Where's Fulvia's Procefs? Cafar's? I'd fay, both?
Call in the Meffengers; as I'm Egypt's Queen,
Thou blufheft, Antony, and that blood of thine
Is Cæfar's homager: elfe, fo thy cheeks pay fhame,
When thrill-tongu'd Fulvia fcolds. The Meffengers-
Ant. Let Rome in Tyber melt, and the wide arch
Of the rais'd Empire fall! here is my space;
Kingdoms are clay; our dungy earth alike
Feeds beast as man; the nobleness of life

Is to do thus; when fuch a mutual pair, [Embracing.
And fuch a twain can do't; in which, I bind
(On pain of punishment) the world to weet,
We ftand up peerless.

Cleo. Excellent falfhood!

Why did he marry Fulvia, and not love her?
I'll feem the fool, I am not. Antony

Will be himself.

Ant. But ftirr'd by Cleopatra.

Now for the love of love, and his foft hours,
Let's not confound the time with conference harsh ;
There's not a minute of our lives fhould ftretch
Without fome pleasure now: what fport to-night?
Cleo. Hear the Ambaffadors.

Ant. Fie, wrangling Queen!

Whom every thing becomes, to chide, to laugh,
To weep: whofe every paffion fully ftrives
To make itfelf in thee fair and admir'd.
No Meffenger, but thine ;-and all alone,
To night we'll wander through the ftreets, and note
The qualities of People. Come, my Queen,
Laft night you did defire it.-Speak not to us.

[Exeunt with their Traini

Dem. Is Cafar with Antonius priz'd so flight? Phil. Sir, fometimes, when he is not Antony, He comes too short of that great property Which ftill fhould go with Antony.

Dem. I'm forry,

That he approves the common liar, Fame,
Who speaks him thus at Rome; but I will hope
Of better deeds to-morrow. Reft you happy!

[Exe Ente

Enter Enobarbus, Charmian, Iras, Alexas, and a

Soothsayer.

Char. Alexas, Sweet Alexas, moft any thing Alexas, almoft moft abfolute Alexas, where's the Soothsayer that you prais'd fo to th' Queen? (3) Oh! that I knew this husband, which you say, must charge his horns with garlands.

Alex. Soothfayer,

Sooth. Your will?

Char. Is this the man? Is't you, Sir, that know things?

Sooth. In Nature's infinite Book of Secrecy,

A little I can read.

Alex. Shew him your

hand.

Eno. Bring in the banquet quickly: wine enough, Cleopatra's health to drink.

Char. Good Sir, give me good fortune.

Sooth. I make not, but forefee.

Char. Pray then, forefee me one.

Sooth. You fhall be yet far fairer than you are.

Char. He means, in flesh.

Iras. No, you fhall paint when you are old.

Char. Wrinkles forbid!

Alex. Vex not his prescience, be attentive.

Char. Hush!

Sooth. You fhall be more beloving, than beloved.
Char. I had rather heat my liver with drinking.
Alex. Nay, hear him.

Char. Good now, fome excellent fortune! let me be married to three Kings in a forenoon, and widow them all; let me have a child at fifty, to whom Herod of Jewry may do homage! find me, to marry me

(3) Ob, that I knew this busband, which, you say, must change bis borns with garlands.] Changing horns with garlands, is furely, a fenfelefs unintelligible phrafe. We must reftore, in oppofition to all the printed copies,

-which you say, muft charge bis borns with garlands. i. e. must be an honourable cuckold, muft have his horns hung with garlands. Charge and change frequently ufurp each other's place in our author's old editions. I ought to take notice, that Mr. Warburton likewife ftarted this emendation.

with Octavius Cæfar, and companion me with my

mistress.

Sooth. You fhall out live the lady whom you ferve. Char. Oh, excellent! I love long life better than figs. Sooth. You have feen and proved a fairer former for tune, than that which is to approach. [names; Char. (4) Then, belike, my children shall have no Pr'ythee, how many boys and wenches must I have ? Sooth. (5) If every of your wishes had a womb, And fertil every with, a million.

Char. Out, fool! I forgive thee for a witch.

Alex. You think, none but your sheets are privy to your wishes.

Char. Nay, come, tell Iras hers.

Alex. We'll know all our fortunes.

Eno. Mine, and most of our fortunes to-night, fhall be to go drunk to bed.

Iras. There's a palm prefages chastity, if nothing elfe. Char. E'en as the o'erflowing Nilus prefageth famine. Iras. Go, you wild bedfellow, you cannot foothsay. Char. Nay, if an oily palm be not a fruitful prognoftication, I cannot scratch mine ear. Pry thee, tell her but a workyday fortune.

Sooth. Your fortunes are alike.

