Hear me, good Friends,

But I will tell you at fome meeter Seafon

The bufinefs of this Man looks out of him,

We'll hear him what he fays. Whence are you?
Enter an Egyptian.

Ægypt. A poor Ægyptian yet, the Queen my Miftrefs Confin'd in all the has, her Monument,

Of thy intents, defires instruction,

That the preparedly may frame her fef
To th' way he's forc'd to.

Caf. Bid her have good Heart,

She foon fhall know of us, by fome of ours,

How honourable, and how kindly we

Determine for her. For Cafar cannot leave to be ungentle.

Egypt. The Gods preferve thee.

Caf. Come hither Proculeius, go and fay

We purpose her no fhame; give her what comforts
The quality of her Paffion shall require;
Left in her greatnefs, by fome mortal ftroke
She do defeat us: For her life in Rome
Would be eternal in our triumph. Go,

And with your speedieft bring us what the fays,
And how you find of her.

P10. Cefar, I fhall.

[Exit.

[Exit Proculeius.

Caf. Gallus, go you along; where's Dolabella, to fecond Proculeius?

All. Dolabella.

Caf. Let him alone; for I remember now
How he's employ'd: He fhall in time be ready.
Go with me to my Tent, where you shall fee
How hardly I was drawn into this War,
How calm and gentle I proceeded ftill
In all my Writings. Go with me, and fee
What I can fhew in this.

[Exeunt.

SCENE VIII. The Monument.

Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, Iras, Mardian, and Seleucus.
Cleo. 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,
Which fleeps, and never pallats more the dung,
The beggar's Nurfe, and Cafar's.

Enter Proculeius.

Pro. Cafar fends greeting to the Queen of Egypt,
And bids thee ftudy on what fair demands
Thou mean'ft to have him grant thee.
Cleo. What's thy name?

Pro. My name is Proculeius.

Cleo. Antony

Did tell me of you, bad me truft you, but
I do not greatly care to be deceiv'd

That have no ufe for trufting. If your Mafter
Would have a Queen his Beggar, you must tell him,
That Majefty, to keep decorum, muft

No lefs beg than a Kingdom: If he please
To give me conquer'd Egypt for my Son,
He gives me fo much of mine own, as I
Will kneel to him with thanks.

Pro. Be of good cheer:

You're faln into a princely Hand, fear nothing,
Make your full reference freely to my Lord,
Who is fo full of Grace, that it flows over.
On all that need. Let me report to him
Your fweet dependency, and you fhall find
A Conqueror that will pray in aid for kindness,
Where he for Grace is kneel'd to.

Cleo. Pray you tell him,

I am his Fortunes Vaffal, and I fend him
The greatness he has got. I hourly learn
A Doctrine of Obedience, and would gladly
Look him i'th' Face.

Pro. This I'll report, dear Lady,

Have comfort, for I know your plight is pitied

Of him that caus'd it.

Char. You see how eafily fhe may be furpris'd: Guard her 'till Cafar come.

Iras. Royal Queen.

Char. Oh Cleopatra, thou art taken Queen.

Cleo.

Cleo. Quick, quick, good hands.

Pro. Hold, worthy Lady, hold:

Do not your felf fuch wrong, who are in this
Reliev'd, but not betray'd.

Cleo. What of Death too that rids our Dogs of languish? Pro. Cleopatra, do not abuse my Mafter's bounty, by Th' undoing of your felf: Let the World fee

His Nobleness well acted, which
Will never let come forth.

Cleo. Where art thou, Death?

your Death

Come hither, come: Oh! Come, and take the Queen
Worth many Babes and Beggars.

Pro. Oh temperance, Lady.

Cleo. Sir, I will eat no meat, I'll not drink, Sir: If idle talk will once be neceffary,

I'll not fleep neither.

This mortal houfe I'll ruin,
Do Cafar what he can. Know, Sir, that I
Will not wait pinnion'd at your Mafter's Court,
Not once to be chaftis'd with the fober Eye
Of dull Octavia. Shall they hoift me up,
And fhew me to the fhouting Varlotry
Of censuring Rome? rather a ditch in Ægypt,
But gentle, Grave, unto me: rather on Nilus mud
Lay me ftark-nak'd, and let the water-Flies

Blow me into abhorring: rather make

My Country's high Pyramides my Gibbet,

And hang me up in Chains.

