian's  lap!  thou  vifible  god, 
That  folder'ft  clofe  impoflibilities, 

And  mak'ft    them  kifs !    that  fpeak'fl  with  every 

tongue, 

To  every  purpofe !  O  thou  touch  8  of  hearts ! 
Think,  thy  Have  man  rebels;  and  by  thy  virtue 

6  'Twixt  natural  fon  and  fire  !  ] 

A;«.  T£TO»  Kx  a&A^o'i 

Ata  rSro*  a  TO^;?£<.      Anac.      JoHNSON. 

7  Wljofe  llufh  doth  tha--M  the  confccra tedfnovi 
That  lies  on  Dian's  lap  ! ] 

The  imagery  is  here  exquifitely  beautiful  and  fublime. 

WAR  BUR  TON1. 

Dr.  Warburton  might  have  faid — Here  is  a  very  elegant  turn 
given  to  a  thought  more  coarfely  exprefled  in  King  Lear  : 

*'  yon  fimpering  dame, 

"  Whofe  face  let-wen  her  forks  prefages  fnow." 

STEEVENS. 
*  —  O  thou  touch  of  hearts!}  7Wr/>,  for  toucbjlone. 

STEEVEXS. 

Set 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

Set  them  into  confounding  odds,  that  beafls 
May  have  the  world  in  empire! 

Apem.  'Would  'twere  fo  ; — 

But  not  'till  I  am  dead  ! — Til  lay,  thou  haft  gold: 
Thou  wilt  be  throng'd  to  fhortly. 

Tim.  Throng'd  to? 

Apem.  Ay. 

Tim.  Thy  back,  I  pr'ythee. 

Apem.  Live,  and  love  thy  mifery ! 

Tim.  Long  live  fo,  and  fo  die ! — I  am  quit. 

[Exit  Apemantus. 

*  More  things  like  men  ? — Eat,  Timon,  and  abhor 
them. 

Enter  Thieves  -. 

1  Thief.  Where  fhould   he  have  this  gold  ?  It  is 
fome  poor  fragment,  fome  flender  ore  of  his  remain- 
der :.  The  meer  want  of  gold,  and  the  falling- from 
of  his  friends,  drove  him  into  this  melancholy. 

2,  Thief.  It  is  nois'd,  he  hath  a  mafs  of  treafure* 
3  Thief.  Let  us  make  the  aflay  upon  him  ;  if  he 

care  not  for't,  he  will  fupply  us  cafily  ;  If  he  covet- 

oufly  referve  it,  how  fhalPs  get  it  ? 

2  Thief.  True ;    for  he  bears  it  not  about  him, 
'tis  hid. 

1  Thief.  Is  not  this  he  ? 
All.  Where  ? 

2  Thief.  'Tis  his  defcription. 

3  Thief.  He  ;  I  know  him. 
All.  Save  thee,  Timon. 
Tim.  Now,  thieves  ? 

All.  Soldiers,  not  thieves. 

Tim.  Both  too  ;  and  women's  fons. 

1  UTore  things  like  men  ?  ]  This  line,  in  the  old  edition, 

is  given  to  Apemantus,  but  it  apparently  belongs  to  Timon. 
Hanmer  has  tranfpoled  the  Foregoing  dialogue  according  to  his 
own  mind,  not  untkilfully,  but  with  unwarrantable  licence. 

JOHNSON". 

z  Enter  Thieves.'}  The  old  copy  reads,— —Enter  the  Banditti. 

STEEVENS. 

All. 


TIMON     OF    ATHENS.        43  1 

All.  We  are  not  thieves,  but  men  that  much  do  want. 
Tim.  Your  greateft  want  is,  J  you  want  much  of 

meat. 

Why  fhould  you  want?  Behold  *,  the  earth  hath  roots; 
Within  this  mile  break  forth  an  hundred  fprings  ; 
The  oaks  bear  maftj  the  briars  fcarlet  hips  ; 
The  bounteous  hufwife,  nature,  on  each  bufh 
Lays  her  full  mefs  before  you.     Want  ?  why  want  ? 
i  Thief.  We  cannot  live  on  grafs,  on  berries,  water, 
As  beafis,  and  birds,  and  fifties. 

Tim.  Nor  on  the  beafts  themfelves,  the  birds,  and 
fiflies; 

3  -  you  want  much  <7/"meat.]  Thus  both  the  player  and 
poetical  editor  have  given  us  this  paflage  ;  quite  fand-blind,  as 
honeft  Launcelot  fays,  to  our  author's  meaning.  If  thefe  poor- 
thieves  wanted  meat,  what  greater  want  could  they  be  curfed  with, 
as  they  could  not  live  on  grafs,  and  berries,  and  water?  but  I 
dare  warrant  the  poet  wrote, 

'  you  much  want  of  meet. 

5.  e.  Much  or  what  you  ought  to  be  ;  much  of  the  qualities  &e- 
fitting  you  as  human  creatures.     THEOBALD. 

Such  is  Mr.  Theobald's  emendation,  in  which  he  is  followed 
by  Dr.  Warburton.  Sir  T.  Hanmer  reads, 

you  want  much  of  men. 

They  have  been  all  bufy  without  neceflity.  Obferve  the  feries  of 
the  converfation.  The  thieves  tell  him,  that  they  are  men  that 
much  do  want.  Here  is  an  ambiguity  between  much  want  and 
want  of  much,  Timon  takes  it  on  the  wrong  fide,  and  tells  them 
that  their  greateft  want  is,  that,  like  other  men,  they  want  much 
of  meat  ;  then  telling  them  where  meat  may  be  had,  he  alks, 
ffant?  why  want?  JOHNSON. 

Perhaps  we  fhould  read,  —  your  greateft  want  is  that  you  want 
much  ot  me  —  rejecting  the  two  laft  letters  of  the  word.  The 
fenfe  will  then  be  —  your  greateft  want  is  that  you  expect  fupplie* 
of  me  from  whom  you  can  reafonably  expect  nothing.  Your  ne- 
ceffities  are  indeed  defperate,  when  you  apply  for  relief  to  one  io 
'my  fituation.  STEEVENS. 

the  earth  hath  roots,  &cc.~\ 


Vile  oluSy  et  (fun's  hterentia  mora  rubetis 

Pugtiantis  ftomacbi  cotnpojuere  famem  : 

Flumlnevicinojiultuijltit. 

I  do  not  fuppofe  thefe  to  be  imitations,  but  only  to  be  fimilar 
thoughts  on  limilar  occalions.    JOHNSON. 

You 


43^        TIM  ON    OF    ATHENS. 

You  mufl  eat  men.     Yet  thanks  I  muft  you  con  ^  • 
That  you  are  thieves  profeft ;   that  you  work  not 
In  holier  fhapes  :  for  there  is  boundlefs  theft 

*  In  limited  profeffions.     Rafcal  thieves, 

Here's  gold  :  Go,  fuck  the  fubtle  blood  o'  the  grape^ 
'Till  the  high  fever  feeth  your  blood  to  froth, 
And  fo  'fcape  hanging  :  trull  not  the  phyfician  ; 
His  antidotes  are  poilbn,  and  he  flays 
More  than  -you  rob  :  7  take  wealth  and  lives  to- 
gether ; 

Do  villainy,  do,  fince  you  profefs  to  do't, 
Like  workmen  :   I'll  example  you  with  thievery. 
The  fun's  a  thief,  and  with  his  great  attraction 
Robs  the  vaft  fea  :  the  moon's  an  arrant  thief, 
And  her  pale  fire  Ihe  fnatches  from  the  fun  ; 

*  The  fea's  a  thief,  vvhofe  liquid  furge  refolves 

The 

5  — Yet  thanks  I  mitft  you  con,}  To  con  thanks  is  a  very 

common  expreffion  among  our  old  dramatic  writers.     So  in  the 
Story  of  King  Darius,   i  ^65,  an  interlude  : 

*'  Yea  and  well  faid,  1  con  you  no  thanke." 

Again,  in  Pierce  Pennilcfs  his  Supplication  to  the  Devil,  ly  Nafli, 
1595 :  "  It  is  well  done  to  pra&ife  thy  wit;  but  1  believe  our 
lord  will  con  tbee  little  thanks  for  it."  STE EVENS. 

6  In.  limited  proftjjiom. Limited,  for  legal. 

WARBURTON. 

7 take  wealth  and  life  together.}  Hanmer.     The  firft 

copy  has, 

———take  wealth  and  lives  together. 
The  later  editors  gave  it, 

take  wealth  and  live  together.  JOHNSON. 

Perhaps  we  ihould  read  . 

.        —  he  flays 

More  than  you  rob,  takes  wealth  and  lives  together. 

ST£EV£NS4 

8  The  fea* s  a  thief,  ivhofe  liquid  furge  refolves 

The  moon  into  fait  tears. 

The  fea  melting  the  moon  into  tears,  is,  I  believe,  a  fecret  in  phi- 
lofophy,  which  no  body  but  Shakeipeare's  deep  editors  ever 
dreamed  of.  There  is  another  opinion,  which,  'tis  more  reafon- 
able  to  believe  that  our  author  may  allude  to,  viz.  that  the  faltnefs 
of  the  fea  is  caufed  by  fsveral  ranges,  or  moundi  of  rock-falt  under 

water, 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS.        433 

The  moon  into  fait  tears  ;  the  earth's  a  thief, 
That  feeds  and  breeds  by  a  compofture  '  ftolen 

From 

water,  with  which  refolding  liquid  the  fea  was  impregnated.  This 
J  think  a  fufficient  authority  tor  changing  modi  into  mounds. 

WARCURTON. 

I  am  not  willing  to  receive  mounds,  which  would  not  be  under- 
flood  but  by  him  that  fuggefted  it.  The  moon  is  fuppofed  to  be 
humid,  and  perhaps  a  iburce  ot  humidity,  but  cannot  be  refolded 
by  the /urges  of  the  fea.  Yet  I  think  moon  is  the  true  reading. 
Here  is  a  circulation  or  thievery  defcribed  ;  The  fun,  moon,  and 
fea  all  rob,  and  are  robbed.  JOHNSON. 

Mounds  is  too  far-tetch'd.  He  lays  fimply,  that  the/«/;,  the 
moon,  and  thcjeat  rob  one  another  by  turns,  but  the  earth  robs 
them  all  :  the  leas,  i.  e.  liquid  /urge ,  by  Supplying  the  moon  with 
moifture,  robs  her  in  turn  of  the/aft  tears  or'^-zi;  which  the  poets 
always  fetch  from  this  planet.  Haft  tor  fait  is  an  ealy  change. 
In  this  fenfe  Milton  fpe:.ks  of  her  ,noi/l  continent,  Par.  Loft,  b.  V. 
1.  422.  And,  in  Hamlet,  Horatio  fays : 

"   theawj^ftar 

*»  Upon  whole  influence  Neptune's  empire  (lands. 

STKEVENS. 

The  moon  is  the  governefs  of  the  floods,  "  but  cannot  be  re- 
folved  by  the  furges  of  the  fea."  This  feems  inconteftable,  and 
therefore  an  alteration  of  the  text  appears  to  be  necelTary.  1  pro- 
pofe  to  read  : 

-  •tuhoje  liquidfuryc  rcfolves 

The  main  into  fait  tears ;  - 

\.  e.  refolves  the  main  land  or  the  continent  into  fea.  In  Bacon, 
and  alfo  in  Shakefpeare's  King  Lear,  act.  III.  fc.  i,  main  occurs 
in  this  fignification,  and  the  earth  is  mentioned  in  the  preceding 
line,  as  here  it  is  in  the  fame  verfe  : 

"  Bids  the  wind  blow  the  earth  into  the  fea, 

"  Or  fwell  the  curled  waters  'bove .the  mai/i." 
The  thought  is  like  that  in  Ovid's  Metamorpbojls,  lib.  xv  : 

"  refolutaquc  tellus 

"  In  liquidaS  rorefcit  aquas  :" 
which  Sandys  thus  tranilatcs  : 

"  Refolved  earth  to  water  rarifies." 

Earth  melting  to  fea  is  not  an  uncommon  idea  in  our  poets*  S& 
in  Ben  Jonfon,  edit.  1756,  vol.  v.  p.  381  : 

"  Melt  earth  to  fea,  fea  flow  to  air." 

So,  in  Shakefpeare's  King  Henry  IV.  part  II.  aft  III.  fc.  i. 
"  The  continent  melt  itfelf  into  the  lea."  I  might  add  that  iii 
Chaucer,  matte,  which  is  very  near  to  the  traces  of  the  old  read- 
ing, leems  to  mean  the  globe  oi  the  earth,  or  a  map  of  it,  front 
VOL.  VIII.  £  i  the 


434        TIM  ON    OF    ATHENS. 

From  general  excrement  :  each  thing's  a  thief  ; 
The  laws,  your  curb  and  whip,  in  their  rough  powef 

Have 

the  French,  monde,  the  world  ;  but  I  think  main  is  the  true  read- 
ing here,  and  might  eafily  be  miftaken  for  moon  by  a  haity  tran- 
fcriber,  or  a  carelefs  printer,  who  might  have  in  their  thoughts 
the  moon,  which  is  mentioned  in  a  preceding  line.  TOLLET. 

I  cannot  fay  lor  a  certainty  whether  Albumazar  or  this  play  was 
firft  written,  as  Timor:  made  its  earlieft  appearance  in  the  folio, 
1623.  Between  Albumazar  and  the  Akbcmifi  there  has  been 
iikewife  a  conteft  for  the  right  of  elderihip.  The  original  of 
Albumazar  was  an  Italian  comedy  called  Lo  Af.rologo,  written  by 
Battiita  Porta,  the  famous  phyfiognomift  of  Naples,  and  printed 
at  Venice  in  1606.  The  trnnllator  is  laid  to  have  been  a  Mr* 
Tomkins,  a  Fellow  of  Trinity  College.  The  Aldymijl  was 
brought  on  in  1-6  r  o,  which  is  four  years  before  Albumazar  was  per- 
formed for  the  entertainment  of  King  James  ;  and  Ben  Jonfon  in 
his  title-page  boldly  claims  the  merit  of  having  introduced  a  new 
fuhjec"t  and  new  characters  on  the  ftage  : 

•         -  pet  ere  ii.de  coronam 

JJnde  prius  nulli  velar  int  tempora  miife* 

The  play  of  Allumazar  was  not  entered  on  the  books  of  the  Sta- 
tioners' Company  till  April  28,  i6i_f.  In  Albumazar,  however, 
iuch  examples  of  thievery  likewife  occur  : 

7  "be  Wffrtfs  a  theatre  of  theft  :  Great  rivers 

Robfmaller  brooks  ;  and  them  the  ocean. 

And  in  this  world  of  ours,  this  mieroccfm, 

Guts  from  thefton:acbj!cal\  and  what  ibey  fpare 

*Tbe  weferaicksjilcb,  and  lay't  z'  tie  liver  ; 

mere  (left  itjbonld  be  found)  turned  to  red  nefiar, 

9Tis  by  a  tboufand  tbic'vijh  veins  conveyed, 

Andbid  inflejb)  nerve:,  loncs,  mufctes, 


In  tendons,  Jkin,  find  bair\  fo  tbat  the  properly 
Thus  alter'  J,  the  theft  can  never  be  dlfcovcfd. 
NOVJ  all  tbefc  pilfer  ies,  couctfd,  and  compos  'din  order  ', 
Frame  tbee  and  me  :  Man's  a  quick  mafs  of  tbie-very. 

STEEVEXS. 

Puttenham,  in  his  Ai-teof  Englijl)  Porji?,  1589,  quotes  fome  one 
of  a  "  reafon  able  good  facilitie  in  tranfl^tion,  who  finding  certains 
of  Anacreon's  odes  very  well  tranllated  by  Ronfard  the  French 
poet—  corjjes-dur  minion,  and  tranflates  the  lame  out  of  French 
into  Englifh.  :"  and  his  itridures  upon  him  evince  the  publica- 
tion. Now  this  identical  ode  is  to  be  met  with  in  Ronfard  !  and 
as  his  works  are  in  few  hands,  I  will  take  the  liberty  of  tranf- 
cribing  it. 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS.        43$ 

Have  uncheck'd  thefr.     Love  not  yourfelves ;  away ; 
Rob  one  another.     There's  more  gold  :  Cutthroats; 
All  that  you  meet  are  thieves  :  To  Athens,  go, 
Break  open  Ihops ;  nothing  can  you  fteal, 
But  thieves  do  lofe  it :  Steal  not  lefs,  for  this 
I  give  you  ;  and  gold  confound  you  howfoever ! 
Amen.  [Exit. 

3  Thief.  He  has  almoft  charm' d  me  from  my  pro- 
feffion,  by  perfuading  me  to  it. 

i  Thief.  l  'Tis  in  the  malice  of  mankind,  that  he 
thus  advifes  us ;  not  to  have  us  thrive  in  our  myftery. 

2,  Thief.  I'll  believe  him  as  an  enemy,  and  give 
over  my  trade. 

i  Thief.  3  Let  us  firft  fee  peace  in  Athens :  There 
is  no  time  fo  miferable,  but  a  man  may  be  true. 

[Exeunt. 

'*  La  terre  les  eaux  va  boivantj 
L'arbre  la  boit  par  fa  racine, 
La  mer  falee  boit  le  vent, 
Et  le  foleil  boit  la  marine. 
Le  foleil  eft  beu  de  la  lune, 
Tout  boit  foit  en  haut  ou  en  bast 
Suivant  cefte  reigle  commune, 
Pourcjuoy  done  ne  boirons-nous  pas  ?" 

Edit.  fol.   p.  507. 
FARMER. 
•  mi-    i  ly  a  compoflnre       •    ]  i.  e.  compofition,  comport. 

STEEVENS. 

a  'Tis  in  the  malice  of  'mankind,  that  he  thus  advifes  us  ;  not  to  havf 
tis  thrive  in  our  my  fiery. "\  i.  e.  'Tis  the  common  malice  of  mankind 
that  makes  one  give  fuch  advice  to  another,  as  may  prove  to  his 
detriment.  One  would  think  this  eafy  enough.  But  the  Oxford 
editor  reads,  'Tis  in  his  malice  to  mankind,  that  he  thus  advifes  ust 
not  to  have  us  thrive  in  our  myjlery.  Which  is  making  compleat 
nonfenfe  of  the  whole  reflection :  For  if  Timon  gave  this  advice 
out  of  his  malice  to  his  fpecies,  he  was  in  earneft,  and  fo  far  from 
having  any  defign  that  they  Jbould  not  thrive  in  their  myjtery,  that 
his  utmoft  wifhwas  that  they  might.  WAR  BURTON. 

Hanmer's  emendation,  though  not  neceflary,  is  very  probable, 
and  very  unjuftly  charged  with  nonfenfe.  The  reafon  of  his  ad- 
vice,  fays  the  thief,  is  malice  to  mankind^  not  any  kindnefs  to  us,  or 
defire  to  have  MS  thrive  in  our  myftery.  JOHNSON. 

3  Let  us  firft  fee  peace  in  Athens,  &c.]  This  and  the  concluding 

little  fpccch  have  in  all  the  editions  been  placed  to  oue  fpcaker : 

F  f  a  But, 


436        TIM  ON    OF    ATHENS. 
A  C  T    V.     S  C  E  N  E    I. 

¥ks  tt'oofc,  and  Timotfs  Cave. 
Enter  Flavius. 

flav.  O  you  gods ! 

Is  yon  defpis'd  and  ruinous  man  my  lord  ? 
Full  of  decay  and  failing  ?  O  monument 
And  wonder  of  good  deeds  evilly  beftow'd  ! 

4  \Vhat  an  alteration  of  honour  has 
Defperate  want  made  ! 

What  viler  thing  upon  the  earth,  than  friends, 
\Vho  can  bring  nobleft  minds  to  bafeft  ends  ! 

5  How  rarely  does  it  meet  with  this  time's  guife, 

6  When  man  was  wifh'd  to  lave  his  enemies  : 

7  Grant,  I  may  ever  love,  and  rather  woo 

Thofe  that  would  mifchief  me,  than  thole  that  do ! 

He 

But,  it  is  evident,  the  latter  words  ought  to  be  put  in  the  mouth 
of  theylvtf.'jJ  thier,  who  is  repenting,  and  leaving  off  his  trade. 

WAR  BURTOX. 

4  J?7jat  change  nf  honour  defperate  want  has  made!]   We  fhould 
read, 

Hljat  an  alteration  of  humour— — — — WAR  BUR  TON*. 
The  original  copy  has, 

//  'bat  an  alteration  of  honour  has  defter  at  a  want  made  ! 
The  prefect  reading  is  certainly  better,  but  it  has  no  a-jthority. 
To  change  honour  to  humour  is  not  necellary.     An  alteration  of  ho~ 
nour^  is  an  alteration  or  an  honourable  Jltite\&  a  irate  01  di'^race. 

JOHNSON. 

I  have  replaced  the  oU  reading.     STEEVENS. 
5  HO--V  rarely  docs  it  meet — ]  Rarely  for  fitly  ;  not  for  L  I 

VVTARBURTOX. 

«   When  man  was  wifli'd ]  We  (hould  read  "jjiWd.     He  for- 
gets his  1'agan  lyltem  here  again.     WAR  EUR  TON. 
7   Grant,  I  may  eve i~  love ^  andratherwoo 
Ybrfc  that  would  mifchief  me,  than  thofethat  do  !] 
But  why  fo  ?  Was  there  ever  iuch  an  als,  I  mean,  as  the  tranfcribci:  ? 
Shakefpeare  wrote  it  < 

Grant 


TIMON     OF    ATHENS.        437 

He  has  caught  me  in  his  eye  :  I  will  prefent 
My  honeft  grief  unto  him  ;  and,  as  my  lord, 
Still  fcrvc  him  with  my  life. — My  deareft  matter ! 

Timon  comes  forward  from  kh  cave. 

Tim.  Away  !  what  art  thou  ? 

Flav.  Have  you  forgot  me,  fir  ? 

2V;#.    Why   doit   afk  that  ?    I    have   forgot  all 

men  ; 

Then,  if  thou  grant'ft  thou  art  a  man,  I  have 
Forgot  thee. 

Flav.  An  honed  poor  fervant  of  yours.    • 

5T/V/7.  Then  I  know  thee  not  : 
I  ne'er  had  honell  man  about  me,  I ;  nil 
I  kept  were  *  knaves,  to  ferve  in  meat  to  villains. 

tl&Q*  The  gods  are  witnefs, 

Graaft  I  mry  c-.-cr  !ovct  and  rather  too, 
Thcfe  that  would  mifchief  me,  than  tk«Je  that  WOO  ! 
The  fteward,  affected  with  his  matter's  misiortune  and  meditating 
on  the  caufe  o.  it,  lays,  What  an  excellent  prcc.-p:  is  that  of  loving 
our  enemies  ;   grant  that  I  might  love  them  tochule,  rather  than 
flatterers.     Ail  here  is  fenfible,  and  to   the  purpofe,  and  makes 
the  whole  coherent.  But  when  once  the  transcriber:;  had  blundered 
too  to  ivoff  in  the  fir  ft  line,  they  were  obliged,  in  their  own  defence^ 
in  the  Second  line,  to  alter  ivoo  to  do.     WAS! BUS. TON. 

In  defiance  of  this  criticifm,  I  have  ventured  to  replace  the  for- 
mer reading,  as  more  Suitable  to  the  general  ipiritof  theSe  fcenes, 
and  as  Iree  from  the  absurdities  charged  upon  it.  It  is  plain, 
that  in  this  whole  Speech  friends  and  cvanies  are  taken  only  for 
thofe  who  f-rpfcfs  JrlendJJnp  znA  proftfs  enmity;  fot  the  friend  13 
Juppoied  not  to  be  more  kind,  but  more  dangerous  than  the  enemy. 
In  the  emendation,  tboj'e  that  would  mifcbief  are  placed  in  oppo- 
lition  to  thoj't  ih.it  -two,  but  in  the  ipeaker's  intention  tbofe  that  --MOO 
are  tboje  that  mijchiff  molt.  The  fen fe  is,  Let  me  rather  ivoo  or 
carefs  tlofe  that  would  mifcbief^  that  proieis  to  mean  me  mifchief, 
than  thrfe  that  really  do  me  mijlbief  under  falfe prof rjjiom  of  kindncfe. 
The  Spaniards,  I  think,  have  this  proverb  ;  Defend  me  front 
n:y  friends,  and  from  my  enemies  I  will  defend  myfelf.  This  pro- 
verb is  a  iurh'cient  comment  on  the  paflage.  JOHNSON. 

*  Knave  is  here  in  the  compound  iente  of  a  Jlrvant  and  a 
rafcal.  JOHNSON. 

F  f  3  Ne'er 


438        TIM  ON    OF    ATHENS. 

Ne'er  did  poor  fteward  wear  a  truer  grief 
For  his  undone  lord,  than  mine  eyes  for  you. 

Tiff:.  What,  doll  thou  weep? — Come  nearer;--- 

then  I  love  thee, 

Becaufe  thou  art  a  woman,  and  difclaim'ft 
Flinty  mankind  ;  whofe  eyes  do  never  give, 
But  thorough  luft,  and  laughter.     9  Pity's  fleeping  : 
Strange  times,  that  weep  with  laughing,  not  with 
weeping ! 

Flav.  I  beg  of  you  to  know  me,  good  my  lord, 
To  accept  my  grief,  and,  whilft  this  poor  wealth 

lafts, 
To  entertain  me  as  your  fteward  ftill. 

Tim. '  Had  I  a  fteward 
So  true,  fo  juft,  and  now  fo  comfortable  ? 
1  It  almoft  turns  my  dangerous  nature  wild. 

9  — — Pity's  fleeping  :]  I  do  not  know  that  any  correction  is 
neceffaiy,  but  I  think  we  might  read : 

eyes  do  never  give, 

But  thorough  luft  and  laughter,  pityjlteping  : 

Eyes  never  flow  (to^/wis  to  diflblve  as  faline  bodies  in  moifl 
weather)  but  by  luft  or  laughter^  undifturbed  by  emotions  of  pity. 

JOHNSON. 

1  //  almoft  turns  my  dangerous  nature  wild.]  i.  e.  It  almolt  turns 
my  dangerous  nature  to  a  dangerous  nature ;  for,  by  dangerous 
nature  is  meant  veiUnefs,  Skakefpeare  wrote, 

//  almojl  turns  my  dangerous  nature  mild. 

i.  e.  It  almolt  reconciles  me  again  to  mankind.  For  fear  of  that, 
he  puts  in  a  caution  immediately  after,  that  he  makes  an  excep- 
tion but  for  one  man.  To  which  the  Oxford  editor  fays,  refle. 

WARBURTON. 

This  emendation  is  fpccious,  but  even  this  may  be  controvert- 
ed. To  turn  wild  is  to  di,ha?l.  An  appearance  fo  unexpected, 
fays  Timon,  almojt  turns  my  favagcnefs  to  diilra&ion.  Accord- 
ingly he  examines  with  nicety  left  his  phrenzy  fliould  deceive 
him: 

Let  me  behold  tlyface.     Surely  this  ma-t 
Was  born  of  woman. 
And  to  this  fufpected  diforder  of  rnind  he  alludes': 

Perpetual-fober,  gods! 

Ye  powers  whofe  intellects  are  out  of  the  reach  of  perturbation. 

JOHNSON. 

8  —Let 


TIMON     OF     ATHENS.        439 

—Let  me  behold  thy  face. — Surely,  this  man 

Was  born  of  woman. — 

Forgive  my  general  and  exceptlefs  raflinefs, 

Perpetual-fobcr  gods  !  I  do  proclaim 

One  honefl  man, — miftake  me  not, — But  one  ; 

No  more,  I  pray, — and  he  is  a  fteward. — 

How  fain  would  I  have  hated  all  mankind, 

And  thou  redeem'ft  thyfdf ;  But  all,  fave  thee, 

I  fell  with  curfes. 

Methinks,  thou  art  more  honeft  now,  than  wife; 

For,  by  oppreffing  and  betraying  me, 

Thou  might'fl  have  fooner  got  another  fervice  : 

For  many  fo  arrive  at  fecond  mailers, 

Upon  their  firth  lord's  neck.     But  tell  me  true, 

(For  I  mufl  ever  doubt,  though  ne'er  fo  fure) 

Is  not  thy  kindnefs  fubtle,  covetous, 

1  If  not  a  ufuring  kindnefs ;  and  as  rich  men  deal  gifts, 

Expecting  in  return  twenty  for  one  ? 

Flav*  No,  my  mod  worthy  matter,  in  whofe  breaft 
Doubt  and  fufpccl,  alas,  are  plac'd  too  late  : 
You  Ihould  have  fear'd  falfe times >  when  you  didfeaft : 
Sufpedt  ftill  comes  where  an  eftate  is  lead. 
That  which  I  mew,  heaven  knows,  is  merely  love, 
Duty  and  zeal  to  your  unmatched  mind, 
Care  of  your  food  and  living  :  and,  believe  it, 
My  mod  honoured  lord, 
For  any  benefit  that  points  to  me, 
Either  in  hope,  or  prefent,  I'd  exchange  it 
For  this  one  wilh,  That  you  had  power  and  wealth 
To  requite  me,  by  making  rich  yourfelf. 

Tim.  Look  thee,  'tis  fo  ! — Thou  fingly  honeft  man, 
Here,  take; — the  gods  out  of  my  mifery 
Have  fent  thee  treaiure.    Go,  live  rich,  and  happy  : 

1  If  KOI  a  ufuring—  ]  If  not  feems  to  have  flipt  in  here,  by 
an  error  of  the  prefs,  from  the  preceding  line.  Both  the  fenle  and 
metre  would  be  better  without  it.  TYRWHITT. 

F  f  4  But 


440        TIMON     OF    ATHENS. 

But  thus  condition'd  ;  Thou  fhalt  build  *  from  men  ; 
Hate  all,  curfe  all :  {hew  charity  to  none  ; 
But  let  the  famifh'd  flefhilide  from  the  bone, 
Ere  thou  relieve  the  beggar  :  give  to  dogs 
What  thou  deny'ft  to  men  ;  let  prifons  fwallow  'em, 
3  Debts  wither  'em  to  nothing  :  Be  men  like  blafled 

woods, 

And  may  difeafes  lick  up  their  falfe  bloods ! 
And  fo,  farewel,  and  thrive. 

Flav.  O,  let  me  flay,  and  comfort  you,  my  mailer. 

Tim.  If  thou  hat 'ft  curfes, 

Stay  not ;  but  fly,  whilfl  thou  art  bleft  and  free  : 
JvVer  fee  thou  man,  and  let  me  ne'er  fee  thee. 

[Exeunt  feveratly. 

SCENE       II, 

The  fame. 
*  Enter  Poet,  and  Painter, 

Pain.  As  I.  took  note  of  the  place,  it  cannot  be  far 
\vhere  he  abides, 

Poet. 

* from  men  \~\  Away  from  human  habitations.     JOHNSON* 

3  Debts  wither  them.]  Debts  wither  them  to  nothing. — Folio. 

JOHNSON* 

I  have  replaced  the  reading  of  the  folio.     STEEVENS. 

*  Enter  Poet  and  Painter,  ]  The  Poet  and  the  Painter  were  with- 
in view  when  Apemantus  parted  from  Timon,  and  might  then 
have  feen  Timon,  fince  Apemantus,  ftanding  by  him  could 
lee  them  :  But  the  fcenes  of  the  thieves  and  ileward  have  patted 
before  their  arrival,  and  yet  patted,  as  the  drama  is  now  conduct- 
ed, within  their  view.  It  might  be  fufpefted  that  fome  fcenes  are 
tranfpofed,  for  all  thefe  difficulties  would  be  removed  by  intrq- 
ducing  the  Poet  and  Painter  firft,  and  the  thieves  in  this  place. 
Yet  I  am  afraid  the  fcenes  muft  keep  their  prefent  order ;  for  the 
Painter  alludes  to  the  thieves  when  he  fays,  he  likewife  enriched 
poor  firaggling  foldiers  with  great  quantity.  This  impropriety  is 
now  heightened  by  placing  the  thieves  in  one  aft,  and  the  Poet 
and  Painter  in  another :  but  it  muft  be  remembered,  that  in  the 
original  edition  this  play  is  ftot  divided  into  feparate  acts,,  fo  that 

the 


TIM  ON    OF    ATHENS.        441 

Poet.  What's  to  be  thought  of  him  ?  Does  the  ru- 
mour hold  for  true,  that  he  is  fo  full  of  gold  ? 

Pain.  Certain  :  Alcibiades  reports  it ;  Phrynia  and 
Tymandrahad  gold  of  him  :  he  likewife  enrich'd  poor 
{haggling  foldiers  with  great  quantity  :  "Pis  faid,  he 
gave  his  fteward  a  mighty  fum. 

Poet.  Then  this  breaking  of  his  has  been  but  a  try 
for  his  friends  ? 

Pain.  Nothing  elfe  :  you  fhall  fee  him  a  palm  in 
Athens  again,  and  flouriihwith  the  higheft.  There- 
fore, 'tis  not  amifs,  we  tender  our  loves  to  him,  in 
this  fuppos'd  diftrefs  of  his  :  it  will  fhew  honeftly  in 
us  ;  and  is  very  likely  to  load  our  purpofes  with  what 
they  travel  for,  if  it  be  a  juft  and  true  report  that  goes 
of  his  having. 

Poet.  What  have  you  now  to  prefent  unto  him  ? 

Pain.  Nothing  at  this  time  but  my  vilitation  :  only 
I  will  promife  him  an  excellent  piece. 

Poet.  I  mult  ferve  him  fo  too ;  tell  him  of  an  intent 
that's  coming  toward  him. 

Pa'm,  Good  as  the  belt.  Promifing  is  the  very  air 
o'  the  time ;  it  opens  the  eyes  of  expectation  :  per- 
formance is  ever  the  duller  for  his  adt ;  and,  but  in 
the  plainer  and  fimpler  kind  of  people,  5  the  deed  of 
faying  is  quite  out  of  ufe.  To  promife  is  molt  court-- 

the  prefent  diftribution  is  arbitrary,  and  may  be  changed  if  any 
convenience  can  be  gained,  or  impropriety  obviated  by  alteration. 

JOHNSON. 

s  tic  deed  is — ]   In  the  old  edition  :    — the  deed  of  faying  is 

quite  out  of  ufe.     JOHNSON. 

The  old  copy  has  been,  I  apprehend  unneceflarily,  departed 
from.  The  deed  of  faying,  though  a  harfh  expreilion,  is  perfectly 

intelligible,  and  much  in  Shakefpeare's  manner. The  doing  of 

that  which  we  have  faid  we  would  e/a,  the  accomplijhment  and  per- 
formance of  our  promjfe,  fs,  cx:cpt  among  the  lower  claJJl'S  of 
kind,  quite  out  of  ufe.     So,   in  Hamlet : 

*'  As  he,  in  his  peculiar  art  and  force, 
"  May  give  hisjayine deed."    MAI.ONE. 
J  have  rcitored  the  old  reading.    STEEYENS. 


442.        TIMON     OF    ATHENS. 

ly  and  fafhionabie  :  performance  is  a  kind  of  will,  or 
teftament,  which  argues  a  great  ficknefs  in  his  judg- 
ment that  makes  it. 

Re- enter  Timon  from  bis  cave,  unfeen* 

<?im.  Excellent  workman  !  Thou  canfl  not  paint  a 
man  ib  bad  as  thyfelf. 

Poet.  I  am  thinking,  what  I  ihall  fay  I  have  provided 
for  him  :  6  It  muft  be  a  perfonating  of  himfelf :  a 
latire  againft  the  foftnefs  of  profperity ;  with  a  dif- 
covery  of  the  infinite  flatteries,  that  follow  youth  and 
opulency. 

Ttm.  Muft  thou  needs  fland  for  a  villain  in  thine 
own  work  ?  Wilt  thou  whip  thine  own  faults  in  other 
men  ?  Do  fo,  I  have  gold  for  thee. 

Poet.  Nay,  let's  feek  him  : 
Then  do  we  fin  againft  our  own  eftate, 
When  we  may  profit  meet,  and  come  too  late. 

Pain.  True ; 

7  When  the  day  ferves,  before  black-corner'd  night, 

Find 

«  —  It  muft  be  a  perfonating  of  himfelf : ]    Perfonating,  for 

reprefenting  fimply.  For  the  fubjedt  or  this  projected  fatire  was 
Timon's  cafe ,  not  l\\sfc>fon.  WAR  BURTON. 

7  Wljen  the  day  fen  es,  before  black-corner'd  night,]  We  fiiould 
read: 

black  cornette  night. 

A  cornette  is  a  woman's  head-drefs  for  the  night.  So,  in  another 
place  he  calls  her  black-brow' d night.  WARBURTON. 

Black-corner* d  night  is  probably  corrupt,  but  black  cornette  can 
liardly  be  right,  for  it  fhould  be  llack-cometted  night.  I  cannot 
propofe  any  thing,  but  muft  leave  the  place  in  its  prefent  (late. 

JOHNSON. 

An  anonymous  correfpondent  fent  me  this  obfervation  :  "As 
the  fhadowof  the  earth's  body,  which  is  round,  muft  be  neceflari- 
ly  conical  over  the  hemifphere  which  is  oppofite  to  the  fun,  fhould 
we  not  read  Hack-coned?  See  ParaJife  Loft^  book  IV." 

To  this  obfervation  I  might  add  a  fentence  from  Philemon  Hol- 
land's tranflation  of  Pliny's  Natural  Hijlory,  b.  ii :    "  Neither  is 
th«  night  any  thing  elfe  but  the  (hade  of  the  earth.    Now  the  fi- 
gure 


TIMON     OF    ATHENS.        445 

Find  what  them  want'ft  by  free  and  offer'd  light. 
Come. 

Tim.  I'll  meet  you  at  the  turn.     What  a  god's 

gold, 

That  he  is  worihipp'd  in  a  bafer  temple, 
Than  where  fwine  feed  ! 

'Tis  thou  that  rigg'ft  the  bark,  and  plow'ft  the  foam; 
Settleft  admired  reverence  in  a  flave  : 
To  thee  be  worlhip  !  and  thy  faints  for  aye 
Be  crown'd  with  plagues,  that  thee  alone  obey  ! 
Fit  I  meet  them. 

Poet.  Hail !  worthy  Timon. 

Pain.  Our  late  noble  matter. 

Tim.  Have  I  once  liv'd  to  fee  two  honefl  men  ? 

Poet.  Sir, 

Having  often  of  your  open  bounty  tafted, 
Hearing  you  were  retir'd,  your  friends  fall'n  off, 
Whofe  thanklefs  natures — O  abhorred  fpirits  ! 
Not  all  the  whips  of  heaven  are  large  enough — 
What !  to  you  ! 

Whofe  flar-like  noblenefs  gave  life  and  influence 
To  their  whole  being!  I  am  rapt,  and- cannot  cover 
The  monftrous  bulk  of  this  ingratitude 
With  any  fize  of  words. 

Tim.  8  Let  it  go  naked,  men  may  fee't  the  better  : 
You,  that  are  honeft,  by  being  what  you  are, 
Make  them  belt  feen,  and  known. 

gure  of  this  lhadow  refembleth  a  pyramis  pointed  forward,  or  a 
top  turned  upfide  down." 

I  believe,  neverthelefs,  that  Shakefpeare,  by  this  expreflion , 
meant  only,  Night  which  is  as  obfcure  as  a  dark  corner.  In  Mea* 
fure  for  Meafure ,  Lucio  calls  the  Duke,  "  a  duke  of  dark  corners" 

STEEVENS. 

8  Let  It  go  naked,  men  mayfce'tthe  better:]  The  humour  of  this 
reply  is  incomparable.  It  infinuates  not  only  the  higheft  con- 
tempt of  the  flatterer  in  particular,  but  this  ufeful  leflbn  in  general, 
that  the  images  of  things  are  cleareft  feen  through  a  fimplicity  of 
phrafe  ;  of  which,  in  the  words  of  the  precept,  and  in  thofe  which 
occafion'd  it,  he  has  given  us  examples.  WAR.BUR.TON. 


444        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

Pain.  He,  and  myfelf, 

Have  travell'd  in  the  great  fhower  of  your  gifts, 
And  fweetly  felt  it. 

Tim.  Ay,  you  are  honeft  men. 

Pain.  We  are  hither  come  to  offer  you  our  fervice. 

