I should have found it afterwards well done;
But must condemn it now. Desist, and drink.
Men. For this,

I'll never follow thy palled' fortunes more.—

[Aside.

Who seeks, and will not take, when once 'tis offered, Shall never find it more.

Pom.

This health to Lepidus.

Ant. Bear him ashore.-I'll pledge it for him,

Pompey.

Eno. Here's to thee, Menas.

Men.

Pom. Fill, till the cup be hid.

Enobarbus, welcome.

Eno. There's a strong fellow, Menas.

Men.

Eno.

[Pointing to the Attendant who carries off LEPIDUS.

Why?

The third part of the world, man; see'st not?

He bears

Men. The third part then is drunk. 'Would it were all,

That it might go on wheels!

Eno. Drink thou; increase the reels.2

Men. Come.

Pom. This is not yet an Alexandrian feast.

Ant. It ripens towards it.-Strike the vessels,3 ho! Here is to Cæsar.

Cæs.

I could well forbear it. It's monstrous labor when I wash my brain, And it grows fouler.

Ant.

Be a child o' the time

Cæs. Possess it, I'll make answer; but I had rather

fast

From all, four days, than drink so much in one.
Eno. Ha, my brave emperor !

[TO ANTONY.

1 Palled is vapid, past its time of excellence; palled wine is wine that has lost its sprightliness.

2 Menas says, "The third part of the world is drunk (meaning Lepidus, one of the triumvirs.) Would it were all so, that it might go on wheels, i. e. turn round or change." To which Enobarbus replies, "Drink thou; increase the reels," i. e. increase its giddy course.

3 i. e. tap them, broach them.

Shall we dance now the Egyptian Bacchanals,
And celebrate our drink?

Pom.

Let's ha't, good soldier.

Ant. Come, let us all take hands ;

1

Till that the conquering wine hath steeped our sense In soft and delicate Lethe.

Eno.

All take hands.

Make battery to our ears with the loud music;-
The while, I'll place you. Then the boy shall sing;
The holding every man shall bear, as loud

As his strong sides can volley.

[Music plays. ENOBARBUS places them hand in hand.

SONG.

3

Come, thou monarch of the vine,
Plumpy Bacchus, with pink eyne:
In thy vats our cares be drowned;
With thy grapes our hairs be crowned;
Cup us, till the world go round;
Cup us, till the world go round!

Cæs. What would you more ?-Pompey, good night.
Good brother,

Let me request you off; our graver business
Frowns at this levity.-Gentle lords, let's part;
You see we have burnt our cheeks. Strong Enobarbe
Is weaker than the wine; and mine own tongue
Splits what it speaks: the wild disguise hath almost
Anticked us all. What needs more words? Good
night.-

Good Antony, your hand.

The half-line omitted in this place may be supplied with words resembling those in Milton's Comus:

"Come, let us all take hands, and beat the ground,

Till," &c.

2 The holding is the burden or under-song.

3 Pink eyne are small eyes. The flower called a pink is in French oeillet, or little eye. To pink and wink is to contract the eyes and peep out of the lids.

Pom.

I'll try you o' the shore.

Ant. And shall, sir; give's your hand.

Pom.

O Antony,

You have my father's house.-But what? We are

friends:

Come, down into the boat.

Eno.

Take heed you fall not.

[Exeunt POMPEY, CESAR, ANTONY, and

Menas, I'll not on shore.

Men.

Atendants.

No, to my cabin.—

These drums!-these trumpets, flutes! what!—
Let Neptune hear we bid a loud farewell

To these great fellows. Sound, and be hanged, sound out. [A flourish of trumpets, with drums.

Eno. Ho, says 'a!-There's my cap.

Men.

Ho!-noble captain!

Come.

[Exeunt.

Enter VENTIDIUS, as after conquest, with SILIUS, and other Romans, Officers, and Soldiers; the dead body of PACORUS borne before him.

Ven. Now, darting Parthia, art thou struck;1 and

now,

Pleased fortune does of Marcus Crassus' death

Make me revenger.-Bear the king's son's body
Before our army.-Thy Pacorus, Orodes,2

Pays this for Marcus Crassus.

Sil.

1 Struck alludes to darting.

Noble Ventidius,

2 Pacorus was the son of Orodes, king of Parthia.

Whilst yet with Parthian blood thy sword is warm,
The fugitive Parthians follow. Spur through Media,
Mesopotamia, and the shelters whither

The routed fly. So thy grand captain Antony
Shall set thee on triumphant chariots, and

Put garlands on thy head.

Ven.

O Silius, Silius,

I have done enough. A lower place, note well, May make too great an act. For learn this, Silius; Better to leave undone, than by our deed

Acquire too high a fame, when him we serve's away.
Cæsar, and Antony, have ever won

More in their officer, than person. Sossius,
One of my place in Syria, his lieutenant,
For quick accumulation of renown,

Which he achieved by the minute, lost his favor.
Who does i' the wars more than his captain can,
Becomes his captain's captain; and ambition,
The soldier's virtue, rather makes choice of loss,
Than gain, which darkens him.

I could do more to do Antonius good,

But 'twould offend him; and in his offence
Should my performance perish.

Sil.

Thou hast, Ventidius, that

Without the which a soldier, and his sword,

Grants1 scarce distinction. Thou wilt write to Antony?
Ven. I'll humbly signify what in his name,

That magical word of war, we have effected;
How, with his banners, and his well-paid ranks,
The ne'er-yet-beaten horse of Parthia

We have jaded out o' the field.

Sil.

Where is he now?

Ven. He purposeth to Athens; whither, with what

haste

The weight we must convey with us will permit,
We shall appear before him.-On, there; pass along.

[Exeunt.

1 Grants for affords. "Thou hast that, Ventidius, which if thou didst want, there would be no distinction between thee and thy sword. You would be both equally cutting and senseless."

SCENE II. Rome. An Antechamber in Cæsar's

House.

Enter AGRIPPA and ENOBARBUS, meeting.

Agr. What, are the brothers parted?

Eno. They have despatched with Pompey; he is gone; The other three are sealing. Octavia weeps Το part from Rome. Cæsar is sad; and Lepidus, Since Pompey's feast, as Menas says, is troubled With the green-sickness.

Agr.

'Tis a noble Lepidus. Eno. A very fine one. O, how he loves Cæsar! Agr. Nay, but how dearly he adores Mark Antony! Eno. Cæsar? why, he's the Jupiter of men. Agr. What's Antony? the god of Jupiter.

Eno. Spake you of Cæsar? How? the nonpareil! Agr. O Antony! O thou Arabian bird!1

Eno. Would you praise Cæsar, say,-Cæsar; go no

further.

Agr. Indeed, he plied them both with excellent praises.

Eno. But he loves Cæsar best;-yet he loves

Antony.

Ho! hearts, tongues, figures, scribes, bards, poets,

cannot

Think, speak, cast, write, sing, number, ho, his love To Antony. But as for Cæsar,

Kneel down, kneel down, and wonder.

Agr.

3

Both he loves.

Eno. They are his shards, and he their beetle. So,

This is to horse.-Adieu, noble Agrippa.

[Trumpets.

Agr. Good fortune, worthy soldier; and farewell.

1 The phoenix.

2 This puerile arrangement of words was much affected in the age of Shakspeare, even by the first writers.

3 i. e. they are the wings that raise this heavy, lumpish insect from the ground.