The Complete Works of William ShakespeareShakespeare, William
General
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
Shakespeare, William
English drama -- Early modern and Elizabethan, 1500-1600
MESSENGER.
The Emperor calls Canidius.
CANIDIUS.
With news the time’s with labour, and throes forth
Each minute some.
[_Exeunt._]
SCENE VIII. A plain near Actium.
Enter Caesar with his army and Taurus marching.
CAESAR.
Taurus!
TAURUS.
My lord?
CAESAR.
Strike not by land; keep whole; provoke not battle
Till we have done at sea. Do not exceed
The prescript of this scroll. Our fortune lies
Upon this jump.
[_Exeunt._]
SCENE IX. Another part of the Plain.
Enter Antony and Enobarbus.
ANTONY.
Set we our squadrons on yon side o’ th’ hill
In eye of Caesar’s battle, from which place
We may the number of the ships behold
And so proceed accordingly.
[_Exeunt._]
SCENE X. Another part of the Plain.
Canidius marching with his land army one way over the stage, and
Taurus, the Lieutenant of Caesar, with his Army, the other way. After
their going in, is heard the noise of a sea fight.
Alarum. Enter Enobarbus.
ENOBARBUS.
Naught, naught, all naught! I can behold no longer.
Th’ Antoniad, the Egyptian admiral,
With all their sixty, fly and turn the rudder.
To see ’t mine eyes are blasted.
Enter Scarus.
SCARUS.
Gods and goddesses,
All the whole synod of them!
ENOBARBUS.
What’s thy passion?
SCARUS.
The greater cantle of the world is lost
With very ignorance. We have kissed away
Kingdoms and provinces.
ENOBARBUS.
How appears the fight?
SCARUS.
On our side, like the tokened pestilence,
Where death is sure. Yon ribaudred nag of Egypt,
Whom leprosy o’ertake, i’ th’ midst o’ th’ fight,
When vantage like a pair of twins appeared,
Both as the same—or, rather, ours the elder—
The breeze upon her, like a cow in June,
Hoists sails and flies.
ENOBARBUS.
That I beheld.
Mine eyes did sicken at the sight and could not
Endure a further view.
SCARUS.
She once being loofed,
The noble ruin of her magic, Antony,
Claps on his sea-wing and, like a doting mallard,
Leaving the fight in height, flies after her.
I never saw an action of such shame.
Experience, manhood, honour, ne’er before
Did violate so itself.
ENOBARBUS.
Alack, alack!
Enter Canidius.
CANIDIUS.
Our fortune on the sea is out of breath
And sinks most lamentably. Had our general
Been what he knew himself, it had gone well.
O, he has given example for our flight
Most grossly by his own!
ENOBARBUS.
Ay, are you thereabouts?
Why, then, good night indeed.
CANIDIUS.
Toward Peloponnesus are they fled.
SCARUS.
’Tis easy to’t, and there I will attend
What further comes.
CANIDIUS.
To Caesar will I render
My legions and my horse. Six kings already
Show me the way of yielding.
ENOBARBUS.
I’ll yet follow
The wounded chance of Antony, though my reason
Sits in the wind against me.
[_Exeunt._]
SCENE XI. Alexandria. A Room in the Palace.
Enter Antony with attendants.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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