Tim.  Moft  honeft  men  !  Why,  how  lhall  I  requite 

you  ? 
Can  you  eat  roots,  and  drink  cold  water  ?  no. 

Both.  What  we  can  do,  we'll  do,  to  do  you  fer- 
vice. 

Tim.  You  are  honeft  men  :  You   have  heard  that 

I  have  gold ; 

I  am  fure,  you  have  :  fpeak  truth  :  you  are  honeft 
men. 

Pain.  So  it  is  faid,  my  noble  lord  :   but  therefore 
Came  not  my  friend,  nor  I. 

Tim.  Good  honeft  men  : — Thou  draw'ft  a  counter- 
feit s> 

Beft  in  all  Athens  :  thou  art,  indeed,  the  beft; 
Thou  counterfeit'!!  moft  lively. 

Pain.  So,  fo,  my  lord. 

Tim.  Even  fo,  fir,  as  I  fay  : — And,  for  thy  fiftion, 

[To  the  Poet. 

Why,  thy  verfe  fvvells  with  ftufffo  fine  and  fmooth, 
That  thou  art  even  natural  in  thine  art. — 
But,  for  all  this,  my  honeft-natur' d  friends, 
I  muft  needs  fay,  you  have  a  little  fault: 
Marry,  'tis  not  monftrous  in  you;  neither  wifh  I, 
You  take  much  pains  to  mend. 

Both.  Befeech  your  honour 
To  make  it  known  to  us. 

Tim.  You'll  take  it  ill. 

9  '          a  counterfeit]  It  has  been  already  obferved,  that  afar* 
trait  was  fo  called  in  our  author's  time. 

"  • What  find  I  here  r 

"  Fair  Portia's  counterfeit!"     Merchant  of  Venice. 

STEEVENS. 

Both 


TIMON    OF     ATHENS.        445 

Both.  Moft  thankfully,  my  lord. 

Tim.  Will  you,  indeed? 

Both.  Doubt  it  not,  worthy  lord. 

'Tim.  There's  ne'er  a  one  of  you  but  trufls  a  knave, 
That  mightily  deceives  you. 

Both.  Do  we,  my  lord  ? 

'Tim.  Ay,  and  you  hear  him  cog,  fee  him  difiemble, 
Know  his  grofs  patchery,  love  him,  feed  him, 
Keep  in  your  bolbm  :  yet  remain  affur'd, 
That  he's  a  '  made-up  villain. 

Pain.  I  know  none  fuch,  my  lord. 

Poet.  Nor  I. 

Tim.  Look  you,  I  love  you  well;  I'll  give  you  gold, 
Rid  me  thefe  villains  from  your  companies: 
Hang  them,  or  ftab  them,  drown  them  *  in  a  draught^ 
Confound  them  by  fome  conrfe,  and  come  to  me, 
I'll  give  you  gold  enough. 

Both.  Name  them,  my  lord,  let's  know  them. 

'Tim.  You  that  way,  and  you  this.  —  »  But  two  in 
company,  — 

Each 


villain.]  That  Is  a  villain  that  adopts  qualities 
and  chara&ers  not  properly  belonging  to  him  ;  a  hypocrite. 

JOHNSON. 

*  .     in  a  draught,]  That  is,  in  the  Jakes.     JOHNSON. 

3  —  —  —But  tvco  in  company—]  This  is  an  imperfeft  fentcnce, 
and  is  to  be  fupplied  thus,  But  two  in  company  fpc  Us  all.  WARE. 

This  pafTagc  is  obfcure.  I  think  the  meaning  is  this  :  but  two 
in  company,  that  is,  ftand  apart,  let  only  two  be  together  •  for  even 
when  each  ftands  (ingle  there  are  two,  he  himfelt  and  a  villain. 

JOHNSON. 

But,  in  the  North,  figmfies,  without.  See  a  note  on  Antony 
and  Cleopatra,  aft  IV. 

This  paflage  may  likewife  receive  fome  illuftration  from  an- 
other in  the  Yivo  Gentlemen  of  Verona.  *'  My  mafter  is  a  kind  of 
knave  ;  but  that's  all  one,  if  he  be  but  one  knave.  The  fenfe  is, 
each  man  is  a  double  •villain,  \.  e.  a  villain  with  more  than  a  fingle 
fhare  of  guilt.  See  Dr.  Farnur's  note  on  the  third  aft  of  the  Two 
Gentlemen  of  1'trona,  &c.  Again,  in  Pi  amoi  andCajJandra,  1578. 
'*  Go,  and  a  kna--e  with  thsc."  Ag-in,  in  The  btorye  of  King 
1565,  an  interlude'  ; 

"  -  if 


446        TIM  ON    OF    ATHENS. 

Each  man  apart, — all  fmgle,  and  alone, — 
Yet  an  arch-villain  keeps  him  company. — 
If,  where  thou  art,  two  villains  fhall  not  be, 

[To  the  Painter. 
Come  not  near  him. — If  thou  wouldft  not  refide 

[To  the  Poet. 

But  where  one  villain  is,  then  him  abandon. — 
Hence !  pack  !  there's  gold,  ye  came  for  gold,  ye 

Haves : 

You  have  work  for  me,  there  is  payment :  Hence ! 
You  are  an  alchymift,  make  gold  of  that :  — 
Out,  rafcal  dogs !     [Exit,  beating  and  driving  them  out* 

SCENE       III. 

Enter  Flavius,  and  two  Senators. 

Flav.    It  is  in  vain  that  you  would  fpeak  with 

Timon  ; 

For  he  is  fet  fo  only  to  himfelf, 
That  nothing,  but  himfelf,  which  looks  like  man, 
Is  friendly  with  him. 

1  Sen.  Bring  us  to  his  cave  : 

It  is  our  part,  and  promife  to  the  Athenians, 
To  fpeak  xvith  Timon. 

2  Sen.  At  all  times  alike 

Men  are  not  dill  the  fame  :  'Twas  time,  and  griefs, 
That  fram'd  him  thus :  time,  with  his  fairer  hand, 
Offering  the  fortunes  of  his  former  days, 
The  former  man  may  make  him  :  Bring  us  to  him, 
And  chance  it  as  it  may. 

Flav.  Here  is  his  cave.— 
Peace  and  content  be  here !  Lord  Timon  !  Timon  ! 

"  if  you  needs  will  go  away, 

"  Take  t-ivo  knaves  with  you  by  my  taye." 
There  is  a  thought  not  unlike  this  in  The  Scornful  Lady  of  Beau* 
Jnont  and  Fletcher.—"  Take  to  your  chamber  when  you  pleale, 
there  goes  a  btack  one  with  you,  lady."    STEEYENS. 

Look 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS.        447 

Look  out,  and  fpeak  to  friends  :  The  Athenians, 
By  two  of  their  moft  reverend  fenate,  greet  thee: 
Speak  to  them,  noble  Timon. 

Enter  Timon. 

Tim.  Thou  fun,  that  comfort'ft,  burn! — Speak, 

and  be  hang'd ! 

For  each  true  word,  ablifler,  and  each  falfe 
Be  as  a  cauterizing  4  to  the  root  o*  the  tongue, 
Confuming  it  with  fpeaking! 

1  Sen.  Worthy  Timon, — 

Tim.  Of  none  but  fuch  as  you,  and  you  of  Timon. 

2  Sen.  The  fenators  of  Athens  greet  thee,  Timon. 
Tim.  I  thank  them;  and  would  fend  them  back 

the  plague, 
Could  I  but  catch  it  for  them. 

1  Sen.  O,  forget 

What  we  are  forry  for  ourfelves  in  thee. 

The  fenators,  with  one  confent  of  love, 

Intreat  thee  back  to  Athens  ;  who  have  thought 

On  fpecial  dignities,  which  vacant  lie 

For  thy  beft  ufe  and  wearing. 

2  Sen.  They  confefs, 

Toward  thee,  forgetfulnefs  too  general,  grofs : 

5  And  now  the  publick  body, — which  doth  feldom 
Play  the  recanter, — feeling  in  itfelf 

A  lack  of  Timon's  aid,  hath  fenfe  withal 

6  Of  its  own  fall,  7  reftraining  aid  to  Timon; 

And 

*  —a  cauterizing]  The  old  copy  reads,  cantoerizing\   the 
poet  might  have  written,  cancerizing.     STEEVENS. 

5  And  now ]  So  Hanmer.     The  old  editions  have, 

Which  no-vj  -  JOHNSON. 

*  Of  its  o-tvn  fall. ]  The  Oxford  editor  alters  fall  to 

fault,  not  knowing  that  Shakeipeare  ufes  fall  to  fignify  difhonour, 
not  deftruftion.    So  in  Hamlet, 

What  a  falling  off  was  there  !     WARBURTOV. 
The  truth  is,  that  neither  fall  means  difgrace,  nor  Is  fault  a  ne- 
ceflary  emendation,    falling  ojf'm  the  quotation  is  not  difgrace 

but 


TIMON     OF    ATHENS. 

And  fends  forth  us,  to  make  their  forrowed  render s, 
Together  with  a  recompence  more  fruitful 
9  Than  their  offence  can  weigh  down  by  the  dram ; 
Ay,  even  fuch  heaps  andfums  of  love  and  wealth, 
As  mall  to  thee  blot  out  what  wrongs  were  theirs, 
And  write  in  thee  the  figures  of  their  love, 
Ever  to  read  them  thine. 

'Tim.  You  witch  me  in  it; 
Surprize  me  to  the  very  brink  of  tears  : 
Lend  me  a  fool's  heart,  and  a  woman's  eyes^ 
And  I'll  beweep  thefe  comforts,  worthy  fenators. 

i  Sen.  Therefore,  fo  pleafe  thee  to  return  with  us, 
And  of  our  Athens  (thine,  and  ours)  to  take 
The  captainfhip,  thou  fhalt  be  met  with  thanks, 
*  Allow'd  with  abfolute  power,  and  thy  good  name 

Live 

but  defection.     The  Athenians  hadfcnfc,  that  is,  felt  the  danger  of 
their  own  fall,  by  the  arms  of  Alcibiades.     JOHNSON. 

7  retraining  aid  to  Timon  ;  j     I   think  it  ftiould  be   re- 
fraining aid,  that  is,  wkh-holding  aid  thatfhould  have  been  given 
/oTimon.    JOHNSOX. 

8  forrowed  render,]  Thus  the  old  copy.     Render  is  con* 

fejjion.     So  in  Cymbeline,  aft  IV.  fc.  ir. 

**  may  drive  us  to  a  render 

"  Where  we  have  liv'd." 
The  modern  editors  read  tender.    S TEE v  ENS. 

9  Than  their  offence  can  iveigh  down  ly  the  dram ;  ]    This  which 
was  in  the  former  editions  can  fcarcely  be  right,  and  yet  I  know 
not  whether  my  reading  will  be  thought  to  reftify  it.     I  take  the 
meaning  to  be,  We  will  give  thee  a  recompence  that  our  offences 
cannot  outweigh,  heaps  of  wealth  down  by  the  dram,  or  delivered 
according  to  the  exafteft  meafure.     A  little  diforder  may  per- 
haps have  happened  in  tranlcribing,  which  may  be  reformed  by 
reading  : 

'•Ay,  cv 'n  fuch  heaps 
Andfums  of  love  and  wealth,  dawn  ly  the  dram, 

As  fyall  to  thee JOHNSON. 

1  Allow'd  with  abfolute  power, ]  This  is  neither  Englilk 

nor  fenfe.    We  fhould  read, 

Hallow'd  with  alfolute  power, — 

i.  e.  Thy  perfon  fhall  be  held/rt-m/.     For  abfolute  power  being 
an  attribute  of  the  Gods,  the  ancients  thought  that  he  who  had  it, 

ilk 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS.        449 

Live  with  authority  : — fo  foon  (hall  we  drive  back 
Of  Alcibiades  the  approaches  wild; 
Who,  like  a  boar  too  favage,  doth  root  up 
His  country's  peace. 

2  Sen.  And  makes  his  threat'ning  fvvord 
Againfl  the  walls  of  Athens. 
i  Sen.  Therefore,  Timon, 

Tim.  Well,  fir,  I  will;  therefore  I  will,  fir;  Thus,—. 
If  Alcibiades  kill  my  countrymen, 
Let  Alcibiades  know  this  of  Timon, 
That — Timon  cares  not.     But  if  he  fack  fair  Athens, 
And  take  our  goodly  aged  men  by  the  beards, 
Giving  our  holy  virgins  to  the  ftain 
Of  contumelious,  beaftly,  mad-brain'd  war; 
Then  let  him  know, — and,  tell  him,  Timon  fpeaks  it, 
In  pity  of  our  aged,  and  our  youth, 
I  cannot  choofe  but  tell  him,  that — I  care  not, 
And  let  him  take't  at  word ;  for  their  knives  care  not, 
While  you  have  throats  to  anfwer  :  for  myfelf, 
There's  not  a  whittle  z  in  the  unruly  camp, 
But  I  do  prize  it  at  my  love,  before 
The  reverend'ft  throat  in  Athens.     So  I  leave  you 
To  the  protection  of  the  profperous  gods, 
As  thieves  to  keepers. 

Flav.  Stay  not,  all's  in  vain. 

Tim.  Why,  I  was  writing  of  my  epitaph, 
It  will  be  feen  to-morrow  ;   3  My  long  ficknefs 

in  fociety  was  become  facred,  and  his  perfon  inviolable  :  Ott 
which  account  the  Romans  called  the  tribunitial  power  of  the  em- 
perors, fac rofantta  poteftas.  WAR  BUR  TON. 

Allowed  is  liccnfed,  privileged^  uncontrolled.  So  of  a  buffoon,  in 
Love's  Labour  loft,  it  is  faid,  that  he  is  allowed,  that  is,  at  liberty 
to  fay  what  he  will,  a  privileged  fcoffer.  JOHNSON. 

*  There's  not  a  whittle  in  tb'  unruly  car?p.~\  A  whittle  is  (till 
in  the  midland  counties  the  common  name  for  a  pocket  clafp 
knife,  fuch  as  children  ufe.  Chaucer  fpeaks  of  a  "  Sheffield 
tbwittell."  STEEVEN?. 

3  My  long  Jicknefs]  The  difeafe  of  life  begins  to  promife 

me  a  period.  JOHNSON.  - 

VOL.  VIII.  G  £      *  Of 


450        TIMON     OF    ATHENS. 

Of  health,  and  living,  now  begins  to  mend, 
And  nothing  brings  me  all  things.     Go,  live  flill ; 
Be  Alcibiades  your  plague,  you  his, 
And  laft  fo  long  enough ! 

i  Sen.  We  fpeak  in  vain. 

27»/.  But  yet  1  love  my  country;  and  am  not 
One  that  rejoices  in  the  common  wreck, 
As  common  bruit  doth  put  it. 

i  Sen.  That's  well  fpoke. 

Tim.  Commend  me  to  my  loving  countrymen, — 

1  Sen.  Thefe  words  become  your  lips  as  they  pafs 

through  them. 

2  Sen.  And  enter  in  our  ears,  like  great  triumphers 
In  their  applauding  gates. 

Tim.  Commend  me  to  them ; 
And  tell  them,  that,  to  eafe  them  of  their  griefs, 
Their  fears  of  hoftile  ftrokes,  their  aches,  lofles, 
Their  pangs  of  love,  with  other  incident  throes 
That  nature's  fragil  veflel  doth-  fuftain 
In  life's  uncertain  voyage,  I  will  fome  kindnefs  da 

them : — 
I'll  teach  them  to  prevent  wild  Alcibiades'  wrath. 

2  Sen.  I  like  this  well,  he  will  return  again. 

Tim.  I  have  a  tree  4,  which  grows  here  in  my  clofe, 
That  mine  own  ufe  invites  me  to  cut  down, 
And  fiiortly  muft  I  fell  it;  Tell  my  friends, 
Tell  Athens,  *  in  the  fequence  of  degree, 
From  high  to  low  throughout,  thatwholo  pleafc 
To  flop  affliction,  let  Him  take  his  hafte, 
Come  hither,  ere  my  tree  hath  felt  the  axe, 
And  hang  himielf : — I  pray  you,  do  my  greeting. 


*  /  have  a  tree,  &c.]  Perhaps  Shakefpeare  was  indebted  to 
Chaucer's  Wife  of  Bath'* prologue^  for  this  thought.  He  might 
however  have  found  it  in  Painter's.  Palace  of  Pkafure,  Tom.  I. 
Nov.  28.  STE EVENS. 

i  —  in  tbefequfKcc  of  degree,]  Methodically,  from  highcft  to 
laweft.  JOHBSQN. 

ftav. 


(TIMON    OF    ATHENS,        45I 
Plav.  Trouble  him  no  further,   thus  you  ftill  fhall 
find  him. 

Tim.  Come  not  to  me  again :  but  fay  to  Athens, 
Timon  hath  made  his  everlafting  manfion 
Upon  the  beached  verge  of  the  fait  flood, 
Which  once  a  day  with  his  embofled  froth  6 
The  turbulent  furge  fhall  cover ;  thither  come,. 
And  let  my  grave-ftone  be  your  oracle. — 
Lips,  let  four  words  go  by^  and  language  end  : 
What  is  amifs,  plague  and  infection  mend! 
Graves  only  be  men's  works;  and  death,  their  gain! 
Sun,  hide  thy  beams !  Timon  hath  done  his  reign. 

[Exit  Timon. 

1  Sen.  His  difcontents  are  unremoveably 
Coupled  to  nature. 

2  Sen.  Our  hope  in  him  is  dead :  let  us  return, 
And  ftrain  what  other  means  is  left  unto  us 

7  In  our  dear  peril. 

i  Sen.  It  requires  fwift  foot.  [Exeunt. 

SCENE     IV. 

The  Walls  of  Athens. 

Enter  two  other  Senators,  with  a  Meffenger. 

i  Sen.   Thou  haft   painfully   difcover'd  ;    are  his 

files 

*  emlnJJeJ  froth]  When  a  deer  was  run  hard  and  foamed  at 

the  month,  he  was  faid  to  be  embofs'd.  See  a  note  on  the  firfl 
fcene  of  the  Taming  of  the  Shrew.  The  thought  is  irom  Painter's 
PalaceofPleafure,  Tom.  I.  Nov.  28.  STEEVENS. 

1  In  our  dear/fr/Y.]  So  the  folios,  and  rightly.  The  Oxford 
editor  alters  dear  to  dread,  not  knowing  that  dear,  in  the  language 
of  that  time,  fignified  dread,  and  is  lo  ufed  by  Shakefpeare  in 
numberlefs  places.  WAR.  BURTON. 

Dear  may  in  thisinftance  fi^nify  immediate.  It  is  an  enforcing 
epithet  with  not  always  a  dliHnft  meaning.  To  enumerate  the 
feemingly  various  fenfes  in  which  it  may  be  fuppoled  to  have  been 
ilfed  by  our  author,  would  at  once  fatigue  the  reader  and  myfelf. 

STEEVEKS. 

G  g  2  As 


45*        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

As  full  as  thy  report? 

Mef.  I  have  fpoke  the  leaft  : 
Befides,  his  expedition  promifes 
Prefent  approach. 

2  Sen.  We  ftand  much  hazard,  if  they  bring  not 

Timon. 

j\£/.  I  met  a  courier*,  one  mine  ancient  friend8;— 
Who,  though  in  general  part  we  were  oppos'd, 
Yet  our  old  love  made  a  particular  force, 
And  made  us    fpeak  like  friends: — this  man  was 

riding 

From  Alcibiades  to  Timon's  cave, 
With  letters  of  entreaty,  which  imported 
His  fellowfhip  i'  the  caufe  againft  your  city, 
In  part  for  his  fake  mov'd. 

Enter  the  other  Senators* 
i  Sen.  Here  come  our  brothers. 

3  Sen.  No  talk  of  Timon,  nothing  of  him  expect.— 
The  enemies'  drum  is  heard,  and  fearful  fcouring 
Doth  choak  the  air  with  duft  :  In,  and  prepare; 
Ours  is  the  fall,  I  fear,  our  foes  the  fnare.     \_Exeunt. 

SCENE       V. 
Changes  to  the  woods. 

Enter  a  Soldier^  feeking  Timon. 

Sol.  By  all  defcription,this  Ihould  be  the  place^ 
Who's  here  ?  fpeak,  ho ! — No  anfwer? — What  is  this? 
Timon  is  dead,  who  hath  out-ftretch'd  his  fpan  : 
'  Some  beaft  read  this;  there  does  not  live  a  man. 

Dead, 

*  — a  courier, — ]  The  players  read — a  currier.     STEEVENS. 

1  one  mine  ancient  friend  ;~\  Mr.  Upton  would  read, 

once,  mine  ancient  friend.     STEEVEXS. 

'  Some  beaft  read  this ;  here  docs  not  live  a  man.'}  Some  beaft  read 
irhat  ?    The  foldier  had  yet  only  feea  the  rude  pile  of  earth  hea p'd 

up 


TIM  ON    OF    ATHENS.        453 

Dead,    fure;  and  this  his  grave.    What's   on  this 

tomb  ? 

I  cannot  read  ;  the  character  Til  take  with  wax; 
Our  captain  hath  in  every  figure  fkill; 
An  ag'd  interpreter,  though  young  in  days  : 
Before  proud  Athens  he's  fet  down  by  this, 
Whofe  fall  the  mark  of  his  ambition  is.  [Exit. 

SCENE        VI. 

Before  the  walls  of  Athens, 
trumpets  found.     Enter  Alcibiadcs,  with  his  powers. 

Ale.  Sound  to  this  coward  and  lafcivious  town 
Our  terrible  approach. 

[Sound  a  parley.     The  Senators  appear  upon  the  walls* 
'Till  now  you  have  gone  on,  and  fill'd  the  time 
With  all  licentious  meafure,  making  your  wills 
The  fcope  of  juilice;  'till  now,  myfelf,  and  fuch 
As  flept  within  the  fhadow  of  your  power, 

up  forTimon's  grave,  and  not  the  hfcriptlon  upon  it.  We  fliould 
read, 

Some  beajl  rear'd  this ;     •• 

The  foldier  feeking,  by  order,  for  Timon,  fees  fuch  an  irregular 
mole,  as  he  concludes  muft  have  been  the  workmanlhip  of  Ibme 
beaft  inhabiting  the  woods  ;  and  fuch  a  cavity  as  muft  either  have 
been  fo  over-arched,  or  happened  by  the  cafual  falling  in  of  the 
ground.  WAR  BUR  TON. 

Notvvithftanding  this  remark,  I  believe  the  old  reading  to  be 
the  right.  The  foldier  had  only  feen  the  rude  heap  of  earth.  He  had 
evidently  feen  fomething  that  told  him  Timon  was  dead',  and 
what  could  tell  that  but  his  tomb?  The  tomb  he  fees,  and  the- 
infcription  upon  it,  which  not  being  able  to  read,  and  finding 
none  to  read  it  for  him,  he  exclaims  peeviftily,  fame  beaft  read 
this,  for  it  muft  be  read,  and  in  this  place  it  cannot  be  read  by 
man. 

There  is  fomething  elaborately  unfkillul  in  the  contrivance  of 
fending  a  foldier,  who  cannot  read,  to  take  the  dpitaph  in  wax, 
«nly  that  it  may  clofe  the  play  by  being  read  with  more  folemnity 
ia  the  laft  fccne .  JOHNSON. 

G  g  3  Have 


TIM  ON     OF    ATHENS. 

Have  wander'd  with  our  f  traverft  arms,  and  breath'd 
Our  fufferance  vainly  :  Now  *  the  time  is  flufh, 

3  When  crouching  marrow,  in  the  bearer  ftrong, 
Cries,  of  itfelf,  No  more:  now  breathlefs  wrong 
Shall  fit  and  pant  in  your  great  chairs  of  cafe; 
And  purfy  infolence  fhall  break  his  wind, 
With  fear,  and  horrid  flight. 

1  Sen.  Noble,  and  young, 

When  thy  firft  griefs  were  but  a  meer  conceit, 
Ere  thou  hadft  power,  or  we  had  caufe  to  fear, 
We  fent  to  thee;  to  give  thy  rages  balm, 
To  wipe  out  our  ingratitudes  with  loves 

4  Above  their  quantity. 

2  Stn.  So  did  we  woo  * 
Transformed  Timon  to  our  city's  love, 

By  humble  meffage,  and  by  promis'd  means ; 
We  were  not  all  unkind,  nor  all  deferve 
The  common  ftroke  of  war. 

i  Seit.   Thefe  walls  of  ours 
Were  not  eredtcd  by  their  hands,  from  whom 
You  have  receiv'd  your  griefs  :  nor  are  they  fuch, 

1  — traverjl  arms — ]  Arms  acrofs.     JOHNSON. 

* the  time  is  flufh.]  A  bird  ujfufr  when  his  feathers  arc 

grown,  and  he  can  leave  the  neft.  Flujb  is  mature.  JOHNSON. 

">eit  crouching  marrow,  in  the  bearer  Jirong, 
Cries  of  itfelfi  No  more  : — ] 

The  marrow  was  fuppoied  to  be  the  original  of  ftrength.  The 
image  is  from  a  camel  kneeling  to  take  up  his  load,  who  rifes  im- 
mediately when  he  finds  he  has  as  much  laid  on  as  he  can  bear. 

WARBURTON. 
4  Above  their  quantity.'}  Their  refers  to  rages.     WARBURTON. 

5    So  did  we  woo 

Transformed  Timon  to  our  city's  lot-e, 
Sy  bumble  meffage,  and  by  promts '</  means  ;] 

Pr:mis *d means  muft  import  the  recruiting  his  funk  fortunes;  but 
this  is  not  all.  The  fenate  had  wooed  him  with  humble  meflage, 
and  promise  of  general  reparation.  This  feems  included  in  the 
flight  change  which  I  have  made—— 

and  by  promised  mends.     THEOBALD. 

Dr.  Warburton  agrees  with  Mr.  Theobald,  but  the  old  reading 
may  well  (land.    JOHNSON, 

That 


TIMON    OF    ATHENS.        455 

That  thcfc  great  towers,  trophies,  and  fchools  ftiould 

fall 
For  private  faults  in  them. 

2  Sen.  Nor  are  they  living, 
Who  were  the  motives  that  you  firft  went  out ; 
6  Shame,  that  they  wanted  cunning,  in  excefs 
Hath  broke  their  hearts.     March,  noble  lord, 
Into  our  city  with  thy  banners  fpread  : 
By  decimation,  and  a  tithed  death, 
(If  thy  revenges  hunger  for  that  food, 
Which  nature  loaths)  take  thou  the  deftin'd  tenth  ; 
And  by  the  hazard  of  the  fpotted  die, 
Let  die  the  fpotted. 

i  Sen.  All  have  not  offended  ; 
For  thofe  that  were,  it  is  *  not  fquare,  to  take, 
On  thofe  that  are,  revenges:  crimes,  like  lands, 
Are  not  inherited.     Then,  dear  countryman, 
Bring  in  thy  ranks,  but  leave  without  thy  rage  : 
Spare  thy  Athenian  cradle,  and  thofe  kin, 
Which,  in  the  blufter  of  thy  wrath,  muft  fall 

6  Shamey  that  they  wanted  cunning  in  excefs. 

Hath  broke  their  hearts.  —— —  ] 

i.  e.  in  other  terms, — Shame,  that  they  were  not  the  cunningeft 
men  alive,  hath  been  the  caufe  of  their  death.  For  cunning  in  cx- 
crfi  muft  mean  this  or  nothing.  O  brave  editors !  They  had 
heard  it  faid,  that  too  much  wit  in  fome  cafes  might  be  dangerous, 
and  why  not  an  abfolute  want  of  it?  But  had  they  the  Ikill  or 
courage  to  remove  one  perplexing  comma,  the  eafy  and  genuine 
fenfe  would  immediately  arife.  "  Shame  in  excefs  (i.  e.  extremity 
*'  of  fhame)  that  they  wanted  cunning  (i.e.  that  they  were  not 
*'  wife  enough  not  to  banifti  you)  hath  broke  their  hearts." 

THEOBALD. 

I  have  no  wim  to  difturb  the  manes  of  Theobald,  yet  think 
fome  emendation  may  be  offered  that  will  make  the  conftru&iou 
lefs  harfli,  and  the  fentence  more  ferious.  I  read  : 

Shame  that  they  wanted,  coming  in  excefst 

Hath  broke  their  hearts. 

Shame  which  they  had  fo  long  ivanfce?,  at  laft  coming  in  its  utmoji 
cxcefs.  JOHNSON. 

7  - net  fquare      >        ]  Not  regular,  not  equitable. 

JOHNSON, 

G  g  4  With 


456        TIMON    OF    ATHENS. 

With  thofe  that  have  offended:  like  a  fhepherd, 
Approach  the  fold,  and  cull  the  infected  forth, 
But  kill  not  altogether. 

2  Sen.  What  thou  wilt, 
Thou  rather  fhalt  enforce  it  with  thy  fmile, 
Than  hew  to't  with  thyfword. 

j  Sen.  Set  but  thy  foot 

Againft  our  rampir'd  gates,  and  they  fliall  ope  ; 
So  thou  wilt  fend  thy  gentle  heart  before, 
To  fay,  thou'lt  enter  friendly. 

2  Stfi.  Throw  thy  glove, 
Or  any  token  of  thine  honour  elfe, 
That  thou  wilt  ufe  the  wars  as  thy  redrefs, 
And  not  as  our  confufion,  all  thy  powers 
Sh\ll  make  their  harbour  in  our  town,  'till  we 
Have  feal'd  thy  full  defire. 

Ale.  Then  there's  my  glove; 
Defcend,  and  open  your  *  uncharged  ports  : 
Thofe  enemies  of  Timon's,  and  mine  own, 
Whom  you  yourfelves  fhall  fet  out  for  reproof, 
Fall,  and  no  more :  and, — to  atone  your  fears 
With  my  more  noble  meaning, — 9  not  a  man 
Shall  pafs  his  quarter,  or  offend  the  ftream 
Of  reguhr  juftice  in  your  city's  bounds, 
But  fhall  be  remedy'd  by  your  publick  laws 
At  heavieft  anfwer. 

Both.  'Tis  moft  nobly  fpoken. 

^ik.  Defcend,  and  keep  your  words. 

Enter  a  Soldier. 

Sol,  My  noble  general^  Timon  is  dead ; 
Entomb'd  upon  the  very  hem  o'  the  fea  : 

8  uncharged  ports :]  That  is,  unguarded  gates, 

JOHNSON. 

9  not  a  man 

Shall  pafs  his  quarter,  — — • } 

N:>t  a  fohlier  fhall  quit  his  flation,  or  be  let  loofe  upon  you  ;  and, 
if  any  commits  violence,  he  fhall  anftver  it  regularly  to  the  law. 
l  JOHNSON. 

And, 


TIMON     OF     ATHENS.        457 

And,  on  his  grave-ftone,  this  infculpture ;  which 
With  wax  I  brought  away,  whofe  loft  impreffion 
Interpreteth  for  my  poor  ignorance. 

[Alciblades  reads  the  epitaph.'] 

Here  lies  a  wretched  corfe,  of  wretched  foul  bereft : 
Seek  not  my  name:  A  plague  confumeyou  wicked  caitiffs 

left ' ! 

Here  lie  I  Timon;  who,  alive,  all  living  men  did  hate: 
Pafsby,  and  curfe  thy  fill    but  pafs,  and  fay  not  here . 

thy  gait. 

Thefe  well  cxprefs  in  thee  thy  latter  fpirits: 
Though  thou  abhor'dft  in  us  our  human  griefs, 
Scorn'dft  *  our  brain's  flow,  and  thofe  our  droplets 

which 
From  niggard  nature  fall.  J  yet  rich  conceit 

Taught 

1  caitiffs  left!}  This  epitaph  is  found  in  fir  Tho.  North's 

tranflation  of  Plutarch,  with  the  difference  of  one  word  only,  viz. 
•wretches  inftead  of  caitiff's.  STEEVEXS. 

1  —  our   brain's  jfo-iu, — ]    Hamner  and  Dr.  Warburton  read, 

Our  brain's  Jlovj  is  our  tears  ;  but  we  may  read  our  brine's  Jlovj9 
eur  fait  tears.  Either  will  ferve.  JOHNSON. 

—our  brain's  flow  is  right.     So  in  fir  Giles  Gocfecap,   1606  : 

**  I  fhed  not  the  tears  of  my  brain" 
Again,  inthe  Mirac/esof  Mofes,  by  Dray  ton  : 

"  But  he  from  rocks  that  fountains  can  command, 

"  Cannot  yet  flay  tie  fountains  of  bis  brain."     STEEVENS* 

3  yet  rich  conceit 

^Taught  tbce  to  make  ^'aft  Neptune  weep  for  aye 

On  thy  low grave^  on  faults  forgiven.     Dead 

Is  noble  Timon,  of  ivhofe  memory 

Hereafter  more. ] 

All  the  editors,  in  their  learning  and  fagacity,  hare  fufFercd  an 
unaccountable  abfurdity  to  pafs  them  in  this  paflage.  Why  was 
Neptune  to  weep  on  Timon's  faults  forgiven  ?  Or,  indeed,  what 
faults  had  Timon  committed,  except  againft  his  own  fortune  and 
happy  fituation  in  lite?  But  the  corruption  of  the  text  lies  only 
in  the  bad  pointing,  which  I  have  difengnged  and  rcflored  to  the 

true 


458        TIMON     OF     ATHENS. 

Taught  thee  to  make  vafl  Neptune  weep  for  aye 

On  thy  low  grave. — On : — Faults  forgiven.4— Dead 

Is  noble  Timon;  of  whofe  memory 

Hereafter  more. — Bring  me  into  your  city, 

And  I  will  ufe  the  olive  with  my  fword  : 

Make  war  breed  peace;  make  peace  flint  war;  make 

each 

Prefcribe  to  other,  as  each  other's  leach  5. — 
Let  our  drums  ilrike.  [Exeunt. 

true  meaning.  Alcibiades's  whole  fpeech,  as  the  editors  might 
have  obferved,  is  in  breaks,  betwixt  his  reflections  on  Timon's 
death  and  his  addrefles  to  the  Athenian  fenators  :  and  as  foon  as 
he  has  commented  on  the  place  of  Timon's  grave,  he  bids  the  fe- 
nate  fet  forward;  tells  'em,  he  has  forgiven  their  faults  ;  and  pro- 
mifes  to  ufe  them  with  mercy.  THEOBALD. 

*  On: — Faults  forgiven. ]   I  fufpecl  that  we  ought  to 

read: 

On  thy  low  grave. — One  fault's  forgiven.     Dead 
Is  noble  Timon,  &c. 

One  fault  (viz.  the  ingratitude  of  the  Athenians  to  Timon)  is 
forgiven,  5.  e.  exempted  from  punifhment  by  the  death  of  the  in- 
jured perfon.  TVRWHITT. 

5  leach.~\  i.  e.  phyfician.     STEEVENS. 

THE  play  of  Timon  is  a  domeftic  tragedy,  and  therefore  ftrong- 
ly  fattens  on  the  attention  of  the  reader.  In  the  plan  there  is  not 
much  art,  but  the  incidents  are  natural,  and  the  characters  various 
and  exadt.  The  cataibrophe  affords  a  very  powerful  warning 
againft  that  oftentatious  liberality,  which  fcntters  bounty,  but  con- 
fers no  benefits,  and  buys  flattery,  but  not  friendfliip. 

In  this  tragedy,  are  many  paflages  perplexed,  obfcure,  and  pro- 
bably corrupt,  which  I  have  endeavoured  to  rectify,  or  explain, 
with  due  diligence ;  but  having  only  one  copy,  cannot  promife 
myfelf  that  my  endeavours  fliall  be  much  applauded.  JOH  NSON. 

This  play  was  altered  by  Shadwell,  and  brought  upon  the  ftage 
in  1678.  In  the  modffl  title-page  he  calls  it  Timon  of  Athens,  or  the 
Man-hater,  as  it  is  ailed  at  the  Duke's  Theatre,  made  into  a  play. 

STEEYENS. 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS. 


Perfons  Reprefented. 

Saturninus,  Son  to  the  late  Emperor  of  Rome,  and  'af- 

terwards declared  Emperor  himfeJf. 
Baffianus,  Brother  to  Saturninus,  in  love  'with  Lavinia. 
,Titus  Andronicus,  a  noble  Roman,  General  againjt  the 

Goths. 
Marcus  Andronicus,  Tribune  of  the  People,  and  Brother 

to  Titus. 
Marcus, 

Titus  Andronicus. 


Mutius, 

Young  Lucius,  a  Boy,  Son  to  Lucius. 

Publius,  Son  to  Marcus  the  Tribune,  and  Nepheiv  to 

Titus  Andronicus. 
Sempronius. 
Alarbus,      "\ 

Chiron,        >  Sons  to  Tamora. 
Demetrius,  J 

Aaron,  a  Moor,  belov'd  by  Tamora. 
Captain,  from  Titus's  Camp. 
JEmilius,  a  Mejfenger. 
Goths,  and  Romans* 
Clown. 

Tamora,  Queen  of  the  Goths,  and  afterwards  married  t9 

Saturninus. 

Lavinia,  Daughter  to  Titus  Andronicus. 
Nurfe,  with  a  Black-a-moor  Child. 

Senators,  Judges,  Officers,  Soldiers,  and  other  Attendants. 
SCENE,  Rome  ;  and  the  Country  near  it. 


'TITUS  ANDRONICUS. 


ACT     I.      SCENE    I. 


Before  the  Capitol  in  Rome. 

Enter  the  Tribunes  and  Senators  aloft,  as  in  the  fenate* 
Then  enter  Saturninus  and  his  followers,  at  one  door ; 
and  BaJJianus  and  his  followers,  at  the  other ;  with  drum 
and  colours. 

Sat.  Noble  patricians,  patrons  of  my  right, 
Defend  the  juftice  of  my  caufe  with  arms ; 

And, 

r  *  Titus  Andronicus.~\  It  is  obfervable,  that  this  play  is  printed 
in  the  quarto  of  161 1,  with  exaclnefs  equal  to  that  of  the  other 
books  of  thofe  times.  The  firft  edition  was  probably  corrected  by 
the  author,  fo  that  here  is  very  little  room  for  conjecture  or  emen- 
dation ;  and  accordingly  none  of  the  editors  have  much  molefted 
this  piece  with  officious  criticifm.  JOHNSON. 

There  is  an  authority  for  afcribing  this  play  to  Shakefpeare, 
which  I  think  a  very  ftrong  one,  though  not  made  ufe  of,  as  I  re- 
member, by  any  of  his  commentators.  It  is  given  to  him,  among 
other  plays,  which  are  undoubtedly  his,  in  a  little  book,  called 
Palladia  Tamia,  or  the  Second  Part  of  Wit's  Commonwealth,  writ- 
ten by  Francis  Meres,  Maifter  of  arts,  and  printed- at  London  in 
i  ^98.  The  other  tragedies,  enumerated  as  his  in  that  book,  are 
King  John,  Richard  the  Second,  Henry  the  Fourth,  Richard  the 
third,  and  Romeo  and  Juliet.  The  comedies  are,  the  Mldfummtr 
Night's  Dream,  the  Gentlemen  of  Verona,  the  Errors,  the  Love's 
Labour's  Loji,  the  Love's  Labour  JTon,  and  the  Merchant  offe- 
nce. I  have  given  this  Hit,  as  it  fefves  fo  far  to  afcertain  the  date 
of  thefe  plays  ;  and  alfo,  as  it  contains  a  notice  of  a  comedy  of 
Shakefpeare,  the  Love's  Labour  Won,  not  included  in  any  collec- 
tion of  his  works  j  nor,  as  far  as  I  know,  attributed  to  him  by  any 

other 


462     TITUS    ANDRONICUS. 

And,  countrymen,  my  loving  followers, 
Plead  my  fucceffive  title  with  your  fwords  : 

I  am 

other  authority.  If  there  (hould  be  a  play  in  being,  with  that 
title,  though  without  Shakefpeare's  name,  I  fhould  be  glad  to  fee 
it ;  and  I  think  the  editor  would  be  fure  of  the  publick  thanks, 
even  if  it  fliould  prove  no  better  than  the  Love's  Labour's  Loft. 

TYRWHITT. 

