80Char. L. Alexas, sweet Alexas, most any thing Alexas,

81almost most absolute Alexas, where's the Soothsayer

82that you prais'd so to'th'Queene? Oh that I knewe this

83Husband, which you say, must change his Hornes with

84Garlands.

85Alex. Soothsayer.

86Sooth. Your will?

87Char. Is this the Man? Is't you sir that know things?

88Sooth. In Natures infinite booke of Secrecie, a little I

89can read.

90Alex. Shew him your hand.

91Enob. Bring in the Banket quickly: Wine enough,

92Cleopatra's health to drinke.

93Char. Good sir, giue me good Fortune.

94Sooth. I make not, but foresee.

95Char. Pray then, foresee me one.

96Sooth. You shall be yet farre fairer then you are.

97Char. He meanes in flesh.

98Iras. No, you shall paint when you are old.

99Char. Wrinkles forbid.

100Alex. Vex not his prescience, be attentiue.

101Char. Hush.

102Sooth. You shall be more belouing, then beloued.

103Char. I had rather heate my Liuer with drinking.

104Alex. Nay, heare him.

105Char. Good now some excellent Fortune: Let mee

106be married to three Kings in a forenoone, and Widdow

107them all: Let me haue a Childe at fifty, to whom Herode

108of Iewry may do Homage. Finde me to marrie me with

109Octauius Caesar, and companion me with my Mistris.

110Sooth. You shall out-liue the Lady whom you serue.

111Char. Oh excellent, I loue long life better then Figs.

112Sooth. You haue seene and proued a fairer former for-

113tune, then that which is to approach.

114Char. Then belike my Children shall haue no names:

115Prythee how many Boyes and Wenches must I haue.

116Sooth. If euery of your wishes had a wombe, & fore-

117tell euery wish, a Million.

118Char. Out Foole, I forgiue thee for a Witch.

119Alex. You thinke none but your sheets are priuie to

120your wishes.

121Char. Nay come, tell Iras hers.

122Alex. Wee'l know all our Fortunes.

123Enob. Mine, and most of our Fortunes to night, shall

124be drunke to bed.

125Iras. There's a Palme presages Chastity, if nothing els.

126Char. E'ne as the o're-flowing Nylus presageth Fa-

127mine.

128Iras. Go you wilde Bedfellow, you cannot Soothsay.

129Char. Nay, if an oyly Palme bee not a fruitfull Prog-

130nostication, I cannot scratch mine eare. Prythee tel her

131but a worky day Fortune.

132Sooth. Your Fortunes are alike.

133Iras. But how, but how, giue me particulars.

134Sooth. I haue said.

135Iras. Am I not an inch of Fortune better then she?

136Char. Well, if you were but an inch of fortune better

137then I: where would you choose it.

138Iras. Not in my Husbands nose.

139Char. Our worser thoughts Heauens mend.

140Alexas. Come, his Fortune, his Fortune. Oh let him

141mary a woman that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee,

142and let her dye too, and giue him a worse, and let worse

143follow worse, till the worst of all follow him laughing to

144his graue, fifty-fold a Cuckold. Good Isis heare me this

145Prayer, though thou denie me a matter of more waight:

146good Isis I beseech thee.

147Iras. Amen, deere Goddesse, heare that prayer of the

148people. For, as it is a heart-breaking to see a handsome

149man loose-Wiu'd, so it is a deadly sorrow, to beholde a

150foule Knaue vncuckolded: Therefore deere Isis keep de-

151corum, and Fortune him accordingly.

152Char. Amen.

153Alex. Lo now, if it lay in their hands to make mee a

154Cuckold, they would make themselues Whores, but

155they'ld doo't.

157Enob. Hush, heere comes Anthony.

158Char. Not he, the Queene.

159Cleo. Saue you, my Lord.

160Enob. No Lady.

161Cleo. Was he not heere?

162Char. No Madam.

163Cleo. He was dispos'd to mirth, but on the sodaine

164A Romane thought hath strooke him.

165Enobarbus?

166Enob. Madam.

167Cleo. Seeke him, and bring him hither: wher's Alexias?

168Alex. Heere at your seruice.

169My Lord approaches.

171Cleo. We will not looke vpon him:

172Go with vs. Exeunt.

173Messen. Fuluia thy Wife,

174First came into the Field.

175Ant. Against my Brother Lucius?

176Messen. I: but soone that Warre had end,

177And the times state

178Made friends of them, ioynting their force 'gainst Caesar,

179Whose better issue in the warre from Italy,

180Vpon the first encounter draue them.

181Ant. Well, what worst.

182Mess. The Nature of bad newes infects the Teller.

183Ant. When it concernes the Foole or Coward: On.

184Things that are past, are done, with me. 'Tis thus,

185Who tels me true, though in his Tale lye death,

186I heare him as he flatter'd.

