Bring me word, how tall she is.-Pity me, Charmian, But do not speak to me.-Lead me to my chamber. [Exeunt.

SCENE VI.

Near Misenum.

Enter POMPEY, and MENAS, at one side, with Drum and Trumpet: at another, CESAR, LEPIDUS, ANTONY, ENOBARBUS, MECENAS, with Soldiers marching.

Pom. Your hostages I have, so have you mine; And we shall talk before we fight.

Cas.

Most meet,

That first we come to words; and therefore have we
Our written purposes before us sent:

Which, if thou hast consider'd, let us know
If 't will tie up thy discontented sword;
And carry back to Sicily much tall youth,
That else must perish here.

Pom.
To you all three,
The senators alone of this great world,
Chief factors for the gods,—I do not know,
Wherefore my father should revengers want,
Having a son, and friends; since Julius Cæsar,
Who at Philippi the good Brutus ghosted,+
There saw you labouring for him. What was it,
That mov'd pale Cassius to conspire? And what
Made the all-honour'd, honest, Roman Brutus,
With the arm'd rest, courtiers of beauteous freedom,
To drench the Capitol; but that they would
Have one man but a man? And that is it,
Hath made me rig my navy; at whose burden
The anger'd ocean foams; with which I meant
To scourge the ingratitude that despiteful Rome
Cast on my noble father.

Cas.

Take your time.

4 the good Brutus ghosted,] This verb is also used by Burton, in his Anatomy of Melancholy. Preface, p. 22, edit. 1632. "What madnesse ghosts this old man? but what madnesse ghosts us all?" Steevens.

5 Made the-] Thus the second folio. In the first, the article the is omitted, to the manifest injury of the metre. Steevens. VOL. XIIL

Аа

Ant. Thou canst not fear us, Pompey, with thy sails, We'll speak with thee at sea: at land, thou know'st How much we do o'er-count thee.

At land, indeed,

Pom.
Thou dost o'er-count me of my father's house:7
But, since the cuckoo builds not for himself,s
Remain in 't, as thou may'st.

Lep.
(For this is from the present) how you take
The offers we have sent you.

Be pleas'd to tell us,

There's the point.

Cas.
Ant. Which do not be entreated to, but weigh
What it is worth embrac'd.

Cas.

To try a larger fortune.

Pom.

And what may follow,

You have made me offer

Of Sicily, Sardinia; and I must

Rid all the sea of pirates; then, to send

6 Thou canst not fear us,] Thou canst not affright us with thy numerous navy. Johnson.

So, in Measure for Measure:

"Setting it up, to fear the birds of prey." Steevens.

At land, indeed,

Thou dost o'er-count me of my father's house:] At land indeed thou dost exceed me in possessions, having added to thy own my father's house. O'er-count seems to be used equivocally, and Pompey perhaps meant to insinuate that Antony not only outnumbered, but had over-reached, him. The circumstance here alluded to our author found in the old translation of Plutarch: "Afterwards, when Pompey's house was put to open sale, Antonius bought it; but when they asked him money for it, he made it very straunge, and was offended with them."

Again: "Whereupon Antonius asked him, [Sextus Pompeius] And where shall we sup? There, sayd Pompey; and showed him his admiral galley, which had six benches of owers: that said he is my father's house they have left me. He spake it to taunt Antonius, because he had his father's house, that was Pompey the Great." See p. 278, n, 9, Malone.

8 But, since the cuckoo builds not for himself, &c.] Since, like the cuckoo, that seizes the nests of other birds, you have invaded a house which you could not build, keep it while you can. Johnson, So, in P. Holland's translation of Pliny, B. X, ch. ix:

9

"These (cuckows) lay alwaies in other birds' nests."

Steevens.

this is from the present,] i. e. foreign to the object of our present discussion. See Vol. II, p. 10, n. 6. Steevens,

Measures of wheat to Rome: This 'greed upon,
To part with unhack'd edges, and bear back
Our targe1 undinted.

Cas. Ant. Lep. That 's our offer.

Pom.

Know then,
I came before you here, a man prepar'd
To take this offer: But Mark Antony
Put me to some impatience:-Though I lose
The praise of it by telling, You must know,
When Cæsar and your brothers were at blows,
Your mother came to Sicily, and did find
Her welcome friendly.

Ant.

I have heard it, Pompey;

And am well studied for a liberal thanks,
Which I do owe you.

Pom.

Let me have your hand:

I did not think, sir, to have met you here.

Ant. The beds i' the east are soft; and thanks to you, That call'd me, timelier than my purpose, hither;

For I have gain'd by it.