The  work  of  criticifm  on  the  plays  of  this  author,  is,  I  believe, 
generally  found  to  extend  or  contract  itfelf  in  proportion  to  the 
value  of  the  piece  under  confideration  ;  and  we  fhall  always  do 
little  where  we  defire  but  little  fliould  be  done.  I  know  not  that 
this  piece  ftands  in  need  of  much  emendation  ;  though  it  might 
be  treated  as  condemned  criminals  are  in  fome  countries, — any  ex- 
periments might  be  juftifiably  made  on  it. 

The  author,  whoever  he  was,  might  have  borrowed  the  ftory, 
the  names,  the  characters,  &c.  from  an  old  ballad,  which  is  en- 
tered in  the  Books  of  the  Stationers'  Company  immediately  after 
the  play  on  the  fame  fubject.  "  John  Danter]  Feb.  6.  1 593.  A 
book  entitled  A  Noble  Roman  Hiftoric  of  Titus  Andronicus" 

"  Enter'd  unto  him  alfo  the  ballad  thereof." 

Entered  again  April  19.   1602,  by  Tho.  Pavyer. 

The  reader  will  find  it  in  Dr.  Percy's  Reliques  of  ancient  EngliJI; 
Poetry,  vol.  I.  Dr.  Percy  adds  that  "  there  is  reafon  to  conclude 
that  this  play  was  rather  improved  by  Shakefpeare  with  a  few  fine 
touches  of  his  pen,  than  originally  writ  by  him  ;  for  not  to  men- 
tion that  the  ftyle  is  lefs  figurative  than  his  others  generally  are, 
this  tragedy  is  mentioned  with  difcredit  in  the  induction  to  Ben 
Jonfon's  Bartholomew  Fair  in  1614,  as  one  that  had  then  been 
exhibited  "  five  and  twenty  or  thirty  years:"  which,  if  we  take 
the  loweft  number,  throws  it  back  to  the  year  1 589,  at  which  time 
Shakefpeare  was  but  25  :  an  earlier  date  than  can  be  found  tor  any 
other  of  his  pieces,  and  if  it  does  not  clear  him  entirely  of  it, 
fliews  at  leaft  it  was  a  firft  attempt." 

Though  we  are  obliged  to  Dr.  Percy  for  his  attempt  to  clear 
our  great  dramatic  writer  from  the  imputation  of  having  pro- 
duced this  fanguinary  performance,  yet  I  cannot  admit  that 
the  circumftance  of  its  being  difcreditably  mentioned  by  Ben 
Jonfon,  ought  to  have  any  weight ;  for  Ben  has  not  very  fparing- 
ly  cenfured  the  7'empeft,  and  other  pieces  which  are  undoubtedly 
among  the  moft  finished  works  of  Shakeipeare.  The  whole  of  Ben's 
Prologue  to  Every  Man  in  bis  Humour,  is  a  malicious  fneer  on 
him. 

Sir  W.  Painter  in  his  Palace  of  Pleafurc ,  torn.  II.  fpeaks  of  the 
$ory  of  Titus  as  well  known,  and  particularly  mentions  the  cruel- 

'X 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.      463 

I  am  his  firfl-born  fon,  that  was  the  laft 
That  ware  the  imperial  diadem  of  Ronle ; 
Then  let  my  father's  honours  live  in  me, 
Nor  wrong  mine  age  with  this  indignity. 

Eaf.  Romans, — friends,    followers,    favourers  of 

my  right,— 

If  ever  Baffianus,  Csefar's  fon, 
Were  gracious  in  the  eyes  of  royal  Rome, 
Keep  then  this  paflage  to  the  Capitol ; 
And  fuffer  not  dilhonour  to  approach 
The  imperial  feat,  to  virtue  confecrate, 
To  juftice,  continence,  and  nobility  : 
But  let  defert  in  pure  election  Ihine ; 
And,  Romans,  fight  for  freedom  in  your  choice. 

Enter  Marcus  Andronicus  aloft,  with  the  crown. 

Mar.    Princes,   that  drive   by  factions,    and  by- 
friends, 

Ambitioufly  for  rule  and  empery  ! 
Know,  that  the  people  of  Rome,  for  whom  we  (land 
A  fpecial  party,  have,  by  common  voice, 
In  election  for  the  Roman  empery, 
Chofcn  Andronicus,  furnamed  Pius 
For  many  good  and  great  deferts  to  Rome  ; 
A  nobler  man,  a  braver  warrior, 

ty  of  Tamora  :    and  in  A  Knack  to  know  a  Knave,   1594,  is  th* 
following  allufion  to  it : 

"  as  welcome  fiiall  you  be 

"  To  me,  my  daughter,  and  my  ion  in  law, 
"  As  Titus  was  unto  the  Roman  fenators, 
"  When  he  had  made  a  conqueft  on  the  Goths" 
Whatever  were  the  motives  of  Heming  and  Condell  for  admit- 
ting this  tragedy  among  thofe  of  Shakefpeare,  all  it  has  gained  by 
their  favour  is,  to  be  delivered  down  to  poiterity  with  repeated  re- 
marks of  contempt, — a  Therfites  babbling  among  heroes,  and  in- 
troduced only  to  be  derided. 

See  the  notes  at  the  conclufion  of  this  volume.    STEEVENS. 

He 


464     TITUS    ANDRONICUS. 

Lives  not  this  day  within  the  city  walls : 
He  by  the  fenate  is  accited  home, 
From  weary  wars  againft  the  barbarous  Goths ; 
That,  with  his  fons,  a  terror  to  our  foes, 
Hath  yok'd  a  nation  ftrong,  train'd  up  in  arms. 
Ten  years  are  fpent,  fince  firft  he  undertook 
This  caufe  of  Rome,  and  chaftifed  with  arms 
Our  enemies'  pride  :  Five  times  he  hath  return'd 
Bleeding  to  Rome,  bearing  his  valiant  fons 

In  coffins  from  the  field  ; 

And  now  at  laft,  laden  with  honour's  fpoils, 
Returns  the  good  Andronicus  to  Rome, 
Renowned  Titus,  flourifhing  in  arms. 
Let  us  intreat, — By  honour  of  his  name, 
Whom,  worthily,  you  would  have  now  fucceed, 
And  in  the  Capitol  and  fenate's  right, 

Whom  you  pretend  to  honour  and  adore, 

That  you  withdraw  you,  and  abate  your  flrength  ; 
Difmifs  your  followers,  and,  as  fuitors  fhould, 
Plead  your  deferts  in  peace  and  humblenefs. 

Sat.  How  fair  the    tribune  fpeaks    to  calm  my 

thoughts ! 

Baf.  Marcus  Andronicus,  fo  I  do  aflfy 
In  thy  uprightnefs  and  integrity, 
And  fo  I  love  and  honour  thee,  and  thine, 
Thy  noble  brother  Titus,  and  his  fons, 
And  her,  to  whom  our  thoughts  are  humbled  all, 
Gracious  Lavinia,  Rome's  rich  ornament, 
That  I  will  here  difmifs  my  loving  friends ; 
And  to  my  fortunes,  and  the  people's  favour, 
Commit  my  caufe  in  ballance  to  be  weigh'd. 

[Exeunt  Soldiers. 
Sat.  Friends,  that  have  been  thus  forward  in  my 

right, 

I  thank  you  all,  and  here  difmifs  you  all ;  ' 
And  to  the  love  and  favour  of  my  country 

Com- 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS. 

Commit  myfelf,  my  perfon,  and  the  caufe  ; 
Rome,  be  as  juft  and  gracious  unto  me, 
As  I  am  confident  and  kind  to  thce.— 
Open  the  gates  and  let  me  in* 
Baf.  Tribunes !  and  me,  a  poor  competitor. 

[They  go  up  into  the  fenate-konfe* 

SCENE      II, 

Enter  a  Captain. 

Capt.  Romans,  make  way ;  The  good  Andronicus, 
Patron  of  virtue,  Rome's  bcft  champion, 
Succefsful  in  the  battles  that  he  fights, 
With  honour  and  with  fortune  is  return'd, 
From  where  he  circumfcribed  with  his  fword, 
And  brought  to  yoke,  the  enemies  of  Rome. 

Sound  drums  and  trumpets,  and  then  enter  Mutlus  and 
Marcus :  after  them,  two  men  bearing  a  coffin  cover* d 
with  black  ;  then  Quintus  and  Lucius.  After  them> 
Titus  Andronicus',  and  then  Tamora,  the  queen  of  Goths, 
Alarbus,  Chiron,  and  Demetrius,  with  Aaron  the  Moor, 
prifoners;  foldiers,  and  other  attendants.  They  fet 
dozun  the  coffin,  and  Titus  fpeaks. 

Tit.   3  Hail,  Rome,  victorious  in  thy  mourning 
weeds ! 

Lo, 

3  Hail,  Rome,  viftorious  in  thy  mourning  wteJs  /]  I  fttfpedt  that 
the  poet  wrote : 

in  my  mourning  weeds! 

i.e.  Titus  would  fay ;  Thou,  Rome,  art  vi&ofious,  though  I  am 
a  mourner  for  thofe  fons  which  I  have  loft  in  obtaining  that  vic- 
tory. WAR  BURTON. 

lly  is  as  well  as  my.  We  mav  fuppofe  the  Romans  in  a  grate- 
ful ceremony,  meeting  the  dead  fons  of  Androuicus  with  mourn- 
ing habits.  JOHNSON, 

Vot.  VIII.  H  h  Pi 


466     TITUS    ANDRONICUS, 

Lo,  as  the  bark,  that  hath  difcharg'd  her  fraught, 
Returns  with  precious  lading  to  the  bay, 
From  whence  at  firfc  fhe  weigh'd  her  anchorage, 
Cometh  Andronicus,  bound  with  laurel  boughs, 
vTo  re-falute  his  country  with  his  tears  ; 
Tears  of  true  joy  for  his  return  to  Rome.— 
4  Thou  great  defender  of  this  Capitol, 
Stand  gracious  to  the  rites  that  we  intend  !—— 
Romans,  of  five  and  twenty  valiant  fons, 
Half  of  the  number  that  king  Priam  had, 
Behold  the  poor  remains,  alive,  and  dead  ! 
Thefe,  that  furvive,  let  Rome  reward  with  love  ; 
Thefe,  that  I  bring  unto  their  lateft  home, 
With  burial  among  their  anceftors  : 
Here  Goths   have  given  me    leave   to  fheath  my 

fword. 

Titus,  unkind,  and  carelefs  of  thine  own, 
Why  fuffer'lt  thou  thy  fons,  unburied  yet, 
To  hover  on  the  dreadful  more  of  Styx  ?  — 
Make  way  to  lay  them  by  their  brethren. 

[They  open  the  tomb* 

There  greet  in  filence,  as  the  dead  were  wont, 
And  fleep  in  peace,  flain  in  your  country's  wars ! 
O  facred  receptacle  of  my  joys, 
Sweet  cell  of  virtue  and  nobility, 
How  many  fons  of  mine  haft  thou  in  Itore, 
That  thou  wilt  never  render  to  me  more  ? 

Lv.c.  Give  us  the  proudeft  prifoner  of  the  Goths, 
That  we  may  hew  his  limbs,  and,  on  a  pile, 
Ad  manes  fratrum  facrifice  his  flefh, 
Before  this  earthly  prifon  of  their  bones  ; 
That  fo  the  iliadovvs  be  not  unappeas'd, 

Or  that  they  were  in  mourning  for  their  emperor  who  was  juft 
dead.  STEEVENS. 

4  Thou  great  defender  of  this  Capital^  Jupiter,  to  whom  the  Ca- 
pitol was  facred.  JOHNSON. 

Nor 


TITUS     ANDRONICUS.     467 

Nor  we  difturb'd  with  prodigies  on  earth  y. 

Tit.  I  give  him  you  ;  the  noblcft  that  furvives, 
The  eldeft  foil  of  this  diftrcfled  queen. 

Tarn.  Stay,  Roman  brethren, — Gracious  conqueror, 
Victorious  Titus,  rue  the  tears  I  filed, 
A  mother's  tears  in  pillion  for  her  fon  : 
And,  if  thy  fons  were  ever  dear  to  thee, 
O,  think  my  fon  to  be  as  dear  to  me. 
Sufficeth  not,  that  we  are  brought  to  Rome, 
To  beautify  thy  triumphs,  and  return, 
Captive  to  thee,  and  to  thy  Roman  yoke  ? 
But  muft  my  fons  be  iLiughter'd  in  the  ftrcets, 
For  valiant  doings  in  their  country's  caufc  ? 
O  !  if  to  fight  for  king  and  common  weal 
Were  piety  in  thine,  it  is  in  thcfe; 
Andronicus,  ftain  not  thy  tomb  with  blood  : 
"Wilt  thou  draw  near  the  nature  of  the  gods  6  ? 
Draw  near  them  then  in  being  merciful : 
Sweet  mercy  is  nobility's  true  badge  ; 
Thrice-noble  Titus,  fpnre  my  firit-born  fon. 

Tit*  Patient  yourfelf7,  madam,  and  pardon  me.' 
Thefe  are  their  brethren,  whom  you  Goths  behold 
Alive,  and  dead  ;  and  for  their  brethren  flain, 

5  Nor  ivc  dijlurVd  ly  prodigies  on  edrtl).~\  It  was  fuppofcd  by  the 
Ancients,  that  the  ghults  of  unburicd  people  appeared  to  their 
friends  and  relations,  to  folicit  the  rites  or  funeral.     STEEVENS. 
6  Wilt  tbo'ti  d far.'  near  the  nature  of  the  gcdi  ? 

Draw  near  i^cni  then  In  being  merciful :~\ 

*'  Homines  enim  ad  deos  nulla  re  propius  accedunt,  quam  falutcm 
hominibus  dando."     C'^cr.ro pra  Ligario. 

From  this  paflage  Mr.  \VhuUey  infers  the  learning  of  Shake- 
fpeare.     STEEVENS. 

7  Paticntjiw/r/r^,  &c.]  This  verb  is  ufed  by  other  dramatic 
writers.     So,  in  Ardcn  of  Fcverftam,   15^2: 

*'  Patient  yourfelf,  we  cannot  help  it  now." 
Again,  in  K.  Eikvard  I.    i  ^99  : 

"  Patient  your  highnefs,  'tis  but  mother's  love." 
Again,  in  \V"-.trr.er's  Albion's  Rngland1,   1602,  b.  xi;.  ch.  75  : 

*'  Her,  weeping  rip?,  he  laughing,    bids  to  patient  her 
awhile."    STEEVEH*. 

H  h  a  Re- 


468     TITUS    ANDRONICUS. 

Religioufiy  they  aik  a  facrifice  : 

To  this  your  fon  is  mark'd ;  and  die  he  muft, 

To  appeafe  their  groaning  fhadows  that  are  gone. 

Luc.  Away  with  him  !  and  make  a  fire  flraight ; 
And  with  our  fvvords,  upon  a  pile  of  wood, 
Let's  hew  his  limbs,  'till  they  be  clean  confum'd. 

[Exeunt  Mutlus,  Marcus,  Quintus, 
and  Lucius,  with  ALarbus. 

Tarn.  O  cruel,  irreligious  piety  ! 

Chi.  Was  ever  Scythia  half  fo  barbarous  ? 

Dem.  Oppofe  not  Scythia  to  ambitious  Rome. 
Alarbus  goes  to  reft ;  and  we  furvive 
To  tremble  under  Titus'  threatening  look. 
Then,  madam,  {land  refolv'd  ;  but  hope  withal, 
*  The  felf-fame  gods,  that  arm'd  the  queen  of  Troy, 
With  opportunity  of  {harp  revenge 
Upon  the  Thracian  tyrant  in  his  tent, 
May  favour  Tamora,  the  queen  of  Goths, 
(When  Goths  were  Goths,  and  Tamora  was  queen) 
To  quit  the  bloody  wrongs  upon  her  foes. 

*   The  felf-fame  gods,  that  armd  tKe  queen  of  Troy 

With  opportunity  ofjharp  revenge 

Upon  the  Thracian  tyrant  in  his  tent,  &c.] 
1  read,  againft  the  authority  of  all  the  copies : 

in  her  tent. 

\.  e.  in  the  tent  where  flie  and  the  other  Trojan  captive  women 
were  kept:  for  thither  Hecuba  by  a  wile  had  decoyed  Polymncftor, 
in  order  to  perpetrate  her  revenge.  This  we  may  learn  from  Euri- 
pides's  Hecuba ;  the  only  author,  that  I  can  at  prefent  remember, 
from  whom  our  writer  mull  have  gleaned  this  circumftance. 

THEOBALD. 

Mr.  Theobald  fhould  firft  have  proved  to  us  that  our  author  un- 
derftood  Greek,  or  clfe  that  this  play  of  Euripides  had  been  tranf- 
lated.  In  the  mean  time,  becaufe  neither  of  thefe  particulars  are 
verified,  we  may  as  well  luppoie  he  took  it  from  the  old  {lory-book 
of  the  Trojan  War,  or  the  old  tranflation  of  Ovid.  See  Metam. 
xiii.  The  writer  of  rhe  play,  whoever  he  was,  might  have  been, 
willed  by  the  paiTage  in  Ovid:  "  — vadit  ad  artifi^em"  and  there- 
fore took  it  for  granted  that  ihe  found  him  in  bis  tent.  STEEVENS. 

Enter 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.     469 

Enter  Mutius,  Marcus,  §>uintus,  and  Lucius. 

Luc.  See,  lord  and  father,  how  we  have  perform'd 
Our  Roman  rites  :  Alarbus'  limbs  are  lopp'd, 
And  entrails  feed  the  facrificing  fire, 
Whofe  fmoke,  like  incenfe,  doth  perfume  the  fky. 
Remaineth  nought,  but  to  inter  our  brethren, 
And  with  loud  'larums  welcome  them  to  Rome. 

Tit.  Let  it  be  fo ;  and  let  Andronicus 
Make  this  his  lateft  farewel  to  their  fouls. 

[Then  found  trumpets,  and  lay  the  coffins  in  the  tomb. 
In  peace  and  honour  reft  you  here,  my  fons ; 
Rome's  readieft  champions,  repofe  you  here, 
Secure  from  worldly  chances  and  miihaps  ! 
Here  lurks  no  treafon,  here  no  envy  fwells, 
Here  grow  no  damned  grudges ;  here  no  ftorm, 
No  noife,  but  filcnce  and  eternal  fleep  : 

Enter  Lavinia. 

In  peace  and  honour  reft  you  here  my  fons  ! 

Lav.  In  peace  and  honour  live  lord  Titus  long  j 
My  noble  lord  and  father,  live  in  fame  ! 
Lo!  at  this  tomb  my  tributary  tears 
I  render,  for  my  brethren's  obfequies ; 
And  at  thy  feet  I  kneel,  with  tears  of  joy 
Shed  on  the  earth,  for  thy  return  to  Rome  : 
O,  blefs  me  here  with  thy  victorious  hand, 
Whofe  fortune  Rome's  beft  citizens  applaud. 

Tit.  Kind  Rome,  that  haft  thus  lovingly  referv'd 
The  cordial  of  mine  age,  to  glad  my  heart !  — 
Lavinia,  live ;  out-live  thy  father's  days, 
9  And  fame's  eternal  date,  for  virtue's  praife  ! 

Mar. 

5  And  fame  3  eternal  date,  for  virtue's  praife  /]  This  abfurd  wiih 
is  made  fenfe  of,  by  changing  and  into  in.     WARBURTON. 
To  live  in  fame's  date  is,  if  an  allowable,  yet  a  harfb  expreflion. 
H  h  3  To 


47Q     TITUS     ANDRONICUS. 

Mar.  Long  live  lord  Titus,  my  beloved  brother, 
Gracious  triumpher  in  the  eyes  of  Rome  ! 

TV/.  Thanks,  gentle  tribune,  noble  brother  Mar- 
cus. 

Mar.    And  welcome,   nephews,    from  fucccfsful 

wars, 

You  that  furvive,  and  you  that  fleep  in  fame. 
Fair  lords,  your  fortunes  are  alike  in  all, 
That  in  your  country's  fervice  drew  your  fwords  : 
But  fafer  triumph  is  this  funeral  pomp, 
That  hath  afpir'd  to  Solon's  happinefs, 
And  triumphs  over  chance,  in  honour's  bed. — 
Titus  Andronicus,  the  people  of  Rome, 
Whofe  friend  in  juftice  thou  haft  ever  been, 
Send  thee  by  me,  their  tribune,  and  their  truft, 
This  palliament  of  white  and  fpotlefs  hue; 
And  name  thee  in  election  for  the  empire, 
With  thefe  our  late-deceafed  emperor's  fons : 
Be  candidatus  then,  and  put  it  on, 
And  help  to  fet  a  head  on  headlefs  Rome. 

??/.  A  better  head  her  glorious  body  fits, 
Than  his,  that  fhakes  for  age  and  feeblenefs : 
What !  mould  I  *  don  this  robe,  and  trouble  you  ? 
Be  chofe  with  proclamations  to-day ; 
To-morrow,  yield  up  rule,  refign  my  life, 
And  fet  abroad  new  bufinefs  for  you  all? 
Rome,  1  have  been  thy  foldier  forty  years, 
And  led  my  country's  flrength  fuccefsfully ; 
And  buried  one  and  twenty  valiant  fons, 
JCnighted  in  field,  ilain  manfully  in  arms, 
In  right  and  fervice  of  their  noble  country  ; 
Give  me  a  ftaffof  honour  for  mine  age, 

To  outll vc  an  e ternal  date,  5s,  though  not  philofophical,  yet  po- 
ptical  fenfe.  He  wifhes  that  her  lite  may  be  longer  than  his,  and 
her  praife  longer  than  fame.  JOHNSON. 

1  don  this  robe)  &cf]  i.e.  do  on  this  robe,  put  it  on.     So, 

•£n  Hamlet  : 

"  Then  up  he  rofe,  and  dond  his  clothes."    STEEVENS. 

But 


TITUS     ANDPvONICUS.     47I 

But  not  a  fceprre  to  controll  the  world  : 
Upright  he  held  it,  lords,  that  held  it  la  ft. 

Mar.  Titus,  thou  (halt  obtain  and  afk  the  empery1. 

Sat.    Proud   and   ambitious  tribune,    canft   thou 
tell  ?— 

Tit.  Patience,  prince  Saturninus. — 

Sat.  Romans,  do  me  right; 

Patricians,  draw  your  fwords,  and  fheath  them  not 
'Till  Saturninus  be  Rome's  emperor: — 
Andronicus,  'would  thou  were  ihip'd  to  hell, 
Rather  than  rob  me  of  the  people's  hearts. 

Luc.  Proud  Saturninus !  interrupter  of  the  good 
Thi'.t  noble-minded  Titus  means  to  thee  ! — 

Tit.  Content  thee,  prince;   I  will  reftore  to  thee 
The  people's  hearts,  and  wean  them  from  themfelves. 

Baf.  Andronicus,  I  do  not  flatter  thee, 
But  honour  thee,  and  will  do  'till  I  die; 
My  faction,  if  thou  ftrengthen  with  thy  friends, 
I  will  mod  thankful  be  :  and  thanks,  to  men 
Of  noble  minds,  is  honourable  meed. 

Tit.  People  of  Rome,  and  people's  tribunes  here, 
I  nik  your  voices,  and  your  funrages ; 
Will  you  bsftow  them  friendly  on  Andronicus  ? 

Mar.  To  gratify  the  good  Andronicus, 
And  gratulate  his  fafe  return  to  Rome, 
The  people  will  accept  whom  he  admits. 

Tit.  Tribunes,  I  thank  you  :  and  this  fuit  I  make, 
That  yon  create  your  em  per*  Vs.  eldeft  fon, 
Lord  Saturnine;  whofe  virtues  will,  I  hope, 
Rciledr.  on  Rome,  as  Titan's  rays  on  earth, 
And  ripen  juftice  in  this  common-weal : 
Then  if  you  will  elecTt  by  my  advice, 
Crown  him,  and  fay, — Long  live  our  emperor  ! 

Mar.  With  voices  and  apnlaufe  of  every  fort, 
Patricians,  and  plebeians,  we  create 

1  Titus,  thou.  (halt  oltaiu  and  afx  the  em  per)'.]     Here  is  ra- 
jhcr  tco  much  of  the  i,>«p'  vrfin-m.  ^STEEVENS. 

H  h  4  Lord 


472     TITUS    A  N  D  R  O  N  I  C  U  S, 

Lord  Saturninus,  Rome's  great  emperor; 
An,d  fay, — Lang  live  our  emperor  Saturnine  ! 

\_A  loitgjftourijh,  till  tbey  come 

Sat.  Titus  Andronicus,  for  thy  favours  done 
To  us  in  our  election  this  day, 
I  give  thee  thanks  in  part  of  thy  deferts, 
And  will  with  deeds  requite  thy  gentlenefs  : 
And,  for  an  onfet,  Titus,  to  advance 
Thy  name,  and  honourable  family, 
Lavinia  will  I  rpake  my  emperefs, 
Rome's  royal  miflrefs,  miftrefs  of  my  heart, 
And  in  the  facred  Pantheon  her  efpoufe  : 
Tell  me,  Andronicus,  doth  this  motion  pleafe  thee? 

fit.  It  doth,  my  worthy  lord;  and,  in  this  match, 
I  hold  me  highly  honoured  of  your  grace : 
And  here,  in  fight  of  Rome,  to  Saturnine,— 
King  and  commander  of  our  common-weal, 
The  wide  world's  emperor, — do  I  confecrate 
My  fword,  my  chariot  and  my  prifoners  ; 
Prefents  well  worthy  Rome's  imperial  lord : 
Receive  them  then,  the  tribute  that  I  owe, 
Mine  honour's  enfigns  humbled  at  thy  feet. 

Sat.  Thanks,  noble  Titus,  father  of  my  life  ! 
How  proud  I  am  oi  thee,  and  of  thy  gifts, 
Rome  fhall  record ;  and,  when  I  do  torget 
The  lealt  of  thefc  unfpeakable  deferts, 
Romans,  forget  your  fealty  to  me. 

lit.  Now,  madam,  are  you  prifoner  to  an  emperor  ; 

[To  ¥  amor  a* 

To  him,  that  for  your  honour  and  your  ftate, 
Will  ulc  you  nobly,  and  your  followers. 

Sat.  A  goodly  lady,  trufl  me;  of  the  hue 
That  I  would  choofe,  were  I  to  choofe  anew. — 
Clear  up,  fair  queen,  that  cloudy  countenance; 
Though  chance  of  war  hath  wrought  this  change  of 

cheer, 

Thou  com'fl  not  to  be  made  a  fcorn  in  Rome  : 
Princely  fliall  be  thy  uiagc  every  way. 

Reft 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.     4.73 

Reft  on  my  word,  and  let  not  difcontent 
Daunt  all  your  hopes  :  Madam,  he  comforts  you, 
£an  make  you  greater  than  the  queen  of  Goths. — 
Lavinia,  you  are  not  difpleas'd  with  this? 

•  Lav.  Not  I,  my  lord1;  fith  true  nobility 
Warrants  thefe  words  in  princely  courtefy. 

Sat.  Thanks,  fweet  Lavinia. — Romans,  let  us  go: 
Ranfomlefs  here  we  let  our  prifoners  free  : 
Proclaim  our  honours,  lords,  with  trump  and  drum. 
Baf.  Lord  Titus,  by  your  leave,  this  maid  is  mine. 

[Seizing  Lavinia. 

Tit.  How,  fir  ?  Are  you  in  earned  then,  my  lord  ? 
Baf.  Ay,  noble  Titus;  and  refolv'd  withal, 
To  do  mylelf  this  reafon  and  this  right. 

[The  Emperor  courts  T amor  a  in  dumbjhew. 
Mar.  Suum  cuique  is  our  Roman  juftice  : 
This  prince  in  juftice  feizeth  but  his  own. 

Luc.  And  that  he  will,  and  fhall,  if  Lucius  live. 
2V/.    Traitors,    avaunt !    Where  is  the  emperor's 

guard  ? 

Treafon,  my  lord  ;  Lavinia  is  furpriz'd. 
Sat.  Surpriz'd  !  By  whom  ? 
Baf.  By  him  that  juftly  may 
Bear  his  betroth'd  from  all  the  world  away. 

[Exit  BaJJianus  with  Lavinia. 
Mut.  Brothers,  help  to  convey  her  hence  away, 
And  with  my  fword  I'll  keep  this  door  fafe. 

5T/7.  Follow,    my  lord,    and  I'll  foon  bring   her 
back. 

a  Lav.  Not  /,  my  lord; ]  Tt  was  pity  to  part  a  couple  who 

feem  to  have  correfponded  in  difpofition  fo  exatlly  as  Saturninus 
and  Lavinia.  Saturninus,  who  has  juft  promifed  to  efpoufe  her, 
already  wifhes  he  were  to  choole  again  ;  and  {he  who  was  engaged 
to  Baffianus  (whom  (he  afterwards  marries)  exprefles  no  reluctance 
when  her  rather  gives  her  to  Saturninus.  Her  fubfequent  raillery 
to  Tamora  is  of  fo  coarle  a  nature,  that  if  her  tongue  had  been  all 
(he  \vas  condemned  to  lofe,  perhaps  the  author,  (whoever  he  was) 
would  have  efcaped  cenfure  on  the  fcore  of  poetic  juftice. 

STEEVEVS. 

Mut. 


474     TITUS    ANDRONICUS. 

Mut.  My  lord,  you  pafs  not  here. 

SV/.  What!  villain  boy, 
Barr'ft  me  my  way  in  Rome  ?  [Titus  kills  Mutlus. 

Mut.  Help,  Lucius,  help  ! 

Luc.  My  lord,  you  are  unjuft,  and  more  than  fo  ; 
In  wrongful  quarrel  you  have  flain  your  fon. 
;   Tit.  Nor  thou,  nor  he,  are  any  fons  of  mine; 
My  fons  would  never  fo  difhonour  me  : 
^Traitor,  reflore  Lavinia  to  the  emperor. 

Luc.  Dead,  if  you  will ;  but  not  to  be  his  wife, 
tThat  is  another's  lawful  promis'd  love. 

Sat.  No,  Titus,  no;  the  emperor  needs  her  not, 
Nor  her,  nor  thee,  nor  any  of  thy  flock  : 
1*11  truft,  by  leifure,  him  that  mocks  me  once; 
Thee  never,  nor  thy  traiterous  haughty  fons, 
Confederates  all  thus  to  difhonour  me. 
"Was  there  none  elie  in  Rome  to  make  a  flale  of, 
But  Saturnine  ?  Full  well,  Andronicus, 
Agree  thefe  deeds  with  that  proud  brag  of  thine, 
That  faid'ft,  I  begg'd  the  empire  at  thy  hands. 

Tit.  O  monftrous !    what  reproachful  words  are 
thefe  ? 

$at.  But  go  thy  ways;    go,  give  that  3  changing 


pie 


ce 


TO  him  that  ilouriiVd  for  her  with  his  fvvord  : 
A  valiant  fon-in-hw  thou  malt  enjoy; 
One  fit  to  bandy  with  thy  lawlefs  fons, 
To  ruffle  in  the  commonwealth  of  Rome4. 

Tit. 

5  -  cbanging-piece,']  Spoken  of  Lavinia.     Piece  was  then, 
as  it  is  now,  ufed  perlbnally  as  a  word  of  contempt.     JOHNSON, 
So  in  Britannia's  P  after  fit  by  Brown,   1613. 
her  hufband, 


"  Muft  have  his  culiis  mix'd  with  ambergreafe  ; 
"  Pheafant  and  partridge  into  jelly  turn'd, 
*'  Grated  with  gold."  "STEEVENS. 

4  To  ruffle  in  tie  conunea-wtaltb  of  Rome.]  A  ruffler  was  a  kind 
of  cheating  bully;  and  is  fo  called  in  a  flatute  made  for  the  pu- 
nifhment  of  vagabonds  in  the  zjih  year  of  K.  Henry  VIII.  See 

Greene's 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.      47$ 

77/.  Thefe  words  are  razors  to  my  wounded  heart. 

Sat.    And   therefore,    lovely   Tamora,   queen  of 

Goths,  — 

fhat,  like  the  {lately  Phoebe  'mong  her  nymphs, 
Doft  over-lhine  the  gallant'ft  dames  of  Rome,  — 
If  thou  be  pleas'd  with  this  my  fudden  choice, 
Behold,  I  choofe  thce,  Tamora,  for  my  bride, 
And  will  create  thee  emperefs  of  Rome. 
Speak,  queen  of  Goths,  doft  thou  applaud  my  choice? 
And  here  I  fwear  by  all  the  Roman  Gods,—  . 
Sith  prieft  and  holy  water  are  fo  near, 
And  tapers  burn  fo  bright,  and  every  thing 
In  readincfs  for  Hymeneus  ftands,  — 
I  will  not  re-falute  the  ftreets  of  Rome, 
Or  climb  my  palace,  'till  from  forth  this  place 
I  lead  efpous'd  my  bride  along  with  me. 
-    1"am.  And  here,  in   fight  of  heaven  to  Rome   I 

fwear, 

If  Saturnine  advance  the  queen  of  Goths, 
She  will  a  handmaid  be  to  his  defires, 
A  loving  nurfe,  a  mother  to  his  youth. 

Sat.  Afcend,  fair  queen,  Pantheon:    Lords,    ac- 

company 

Your  noble  emperor,  and  his  lovely  bride, 
Sent  by  the  heavens  for  prince  Saturnine, 
Whofe  wifdom  hath  her  fortune  conquered  : 
There  fhall  we  confummate  our  fpoufal  rites. 


Manet  Titus  Andronicus. 

Tit.  I  am  not  bid  to  wait  upon  this  bride;—* 
Titus,  when  wertthou  wont  to  walk  alone, 
Diihonour'd  thus,  and  challenged  of  wrongs? 

Greene's  Groundwork  of  Coney-catching,  '592.  Hence,  I  fup- 
pofe,  this  fenfe  of  the  verb,  to  raffle.  Rnfflcrs  are  likevvife  enu- 
merated among  other  vagabonds,  by  Ifolinlhed,  vol.  I.  p.  183. 

STEEVINS. 

Entw 


476     TITUS     ANDRONICUS. 

Enler  Marcus  Andronicus,  Lucius,  Quint  us  9  and  Marcus. 

Mar.     O,  Titus,  fee,     O,   fee,    what  thou   haft 

done ! 
In  a  bad  quarrel  flain  a  virtuous  fon. 

Tit.  No,  foolifli  tribune,  no;  no  fon  of  mine, — 
Nor  thou,  nor  thefe,  confederates  in  the  deed 
That  hath  diihonour'd  all  our  family; 
Unworthy  brother,  and  unworthy  fons! 

Luc.  But  let  us  give  him  burial,  as  becomes; 
Give  Mutius  burial  with  our  brethren. 

Tit.  Traitors,  away!  he  refts  not  in  this  tomb. 
This  monument  five  hundred  years  hath  flood, 
Which  I  have  fumptuoufly  re-edified  ; 
Here  none  but  foldiers,  and  Rome's  fervitors, 
&epofe  in  fame ;  none  bafely  flam  in  brawls : — . 
Bury  him  where  you  can,  he  comes  not  here. 

Mar.  My  lord,  this  is  impiety  in  you  : 
My  nephew  Mutius'  deeds  do  plead  for  him ; 
He  muft  be  buried  with  his  brethren. 

[Titus'  fons  fpeak. 

Sons.  And  fliall,  or  him  we  will  accompany. 

Tit.  And  lhall?    What  villain  was  it   fpoke  that 
word?  [Titus' fon  fpeaks. 

^uin.  He  that  would  vouch't  in  any  place  but 
here. 

y//.  What,  would  you  bury  him  in  my  defpight  ? 

Mar.  No,  noble  Titus;  but  intreat  of  thee 
To  pardon  Mutius,  and  to  bury  him. 

Tit.  Marcus,  even  thou  haft  llruckupon  my  creft, 
And,    with    thefe   boys,    mine    honour    thou    haft 

wounded. 

My  foes  I  do  repute  you  every  one ; 
So  trouble  me  no  more,  but  get  you  gone. 

Luc.  He  is  not  with  himfelf;  let  us  withdraw. 

$itin.  Not  I,  till  Mutius'  bones  be  buried. 

[Tke  brother  and  the  fons  kneel. 
Mar. 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.     477 

Afar.  Brother,  for  in  that  name  doth  nature  plead. 

Quin.  Father,  and  in  that  name  doth  nature  fpeak. 

5T/7.  Speak  thou  no  more,  if  all  the  reft  will  fpeed. 

Mar.  Renowned  Titus,  more  than  half  my  foul,— 

Luc.  Dear  father,  foul  and  fubflance  of  us  all,— 

Mar.  Suffer  thy  brother  Marcus  to  interr 
His  noble  nephew  here  in  virtue's  neft, 
That  died  in  honour  and  Lavinia's  caufe. 
Thou  art  a  Roman,  be  not  barbarous. 
The  Greeks,  upon  advice,  did  bury  Ajax  s 
That  flew  himfelf ;  and  wife  Laertes'  fon 
Did  gracioufly  plead  for  his  funerals : 
Let  not  young  Mutius  then,  that  was  thy  joy, 
Bebarr'd  his  entrance  here. 

Tit.  Rife,  Marcus,  rife : — 
The  difmall'fl  day  is  this,  that  e'er  I  faw, 
To  be  difhonour'd  by  my  fons  in  Rome  !— 
Well,  bury  him,  and  bury  me  the  next. 

[They  put  Mm  in  tie  tomb. 

Luc.  There  lie  thy  bones,  fweet  Mutius,  with  thy 

friends. 
'Till  we  with  trophies  do  adorn  thy  tomb  ! — 

[They  all  kneel,  and  fay ; 
No  man  fried  tears '  for  noble  Mutius ; 
He  lives  in  fame,  that  dy'd  in  virtue's  caufe. 

5   The  Greeks,  upon  advice,  did  bury  Ajaxy 

Tbatjlew  himfelf;   and  -vjife  Laertfs' Jon 

Did  gracioujly  plead  for  his  funerals.] 

This  pafiage  alone  would  fufliciently  convince  me,  that  the  play 
before  us  was  the  work  of  one  who  was  converfant  with  the  Greek 
tragedies  in  their  original  language.  We  have  here  a  plain  allulion 
to  the  Ajax  of  Sophocles,  of  which  no  tranflation  was  extant  in  the 
time  of  Shakefpeare.  In  that  piece,  Agamemnon  confents  at  laft 
to  allow  Ajax  the  rites  of  fepulture,  and  Ulyfles  is  the  pleader, 
whofe  arguments  prevail  in  favour  of  his  remains.  STEEVENS. 

1  No  man  Jbed  teartf  be.]  This  is  evidently  a  tranflation  of  the 
diftich  of  Ennius  : 

Nemo  me  lacrumeis  decoret :  nee  funera  fletu 

Facfu.  tjuur  ?  volito  vivu*  per  ora  viriim.        STEEVENS. 

8  Mar. 


478     TITUS    ANDRONICUS. 

Mar.  My   lord, to  ftep  out  of  thefe  dreary* 

dumps, — 

How  comes  it,  that  the  fubtle  queen  of  Goths 
Is  of  a  fudden  thus  advanc'd  in  Rome  ? 

Tit.  I  know  net,  Marcus  ;  but,  I  know,  it  is  j 
If  by  device,  or  no,  the  heavens  can  tell : 
Is  ihe  not  then  beholden  to  the  man 
That  brought  her  for  this  high  good  turn  fo  far  ? 
Yes,  and  will  nobly  him  remunerate. 

FlourifJ].  Re-enter  the  Emperor?  Tamora,  Chiron,  and 
Demetrius,  with  Aaron  the  Moor,  at  one  door :  At  the 
other  door,  Bajfianus  and  Lavinia,  with  others* 

Sat.  So,  Baffianus,  you  have  play 'd  your  prize  ; 
God  give  you  joy,  fir,  of  your  gallant  bride. 

Baf.  And  you  of  yours,  my  lord  :  I  fay  no  more, 
Nor  wifh  no  lefs  ;  and  fo  I  take  my  leave. 

Sat.  Traitor,  if  Rome  have  law,  or  we  have  power, 
Thou  and  thy  faction  fhall  repent  this  rape. 

Baf.  Rape,  call  you  it,  my  lord,  to  feize  my  own, 
My  true  betrothed  love,  and  now  my  wife  ? 
But  let  the  laws  of  Rome  determine  all ; 
Mean  while  I  am  pofleft  of  that  is  mine. 

