Enter ANTONY, with a MESSENGER and attendants
CLEOPATRA. We will not look upon him. Go with us.

Exeunt CLEOPATRA, ENOBARBUS, and the rest
MESSENGER. Fulvia thy wife first came into the field.

ANTONY. Against my brother Lucius?
MESSENGER. Ay.

But soon that war had end, and the time's state
Made friends of them, jointing their force 'gainst Caesar,

Whose better issue in the war from Italy
Upon the first encounter drave them.

ANTONY. Well, what worst?
MESSENGER. The nature of bad news infects the teller.

ANTONY. When it concerns the fool or coward. On!
Things that are past are done with me. 'Tis thus:

Who tells me true, though in his tale lie death,
I hear him as he flatter'd.

MESSENGER. Labienus-
This is stiff news- hath with his Parthian force

Extended Asia from Euphrates,
His conquering banner shook from Syria

To Lydia and to Ionia,
Whilst-

ANTONY. Antony, thou wouldst say.
MESSENGER. O, my lord!

ANTONY. Speak to me home; mince not the general tongue;
Name Cleopatra as she is call'd in Rome.

Rail thou in Fulvia's phrase, and taunt my faults
With such full licence as both truth and malice

Have power to utter. O, then we bring forth weeds
When our quick minds lie still, and our ills told us

Is as our earing. Fare thee well awhile.
MESSENGER. At your noble pleasure. Exit

ANTONY. From Sicyon, ho, the news! Speak there!
FIRST ATTENDANT. The man from Sicyon- is there such an one?

SECOND ATTENDANT. He stays upon your will.
ANTONY. Let him appear.

These strong Egyptian fetters I must break,
Or lose myself in dotage.

Enter another MESSENGER with a letter
What are you?

SECOND MESSENGER. Fulvia thy wife is dead.
ANTONY. Where died she?

SECOND MESSENGER. In Sicyon.
Her length of sickness, with what else more serious

Importeth thee to know, this bears. [Gives the letter]
ANTONY. Forbear me. Exit MESSENGER

There's a great spirit gone! Thus did I desire it.
What our contempts doth often hurl from us

We wish it ours again; the present pleasure,
By revolution low'ring, does become

The opposite of itself. She's good, being gone;
The hand could pluck her back that shov'd her on.

I must from this enchanting queen break off.
Ten thousand harms, more than the ills I know,

My idleness doth hatch. How now, Enobarbus!
Re-enter ENOBARBUS

ENOBARBUS. What's your pleasure, sir?
ANTONY. I must with haste from hence.

ENOBARBUS. Why, then we kill all our women. We see how mortal an
unkindness is to them; if they suffer our departure, death's the

word.
ANTONY. I must be gone.

ENOBARBUS. Under a compelling occasion, let women die. It were pity
to cast them away for nothing, though between them and a great

cause they should be esteemed nothing. Cleopatra, catching but
the least noise of this, dies instantly; I have seen her die

twenty times upon far poorer moment. I do think there is mettle
in death, which commits some loving act upon her, she hath such a

celerity in dying.
ANTONY. She is cunning past man's thought.

ENOBARBUS. Alack, sir, no! Her passions are made of nothing but the
finest part of pure love. We cannot call her winds and waters

sighs and tears; they are greater storms and tempests than
almanacs can report. This cannot be cunning in her; if it be, she

makes a show'r of rain as well as Jove.
ANTONY. Would I had never seen her!

ENOBARBUS. O Sir, you had then left unseen a wonderful piece of
work, which not to have been blest withal would have discredited

your travel.
ANTONY. Fulvia is dead.

ENOBARBUS. Sir?
ANTONY. Fulvia is dead.

ENOBARBUS. Fulvia?
ANTONY. Dead.

ENOBARBUS. Why, sir, give the gods a thankful sacrifice. When it
pleaseth their deities to take the wife of a man from him, it

shows to man the tailors of the earth; comforting therein that
when old robes are worn out there are members to make new. If

there were no more women but Fulvia, then had you indeed a cut,
and the case to be lamented. This grief is crown'd with

consolation: your old smock brings forth a new petticoat; and
indeed the tears live in an onion that should water this sorrow.