Pro. You do extend

These thoughts of horror further than you fhall
Find caufe in Cafar.

What thou haft done, my Mafter Cafar knows,
And he hath fent for thee: as for the Queen,
I'll take her to my Guard.

Pro. Se, Dolabella,

It shall content me beft; be gentle to her:

To Cafar I will fpeak what you fhall pleafe,
If you'll employ me to him.

Cleo. Say, I would die.

[Exit Proculcius.

Dol. Moft Noble Emprefs, you have heard of me.

Cleo.

Cleo. I cannot tell.

Dol. Affuredly you know me.

Cleo. No matter, Sir, what I have heard or known: You laugh when Boys or Women tell their Dreams, Is't not your trick?

Dol. I understand not, Madam.

Cleo. I Dreamt there was an Emperor Antony; Oh fuch another Sleep, that I might fee

But fuch another Man.

Dol. If it might pleafe ye

Cleo. His Face was as the Heav'ns, and therein ftuck A Sun and Moon, which kept their course, and lighted The little o'th' Earth.

Dol. Moft Sovereign Creature

Cleo. His Legs beftrid the Ocean, his rear'd Arm
Crefted the World: his Voice was propertied
As all the tuned Spheres, and that to Friends:
But when he meant to quail, and shake the Orb,
He was as ratling Thunder: For his bounty,
Therere was no Winter in't. An Antony it was,
That grew the more by reaping: his delights
Were Dolphin-like, they fhew'd his back above
The Element they liv'd in; In his Livery

Walk'd Crowns and Crownets: Realms and Iflands
As Plates dropt from his Pocket.

Dol. Cleopatra

Cleo. Think you there was, or might be such a Man As this I dreamt of?

Dol. Gentle Madam, no,

Cleo. You lie up to the hearing of the gods;
But if there be, or ever were one fuch,

It's past the fize of dreaming: Nature wants stuff
To vy ftrange forms with Fancy, yet t'imagine
An Antony were Nature's piece, 'gainst Fancy,
Condemning Shadows quite.

Dol. Hear me, good Madam:

Your lofs is as your felf, great; and you bear it
As anfwering to the weight: would I might never
O'er-take purfu'd Succefs, but I do feel

By the rebound of yours, a grief that fuits
My very Heart at Root.

Cleo

Cleo. I thank you, Sir,

Know you what Cafar means to do with me?

Dol. I am loth to tell you what, I would you knew.
Cleo. Nay, pray you, Sir.

Dol. Though he be honourable.

Cleo. He'll lead me then in triumph.

Dol. Madam, he will, I know't.

Enter Cæfar, Gallus, Mecænas, Proculeius and Attendants.

All Make way there

Cafar.

Caf. Which is the Queen of Egypt ?
Dol. It is the Emperor, Madam.
Caf. Arife, you shall not kneel:
I pray you rife, rife, Egypt.

[Cleo, kneels.

Cleo. Sir, the gods will have it thus,
My Mafter and my Lord I muft obey.
Caf. Take to you no hard thoughts,
The Record of what injuries you did us,
Though written in our Flesh, we fhall remember
As things but done by chance.

Cleo. Sole Sir o'th' World,

I cannot project mine own caufe fo well
To make it clear, but do confefs I have
Been laden with like frailties, which before
Have often fham'd our Sex.

Caf. Cleopatra, know,

We will extenuate rather than inforce:
If you apply your self to our intents,

Which towards you are moft gentle, you shall find
A benefit in this change, but if you feek

To lay on me a Cruelty, by taking

Antony's courfe, you fhall bereave your felf
Of my good purposes, and put your Children
To that deftruction which I'll guard them from,

If thereon you rely. I'll take my leave.

Cleo. And may through all the World: 'tis yours, and we

Your Scutcheons, and your figns of Conqueft fhall

Hang in what place you pleafe. Here, my good Lord.
Caf. You fhall advife me in all for Cleopatra.

Cleo. This is the brief: of Mony, Plate, and Jewels
I am poffeft of, 'tis exactly valued,

Not petty things admitted. Where's Seleucus?