Sat.  'Tis  good,  fir  :  You  arc  very  fhort  with  us  j 
But,  if  we  live,  we'll  be  as  fharp  with  you. 

Baf.  My  lord,  what  I  have  done,  as  belt  I  may, 
Anfwer  I  muft,  and  fhall  do  with  my  life. 
Only  thus  much  I  give  your  grace  to  kno\v, — 
By  all  the  duties  which  I  owe  to  Rome,  ' 
This  noble  gentleman,  lord  Titus  here, 
Is  in  opinion,  and  in  honour,  wrong'd  ; 
That,  in  the  refcue  of  Lavinia, 
With  his  own  hand  did  flay  his  youngeft  fon, 
In  zeal  to  you,  and  highly  mov'd  to  wrath 
To  be  controul'd  in  that  he  frankly  gave  : 
Receive  him  then  to  favour,  Saturnine  ; 
That  hath  exprefs'd  himfelf,  in  all  his  deeds, 

7  Af"~ 


TITUS    A  N  D  R  O  N  I  C  U  S.      479 

A  father,  and  a  friend,  to  thee,  and  Rome. 

fit.  Prince  Baffianus,  leave  to  plead  my  deeds ; 
'Tis  thou,  and  thofe,  that  have  difhonour'd  me  : 
Rome  and  the  righteous  heavens  be  my  judge, 
Hoxv  I  have  lov'd  and  honoui'd  Saturnine ! 

Tarn.  My  worthy  lord,  if  ever  Tamora 
Were  gracious  in  thofe  princely  eyes  of  thine, 
Then  hear  me  fpeak,  indifferently  for  all ; 
And  at  my  fuit,  fweet,  pardon  what  is  paft. 

Sat.  What,  madam  !  be  difhonour'd  openly, 
And  bafely  put  it  up  without  revenge  ? 

Tarn.  Not  fo,  my  lord  ;  The  gods  of  Rome  fore- 
fend, 

I  fhould  be  author  to  difhonour  you  ! 
But,  on  mine  honour,  dare  I  undertake 
For  good  lord  Titus'  innocence  in  all, 
Whofe  fury,  not  diflembled,  fpeaks  his  griefs  : 
Then,  at  my  fuit,  look  gracioufly  on  him  ; 
Lofe  not  fo  noble  a  friend  on  vain  fuppofe, 

Nor  with  four  looks  affiidt  his  gentle  heart. . 

My  lord,  be  rul'd  by  me,  be  won  at  laft,  > 
Diflemble  all  your  griefs  and  difcontents  : 
You  are  but  newly  planted  in  your  throne ; 
Left  then  the  people,  and  patricians  too, 
Upon  a  juft  furvey,  take  Titus'  part; 
And  fo  fupplant  us  for  ingratitude, 
(Which  Rome  reputes  to  be  a  heinous  fin) 
Yield  at  intreats,  and  then  let  me  alone  : 
I'll  find  a  day  to  maffacre  them  all, 
And  raze  their  fadtion,  and  their  family, 
The  cruel  father,  and  his  traiterous  fons, 
To  whom  I  fued  for  my  dear  fon's  life  ; 
And  make  them  know,  what 'tis  to  let  a 

queen 
Kneel  in  the  flreets,  and  beg  for  grace  in 

vain. — 

Come,  come,  fweet  emperor, — come,  Andronicus,— 

Take 


480     TITUS    A  N  D  R  O  N  I  C  U  S. 

Take  up  this  good  old  man,  and  chear  the  heart 
That  dies  in  tempeft  of  thy  angry  frown. 

Sat.  Rile,  Titus,  rife;  my  emprefs  hath  prevail'd. 

77/.  I  thank  your  majefty,  and  her,  my  lord. 
Thefe  words,  thefe  looks,  infufe  new  life  in  me. 

Tarn.  Titus,  I  am  incorporate  in  Rome, 
A  Roman  now  adopted  happily, 
And  muft  advife  the  emperor  for  his  good. 
This  day  all  quarrels  die,  Andronicus  ; — 
And  let  it  be  mine  honour,  good  my  lord, 
That  I  have  reconcil'd  your  friends  and  you. — 
For  you,  prince  Baffianus,  I  have  paft 
My  word  and  promife  to  the  emperor, 
That  you  will  be  more  mild  and  traceable.— - 
And  fear  not,  lords, — and  you,  Lavinia ; — 
By  my  advice,  all  humbled  on  your  knees, 
You  fhall  afk  pardon  of  his  majefty. 

Luc.  We  do ;    and  vow  to  heaven,    and  to  his 

highnefs, 

That,  what  we  did,-  was  mildly,  as  we  might, 
Tend'ring  our  filter's  honour,  and  our  own. 

Mar.  That  on  mine  honour  here  I  do  proteft. 

Sat.  Away,  and  talk  not ;  trouble  us  no  more. — > 

'Tarn.  Nay,  nay,  fweet  emperor,  we  mult  all  be 

friends  : 

The  tribune  and  his  nephews  kneel  for  grace  ; 
I  will  not  be  denied.     Sweet  heart,  look  back. 

Sat.  Marcus,  for  thy  fake,  and  thy  brother's  here, 
Aad  at  my  lovely  Tamora's  intreats, 
I  do  remit  thefe  young  men's  heinous  faults. 
Stand  up. 

Lavinia,  though  you  left  me  like  a  churl, 
1  found  a  friend  ;  and  fure  as. death  I  fwore, 
I  would  not  part  a  bachelor  from  the  priefl. 
Come,  if  the  emperor's  court  can  feaft  two  brides, 
You  are  my  guctf,  Lavinia,  and  your  friends  : — 
This  day  lhall  be  a  love-day,  Tamora. 


TITUS     ANDRONICUS.     481 

Tit.  To-morrow,  an  it  pleafe  your  majefty, 
To  hunt  the  panther  and  the  hart  with  me, 
With  horn  and  hound,  we'll  give  your  grace  bon-jour. 

Sat.  Be  it  fo,  Titus,  and  gramercy  too.     [Exeunt. 


A  C  T    II.      'SCENE      I. 

Before  the  Palace* 

Enter  Aaron  alone. 

Aar.  Now  climbeth  Tamora  Olympus'  top, 
Safe  out  of  fortune's  Ihot ;  and  fits  aloft, 
Secure  of  thunder's  crack,  or  lightning  flafli  j 
Advanc'd  above  pale  envy's  rhreatning  reach* 
As  when  the  golden  fun  falutes  the  morn, 
And,  having  gilt  the  ocean  with  his  beams, 
Gallops  the  zodiack  in  his  glittering  coach, 
And  over-looks  the  higheft-peering  hills ; 
So  Tamora. — 

3  Upon  her  wit  doth  earthly  honour  wait, 
And  virtue  Hoops  and  trembles  at  her  frown. 
Then,  Aaron,  arm  thy  heart,  and  fit  thy  thoughts, 
To  mount  aloft  with  thy  imperial  miftrefs, 
And  mount  her  pitch ;  whom  thou  in  triumph  long 
Haft  prifoncr  held,  fetter'd  in  amorous  chains; 
And  fafter  bound  to  Aaron's  charming  eyes, 
Than  is  Prometheus  ty'd  to  Caucafus. 

*  Iti  the  quarto,  the  dire&ion  is,  Manet  Aaron,  and  he  is  before 
made  to  enter  with  Tamora,  though  he  fays  nothing.  This  fccne 
ought  to  continue  the  firft  aft.  JOHNSON. 

3  Upon  her  wit ]  We  fliould  read, 

Upon  her  will WAR  BUR  TON. 

I  think  w//,  for  which  Ihe  is  eminent  in  the  drama,  is  right. 

JOHNSON. 

VOL.  VIII^  I  i  Away 


482      TITUS     A  N  D  R  O  N  I  C  U  S, 

A'.vay  with  fiavilh  weeds,  and  idle  thoughts  ! 
I  will  be  bright,  and  fhine  in  pearl  and  gold, 
To  wait  upon  this  new-made  emperefs. 
To  wait,  faid  I  ?  to  wanton  with  this  queen, 
This  goddefs,  this  Semiramis  ; — this  queen, 
This  fyren,  that  will  charm  Rome's  Saturnine, 
And  fee  his  fliipwreck,  and  his  common-weal's. 
Holla  !  what  ftorm  is  this  ? 

"Enter  Chiron,  and  Demetrius,  braving. 

Dem.  Chiron,  thy  years  want  wit,  thy  wit  wants 

edge, 

And  manners,  to  intrude  where  I  am  grac'd  ; 
And  may,  for  aught  thou  know'ft,  affedled  be. 

Chi.  Demetrius,  thou  doft  over-ween  in  all ; 
And  fo  in  this,  to  bear  me  down  with  braves. 
Tis  not  the  difference  of  a  year,  or  two, 
Makes  me  Id's  gracious,  or  thee  more  fortunate  : 
I  am  as.able,  and  as  fit,  as  thou, 
To  ferve,  and  to  deferve  my  miftrefs'  grace; 
And  that  my  fword  upon  thee  {hall  approve, 
And  plead  my  paflions  for  Lavinia's   love. 

Jar.  Clubs,  clubs ! — Theie  lovers  will  not  keep 
the  peace. 

T)em.  Why,  boy,  although  our  mother,  unadvis'd, 
Gave  you  a  dancing  rapier  by  your  fide  *, 
Are  you  fo  delperate  grown,  to  threat  your  friends  ? 
Go  to  ;  have  your  lath  glu'd  within  your  fheath, 
'Till  ypu  know  better  how  to  handle  it. 

Q ;.  Mean  while,  fir,  with  the  little  fkill  I  have, 
Full  well  {halt  thou  perceive  how  much  I  dare. 

Dem.  Ay,  boy,  grow  ye  fo  brave  ?       \¥bey  draw, 

Aar.  Why,  how  now,  lords  ? 

4  a  dancing  rapier  ly  your  fide  ^\  So  in  Atf*  Well  that  Ends 

ae>  II.  ic.  i. 

no/:iwv/  worn 

Biu  one  to  dance  with.    STEKVENS. 

So 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.      483 

So  near  the  emperor's  palace  dare  you  dra\v, 

And  maintain  fuch  a  quarrel  openly  ? 

Full  well  I  wot  the  ground  of  all  this  grudge ; 

J  would  not  for  a  million  of  gold, 

The  caufe  were  known  to  them  it  moft  concerns  : 

Nor  would  your  noble  mother,  for  much  more, 

Be  fo  dilhonour'd  in  the  court  of  Rome. 

For  fhame,  put  up. 

Chi.  '  Not  I ;  'till  I  have  Iheath'd 
My  rapier  in  his  bofom,  and,  withal, 
Thruft  thefe  reproachful  fpeeches  down  his  throat, 
That  he  hath  breath'd  in  my  diihonour  here. 

Dem.  For  that  lam  prepar'd  and  full  refolv'd, — 
Foul-fpoken  coward  !  that  thunder'ft  with  thy  tongue, 
And  with  thy  weapon  nothing  dar'ft  perform. 

Aar.  Away,  I  fay. — 

Now  by  the  gods,  that  warlike  Goths  adore* 
This  petty  brabble  will  undo  us  all. — 
Why,  lords, — and  think  you  not  how  dangerous 
It  is  to  jut  upon  a  prince's  right  ? 
What,  is  Lavinia  then  become  fo  loofe, 
Or  Baffianus  fo  degenerate, 
That  for  her  love  fuch  quarrels  may  be  broach'd, 
Without  controulment,  juilice,  or  revenge  ? 
Young  lords,    beware  ! — an  Ihould    the   emperefs 

know 
This  difcord's  ground,  the  mufick  would  not  pleafe. 

Chi.  I  care  not,  I,  knew  fhe  and  all  the  world  ; 
I  love  Lavinia  more  than  all  the  world. 

Dem.  Youngling,  learn  thou  to  make  fome  meaner 

choice  : 
Lavinia  is  thine  elder  brother's  hope. 

Aar.  Why,  are  ye  mad  ?  or  know  ye  not,  in  Rome 
How  furious  and  impatient  they  be, 

5  Not  I,  till  I  have  Jbeatb\l,  Sec.]  This  fpeech,  which  has  been 
all  along  given  to  Demetrius,  as  the  next  to  Chiron,  were  both 
given  to  the  wrong  fpeaker ;  for  it  was  Demetrius  that  had  thrown 
•ut  the  reproachful  i~peech.es  on  the  other.  WARBUK.TON. 

1  i  2  And 


484     TITOS    AN.DRONICUS. 
And  cannot  brook  competitors  in  love  ? 
I  tell  you,  lords,  you  do  but  plot  your  deaths 
By  this  device. 

Cki*  Aaron,  a  thoufcnd  deaths  would  I  propofe  6, 
To  atchieve  her  I  do  love. 

Aar.  To  atchieve  her  ! — How  ? 

Dem.  Why  mak'ft  thou  it  fo  ftrange  ? 
She  is  a  woman,  therefore  may  be  \voo'd  ; 
She  is  a  woman,  therefore  may  be  won  ; 
She  is  Lavinia,  therefore  mull  be  lov'd. 
What,  man  !   more  water  glideth  by  the  mill7 
Than  \vots  the  miller  of ;'  and  cafy  it  is 
Oi"  a  cut  loaf  to  (leal  a  fliive  3,  we  know  : 
Though  Bafiianus  be  the  emperor's  brother, 
Better  than  he  have  yer  worn  Vulcan's  badge. 

star.  Ay,  2nd  as  good  as  Saturninus  may.     \_Afide. 

l)<m.  Then  why  ihouicl  he  defpair,  that  knows  to 

court  it 

With  words,  fair  looks,  and  liberality  ? 
What,  haft  thou  not  full  often  (truck  a  doe 9, 

And 

6  a  thoufand  (tenths  -ivanhJ  I  prcpcfe,]  Whether  Chiron 

means  he  would  contrive  a  thoufand  deaths  for  other?,  or  Imagine 
asmanycruelor.es  for  himicif,  I  am  unable  to  determine. 

STEEVEXS. 

7   more  water  glidctb  !>y  tie  mill^   cj'c.]   A  Scots   proverb. 

*'  3I:ckle  water  goes  by  the  miiicr  when  he  lleeps." 

STEEVKNS. 

8  to  /teal  a  fV.ive.]     AJ?:i?c  is  -\Jllce.     So  in  the   Tule  of 

Argcnt'ilc  and  Cur.m  in  \V:irner's  Albivns  En^latul^    1602  : 

'•  \fcce--'c  of  bre:;d  :is  bro\vne  as  r.ut." 
Demetrius  is   again  indebted  to  a  Scots  proverb  : 

"  It  is  iafe  taking  njbivc  of  a  cut  loaf."         STEEVENS. 

9  firnck  a  dee,]  Mr.  Molt  is  vvillir.t;  to  infer  from  this  paf- 

fage  that  lit  us  Atu!rauicui  was  rot  only  the  work  of  Shakefpeare, 
Tint  one  or  his  earlieft  performances,  betanfe  the  itratagems  of  his 
f")r:ner  profefficn  leem  to  h:ive  been  yet  tYe!h  in  his  mind.     I  had 
made  the  lame  obfervation  in  A*.  Henry  VI.  before  I  had  teen  his  ; 
but  when  we   oonilu'cr  lunv  many  phrafes  nre  borrowed  from  the 
fpcns  oi  the  iield,  \vhich  were  more  followed  in  our  author's  time, 
than  any  other  amufement;   I  do  not  think   there  Is  much  in  ei- 
ther h  :  ie»-.aik  or  my  own. — Let  me  add,  that  we  have  here  De- 
metrius 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.      48$ 

And  born  her  cleanly  by  the  keeper's  nofe  ? 

Aar.  Why  then,  it  feenis,  fome  certain  fnatch  or  fo 
Would  ferve  your  turns. 

Cbi.  Ay,  fo  the  turn  were  fcrv'd. 

D:m.  Aaron,  thou  hail  hit  it. 

Aar.  'Would  you  had  hit  it  too  ; 
Then  fhould  not  \ve  be  tir'd  with  this  ado." 
Why,  hark  ye,  hark  ye, — And  are  you  fu<.h  fools, 
To  fquarc  '  for  this  ?  Would  it  offend  you  ihen 
That  both  fhould  fpeed  > 

Cbi.  'Faith,  not  me. 

Dem.  Nor  me,  fo  I  were  one. 

Aar.  Forfhame,  befriends;  and  join  for  that  you 

jar. 

'Tis  policy  and  ftratagem  muft  do 
That  you  affect  ;  and  fo  mud  you  refolvc  ; 
That  what  you  cannot,  as  you  would,  atchlcvc, 
You  muft  perforce  accomplifh  as  you  may. 
Take  this  of  me,  Lucrece  was  not  more  chafle 
Than  this  Lavinia,  Bafiianus'  love. 
A  fpeedier  courfe  than  lingering  languilhment  * 

memus,  the  fonofa  queen,  demanding  of  his  brother  prince  if 
he  has  not  often  been  reduced  to  praftife  the  common  artifices  of 
a  deer-ftealer : — an  abfurdity  right  worthy  ot  the  reft  ot  the 
piece.  STE  EVENS. 

1   To  fquare  for  this. ]  Tojquarcis  to  quarrel.     So  in  the 

Midj'umincr-'Nitrhfs  Dream  : 

they  never  meet, 

But  they  dojjjttori. • 

Agiiin,   in  Drar.t's  tranflation  of  Horace's  Art  of  Poetry,   1/67  : 

"  Let  them  n.-t  fing  twixt  aft  and  aft, 

**  What  fquarcth  from  the  reft." 

But  tofquare,  which  in  the  laft  inftance  fignifies  to  differ ^  is  now 
uied  only  in  the  verv  oppofite  fenfe,  and  means  to  agree. 

STEEVENS. 

*  Afoedicr  courfe  than  lingering  languljlmeni]  The  old  copy 
reads  : 

this  I'.ngering,  &c. 

which  may  mean,  this  coy  languijbing  dame ,  th!s />.•>«  of  relaxant 
fofliufi.  SrSEVKNfc 

I i  3  Muft 


486      TITUS    ANDRONICUS. 

Muft  we  purfue,  and  I  have  found  the  path. 

My  lords,  a  folemn  hunting  is  in  hand  ; 

There  will  the  lovely  Roman  ladies  troop  : 

The  foreft  walks  are  wide  and  fpacious  ; 

And  many  unfrequented  plots  there  are, 

Fitted  5  by  kind  for  rape  and  villainy  : 

Single  you  thither  then  this  dainty  doe, 

And  ftrike  her  home  by  force,  if  not  by  words  : 

This  way,  or  not  at  all,  (land  you  in  hope. 

Come,  come,  our  emprefs,  with  her  facred  wit, 

To  villainy  and  vengeance  confecrate, 

We  will  acquaint  with  all  that  we  intend  ; 

And  fhe  fliall  file  our  engines  with  advice  4, 

That  will  not  fufFer  you  to  fquare  yourfelves, 

But  to  your  wilhes'  height  advance  you  both. 

The  emperor's  court  is  like  the  houfe  of  fame, 

The  palace  full  of  tongues,  of  eyes,  of 'ears  : 

The  woods  are  ruthlefs,  dreadful,  deaf,  and  dull ; 

There  fpeak,  and  ftrike,  brave  boys,  and  take  your 

turns : 

There  ferve  your  luft,  ihadow'd  from  heaven's  eye, 
And  revel  in  Lavinia's  treafury. 

Chi.  Thy  counfel,  lad,  fmells  of  no  cowardife. 

Dem.  Sit  fas  aut  nefas,  'till  I  find  the  ftream 
To  cool  this  heat,  a  charm  to  calm  thefe  fits, 
Per  Styga,  per  Manes  vckor  5. [Exeunt. 

3 ly  kind ]  That  is,  by  nature,  which  is  the  old 

fignification  ot  kind.     JOHNSON. 

4  —file  our  engines  with  advice,]  5.  e.  remove  all  impediments 
from  our  defigns  by  advice.  The  allufion  is  to  the  operation  of 
the  file,  which,  by  conferring  fmoothnefs,  facilitates  the  motiou 
of  the  wheels  which  compofe  an  engine  or  piece  of  machinery. 

STEEVENS. 

s  Per  Styga,  &c.]  Thefe  fcraps  of  Latin  are,  I  believe,  taken, 
though  not  exactly,  from  fome  of  Seneca's  tragedies.  STE EVENS. 


SCENE 


TITUS     ANDRONICUS.      487 

6S    C    E    N    E      II. 

Changes  to  a  Fore/:. 

Enter  Titus  Andronims  and  his  three  Sons,  with  hounds 
and  horns,  and  Marcus. 

Tit.  The  hunt  is  up,  7  the  morn  is  bright  and  grey, 
The  fields  are  fragrant,  and  the  woods  are  green  : 
Uncouple  here,  and  let  us  make  a  bay, 
And  wake  the  emperor,  and  his  lovely  bride, 
And  roufe  the  prince  ;  and  ring  a  hunter's  peal, 
That  all  the  court  may  echo  with  the  noife. 
Sons,  let  it  be  your  charge,  as  it  is  ours, 
To  tend  the  emperor's  perfon  carefully  : 
I  have  been  troubled  in  my  fleep  this  night, 
But  dawning  day  new  comfort  hath  infpir'd. 

Here  a  cry  of  hounds,  and  wind  horns  in  a  peal :  then 
enter  Siiturnim'.s,  Tamora,  BaJJianus,  Lavinia,  Chiron, 
Demetrius,  and  their  attendants. 

Tit.  Many  good  morrows  to  your  majefty  ;  — 
Madam,  to  you  as  many  and  as  good  ! — 
I  promifed  your  grace  a  hunter's  peal. 

Sat.  And  you  have  rung  itluftily,  my  lords, 
Somewhat  too  early  for  new-married  ladies. 

Baf.  Lavinia,  how  fay  you  ? 

*  The  divifion  of  this  play  into  atfs,  which  was  firft  made  by 
the  editors  in  1623,  is  improper.  There  is  here  an  interval  of 
a&ion,  and  here  the  fecond  aft  ought  to  have  begun.  JOHNSON. 

'   the  morn  is  bright  and grey ,]   i.  e.  bright  and  yet   not 

red,  which  was  a  fign  or'  Ikirms  and  rain,  but^r^,  which  foretold 
fair,  weather.     Yet  the  Oxford  editor  alters  gray  togay. 

WAR  BURTON. 

Surely  the  Ox  ford  editor  is  in  the  right;  unlefs  we  reafon  like 
the  Witches  in  Macbeth,  and  lay, 

"  Fajrisibul,  and  foul  is  fair."        STEEVENC. 

I  i  4  Lav. 


488      TITUS     ANDRONICUS. 

Lav.  I  fay,  no  ; 
J  have  been  broad  awake  two  hours  and  more. 

Sat.  Come  on  then,  horfe  and  chariots  let  us  have, 
And  to  our  fport  : — Madam,  now  yc  {hall  fee 
Our  Roman  hunting.  [To  Tamora* 

Mar.  I  have  dogs,  my  lord, 
Will  roufe  the  proudeft  panther  in  the  chafe, 
And  climb  the  higheft  promontory  top. 

Tif.  And  I  have  horfe  will  follow  where  the  game 
Makes  way,  and  run  like  fwallows  o'er  the  plain. 

Dem.  Chiron,    we  hunt  not,  we,  with  horfe  nor 

hound, 
But  hope  to  pluck  a  dainty  doe  to  ground.    \JLx,eunt* 

SCENE    III, 

A  defart  part  of  the  foreft. 
Enter  Aaron  alone. 

Aar.  He,  that  had  wit,  would  think,  that  I  had 

none, 

To  bury  fo  rm'ich  gold  under  a  tree, 
And  never  after  to  inherit  it. 
Let  him,  that  thinks  of  me  fo  abjectly, 
Know,  that  this  gold  muft  coin  a  ftratagem  ; 
Which,  cunningly  effected,  will  beget 
A  very  excellent  piece  of  villainy  : 
And  fo  repofe,  fvveet  gold,  for  their  unreft  8, 
9_  That  have  their  alms  out  of  the  emprcfs'  cheft. 

8   for  their   utireft,]    UnreR,   for  J-fquiet^    is '3  word  frc- 

quently  ufed  by  the  old  v.  liters.    So  in  The  Spaniji:  Tragedy ',   1605, 

"  Thus  therefore  will  I  reft  me,  in  unrefi" 
Thus  in  ElioJloLilldinofo^  an  ancient  novel,  by  John  Hinde,  1606; 

44  For  the  eafe  of  whol'e  uare/'f, 

**   Thus  his  furie  was  expreit." 

Again,  in  An  excellent  paftoral  Dittie^  by  Shep.  Tonie  ;  publiflied 
m  Ettgla>t(£s  Helicon,    1614: 

**  With  lute  in  hand  did  paint  out  her  unreft,"    STEEVENS. 

Enter 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.       489 

Enter  Tamora. 

'Tarn.  MY  lovely  Aaron,   wherefore  look'ft  thou 

fad1, 

When  every  thing  doth  make  a  gleeful  boaft  ? 
The  birds  chaunt  melody  on  every  buih  ; 
The  fnake  lies  rolled  in  the  chearful  fun ; 
The  green  leaves  quiver  with  the  cooling  wind, 
And  make  a  chequer'd  lhado'v  z  on  the  ground  : 
Under  their  fweetftiade,  Aaron,  let  us  (it, 
And — whilft  the  babling  echo  mocks  the  hounds, 
Replying  fhrilly  to  the  well-tun'd  horns, 
As  if  a  double  hunt  were  heard  at  once, — 

9  That  have  their  alms,  &c.]  This  is  obfcure.  It  feems  to  mean 
only,  that  they  who  are  to  come  at  this  gold  of  the  emprefs  are  to 
fufter  by  it.  JOHNSON. 

1  My  lovely  Aaron,  wherefore  lootfft  tbou  fad?~\  In  the  courfe  of 
the  following  notes  feveral  examples  of   the  favage   genius  of 
Ravenfcroft,  who  altered  this  play  in  the  reign  of  K.  Charles  II. 
are  fet  down  for  the  entertainment  ot  the  reader.     The  following 
is  a  fpecimen  of  his  defcriptive  talents.     Inftead  of  the  line  with 
which  this  fpeech  of  Tamora  begins,  (he  is  made  to  fay  : 
The  emperor,  with  wine  and  luxury  o'ercome, 
Is  fallen  ajkep — in's  pendant  couch  he's  laid 
That  hangs  in  yonder  grotto  rock'd  by  winds, 
Which  rais'dby  art  do  give  it  gentle  motion: 
And  troops  of  (laves  ftand  round  with  tans  perfum'd, 
Made  of  the  feathers  pluck'd  from  Indian  birds, 
And  cool  him  into  golden  (lumbers — 
This  time  I  chole  to  come  to  thee,  my  Moor. 

My  lovely  Aaron,  wherefore,  &c. 

An  emperor  who  has  had  too  large  a  dofe  of  love  and  wine, 
and  in  confequence  of  fatiety  in  both,  falls  afleep  on  a  bed  which 
partakes  of  the  nature  of  a  failor's  hammock  and  of  a  child's  cradlej 
is  a  curiofity  which  only  Ravenfcroft  could  have  ventured  to  de~ 
fcribe  on  the  ftage.  I  hope  I  may  be  excufed  tor  tranfplanting  a 
few  of  his  flowers  into  the  barren  dcfurt  of  our  comments  on  thw 
tragedy.  STEEVENS. 

1  a  chequer'd  Jbado--M         ••  ]  Milton  has  the   fame  ex- 

j>refTion : 

'*  — —  many  a  maid 

44  Dancing  in  the  <r^«<rVfliade."    STEEVENS.] 

Let 


49o      TITUS     ANDRONICUS. 

Let  us  fit  down,  and  mark  their  yelling  noife  : 
And — after  conflict,  fuch  as  was  fuppos'd 
The  wandring  prince  and  Dido  once  enjoy'd, 
When  with  a  happy  ftorm  they  were  furpriz'd, 
And  curtain'd  with  a  counfel-kceping  cave, — 
We  may,  each  wreathed  in  the  other's  arms, 
Our  paflimes  done,  poflefs  a  golden  flumber; 
Whilft  hounds,  and  horns,  and  fweet  melodious  birds, 
Be  unto  us,  as  is  a  nurfe's  fong 
Of  lullaby,  to  bring  her  babe  ufleep. 

Aar*  Madam,  though  Venus  govern  your  defircs, 
Saturn  is  dominator  over  mine  J  : 
What  fignifies  my  deadly-ftanding  eye, 
My  filence,  and  my  cloudy  melancholy? 
My  fleece  of  woolly  hair,  that  now  uncurls, 
Even  as  an  adder,  when  fhe  doth  unroll 
To  do  fome  fatal  execution  ? 
No,  madam,  thefe  are  no  venereal  figns ; 
Vengeance  is  in  my  heart,  death  in  my  hand, 
Blood  and  revenge  are  hammering  in  my  head. 
Hark,  Tamora, — the  emperefs  of  my  foul, 
Which  never  hopes  more  heaven  than  refts  in  thee, 
This  is  the  day  of  doom  for  Baffianus ; 
His  Philomel  muft  lofe  her  tongue  to-day; 
Thy  fons  make  pillage  of  her  chaility, 

3  though  Venus  govern  your  deforei, 

Saturn  is  dominator  over  mine.  ] 

The  meaning  of  this  paflage  may  be  illuftrated  by  the  agronomi- 
cal defcription  of  Saturn,  which  Venus  gives  in  Greene's  Planeto- 
mackia,  1585.     "  The  ftar  of  Saturn  is  efpecially  cooling ,  and 
fomewhat  drie,  &c." 
Agpin,  in  the  Sea  Foyage.  by  B.  and  Fletcher. 

for  your"afpe£t 

You're  much  inclin'dto  melancholy,  and  that 

Tells  me  thej'u/len  Saturn  had  predominance 

At  your  nativity,  a  malignant  planet! 

And  if  not  qualified  by  a  fweet  conjunction 

Of  a  foft  ruddy  wench,  born  under  Venus, 

It  may  prove  fatal."    COLLINS. 

And 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.     491 

And  wa(h  their  hands  in  Baflianus'  blood. 
Seeft  thou  this  letter  ?  take  it  up,  -I  pray  thee, 
And  give  the  king  this  fatal-plotted  fcroll : — 
Now  queftion  me  no  more,  we  are  efpied, 
Here  comes  a  parcel  of  our  hopeful  booty, 
Which  dreads  not  yet  their  lives'  deftrudtion. 

fam.  Ah,  my  fweet  Moor,  fweeter  to  me  than 
life! 

Aar.  No  more,  great  emprefs,  Baflianus  comes : 
Be  crofs  with  him ;  and  I'll  go  fetch  thy  fons 
To  back  thy  quarrels,  whatfoe'er  they  be.         [£*//. 

Enter  Baffianus,  andLavinia. 

Baf.  Whom  have  we  here  ?  Rome's  royal  emperefs, 
Unfurnifli'd  of  her  well-befeeming  troop  ? 
Or  is  it  Dian,  habited  like  her ; 
Who  hath  abandoned  her  holy  groves, 
To  fee  the  general  hunting  in  this  forefl  ? 

'Tarn.  Saucy  controller  of  our  private  fleps ! 
Had  I  the  power,  that,  fome  fay,  Dian  had, 
Thy  temples  fhould  be  planted  prefently 
With  horns,  as  was  A&eon's;  and  the  hounds 
4  Should  drive  upon  thy  new-transformed  limbs, 
Unmannerly  intruder  as  thou  art ! 

Lav.  Under  your  patience,  gentle  emperefs, 
*Tis  thought  you  have  a  goodly  gift  in  horning ; 
And  to  be  doubted,  that  your  Moor  and  you 
Are  fingled  forth  to  try  experiments : 
Jove  Ihield  your  huiband  from  his  hounds  to-day ! 

4  Should  drive  upon  thy  new  transformed  limbs,]  The  author  of 
the  Revi/al  fufpe&s  that  the  poet  wrote : 

Should  thrive  upon  thy  new  transformed  limit) 

as  the  former  is  an  expreffion  that  fuggefts  no  image  to  the  fancy. 
But  drive,  I  think,  may  ftand,  with  this  meaning :  the  bound* 
thouldpafs  with  impetuous  hafte,  &c.  So  in  Hamlet; 

Pyrrhus  at  Priam  drives,  &c. 
j.  e.  flie  with  impetuofity  at  him.    STEEVENS. 

'Tis 


492     TITUS     A  N  D  R  O  N  I  C  U  S. 

'Tis  pity,  they  mould  take  him  for  a  flag. 

Bflj.  Believe  me,    queen,    your  *  fwarth  Cimme-* 

rian 

Doth  make  your  honour  of  his  body's  hue, 
Spotted,  detefted,  and  abominable. 
Why  are  you  fequeftcr'd  from  all  your  train  ? 
Difmounted  from  your  fnow-white  goodly  ftecd, 
And  wander'd  hither  to  an  obfcure  plot, 
Accompanied  with  a  barbarous  Moor, 
If  fouldefire  had  not  conducted  you? 

Lav.  And,  being  intercepted  in  your  fport, 
Great  reafon  that  my  noble  lord  be  rated 
For  faucinefs. — I  pray  you,  let  us  hence, 
And  let  her  'joy  her  raven-colour'd  love ; 
This  valley  fits  the  purpofe  paffing  well. 

Baf.    The   king,  my  brother,  fhall  have  note  of 
this. 

Lav.  Ay,  for  thefe  flips  have  made  him  6  noted 

long: 
Good  king !  to  be  fo  mightily  abus'd  ! 

Tarn.  Why  have  I  patience  to  endure  all  this  ? 

Enter  CHrOft,  and  Demetrius. 

Dem.  How  now,  dear  fovcreign,  and  our  gracious 

mpther, 
Why  does  your  highnefs  look  fopale  and  wan  ? 

Tarn.  Have  I  not  reafon,  think  you,  to  look  pale? 
Thefe  two  have  'tic'd  me  hither  to  this  place, 
A  barren  and  detefted  vale,  you  fee,  it  is  : 
The  trees,  though  fummer,  yet  forlorn  and  lean, 
O'ercome  with  mofs,  and  baleful  mifletoe. 

5  —Jkxartb  Cimmerian'}  Swartb  is  black.     The  Moor  is  called 
Cimmerian,  from  theaffinity  of  blacknefs  to  darknefs.    JOHNSON. 

6  —  ni-tcd loiig.]  He  had  yet  been  married  but  one  night. 

JOHNSON.. 

Her-, 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.      493 

Here  never  fhines  the  fun  7 ;  here  nothing  breeds, 

Unlefs  the  nightly  owl,  or  fatal  raven. 

And,  when  they  fhew'd  me  this  abhorred  pit, 

They  told  me,  here,  at  dead  time  of  the  night, 

A  thoufand  fiends,  a  thoufand  luffing  fnakes, 

Ten  thoufand  fwelling  toads,  as  many  urchins, 

Would  make  fiich  fearful  and  confufed  cries, 

As  any  mortal  body,  hearing  it, 

8  Should  flra'ght  fall  mad,  or  e'fe  diefuddenly. 

No  fooner  had  they  told  this  hellifh  tale. 

But  flraight  they  told  me,  they  would  bind  me  here 

Unto  the  body  of  a  difmal  yew  ; 

And  leave  me  to  this  miferable  death. 

And  then  they  call'd  me,  foul  adulterefs, 

Lafcivious  Goth,  and  all  the  bittereft  terms 

That  ever  ear  did  hear  to  fuch  effect. 

And,  had  you  not  by  wondrous  fortune  come, 

This  vengeance  on  me  had  they  executed  : 

Revenge  it,  as  you  love  your  mother's  life, 

Or  be  ye  not  from  henceforth  call'd  my  children. 

Dem.  This  is  a  witnefs  that  I  am  thy  fon. 

[Stabs  Bqfianus. 

Chi.  And  this   for  me,  ftruck  home  to  fhew   my 
ilrength.  [Stabbing  bi^t  likeivije. 

Lav.  Ay  come,  Semiramis, — nay,  barbarous  Ta- 

mora  ! 
For  no  name  fits  thy  nature  but  thy  own ! 

7  Here  never  fiincs  the  fun,  &c.j     Mr.  Rovve  feems  to  hare 
thought  on  this  pafinge  in  his  Jane  Shore  : 

"  This  is  the  houie  where  the  fun  never  dawns, 
"  The  bird  of  night  fits  fcreaming  o'er  its  roof, 
*'  Grim  fpcftres  Iweep  along  the  horrid  gloom, 
"  Arid  nought  is  heard  but  vvailings  and  lamentings." 

STEEVENS. 

8  Should Jlraight  fall  mad,  or  c Ife  dit  fuddenly.  ]    This  is  faid  in 
fabulous  phyfiology,  of  thofe  that   hear  the  gioan  of  the  mandrake 
torn  up.     JOHNSON. 

The  fame  thought  and  almoffc  the  fame  expreffions  occur  in 
Romeo  and  Juliet.    STEEVENS, 

Tarn. 


494     TITUS     ANDRONICUS. 

yam.  Give  me  thy  poinard;  you  ftiall  know,  my 

boys, 

Your  mother's  hand  fliall  right  your  mother's  wrong. 
Dem.  Stay,  madam,  here  is  more  belongs  to  her; 
Firft,  thrafh  the  corn,  then  after  burn  the  ftraw  : 
This.minion  flood  upon  her  chaftity, 
Upon  her  nuptial  vow,  her  loyalty, 
9  And  with  that  painted  hope  fhe  braves  your  migh- 

tinefs : 
And  fhall  fhe  carry  this  unto  her  grave? 

Chi.  An  if  fhe  do,   i  would  I  were  an  eunuch. 
Drag  hence  her  hulband  to  fome  fecret  hole, 
And  make  his  dead  trunk  pillow  to  our  luft. 

Tayi.  Bu.t  when  you  have  the.honey  you  defire, 
Let  not  this  wafp  out-live,  us  both  to  fling. 

Chi.  I  warrant  you,  madam;  we  will  make  that 

fure. — 

Come,  miitrefs,  noxv  perforce  we  will  enjoy 
That  nice-prelerved  honefty  of  yours. 

Lav.  O  Tamora !  thou  bear'ft  a  woman's  face,— 
Tarn.  I  will  not  hear  her  fpeak ;  a\vay  with  her. 
Lav.  Sweet  lords,  intreat  her  hear  me  but  a  word. 
Dtrn.  Liften,  fair  madam:  Let  it  be  your  glory, 
To  ice  her  tears  ;  but  be  your  heart  to  them, 
As  unrelenting  flint  to  drops  of  rain. 

Lav.  When  did  the  tyger's  young  ones  teach  the 
dam  ? 

*  Attdiilth  that  painted  \rnyz  foe  braves  your  mrgbfinefi ;]  Lavi- 
nia  ftands  upon  her  chaility  and  nuptial  vow  :  and  upon  the  merit 
of  thefe  braves  the  queen.  But  why  are  thefe  called  a  painted 
hope?  Wefhould  read, 

And  with  this  painted  cope 

i.  e.  with  this  gay  covering.  It  is  well  expreflbd.  Her  reafons 
were  of  a  religious  nature ;  and  are  therefore  called  a  painted 
cope,  which  is  a  fplendid  eccle(iaitic  vcftment:  It  might  be  called 
pa.ntcd,  likewiie,  as  infmuating  that  her  virtue  was  only  pretended. 

WAR  BUR  TON. 

Painted  brie  r»&Q\yJf>e&4ss  hope,  or  ground  of  confidence  more 
foliJ.    JOHNSON. 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.      495 

O,  do  not  teach  her  wrath  ;  fhe  taught  it  thee: 
The  milk,  thou  fuck'dft  from  her,  did  turn  to  marble; 
Even  at  thy  teat  thou  hadft  thy  tyranny.— 
Yet  every  mother  breeds  not  fons  alike ; 
Do  thou  intreat  her  (hew  a  woman  pity.     [70  Chiron. 
Chi.  What !  would'ft  thou  have  me  prove  myfelf 

a  baftard  ? 

Lav.  'Tis  true  the  raven  doth  not  hatch  a  lark : 
Yet  have  I  heard,  (O  could  I  find  it  now  !) 
The  lion,  mov'd  with  pity,  did  endure 
To  have  his  princely  paws  par'd  all  away. 
Some  fay,  that  ravens  fofter  forlorn  children, 
The  whilft  their  own  birds  famifh  in  their  nefts : 
O,  be  to  me,  though  thy  hard  heart  fay  no, 
Nothing  fo  kind,  butfomething  pitiful! 

