Or murmuring, "where's my ferpent of old Nile ?" Meffengers from Lovers, grateful. brow; How much unlike art thou Mark Antony! Antony's made an alteration in a following line, which I have admitted into the text it is commonly read, Broad-fronted Cafar "Is there," fays he," the leaft ground from medals, statues, or history, for fuch a defcription of him? No; but the very reverfe. Look on his medals, and particularly the fine bronze at Dr. Mead's, and you'll find that he has a remarkably harp forehead. But there is a peculiarity in Cafar's forehead, mentioned by all his hiftorians, and confirmed by medals and statues. He was bald, and boasted that he would cover his temples with laurels instead of hair; and for that purpose, after he was dictator, conftantly wore his laurel crown. I read, therefore, Bald-fronted Cæfar. It is perfectly in character for Cleopatra to mention a blemith in Cafar; for fhe a little below fhews a contempt for his memory, in comparifon of her Antony." W. See Beaumont and Fletcher's works, preface, p. 66. (16) With his tinct gilded thee.] Alluding to the philofophers ftone, which by its touch converts bafe metal into gold the alchymifts call the matter, whatever it be, by which they perform tranfmutation, a medicine. J. Antony's Love and Difpofition. Ale. Good friend, quoth he, Say, "the firm Roman to great Egypt fends And foberly did mount an arm-gaunt (17) fteed, Who neigh'd fo high, that what I would have spoke, Was beaftly dumb'd by him. Cle. What, was he fad, or merry? Ale. Like to the time o' the year, between the extremes Of hot and cold; he was nor fad nor merry. Cle. O well-divided difpofition !-Note him, Note him, good Charmian, 'tis the man; but note him, He was not fad; for he would fhine on those O heavenly mingle!-Be'ft thou fad, or merry, So does it no man else. ACT II. SCENE I. The Vanity of human Wishes. Pom. If the great gods be juft, they shall affift The deeds of jufteft men. Men. Know, worthy Pompey, That what they do delay they not deny. Pom. (17) Arm-gaunt.] i. e. fays W. a steed worn lean and thin by much service in war. Hanmer reads arm-girt freed. Pom. Whilft we are fuitors to their throne, decays, (18) The thing we fue for. Men. We, (19) ignorant of ourselves, Beg often our own harms, which the wife powers Pom (18) Decays.] i. e. while we are praying, the thing for which we pray, is losing its value. J. W. reads delays, the thing we fue for. (19) We, &c.] Theobald has well observed, that if this be not an imitation of the following incomparable lines of Juvenal, they breathe so much of the fame spirit and energy, as if the foul of the Roman fatyrift had been transfus'd into our poet. In the beginning of the fatyr [the 10th] the poet observes ; Look round the habitable world, how few But, when we've got our with, we with undone ! In wars and peace, things hurtful we require, Intrust thy fortune to the powers above, Pompey's Wish for Antony's Captivity in Pleafure. Pomp. I know they are in Rome together, Pomp. Antony's Soldiership. Menas, I did not think, Is twice the other twain: but let us rear SCENE II. Antony's ingenuous Acknowledgment. Ant. The article of my oath Caf. To lend me arms, and aid, when I requir'd them; The which you both deny'd. Ant. Neglected, rather; And then, when poison'd hours had bound me up For (20) Wan lip.] This is evidently a term of contempt in the fpeaker, as he calls her falt Cleopatra. It may be remarked, however, that the lips of Africans and Afiatics are paler than those of European nations. See St. For which myself, the ignorant motive, do Lep. "Tis nobly spoken. Defcription of Cleopatra's failing down the Cydnus. The barge (21) fhe fat in, like a burnish'd throne, Burnt on the water; the poop was beaten gold, Purple the fails, and fo perfumed, that The winds were love-fick with them: th' oars were filver, Which to the tune of flutes kept ftroke, and made The Parti (21) The barge, &c.] As Dryden plainly entered the lifts with S. in defcribing this magnificent appearance of Cleopatra, it is but juft the defcriptions fhould appear together, that the reader may decide the victory. ality, perhaps, may incline me to think S's much the greateft; though I am pleafed with hearing it from Antony's own mouth, in Dryden's play. Her galley down the filver Cydnus row'd, The tackling filk, the ftreamers wav'd with gold, Her nymphs like Nereids round her couch were plac'd, She lay, and lent her cheek upon her hand, Neglecting the cou'd take 'em. Boys, like Cupids, The filver oars kept time; and while they play'd, The hearing gave new pleasure to the fight, And both to thought: 'twas heav'n (or fomewhat more) For the fo charm'd all hearts, that gazing crowds |