ANTONY. The business she hath broached in the state
Cannot endure my absence.

ENOBARBUS. And the business you have broach'd here cannot be
without you; especially that of Cleopatra's, which wholly depends

on your abode.
ANTONY. No more light answers. Let our officers

Have notice what we purpose. I shall break
The cause of our expedience to the Queen,

And get her leave to part. For not alone
The death of Fulvia, with more urgent touches,

Do strongly speak to us; but the letters to
Of many our contriving friends in Rome

Petition us at home. Sextus Pompeius
Hath given the dare to Caesar, and commands

The empire of the sea; our slippery people,
Whose love is never link'd to the deserver

Till his deserts are past, begin to throw
Pompey the Great and all his dignities

Upon his son; who, high in name and power,
Higher than both in blood and life, stands up

For the main soldier; whose quality, going on,
The sides o' th' world may danger. Much is breeding

Which, like the courser's hair, hath yet but life
And not a serpent's poison. Say our pleasure,

To such whose place is under us, requires
Our quick remove from hence.

ENOBARBUS. I shall do't. Exeunt
SCENE III.

Alexandria. CLEOPATRA'S palace
Enter CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, IRAS, and ALEXAS

CLEOPATRA. Where is he?
CHARMIAN. I did not see him since.

CLEOPATRA. See where he is, who's with him, what he does.
I did not send you. If you find him sad,

Say I am dancing; if in mirth, report
That I am sudden sick. Quick, and return. Exit ALEXAS

CHARMIAN. Madam, methinks, if you did love him dearly,
You do not hold the method to enforce

The like from him.
CLEOPATRA. What should I do I do not?

CHARMIAN. In each thing give him way; cross him in nothing.
CLEOPATRA. Thou teachest like a fool- the way to lose him.

CHARMIAN. Tempt him not so too far; I wish, forbear;
In time we hate that which we often fear.

Enter ANTONY
But here comes Antony.

CLEOPATRA. I am sick and sullen.
ANTONY. I am sorry to give breathing to my purpose-

CLEOPATRA. Help me away, dear Charmian; I shall fall.
It cannot be thus long; the sides of nature

Will not sustain it.
ANTONY. Now, my dearest queen-

CLEOPATRA. Pray you, stand farther from me.
ANTONY. What's the matter?

CLEOPATRA. I know by that same eye there's some good news.
What says the married woman? You may go.

Would she had never given you leave to come!
Let her not say 'tis I that keep you here-

I have no power upon you; hers you are.
ANTONY. The gods best know-

CLEOPATRA. O, never was there queen
So mightily betray'd! Yet at the first

I saw the treasons planted.
ANTONY. Cleopatra-

CLEOPATRA. Why should I think you can be mine and true,
Though you in swearing shake the throned gods,

Who have been false to Fulvia? Riotous madness,
To be entangled with those mouth-made vows,

Which break themselves in swearing!
ANTONY. Most sweet queen-

CLEOPATRA. Nay, pray you seek no colour for your going,
But bid farewell, and go. When you sued staying,

Then was the time for words. No going then!
Eternity was in our lips and eyes,

Bliss in our brows' bent, none our parts so poor
But was a race of heaven. They are so still,

Or thou, the greatest soldier of the world,
Art turn'd the greatest liar.

ANTONY. How now, lady!
CLEOPATRA. I would I had thy inches. Thou shouldst know

There were a heart in Egypt.
ANTONY. Hear me, queen:

The strong necessity of time commands
Our services awhile; but my full heart

Remains in use with you. Our Italy
Shines o'er with civil swords: Sextus Pompeius

Makes his approaches to the port of Rome;
Equality of two domestic powers

Breed scrupulous faction; the hated, grown to strength,
Are newly grown to love. The condemn'd Pompey,

Rich in his father's honour, creeps apace
Into the hearts of such as have not thrived

Upon the present state, whose numbers threaten;
And quietness, grown sick of rest, would purge

By any desperate change. My more particular,
And that which most with you should safe my going,

Is Fulvia's death.
CLEOPATRA. Though age from folly could not give me freedom,

It does from childishness. Can Fulvia die?
ANTONY. She's dead, my Queen.