Fam.  I  know  not  what  it  means ;  away  with  her. 

Lav.  O,  let  me  teach  thee:  for  my  father's  fake, 

That  gave  thee  life,  when  well  he  might  have  (lain 

thee, 
Be  not  obdurate,  open  thy  deaf  ears. 

Tarn.  Hadft  thou  in  perfon  ne'er  offended  me, 
Even  for  his  fake  am  I  now  pitilefs : — 
Remember,  boys,  I  pour'd  forth  tears  in  vain, 
To  lave  your  brother  from  the  facrifice ; 
But  fierce  Andronicus  would  not  relent : 
Therefore  away  with  her,  ufe  her  us  you  will ; 
The  worfe  to  her,  the  better  lov'd  of  me. 

Lav.  O  Tamora,  be  call'd  a  gentle  queen, 
And  with  thine  own  hands  kill  me  in  this  place  : 
For  'tis  not  life,  that  I  have  begg'd  fo  long; 
Poor  I  was  flain,  when  Baflianus  dy'd. 

Tarn.  What  begg'ft  thou  then  ?  fond  woman,  let 

me  go. 
Lav.  'Tis  prefent  death   I  beg ;    and  one  thing 

more, 

That  womanhood  denies  my  tongue  to  tell : 
O,  keep  me  from  their  worfe  than  killing  luft, 
And  tumble  me  into  fome  loathfome  pit ; 

Where 


496     TITUS     ANDRONICUS. 

Where  never  man's  eye  may  behold  my  body  : 
Do  this,  and  be  a  charitable  murderer. 

Tarn.  So  ihould  I  rob  my  fvveet  fons  of  their  fee  : 
No,  let  them  fatisfy  their  Juft  on  thee. 

Den:.  Away;  for  thou  haft  ftaid  us  here  too  long. 
Lav.   No   grace  ?    no  womanhood  ?    Ah  beaflly 

creature ! 
The  blot  and  enemy  to  our  general  name  ! 

Confufion  fall 

Chi.  Nay,  then  I'll  flop  your  mouth, — Bring  thou 
her  hufband  ;  [Dragging  off  Lavinia. 

This  is  the  hole  where  Aaron  bid  us  hide  him. 

\_Exeiintt 
Tarn.  Farewel,  my  fons :    fee,  that  you  make  her 

fure  : 

Ne'er  let  my  heart  know  merry  cheer  indeed, 
'Till  all  the  Andronici  be  made  away. 
Now  will  I  hence  to  feek  my  lovely  Moor, 
And  let  my  fpleenful  fons  this  trull  deflow'r.     [Exit, 

SCENE         IV. 

Enter  Aaron,  with  Quint  its  and  Marcus* 

Ajr.  Come  on,  my  lords ;  the  better  foot  before  : 
Straight  will  I  bring  you  to  the  loathfome  pit, 
Where  I  efpied  the  panther  fafl  afleep. 

$uln.  My  fight  is  very  dull,  whate'er  it  bodes. 
Mar.    And  mine,  I  promife  you  ;    wer't  not  for 

ilia  me, 
Well  could  I  leave  our  fport  to  flecp  a  while. 

^Mawus  falls  into  the  pit. 
Qulri.  What,  art  thou  fallen  ?  What  fubtle  hole  is 

this, 

Whofe  mouth  is  cover'd  with  rude-growing  briars ; 
Upon  whofe  leaves  are  drops  of  new-lhed  blood, 
As  frelh  as  morning's  dew  diftill'd  on  flowers  ? 

A  very 


TITUS     A  N  D  R  O  N  I  C  U  S.     497 

A  very  fatal  place  it  feems  to  me  :  — 

Speak,  brother,  haft  thou  hurt  thee  with  the  fall  ? 

Mar.  O  brother,  with  the  difmalleft  object 
That  ever  eye,  with  fight,  made  heart  lament. 

Air.  [_Ajide.~\  Now  will  I  fetch  the  king  to  find 

them  here  ; 

That  he  thereby  may  have  a  likely  guefs, 
How  thefe  were  they,  that  made  away  his  brother. 

[Exit  Aaron. 

Mar.  Why  doft  not  comfort  me  and  help  me  out 
From  this  unhallow'd  and  blood-ftained  hole  ? 

Quin.  I  am  furprized  with  an  uncouth  fear  : 
A  chilling  fweat  o'er-runs  my  trembling  joints  ; 
Mine  heart  fufpcdts  more  than  mine  eye  can  fee. 

Mar.  To  prove  thou  haft  a  true-divining  heart, 
Aaron  and  thou  look  down  into  this  den, 
And  fee  a  fearful  fight  of  blood  and  death. 

Quin.  Aaron  is  gone ;  and  my  compaffionate  heart 
Will  not  permit  my  eyes  once  to  behold 
The  thing,  whereat  it  trembles  by  furmife  : 
O,  tell  me  how  it  is  ;  for  ne'er  'rill  now 
Was  I  a  child,  to  fear  I  know  not  what. 

Mar.  Lord  Baffianus  lies  embrewed  here, 
All  on  a  heap,  like  to  a  flaughter'd  lamb, 
In  this  detefted,  dark,  'blood-drinking  pit. 

Quin.  If  it  be  dark,  how  doft  thou  know  'tis  he  ? 

Mar.  Upon  his  bloody  finger  he  doth  wear 
1  A  precious  ring,  that  lightens  all  the  hole, 

Which 

1  A  precious  ring, ]  There  is  fuppofed  to  be  a  gem  called 

a  carbuncle,  which  emits   not  reflected  but  native  light.     Mr. 
Boyle  believes  the  reality  of  its  exillence.     JOHNSON. 

So,  in  the  Gejta  Romanorum,  hirtory  the  Cxth  :     "  He  farther 
beheld  and  faw  a  carbuncle  in  the  hall  that  lighted  all  the  houfe." 
Again,  in  Lydgate's  Defer ipt ion  of  king  Priam's  Palace,  1.  2  : 
"  And  for  mojd  chefe  all  dirkenefs  to  confound, 
"  A  carbuncle  was  let  as  kyng  of  rtones  all, 
"  To  recomforte  and  gladden  all  the  hall. 
VOL.  VIII.  K  k  "  And 


498      TITUS    ANDROrsTICUS: 

Which,  like  a  taper  in  feme  monument, 
Doth  fhine  upon  the  dead  man's  earthy  cheeks,- 
And  Ihews-the  ragged  entrails  of  this  pit : 
So  pale  did  Ihine  the  moon  on  Pyramus, 
When  he  by  night  lay  bath'd  in  maiden  blood. 

0  brother,  help  me  with  thy  fainting  hand, — 
If  fear  hath  made  thee  faint,  as  me  it  hath,— 
Out  of  this  fell  devouring  receptacle, 

As  hateful  as  Cocytus'  miity  mouth. 

<j>Kitt.  Reach  me  thy  hand,  that  I  may  help  thee  out;, 
Or,  wanting  flrength  to  do  thee  fo  much  good, 

1  may  be  pluck'd  into  the  fwallowing  womb 
Of  this  deep  pit,  poor  Bafiianus'  grave. 

I  have  no  flrength  to  pluck  thee  to  the  brink. 

Mar.  And  I  no  flrength  to  climb  without  thy  help, 
Qum.  Thy  hand  once  more ;  I  will  not  lofe  again,. 
*Till  thou  art  here  aloft,  or  I  below  : 
Thou  canfl  not  come  to  me,  I  come  to  thee. 

{Falls  in,- 

Enter  the  Emperor,  and  Aaron. 

Sat.  Along  with  me  : — I'll  fee  what  hole  is  here. 
And  what  he  is,  that  now  is  leap'd  into  it. — 
Say,  who  art  thou,  that  lately  didil  defcend 
Into  this  gaping  hollow  of  the  earth  ? 

Mar.  The  unhappy  fon  of  old  Andronicus ; 


Again, 


And  it  to  enlumine  in  the  black  night 
With  the  frefhncs  of  his  ruddy  light." 
n  the  Mufe's  Elyfium,  by  Dray  ton  : 
Is  that  admired,  mighty  ftone, 
The  carbuncle  that's  named  ; 


Which  from  it  fuch  a  flaming  light 

And  radiancy  eje&eth, 

That  in  the  very  darkeft  night 

The  eye  to  it  direcleth." 
Chaucer,  in  the  Romaunt  of  'the  Rofe,  attributes  the  fame  proper- 
ties to  the  carbuncle  : 

"  Soche  light  yfprang  out  of  the  ftone."    STE EVENS. 

Brought 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.     499 

Brought  hither  in  a  moft  unlucky  hour, 
To  find  thy  brother  Baflianus  dead. 

Sat.  My  brother  dead?  I  know,  thou  doft  but  j  eft: 
He  and  his  lady  both  are  at  the  lodge, 
Upon  the  north  fide  of  this  plcafant  chafe  ; 
'Tis  not  an  hour  fince  I  left  him  there. 

Mar.  We  know  not  where  you  left  him  all  alive^ 
But,  out  alas  !  here  have  we  found  him  dead. 

Enter  Tamora,  with  Attendants  ;  Andronlcus^  and  Lucius^ 


Where  is  my  lord,  the  king  ? 
Sat.  Here,  Tamora  ;  though  griev'd  with  killing 

grief. 

Tarn.  Where  is  thy  brother  Baflianus  \ 
Sat.  Now  to  the  bottom  doft  thou  fearch  my  wound; 
Poor  Baffianus  here  lies  murdered. 

Tarn.  Then  all  too  late  I  bring  this  fatal  writ, 
The  complot  of  this  timelefs  tragedy  : 
And  wonder  greatly,  that  man's  face  can  fold 
In  pleafing  fmiles  fuch  murderous  tyranny. 

[_She.giveth  Saturnlnus  a  letter\ 

Saturnlnus  reads  the  letter. 

An  if  we  mifs  to  meet  him  handfomely,~ 

Sweet  hunt  j  man  —  BaJJianus  'tis,  zve  mean,— 

Do  thou  jo  much  as  dig  the  grave  for  him  ; 

Thou  know'Jl  our  meaning  :  Look  for  thy  reward 

Among  the  nettles  at  the  elder  tree, 

Which  over-foades  the  mouth  of  that  fame  pit) 

PPbere  we  decreed  to  bury  Bqljianus. 

Do  this,  and  pttrchafe  us  thy  lofting  friends* 

O,  Tamora!  was  ever  heard  the  like  .? 
This  is  the  pit,  and  this  the  elder  tree  : 
Look,  firs,  if  you  can  find  the  huntfman  out, 
That  fhould  have  murder'd  Baflianus  here. 

K  k  i  Aar'. 


5oo     TITUS    A  N  D  Pv  O  N  I  C  U  S. 

Aar.  My  gracious  lord,  here  is  the  bag  of  g-^KI. 

[Skewing  if. 
S.it.  Two  of  thy  whelps,  fell  curs  of  bloody  kind, 

Have  here  bereft  my  brother  of  his  life  :- 

[To  Titus, 

Sirs,  dn?g  them  from  the  pit  unto  the  prifon  ; 
There  let  them  bide,  until  we  have  devis'd 
Some  never-heard-of  torturing  pain  for  them. 

'Tarn.  What,  are  they  in  this  pit?    O  wond'rons 

thing !   . 
How  cafily  murder  is  difcovered  ? 

Tit.  High  emperor,  upon  my  feeble  knee 
I  beg  this  boon,  with  tears  not  lightly  (lied, 
That  this  fell  f.^ult  of  mine  accurfed  fons, 
Accurfed,  if  the  fault  be  provM  in  them — 

Sdt.  If  it  be  prov'd  !  you  fee,  it  is  apparent. — 
Who  found  this  letter  ?  Tamora,  was  it  you  ? 
^am.  Andronicus  himfelf  did  take  it  up. 
7V/.   I  did,   iny  lord  :  yet  let  me  be  their  bail : 
For  by  my  father's  reverend  tomb,  I  vow, 
They  ihall  be  ready  at  your  highnefs'  will, 
To  anfwer  their  fulpicion  with  their  lives. 

Sat.  Thou  lhalt  not  bail  them :  fee,  thou  follow  me. 
Some  bring  the  murder'd  body,  fomethe  murderers: 
Let  them  not  fpeak  a  word,  the  guilt  is  plain  ; 
For,  by  my  foul,  were"  there  worfe  end  than  death, 
That  eod  upon  them  fV'uld  be  executed. 

Tarn.  Andronicus,  I  will  entreat  the  king; 
Fear  not  thy  fons,  they  (hall  do  well  enough. 

y/'/.  Come,  Lucius,  come;  flay  n ->t  to  talk  with 
them .  [_Ext 


SCENE 


TITUS     A  N  D  R  O  N  I  C  U  S.      501 


SCENE     V. 

Enter  Demetrius   and  Chiron,   'with  Lavi'/iia.  ravi/lfd; 
"her  hands  cut  off,  and  her  tongue  cut  out. 

Dem.  So,  now  go  tell,  an  if  thy  tongue  can  fpeak, 
Who  'twas  that  cut  thy  tongue,  and  ravinYd  thce. 

Chi.  Write  clown  thy  mind,  bewray  thy  meaning 

Co; 
And,  if  thy  flumps  will  let  thee,  play  the  fcribe. 

Dem.  See  how  with  figns  and  tokens  Ihe  can  fcowl. 

Li-ji.    Go   home,  call  for  fweet  water,    warn  thy 
hands. 

Dem.  She  has  no  tongue  to  call,  nor  hands  to  wafh; 
And  fo  let's  leave  her  to  her  Client  walks. 

Chi.  An  'twere  my  cafe,  I  fhould  go  hang  myfclC. 

Dem.  If  thou  hadft  hands  to  help  thce  knit  the 
cord. ;  [Ex cunt  Demetrius  and  Chiron. 

Enter  Marcus  to  Laviria. 

Mar.  Who's  this, — my  niece,  that  flies  away  Co 

fait? 

Coufin,  a  word  ;  Where  is  your  hufband  ? — 
*  If  1  do  dream,  'would  all  my  wealth  would  wake  me ! 
If  1  d<>  wake,  Come  planet  ftrike  me  down, 
That  I  may  ilumber  in  -eternal  deep  ! — 
Speak,  gentle  niece,  what  ftern  ungentle  hand 
Have  lopp'd,  and  hew'd,  and  made  thy  body  bare 
Of  her  two  branches  r  thole  fweet  ornaments, 
Whofe  circling  fhadovvs  kings  have  fought  to  fleep  in; 
And  might  not  gain  Co  great  a  happinels, 
As  half  thy  love  ?   Why  doit  not  fpeak  to  me  ? — 

9  If  I  do  d'-eam,  ''•'Mould  all  my  wealth  "Mould  ivakt  me  /]  If  this 
be  a  dream,  I  would  give  all  my  pofleffions  to  be  delivered  from  it 
by  waking.  JOHNSON. 

K  k  3  Alas, 


5C2     TITUS     A  N  D  R  O  N  I  C  U  S, 

Alas,  a  crimfon  river  of  warm  blood, 

Like  to  a  bubbling  fountain  ftur'd  with  wind, 

Doth  rife  and  fall  between  thy  rofed  lips, 

Coming  and  going  with  thy  honey  breath. 

But,  fure,  ibme  Tereus  hath  defiow'red  thee ; 

And,  left  thou  fhould'ft  detect  him,  cut  thy  tongue. 

Ah,  now  thou  turn'ft  away  thy  face  for  ihame  ! 

And,  notwithftanding  all  this  lofs  of  blood, — 

As  from  a  conduit  with  their  hilling  fpouts, — 

Yet  do  thy  checks  look  red  as  Titan's  face, 

Blufhing  to  be  encountered  with  a  cloud. 

Shall  I  fpeak  for  thee  ?  (hall  I  fay,  'tis  fo  ? 

O,  that  I  knew  thy  heart ;  and  knew  the  bead, 

That  I  might  rail  at  him  to  eafe  my  mind ! 

Sorrow  concealed,  like  an  oven  ftopp'd, 

Doth  burn  the  heart  to  cinders  where  it  is. 

Fair  Philomela,  Ihe  but  loft  her  tongue, 

And  in  a  tedious  fampler  few'd  her  mind  : 

But,  lovely  niece,  that  mean  is  cut  from  thee  j 

A  craftier  Tereus  haft  thou  met  withal, 

And  he  hath  cut  thofe  pretty  fingers  off, 

That  better  could  have  fcw'd  than  Philomel. 

O,  had  the  monfter  feen  thofe  lily  hands 

Tremble,  like  afpen  leaves,  upon  a  lute, 

And  make  the  iilken  firings  delight  to  kifs  them  ; 

He  would  not  then  have  touch'd  them  for  his  life. 

Or,  had  he  heard  the  heavenly  harmony, 

Which  that  fweet  tongue  hath  made  ; 

He  would  have  dropp'd  his  knife,  and  fell  afleep, 

As  Cerberus  at  the  Thracian'  poet's  feet. 

Come,  let  us  go,  and  make  thy  father  blind; 

For  fuch  a  fight  will  blind  a  father's  eye  : 

One  hour's  dorm  will  drown  the  fragrant  meads ; 

What  will  whole  months  of  tears  thy  father's  eyes  ? 

PO  not  draw  back,  for  we  will  mourn  with  thee ; 

0?  could  our  mourning  eafe  thy  mifery !       [Exeunt^ 

ACT 


TITUS    A  N  D  R  O  N  I  C  U  S.     503 

ACT     III.       SCENE    I. 

A  Jlreet  In  Rome. 

.Enter  tie  Judges  and.  Senators,  K'itb  Marcus  and  §>umtits 
bound)  paffing  on  tbejlage  to  the  place  of  execution,  and 
Ftfus  going  before,  pleading. 

'Tit.  Hear  me,  grave  fathers  {  noble  tribunes,  ftay  ! 
For  pity  of  mine  age,  whole  youth  was  fpent 
In  dangerous  wars,  whilft  you  lecurely  flept ; 
For  all  my  blood  in  Rome's  great  quarrel  fhed  ; 
For  all  the  frofty  nights  that  1  have  watch'd  ; 
And  for  thefe  bitter  tears,  which  you  now  fee 
Filling  the  aged  wrinkles  in  my  cheeks ; 
Be  pitiful  to  my  condemned  fons, 
Whofe  fouls  are  not  corrupted  as  'tis  thought ! 
For  two  and  twenty  fons  I  never  xvept, 
Becaufe  they  died  in  honour's  lofty  bed. 

['Andronhus  lieth  down,  and  the  Judge spafs  by  him. 
For  thefe,  thefe,  tribunes,  in  the  duft  I  write 
My  heart's  deep  languor,  and  my  foul's  fad  tears. 
Let  my  tears  ftanch  the  earth's  dry  appetite  ; 
My  fons'  iweet  blood  will  make  it  lhame  and  blufli. 
O  earth !   I  will  befriend  thee  more  with  rain, 

[Exeunt. 

Thatfliall  diftil  from  thefe  3  two  ancient  urns, 
Than  youthful  April  fhall  with  all  his  fhowers  : 
In  iummer's  drought,  I'll  drop  upon  thee  flill ; 
In  winter,  with  warm  tears  I'll  melt  the  fnow, 
And  keep  eternal  fpring-time  on  thy  face, 
So  thou  refufc  to  drink  my  dear  fons'  blood. 

3  —Kvoancieninrn:,]  Oxford  editor. — Vulg.  two  ancient  ruins. 

JOHNSOW. 

K  k  4  Enter 


504     TITUS     A  N  D  R  O  N  I  C  U  S. 

Enter  Lucius^  with  kis  fzvord  drawn. 

O,  reverend  tribunes  !  gentle  aged  men  ! 
Unbind  my  Tons,  reverie  the  doom  of  death  ; 
And  let  me  fay,  that  never  wept  before, 
My  tears  are  now  prevailing  orators. 

LUC.  O,  noble  father,  you  lament  in  vain ; 
The  tribunes  hear  you  not,  no  man  is  by, 
And  you  recount  your  forrows  to  a  ftone. 

Tit.  Ah,  Lucius,  for  thy  brothers  let  me  plead: — 
Grave  tribunes,  once  more  I  intreat  of  you. 

Luc.  My  gracious  lord,  no  tribune  hears  you  fpeak. 

Tit.  Why,  'tis  no  matter,  man  :  if  they  did  hear, 
They  would  not  mark  me ;  or,  if  they  did  mark, 
All  bootlefs  unto  them,  they  would  not  pity  me. 
Therefore  I  tell  my  forrows  to  the  ftones  ; 
Who,  though  they  cannot  anfwer  my  dittrefs, 
Yet  in  fome  fort  they're  better  than  the  tribunes, 
For  that  they  will  not  intercept  my  tale  : 
When  I  do  weep,  they  humbly  at  my  feet, 
Receive  my  tears,  and  feem  to  weep  with  me  ; 
And,  were  they  but  attired  in  grave  weeds, 
Rome  could  afford  no  tribune  like  to  thefe. 
A  (lone  is  foft  as  wax,  tribunes  more  hard'than  ftones : 
A  ftone  is  filent,  and  offer, deth  not; 
And  tribunes  with  their  tongues  doom  men  to  death. 
But  wherefore  ftand'ft  thou  with  thy  weapon  drawn  ? 

Lvc.  To  refcue  my  two  brothers  from  their  death : 
Fo1'  which  attempt,  the  judges  have  pronounc'd 
My  everlafting  doom  of  baniihment. 

Tit.  O  happy  man  !  they  have  befriended  thee. 
Why,  foolifh  Lucius,  doit  thou  not  perceive, 
Thn.t  Rome  is  but  a  wildernefs  of  tygers  ; 
Tygers  muft  prey  ;  and  Rome  affords  no  prey, 
But  me  and  mine  :   How  happy  art  thou  then, 
From  thefe  devourers  to  be  banifhed  ? 
'  But  whip  comes  with  our  brother  Marcus  here  ? 

Enter 


TITUS    A  N  D  R  O  N  I  C  U  S.      505 


Enter  Marcus,  and  Lavinia. 

Mar.  Titus,  prepare  thy  noble  eyes  to  weep  ; 
Or,  if  not  fo,  thy  noble  heart  to  break; 
1  bring  confurr.ing  forrow  to  thine  age. 

Tit.  Will  it  confume  me  ?  let  me  fee  it  then. 

MM.  This  was  thy  daughter. 

Tit.  Why,  Marcus,  fo  Ihe  is. 

Luc.  Ah  me!  this  obj  eft  kills  me'! 

Tit.  Faint-hearted  boy,  arife,  and  look  upon  her:—  • 
Speak,  my  Lavinia,  what  accurfed  hand 
Hath  made  thee  handlcfs  4in  thy  father's  fight? 
What  fool  hath  added  water  to  the  fea  ? 
Or  brought  a  faggot  to  bright-burning  Troy  ? 
My  grief  was  at  the  height,  before  thou  cam'ft, 
And  now,  like  Nilus,  it  difdaineth  bounds.  — 
Give  me  a  iword,  I'll  chop  off  my  hands  too  5  ; 
For  they  have  fought  for  Rome,  and  all  in  vain  ; 
And  they  have  nurs'd  this  woe,  in  feeding  life; 
In  bootlefs  prayer  have  they  been  held  up, 
And  they  have  ferv'd  me  to  eftedtlefs  ufe  : 
Now,  allthe  fervice  I  require  of  them 
Is,  that  the  one  will  help  to  cut  the  other.-— 
'1  is  well,  Lavinia,  that  thou  haft  no  hands  ; 
For  hands,  to  do  Rome  fervice,  are  but  vain. 

Luc.  Speak,  gentle  filter,  who  hath  martyr'd  thcc  ? 

Mar.  O,  that  delightful  engine  of  her  thoughts, 
That  blab'd  them  with  fuch  pleafing  eloquence, 
Is  torn  from  forth  that  pretty  hollow  cage  ; 
Where  like  a  fweet  melodious  bird  it  fung 
Sweet  vary'd  notes,  enchanting  every  ear  ! 


*  —  -  in  thy  father's  fight?]  We  fhould  read 

WAR  BUR  TON. 

*  —  -  I'll  clop  off  my  hands  too,]  Perhaps  we  fhould  read  : 

-  or  chop  off,  &c. 

It  is  not  eafy  to  difcover  how  Titus,  whea  he  had  chopp'd  off  one 
of  his  hands,  would  have  been  able  to  have  chopp'd  off  the  other. 

STEEVENS. 

Luc. 


r06     TITUS    A  N  D  R  O  N  I C  U  S, 

Lite.  O,  fay  thou  for  her,  who  hath  done  this  deed  ? 

Mar.  O,  thus  I  found  her,  ftraying  in  the  park, 
Seeking  to  hide  herfelf ;  as  doth  the  deer, 
That  hath  receiv'd  fome  unrecuring  wound. 

T/V.  6It  was  my  deer;   and  he,  that  wounded  her, 
Hath  hurt  me  more,  than  had  he  kill'd  me  dead  : 
For  now  I  ftand  as  one  upon  a  rock, 
Environ'd  with  a  wildernefs  of  fea ; 
Who  marks  the  waxing  tide  grow  wave  by  wave, 
Expedting  ever  when  fome  envious  furge 
Will  in  his  brinifh  bowels  fwallow  him. 
This  way  to  death  my  wretched  fons  are  gone  j 
Here  {lands  my  other  fbn,  a  baniih'd  man ; 
And  here  my  brother,  weeping  at  my  woes : 
But  that,  which  gives  my  foul  the  greateft  fpurn, 
Is  dear  Lavinia,  dearer  than  my  foul.— 
Had  I  but  feen  thy  picture  in  this  plight, 
It  .would  have  madded  me ;  What  ihall  I  do, 
Now  I  behold  thy  lovely  body  fo  ? 
Thou  haft  no  hands,  to  wipe  away  thy  tears ; 
Nor  tongue,  to  tell  me  who  hath  martyr'd  thee  : 
Thy  hufband  he  is  dead;  and,  for  his  death, 
Thy  brothers  are  condcmn'd,  and  dead  by  this  :—* 
Look,  Marcus  !  ah,  fon  Lucius,  look  on  her ! 
When  I  did  name  her  brothers,  then  frefh  tears 
Stood  on  her  cheeks  ;  as  doth  the  honey  dew 
Upon  a  gather'd  lily  almoft  wither'd. 

Mar.  Perchance,  fhe  weeps  becaufe  they  kill'd  her 

hufband  : 
Perchance,  becaufe  fhe  knows  them  innocent. 

Ttt.  If  they  did  kill  thy  hufband,  then  be  joyful, 
Becaufe  the  law  hath  ta'en  revenge  on  them. — 
No,  no,  they  would  not  do  fo  foul  a  deed ; 

6  //  *LVOS  my  deer  ; ]   The  play  upon  deer  and  dear  has  been 

»fed  by  Waller,  who  calls  a  bdy's  girdle, 

*/  The  pale  that  held  ray  lovely  Jeer.1"    JOHNSON. 

Witnefs 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.     507 

Witnefs  the  forrow,  that  their  fitter  makes.— 
•Gentle  Lavinis,  let  me  kifs  thy  lips ; 
Or  make  fome  figns  how  I  may  do  thee  eafe. 
Shall  thy  good  uncle,  and  thy  brother  Lucius, 
And  thou,  and  I,  fit  round  about  fome  fountain  ; 
Looking  all  downwards,  to  behold  our  cheeks 
How  they  are  flain'd  ;  like  meadows,  yet  not  dry 
With  miry  flime  left  on  them  by  a  flood  ? 
And  in  the  fountain  mall  we  gaze  fo  long, 
'Till  the  freih  tafle  be  taken  from  that  clearnefs, 
And  made  a  brine-pit  with  our  bitter  tears  ? 
Or  mail  we  cut  away  our  hands,  like  thine  ? 
Or  fhall  we  bite  our  tongues,  and  in  dumb  mows 
Pafs  the  remainder  of  our  hateful  days  ? 
What  mail  we  do  ?  let  us,  that  have  our  tongues, 
Plot  fome  device  of  further  mifery, 
To  make  us  wonder'd  at  in  time  to  come. 

Luc.  Sweet  father,  ceafe  your  tears ;  fdr,  at  your 

grief, 
See,  how  my  wretched  fitter  fobs  and  weeps. 

Mar.  Patience,  dear  niece :— good  Titus,  dry  thine 
eyes. 

7/V.  Ah,  Marcus,  Marcus  !  brother,  well  I  wot, 
Thy  napkin  cannot  drink  a  tear  of  mine, 
For  thou,  poor  man,  halt  drown'd  it  with  thine  own. 

Luc.  Ah,  my  Lavinia,  I  will  wipe  thy  cheeks. 

Tit.  Mark,  Marcus,  mark!  I  underftand  her  figus  : 
Had  fhe  a  tongue  to  fpeak,  now  me  would  fay 
That  to  her  brother  which  I  faid  to  thee ; 
His  napkin,  with  his  true  tears  all  bewet, 
Can  do  no  fervice  on  her  forrowful  cheeks. 
O,  what  a  fympathy  of  woe  is  this  ! 
As  far  from  help  as  limbo  is  from  blifs. 

Enter  Aaron. 

Aar.  Titus  Andronicus,  my  lord  the  emperor 
Sends  thee  this  word, — That  if  thou  love  thy  fons, 

-Let 


508     TITUS    ANDRONICUS. 

Let  Marcus,  Lucius,  or  thyfelf,  old  Titus, 
Or  any  one  of  you,  chop  off  your  hand, 
And  lend  it  to  the  king  :  he  for  the  fam.e, 
Will  fend  thee  hither  both  thy  fons  alive  ; 
And  that  lhall  be  the  ranfom  for  their  fault. 

'Tit.  O,  gracious  emperor !  O,  gentle  Aaron  ! 
Did  ever  raven  fing  fo  like  a  lark, 
That  gives  fweet  tidings  of  the  fun's  uprife  ? 
\Vith  all  my  heart,  I'll  fend  the  emperor  my  hand  ; 
Good  Aaron,  wilt  thou  help  to  chop  it  off? 

Luc.  Stay,  father  ;  for  that  noble  hand  of  thine, 
That  hath  thrown  down  fo  many  enemies, 
Shall  not  be  fent :  my  hand  will  ferve  the  turn  : 
My  youth  can  better  fpare  my  blood  than  you  ; 
And  therefore  mine  fhall  fave  my  brothers'  lives. 

Mar.    Which  of  your  hands  hath  not  defended 

Rome, 

And  rear'd  aloft  the  bloody  battle-ax, 
7  Writing  defiruction  on  the  enemies'  caflle  ? 

O, 

7  Writing  deftruRion  on  the  enemies'  caflle  f~\  Thus  all  the  edi- 
tions. But  Mr.  Theobald,  after  ridiculing  the  fagacity  of  the  for- 
mer editors  at  the  expence  of  a  great  deal  of  aukward  mirth,  cor- 
rects it  to  cafque ;  and  this,  he  lays,  he'll  ftand  by  :  And  the  Ox- 
ford editor,  taking  his  fecurity,  will  fland  by  it  too.  But  what  a 
ilippery  ground  is  critical  confidence !  Nothing  could  bid  fairer 
for  a  right  conjecture  ;  yet  'tis  all  imaginary.  A  cloie  helmet, 
which  covered  the  whole  head,  was  called  a  cq/llr,  and,  I  fuppofe, 
for  that  very  reafon.  Don  Quixote's  barber,  at  leaft  as  good  a 
critic  as  thefe  editors,  fays,  (in  Shelton's  tranflation,  161.',)  "  I 
know  what  is  a  helmet,  and  what  a  morrion,  and  what  a  clofe 
caflle  t  and  other  things  touching  warfare."  Lib.  iv.  cap.  18. 
And  the  original,  celada  d<  encaxe,  has  fomething  of  fhe  fame 
fignification.  Shakefpeare  ufes  the  word  again  in  Troilus  and 
Crtfda  : 

"  andDiomede 

"  Stand  faft,  and  wear  a  caflle  on  thy  head." 

WAR  BUR  TON. 

*•  Dr.  Warburton's  proof  (fays  the  author  of  the  Revifal)  refls 
wholly  on  two  miftakes,  one  of  a  printer,  the  other  of  his  own. 
In  Shelton's  Don  Quixote  the  word  clofe  cajlk  is  an  error  of  the 

prefi 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.      509 

O,  none  of  both  but  are  of  high  defert : 
My  hand  hath  been  but  idle ;  let  it  ferve 
To  ran  torn  my  two  nephews  from  their  death  ; 
Then  have  I  kept  it  to  a  worthy  end. 

Air.  Nay,  come,  ngree,  whofe  hand  fhallgo  along, 
For  fear  they  die  before  their  pardon  come. 

Mar.  My  hand  lhall  go. 

Luc.  By  heaven,  it  fhall  not  go. 

lit.  Sirs,  ftrive  no  more ;  fuch  wither'd  herbs  as 

thefe 
Are  meet  for  plucking  up,  and  therefore  mine. 

Luc.  Sweet  father,  if  I  lhall  be  thought  thy  ion, 
Let  me  redeem  my  brothers  both  from  death. 

Mar.  And,  for  our  father's  fake,  and  mother's  care, 
Now  let  me  (hew  a  brother's  love  to  thee. 

I'it.  Agree  between  you;  I  will  fpare  my  hand. 

Luc.  Then  I'll  go  fetch  an  axe. 

Mar.  But  I  will  ufe  the  axe. 

[Exeunt  Lucius,  and  Marcus. 

Tit.  Come  hither,  Aaron  ;  I'll  deceive  them  both; 
Lend  me  thy  hand,  and  I  will  give  thee  mine. 

Aar.  If  that  be  call'cl  deceit,  I  will  be  honeft, 
And  never,  whilft  I  live,  deceive  men  fo  : — 

prefs  for  a  clofe  cafque,  which  is  the  exaft  interpretation  of  the 
Spanifh  original,  celaJa  de  tncaxe  ;  this  Dr.  Warburton  mud  have 
feen,  if  he  had  underftood  Spanifh  as  well  as  he  pretends  to  do. 
For  the  primitive  caxa,  from  whence  the  word,  encaxe,  is  de- 
rived, fignifies  a  box,  or  coffer;  but  never  a  cai.'le.  His  other 
proof  is  taken  from  this  paflage  in  Troilu*  and  CreffiJa: 

"   and  Diomede 

"  Stand  fail,  and  wear  a  caftlc  on  thy  bead" 
wherein  Troilus  doth  not  advife  Diomede  to  wear  a  helmet  on  his 
head,  for  that  would  be  poor  indeed,  as  he  always  wore  one  in 
battle;  but  to  guard  his  head  with  the  moft  impenetrable  armour, 
to  (hut  it  up  even  in  a  caftle,  if  it  were  poffible,  or  elfe  his  fword 
fhould  reach  it." 

After  all  this  reafoning,  however,  it  appears  that  a  caflle  did 
aftually  fignify  a  clofe  helmet.     So,  in  Holinfhed,  vol.  II.  p.  815  : 

"  Then  fuddenlie  with  great  noife  of  trumpets  entered  fir 

Thomas  Knevet  in  a  cafiell  of  cole  blacke,  and  over  the  caflett  was 
written,  The  dolorous  caflell,  and  fo  he  and  the  earle  of  Effer, 
&c.  ran  their  courfes  with  the  king  &c,"  STSEVENS. 

*  But 


5io     TITUS    ANDROftlCUS. 

But  I'll  deceive  you  in  another  fort, 
And  that  you'll  fay,  ere  half  an  hour  pafs.        [Afide. 

{He  cuts  off  Titufs  band. 

Enter  Lucius  and  Marcus  again. 

Tit.  Now,  flay  your  ftrife;  what  fhall  be,  is  dif- 
,  patch'd.  - 

Good  Aaron,  give  his  majetfy  my  hand  : 
Tell  him,  it  was  a  hand  that  warded  him 
From  thoufand  dangers  ;  bid  him  bury  it  ; 
More  hath  it  merited,  that  let  it  have. 
Asformyfons,  fay,  I  account  of  them 
As  jewels  purchas'd  at  an  eafy  price  ; 
And  yet  dear  too,  becaufe  I  bought  mine  own. 

Aar.  I  go,  Andronicus  :  and  for  thy  hand, 
Look  by  and  by  to  have  thy  fons  with  thee  :— 
Their  heads,  I  mean.  —  O,  how  this  villainy    [Afide. 
Doth  fat  me  with  the  very  thought  of  it  ! 
Let  fools  do  good,  and  fair  men  call  for  grace, 
Aaron  will  have  his  foul  black  like  his  face.       [Exit. 

Tit.  O  hear  \  —  I  lift  this  one  hand  up  to  heaven, 
And  bow  this  feeble  ruin  to  the  earth  : 
If  any  power  pities  wretched  tears, 
To  that  I  call  :  —  What,  wilt  thou  kneel  with  me  ? 


Do  then,  dear  heart;  for  heaven  fhall  hear  our  prayers; 
Or  with  our  fighs  we'll  breathe  the  welkin  dim, 
And  ftain  the  fun  with  fog,  as  fometime  clouds, 
When  they  do  hug  him  in  their  melting  bofoms. 

Mar.  O  !  brother  fpeak  with  poinbilities, 
And  do  not  break  into  thele  deep  extremes  *. 

Tit. 

8  And  Ho  not  Iredk  Into  theft  two  extremes.]  We  fhould  read,  in- 
fLead  of  this  nonfenfe  : 

-  woe-extremes. 

i.  e.  extremes  caufed  by  exceffive  forro\v.     But  Mr.  Theobald,  on 
his  own  authority,  alcci  j  it  to  dccf,  without  notice  given. 

WARBURTON. 
It 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.     511 

£//.  Is  not  my  forrovv  deep,  having  no  bottom  ? 
Then  be  my  pamons  bottomlefs  with  them. 

Mar.  But  yet  let  reafon  govern  thy  lament. 

Tit.  If  there  were  reafon  for  thefe  miferies, 
Then  into  Hmits  could  I  bind  ray  woes  ; 
When  heaven  doth  weep,  doth  not  the  earth  o'erflow? 
If  the  winds  rage,  doth  not  the  fea  wax  mad, 
Threat'ning  the  welkin  with  his  big-fwoln  face?  ' 
And  wilt  thou  have  a  reafon  for  this  coil  ? 
I  am  the  fea ;  hark,  how  her  fighs  do  blow ! 
She  is  the  weeping  welkin,  I  the  earth  : 
Then  muft  my  fea  be  moved  with  her  fighs ; 
Then  muft  my  earth  with  her  continual  tears 
Become  a  deluge,  overflow 'd  and  dro.wn'd  : 
For  why  ?  my  bowels  cannot  hide  her  woes, 
But  like  a  drunkard  muft  I  vomit  them. 
Then  give  me  leave;  for  lofers  will  have  leave 
To  eafe  their  ftomachs  with  t'heir  bitrcr  tongues. 

Enter  a  Meffenger,  bringing  in  two  bead*  and  a  band. 

Me[[.  Worthy  Andronicus,  ill  art  thou  repay 'd 
For  that  good  hand,  thou  lent'ft  the  emperor. 
Here  are  the  heads  of  thy  two  noble  fons ; 
And  here's  thy  hand,  in  fcorn  to  thee  lent  back  ; 
Thy  griefs  their  fports,  thy  refolution  mock'd  : 
That  woe  is  me  to  think  upon  thy  woes, 
More  than  remembrance  of  my  father's  death.  \_ Exit. 

Mar.  Now  let  hot  ^Etna  cool  in  Sicily, 
And  be  my  heart  an  ever-burning  hell ! 
Thefe  miferies  are  more  than  may  be  borne  ! 
To  weep  with  them  that  weep  doth  eafe  fome  deal,, 
But  forrow  flouted  at  is  double  death. 

Luc.  Ah,  that  this  fight  Ihould  make  fo  deep-  a 
wound, 

It  is  deep  in  the  old  quarto  of  161  r,  and  the  folio.  5.  e.  in  all 
the  old  copies  which  have  been  hitherto  fcen.     JOHNSO.V. 

And 


512    .TITUS    ANDRONICUS. 

And  yet  derefted  life  not  fhrink  thereat ! 
That  ever  death  fhould  let  life  bear  his  name, 
Where  life  hath  no  more  intereft  but  to  breathe  ! 

\_Lavinia  kffes  him. 

Mar.  Alas,  poor  heart,  that  kifs  is  comfortlefs, 
As  frozen  water  to  a  flarved  fnake. 

lit.  When    will  this    fearful    ilumber   have    an 
end? 

