William Shakespeare - William Shakespeare - Complete Works

I yield thee up my life.

CAESAR. What is't thou say'st?

DERCETAS. I say, O Caesar, Antony is dead.

CAESAR. The breaking of so great a thing should make

A greater crack. The round world

Should have shook lions into civil streets,

And citizens to their dens. The death of Antony

Is not a single doom; in the name lay

A moiety of the world.

DERCETAS. He is dead, Caesar,

Not by a public minister of justice,

Nor by a hired knife; but that self hand

Which writ his honour in the acts it did

Hath, with the courage which the heart did lend it,

Splitted the heart. This is his sword;

I robb'd his wound of it; behold it stain'd

With his most noble blood.

CAESAR. Look you sad, friends?

The gods rebuke me, but it is tidings

To wash the eyes of kings.

AGRIPPA. And strange it is

That nature must compel us to lament

Our most persisted deeds.

MAECENAS. His taints and honours

Wag'd equal with him.

AGRIPPA. A rarer spirit never

Did steer humanity. But you gods will give us

Some faults to make us men. Caesar is touch'd.

MAECENAS. When such a spacious mirror's set before him,

He needs must see himself.

CAESAR. O Antony,

I have follow'd thee to this! But we do lance

Diseases in our bodies. I must perforce

Have shown to thee such a declining day

Or look on thine; we could not stall together

In the whole world. But yet let me lament,

With tears as sovereign as the blood of hearts,

That thou, my brother, my competitor

In top of all design, 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 stars,

Unreconciliable, should divide

Our equalness to this. Hear me, good friends-

Enter an EGYPTIAN

But I will tell you at some meeter season.

The business of this man looks out of him;

We'll hear him what he says. Whence are you?

EGYPTIAN. A poor Egyptian, yet the Queen, my mistress,

Confin'd in all she has, her monument,

Of thy intents desires instruction,

That she preparedly may frame herself

To th' way she's forc'd to.

CAESAR. Bid her have good heart.

She soon shall know of us, by some of ours,

How honourable and how kindly we

Determine for her; for Caesar cannot learn

To be ungentle.

EGYPTIAN. So the gods preserve thee! Exit

CAESAR. Come hither, Proculeius. Go and say

We purpose her no shame. Give her what comforts

The quality of her passion shall require,

Lest, in her greatness, by some mortal stroke

She do defeat us; for her life in Rome

Would be eternal in our triumph. Go,

And with your speediest bring us what she says,

And how you find her.

PROCULEIUS. Caesar, I shall. Exit

CAESAR. Gallus, go you along. Exit GALLUS

Where's Dolabella, to second Proculeius?

ALL. Dolabella!

CAESAR. Let him alone, for I remember now

How he's employ'd; he shall in time be ready.

Go with me to my tent, where you shall see

How hardly I was drawn into this war,

How calm and gentle I proceeded still

In all my writings. Go with me, and see

What I can show in this. Exeunt

ACT_5|SC_2

SCENE II.

Alexandria. The monument

Enter CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, IRAS, and MARDIAN

CLEOPATRA. My desolation does begin to make

A better life. 'Tis paltry to be Caesar:

Not being Fortune, he's but Fortune's knave,

A minister of her will; and it is great

To do that thing that ends all other deeds,

Which shackles accidents and bolts up change,

Which sleeps, and never palates more the dug,

The beggar's nurse and Caesar's.

Enter, to the gates of the monument, PROCULEIUS, GALLUS,

and soldiers

PROCULEIUS. Caesar sends greetings to the Queen of Egypt,

And bids thee study on what fair demands

Thou mean'st to have him grant thee.

CLEOPATRA. What's thy name?

PROCULEIUS. My name is Proculeius.

CLEOPATRA. Antony

Did tell me of you, bade me trust you; but

I do not greatly care to be deceiv'd,

That have no use for trusting. If your master

Would have a queen his beggar, you must tell him

That majesty, to keep decorum, must

No less beg than a kingdom. If he please

To give me conquer'd Egypt for my son,

He gives me so much of mine own as I

Will kneel to him with thanks.

PROCULEIUS. Be of good cheer;

Y'are fall'n into a princely hand; fear nothing.

Make your full reference freely to my lord,

Who is so full of grace that it flows over

On all that need. Let me report to him

Your sweet dependency, and you shall find

A conqueror that will pray in aid for kindness

Where he for grace is kneel'd to.

CLEOPATRA. Pray you tell him

I am his fortune's vassal and I send him

The greatness he has got. I hourly learn

A doctrine of obedience, and would gladly

Look him i' th' face.

PROCULEIUS. This I'll report, dear lady.

Have comfort, for I know your plight is pitied

Of him that caus'd it.

GALLUS. You see how easily she may be surpris'd.

Here PROCULEIUS and two of the guard ascend the

monument by a ladder placed against a window,

and come behind CLEOPATRA. Some of the guard

unbar and open the gates

Guard her till Caesar come. Exit

IRAS. Royal Queen!

CHARMIAN. O Cleopatra! thou art taken, Queen!

CLEOPATRA. Quick, quick, good hands. [Drawing a dagger]

PROCULEIUS. Hold, worthy lady, hold, [Disarms her]

Do not yourself such wrong, who are in this

Reliev'd, but not betray'd.

CLEOPATRA. What, of death too,

That rids our dogs of languish?

PROCULEIUS. Cleopatra,

Do not abuse my master's bounty by

Th' undoing of yourself. Let the world see

His nobleness well acted, which your death

Will never let come forth.

CLEOPATRA. Where art thou, death?

Come hither, come! Come, come, and take a queen

Worth many babes and beggars!

PROCULEIUS. O, temperance, lady!

CLEOPATRA. Sir, I will eat no meat; I'll not drink, sir;

If idle talk will once be necessary,

I'll not sleep neither. This mortal house I'll ruin,

Do Caesar what he can. Know, sir, that I

Will not wait pinion'd at your master's court,

Nor once be chastis'd with the sober eye

Of dull Octavia. Shall they hoist me up,

And show me to the shouting varletry

Of censuring Rome? Rather a ditch in Egypt

Be gentle grave unto me! Rather on Nilus' mud

Lay me stark-nak'd, and let the water-flies

Blow me into abhorring! Rather make

My country's high pyramides my gibbet,

And hang me up in chains!

PROCULEIUS. You do extend

These thoughts of horror further than you shall

Find cause in Caesar.

Enter DOLABELLA

DOLABELLA. Proculeius,

What thou hast done thy master Caesar knows,

And he hath sent for thee. For the Queen,

I'll take her to my guard.

PROCULEIUS. So, Dolabella,

It shall content me best. Be gentle to her.

[To CLEOPATRA] To Caesar I will speak what you shall please,

If you'll employ me to him.

CLEOPATRA. Say I would die.

Exeunt PROCULEIUS and soldiers

DOLABELLA. Most noble Empress, you have heard of me?

CLEOPATRA. I cannot tell.

DOLABELLA. Assuredly you know me.

CLEOPATRA. No matter, sir, what I have heard or known.

You laugh when boys or women tell their dreams;

Is't not your trick?

DOLABELLA. I understand not, madam.

CLEOPATRA. I dreamt there was an Emperor Antony-

O, such another sleep, that I might see