Look here, and at thy sovereignleisure read
The garboils she awak'd. At the last, best.

See when and where she died.
CLEOPATRA. O most false love!

Where be the sacred vials thou shouldst fill
With sorrowful water? Now I see, I see,

In Fulvia's death how mine receiv'd shall be.
ANTONY. Quarrel no more, but be prepar'd to know

The purposes I bear; which are, or cease,

• messenger [´mesindʒə] n.使者；送信人 (初中英语单词)
• encounter [in´kauntə] vt.&n.偶然相遇；冲突 (初中英语单词)
• coward [´kauəd] n.胆怯者 a.胆小的 (初中英语单词)
• banner [´bænə] n.旗(帜)；头号标题 (初中英语单词)
• phrase [freiz] n.短语；词组；措词 (初中英语单词)
• licence [´laisəns] n.许可；执照 vt.批准 (初中英语单词)
• attendant [ə´tendənt] n.随员 a.伴随的 (初中英语单词)
• egyptian [i´dʒipʃən] n.埃及人a.埃及的 (初中英语单词)
• sickness [´siknis] n.生病；呕吐，恶心 (初中英语单词)
• departure [di´pɑ:tʃə] n.离开，出发 (初中英语单词)
• instantly [´instəntli] ad.立即，立刻 (初中英语单词)
• cunning [´kʌniŋ] a.&n.狡猾(诡诈)的 (初中英语单词)
• endure [in´djuə] vt.忍耐，忍受；坚持 (初中英语单词)
• wholly [´həul-li] ad.完全，十足；统统 (初中英语单词)
• strongly [´strɔŋli] ad.强烈地；强有力地 (初中英语单词)
• poison [´pɔizən] n.毒物 v.毒害 a.有毒的 (初中英语单词)
• sustain [sə´stein] vt.支撑；蒙受；确认 (初中英语单词)
• farewell [feə´wel] int.再见 n.&a.告别 (初中英语单词)
• awhile [ə´wail] ad.少顷；片刻 (初中英语单词)
• domestic [də´mestik] a.家庭的；本国的 (初中英语单词)
• desperate [´despərit] a.拼死的；绝望的 (初中英语单词)
• sovereign [´sɔvrin] a.至高无上的 n.君主 (初中英语单词)
• sacred [´seikrid] a.神圣的；庄严的 (初中英语单词)
• mortal [´mɔ:tl] a.致命的 n.凡人 (高中英语单词)
• loving [´lʌviŋ] a.爱的，有爱情的 (高中英语单词)
• unseen [,ʌn´si:n] a.未看见的 (高中英语单词)
• thankful [´θæŋkfəl] a.感激的；欣慰的 (高中英语单词)
• therein [ðeə´rin] ad.在那里，在其中 (高中英语单词)
• caesar [´si:zə] n.凯撒；暴君；独裁者 (高中英语单词)
• slippery [´slipəri] a.滑的；不稳固的 (高中英语单词)
• methinks [mi´θiŋks] vi.据我看来 (高中英语单词)
• leisure [´leʒə] n.空闲；悠闲；安定 (高中英语单词)
• forbear [fɔ:´beə, fə-] v.容忍；克制 n.祖先 (英语四级单词)
• idleness [´aidlnis] n.懒；闲着不干事 (英语四级单词)
• withal [wi´ðɔ:l] ad.加之；同样；然而 (英语四级单词)
• petticoat [´petikəut] n.裙子 a.女性的 (英语四级单词)
• urgent [´ə:dʒənt] a.急迫的，紧急的 (英语四级单词)
• faction [´fækʃən] n.宗派；派系纠纷；内讧 (英语四级单词)
• sorrowful [´sɔrəuful] a.悲伤的，使人伤心的 (英语四级单词)