Mar.  Now,  farewel,  flattery:  Die,   Andronicus; 
Thou  doft  not  flumber  :  fee,  thy  two  fons'  heads  ; 
Thy  warlike  hand  ;  thy  mangled  daughter  here  ; 
Thy  other  banifh'd  fon,  with  this  dear  fight 
Struck  pale  and  bloodlefs ;  and  thy  brother,  I, 
Even  like  a  ftony  image,  cold  and  numb. 
Ah  !  now  no  more  will  I  controul  thy  griefs : 
Rent  off  thy  filver  hair,  thy  other  hand 
Gnawing  with  thy  teeth  ;  and  be  this  difmal  fight 
The  doling  up  of  your  moft  wretched  eyes  ! 
Is'ow  is  a  time  to  ftorm,  why  art  thou  flill  ? 

Tit.  Ha,  ha,  ha ! 

Mar.  Why  doft  thou  laugh  !  it  fits  not  with  this 
hour. 

Tit.  Why  I  have  not  another  tear  to  flied  : 
Befides,  this  forrow  is  an  enemy, 
And  would  ufurp  upon  my  watry  eyes, 
And  make  them  blind  with  tributary  tears; 
Then  which  way  lhall  I  find  revenge's  cave  ? 
For  thefe  two  heads  do  feem  to  fpeak  to  me  ; 
And  threat  me,  I  fliall  never  come  to  blifs, 
'Till  all  thefe  mifchiefs  be  return'd  again, 
Even  in  their  throats  that  have  committed  them. 
Come,  let  me  fee  what  tafk  I  have  to  do.— 
You  heavy  people,  circle  me  about  ; 
That  I  may  turn  me  to  each  one  of  you, 
And  fwear  unto  my  foul  to  right  your  wrongs. 
The  vow  is  made. — Come,  brother,  take  a  head; 
And  in  this  hand  the  other  will  I  bear  : 

La- 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.     513 

Lavinia,  thou  fhalt  be  employed  in  thefe  things ' ; 
Bear  thou  my  hand,  fweet  wench,  between  thy  teeth, 
As  for  thee,  boy,  go,  get  thee  from  my  fight; 
Thou  art  an  exile,  and  thou  muft  not  flay  : 
Hie  to  the  Goths,  and  raiie  an  army  there : 
And,  if  you  love  me,  as  I  think  you  do, 
Let's  kifs  and  part,  for  we  have  much  to  do. 

[Exeunt. 

Manet  Lucius. 

Luc.  Farewel,  Andronicus,  my  noble  father; 
The  woful'ft  man  that  ever  liv'd  in  Rome  ! 
Farewel,  proud  Rome  !  'till  Lucius  comes  again, 
He  leaves  his  pledges  dearer  than  his  life. 
Farewel,  Lavinia,  my  noble  filter  ; 
O,  'would  thou  wert  as  thou  'tofore  haft  been  ! 
But  now  nor  Lucius,  nor  Lavinia  lives, 
But  in  oblivion,  and  hateful  griefs. 
If  Lucius  live,  he  will  requite  your  wrongs  ; 
And  make  proud  Saturninus  and  his  empercfs 
Beg~at  the  gates,  like  Tarquin  and  his  queen. 
Now  will  I  to  the  Goths,  and  raife  a  power, 
To  be  reveng'd  on  Rome  and  Saturnine. 

[Exit  Lucius. 


1  Lavinia,  thoujhalt  le  employ* din  theft  things  ;]  Thus  the  fo- 
lio,  1623.     The  quarto  16 1 1  thus  : 

And  Lavinia  thou  (halt  be  employ'd  in  thefe  arms. 

STEEVENS. 


VOL.  VIII.  L 1  SCENE 


5i4     TITUS    ANDRONICUS, 

SCENE      II2. 

Aii  apartment  in  Titus's  kovfe. 

4.  banquet.     Enter  Titus,  M/JV//J,  Lavinia,   and  young 
Lucius,  a  boy. 

Tit.  So,  fo ;  now  fit :  and  look,  you  eat  no  more 
Than  will  preferve  juft  fo  much  ftrength  in  us 
As  Will  revenge  thefe  bitter  woes  of  ours. 
Marcus,  unknit  that  forrow-wreathen  knot ; 
Thy  niece  and  I,  poor  creatures,  want  our  hands, 
And  cannot  paffionate  ;  our  ten-fold  grief 
With  folded  arms.     This  poor  right  hand  of  mine 
Is  left  to  tyrannize  upon  my  breaft  ; 
And  when  my  heart,  all  mad  with  mifery, 
Beats  in  this  hollow  prifon  of  my  flefh, 
Then  thus  I  thump  it  down. — 
Thou  map  of  woe,  that  thus  dofl  talk  in  figns ! 

[To  Lavhiia. 

When  thy  poor  heart  beats  with  outrageous  beating, 
Thou  canft  not  ftrike  it  thus  to  make  it  ilill. 
Wound  it  with  fighing,  girl,  kill  it  with  groans  ; 
Or  get  fome  little  knife  between  thy  teeth, 
And  juft  againft  thy  heart  make  thou  a  hole  ; 
That  all  the  tears  that  thy  poor  eyes  let  fall, 
May  run  into  that  fink,  and  foaking  in, 
Drown  the  lamenting  fool  in  fea-falt  tears. 

*  This  fcene,  which  does  not  contribute  any  thing  to  tli* 
a6Hon,  yet  feems  to  have  the  fame  author  with  the  relr,  it 
omitted  in  the  quarto  of  1611,  but  found  in  the  folio  of  1623. 

JOHNSON. 

3  And  cannot  paflionate,  £5V.]  This  obfolete  verb  is  likewif* 
found  in  Spenfer : 

*'  Great  pleafure  mix'd  with  pitiful  regard, 
"  That  godly  king  arid  queen  did  pajjionate" 

STEEVBNI. 

Jftri 


fITUS.ANDRONICUS.      515 

Mar.  Fye,  brother,  fye !  teach  her  not  thus  to  lay 
Such  violent  hands  upon  her  tender  life. 

fit.  How  now  !    has  fcrrow  made  thee  doat  al- 
ready ? 

"Why,  Marcus,  no  man  flioulJ  be  mad  but  I. 
*Wijat  violent  hands  can  flie  lay  on  her  life  ? 
Ah,  wherefore  doft  thou  urge  the  name  of  hands  ;-~ 
To  bid  ^Eneas  tell  the  tale  twice  o'er, 
How  Troy  was  burnt,  and  he  made  miferable  ? 
O,  handle  not  the  theme,  to  talk  of  hands  ; 
Left  we  remember  ftill,  that  we  have  none. — 
Fye,  fye,  how  frantickly  I  fquare  my  talk  1 
As  if  we  mould  forget  we  had  no  hands, 
If  Marcus  did  not  name  the  word  of  hands  !— 
Come,  let's  fall  to;  and,  gentle  girl,  eat  this  :—• 
Here  is  no  drink  !  Hark,  Marcus,  what  me  fays ;— » 
I  can  interpret  all  her  martyr'd  figns ; — 
She  fays,  me  drinks  no  other  drink  but  tears, 
Brew'd  with  her  forrows,  mefh'd  upon  her  cheeks 4 :— • 
Spccchlefs  complainer,  I  will  learn  thy  thought  j 
In  thy  dumb  action  will  1  be  as  perfect, 
As  begging  hermits  in  their  holy  prayers  : 
Thou  malt  not  figh,  nor  hold  thy  flumps  to  heaven^ 
Nor  wink,  nor  nod,  nor  kneel,  nor  make  a  fign, 
But  I,  of  thefe,  will  wreft  an  alphabet, 
And,  s  by  ftill  practice,  learn  to  know  the  meaning. 

Boy.  Good  grandfirc,  leave  thefe  bitter  deep  la- 
ments ; 
Make  my  aunt  merry  with  fome  pleafing  tale. 

Mar.  Alas,  the  tender  boy,  in  paffion  mov'd, 
Doth  weep  to  fee  his  grandfire's  heavinefs. 

Tit.  Peace,  tender  iapling  ;  thou  art  made  of  tears, 

*  mefli'd  upon  ber  cheeks.]  A  very  coarfe  allufion  to  brew- 
ing.    STKEVENS. 

*  by  Jiill praStict ]  By  cogent  or  continual  pra&ice. 

JOHNSON. 

L  1  a  And 


516     TITUS    ANDRONICUS. 

And  tears  will  quickly  melt  thy  life  away. 

[Marcus  Jtrikes  the  di/h  with  a  knife* 
What  doft  thou  flrike  at,  Marcus,  with  thy  knife  ? 

Mar.  At  that  that  I  have  kill'd,  my  lord  ;  a  fly. 

jT;>.  Out  on  thee,  murderer !  thou  kiU'ft  my  heart ; 
Mine  eyes  are  cloy'd  with  view  of  tyranny  : 
A  deed  of  death,  done  on  the  innocent, 
Becomes  not  Titus'  brother  ;  Get  thee  gone; 
I  fee,  thou  art  not  for  my  company. 

JV&r.  Alas,  my  lord,  I  have  but  kill'd  a  fly. 

fit.  But  how,  if  that  fly  had  a  father  and  mother 6  ? 
How  would  he  hang  his  flender  gilded  wings, 
7  And  buz  lamenting  doings  in  the  air  ? 
Poor  harmlefs  fly  ! 

That  with  his  pretty  buzzing  melody, 
Came  here  to  make  us  merry ;  aud  thou  haft  kill'd 
him. 

Mar.  Pardon  me,  fir ;  it  was  a  black  ill-favour'd  fly, 
Like  to  the  emperefs'  Moor ;  therefore  I  kill'd  him. 

Tit.  O,  O,  O, 

Then  pardon  me  for  reprehending  thee, 
For  thou  halt  done  a  charitable  deed. 
Give  me  thy  knife,  I  will  infult  on  him ; 
Flattering  myfelf,  as  if  it  were  the  Moor, 

* a  father  and  mother  ?]  Mother  perhaps  fhould  be  omitted, 

as  the  following  line  fpeaks  only  in  the  fiiir  ular  number,  and  Ti- 
tus molt  probably  confines  his  thoughts  to  the  futferings  of  a  fa- 
ther. STEEVENS. 

7  And  buz  lamenting  doings  in  the  air.]  Lamenting  doings  is  a 
very  idle  expreflion,  and  conveys  no  idea.     I  read 

• dolings 

The  alteration  which  I  have  made,  though  it  Is  but  the  addition 
of  a  tingle  letter,  is  a  great  increafe  to  the  fenfe  ;  and  though,  in- 
deed, there  is  Ibmewhatof  a  tautology  in  the  epithet  and  fubitan- 
tive  annexed  to  it,  yet  that's  no  new  thing  with  our  author. 

THEOBALD. 

There  is  no  need  of  change.    Sad  doings  for  any  unfortunate 
event,  is  a  common  though  no:  an  elegant  expreflion. 

STEEVENS. 

Come 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.      517 

Come  hither  purpofely  to  poifon  me.— 

There's  forthyfelf,  and  that's  for  Tamora. 

Ah,  firrah  ! — yet  I  think  we  are  not  brought  fo  low, 

But  that,  between  us,  we  can  kill  a  fly, 

That  conies  in  likenefs  of  a  coal-black  Moor. 

Mar.  Alas,   poor  man  !  grief  has  fo  wrought  on 

him, 
He  takes  falfe  fhadows  for  true  fubftances. 

Tit.  Come,  take  away. — Lavinia,  go  with  me : 
I'll  to  thy  clofet ;  and  go  read  with  thee 
Sad  ftories,  chanced  in  the  times  of  old.— 
Come,  boy,  and  go  with  me ;  thy  fight  is  young, 
And  thou  malt  read,  when  mine  begins  to  dazzle. 

{Exeunt. 


ACT     IV.      SCENE     I. 

Titufs  koufe. 

Enter  young  Lucius,  and  Lavinia  running  after  him ;  and 
the  boy  fiies  from  her,  ivith  his  books  under  bis  arm. 
Enter  Titus  and  Marcus. 

Boy.  Help,  grandfire,  help !  my  aunt  Lavinia 
Follows  me  every  where,  I  know  not  why  : — • 
Good  uncle  Marcus,  fee  how  fwift  fhe  comes  ! 
Alas,  fvveet  aunt,  I  know  not  what  you  mean. 
Mar.  Stand  by  me,  Lucius ;    do  not  fear  thine 

aunt. 

Tit.  She  loves  thee,  boy,  too  well  to  do  thee  harm. 
Boy.  Ay,  when  my  father  was  in  Rome,  fhe  did. 
Mar.  What  means  my  niece  Lavinia  by  thefeiigns  ? 
Tit.  Fear  her  not,  Lucius : — Somewhat  doth  fhc 

mean  : — 
See,  Lucius,  fee,  how  much  ftie  makes  of  thee  : 

L  1  3  Some- 


fii-     TITUS    ANDRONICUS. 

Somewhither  would  flic  have  thee  go  with  her* 

Ah,  boy,  Cornelia  never  with  more  care 

Read  to  her  ions,  than  Hie  hath  read  to  thee, 

Sweet  poetry,  and  Tully's  oratory8. 

Canft  thou  not  guefs  wherefore  Ihe  plies  thee  thus  ? 

Soy,  My  lord,  I  know  not,  I,  nor  can  I  guefs, 
Unlefs  fome  fit  of  phrenzy  do  poflefs  her  : 
For  I  have  heard  my  grandfire  fay  full  oft, 
Extremity  of  griefs  would  make  men  mad  ; 
And  I  have  read,  that  Hecuba  of  Troy 
Kan  mad  through  forrow ;  That  made  me  to  fear  ; 
Although,  my  lord,  I  know,  my  noble  aunt 
Loves  me  as  dear  as  e'er  my  mother  did, 
And  would  not,  but  in  fury,  fright  my  youth  : 
Which  made  me  down  to  throw  my  books,  and  fly  ; 
Caufelefs,  perhaps  :  But  pardon  me,  fweet  aunt ; 
And,  madam,  if  my  uncle  Marcus  go, 
J  will  moft  willingly  attend  your  ladylhip. 
Mar.  Lucius,  I  will. 
¥it.  How  now,  Lavinia  ? — Marcus,  what  meant 

this  ? 

Some  book  there  is  that  Ihe  defires  to  fee  : — 
Which  is  it,  girl,  of  thefe  ?  Open  them,  boy, — 
But  thou  art  deeper  read,  and  better  Ikill'd  ; 
Come,  and  take  choice  of  all  my  library, 
And  fo  beguile  thy  forrow,  'till  the  heavens 
Reveal  the  damn'd  contriver  of  this  deed. — 
Why  lifts  Ihe  up  her  arms  in  fcquence  thus  ? 

Mar.  I  think,  ihe  means,   that  there  was  more 

than  one 

Confederate  in  the  fact ; — Ay,  more  there  was  :— 
Or  elfe  to  heaven  Ihe  heaves  them  for  revenge. 
Tit.  Lucius,  what  book  is  that  flie  tofleth  fo  ? 

*  — —  Tutty 's  oratory.]  Thus  the  moderns.    The  old  copie* 
lead — Tally's  oratour  \  meaning  perhaps,  Tully  De  oratore. 

P    EEVENS. 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.      51? 

Soy.  Grandfire,  'tis  Ovid's  Metamorphofis ; 
My  mother  gave  it  me. 

Mar.  For  love  of  her  that's  gone, 
Perhaps  foe  cull'd  it  from  among  the  reft. 

Tit.  Soft !  foft,  how  bufily  fhe  turns  the  leaves  ! 
Help  her  :  What  would  fhe  find?  Lavinia,  fhall  I 

read  ? 

This  is  the  tragic  tale  of  Philomel, 
And  treats  of  Tereus'  treafon,  and  his  rape  ; 
And  rape,  I  fear,  was  root  of  thine  annoy. 

Mar.  See,  brother  fee  ;  note,  how  fhe  quotes  the 

leaves  9. 

TV/.  Lavinia,  were't  thou  thus  furpriz'd,  fweet  girl, 
Ravim'd,  and  wrong'd,  as  Philomela  was, 
Forc'd  in  the  ruthlefs,  vaft,  and  gloomy  woods  ?— 

See,  fee ! 

Ay,  fuch  a  place  there  is,  where  we  did  hunt, 
(O,  had  we  never,  never,  hunted  there  !) 
Pattern'd  by  that  the  poet  here  defcribes, 
By  nature  made  for  murders,  and  for  rapes. 

Mar.  O,  why  fhould  nature  build  fo  foul  a  den, 
Unlcfs  the  gods  delight  in  tragedies  ! 
37/.  Give  figns,  fweet  girl, — for  here  are  none  but 

friends, 

What  Roman  lord  it  was  durft  do  the  deed : 
Or  flunk  not  Saturnine,  as  Tarquin  erft, 
That  left  the  camp  to  fin  in  Lucrece'  bed  ? 

Mar.  Sit  down,  fweet  niece ; — brother,  fit  down 

by  me. — 

Apollo,  Pallas,  Jove,  or  Mercury, 
Infpire  me,  that  I  may  this  treafon  find  I—- 
My lord,  look  here ; — look  here,  Lavinia  : 

[He  writes  bis  name  with  hisftajf,  and  guides  it 

zi'itb  bis  feet  and  mouth. 
Thisfandy  plot  is  "plain;  guide,  if  thou  can'ft, 

9  bcwfif  quotes  tie  leaves."]  To  quote  U  to  obferre.    Se« 

a  note  op  Hamlet*  act  II.  fc.  2.    STEEISMS. 

L  1  4  This 


520     TITUS    ANDRONICUS. 

This  after  me,  when  I  have  writ  my  name 
Without  the  help  of  any  hand  at  all. 
Curs'd  be  that  heart,  that  forc'd  us  to  this  Ihift ! — 
Write  thou,  good  niece  ;  and  here  difplay  at  laft, 
What  God  will  have  difcover'd  for  revenge  : 
Heaven  guide  thy  pen  to  print  thy  forrows  plain, 
That  we  may  know  the  traitors,  and  the  truth! 

[She  takes  the  faff  in  her  mouthy  and  guides  it 
with  her  flumps,  and  writes. 

Fit.  O,   do  you  read,    my  lord,   what  Ihe  hath 

writ  ? 
Sttiprum — Chiron — Demetrius. 

Mar.  What,  what! — the  luflful  fons  of  Tamora 
Performers  of  this  hateful  bloody  deed  ? 

'Tit.  Mxgne  Dominator  Poll ', 

Yam  lentus  audis  feeler  a  ?  tarn  lentus  vides  ? 

Mar.    O,    calm  thee,  gentle   lord !    although,    I 

know, 

There  is  enough  written  upon  this  earth, 
To  ftir  a  mutiny  in  the  mildefl  thoughts, 
And  arm  the  minds  of  infants  to  exclaims. 
My  lord,  kneel  down  with  me;  Lavinia,  kneel; 
And  kneel,  fweet  boy,  the  Roman  Hector's  hope; 
And  fwear  with  me,— as  with  the  woeful  feere z, 

And 

1  Magne  Regnator  Deum  &c.  is  the  exclamation  of  Hippelitus 
when  frbtedra  difcovers  the  fecret  of  her  inceftuous  pdaon  in 
Seneca's  tragedy.  STEEVCNS. 

*  And  fwear  with  me,  as  with  the  woeful  f cere, ~\  The  old  copies 
do  not  only  affift  us  to  find  the  true  reading  by  conjecture.     I  will 
give  an  inftance,  from  the  firft  folio,  of  a  reading  (inconteftibly  the 
true  one)  which  has  efcaped  the  laborious  reieafches  of  the  many 
moft  diligent  critics,  who  have  favoured  the  world  with  editions  of 
Shakefpeare.     In  Titus  Andronicm,  Aft  iv.  Scene  i.  Marcus  fays, 
My  lord,  kneel  down  with  me;  Lai  inia  kneel'. 
And  kneel,  fweet  boy,  the  Roman  Heftor's  hope ; 
Andfixear  ivith  me,  as,  with  the  wo^/K/peer, 
And  father  of  that  chafte  dijhonourd  dame, 
Lord  jfunius  Brutus  Jkuare  for  Lucrece*  rape 
What  meaning  has  hitherto  been  annexed  to  the  \vord/<w,  in  this 

pafiage, 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.      521 

And  father,  of  that  chafte  difhonour'd  dame, 
Lord  Junius  Brutus  fware  for  Lucrece'  rape,— - 
That  vvewillprofecute,  by  good  advice, 
Mortal  revenge  upon  thefe  traiterous  Goths, 
And  fee  their  blood,  or  die  with  this  reproach. 

7?/.  'Tis  fure  enough,  an  you  knew  how. 
But  if  you  hurt  thefe  bear-whelps,  then  beware: 
The  dam  will  wake;  and,  if  fhe  wind  you  once, 
She's  with  the  lion  deeply  {lill  in  league, 
And  lulls  him  while  fhe  playethon  her  back, 
And,  when  he  fleeps,  will  fhe  do  what  fhe  lift. 
You're  a  young  huntfman,  Marcus ;  let  it  alone  ; 
And,  come,  I  will  go  get  a  leaf  of  brafs, 
And  with  a  gad  of  fteel  will  write  thefe  words, 
And  lay  it  by  :  the  angry  northern  wind 

paflage,  I  know  not.  The  reading  of  the  firft  folio  \sfeere,  which 
Jignifies  a  companion,  and  here  metaphorically  a  hujbanJ.  The 
proceeding  of  Brutus,  which  is  alluded  to,  is  defcribed  at  length 
in  our  author's  Rape  of  Lucrece,  as  putting  an  end  to  the  la- 
mentations of  Collatinus  and  Lucretius,  the  hufband  and  father  of 
Lucretia.  So,  in  Sir  Eglamour  ofArtoys,  fig.  A  4, 

'*  Chriftabell,  your  daughter  free 

"  When  fliall  fhe  have  a  fere?"  i.  e.  a  hufband. 
Sir  Tho.  More's  Lamentation  on  the  Death  of  9.  Elizabeth.   Wife 
•fHen.Vll: 

"  Was  I  not  a  king's  fere  in  marriage  ?" 
And  again  : 

"  Farewell  my  daughter  Katherine,  late  the  fere 

*'  To  prince  Arthur."    TYRWHITT. 

The  word  feere  or  pbeere  very  frequently  occurs  among  the  old 
dramatic  writers  and  others.  So,  in  Ben  Jonfon's  Silent  Woman^ 
Morofe  fays  : 

•"  — her  that  I  mean  to  chufe  for  my  led-pbeere" 
Again,  in  The  noble  Kinfmen,  by  Beaumont  and  Fletcher: 

"  play-pheeres." 

And  in  Spenfer,  F.  ii.  B.  5  : 

"  fome  fair  fraimion,  fit  for  fuch  zpheerc" 

Again,  in  the  tragedy  of  Soliman  and  Perfeda : 

"  When  didft  thou  with  thy  fampler  in  the  fun 
^*  Sit  fewing  with  thy  feres." 
Again  in  Hyde  Scorner: 

»*  What  Frewyll,  mine  own  fere  f"    STEEVENS. 

6  Will 


5ii      TITUS    ANDRONICUS. 

Will  blow  thefe  fands,  like  Sybil's  leaves,  abroad, 
And  where's  your  leflbn  then  ? — Boy,  what  fay  you  ? 

Boy.  I  fay,  my  lord,  that  if  I  were  a  man, 
Their  mother's  bed-chamber  fliould  not  be  fafe 
For  thefe  bad  bond-men  to  the  yoke  of  Rome. 

Mar.  Ay,  that's  my  boy  !  thy  father  hath  full  oft 
For  this  ungrateful  country  done  the  like. 
Boy.  And,  uncle,  fo  will  I,  an  if  I  live. 
Tit.  Come,  go  with  me  into  my  armoury ; 
Lucius,  I'll  fit  thee;  and  withal,  my  boy 
Shall  carry  from  me  to  the  emperefs*  ions 
Prefents,  that  I  intend  to  fend  them  both  : 
Come,    come;    thou'lt  do  my  meffage,  wilt  thou 

not  ? 

Soy.  Ay,  with  my  dagger  in  their  bofom,  grand- 
fire. 
TV/.  No,  no,  boy,  not  fo ;  I'll  teach  thee  another 

courfe. 

Lavinia,  come  : — Marcus,  look  to  my  houfe  ; 
Lucius  and  I'll  go  brave  it  at  the  court; 
Ay,  marry,  will  we,  fir;  and  we'll  be  waited  on. 

[Exeunt. 

Mar.  O  heavens,  can  you  hear  a  good  man  groan. 
And  not  relent,  or  not  compam'onate  him  ? 
Marcus,  attend  him  in  his  ecftafy ; 
That  hath  more  fears  of  forrow  in  his  heart, 
Than  foe-men's  marks  upon  his  batter'd  fhield: 
But  yet  fo  juft,  that  he  will  not  revenge  : — 
3  Revenge  the  heavens  for  old  Andronicus !       [Exit. 

3  Revenge  the  heavens ]  We  fliould  read  : 

Reveuge  thee,  heavens! WAtBURTON. 

It  fliould  be : 

Revenge^  ye  heaven*  !   « 
}"c  was  by  the  tranfcriber  taken  for ye,  the.     JOHNSON. 

believe  the  old  reading  is  right,  and  fignifies — may  the  I'tave;u 
revrnge  &c.    STEEVENS. 
I  believe  we  fliould  read 

Revenge  then  heavens.    T YR \v H I T Tt 

SCENE 


TITUS    AND  RON  1C  US.     523 

SCENE        II. 

Changes  to  the  palace. 

Enter  Aaron,  Chiron,  and  Demetrius,  at  one  door  :  and 
at  another  door,  young  Lucius  and  another,  with  A 
bundle  of  weapons,  and  verfes  writ  upon  them. 

Chi.  Demetrius,  here's  the  fon  of  Lucius  ; 
He  hath  fome  meflage  to  deliver  to  us. 

Aar.  Ay,  fome  mad  meflage  from  his  mad  grand- 
father. 

Bey.  My  lords,  with  all  the  humblenefs  I  may, 
I  greet  your  honours  from  Andronicus;  — 
And  pray  the  Roman  gods,  confound  you  both. 


Dem.    Gramercy4,    lovely  Lucius;    What's  the 

news  ? 
Boy.  That  you  are  both   decypher'd,  that's  the 

news, 
For  villains  mark'd  with  rape.  \_Afide  ^\  May  it  pleafe 

you, 

My  grandfire,  well-advis'd,  hath  fent  by  me 
The  goodlieft  weapons  of  his  armoury, 
To  gratify  your  honourable  youth, 
The  hope  of  Rome  ;  for  fo  he  bade  me  fay  ; 
And  fo  I  do,  and  with  his  gifts  prefent 
Your  lordmips,  that  whenever  you  have  need, 
You  may  be  armed  and  appointed  well  : 
And  fo  I  leave  you  both,  \_Afide,~\  like  bloody  vil- 
lains. [Exit. 

Dem.  What's  here  ?  A  fcroll  ;  and  written  round 

about  ? 
Let's  fee; 


*  Grtmtrcji ]  i.  e.  grand  mtrei ;  grtat  thanks. 

STEIVIXI. 


524     TITUS    ANDRONICUS. 

Integer  vit<e,  fcelerifque  purus, 
Non  eget  Mauri  jacuLis  nee  arcu  : 

Chi.  O,  'tis  a  verfe  in  Horace;  I  know  it  well : 
I  read  it  in  the  grammar  long  ago. 

Aar.  Ay,  juft; — a  verfe  in  Horace;— right,  you 

have  it. 

Now,  what  a  thing  it  is  to  be  an  afs ! 
Here's  no  fond  jell :  the  old  man  hath  found 

their  guilt; 
And  fends  the  weapons  wrapp'd  about  with 

lines, 


That  wound,  beyond  their  feeling,  to  the 


[/fide. 


quick. 

But  were  our  witty  emperefs  well  a-foot, 
She  would  applaud  Andronicus'  conceit. 
But  let  her  reft  in  her  unreft  a  while.— 
And  now,  young  lords,  was't  not  a  happy  flar 
Led  us  to  Rome,  ftrangers,  and,  more  than  fo, 
Captives,  to  be  advanced  to  this  height  ? 
It  did  me  good,  before  the  palace  gate 
To  brave  the  tribune  in  his  brother's  hearing. 

Dem.  But  me  more  good,  to  fee  fo  great  a  lord 
Bafely  infinuate,  and  fend  us  gifts. 

Aar.  Had  he  not  reafon,  lord  Demetrius  ? 
Did  you  not  ufe  his  daughter  very  friendly  ? 

Dem.  I  would,  we  had  a  thoufand  Roman  dames 
At  fuch  a  bay,  by  turn  to  ferve  our  luft. 

Chi.  A  charitable  wifh,  and  full  of  love. 

Aar.  Here  lacketh  but  your  mother  to  fay  amen. 

Chi.   And  that  would  ihe  for  twenty  thoufand 
more. 

Dem.  Come,  let  us  go ;  and  pray  to  all  the  gods 
For  our  beloved  mother  in  her  pains. 

Aar.  Pray  to  the  devils;  the  gods  have  given  us 
o'er.  \_Afide.    Flourf\ 

Dem.  Why  do  the  emperor's  trumpets  flourifh 
thus  ? 

Cki*  Belike,  for  joy  the  emperor  hath  a  fon. 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.     225 

Dem.  Soft ;  who  comes  here  ? 

Enter  Nurfe,  with  a  Blad-a-moor  Child. 

Nurfe.  Good-morrow,  lords: 
O,  tell  me,  did  you  fee  Aaron  the  Moor  ? 

Aar.  Well,  more,  orlefs,  or  ne'er  a  whit  at  all. 
Here  Aaron  is  ,*  and  what  with  Aaron  now? 

Nur.  O  gentle  Aaron,  we  are  all  undone! 
Now  help*  or  woe  betide  thee  evermore ! 

Aar.  Why,  what  a  caterwauling  doft  thou  keep? 
What  doft  thou  wrap  and  fumble  in  thine  arms? 

Nur,  O,  that  which  I  would  hide  from  heaven's  eye, 
Our  emperefs'  fhame,  and  llately  Rome's  difgrace ; — 
She  is  deliver'd,  lords,  fhe  is  deliver'd. 

Aar.  To  whom  ? 

Nur.  I  mean,  Ihe  is  brought  to  bed. 

Aar.  Well,  God 
Give  her  good  reft!  What  hath  he  fent  her? 

Nur.  A  devil. 

Aar.  Why,  then  fhe  is  the  devil's  dam  ;  a  joyful 
iffue. 

Nur.  A  joylefs,  difmal,  black,  and  forrowful  iffue  : 
Here  is  the  babe,  as  loathfome  as  a  toad 
Amongft  the  faireft  breeders  of  our  clime. 
The  emperefs'  fends  it  thee,  thy  ftamp,  thy  feal, 
And  bids  thee  chriften  it  with  thy  dagger's  point. 

Aar.  Out,    out,    you  whore!    is  black   fo  bafe  a 

hue  ?— 
Sweet  blowfe,  you  are  a  beauteous  blofTom,  fure.' 

Dem.  Villain,  what  haft  thou  done  ? 

Aar.  That  which  thou 
Can'ft  not  undo. 

Chi.  Thou  haft  undone  our  mother. 

Aar.  Villain,  I  have  done  thy  mother*. 

5  Fillain,  J  have  done  thy  mother. ]  To  do  is  here  ufcd  obfcene- 
ly.     So,  in  Taylor  the  water  poet's  charafter  of  a  Projiitutt: 
"  She's  facile  fieri  (quickly  \vonne) 
"  Or,  confi'ring  truly,  eafy  to  be  JOM"    COLLINS. 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS. 

Dem.  And  therein,  hellifh  dog,  thou  hafl  undone* 
Woe  to  her  chance,  and  damn'd  her  loathed  choice  I 
Accurs'd  the  offspring  of  fo  foul  a  fiend! 

Chi.  It  fnall  not  live. 

Star.  It  ihall  not  die. 

Nur.  Aaron,  it  muft;  the  mother  wills  it  fo. 

Aar.  What,  muft  it,  nurfe?  then  let  no  man,  but  I, 
Do  execution  on  my  fiefh  and  blood. 

Dem.   6  I'll  broach   the  tadpole  on  my   rapier's 

point : 
Nurfe,  give  it  me;  my  fvvord  Ihall  foon  difpatch  it. 

Aar.  Sooner  this  fvvord  {hall  plough  thy  bowels  up. 
Stay,  murderous  villains !  will  you  kill  your  brother? 
Now,  by  the,  burning  tapers  of  the  iky, 
That  (hone  fo  brightly  when  this  boy  was  got, 
He  dies  upon  my  icymitar's  lharp  point, 
That  touches  this  my  firft-born  fon  and  heir  ! 
1  tell  you,  younglings,  not  Enceladus, 
With  all  his  threatening  band  of  Typhon's  brood, 
Nor  great  Alcicle's,  nor  the  god  of  war, 
Shall  feize  this  prey,  out  of  his  father's  hands. 
What,  what;  ye  fanguine  fhallow-hearted  boys ! 
Ye  white-lim'd  walls!  ye  alehoufe  painted  figns! 
Coal-black  is  better  than  another  hue, 
7  In  that  it  fcorns  to  bear  another  hue  : 
For  all  the  water  in  the  ocean 
Can  never  turn  the  fwan's  black  legs  to  white, 

6  m  Iroacb  the  taJpok ]    A  Iroacbn  ajjtit.     V\\J}it  the 

tadpole.     JOHNSON. 

So,  in  Heywood's  Rape  ofLucrece,   1630: 

' '  I'll  Iroacb  thee  on  ray  Heel." 

Again,  in  Greene's  P  leaf  ant  Difcovery  of  the  Cofcnage  of 'Colliers^ 
1  (j^2  :  "  — with  that  flie  caught  'a.fpit  in  her  hand,  and  fworc  if 
he  offered  to  ftirre  (he  Ihould  therewith  broacb  him."  COLLINS. 

7  In  that  it  fcems  to  lear  another  hue:~\  We  may  better  read  : 
In.  that  it  fcorns  to  bear  another  hue.     JOHNSON. 

Scorns  is  the  reading  of  the  firft  folio,  and  fliould  undoubtedly 
be  inferred  in  the  text.     TYJR.WHITT, 

Afc 


TITUS    A  N  D  R  O  N  I  C  U  S.      527 

Although  Hie  lave  them  hourly  in  the  flood. — 
Tell  the  emperefs  from  me,  I  am  of  age 
To  keep  mine  own;  excufe  it  how  flie  can. 

Dem.  Wilt  thou  betray  thy  noble  miftrefs  thus  ? 
Aar.  My  miftrefs  is  my  miftrefs;  this,  myfelf; 
The  vigour,  and  the  pidureof  my  youth: 
This,  before  all  the  world,  do  I  prefer; 
This,  maugre  all  the  world,  will  I  keep  fafe, 
Or  fome  of  you  mall  fmoke  for  it  in  Rome. 
Dem.  By  this  our  mother  is  for  ever  lham'd. 
Chi.  Rome  will  defpife  her  for  this  foul  efcape. 
Nur.  The  emperor,  in  his  rage,  will  doom  her 

death. 

Chit  I  biufh  to  think  upon  this  ignomy. 
Aar.  Why  there's  the  privilege  your  beauty  bears  : 
Fye,  treacherous  hue  !  that  will  betray  with  bhrihbg 
The  clofc  enacts  and  counfels  of  the  heart! 
Here's  a  young  lad  fram'd  of  another  leer 8 : 
Look,  how  the  black  flave  fmiles  upon  the  father; 
As  who  ihould  fay,  Old  lad,  I  am  tbine  own. 
He  is  your  brother,  lords  ;  fehfjbly  fed 
Of  that  felf-blood  that  firft  gave  life  to  you; 
And,  from  that  womb,  where  you  imprifon'd  wer£, 
He  is  infranchifed  and  come  to  light : 
Nay,  he's  your  brother  by  the  fureriide, 
Although  my  feal  is  ftamped  in  his  face. 

Nur.  Aaron,  what  lhall  I  fay  unto  the  emperefs? 
Dem.  Advife  thee,  Aaron,  what  is  to  be  done, 
And  we  will  all  fubfcribe  to  thy  advice ; 
Save  you  the  child,  fo  we  may  all  be  fafe. 

8  ..     another  leer;]  Leer  is  complexion,  or  hue.    So,  ia 

As  you.  like  it:  " a  Rofalind  of  a  better  leer  than  you."     See 

Mr.  Toilet's  note  on  ad  IV.  fc.  i.   In  the  notes  on  the  Canterbury 
7a!es  of  Chaucer,  late  edit.  vol.  IV.  p.  320.     Lereis  fuppofed  to 
fc/tt.     So,  in  Ifumlrcs^  MS.  Cott.  Cul.  ij.  fol.  129; 
"  His  lady  is  white  as  wales  bone, 


"  Here  lere  brygte  to  fe  upon, 
"  So  faire  as  blofme  on  tre." 


STEEVENS. 


528     TITUS    ANDRONICUS. 

Aar.  Then  fit  we  down,  and  let  us  all  confulr. 
My  fon  and  I  will  have  the  wind  of  you  : 
Keep  there :  Now  talk  at  pleafure  of  your  fafety. 

[They  fit  on  the  ground. 

Dem.  How  many  women  faw  this  child  of  his  ? 
Aar.  Why,  fo,  brave   lords;  When  we   all  join 

in  league, 

I  am  a  lamb  :  but  if  you  brave  the  Moor, 
The  chafed  boar,  the  mountain  lionefs, 
The  ocean  fwells  not  fo  as  Aaron  ftorms. — 
But,  fay  again,  how  many  faw  the  child  ? 
Nur.  Cornelia  the  midwife,  and  myfelf, 
And  no  one  elfe,  but  the  deliver'd  emperefs. 

Aar.  The  emperefs,  the  midwife,  and  yourfelf  :— 
Two  may  keep  counfel,  when  the  third's  away  9 : 
Go  to  the  emperefs  \  tell  her  this  I  faid : — 

[He  kills  her. 

Weke,  weke !  — fo  cries  a  pig,  prepar'd  to  the  fpit. 
Dm.  Whatmean'ft  thou,  Aaron?  Wherefore  didft 

thou  this? 

'Aar.  O  lord,  fir,  'tis  a  deed  of  policy  : 
Shall  (he  live  to  betray  this  guilt  of  ours  ? 
A  Jong-tongu'd  babbling  goffip  ?  no,  lords,  no. 
And  now  be  it  known  to  you  my  full  intent. 
Not  far,  one  Muliteus  lives,  my  countryman, 
His  wife  but  yefternight  was  brought  to- bed ; 
His  child  is  like  to  her,  fair  as  you  are : 
*  Go  pack  with  him,  and  give  the  mother  gold? 
And  tell  them  both  the  circumftance  of  all ; 

9  Two  may  keep  counfel  when  the  third's  aiuay :]  This  proverb 
introduced  hkewife  in  Romeo  and  Julittt  aft  II.     STEEVENS. 

1  Go  pack  with  him, ]  Pack  here  feems  to  have  the  mean- 
ing of  make  a  bargain.  Or  it  may  mean,  as  in  the  phrafe  of  mo- 
dern gamefters,  to  aft  colluiively. 

And  mighty  dukes  pack  knaves  for  half  a  crown.     POPE. 
To  pack  is  to  contrive  infidioufly.     So,  in  K.  Lear : 

" ihuft's  and  packings  of  the  dukes."  STEEVENS. 

And 


TITUS     ANDRONICUS.     529 

And  how  by  this  their  child  fhall  be  advanc'd, 
And  be  received  for  the  emperor's  heir, 
And  fubftituted  in  the  place  of  mine, 
To  calm  this  tempeft  whirling  in  the  court; 
And  let  the  emperor  dandle  him  for  his  own. 
Hark  ye,  my  lords;  ye  fee,  I  have  given  herphyfick, 

[Pointing  to~  the  nurfe. 
And  you  mufl  needs  beftow  her  funeral ; 
The  fields  are  near,  and  you  are  gallant  grooms  : 
This  done,  fee  that  you  take  no  longer  days, 
But  fend  the  midwife  prefently  to  me. 
The  midwife,  and  the  p.urfe,  well  made  away, 
Then  let  the  ladies  tattle  what  they  pleafe. 

Chi.  Aaron,  I  fee,  thou  wilt  not  truft  the  air 
With  fecrets. 

Dem.  For  this  care  of  Tamora, 
Herfelf,  and  hers,  are  highly  bound  to  thee.  [Exeunt. 

