William Shakespeare - William Shakespeare - Complete Works

That drew their swords with you. Did he not rather

Discredit my authority with yours,

And make the wars alike against my stomach,

Having alike your cause? Of this my letters

Before did satisfy you. If you'll patch a quarrel,

As matter whole you have not to make it with,

It must not be with this.

CAESAR. You praise yourself

By laying defects of judgment to me; but

You patch'd up your excuses.

ANTONY. Not so, not so;

I know you could not lack, I am certain on't,

Very necessity of this thought, that I,

Your partner in the cause 'gainst which he fought,

Could not with graceful eyes attend those wars

Which fronted mine own peace. As for my wife,

I would you had her spirit in such another!

The third o' th' world is yours, which with a snaffle

You may pace easy, but not such a wife.

ENOBARBUS. Would we had all such wives, that the men might go to

wars with the women!

ANTONY. So much uncurbable, her garboils, Caesar,

Made out of her impatience- which not wanted

Shrewdness of policy too- I grieving grant

Did you too much disquiet. For that you must

But say I could not help it.

CAESAR. I wrote to you

When rioting in Alexandria; you

Did pocket up my letters, and with taunts

Did gibe my missive out of audience.

ANTONY. Sir,

He fell upon me ere admitted. Then

Three kings I had newly feasted, and did want

Of what I was i' th' morning; but next day

I told him of myself, which was as much

As to have ask'd him pardon. Let this fellow

Be nothing of our strife; if we contend,

Out of our question wipe him.

CAESAR. You have broken

The article of your oath, which you shall never

Have tongue to charge me with.

LEPIDUS. Soft, Caesar!

ANTONY. No;

Lepidus, let him speak.

The honour is sacred which he talks on now,

Supposing that I lack'd it. But on, Caesar:

The article of my oath-

CAESAR. To lend me arms and aid when I requir'd them,

The which you both denied.

ANTONY. Neglected, rather;

And then when poisoned hours had bound me up

From mine own knowledge. As nearly as I may,

I'll play the penitent to you; but mine honesty

Shall not make poor my greatness, nor my power

Work without it. Truth is, that Fulvia,

To have me out of Egypt, made wars here;

For which myself, the ignorant motive, do

So far ask pardon as befits mine honour

To stoop in such a case.

LEPIDUS. 'Tis noble spoken.

MAECENAS. If it might please you to enforce no further

The griefs between ye- to forget them quite

Were to remember that the present need

Speaks to atone you.

LEPIDUS. Worthily spoken, Maecenas.

ENOBARBUS. Or, if you borrow one another's love for the instant,

you may, when you hear no more words of Pompey, return it again.

You shall have time to wrangle in when you have nothing else to

do.

ANTONY. Thou art a soldier only. Speak no more.

ENOBARBUS. That truth should be silent I had almost forgot.

ANTONY. You wrong this presence; therefore speak no more.

ENOBARBUS. Go to, then- your considerate stone!

CAESAR. I do not much dislike the matter, but

The manner of his speech; for't cannot be

We shall remain in friendship, our conditions

So diff'ring in their acts. Yet if I knew

What hoop should hold us stanch, from edge to edge

O' th' world, I would pursue it.

AGRIPPA. Give me leave, Caesar.

CAESAR. Speak, Agrippa.

AGRIPPA. Thou hast a sister by the mother's side,

Admir'd Octavia. Great Mark Antony

Is now a widower.

CAESAR. Say not so, Agrippa.

If Cleopatra heard you, your reproof

Were well deserv'd of rashness.

ANTONY. I am not married, Caesar. Let me hear

Agrippa further speak.

AGRIPPA. To hold you in perpetual amity,

To make you brothers, and to knit your hearts

With an unslipping knot, take Antony

Octavia to his wife; whose beauty claims

No worse a husband than the best of men;

Whose virtue and whose general graces speak

That which none else can utter. By this marriage

All little jealousies, which now seem great,

And all great fears, which now import their dangers,

Would then be nothing. Truths would be tales,

Where now half tales be truths. Her love to both

Would each to other, and all loves to both,

Draw after her. Pardon what I have spoke;

For 'tis a studied, not a present thought,

By duty ruminated.

ANTONY. Will Caesar speak?

CAESAR. Not till he hears how Antony is touch'd

With what is spoke already.

ANTONY. What power is in Agrippa,

If I would say 'Agrippa, be it so,'

To make this good?

CAESAR. The power of Caesar, and

His power unto Octavia.

ANTONY. May I never

To this good purpose, that so fairly shows,

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 sway our great designs!

CAESAR. There is my hand.

A sister I bequeath you, whom no brother

Did ever love so dearly. Let her live

To join our kingdoms and our hearts; and never

Fly off our loves again!

LEPIDUS. Happily, amen!

ANTONY. I did not think to draw my sword 'gainst Pompey;

For he hath laid strange courtesies and great

Of late upon me. I must thank him only,

Lest my remembrance suffer ill report;

At heel of that, defy him.

LEPIDUS. Time calls upon's.

Of us must Pompey presently be sought,

Or else he seeks out us.

ANTONY. Where lies he?

CAESAR. About the Mount Misenum.

ANTONY. What is his strength by land?

CAESAR. Great and increasing; but by sea

He is an absolute master.

ANTONY. So is the fame.

Would we had spoke together! Haste we for it.

Yet, ere we put ourselves in arms, dispatch we

The business we have talk'd of.

CAESAR. With most gladness;

And do invite you to my sister's view,

Whither straight I'll lead you.

ANTONY. Let us, Lepidus,

Not lack your company.

LEPIDUS. Noble Antony,

Not sickness should detain me. [Flourish]

Exeunt all but ENOBARBUS, AGRIPPA, MAECENAS

MAECENAS. Welcome from Egypt, sir.

ENOBARBUS. Half the heart of Caesar, worthy Maecenas! My honourable

friend, Agrippa!

AGRIPPA. Good Enobarbus!

MAECENAS. We have cause to be glad that matters are so well

digested. You stay'd well by't in Egypt.

ENOBARBUS. Ay, sir; we did sleep day out of countenance and made

the night light with drinking.

MAECENAS. Eight wild boars roasted whole at a breakfast, and but

twelve persons there. Is this true?

ENOBARBUS. This was but as a fly by an eagle. We had much more

monstrous matter of feast, which worthily deserved noting.

MAECENAS. She's a most triumphant lady, if report be square to her.

ENOBARBUS. When she first met Mark Antony she purs'd up his heart,

upon the river of Cydnus.

AGRIPPA. There she appear'd indeed! Or my reporter devis'd well for

her.

ENOBARBUS. I will tell you.

The barge she sat in, like a burnish'd throne,

Burn'd on the water. The poop was beaten gold;

Purple the sails, and so perfumed that

The winds were love-sick with them; the oars were silver,

Which to the tune of flutes kept stroke, and made

The water which they beat to follow faster,

As amorous of their strokes. For her own person,

It beggar'd all description. She did lie

In her pavilion, cloth-of-gold, of tissue,

O'erpicturing that Venus where we see