Hast sold me to this novice; and my heart O sun, thy uprise shall I see no more! That spaniel'd me at heels, to whom I gave Whose bosom was my crownet, my chief end,— well thou 'rt gone, If it be well to live: but better 't were Subdue my worthiest self. The witch shall die! Under this plot: she dies for 't!-Eros, ho! (*) First folio, pannelled. Corrected by Hanmer. (f) Old text, dolts. Corrected by Warburton. [Exit. a O, this false soul of Egypt! this grave charm,-] Mr. Collier's annotator would read, "O, this false spell of Egypt, this great charm." Spell is very plausible; but "great charm" is infinitely less expressive and appropriate than "grave charm," i.e. pernicious, deadly, fatal sorceress. bfast and loose,-] A cheating game similar to what is now To the monument !-- Mardian, go tell him I have slain myself; Say, that the last I spoke was, Antony, [Exeunt. A vapour sometime like a bear or lion, A tower'd citadel, a pendent rock, A forked mountain, or blue promontory With trees upon 't, that nod unto the world, And mock our eyes with air: thou hast seen these signs? They are black vesper's pageants. EROS. The rack dislimns, and makes it indistinct, It does, my lord. ANT. My good knave Eros, now thy captain is Even such a body: here I am Antony; Yet cannot hold this visible shape, my knave. called pricking at the belt or girdle. c Subdue my worthiest self] The commentators, excepting Hanmer, have not suspected any corruption here; but would Antony, in this hour of bitter remorse, speak of his "worthiest self"? He might have said, "my worthless self; yet the contex. "the witch shall die," makes it more probable he is thinking of Cleopatra, and that what the author wrote was, "Subdue my worthless elf." Elf being synonymous with witch or fairy. the boar of Thessaly-] The boar killed by Meleager. e-emboss'd.] See note (a), p. 228, Vol. I. d ANT. Unarm, Eros; the long day's task is done, And we must sleep!-That thou depart'st hence safe, Does pay thy labour richly; go.-[Exit MARDIAN.] Off, pluck off! sides! The seven-fold shield of Ajax cannot keep I will o'ertake thee, Cleopatra, and me: Where souls do couch on flowers, we'll hand in hand, And with our sprightly port make the ghosts gaze: (*) First folio, Cæsars. Not Cæsar's valour hath o'erthrown Antony, CLEO. So it should be, that none but Antony Should conquer Antony; but woe 't is so! ANT. I am dying,-Egypt,-dying; only CLEO. I dare not, dear, Be brooch'd with me; if knife, drugs, serpents, have Edge, sting, or operation, I am safe: ANT. Our strength is all gone into heaviness; That the false housewife, Fortune," break her wheel, Provok'd by my offence. ANT. One word, sweet queen: Of Cæsar seek your honour, with your safety.-O! CLEO. They do not go together. Gentle, hear me; None about Cæsar trust but Proculeius. CLEO. My resolution and my hands I'll trust; None about Cæsar. ANT. The miserable change now at my end, Lament nor sorrow at; but please your thoughts, In feeding them with those my former fortunes Wherein I liv'd, the greatest prince o' the world, The noblest; and do now not basely die, Not cowardly put off my helmet to My countryman,-a Roman by a Roman Valiantly vanquish'd. (3) Now, my spirit is going;I can no more. CLEO. Noblest of men, woo't die? Hast thou no care of me? shall I abide In this dull world, which in thy absence is No better than a sty?-O, see, my women, [ANTONY dies. The crown o' the earth doth melt! My lord!O, wither'd is the garland of the war! The soldier's pole is fall'n: young boys and girls Are level now with men; the odds is gone, And there is nothing left remarkable Beneath the visiting moon. CHAR. [Faints. O, quietness, lady! CLEO. No more, but e'en * a woman, and By such poor passion as the maid that milks, And does the meanest chares.-It were for me To throw my sceptre at the injurious gods; To tell them that this world did equal theirs, Till they had stol'n our jewel.-All's but nought; Patience is sottish, and impatience does Become a dog that 's mad: then is it sin To rush into the secret house of death, Ere death dare come to us?-How do you, women? [Charmian! What, what! good cheer! Why, how now, My noble girls!-Ah, women, women! look, Our lamp is spent, it's out!-Good sirs, take heart:[noble, We'll bury him; and then, what's brave, what's Let's do it after the high Roman fashion, And make Death proud to take us. Come, away: d This case of that huge spirit now is cold.-- [Exeunt; those above bearing off ANTONY's body. (*) First folio, in, corrected by Capell. of addressing women was not unusual; and, consequently, that the modern stage direction here, "[To the Guard below," is improper. Thus, as quoted by Mr. Dyce from Beaumont and Fletcher's play of "The Coxcomb," Act IV. Sc. 3, the mother, speaking to Viola, Nan, and Madge, says, "Sirs, to your tasks, and shew this little novice How to bestir herself," &c. Again, as quoted by Mr. Dyce from the same authors' "A King and No King," Act III. Sc. 1, "Spa. I do beseech you, madam, send away A few sad words, which, set against your joys, Pan. Sirs, leave me all. [Exeunt Wailing-women." |