Aar.  Now  to  the  Goths,  as  Iwift  as  fwallow  flics ; 
There  to  difpofe  this  trcafure  in  my  arms, 
And  fccretly  to  greet  the  emperefs'  friends. — 
Come  on,  you  thick-lip'd  flave,  I  bear  you  hence ; 
For  it  is  you  that  put  us  to  our  ihifts :   ' 
I'll  make  you  feed  on  berries,  and  on  roots, 
And  feed  on  curds  and  whey,  and  fuck  the  goat, 
And  cabin  in  a  cave;  and  bring  you  up 
To  be  a  warrior,  and  command  a  camp.  [£.v/V. 

SCENE     III. 

Ajlreet  near  the  palace. 

Enter  'Titus,  old  Marcus,  young  Lucius,  and  other  Gentle- 
men ivith  bows;  and  Titus  bears  the  arrows  with  letters 
on  the  ends  of  them. 

Tit.  Come,  Marcus,  come; — Kinfmen,  this  is  the 

way  : — 
Sir  boy,  now  let  me  fee  your  archery; 

VOL.  VIII.  M  m  Look 


530     TITUS    ANDRONICUS. 

Look,  ye  draw  home  enough,  and  'tis  there  ftraight : 
Terras  ^flrea.rellqi'.lt : — be  you  remember'd  Marcus.— 
She's  gone,  fhc's  ilecl. — Sirs,  take  you  to  your  tools. 
You,  coufins,  fnall  go  found  the  ocean, 
And  caft  your  nets ;  haply,  you  may  find  her  in  the 

fea; 

Yet  there's  as  littlejufVtce  as  at  land : — 
No ;  Publius  and  Sempronius,  you  muft  do  it; 
Tis  you  muft  dig  with  mattock,  and  with  ipade, 
And  pierce  the  inmoft  centre  of  the  earth ; 
Then,  when  you  come  to  Pluto's  region, 
I  pray  you,  deliver  him  this  petition  : 
Tell  him,  it  is  for  juftice,  and  for  aid ; 
And  that  it  comes  from  old  Andronicus, 
Shaken  withforrows  in  ungrateful  Rome. — 
Ah,  Rome  ! — Well,  well ;  I  made  thee  miferable* 
What  time  I  threw  the  people's  fuffrages 
On  him  that  thus  doth  tyrannize  o'er  me.— 
Go,  get  you  gone;  and  pray  be  careful  all, 
And  leave  you  not  a  man  of  war  unfearch'd; 
This  wicked  emperor  may  have  Ihipp'd  her  hence, 
And,  kinfmen,  then  we  may  go  pipe  for  juftice. 

Mar.  O,  Publius,  is  not  this  a  heavy  cafe, 
To  fee  thy  noble  uncle  thus  diffract  ? 

Pub.  Therefore,  my  lord,  it  highly  us  concerns, 
By  day  and  night  to  attend  him  carefully; 
And  feed  his  humour  kindly  as  we  may, 
Till  time  beget  fome  careful  remedy. 

Mar.  Kinfmen»  his  forrows  are  pall  remedy. 
Join  with  the  Goths;  and  with  revengeful  war 
Take  wreak  on  Rome  for  this  ingratitude, 
And  vengeance  on  the  traitor  Saturnine. 

T//.  Pubiius,  how  now  ?  how  no;v,  ;ny  matters, 
What,  have  you  met  with  her? 

Pub.  No,  my  good  lord;    but  Pluto   fends  you 

word, 

If  you  will  have  revenge  from  hell,  youlhall : 
Marry,  for  juilice,  fne  is  ib  employ 'd, 

He 


TITUS     ANDRONICUS.     531 

He  thinks,  with  Jove  in  heaven,  or  fomewhere  elfe, 
So  that  perforce  you  needs  muft  ftay  a  time. 

Tit.  He  doth  me  wrong,  to  feed  me  wi:h  delays. 
Fll  dive  into  the  burning  lake  below, 
And  pull  her  out  of  Acheron  by  the  heels. — 
Marcus,  we  are  but  fhrubs,  no  cedars  we; 
No  big-bon'd  men,  framM  of  the  Cyclops*  fize; 
But  metal,  Marcus,  fteel  to  the  very  back; 
4  Yet  wrung  with  wrongs,  more  than  our  backs  can 

bear  : 

And  fith  there  is  nojuftice  in  earth  nor  hell, 
We  will  folicit  heaven  ;  and  move  the  gods, 
To  fend  down  juftice  for  to  wreak  our  wrongs : 
Come,  to  this  gear.     You  are  a  good  archer,  Marcus* 
[He gives  them  the  arrows* 

Adjovem,  that's  for  you : — Here,  &d  Apolllnitni— 
Ad  Mar  tern,  that's  for  my  felf;  — 
Here,  boy,  to  Pallas : — Here  to  Mercury  : — 
To  Saturn,  and  to  Coelus  J;  not  to  Saturnine, — 
You  were  as  good  to  fhoot  againft  the  wind.— 
TO  it,  boy.     Marcus,  loofe  when  I  bid: 
O*  my  word,  I  have  written  to  effedt; 
There's  not  a  god  left  unfolicited. 

Mar.  Kinfmen,  Ihoot  all  your  fhafts  into  the  court  4i 

*  Yet  wrung  tultb  wrongs ^ ]   To  wring  a  horfe  is  to  preft 

or  ftrain  his  back.     JOHNSON. 

3  To  Saturn,  and  to  Coelus, : ]  The  quarto  and  folio  read  : 

— —  to  Cains.     Mr.  Rowe  firitfubttituted  Calm  in  its  room. 

STEEVENS. 

4  — • JJ)oot  all yotir  Jbafts  into  tl:  court :]  In  the  ancient  ballad 

of  Titus  Andron'u u?s  Complaint,  is  the  following  pallage  : 

"  Then  pail  reliefe  I  upp  and  downe  did  goe, 
*'  And  with  my  tears  wrote  in  the  duft  my  woe  : 
"  IJbot  my  arrowcs  towards  heaven  hie, 
"  And  for  revenge  to  hell  did  often  crye." 

On  this  Dr  Percy  has  the  following  obiervation  :  "  If  the  ballad 
was  written  before  the  play,  I  fliould  fuppofe  this  to  be  only  a  me- 
taphorical expreffion,  taken  from  the  Pfalms  :  **  They  Jboot  out  their 
arrows t  even  bitter  <wordi,  Pf.  64.  3."  Re lique s of  anc if nt  Englijb 
Poetry^  vol.  I.  p.  228.  third  edit.  STEEVENS. 

M  m  2  We 


53*     TITUS    ANDRONICUS. 

We  will  afflict  the  emperor  in  his  pride. 

Tit.  Now,  matters,  draw,  [fkyj&oot,]  O,  well  faid, 

Lucius ! 
Good  boy,  in  Virgo's  lap,  give  it  to  Pallas. 

Mar.  My  lord,  I  am  a  mile  beyond  the  moon  5 ; 
Your  letter  is  with  Jupiter  by  this. 

Tit.  Ha  !  Publius,  Publius,  what  haft  thou  done> 
See,  fee,  thou  haft  fhot  offone  of  Taurus'  horns. 

Mar.  This  was  the  fport,  my  lord ;  when  Publius 

fhot, 

The  bull,  being  gall'd,  gave  Aries  fuch  a  knock 
That  down  fell  both  the  ram's  horns  in  the  court ; 
And  who  Ihould  find  them  but  the  emperefs'  villain  ? 
She  laugh'd,  and  told  the  Moor,  he  fhould  not  choofe 
But  give  them  to  his  mafter  for  a  prefcnt. 

Tit.  Why,  there  it  goes :  God  give  your  lordlhip 
joy! 

Enter  a  Clown,  with  a  bajket  and  two  pigeons. 

News,  news  from  heaven !  Marcus,  the  poft  is  come. 
Sirrah,  what  tidings  ?  have  you  any  letters  ? 
Shall  I  havejuftice  ?  what  fays  Jupiter  ? 

Clown.  Ho!  the  gibbet-maker  ?  he  fays,  that  he 
hath  taken  them  down  again,  for  the  man  muft  not  be 
hang'd  'till  the  next  week. 

Tit.  Tut,  what  fays  Jupiter,  1  afk  thee  ? 

Clown.  Alas,  fir,  I  know  not  Jupiter;  I  never  drank 
with  him  in  all  my  life. 

2V/.  Why,  villain,  art  not  thou  the  carrier? 

5  —/am  a  mile  Icyond  the  moon',"}   The  folios  1623  and  1632, 
read : 

/  aym  a  mile  ley on d  the  moon. 

To  "  caft  beyond  the  moon,"  is  an  expreffion  ufed  in  Hinde's 
Eliojlo   Libidtnofo    1606.       Again,    in    Mother   Bombie,     1594: 
"  Rifio  hath  gone  beyond  himfelt  in  cafiing  beyond  the  moon." 
Again,  in  A  Woman  kilfd  with  Kindnrfs,    1617  : 
*'          .     -I  talk  of  things  impoffible, 
"  And  caft  beyond  the  moon"     STEEVENS. 

Cloivn. 


TITUS     ANDRONICUS.      533 

Clown.  Ay,  of  my  pigeons,  fir;  nothing  elfe. 

Tit.  Why,  didft  thou  not  come  from  heaven  ? 

Clffivn.  From  heaven?  alas,  fir,  I  never  came  there: 
God  forbid,  I  fhould  be  fo  bold  to  prcfs  to  heaven 
in  my  young  days.  Why,  I  am  going  with  my  pi- 

feons  to  the  tribunal  plebs6,  to  take  up  a  matter  of 
rawl  betwixt  my  uncle  and  one  of  the  emperial's 
men. 

Mar.  Why,  fir,  that  is  as  fit  as  can  be,  to  ferve  for 
your  oration;  and  let  him  deliver  the  pigeons  to  the 
emperor  from  you. 

Tit.  Tell  me,  can  you  deliver  an  oration  to  the  em- 
peror with  a  grace  ? 

Clffzvn.  Nay,  truly,  fir,  I  could  never  fay  grace  in 
all  my  life. 

Tit.  Sirrah,  come  hither;  make  no  more  ado, 
But  give  your  pigeons  to  the  emperor: 
By  me  thou  fhalt  have  juftice  at  his  hands. 
Hold,    hold; — mean  while,  here's  money   for  thy 

charges. 

Give  me  a  pen  and  ink. — 
Sirrah,  can  you  with  a  grace  deliver  a  fupplication  ? 

Clown.  Ay,  fir. 

Tit.  Then  here  is  a  fupplication  for  you.  And 
when  you  come  to  him,  at  the  firft  approach,  you 
muft  kneel;  then  kifs  his  foot ;  then  deliver  up  your 
pigeons;  and  then  look  for  your  reward.  I'll  be  at 
hand,  fir;  fee  you  do  it  bravely. 

Cloii'n.  I  warrant  you,  fir;  let  me  alone. 

Tit.  Sirrah,  haft  thou  a  knife  ?  Come,  let  me  fee  it. 
Here,  Marcus,  fold  it  in  the  oration; 
For  thou  haft  made  it  like  an  humble  fuppliant: — 

6  ——the  tribunal  plels, ]   I  fwppofe  the  Cloivn  means  to 

fay,  Pierian  tribune,  i.  e.  tribune  of  the  people  ;  for  none  could 
fill  this  office  but  fuch  as  were  defcended  from  Plebeian  ancc: 

STEEVENS. 

M  m  3  And 


534-     TITUS     A  N  D  R  O  N  I  C  U  S. 

And  when  thou  haft  given  it  the  emperor, 
Knock  at  my  door,  and  tell  me  what  he  fays. 

Clown.  God  be  with  you,  fir;  I  will. 

2V/.  Come,  Marcus,  let  us  go : — Publius,  follow 
me.  [Exeunt. 

SCENE      IV. 
The  palace. 

Enter  Emperor •,  and  Emperefs,    and  her  two  fons ;    the 
Emperor  brings  the  arrozvs  in  his  hand,  that  Titus  J/;ot. 

Sat.  Why,  lords,  what  wrongs  are  thefe  ?    Was 

ever  Icen 

An  emperor  of  Rome  thus  over-borne, 
Troubled,  confronted  thus ;  and,  for  the  extent 
Of  egal  juftice,  us'd  in  fuch  contempt  ? 
My  lords,  you  know,  as  do  the  mightful  gods, 
However  the  difturbers  of  our  peace 
Buz  in  the  people's  ears,  there  nought  hath  paft, 
But  even  with  law,  againft  the  wilful  fons 
Of  old  Andronicus.     And  what  an  if 
His  forrows  have  fo  overwhelm'd  his  wits, 
Shall  we  be  thus  afflicted  in  his  wreaks  ', 
His  fits,  his  phrenzy,  and  his  bitternefs  ? 
And  now  he  writes  to  heaven  for  his  redrefs  ; 
See,  here's  to  Jove,  and  this  to  Mercury; 
This  to  Apollo ;  this  to  the  god  of  war  : 
Sweet  fcrolls,  to  fly  about  the  ft reets  of  Rome  ! 
What's  this,  but  libelling  againft  the  fenate, 
And  blazoning  our  injuftice  every  where  ? 
A  goodly  humour,  is  it  not,  ray  lords  ? 
As  who  would  fay,  in  Rome  no  juftice  were. 
But,  if  I  live,  his  feigned  ecftafies 
Shall  be  no  Ihelter  to  thefe  outrages : 

f  — —  ^/V  wreaks,]  i.e.  his  revenges.     STEEVENS. 

But 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.     535 

Buthc  and  his  (hall  know,  thatjuftice  liv<?s 
In  Saturninus'  health ;  whom,  if  Ihe  fleep, 
He'll  fo  awake,  as  fhe  in  fury  fhall 
Cut  off  the  proud'fl  confpirator  that  lives. 

5tf«.  My  gracious  lord,  mod  lovely  Saturnine, 
Lord  of  my  life,  commander  of  my  thoughts, 
Calm  thee,  and  bear  the  faults  of  Titus'  age, 
The  effects  of  forrow  for  his  valiant  fons, 
Whofe  lofs  hath  pierc'd  him  deep  and  fcarr'd  his 

heart ; 

And  rather  comfort  his  diftrefled  plight, 
Than  profecute  the  meaneft,  or  the  bed, 
For  thefe  contempts.  Why,  thus  it  {hall  become 

\j/fjt. 

High-witted  Tamora  to  gloze  with  all : 
But,  Titus,  I  have  towch'd  thee  to  the  quick, 
Thy  life-blood  out :  if  Aaron  now  be  wife, 
Then  is  all  fafe,  the  anchor's  in  the  port. • 

Enter  Clown. 

How  now,  good  fellow  ?  would  ft  thou  fpeak  with  us  ? 
Clown.  Yes,  forfooth,  an  your  mifterlhip  be  ern- 

perial. 

Tarn.  Emperefs  I  am,  but  yonder  fits  the  emperor. 
Clown.  'Tis  he. — God  and  faint  Stephen,  give  you 

good  den  : 

I  have  brought  you  a  letter,  and  a  couple  of  pigeons 
here.  \jThe  Rmpcror  reads  the  letter. 

Sat.  Go,  take  him  away,  and  hang  him  prefently. 
Clffwn.  How  much  money  muft  I  have  ? 
Tarn.  Come,  firrah,  you  muft  be  hang'd. 
Clown.  Hang'd  !  By'r  lady,  then  I  have  brought 
up  a  neck  to  a  fair  end.  [_LL\it. 

Sat.  Defpightful  and  intolerable  wrongs  ! 
Shall  I  endure  this  monftrous  villainy  ? 
I  know  from  whence  this  fame  device  proceeds  : 
May  this  be  borne  ? — as  if  his  traiterous  fons, 

M  m  4  That 


536     TITUS     A  N  D  R  O  N  I  C  U  S. 

That  dy'd  by  law  for  murder  of  our  brother, 
Have  by  my  means  been  butcher'd  wrongfully  r— 
Go,  drag  the  villain  hither  by  the  hair  ; 
Nor  age,  nor  honour,  fliall  fhape  privilege  :  — 
For  this  proud  mock,  I'll  be  thy  flaughter-man  ; 
Sly  frantick  wretch,  that  holp'ft  to  make  me  great, 
In  hope  thyfelf  Jhouid  govern  Rome  and  me. 

*  Enter 

Sat.  What  news  with  th?e, 

&mil.  Arm,  arm,  my   lords;    Rome  never  had 

more  caufe  ! 

The  Goths  have  gather'd  head  ;  and  with  a  power 
Of  high-relblved  men,  bent  to  the  fpoil, 
They  hither  march  amain,  under  conduit 
Of  Lucius,  fon  to  old  Andronicus  ; 
Who  threats,  in  courfe  of  his  revenge,  to  do 
As  much  as  ever  Coriolanus  did. 

Sat.  Is  warlike  Lucius  general  of  the  Goths  ? 
Thefe  tid  ngs  nip  me;  and  I  hang  the  head 
As  flowers  with  froft,  or  grafs  beat  down  with  florins. 
Ay,  now  begin  our  forrows  to  approach  : 
'I'is  he,  the  common  people  love  fo  much  ; 
Myfelf  have  often  over-heard  them  fay, 
(When  I  have  walked  like  a  private  man) 
That  Lucius'  baniihment  was  wrongfully, 
And  they  have  wifh'd  that  Lucius  were  their  emperor. 

yam.  Why  ftiould  you  fear  ?  is  not  our  city  ftrong  ? 

Sat.  Ay,  but  the  citizens  favour  Lucius; 


*  Enter  Nuntius  ^Emiliui.'}  Thus  the  old  books  have  defcribed 
this  character.  In  the  author's  manufcript,  I  prefume,  it  was  writ, 
Enter  Nuntius  ;  and  they  obferving,  that  he  is  immediately  called 
yEmilius,  thought  proper  to  give  him  his  whole  title,  andlb  clap- 
ped in  Lnter  Nuntius  jEmilius.  -  Mr.  Pope  has  very  critically 
followed  them  ;  and  ought,  methinks,  to  have  give  his  new-adopt- 
ed citizen  Nuutius  a  place  in  the  Dramatis  Perfons. 

THEOEAJ.D. 

And 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.     537 

And  will  revolt  from  me,  to  fuccour  him. 

Tarn.  King,  be  thy  thoughts  imperious,  like  thy 

name. 

Is  the  fun  dimm'd,  that  gnats  do  fly  in  it  ? 
The  eagle  fuffers  little  birds  to  fing, 
And  is  not  careful  what  they  mean  thereby  ; 
Knowing,  that  with  the  fhadow  of  his  wings, 
He  can  at  pleafure  flint  their  melody : 
Even  fo  may'ft  thou  the  giddy  men  of  Rome. 
Then  cheer  thy  fpirit :  for  know,  thou  emperor, 
I  will  enchant  the  old  Andronicus, 
With  words  more  fweet,  and  yet  more  dangerous, 
Than  baits  to  fifh,  or  3  honey-flalks  to  Iheep  ; 
When  as  the  one  is  wounded  with  the  bait, 
The  other  rotted  with  delicious  feed. 

Sat.  But  he  will  not  entreat  his  fon  for  us. 

1am.  If  Tamora  entreat  him,  then  he  will :   . 
For  I  can  fmooth,  and  fill  his  aged  ear 
With  golden  promifes  ;  that  were  his  heart 
Almoft  impregnable,  his  old  ears  deaf, 
Yet  ftioukl  both  ear  and  heart  obey  my  tongue. — 
Go  thou  before,  be  our  embafiador :       [To^Eml'ms. 
Say,  that  the  emperor  requefts  a  parley 
Of  warlike  Lucius,  and  appoint  the  meeting. 

Siit.  ^Emilius,  do  this  meflage  honourably  : 
And  if  he  ftand  on  hoftage  for  his  fafety, 
Bid  him  demand  what  pledge  will  pleafe  him  belt. 

Mmll.  Your  bidding  lhall  I  do  effectually.    [Exit. 

Taw.  Now  will  I  to  that  old  Andronicus ; 
And  temper  him,  with  all  the  art  I  have, 
To  pluck  proud  Lucius  from  the  warlike  Goths. 
And  now,  fweet  emperor,  be  blith  again, 
And  bury  all  thy  fear  in  my  devices. 

1  •)  •  •  loncy-jlall{itojljeep\\  Honty-Jlalks  are  clover-flowers, 
which  contain  a  fweet  juice.  It  is  common  tor  cattle  to  over- 
charge themfelyes  with  clover,  and  die.  JOHNSON. 

Sat. 


3     TITUS    A  N  D  P.  O  N  I  C  U  S. 

Sat.  Then  go  fucccefsfully  4,  and  plead  to  him. 

[Exeunt. 


ACT     V.        SCENE     I. 

The  camp,  at  a  fmall  diftance  from  Rome. 
Enter  Lucius  and  Goths,  with  drum  andfoldiers. 

Luc.  Approved  warriors,  and  my  faithful  friends, 
I  have  received  letters  from  great  Rome, 
Which  fignify,  what  hate  they  bear  their  emperor, 
And  how  defirous  of  our  fight  they  are. 
Therefore,  great  lords,  be,  as  your  titles  witnefs, 
Imperious,  and  impitient  of  your  wrongs ; 
And,  wherein  Rome  hath  done  you  any  fcathe, 
Let  him  make  treble  fatisfaction. 

Goth.    Brave  flip,    fprung   from    the  great  An- 

dronicus, 

Whofe  name  was  once  our  terror,  now  our  comfort; 
Whofe  high  exploits,  and  honourable  deeds, 
Ingrateful  Rome  requites  with  foul  contempt, 
Be  bold  in  us  :  we'll  follow  where  thou  lead'ft,— 
Like  flinging  bees  in  hotted  fummer's  day, 
Led  by  their  mafter  to  the  fiower'd  fields, — 
And  be  aveng'd  on  curfed  Tamora. 

Own.  And,  as  he  faith,  fo  fay  we  all  with  him. 

Lv.c.  I  humbly  thank  him,  and  I  thnnk  you  all. 
But  who  comes  here,  led  by  a  lufty  Goth  ? 

Enter  a  Goth,  leading  Aaron,  with  his  child  in  his  amis. 
Goih.  Renowned  Lucius,  from  our  troops  I  ftray 'd, 


*  —fuccefifuKy, — ]  The  old  copies  read ;  '—fucceffantly. 

STEEVEXS. 


To 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.     539 

5  To  gaze  upon  a  ruinous  monaftery  ; 

And  as  I  earneftly  did  fix  mine  eye 

Upon  the  wafted  building,  fuddenly 

I  heard  a  child  cry  underneath  a  wall  : 

I  made  unto  the  noife  ;  when  foon  I  heard 

The  crying  babe  controul'd  with  this  difcourfe  : 

Peace,  tawny  Jlave ;  half  me,  and  half  thy  dam.  I 

Did  not  thy  hue  bewray  wbofe  brat  tbon  arft 

Had  nature  lent  thee  but  thy  mother's  look, 

Villain^  tkou  mighfft  have  been  an  emperor  : 

But  wberc  the  bull  and  cow  are  both  milk-white, 

They  never  do  beget  a  coal-black  calf. 

Peace,  villain,  peace! — even  thus  he  rates  the  babe,— •* 

For  I  mujl  bear  thee  to  a  trufty  Goth ; 

Who,  when  he  knows  thou  art  the  emperefs*  babe. 

Will  hold  thee  dearly  for  thy  mother 's  fake. 

With  this,  my  weapon  drawn,  I  rufh'd  upon  him, 

Surpriz'd  him  fuddenly;  and  brought  him  hither, 

To  ufe  as  you  think  needful  of  the  man. 

Luc.  O  worthy  Goth  !  this  is  the  incarnate  devil, 
That  robb'd  Andronicus  of  his  good  hand  : 
This  is  the  pearl  that  pleas'd  your  emperefs'  eye  ; 
And  here's  the  bafe  fruit  of  his  burning  luft.— 
Say,  wall-ey'd  flave,  whither  would'fl  thou  convey 
This  growing  image  of  thy  fiend-like  face  ? 
Why  doftnotfpeak?    What!  deaf?    No!    not  a 

word  ? 

A  halter,  foldiers  ;  hang  him  on  this  tree, 
And  by  his  fide  his  fruit  of  baftardy. 

5  To  gaze  upon  a  ruinous  monaflery.~\  Shakefpeare  has  fb  perpetu- 
ally offended  againft  chronology  in  all  his  plays,  that  no  very 
conclulive  argument  can  be  deduced  from  the  particular  abfurdity 
of  thefe  anachronifms,  relative  to  the  authenticity  of  Titus  Andro- 
nicus. And  yet  the  ruined  monajtery,  the  popijb  tricks,  &c.  that 
Aaron  talks  of,  and  efpecially  the  French  lalutation  from  the 
mouth  of  Titus,  are  altogether  fo  very  much  out  of  place,  that  I 
cannot  perfuade  myfelf  even  our  hafty  poet  could  have  been  guilty 
of  their  infertion,  or  would  have  permitted  them  to  remain,  had 
he  corrected  the  performance  for  another.  STEEVENS. 

Jar, 


540     TITUS    ANDRONICUS. 

Aar.  Touch  not  the  boy,  he  is  of  royal  blood. 

Luc.  Too  like  the  fire  for  ever  being  good. — 
Firft,  hang  the  child,  that  he  may  fee  it  fprawl ; 
A  fight  to  vex  the  father's  foul  withal. 
*  Get  me  a  ladder. 

Aar.  Lucius,  fave  the  child  ; 
And  bear  it  from  me  to  the  emperefs. 
If  thou  do  this,  I'll  Ihow  thee  wond'rous  things, 
That  highly  may  advantage  thee  to  hear  : 
If  thou  wilt  not,  befall  what  may  befall, 
1*11  fpeak  no  more ;  But  vengeance  rot  you  all ! 

Luc.  Say  on;  and,   if  it  pleafe  me  which  thou 

fpeak'ir, 
Thy  child  lhall  live,  and  I  will  fee  it  nourilh'd. 

Aar.  An  if  it  pleafe  thee?  why,  allure  thee,  Lucius.3 
'Twill  vex  thy  foul  to  hear  what  I  lhall  fpeak  ; 
For  I  muft  talk  of  murders,  rapes,  and  maflacres, 
A&s  of  black  night,  abominable  deeds, 
Cotnplots  of  milchief,  treafon  ;  villainies 
Ruthful  to  hear,  yet  pitcouily  perform'd  : 
And  this  lhall  all  be  buried  by  my  death, 
Unlefs  thou  fwear  to  me,  my  child  lhall  live. 

Luc.  Tell  on  thy  mind  ;  1  fay,  thy  child  lhall  live. 
.  Aar.  Swear,  that  he  ihall,  and  then  I  will  begin. 

Luc.  Who  Ihould  I  fwear  by  ?  thou  bcliev'it  no 

'     god ; 
That  granted,  how  can'fl  thou  believe  an  oath  ? 

Aar.  What  if  I  do  not  ?  as,  indeed,  I  do  not : 
Yet, — for  I  know  thou  art  religious, 
And  haft  a  thing  within  thee,  called  confcience; 
With  twenty  popiih  tricks  and  ceremonies, 
Which  I  have  feen  thee  careful  to  obfervc, — 
Therefore  I  urge  thy  oath  ;— For  that,  I  know, 

6  Aar.  Get  me  a  ladder.  Lucius,  fave  the  child.]  All  the  print- 
ed editions  have  given  this  whole  verfe  to  Aaron.  But  why  fhould 
the  Moor  here  aik  for  a  ladder,  who  earnestly  wanted  to  have  his 
child  fuved  ?  THEOBALD 

Get  me  a  ladder  ^  may  mean,  hang  me.    STEEVENS. 

An 


TITUS     ANDRONICUS.      541 

An  ideot  holds  his  bauble 9  for  a  god, 
And  keeps  the  oath,  which  by  that  god  he  fwears  ; 
To  that  I'll  urge  him  : — Therefore,  thou  fhalt  vow 
By  that  fame  god,  what  god  foe'er  it  be, 

That  thou  ador'ft  and  hall  in  reverence, 

To  fave  my  boy,  nourifh,  and  bring  him  up  ; 
Or  elfe  I  will  difcover  nought  to  thee. 

Luc.  Even  by  my  god,  I  fwear  to  thee,  I  will. 
Aar.  Firft,  know  thou,  I  begot  him  on  the  em- 

perefs. 

Luc.  O  moft  infatiate,  luxurious  woman  ! 
Aar.  Tut,  Lucius !  this  was  but  a  deed  of  charity, 
To  that  which  thou  ftialt  hear  of  me  anon. 
'Twas  her  two  fons,  that  murder'd  Baffianus  : 
They  cut  thy  fitter's  tongue,  and  ravifh'd  her, 
And  cut  her  hands  off;   and  trimm'd  her  as  thou 

faw'ft. 
Luc.  O,     deteftable    villain  !     call'fl    thou    that 

trimming  ? 
Aar.  Why,  fhe  was  wafn/d,  and  cut,  and  trimm'd ; 

and  'twas 

Trim  fport  for  them  that  had  the  doing  of  it. 
Luc.  O,  barbarous  beaftly  villains,  like  thyfelf ! 
Aar.  Indeed,  I  was  the  tutor  to  inftruct  them  : 
That  codding  fpirit '  had  they  from  their  mother, 
As  fure  a  card  as  ever  won  the  fet ; 
That  bloody  mind,  I  think,  they  learn'd  of  me, 
*  As  true  a  dog  as  ever  fought  at  head.— 

Well, 

»  —his  bauble—]  See  a  note  on  AWs  Well  that  ends  Well,  a£t  IV. 
fc.  5.  STEEVENS. 

1  That  coddingy/5/r/V ]  i.e.  that  love  of  led-fports.  CWis 

a  word  ftill  i-fed  in  York  (hire  for  a/>///ow.  See  Lloyd's  catalogue 
of  local  words  at  the  end  of  Ray's  Proverbs.  COLLINS. 

*  As  true  a  dog  as  ever  fought  at  head. — ]  An  allufion  to  bull- 
dogs, whofe  generofity  and  courage  are  always  fhown  by  meeting 
the  bull  in  tront,  and  feizing  his  nofe.  JOHNSON. 

So 


54*      TITUS    ANDRONICUS. 

Well,  let  my  deeds  be  witnefs  of  my  worth. 
I  train'd  thy  brethren  to  that  guileful  hole, 
Where  the  dead  corps  of  Baffianus  lay  : 
I  wrote  the  letter  that  thy  father  found, 
And  hid  the  gold  within  the  letter  mention'd, 
Confederate  with  the  queen,  and  her  two  fons : 
And  what  not  done,  that  thou  had  caufeto  rue, 
Wherein'  I  had  no  ftroke  of  mifchief  in  it  ? 
I  play'd  the  cheater  for  thy  father's  hand; 
And,  when  I  had  it,  drew  myfelf  apart, 
And  almoft  broke  my  heart  with  extreme  laughter. 
I  pry'd  me  through  the  crevice  of  a  wall, 

When,  for  his  hand,  he  had  his  two  fons'  heads ; 
Beheld  his  tears,  and  laugh'd  fo  heartily, 

That  both  mine  eyes  were  rainy  like  to  his ; 

And  when  I  told  the  emperefs  of  this  fport, 

She  fwooned  almoft  at  my  pleafing  tale, 

And,  for  my  tidings,  gave  me  twenty  kifies. 

Goi/j.  What !  canft  thou  fay  all  this,  and  never 

blufh  ? 

Aar.  Ay,  like  a  black  dog,  as  the  faying  is. 
Luc.  Art  thou  not  forry  for  thefe  heinous  deeds  ? 
Aar.  Ay,  that  I  had  not  done  a  thoufand  more. 

Even  now  I  curfe  the  day,  (and  yet,  I  think, 

Few  come  within  the  compafs  of  my  curfe) 

Wherein  I  did  not  fome  notorious  ill : 

As  kill  a  man,  or  elfe  devife  his  death  ; 

Ravilh  a  maid,  or  plot  the  way  to  do  it ; 

Accufe  fome  innocent,  and  forfwear  myfelf : 

Set  deadly  enmity  between  two  friends ; 

Make  poor  men's  cattle  break  their  necks; 

Set  fire  on  barns  and  hay-flacks  in  the  night, 

And  bid  the  owners  quench  them  with  their  tears. 

So  in  a  collection  of  Epigrams  by  J.  D.  and  C.  M.  printed  at 
Middleburgh,  no  date: 

"  amongrt  the  dogs  and  beares  he  goes ; 

"  Where,  while  he  Hupping  cries — To  head,  to  head,  &c.M 

Sf 

Oft 


TITUS     ANDRONICUS.     543 

Oft  have  I  digg'd  up  dead  men  from  their  graves, 
And  fet  them  upright  at  their  dear  friends'  doors, 
Even  when  the  forrow  almoft  was  forgot  ; 
And  on  their  Ikins,  as  on  the  bark  of  trees, 
Have  with  my  knife  carved  in  Roman  letters, 
Let  not  your  forrow  die,  though  I  am  dead. 
Tut,  I  have  done  a  thoufand  dreadful  things, 
As  willingly  as  one  would  kill  a  fly  ; 
And  nothing  grieves  me  heartily  indeed, 
But  that  I  cannot  do  ten  thoufand  more. 

Luc.  Bring  down  the  devil » ;  for  he  mud  not  die 
So  fweet  a  death,  as  hanging  prefently. 

Aar.  If  there  be  devils,  'would  I  were  a  devil, 
To  live  and  burn  in  everlafting  fire  ; 
So  I  might  have  your  company  in  hell, 
But  to  torment  you  with  my  bitter  tongue ! 

Luc.  Sirs,  flop  his  mouth,  and  let  him  fpcak  no 
more. 

Enter  Mmilius. 

Goth.  My  lord,  there  is  a  meffenger  from  Rome, 
Defires  to  be  admitted  to  your  prefence. 

Luc.  Let  him  come  near. 
Welcome,  ^Emilius,  what's  the  news  from  Rome  ? 

Mmll.  Lord  Lucius,     and    you  princes   of  the 

Goths, 

The  Roman  emperor  greets  you  all  by  me : 
And,  for  he  underftands  you  are  in  arms, 
He  craves  a  parley  at  your  father's  houfe ; 
Willing  you  to  demand  your  hoftages, 
And  they  lhall  be  immediately  deliver'd. 

Goth.  What  fays  our  general  ? 

3  Bring  down  the  devil; — ]  It  appears,  from  thefe  words,  that 
the  audience  were  entertained  with  part  of  the  apparatus  of  an 
execution,  and  that  Aaron  was  mounted  on  a  ladder,  as  ready  to 
be  turned  off.  STEEYENS. 

£** 


544     TITUS    ANDRONICUS. 

Luc.  ./Emilius,  let  the  emperor  give  his  pledges 
Unto  my  father  and  my  uncle  Marcus, 
And  we  will  come.     March  a\vay.  [Exeunt. 

SCENE    II. 

Titus' *s  palace  in  Rome. 

Enter  Tamora,  CMron,  and  Demetrius,  difguifd. 

Tarn.  Thus,  in  this  ftrange  and  fad  habiliment, 
I  will  encounter  with  Andronicus ; 
And  fay,  I  am  Revenge,  fent  from  below, 
To  join  with  him,  and  right  his  heinous  wrongs. 
Knock  at  his  ftudy,  where,  they  fay,  he  keeps, 
To  ruminate  ftrange  plots  of  dire  revenge  ; 
Tell  him,  Revenge  is  come  to  join  with  him, 
And  work  confufion  on  his  enemies. 

[They  knock,  and  Titus  opens  hisftudy  door. 
Tit.  Who  doth  moleft  my  contemplation  ? 
Is  it  your  trick  to  make  me  ope  the  door ; 
That  fo  my  fad  decrees  may  fly  away, 
And  all -my  ftudy  be  to  no  effect  > 
You  are  deceiv'd  :  for  what  I  mean  to  do, 
See  here,  in  bloody  lines  I  have  fet  down  ; 
And  what  is  written  Ihall  be  executed. 

Tarn.  Titus,  I  am  come  to  talk  with  thee. 
Tit.  No  ;  not  a  word  :  How  can  I  grace  my  talk, 
Wanting  a  hand  to  give  it  that  accord  ? 
Thou  haft  the  odds  of  me,  therefore  no  more. 
Tarn.  If  thou  did'ft  know  me,  thou  wouldft  talk 

with  me. 

Tit.  I  am  not  mad ;  I  know  thee  well  enough  : 
Witnefs  this  wretched  ftump,  thefe  crimfon  lines  ; 
Witnefs  thefe  trenches,  made  by  grief  and  care  j 
Witnefs  the  tiring  day,  and  heavy  night ; 
Witnefs  all  forrow,  that  I  know  thee  well 
For  our  proud  emperefs,  mighty  Tamora  : 
Is  not  thy  coming  for  my  other  hand  ? 

Tarn 


TITUS     ANDRONICUS.      545 

Tarn.  Know  thou,  fad  man,  I  am  not  Tamora  ; 
She  is  thy  enemy,  and  I  thy  friend  :  ' 
I  am  Revenge  ;  fent  from  the  infernal  kingdom, 
To  eafe  the  gnawing  vulture  of  thy  mind, 
By  working  wreakful  vengeance  on  thy  foes. 
Come  down,  and  welcome  me  to  this  world's  light; 
Confer  with  me  of  murder  and  of  death  : 
There's  not  a  hollow  cave,  nor  lurking-place, 
No  vaft  obfcurity,  or  mifty  vale, 
Where  bloody  murder,  or  detefted  rape, 
Can  couch  for  fear,  but  I  will  find  them  out ; 
And  in  their  ears  tell  them  my  dreadful  name, 
Revenge,  which  makes  the  foul  offenders  quake. 

Tit.  Art  thou  Revenge  ?  and  art  thou  fent  to  mej 
To  be  a  torment  to  mine  enemies  ? 

Tarn.  I  am  ;  therefore  come  down,  and  welcome 
me. 

Tit.  Do  me  fome  fervice,  ere  I  come  to  thee. 
Lo,  by  thy  fide  where  Rape,  and  Murder,  (lands ; 
Now  give  fome  'furance  that  thou  art  Revenge, 
Stab  them,  or  tear  them  on  thy  chariot  wheels  ; 
And  then  I'll  come,  and  be  thy  waggoner, 
And  whirl  along  with  thee  about  the  globes. 
Provide  two  proper  palfries,  black  as  jet, 
To  hale  thy  vengeful  waggon  fwift  away, 
And  find  out  murderers  in  their  guilty  caves  : 
And,  when  thy  car  is  loaden  with  their  heads, 
I  will  difmount,  and  by  the  waggon  wheel 
Trot,  like  a  fervile  footman,  all  day  long; 
Even  from  Hyperion's  +  rifing  in  the  eaft, 
Until  his  very  downfal  in  the  fea. 
And  day  by  day  I'll  do  this  heavy  tafk, 
•  So  thou  deftroy  Rapine  and  Murder  there. 

Tarn. 

4  —Hyperions ]    The  folio   reads  Eftons;    the  quarto 

£peon'$',  and  fo  Ravenfcroft.     STEEVBNS. 

5  So  ibou  deftroy  Rapine  and  Murder  there. .]  I  do  not  know  of 
any  intfance  that  caR  be  brought  to  prove  that  rapt  and  rapine  were 

VOL.  VIII.  N  n  ever 


54<*      TITUS     A  N  D  R  O  N  I  C  U  S. 

Tarn.  Thefe  are  my  miniflers,  and  come  with  ma* 

7//.  Are  they  thy  minifters  ?  what  are  they  call'd  ? 

'Tarn.  Rapine,  and  Murder  :  therefore  called  fo, 
'Caufe  they  take  vengeance  on  fuch  kind  of  men. 

lit.  Good  lord,  how  like  the  emperefs'  fons  they 

are  ! 

And  you,  the  emperefs  !  But  we  worldly  men 
Have  miferable,  mad,  miftaking  eyes. 

0  fwcer  Revenge,  now  do  I  come  to  thee  : 

And,  if  one  arm's  embracement  will  content  thee,, 

1  will  embrace  thee  in  it  by  and  by. 

