In his abominations, turns you off;
And gives his potent regiment' to a trull,
That noises it against us.

Is it so, sir?

Oct. Cas. Most certain. Sister, welcome: Pray you, Be ever known to patience: My dearest sister!

[Exeunt.

SCENE VII.

Antony's Camp, near to the Promontory of Actium.

Enter CLEOPAtra and Enobarbus.

Cleo. I will be even with thee, doubt it not.
Ene. But, why, why, why?

Cleo. Thou hast forspoke my being in these wars; And say'st, it is not fit.

Eno.

Well, is it, is it? Cleo. Is't not? Denounce against us, why should

not we

Be there in person?

Eno. [Aside.] Well, I could reply :

If we should serve with horse and mares together, The horse were merely lost; the mares would bear A soldier, and his horse.

What is't

you say?

Cleo. Eno. Your presence needs must puzzle Antony; Take from his heart, take from his brain, from his

time,

What should not then be spar'd. He is already
Traduc'd for levity; and 'tis said in Rome,

potent regiment-] Regiment, is government, authority; he puts his power and his empire into the hands of a false woman. sforspoke my being-] To forspeak, is to contradict, to speak against, as forbid is to order negatively.

9 merely lost ;] i. e. entirely, absolutely lost.

That Photinus an eunuch, and your maids,
Manage this war.
Cleo.
Sink Rome; and their tongues rot,
That speak against us! A charge we bear i' the war,
And, as the president of my kingdom, will
Appear there for a man. Speak not against it;
I will not stay behind.

Eno.

Here comes the emperor.

Ant.

Nay, I have done :

Enter ANTONY and CANIDIUS.

Is't not strange, Canidius,

That from Tarentum, and Brundusium,

He could so quickly cut the Ionian sea,

And take in Toryne?-You have heard on't, sweet?
Cleo. Celerity is never more admir'd,

Than by the negligent.

Ant.

A good rebuke,

Which might have well becom'd the best of men,
To taunt at slackness.-Canidius, we

Will fight with him by sea.

Cleo.

By sea! What else?

For he dares us' to't.

Can. Why will my lord do so?
Ant.
Eno. So hath my lord dar'd him to single fight.
Can. Ay, and to wage this battle at Pharsalia,
Where Cæsar fought with Pompey: But these offers,
Which serve not for his vantage, he shakes off;
And so should you.

Eno.
Your ships are not well mann'd:
Your mariners are muleteers, reapers, people
Ingross'd by swift impress; in Caesar's fleet
Are those, that often have 'gainst Pompey fought:
Their ships are yare: yours, heavy. No disgrace

And take in Toryne?] To take in is to gain by conquest.
For he dares us-] i. e. because he dares us.

ww

Shall fall you for refusing him at sea,
Being prepar'd for land.

Ant.

By sea, by sea. Eno. Most worthy sir, you therein throw away The absolute soldiership you have by land; Distract your army, which doth most consist Of war-mark'd footmen; leave unexecuted Your own renowned knowledge; quite forego The way which promises assurance; and Give up yourself merely to chance and hazard, From firm security.

Ant.

I'll fight at sea.

Cleo. I have sixty sails, Cæsar none better. Ant. Our overplus of shipping will we burn; And, with the rest full-mann'd, from the head of Actium

Beat the approaching Cæsar. But if we fail,

Enter a Messenger.

We then can do't at land.-Thy business?

Mess. The news is true, my lord; he is descried; Cæsar has taken Toryne.

Ant. Can he be there in person? 'tis impossible; Strange, that his power should be.3-Canidius, Our nineteen legions thou shalt hold by land, And our twelve thousand horse :-We'll to our ship;

Enter a Soldier.

Away, my Thetis !-How now, worthy soldier? Sold. O noble emperor, do not fight by sea;

3 Strange that his power should be.] It is strange that his forces should be there.

my Thetis !] Antony may address Cleopatra by the name of this sea-nymph, because she had just promised him assistance in his naval expedition; or perhaps in allusion to her voyage down the Cydnus, when she appeared like Thetis surrounded by the Nereids.

Trust not to rotten planks: Do you misdoubt This sword, and these my wounds? Let the Egyptians,

And the Phoenicians, go a ducking; we

Have used to conquer, standing on the earth,
And fighting foot to foot.

Ant.

Well, well, away.

[Exeunt ANTONY, CLEOPATRA, and ENO

BARBUS.

grows

Sold. By Hercules, I think, I am i' the right. Can Soldier, thou art: but his whole action 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 horse whole, do you not? Can. Marcus Octavius, Marcus Justeius, Publicola, and Cælius, are for sea:

But we keep whole by land. This speed of Cæsar's Carries beyond belief.5

While he was yet in Rome,

Sold.
His power went out in such distractions, as

Beguil'd all spies.

Can.

6

Who's his lieutenant, hear you?

Sold. They say, one Taurus.

Can.

Well I know the man.

Enter a Messenger.

Mess. The emperor calls for Canidius.

but his whole action grows

Not in the power on't :] i. e. His whole conduct in the war is not founded upon that which is his greatest strength, (namely, his land force,) but on the caprice of a woman, who wishes that he should fight by sea.

5 Carries beyond belief.] Perhaps this phrase is from archery. distractions,] Detachments, separate bodies.

6

Can. With news the time's with labour; and throes forth,7

Each minute, some.

[Exeunt.

SCENE VIII.

A Plain near Actium.

Enter CÆSAR, TAURUS, Officers, and others.

Cæs. Taurus,

Taur.

Cæs.

My lord.

Strike not by land; keep whole: Provoke not battle, till we have done at sea. Do not exceed the prescript of this scroll: Our fortune lies upon this jump.

8

Enter ANTONY and ENOBARBUS.

[Exeunt.

Ant. Set we our squadrons on yon side o'the hill, In eye of Cæsar's battle; from which place We may the number of the ships behold, And so proceed accordingly.

[Exeunt.

Enter CANIDIUS, marching with his Land Army one Way over the Stage; and TAURUS, the Lieutenant of ČESAR, the other Way. After their going in, is heard the noise of a Sea-fight.

Alarum. Re-enter ENOBARBUS.

Eno. Naught, naught, all naught! I can behold no longer:

The Antoniad, the Egyptian admiral,

7 and throes forth,] i. e. emits as in parturition. this jump,] i. e. hazard.

The Antoniad, &c.] Which Plutarch says, was the name of Cleopatra's ship.