The loyalty well held to fools, does make
Gur faith mere folly; yet he that can endure
To follow with allegiance a fall'n lord,
Does conquer him that did his master conquer,
And earns a place i'th' story.

Wisdom fuperior to Fortune.

Wisdom and fortune, combating together,
If that the former dare but what it can,
No chance may shake it.

SCENE X. Vicious Perfons infatuated by Heaven.

Good, my lord;

When we in our vicioufnefs grow hard,

Oh mifery on't! the wife gods feal our eyes
In our own filth, drop our clear judgments, make us
Adore our errors, laugh at's, while we strut
To our confufion.

Fury expels Fear,

Now he'll outftare the lightning; to be furious
Is to be frighted out of fear, and, in that mood,
The dove will peck the eftridge; I see still
A diminution in our captain's brain
Reftores his heart; when valour preys on reason,
It eats the fword it fights with.

ACT IV. SCENE II.

A Mafter taking leave of his Servants.
Tend me to-night;
May be, it is the period of your duty;
Haply you fhall not fee me more, or if,-
A mangled fhadow. It may chance to-morrow,
You'll ferve another mafter. I look on you,
As one that takes his leave. Mine honeft friends,
I turn you not away; but, like a master,

Married

Married to your good fervice, ftay till death;
Tend me to-night two hours, I afk no more,
And the gods yield you for❜t.

SCENE III. Early rifing the Way to Eminence.

This morning, like the fpirit of a youth That means to be of note, begins betimes.

SCENE VI. Antony to Cleopatra, at his Return with Victory.

O, thou day o'th' world,

(29) Chain mine arm'd neck, leap thou, attire and all, Through proof of harness to my heart, and there Ride on the pants triumphing.

SCENE VII. Loathed Life.

(30) Oh, fovereign miftrefs of true melancholy, The poisonous damp of night difpunge upon me,

That

(29) Chain, &c.] i. e. Entwine me, armed as I am, in thy embraces. A chain, Mr. Edwards adds, Can. of Crit. p. 123. a gallant man would prefer before any gold one. He obferves too, on the laft line in the fpeech, (wherein Mr. Warburton tells us) Shakespear alludes to an admiral fhip on the billows after a ftorm." Why should it be triumphing like an admiral fhip on the billows after a ftorm? I thought victories gained, not storms efcaped, had been the matter of triumphs; and, I suppose, other fhips dance on the billows just after the fame manner as the admiral's does.

(30) Ob, &c.] Enobarbus here beautifully calls the moon, the fovereign mistress of true melancholy, and betrays a generous concern for his ingratitude. Bellario, in Philafter, A&t 4. makes this affecting and melancholy speech;

A heavinefs near death fits on my brow,
And I must sleep: bear me, thou gentle bank
For ever, if thou wilt: you sweet ones all,
Let me, unworthy, prefs you: I could with,
I rather were a corfe, ftrew'd o'er with you,
H 4

Than

That life, a very rebel to my will,
May hang no longer on me.

SCENE IX. Antony's Defpondency.

(31) Oh fun, thy uprife fhall I fee no more:
Fortune and Antony part here, even here
Do we shake hands-All come to this!-The hearts
That pannell'd me at heels, to whom I gave
Their wishes, do difcandy, melt their sweets

Than quick above you; dullness fhuts mine eyes,
And I am giddy: Oh, that I could take
So found a fleep, that I might never wake!

The defpondency of both is beautiful: but the poet's art is admirable, in fo well fuiting the fentiments: the defpair of one proceeding from guilt; the other from injured innocence.

(31) Oh fun, &c.] So Ajax, juft before he kills himself, addreifes himself to the fun,

Σεδω φαεννης, &c.

Bright day-light, and thou glory of the world,
Oh fun-to thee now laft I fend my voice,
Now raft I call-and hence am heard no more.

:

The word pannell'd, in the text, hath greatly disturbed the critics; fome altering it to pantler'd, others to pag'd, fpaniel'd, and the like but Mr. Upton's laft criticism seems most just—“Who,” fays he, "is fo unacquainted with our author as to be ignorant of his vague and licentious ufe of metaphors: his fporting, as it were, with the meaning of words?-The illufion here, licen tious as it is, is to the pannel of a wainscot. But hear ye the poet himself in As you like it, Act 3. "Jar. This fellow will but join you together, as they join wainscot." So that by the hearts that pannell'd me at heels, he means, the hearts that join'd me, united themselves to me, &c. This might have been lengthened into a fimile, but he chooses to express it more closely by a metaphor." Upton's Obfervations on Shakespear, p. 200. n. 3. I would always prefer that criticism which retains the original word, if it gives a tolerable fenfe. Tho' the line

Do difcandy, melt their sweets, &c.

is very good fenfe, I think, it would be better, if we read do dif sandying melt their fweets. The reafons are obvious.

On bloffoming Cafar; and this pine is bark'd
That over-topt them all.

Departing Greatness.

The foul and body rive not more in parting,
Than greatness going off.

SCENE X. Antony, on his faded Glory.

Ant. Sometime, we fee a cloud that's dragonish;
A vapour fometime, like a bear, or lion,
A tower'd citadel, a pendant rock,

A forked mountain, or blue promontory,
With trees upon't, that nod unto the world,
And mock our eyes with air.Thou haft feen these
figns,

They are black vefper's pageants.

Eros. Ay, my lord.

Ant. That which is now a horse, even with a thought
The rack diflimns, and makes it indistinct
As water is in water.

Eros. It does, my lord.

Ant. My good knave, Eros, now thy captain is
Even fuch a body; here I'm Antony,
Yet cannot hold this visible shape, my knave.
I made these wars for Egypt, and the Queen,
Whose heart I thought I had, for fhe had mine;
(Which whilst it was mine, had annex'd to it
A million more, now loft ;) fhe, Eros, has
Packt cards with Cafar, and falfe play'd my glory
Unto an enemy's triumph.
Nay, weep not, gentle Eros, there is left us
Ourfelves to end ourselves.

Defcription of Cleopatra's (supposed) Death.

Death of one person can be paid but once, And that she has difcharg'd. What thou wouldst do, Is done unto thy hand; the last she spake

Was

HS

Was Antony! most noble Antony!
Then in the midst a tearing groan did break
The name of Antony; it was divided
Between her heart and lips; the render'd life,
Thy name fo buried in her.

SCENE XII. Cleopatra on the Death of Antony.

It were for me

To throw my fceptre at th' injurious gods,
To tell them that this world did equal theirs,
Till they had ftol'n our jewel. All's but nought:
Patience is fottifh, and impatience does
Become a dog that's mad: then is it fin,
To rush into the fecret house of death,

Ere death dare come to us? How do ye, women?
What, what good cheer? Why, how now, Charmian?
My noble girls?-Ah women, women! Look,
Our lamp is spent, it's out- -Good firs, take heart,
We'll bury him: and then what's brave, what's noble,
Let's do it after the high Roman fashion,
And make death proud to take us. Come, away,
This cafe of that huge fpirit now is cold.

ACT V. SCENE I.

1

Death.

My defolation does begin to make A better life; 'tis paltry to be Cafar: Not being fortune, he's but fortune's knave, A minifter of her will; and it is great, To do that thing that ends all other deeds, Which fhackles accidents, and bolts up change; (32) Which fleeps, and never palates more the dung, The beggar's nurfe, and Cafar's.

SCENE

(32) Which fleeps, &c.] Mr. Seward, in a note on the Fale One, @bferves; "When we speak in contempt of any thing, we gene

rally