187Mes. Labienus (this is stiffe-newes)

188Hath with his Parthian Force

189Extended Asia: from Euphrates his conquering

190Banner shooke, from Syria to Lydia,

191And to Ionia, whil'st---

192Ant. Anthony thou would'st say.

193Mes. Oh my Lord.

194Ant. Speake to me home,

195Mince not the generall tongue, name

196Cleopatra as she is call'd in Rome:

197Raile thou in Fuluia's phrase, and taunt my faults

198With such full License, as both Truth and Malice

199Haue power to vtter. Oh then we bring forth weeds,

200When our quicke windes lye still, and our illes told vs

201Is as our earing: fare thee well awhile.

202Mes. At your Noble pleasure. Exit Messenger.

204Ant. From Scicion how the newes? Speake there.

2051. Mes. The man from Scicion,

206Is there such an one?

2072. Mes. He stayes vpon your will.

208Ant. Let him appeare:

209These strong Egyptian Fetters I must breake,

210Or loose my selfe in dotage.

212What are you?

2133. Mes. Fuluia thy wife is dead.

214Ant. Where dyed she.

215Mes. In Scicion, her length of sicknesse,

216With what else more serious,

217Importeth thee to know, this beares.

218Antho. Forbeare me

219There's a great Spirit gone, thus did I desire it:

220What our contempts doth often hurle from vs,

x We

221We wish it ours againe. The present pleasure,

222By reuolution lowring, does become

223The opposite of it selfe: she's good being gon,

224The hand could plucke her backe, that shou'd her on.

225I must from this enchanting Queene breake off,

226Ten thousand harmes, more then the illes I know

227My idlenesse doth hatch.

229How now Enobarbus.

230Eno. What's your pleasure, Sir?

231Anth. I must with haste from hence.

232Eno. Why then we kill all our Women. We see how

233mortall an vnkindnesse is to them, if they suffer our de-

234parture death's the word.

235Ant. I must be gone.

236Eno. Vnder a compelling an occasion, let women die.

237It were pitty to cast them away for nothing, though be-

238tweene them and a great cause, they should be esteemed

239nothing. Cleopatra catching but the least noyse of this,

240dies instantly: I haue seene her dye twenty times vppon

241farre poorer moment: I do think there is mettle in death,

242which commits some louing acte vpon her, she hath such

243a celerity in dying.

244Ant. She is cunning past mans thought.

245Eno. Alacke Sir no, her passions are made of nothing

246but the finest part of pure Loue. We cannot cal her winds

247and waters, sighes and teares: They are greater stormes

248and Tempests then Almanackes can report. This cannot

249be cunning in her; if it be, she makes a showre of Raine

250as well as Ioue.

251Ant. Would I had neuer seene her.

252Eno. Oh sir, you had then left vnseene a wonderfull

253peece of worke, which not to haue beene blest withall,

254would haue discredited your Trauaile.

255Ant. Fuluia is dead.

256Eno. Sir.

257Ant. Fuluia is dead.

258Eno. Fuluia?

259Ant. Dead.

260Eno. Why sir, giue the Gods a thankefull Sacrifice:

261when it pleaseth their Deities to take the wife of a man

262from him, it shewes to man the Tailors of the earth: com-

263forting therein, that when olde Robes are worne out,

264there are members to make new. If there were no more

265Women but Fuluia, then had you indeede a cut, and the

266case to be lamented: This greefe is crown'd with Conso-

267lation, your old Smocke brings foorth a new Petticoate,

268aud indeed the teares liue in an Onion, that should water

269this sorrow.

270Ant. The businesse she hath broached in the State,

271Cannot endure my absence.

272Eno. And the businesse you haue broach'd heere can-

273not be without you, especially that of Cleopatra's, which

274wholly depends on your abode.

275Ant. No more light Answeres:

276Let our Officers

277Haue notice what we purpose. I shall breake

278The cause of our Expedience to the Queene,

279And get her loue to part. For not alone

280The death of Fuluia, with more vrgent touches

281Do strongly speake to vs: but the Letters too

282Of many our contriuing Friends in Rome,

283Petition vs at home. Sextus Pompeius

284Haue giuen the dare to Caesar, and commands

285The Empire of the Sea. Our slippery people,

286Whose Loue is neuer link'd to the deseruer,

287Till his deserts are past, begin to throw

288Pompey the great, and all his Dignities

289Vpon his Sonne, who high in Name and Power,

290Higher then both in Blood and Life, stands vp

291For the maine Souldier. Whose quality going on,

292The sides o'th'world may danger. Much is breeding,

293Which like the Coursers heire, hath yet but life,

294And not a Serpents poyson. Say our pleasure,

295To such whose places vnder vs, require

296Our quicke remoue from hence.

297Enob. I shall doo't.