[Exit  Titus,  from  above, 

Tarn.  This  clofing  with  him  fits  his  lunacy  : 
Whate'er  I  forge,  to  feed  his  brain-lick  fits, 
Do  you  uphold  and  maintain  in  your  fpeechcs.. 
For  now  he  firmly  takes  me  for  Revenge ; 
And,  being  credulous  in  this  mad  thought, 
I'll  make  him  fend  for  Lucius,  his  fon  ; 
And,  whilft  I  at  a  banquet  hold  him  fure, 
I'll  find  fome  cunning  practice  out  of  hand, 
To  fcatter  and  difperfe  the  giddy  Goths, 
Or,  at  the  leaft,  make  them  his  enemies. 
See,  here  he  comes,  and  I  muft  ply  my  theme. 

Enter  Fitus*. 

Tit.  Long  have  I  been  forlorn,  and  all  for  thee  : 
Welcome,  dread  fury,  to  my  woeful  houfe  ; — 
Rapine,  and  Murder,  you  are  welcome  too  : — 
How  like  the  emperefs  and  her  fons  you  are  ! 

ever  ufed  as  fynonymous  terms.  The  word  rapine  has  always  been 
employed  for  a  Itfi  fatal  kind  of  -plunder ^  and  means  the  violent  a6t 
of  deprivation  of  any  good,  the  honour  here  alluded  to  being  always 
excepted.  I  have  indeed  fince  difcovcr^d  that  Gower,  De  Cun- 
feffione  Amanth,  lib.  V.  fol.  i  i6.b.  tiles  ravine  in  the  fame  fenfe  : 

"  For  if  thou  be  of  Cliche  covine, 

"  To  get  of  love  by  ra-vyne 

**  Thy  luft,  &c."  '  STEEVENS. 

7  Well 


TITUS    A  N  D  R  O  N  I  C  U  S.      54/ 

Well  are  you  fitted,  had  you  but  a  Moor  : — 
Could  not  all  hell  afford  you  fuch  a  devil? — 
For,  well  I  wot,  the  emperefs  never  wags, 
But  in  her  company  there  is  a  Moor ; 
And,  would  you  reprefent  our  queen  aright, 
It  were  convenient  you  had  fuch  a  devil  : 
But  welcome,  as  you  are.     What  fhall  we  do  ? 

Tarn.  What  wouldft  thou  have  us  do,  Andronicus  ? 

]Jem.  Shew  me  a  murderer,  I'll  deal  with  him. 

Chi.  Shew  me  a  villain,  that  hath  done  a  rape, 
And  I  am  fent  to  be-rcveng'd  on  him. 

Tarn.  Shew  me  a  thoufand,  that  have  done  thee 

wrong, 
And  I  will  be  revenged  on  them  all. 

Tit.  Look  round  about  the  wicked  ftreets  of  Rome; 
And  when  thou  find'ft  a  man  that's  like  thyfelf, 
Good  Murder,  (tab  him  ;  he's  a  murderer. — 
Go  thou  with  him  ;  and,  when  it  is  thy  hap, 
To  find  another  that  is  like  to  thee, 
Good  Rapine,  ftab  him  ;  he  is  a  ravifher. — 
Go  thou  with  them  ;  and  in  the  emperor's  court 
There  is  a  queen,  attended  by  a  Moor ; 
Well  may'ft  thou  know  her  by  thy  own  proportion, 
For  up  and  down  fhe  doth  refemble  thee  ; 
I  pray  thee,  do  on  them  fome  violent  death, 
They  have  been  violent  to  me  and  mine. 

Tarn.  Well  haft  thou  leflbn'd  us ;  this  fhall  we  do; 
But  would  it  pleafe  thee,  good  Andronicus, 
To  fend  for  Lucius,  thy  thrice  valiant  fon, 
Who  leads  towards  Rome  a  band  of  warlike  Goths, 
And  bid  him  come  and  banquet  at  thy  houfe  : 
When  he  is  here,  even  at  thy  folemn  feaft, 
I  will  bring  in  the  cmpercfs  and  her  fons, 
The  emperor  himfelf,  and  all  thy  foes ; 
And  at  thy  mercy  fliall  they  ftoop  and  kneel, 
And  on  them  fhalt  thou  eafe  thy  angry  heart. 
What  fays  Andronicus  to  this  device  ? 

Tit.  Marcus,  my  brother  !— 'tis  fad  Titus  calls. 
N  u  2  Enter 


54?      TITUS    ANDRONICUS. 

Enter  Marcus. 

Go,  gentle  Marcus,  to  thy  nephew  Lucius ; 
Thou  fhalt  enquire  him  out  among  the  Goths  : 
Bid  him  repair  to  me,  and  bring  with  him 
Some  of  the  chiefeft  princes  of  the  Goths  ; 
Bid  him  encamp  his  foldiers  where  they  are  : 
Tell  him,  the  emperor  and  the  emperefs  too 
Feaft  at  my  houfe  ;  and  he  fhall  featt  with  them. 
This  do  thou  for  my  love ;  and  fo  let  him, 
As  he  regards  his  aged  father's  life. 

Mar.  This  will  I  do,  and  foon  return  again.  [Exit. 

Tarn.  Now  will  I  hence  about  thy  bufinefs, 
And  take  my  minilters  along  with  me. 

Tit.  Nay,  nay,  let  Rape  and  Murder  ftay  with  me; 
Or  elfe  Til  call  my  brother  back  again, 
And  cleave  to  no  revenge  but  Lucius. 

'Tarn,  \_toberfons.~]  What  fay  you,  boys  ?  will  you 

abide  with  him, 

Whiles  I  go  tell  my  lord  the  emperor, 
How  I  have  govern'd  our  determin'd  jcfl  ? 
Yield  to  his  humour,  fmooth  and  fpeak  him  fair, 
And  tarry  with  him  'till  I  come  again. 

Tit.  I  know  them  all,  though  they  fuppofe  me 

mad ; 

And  will  o'er-reach  them  in  their  own  devices, 
A  pair  of  curfed  hell-hounds,  and  their  dam.   [Afide. 

Dem.  Madam,  depart  at  pleafure,  leave  us  here. 

Tom.  Farewel,  Andronicus  :  Revenge  now  goes 
To  lay  a  complot  to  betray  thy  foes.       [Exit  Tamora. 

Tit.  I  know,    thou  doft;    and,    fweet  Revenge, 
farewel. 

CFi,  Tell  us,  old  man,  how  fhall  we  be  employ'd  ? 

Tit.  Tut,  I  have  work  enough  for  you  to  do. — 
Publius,  come  hither,  Caius,  and  Valentine ! 

Enter 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS      549 

Enter  Publius,  and  Servants. 

Pub.  What  is  your  will  ? 

Tit.  Know  you  thefe  two  ? 

Pub.  The  emperefs'  Tons, 
I  take  them,  Chiron,  and  Demetrius. 

Tit.  Fye,  Publius,  fye !  thou  art  too  mi  ch  de- 

ceiv'd  ; 

The  one  is  Murder,  Rape  is  the  other's  name  : 
And  therefore  bind  them,  gentle  Publius  ; 
Caius,  and  Valentine,  lay  hands  on  them  : 
Oft  have  you  heard  me  wifh  for  fuch  an  hour, 
And  now  I  find  it :  therefore  bind  them  fure ; 
And  flop  their  mouths,  if  they  begin  to  cry. 

[Exit  Titus. 

Chi.  Villains,  forbear  ;  we  are  the  emperefs'  fons. 

Pub.  And  therefore  do  we   what  we  are  com- 
manded.— 

Stop  clofe  their  mouths,  let  them  not  fpeak  a  worcU 
Is  he  fure  bound  ?  look,  that  you  bind  them  faft. 

Re-enter  Titus  Andronicus  with  a  knife,  and  Lavlnia  with 
a  bafon. 

Tit.  Come,  come,  Lavinia ;    look,    thy  foes  ar« 

bound  : — 

Sirs,  flop  their  mouths,  let  them  not  fpeak  to  me  j 
But  let  them  hear  what  fearful  words  I  utter.— 
O  villains,  Chiron  and  Demetrius  ! 
Here  flands  the  fpring  whom  you  have  flain'd  with 

mud  ; 

This  goodly  fummer  with  your  winter  mix'd. 
You  kill'd  her  hufband  ;  and,  for  that  vile  fault, 
Two  of  her  brothers  were  condemn'd  to  death  : 
My  hand  cut  off,  and  made  a  merry  jefl : 
Both  her  fvveet  hands,  her  tongue,  and  that,  more 

dear 
Than  hands  or  tongue,  her  fpotlefs  chaflity, 

N  n  3  In- 


5?o     TITUS     AN  DR  ON  I  CITS. 

Inhuman  traitors,  yon  conftrain'd  and  forc'd. 
What  would  you  fay,  if  1  fhould  let  you  fpeak  ? 
Villains,  for  fhame  you  could  not  beg  for  grace. 
Hark,  wretches,  how  I  mean  to  martyr  you. 
This  one  hand  yet  is  left  to  cut  your  throats  ; 
Whilft  that  Lavinia  'twixt  her  flumps  doth  hold 
The  bafon,  that  receives  your  guilty  blood. 
You  know,  your  mother  means  to  feaft  with  me, 
And  calls  herfelf  Revenge,  and  thinks  me  mad,— 
Hark,  villains  ;  I  will  grind  your  bones  to  duft, 
And  with  your  blood  and  it  I'll  make  a  pafte ; 
6  And  of  the  pafte  a  coffin  will  I  rear, 
And  make  two  parties  of  your  ihameful  heads ; 
And  bid  that  ftrumpet,  your  unhallow'd  dam, 
Like  to  the  earth,  fwallow  her  own  increafe. 
This  is  the  feaft  that  I  have  bid  her  to, 
And  this  the  banquet  flie  fhall  furfeit  on  ; 
For  worfe  than  Philomel  you  us'd  my  daughter, 
And  worfe  than  Progne  I  will  be  reveng'd  : 
And  now  prepare  your  throats. — Lavinia,  come, 
Receive  the  blood  :  and,  when  that  they  are  dead, 
Let  me  go  grind  their  bones  to  powder  fmall, 
And  with  this  hateful  liquor  temper  it ; 
And  in  that  pafte  let  their  vile  heads  be  bak'd. 
Come,  come,  be  every  one  officious 
To  make  this  banquet;  which  I  wilh  might  prove 
More  ftern  and  bloody  than  the  Centaur's  feaft. 

\_He  cuts  their  tl:ro^:, 

So,  now  bring  them  in,  for  I  will  play  the  cook, 
And  fee  them  ready  'gainft  their  mother  comes. 

[Exeunt. 

6  And  of  the  pafte  a  coffin     ••  ]  A  cflffin  is  the  term  of  art  for  the 
cavity  of  a  raifed  pye.    JOHNSON. 


SCENE 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.      551 

SCENE         III. 

Enter  'Lucius,  Marcus,  and  Goths,  with  Aaron  prifoner. 

Lac.  Uncle  Marcus,  fmce  It  is  my  father's  mind, 
That  I  repair  to  Rome,  I  am  content. 

Gotk.  And  ours  with  thine,    befall  what  fortune 
will. 

Lite.  Good  uncle,  take  you  in  this  barbarous  Moor, 
This  ravenous  tiger,  this  accurfed  devil ; 
Let  him  receive  no  fuftenance,  fetter  him, 
'Till  he  be  brought  unto  the  emperor's  face, 
For  teftimony  of  thefe  foul  proceedings  : 
And  fee  the  ambulh  of  our  friends  be  ftrong  ; 
I  fear,  the  emperor  means  no  good  to  us. 

Aar.  Some  devil  whifper  curfes  in  mine  ear, 
And  prompt  me,  that  my  tongue  may  utter  forth 
The  venomous  malice  of  my  fwelling  heart  ! 

Luc.  Away,  inhuman  dog  !  unhallow'd  flave  !— 

[Exeunt  Goths,  with  Aaron. 

Sirs,  help  our  uncle  to  convey  him  in.—     [Fkurifi. 
The  trumpets  fhew,  the  emperor  is  at  hand. 

Sound  trumpets.     Enter  Saturninvs  and  femora,    with 
Tribunes  and  others. 

Sat..  What,  hath  the  firmament  more  funs  than 

one  ? 

Luc.  What  boots  it  thce  to  call  thyfelf  a  fun  ? 
Mar.  Rome's  emperor,  and  nephew,  7  break  the 

parle  ; 

Thefe  quarrels  muft  be  quietly  debated. 
The  feail  is  ready,  which  the  careful  Titus 

7  —  Ircak  the  park -,}    That  is,  leg-*  the  parley.    We  yet  fay, 
he  breaks  his  mind.     JOHNSON. 

N  n  4  Hath 


55*     TITUS    ANDRONICUS. 

Hath  ordain'd  to  an  honourable  end, 

For  peace,  for  love,  for  league,  and  good  to  Rome  : 

Pleafe  you,  therefore,    draw  nigh,    and  take  your 

places. 
Sat.  Marcus,  we  will.  {Hautboys. 

'A  talk  brought  in.  Enter  Titus,  like  a  cook,  placing 
the  meat  on  the  table,  and  Lavinia,  with  a  veil  over 
her  face. 

Tit.  Welcome,  my  gracious  lord ;  welcome,  dread 

queen  ; 

Welcome,  ye  warlike  Goths ;  welcome,  Lucius ; 
And  welcome,  all  :  although  the  cheer  be  poor, 
'Twill  fill  your  ftomachs  ;  pleafe  you  eat  of  it. 
Sat.  Why  art  thou  thus  attir'd,  Andronicus  ? 
Tit.  Becaufe  I  would  be  fure  to  have  all  well, 
To  entertain  your  highnefs,  and  your  emperefs. 
Tarn.  We  are  beholden  to  you,  good  Andronicus. 
Tit.  An  if  your  highnefs    knew  my  heart,  you 

were. 

My  lord  the  emperor,  refolve  me  this ; 
Was  it  well  done  of  rafh  Virginius, 
To  flay  his  daughter  with  his  own  right  hand, 
Becaufe  Ihe  was  enforc'd,  llain'd,  and  deflower'd  ? 
Sat.  It  was,  Andronicus. 
Tit.  Your  reafon,  mighty  lord  ? 
Sat.    Becaufe   the    girl   fhould   not    furvive  her 

lhame, 
And  by  her  prefence  {till  renew  his  forrows. 

Tit.  A  reafon  mighty,  ftroncr,  and  effectual ; 
A  pattern,  precedent,  and  lively  warrant, 
For  me,  moft  wretched,  to  perform  the  like  :— 
Die,  die,  Lavinia,  and  thy  lhame  with  thee  ; 
And,  with  thy  lhame,  thy  father's  forrow  die  ! 

{lie  kills  her. 

Sat.  What  haft  thou  done,  unnatural,  and  unkind  ? 

Tit. 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.      553 

Tit.  Kill'd  her,  for  whom  my  tears  have  made  me 

blind. 

I  am  as  woeful  as  Virginius  was  : 
And  have  a  thoufand  times  more  caufe  than  he 
To  do  this  outrage  ; — and  it  is  now  done. 

Sat.  What,  was  Ihe  ravilhed  ?  tell,  who  did  the 

deed. 
2V/.  Will't  pleafe  you  eat  ?  will't  pleafe  your  high- 

nefs  feed  ? 

Tarn.  Why  haft  thou  flain  thine  only  daughter  thus  ? 
lit.'  Not  I  ;  'twas  Chiron,  and  Demetrius: 
They  ravilh'd  her,  and  cut  away  her  tongue, 
And  they,  'twas  they,  that  did  her  all  this  wrong. 
Sat.  Go,  fetch  them  hither  to  us  prefently. 
Tit.  Why,  there  they  are  both,  baked  in  that  pye ; 
Whereof  their  mother  daintily  hath  fed, 
Eating  the  flcih  that  fhe  herfelf  hath  bred  8. 
'Tis  true,  'tis  true  ;  witnefs  my   knife's  Iharp  point. 

\_HeJiabs  Tamora. 

Sat.  Die,  frantick  wretch,  for  this  accurfed  deed. 

[Hejlabs  Titus. 

Luc.  Can  the  fon's  eye  behold  his  father  bleed  ? 
There's  meed  for  meed,  death  for  a  deadly  deed. 

\JLv.ciusJ}als  Saturn  inus. 
Mar.    You  fad-fac'd   men,    people  and  fons    of 

Rome, 
By  uproar  fever'd,  like  a  flight  of  fowl 

8  Eating  thejlefb  that  Jbe  herfclf  bath  bred.]  The  additions  made 
by  Ravenfcroft  to  thisfcenc,  are  fo  much  of  a  piece  with  it,  that  I 
cannot  refill  the  temptation  of  {hewing  the  reader  how  he  continues 
the  Jpeech  before  us  : 

"  Thus  crammM,  thou'rt  bravely  fatten'd  up  for  hell, 
*'  And  thus  to  Pluto  I  do  ferve  thee  up  :" 

[Stalls  the  emperefs. 

And  then — "  A  c urtain  draivn  dif covers  the  heath  ami  hands  of 
r>ewetriiu  and  Chiron  hanging  up  again/}  tht  ivall;  their  bctliei  in 
fl-airs  in  llcodj  linen"  STEEVENI. 

Scat- 


554     TITUS     A  N  D  R  O  N  I  C  U  5. 

Scatrer'd  by  winds  and  high  tempeftuous  gulls, 
O,  let  me  teach  you  how  to  knit  again 
This  fcatter'd  corn  into  one  mutual  fheaf, 
Thefe  broken  limbs  again  into  one  body. 

Gotb.  9  Let  Rome  herfelf  be  bane  unto  herfelf ; 
And  fhe,  whom  mighty  kingdoms  curtfy  to, 
Like  a  forlorn  and  defperate  caft-away, 
Do  lhameful  execution  on  herfelf. 

Mar.  But  if  my  frofty  figns  and  chaps  of  age, 
Grave  witnefles  of  true  experience, 
Cannot  induce  you  to  attend  my  words, — 
Speak,  Rome's  dear  friend  ;  as  erft  our  anceftor, 

[To  Lucius, 

When  with  his  folemn  tongue  he  did  difcourfe, 
To  love-fick  Dido's  fad  attending  ear, 
The  ftory  of  that  baleful  burning  night, 
When  fubtle  Greeks  furpriz'd  king  Priam's  Troy ; 
Tell  us,  what  Sinon  hath  bewitch  d  our 'ears, 
Or  who  hath  brought  the  fatal  engine  in, 
That  gives  our  Troy,  our  Rome,  the  civil  wound.—. 
My  heart  is  not  compact  of  flint,  nor  fteel  ; 
Nor  can  I  utter  all  our  bitter  grief, 
But  floods  of  tears  will  drown  my  oratory, 
And  break  my  very  utterance ;  even  in  the  time 
When  it  Ihould  move  you  to  attend  me  moft, 
Lending  your  kindcommiferation : 
Here  is  a  captain,  let  him  tell  the  tale  ; 
Your  hearts  will  throb  and  weep  to  hear  him  fpeak. 

Luc*  Then,  noble  auditory,  be  it  known  to  you, 
That  curfed  Chiron  and  Demetrius 


9  Goth.]  Thisfpecch  and  the  next,  in  the  quarto  1611,  are 
given  to  a  Roman  lord.  Jn  the  folio  they  both  belong  to  the  Goth. 
I  know  not  why  they  are  feparated.  I  believe  the  whole  belongs 
to  Marcus ;  who,  when  Lucius  has  gone  through  fuch  a  part  of 
the  narrative  as  concerns  his  own  exile,  claims  his  turn  to  fpeak 
again,  and  recommend  Lucius  to  the  empire.  STEEVENS. 

Wer9 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.      555 

Were  they  that  murdered  our  emperor's  brother; 

And  they  it  was,  that  ravifhed  our  filter  : 

For  their  fell  faults  our  brothers  were  beheaded ; 

Our  father's  tears  defpis'd  ;  and  bafcly  cozen'd 

Of  that    true  hand,    that  fought   Rome's  quarrel 

out, 

And  fent  her  enemies  unto  the  grave. 
Laftly,  myfelf  unkindly  baniflied, 
The  gates  fhut  on  me,  and  turn'd  weeping  out, 
To  beg  relief  among  Rome's  enemies ; 
Who  drown'd  their  enmity  in  my  true  tears, 
And  op'd  their  arms  to  embrace  me  as  a  friend : 
And  I  am  the  turn'd-forth,  be  it  known  to  you, 
That  have  prefcrv'd  her  welfare  in  my  blood  ; 
And  from  her  bofom  took  the  enemy's  point, 
Sheathing  the  fteel  in  my  advent'rous  body. 
Alas  !  you  know,  I  am  no  vaunter,  I ; 
My  fears  can  witnefs,  dumb  although  they  are, 
That  my  report  is  juft,  and  full  of  truth. 
But,  foft,  methinks,  I  do  digrefs  too  much, 
Citing  my  worthlefs  praife  :  O,  pardon  me  ; 
For  when  no  friends  are  by,  men  praife  themfclvcs. 
Mur.    Now  is  my  turn  tofpeak;    Behold   this 

child, 

Of  this  was  Tamora  delivered  ; 
The  iffue  of  an  irreligious  Moor, 
Chief  architect  and  plotter  of  thefe  woes; 
The  villain  is  alive  in  Titus'  houfe, 
And  as  he  is,  to  witnefs  this  is  true. 
Now  judge,  whatcaufe  had  Titus  to  revenge 
Thefe  wrongs,  unfpeakable,  paft  patience, 
Or  more  than  any  living  man  could  bear. 
£?ow  you  have  heard  the  truth,  what  fay  you,  Ro- 
mans ? 

Have  we  done  aught  amifs  ?  Shew  us  wherein, 
And,  from  the  place  where  you  behold  us  now, 
Jhc  poor  remainder  of  Andronici 


556     TITUS    ANDRONICUS. 

Will,  hand  in  hand,  all  headlong  caftus  down, 
And  on  the  ragged  itones  beat  forth  our  brains, 
And  make  a  mutual  clofure  of  our  houfe. 
Speak,  Romans,  fpeak  :  and,  if  you  fay,  we  ftiail, 
Lo,  hand  in  hand,  Lucius  and  I  will  fall. 

jEm.    Come,     come,     thou    reverend    man    af 

Rome, 

And  bring  our  emperor  gently  in  thy  hand, 
Lucius  our  emperor ;  for,  well  I  know, 
The  common  voice  do  cry,  it  mall  be  fo. 

Mar.  Lucius,  all  hail ;  Rome's  royal  emperor ! 
Go,  go  into  old  Titus' Jorrowful  houfe; 
And,  hither  hale  that  mifbelievmg  Moor, 
To  be  adjudg'd  fome  direful  ilaughtering  death, 
As  punimment  for  his  moft  wicked  life, 
Lucius,  all  hail,  Rome's  gracious  governor  ! 

Luc.  Thanks,  gentle  Romans  ' ;  May  I  govern  fo, 
To  heal  Rome's  harms,  and  wipe  away  her  woe  ! 
But,  gentle  people,  give  me  aim  a  while, — 
For  nature  puts  me  to  a  heavy  tafk  ; — 
Stand  all  aloof  ; — but,  uncle,  draw  you  near, 
To  Ihed  obfequious  tears  upon  this  trunk  : — 
O,  take  this  warm  kifs  on  thy  pale  cold  lips, 

[Kiffes  Titus. 

Thefe  forrowful  drops  upon  thy  blood-flain'd  face, 
The  lad  true  duties  of  thy  noble  fon  ! 

Mar.  Ay,  tear  for  tear,  and  loving  kifs  for  kifs, 
Thy  brother  Marcus  tenders  on  thy  lips  : 
O,  were  the  fum  of  thefe  that  I  mould  pay 
Countlefs  and  infinite,  yet  would  I  pay  them  ! 

Luc.  Come  hither,  boy ;  come,  come,  and  learn 
of  us 

1  Thanh,  gentle  Romans', ]  It  fliould  feem  from  the  begin- 
ning of  this  fpeech  of  Lucius,  that  the  firft  and  laft  lines  of  the 
preceding  one  ought  to  be  given  to  the  concourle  of  Romans  v.'ho 
are  fuppofed  to  be  prelent.  STEEVENS. 

6  To 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.      557 

To   melt  in    mowers  :    Thy   grandfire    lov'd    thcc 

well  : 

Many  a  time  he  danc'd  thec  on  his  knee, 
Sung  thee  afleep,  his  loving  breaft  thy  pillow  ; 
Many  a  matter  hath  he  told  to  thee, 
Meet,  and  agreeing  with  thine  infancy  ; 
In  that  refpedt  then,  like  a  loving  child, 
Shed  yet  fome  fmall  drops  from  thy  tender  fpring, 
Becaufe  kind  nature  doth  require  it  fo  : 
Friends  fliould  affbciate  friends  in  grief  and  woe  : 
Bid  him  farewel ;  commit  him  to  the  grave  ; 
Do  him  that  kindnefs,  and  take  leave  of  him. 

Boy.  O  grandfire,    grandfire !   even  with   all  my 

heart 

'Would  I  were  dead,  fo  you  did  live  again  !— 
O  lord,  I  cannot  fpeak  to  him  for  weeping  ; 
My  tears  will  choak  me,  if  I  ope  my  mouth. 

Enter  Romans,  with  Aaron. 

Rom.  You  fad  Andronici,  have  done  with  woes ; 
Give  fentence  on  this  execrable  wretch, 
That  hath  been  breeder  of  thefe  dire  events. 

Luc.  Set  him  breaft- deep  in  earth,    and   famifli 

him  ; 

There  let  him  Hand,  and  rave  and  cry  for  food  : 
If  any  one  relieves  or  pities  him, 
For  the  offence  he  dies.     This  is  our  doom  : 
Some  ftay,  to  fee  him  faften'd  in  the  earth  *. 

Aar.   O,  why  Ihould  wrath  be  mute,   and  fury 
dumb  ? 

a  — to  fee  him  f often*  d  in  the  earth.']  Thatyo/?/Vf  and  cookery  may 
go  hand  in  hand  to  the  conclufion  of  this  play,  in  Ravenfcroft's 
alteration  of  it,  Aaron  is  at  once  rack'd  and  roajled  on  the  Itage. 

SXE£VENS. 

I  am 


558     TITUS    AND  R  ONI  CUS, 

I  am  no  baby,  I,  that,  with  bafe  prayers, 
I  mould  repent  the  evils  I  have  done ; 
Ten  thoufand,  worfe  than  ever  yet  I  did, 
Would  I  perform,  if  I  might  have  my  will  : 
If  one  good  deed  in  all  my  life  I  did, 
I  do  repent  it  from  my  very  foul. 
Luc.  Some    loving  friends   convey  the   emperor 

hence, 

And  give  him  burial  in  his  father's  grave  : 
My  father,  and  Lavinia,  ihall  forthwith 
Be  clofed  in  onr  houfhold's  monument. 
As  for  that  heinous  tyger,  Tamora, 
No  funeral  rites,  nor  man  in  mournful  weeds, 
No  mournful  bell  Ihall  ring  her  burial ; 
But  throw  her  forth  to  beafts,  and  birds  of  prey  : 
Her  life  was  beaft-like,  and  devoid  of  pity ; 
And,  being  fo,  Ihall  have  like  want  of  pity. 
See  juftice  done  on  Aaron,  that  damn'd  Moor, 
From  whom  our  heavy  haps  had  their  beginning  : 
Then,  afterwards,  to  order  well  the  ftate  ; 
That  like  events  may  ne'er  it  ruinate. 

[Exeunt  omnes. 


THIS  is  one  of  thofe  plays  which  I  have  always  thought,  with 
the  better  judges,  ought  not  to  be  acknowledged  in  the  lift  of 
Shakefpeare's  genuine  pieces.  And,  perhaps,  I  may  give  a  proof 
to  ftrengthen  this  opinion,  that  may  put  the  matter  out  of  quef- 
tion.  Ben  Jonfon,  in  the  introduction  to  his  Bartholomew-Pair j 
which  made  its  firft  appearance  in  the  year  1614,  couples  Jeronymo 
and  Andronicvs  together  in  reputation,  and  fpeaks  of  rhem  as  plays 
then  of  twenty-five  or  thirty  years  Handing.  Confequently  An- 
dronicus  mult  have  been  on  the  Itnge  before  Shakefpeareleft  War- 
wickfhire,  to  come  and  refide  in  London  :  and  I  never  heard  it  fo 
much  as  intimated,  that  he  had  turned  his  genius  to  frage-writing 
before  he  alTociated  with  the  players,  and  -became  one  of  their 
body.  However,  that  he  afterwards  introduced  It  a- new  on  the 
fiage,  with  the  addition  of  his  own  mafterly  touches,  is  incon- 
teftible,  and  thence,  I  prefume,  grew  his  title  to  it.  The  diction 
in  general,  where  he  has  not  taken  the  pnins  to  raife  it,  is  even 

beneath 


TITUS    ANDRONICUS.       559 

beneath  that  of  the  Three  Parts  of  Henry  VI.  The  ftory  \ve  are  to 
fuppofe  merely  fu'Yitious.  Andronicus  is  a  fur-name  of  pure  Greek 
derivation.  Tamora  is  neither  mentioned  by  Ammianus  Marccl- 
linus,  nor  any  body  elfethat  I  can  find.  Nor  had  Rome,  in  the 
time  of  her  emperors,  any  wars  with  the  Goths  that  I  know  of : 
not  till  after  the  tranflation  of  the  empire,  I  mean  to  Byzantium. 
And  yet  the  fcene  of  our  play  is  laid  at  Rome,  and  Saturninus  is 
elected  to  the  empire  at  the  capitol.  THEOBALD. 

All  the  editors  and  critics  agree  with  Mr.  TheoViald  in  fup- 
pofir.g  this  play  fpurious.  I  fee  no  reafon  tor  differing  irom  them  ; 
for  the  colour  of  the  ftile  is  wholly  different  from  that  of  the  other 
plays,  and  there  is  an  attempt  at  regular  verirfication,  and  artificial 
doles,  not  al.vays  inelegant,  yetfeldom  plsafing.  The  barbarity 
of  the  fpctbcles,  and  the  general  maflhcrc,  \vhich  are  here  exhi- 
bited, can  fcarcely  be  conceived  tolerable  to  any  audience ;  yet 
ue  arc  told  by  J onion,  that  they  were  not  only  borne,  butpraiic.1. 
That  Shakefpeare  wrote  any  part,  though  Theobald  declares  it 
incontejlille,  I  fee  no  reafon  for  believing. 

The  teftimony  produced  at  the  beginning  of  this  play,  by 
which  it  is  afcribed  to  Shakefpeare,  is  by  no  means  equal  to  the 
argument  againft  its  authenticity,  arifing  trcm  the  total  difference 
of  condudl,  language,  and  fentiments,  by  which  it  itatids  apart 
from  all  the  re  It.  Meres  had  probably  no  other  evidence  than 
that  of  a  title  page,  which,  though  in  our  time  it  be  fufncient, 
was  then  of  no  great  authority  ;  for  all  the  plays  which  were  re- 
jefted  by  the  firft  collectors  of  Shakefpeare's  works,  and  -admitted 
in  later  editions,  and  again  rejected  by  the  critical  editors,  had 
Shakefpeare's  name  on  the  title,  as  we  mull  fuppofe,  by  the  frau- 
dulence  of  the  printers,  who,  while  there  were  yet  no  gazettes,  nor 
advertifements,  nor  any  means  of  circulating  literary  intelligence, 
could  ufurp  at  pleafure  any  celebrated  name.  Nor  had  Shake- 
fpeare any  intereil  in  detecting  the  impofture,  as  none  of  his  JUinc 
or  profit  was  produced  by  the  prefs. 

The  chronology  of  this  play  dees  net  prove  it  not  to  be 
Shakefpeare's.  If  it  had  been  written  twenty-five  years,  in, 
1614,  it  might  have  been  written  when  Shakefpeare  was  twenty- 
five  years  old.  When  he  left  Warwickfbire  I  know  not,  but  at 
the  age  of  twenty-five  it  was  rather  too  late  to  fly  for  cieer- 
itealing. 

Ravenfcroft,  who  in  the  reign  of  Charles  II.  revifed  this  play, 
and  reftored  it  to  the  Itage,  tells  us,  in  his  preface,  from  a  thea- 
trical tradition,  I  fuppofe,  which  in  his  time  might  be  of  fufficient 
Authority,  that  this  phiy  was  touched  in  different  parts  by  Stake- 
•peare,  but  written  by  fome  other  poet.  I  do  not  find  Shake- 
Ipeare's  touches  very  difcernible,  JOHNSON. 

There, 


560      TITUS     ANDRONICUS. 

There  is  every  reafon  to  believe,  that  Sbakefpeare  was  not  the 
author  ot  this  play.  I  have  already  faid  enough  upon  the  fubjedt. 
Mr.  Upton  declares  peremptorily,  that  it  ought  to  be  flung  out 
of  the  lift  of  our  author's  works:  yet  Mr.  Warner,  with  all  his 
laudable  zeal  for  the  memory  of  his  fibocl-fdlov:,  when  it  may 
feem  to  fervehis  purpofe,  JifablesMv*  friend's  judgment ! 

Indeed,  a  ueiv  argument  has  been  produced  ;  it  muft  have  been 
written  by  Shakefpeare,  becaufe  at  that  time  other  people  wrote  in 
\\izjame  manner  ! 

It  is  fcarcely  worth  obferving,  that  the  original  publifherj  had 
nothing  to  do  with  any  of  the  reft  of  Shakel'peare's  works.  Dr. 
Johnfon  obferves  the  copy  to  be  as  correct,  as  other  books  of  the 
time ;  and  probably  reviled  by  the  author  himfelf ;  but  furely 
Shakefpeare  would  not  have  taken  the  greateft  care  about  infinitely 
the  ivor/t  of  his  performances  !  Nothing  more  can  be  faid,  except 
that  it  is  printed  by  Heminge  and  Condell  in  the  frft  folio :  but 
not  to  infift,  that  it  had  been  contrary  to  their  intereft  to  have  re- 
jected any  play,  ufually  call'd  Shakefpeare's,  though  they  might 
&HO--JJ  it  to  be  fpnrious ;  it  does  not  appear,  that  their  knowledge  is 
at  all  to  be  depended  upon ;  for  it  is  certain,  that  in  the  firft 
copies,  they  had  intirely  omitted  the  play  ot  Troilus  and  Crejjida. 
It  has  been  faid,  that  this  play  was  firft  printed  for  G.  Elves, 
1594..  I  have  feen  in  an  old  catalogue  of  talcst  &c.  the  hiftory 
of  Titus  Andronicus.  FA  R  M  E  R . 

I  have  already  given  the  reader  a  fpecimen  of  the  changes  made 
in  this  play  by  Ravenfcroft,  who  revived  it  with  fuccefs  in  the 
year  1687  ;  and  may  add,  that  when  the  emprefs  ftabs  her  child, 
he  has  fupplied  the  Moor  with  the  following  lines  : 

"  She  has  out-done  me,  ev'n  in  mine  own  art, 

*'  Out-done  me  in  murder kill'd  her  own  child 

"  Give  it  me — I'll  eat  it." 

It  rarely  happens  that  a  dramatic  piece  is  alter'd  with  the  fame 
fpirit  that  it  was  written  ;  but  "Titus  Andronicus  has  undoubtedly 
fallen  into  the  hands  of  one  wliofe  feelings  were  congenial  with 
thofe  of  its  original  author. 

In  the  courfe  of  the  notes  on  this  performance,  I  have  pointed 
out  a  paflage  or  two  which,  in  my  opinion,  fufficiently  prove  it  to 
have  been  the  work  of  one  who  was  acquainted  both  with  Greek 
and  Roman  literature.  It  is  likewife  deficient  in  fuch  internal 


\  The  original  owner  of  the  copy  was  John  Danter,  who  likewife 
printed  the  firft  edition  of  Romeo  and  Juliet  in  1597,  and  is  intro- 
duced as  a  character  in  the  Return  from  Parnffjfus,  Sec.  1606. 

STEEVENS. 

marks 


TITUS     ANDRONICUS.      561 

marks  as  diftinguifh  the  tragedies  of  Shakefpeare  from  tliofe  of 
other  writers  ;  I  mean,  that  it  prefents  no  ftrtiggles  to  introduce 
the  vein  of  humour  fo  conftantly  interwoven  with  the  bufinefs  of 
his  ferious  dramas.  It  can  neither  boaft  of  his  Unking  excellen- 
cies, nor  his  acknowledged  defefts ;  for  it  offers  not  a  fingle  intereft- 
ing  fituation,  a  natural  character,  or  a  firing  of  quibbles,  from  the 
firft  fcene  to  the  laft.  That  Shakefpeare  fhould  have  written  with- 
out commanding  our  attention,  moving  our  paffions,  or  fporting 
with  words,  appears  to  me  as  improbable,  as  that  he  fhould  have 
iludioufly  avoided  diffyllable  and  triflyllable  terminatious  in  this 
play,  and  in  no  other. 

Let  it  likewife  be  remembered  that  this  piece  was  not  published 
with  the  name  of  Shakefpeare,  'rill  after  his  death.  The  quarto 
in  1611  is  anonymous. 

Could  the  ufe  of  particular  terms  employed  in  no  other  of  his 
pieces,  be  admitted  as  an  argument  that  he  was  not  its  author, 
more  than  one  of  thefe  might  be  found  ;  among  which  is  pallia- 
mentfarrobe,  aLatinifm  which  I  have  not  met  with  elfewhere  in  any 
Englifh  writer,  whether  ancient  or  modern  ;  though  it  muft  have 
originated  from  the  mint  of  a  fcholar.  I  may  add  that  Titus  An- 
dronicus  will  be  found  on  examination  to  contain  a  greater  number 
of  clallical  allufions  &c.  than  are  fcattered  over  all  the  reft  of  the 
performances  on  which  the  feal  of  Shakefpeare  is  undubitably  fix- 
ed.—Not  to  write  any  more  about  and  about  this  fufpecled  thing , 
let  me  obferve  that  the  glitter  of  a  few  paflages  in  it  has  perhaps 
mifled  the  judgment  of  thofe  who  ought  to  have  known  that  both 
fentiment  and  defcription  are  more  ealily  produced  than  the  inter- 
cfting  fabrick  of  a  tragedy.  Without  thefe  advantages,  many 
plays  have  fucceeded  ;  and  many  have  failed,  in  which  they  have 
been  dealt  about  with  the  moft  lavifli  profufion.  It  does  not  fol- 
low, that  he  who  can  carve  a  frieze  with  minutenefs,  elegance,  a:id 
eafe,  has  a  conception  equal  to  the  extent,  propriety,  and  gran- 
deur of  a  temple.  STEEVENS. 

It  muft  prove  a  circumftance  of  confummate  mortification  to  the 
living  criticks  on  Shakefpeare,  as  well  as  a  difgrace  on  the  me- 
inory  of  thofe  who  have  ceafed  to  comment  and  collate,  when  it 
fliall  appear  from  the  fentiments  of  one  of  their  own  fraternity 
(who  cannot  well  be  fufpected  of  aiinine  taftelellhel's,  or  Gothic 
prepofleflions)  that  we  have  been  all  miftaken  as  to  the  merits  and 
the  author  of  this  play.  It  is  fcarce  neceflary  to  obferve  that  the 
perfon  exempted  from  thefe  fufpicions  is  <#$£.  <Cfl$CH,  who 
delivers  his  opinion  concerning  Titus  Andronicus  in  the  following 
words:  "  To  the  editor's  eye  [i.  e.  his  own]  Shakcfttare  Jlands 
confefi'd:  the  third  aft  in  particular  may  be  read  will  admiration 
even  by  the  moft  delicate  ;  who,  if  they  are  not  without  feeling", 
VOL.  VIII.  O  o  niay 


562      TITUS    ANDRONICUS. 

may  chance  to  find  themfelvcs  touch'd  by  it  with  fuch  paffionsas 

tragedy  mould  excite,  that  is— terror  nnd  pity." It  were  in- 

juftice  not  to  remark  that  the  grand  and  pathetic  circumftances  in 
this  third  aft,  which  \ve  are  told  cannot  fail  to  excite  fuch  vehe- 
ment emotions,  are  as  follows. Titus  lies  down  in  the  dirt. — 

Aaron  chops  off  his  hand.  —  Saturninus  fends  him  the  heads  of  his 
twofons  and  his  own  hand  again,  for  a  prefent.— His  heroic  bro- 
ther Marcus  kills  a  fly. 

2t^r«  CtlpCH  may  likewife  claim  the  honour  of  having  pro- 
duced the  new  argument  which  Dr.  Farmer  mentions  in  a  pre- 
ceding note,  MALOSJE. 


END   OF   VOLUME  THE   EIGHTH, 


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