Enter EROS, with Armour. Come, my good fellow, put thine iron on :— Because we brave her.-Come. Cleo. What's this for? Ant. Nay, I'll help too. Ah, let be, let be! thou art The armourer of my heart :-False, false; this, this. Cleo. Sooth, la, I'll help: Thus it must be. Ant. Well, well; We shall thrive now.-Seest thou, my good fellow? Go, put on thy defences. Eros. Briefly, sir." Cleo. Is not this buckled well? Ant. Rarely, rarely: He that unbuckles this, till we do please To doff't' for our repose, shall hear a storm.— Thou fumblest, Eros; and my queen's a squire More tight at this, than thou: Despatch.-O love, That thou could'st see my wars to-day, and knew'st The royal occupation! thou should'st see Enter an Officer, armed. A workman in't.-Good morrow to thee; welcome: Thou look'st like him that knows a warlike charge: To business that we love, we rise betime, And go to it with delight. 1 Öff. A thousand, sir, Early though it be, have on their riveted trim, [Shout. Trumpets. Flourish. • Briefly, sir,] That is, quickly, sir. To doff't-1 To doff is to do off, to put off. 5 More tight at this, "than thou:] Tight is handy, adroit. Enter other Officers, and Soldiers. 2 Off. The morn is fair.-Good morrow, general. All. Good morrow, general. Ant. "Tis well blown, lads. This morning like the spirit of a youth That means to be of note, begins betimes.- [Exeunt ANTONY, EROS, Officers, and Soldiers. SCENE V. Antony's Camp near Alexandria. [Exeunt. Trumpets sound. Enter ANTONY and EROS; a Soldier meeting them. Sold. The gods make this a happy day to Antony! Ant. 'Would, thou and those thy scars had once prevail'd To make me fight at land! Sold. Had'st thou done so, The kings that have revolted, and the soldier That has this morning left thee, would have still Follow'd thy heels. Who? Ant. Sold. Who's gone this morning? One ever near thee: Call for Enobarbus, Say, I am none of thine. Ant. What say'st thou ? Sold. Sir, Ant. Go, Eros, send his treasure after; do it; Detain no jot, I charge thee: write to him (I will subscribe) gentle adieus, and greetings: Say, that I wish he never find more cause To change a master.-O, my fortunes have Corrupted honest men:-Eros, despatch. [Exeunt. SCENE VI. Cæsar's Camp before Alexandria. Flourish. Enter CESAR, with AGRIPPA, ENOBARBUS, and Others. Cas. Go forth, Agrippa, and begin the fight: Our will is, Antony be took alive;' 7 Our will is, Antony be took alive ;] It is observable with what judgment Shakspeare draws the character of Octavius. Antony was his hero; so the other was not to shine: yet being an historical character, there was a necessity to draw him like. But the ancient historians, his flatterers, had delivered him down so fair, that he seems ready cut and dried for a hero. Amidst these difficulties Shakspeare has extricated himself with great address. He has admitted all those great strokes of his character as he found them, and yet has made him a very unamiable character, deceitful, meanspirited, narrow-minded, proud, and revengeful. WARBURTON. Make it so known. Agr. Cæsar, I shall. [Exit AGRIPPA. Cas. The time of universal peace is near: Prove this a prosperous day, the three-nook'd world Shall bear the olive freely. Enter a Messenger. Mess. Antony Is come into the field. Cæs. Go, charge Agrippa Plant those that have revolted in the van, [Exeunt CESAR and his Train. Sold. Enter a Soldier of Cæsar's. Enobarbus, Antony Hath after thee sent all thy treasure, with His bounty overplus: The messenger Caine on my guard; and at thy tent is now, Eno. I give it you. Sold. Mock me not, Enobarbus. I tell you true: Best that you saf'd the bringer Out of the host; I must attend mine office, Or would have done't myself. Your emperor Continues still a Jove. [Exit Soldier. Eno. I am alone the villain of the earth, 8 And feel I am so most. O Antony, Thou mine of bounty, how would'st thou have paid My better service, when my turpitude Thou dost so crown with gold! This blows my heart:" If swift thought break it not, a swifter mean Shall out strike thought: but thought will do't, I feel.' I fight against thee!-No: I will go seek Some ditch, wherein to die; the foul'st best fits My latter part of life. [Exit. SCENE VII. Field of Battle between the Camps. Alarum. Drums and Trumpets. Enter AGRippa, and Others. 2 Agr. Retire, we have engag'd ourselves too far: Cæsar himself has work, and our oppression Exceeds what we expected. Alarum. [Exeunt. Enter ANTONY and SCARUS, wounded. Scar. O my brave emperor, this is fought indeed! Had we done so at first, we had driven them home With clouts about their heads. Ant. Thou bleed'st apace And feel I am so most.] i. e. I am pre-eminently the first, the greatest villain of the earth. To stand alone, is still used in that sense, where any one towers above his competitors. And feel I am so most, must signify, I feel or know it myself, more than any other person can or does feel it. REED. 9 This blows my heart :] This generosity, (says Enobarbus,) swells my heart, so that it will quickly break, if thought break it not, a swifter mean. but thought will do't, I feel.] Thought, in this passage, as in many others, signifies melancholy. 2 and our oppression] i. e. the force by which we are oppressed or overpowered. |