Cas.

Since I saw you last,

Well, I know not

There is a change upon you.

Pom.

What counts harsh fortune casts upon my face;2
But in my bosom shall she never come,

To make my heart her vassal.

Well met here.

Lep.
Pom. I hope so, Lepidus.-Thus we are agreed:
I crave, our composition may be written,

And seal'd between us.

Cas.

That 's the next to do.

Pom. We'll feast each other, ere we part; and let us Draw lots, who shall begin.

That will I, Pompey.

Ant.
Pom. No, Antony, take the lot :3 but, first,

Or last, your fine Egyptian cookery

Shall have the fame. I have heard, that Julius Cæsar

1 Our targe-] Old copy, unmetrically-targes. Steevens. 2 What counts harsh fortune casts &-c.] Metaphor from making marks or lines in casting accounts in arithmetick. Warburton. take the lot:] Perhaps (a syllable being here wanting to the metre) our author wrote:

3

- take we the lot. Steevens.

Pom. Then so much have I heard:And I have heard, Apollodorus carried Eno. No more of that:-He did so. Pom.

What, I pray you?

Eno. A certain queen to Cæsar in a mattress.5
Pom. I know thee now; How far'st thou, soldier?
Eno.

And well am like to do; for, I perceive,

Four feasts are toward.

Well;

Let me shake thy hand;

Pom.
I never hated thee: I have seen thee fight,
When I have envied thy behaviour.

Eno.

Sir,

I never lov'd you much; but I have prais'd you,
When you have well deserv'd ten times as much
As I have said you did.

Pom.

Enjoy thy plainness,

It nothing ill becomes thee.

Aboard my galley I invite you all:

Will you lead, lords?

Cæs. Ant. Lep. Show us the way, sir.

Pom.

Come. [Exeunt

POM. CES. ANT. LEP. Soldiers and Attendants.

Men. Thy father, Pompey, would ne'er have made this treaty.[Aside.]-You and I have known, sir.

Eno. At sea, I think.

Men. We have, sir.

Eno. You have done well by water.

Men. And you by land.

Eno. I will praise any man that will praise me:7 though it cannot be denied what I have done by land.

4

meanings,] Former editions, meaning. Reed. The correction was suggested by Mr. Heath. Malone.

5 A certain queen to Cæsar in a mattress.] i. e. To Julius Cæsar.

Steevens.

This is from the margin of North's Plutarch, 1579: "Cleopatra trussed up in a mattresse, and so brought to Cæsar, upon Apollodorus backe." Ritson.

You and I have known, sir.] i. e. been acquainted. So, in Cymbeline: "Sir, we have known together at Orleans." Steevens.

Men. Nor what I have done by water.

Eno. Yes, something you can deny for your own safety: you have been a great thief by sea.

Men. And you by land.

Eno. There I deny my land service. But give me your hand, Menas: If our eyes had authority, here they might take two thieves kissing.

Men. All men's faces are true, whatsoe'er their hands

are.

Eno. But there is never a fair woman has a true face. Men. No slander; they steal hearts.

Eno. We came hither to fight with you.

Men. For my part, I am sorry it is turned to a drinking. Pompey doth this day laugh away his fortune.

Eno. If he do, sure, he cannot weep it back again. Men. You have said, sir. We looked not for Mark Antony here; Pray you, is he married to Cleopatra? Eno. Cæsar's sister is call'd Octavia.

Men. True, sir; she was the wife of Caius Marcellus. Eno. But she is now the wife of Marcus Antonius. Men. Pray you, sir?

Eno. 'Tis true.

Men. Then is Cæsar, and he, for ever knit together. Eno. If I were bound to divine of this unity, I would not prophecy so.

Men. I think, the policy of that purpose made more in the marriage, than the love of the parties.

Eno. I think so too. But you shall find, the band that seems to tie their friendship together, will be the very strangler of their amity: Octavia is of a holy, cold, and still conversation.8

Men. Who would not have his wife so?

Eno. Not he, that himself is not so; which is Mark

7 Iwill praise any man that will praise me: ] The poet's art in delivering this humorous sentiment (which gives so very true and natural a picture of the commerce of the world) can never be sufficiently admired. The confession could come from none but a frank and rough character, like the speaker's: and the moral lesson insinuated under it, that flattery can make its way through the most stubborn manners, deserves our serious reflection. Warburton.

8 conversation.] i. e. behaviour, manner of acting in common life. So, in Psalm xxxvii, 14: to slay such as be of upright conversation." Steevens.