CAESAR
Go forth, Agrippa, and begin the fight.
Our will is Antony be took alive;
Make it so known.
Early modern literature
Drama, gender & the body
Modern spelling. Stage directions omitted.
CAESAR
Go forth, Agrippa, and begin the fight.
Our will is Antony be took alive;
Make it so known.
AGRIPPA
Caesar, I shall.
CAESAR
The time of universal peace is near.
Prove this a prosp’rous day, the three-nooked world
Shall bear the olive freely.
MESSENGER
Antony
Is come into the field.
CAESAR
Go charge Agrippa
Plant those that have revolted in the van
That Antony may seem to spend his fury
Upon himself.
ENOBARBUS
Alexas did revolt and went to Jewry on
Affairs of Antony; there did dissuade
Great Herod to incline himself to Caesar
And leave his master Antony. For this pains
Caesar hanged him. Canidius and the rest
That fell away have entertainment but
No honourable trust. I have done ill,
Of which I do accuse myself so sorely
That I will joy no more.
SOLDIER
Enobarbus, Antony
after sent all treasure, with
His bounty overplus. The messenger
Came on my guard, and at tent is now
Unloading of his mules.
ENOBARBUS
I give it you.
SOLDIER
Mock not, Enobarbus.
I tell you true. Best you safed the bringer
Out of the host. I must attend mine office,
Or would have done’t myself. Your emperor
Continues still a Jove.
ENOBARBUS
I am alone the villain of the earth,
And feel I am so most. O Antony,
mine of bounty, how have paid
My better service, when my turpitude
so crown with gold! This blows my heart.
If swift thought break it not, a swifter mean
Shall outstrike thought, but thought will do’t, I feel.
I fight against ! No, I will go seek
Some ditch wherein to die; the foul’st best fits
My latter part of life.
Open Antony and Cleopatra in the 1623 First Folio. See its words in the cloud.
Modern spelling for reading. The edition is public domain in the United States. Edition source.