The Complete Works of William ShakespeareShakespeare, William
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The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
Shakespeare, William
English drama -- Early modern and Elizabethan, 1500-1600
ENOBARBUS.
Now he’ll outstare the lightning. To be furious
Is to be frighted out of fear, and in that mood
The dove will peck the estridge; and I see still
A diminution in our captain’s brain
Restores his heart. When valour preys on reason,
It eats the sword it fights with. I will seek
Some way to leave him.
[_Exit._]
ACT IV
SCENE I. Caesar’s Camp at Alexandria.
Enter Caesar, Agrippa, and Maecenas, with his army.
Caesar reading a letter.
CAESAR.
He calls me boy, and chides as he had power
To beat me out of Egypt. My messenger
He hath whipped with rods; dares me to personal combat,
Caesar to Antony. Let the old ruffian know
I have many other ways to die; meantime
Laugh at his challenge.
MAECENAS.
Caesar must think,
When one so great begins to rage, he’s hunted
Even to falling. Give him no breath, but now
Make boot of his distraction. Never anger
Made good guard for itself.
CAESAR.
Let our best heads
Know that tomorrow the last of many battles
We mean to fight. Within our files there are,
Of those that served Mark Antony but late,
Enough to fetch him in. See it done,
And feast the army; we have store to do’t,
And they have earned the waste. Poor Antony!
[_Exeunt._]
SCENE II. Alexandria. A Room in the Palace.
Enter Antony, Cleopatra, Enobarbus, Charmian, Iras, Alexas with
others.
ANTONY.
He will not fight with me, Domitius?
ENOBARBUS.
No.
ANTONY.
Why should he not?
ENOBARBUS.
He thinks, being twenty times of better fortune,
He is twenty men to one.
ANTONY.
Tomorrow, soldier,
By sea and land I’ll fight. Or I will live,
Or bathe my dying honour in the blood
Shall make it live again. Woo’t thou fight well?
ENOBARBUS.
I’ll strike, and cry “Take all.”
ANTONY.
Well said. Come on.
Call forth my household servants. Let’s tonight
Be bounteous at our meal.—
Enter Servants.
Give me thy hand.
Thou has been rightly honest; so hast thou,
Thou, and thou, and thou. You have served me well,
And kings have been your fellows.
CLEOPATRA.
[_Aside to Enobarbus_.] What means this?
ENOBARBUS.
[_Aside to Cleopatra_.] ’Tis one of those odd tricks which sorrow
shoots
Out of the mind.
ANTONY.
And thou art honest too.
I wish I could be made so many men,
And all of you clapped up together in
An Antony, that I might do you service
So good as you have done.
ALL THE SERVANTS.
The gods forbid!
ANTONY.
Well, my good fellows, wait on me tonight.
Scant not my cups, and make as much of me
As when mine empire was your fellow too
And suffered my command.
CLEOPATRA.
[_Aside to Enobarbus_.] What does he mean?
ENOBARBUS.
[_Aside to Cleopatra_.] To make his followers weep.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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