Of life at once untie : poor venomous fool, Be angry, and despatch. O, could'st thou speak! Char. Cleo. O eastern star! Peace, peace! O, break! O, break! Dost thou not see my baby at my breast, That sucks the nurse asleep? Char. Cleo. As sweet as balm, as soft as air, as gentle,— O Antony !-Nay, I will take thee too : - [Applying another Asp to her Arm. Of eyes again so royal! Your crown's awry; Enter the Guard, rushing in. 1 Guard. Where is the queen? Char. Speak softly, wake her not. 1 Guard. Cæsar hath sentChar. Too slow a messenger. [Applies the Asp. O, come; apace, despatch: I partly feel thee. 1 Guard. Approach, ho! All's not well: Cæsar's beguil❜d. 2 Guard. There's Dolabella sent from Cæsar;-call him. 3 Unpolitick, to leave me to myself. 1 Guard. What work is here?-Charmian, is this well done? Char. It is well done, and fitting for a princess Descended of so many royal kings. Ah, soldier! [Dies. Cæsar, thy thoughts Touch their effects in this: Thyself art coming Within. A way there, way for Cæsar! Enter CESAR, and Attendants. Dol. O, sir, you are too sure an augurer; That you did fear, is done. Cæs. Bravest at the last: She levell'd at our purposes, and, being royal, I do not see them bleed. Dol. Who was last with them? 1 Guard. A simple countryman, that brought her figs; This was his basket. Cæs. 1 Guard. Poison'd then. O Cæsar, This Charmian lived but now; she stood, and spake: I found her trimming up the diadem On her dead mistress; tremblingly she stood, And on the sudden dropp'd. Cæs. O noble weakness! If they had swallow'd poison, 'twould appear In her strong toil of grace.4 Dol. Here, on her breast, There is a vent of blood, and something blown : 1 Guard. This is an aspick's trail: and these fig leaves Have slime upon them, such as the aspick leaves Cœs. Most probable, That so she died; for her physician tells me, Of easy ways to die.-Take up her bed; No grave upon the earth shall clip in it A pair so famous. High events as these Strike those that make them: and their story is Brought them to be lamented. Our army shall, 4 Graceful appearance. 5 Tried experiments. [Exeunt. 6 Enfold. This play keeps curiosity always busy, and the passions always interested. The continual hurry of the action, the variety of incidents, and the quick succession of one personage to another, call the mind forward without intermission from the first Act to the last. But the power of delighting is derived principally from the frequent changes of the scene; for, except the feminine arts, some of which are too low, which distinguish Cleopatra, no character is very strongly discriminated. Upton, who did not easily miss what he desired to find, has discovered that the language of Antony is, with great skill and learning, made pompous and superb, according to his real practice. But I think his diction not distinguishable from that of others: The most tumid speech in the play is that which Cæsar makes to Octavia. The events, of which the principal are described according to history, are produced without any art of connection or care of disposition. JOHNSON. END OF VOLUME SEVENTH. M. Baldwin and Son, Printers, |