Iras. But how, but how?-give me particulars.
Sooth. I have said.

Iras. Am I not an inch of fortune better than fhe?

(4) Then, belike, my children fhall have no names ;] i.e. They shall be illegitimate. This will be very clearly explain'd by quoting a paffage from The two Gentlemen of Verona.

Speed. Item, the hath many nameless virtues.

Launce. That's as much as to fay, baftard virtues; that, indeed, know not their fathers, and therefore have no names.

(5) If every of your wishes had a womb,

And foretold ev'ry wish, a million.] What foretold? If the wifbes foretold themselves? This can never be genuine, however it has pafs'd hitherto upon the editors. It makes the word womb abfolutely fuperfluous, if only the telling her wishes beforehand would help her to the children. The poet certainly wrote,

If every of your wishes had a womb,
And fertil ev'ry wish,

Char

Char. Well, if you were but an inch of fortune bet ter than I; where would you chuse it?

Iras. Not in my husband's nofe.

-O, le

(6) Char. Our worfer thoughts heav'ns mend! Alex as, Come, his fortune; his fortune.him marry a woman that cannot go, fweet Ifis, I be feech thee; and let her die too, and give him a worse and let worfe follow worfe, 'till the worst of all fol low him laughing to his grave, fifty-fold a Cuckold good Ifis, hear me this prayer, though thou deny mea matter of more weight; good Ifis, I beseech thee!

Iras. Amen, dear Goddefs, hear that prayer of the people! for, as it is a heart-breaking to fee a hand fome man loofe-wiv'd, so it is a deadly forrow to be hold a foul knave uncuckolded; therefore, dear Ifis keep decorum, and fortune him accordingly.

Char. Amen!

(6) Char. Our worfer thoughts heav'ns mend.

Alex, Come, bis fortune, bis fortune. O, let bim marry a woman &c.] Whofe fortune does Alexas call out to have told? But, in fhort this I dare pronounce to be fo palpable and fignal a tranfpofition that I cannot but wonder it fhould have flipt the observation of al the editors: especially, of the fagacious Mr. Pope, who has made thi declaration, That if, throughout the plays, had all the speeches bee printed without the very names of the perfons, he believes, one migh have applied them with certainty to every fpeaker. But in how man inftances has Mr. Pope's want of judgment falfified this opinion The fact is evidently this. Alexas brings a fortune-teller to Ira and Charmian, and fays himself, We'll know all our fortunes. Well the foothfayer begins with the women; and fome jokes pafs upo the fubject of husbands and chastity: after which, the women, hop ing for the fatisfaction of having fomething to laugh at in Alexas fortune, call to him to hold out his hand, and with heartily he ma have the prognoftication of cuckoldom upon him. The whol fpeech, therefore, muft be placed to Charmian, thus:

Char. Our worfer thoughts heav'ns mend! Alexas,come, b fortune; bis fortune: &c.

There needs no fironger proof of this being a true correction, the the obfervation which Alexas immediately fubjoins on their with and zeal to hear him abufed.

Alex. Lo, now! if it lay in their hands to make me a cuckold, th would make themselves whores but they'd do it.

I propos'd this tranfpofition in the Appendix to my SHAKESPEAR Reflor'd, and Mr. Pope, notwithstanding his first infallible opinion has acceded to it in his laft edition of our poet,

Alex. Lo, now! if it lay in their hands to make me a cuckold, they would make themselves whores, but they'd do't.

Cleo. He was difpos'd to mirth, but on the fudden

A Roman thought hath struck him.

Enobarbus,

Eno. Madam.
{Alexas?
Cleo. Seek him, and bring him hither; where's
Alex. Here at your fervice; my Lord approaches.
Enter Antony, with a Meffenger, and Attendants.
Cleo. We will not look upon him go with us.

Mef. Fulvia thy wife firft came into the field.
Ant. Against my brother Lucius?

་

[Exeunt.

[ftate

Mef. Ay, but foon that war had end, and the time's Made friends of them, jointing their force 'gain!t Cæfar: Whose better iffue in the war from Italy,

Upon the first encounter, drave them.

Ant. Well, what worst?

Mef. The nature of bad news infects the teller. Ant. When it concerns the fool or coward; on.Things, that are past, are done, with me. 'Tis thus ; Who tells me true, though in the tale lie death, I hear, as if he flatter'd.

Mef. Labienus (this is ftiff news)

Hath, with his Parthian force, extended Afia;
From Euphrates his conquering banner shook,
From Syria to Lydia, and Ionia;

Whilft

Ant Antony, thou wouldst fay

Mef. Oh, my Lord!

Ant. Speak to me home, mince not the gen❜ral tongue;