Iras. She is dead too, our sovereign. Iras. Madam— Char. O madam, madam, madam! Empress! Char. Peace, peace, Iras. [Seeing her recover. Cleo. No more but e'en a woman; and commanded By such poor passion as the maid that milks, To rush into the secret house of death, Ere death dare come to us?—How do you, women? What, what? good cheer! Why, how now, Char mian? My noble girls!—Ah, women, women! look Our lamp is spent, it's out:—Good sirs, take heart; And make death proud to take us. Come, away: Ah, women, women! come; we have no friend [Exeunt. ACT THE FIFTH. SCENE I. Camp before Alexandria. Enter OCTAVIUS CESAR, with DOLABELLA,AGRIPPA, MECENAS, GALLUS, PROCULEIUS, and Others. Oct. Go to him, Dolabella, bid him yield; Being so frustrated, tell him he mocks The pauses that he makes. Dol. Cæsar, I shall. [Exit DOLABELLA, Enter DERCETAS, with Antony's Sword. Oct. Wherefore is that? and what art thou, that dar'st Appear thus to us? Der. I am call'd Dercetas; Mark Antony I serv'd, who best was worthy To spend upon his haters: If thou please To take me to thee, as I was to him I'll be to Cæsar; if thou pleasest not, I yield thee up my life. Oct. What is't thou say'st? Der. I say, O Cæsar, Antony, is dead. Oct. The breaking of so great a thing should make A greater crack in nature: the round world Should have shook lions into civil streets, H And citizens to their dens: The death of Antony Is not a single doom; in that name lay Der. He is dead, Cæsar: Not by a public minister of justice, Nor by a hired knife; but that self hand, Oct. Look you sad, friends? The gods rebuke me, but it is a tidings Agrip. And strange it is, That nature must compel us to lament Oct. O Antony, I have follow'd thee to this:—But we do launch Have shown to thee such a declining day, Our equalness to this.—Hear me, good friends,— Enter Mardian. But I will tell you at some meeter season; We'll hear him what he says. Whence are you, sir? Mar. A poor Egyptian; the queen, my mistress, Confin'd in all she has, her monument, Oct. Bid her have good heart; She soon shall know of us, by some of ours, Mar. So the gods preserve thee! [Exit. Oct. Come hither, Proculeius; Go, and say Lest, in her greatness, by some mortal stroke And, with your speediest, bring us what she says, And how you find of her. Proc. Cæsar, I shall. [Exit. Oct. Gallus, go you along. [Exit Gallus.] Where's Dolabella, To second Proculeius? Agrip. Dolabella! Oct. Let him alone; for I remember now [Exeunt. 76 SCENE II. Alexandria. A Room in the Monument. Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, and Iras. Cleo. My desolation does begin to make Proculeius and Gallus, with Soldiers, Proc. Cæsar sends greeting to the Queen of Egypt; And bids thee study on what fair demands Thou mean'st to have him grant thee. Cleo. What's thy name? Proc. My name is Proculeius. Cleo. 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 |