POMPEY, AGRIPPA, MAECENAS, ENOBARBUS, MENAS,
with other CAPTAINS

ANTONY. [To CAESAR] Thus do they, sir: they take the flow o' th'
Nile

By certain scales i' th' pyramid; they know
By th' height, the lowness, or the mean, if dearth

Or foison follow. The higher Nilus swells
The more it promises; as it ebbs, the seedsman

Upon the slime and ooze scatters his grain,
And shortly comes to harvest.

LEPIDUS. Y'have strange serpents there.
ANTONY. Ay, Lepidus.

LEPIDUS. Your serpent of Egypt is bred now of your mud by the
operation of your sun; so is your crocodile.

ANTONY. They are so.
POMPEY. Sit- and some wine! A health to Lepidus!

LEPIDUS. I am not so well as I should be, but I'll ne'er out.
ENOBARBUS. Not till you have slept. I fear me you'll be in till

then.
LEPIDUS. Nay, certainly, I have heard the Ptolemies' pyramises are

very goodly things. Without contradiction I have heard that.
MENAS. [Aside to POMPEY] Pompey, a word.

POMPEY. [Aside to MENAS] Say in mine ear; what is't?
MENAS. [Aside to POMPEY] Forsake thy seat, I do beseech thee,

Captain,
And hear me speak a word.

POMPEY. [ Whispers in's ear ] Forbear me till anon-
This wine for Lepidus!

LEPIDUS. What manner o' thing is your crocodile?
ANTONY. It is shap'd, sir, like itself, and it is as broad as it

hath breadth; it is just so high as it is, and moves with it own
organs. It lives by that which nourisheth it, and the elements

once out of it, it transmigrates.
LEPIDUS. What colour is it of?

ANTONY. Of it own colour too.
LEPIDUS. 'Tis a strange serpent.

ANTONY. 'Tis so. And the tears of it are wet.
CAESAR. Will this description satisfy him?

ANTONY. With the health that Pompey gives him, else he is a very
epicure.

POMPEY. [Aside to MENAS] Go, hang, sir, hang! Tell me of that!
Away!

Do as I bid you.- Where's this cup I call'd for?
MENAS. [Aside to POMPEY] If for the sake of merit thou wilt hear

me,
Rise from thy stool.

POMPEY. [Aside to MENAS] I think th'art mad. [Rises and walks
aside] The matter?

MENAS. I have ever held my cap off to thy fortunes.
POMPEY. Thou hast serv'd me with much faith. What's else to say?-

Be jolly, lords.
ANTONY. These quicksands, Lepidus,

Keep off them, for you sink.
MENAS. Wilt thou be lord of all the world?

POMPEY. What say'st thou?
MENAS. Wilt thou be lord of the whole world? That's twice.

POMPEY. How should that be?
MENAS. But entertain it,

And though you think me poor, I am the man
Will give thee all the world.

POMPEY. Hast thou drunk well?
MENAS. No, Pompey, I have kept me from the cup.

Thou art, if thou dar'st be, the earthly Jove;
Whate'er the ocean pales or sky inclips

Is thine, if thou wilt ha't.
POMPEY. Show me which way.

MENAS. These three world-sharers, these competitors,
Are in thy vessel. Let me cut the cable;

And when we are put off, fall to their throats.
All there is thine.

POMPEY. Ah, this thou shouldst have done,
And not have spoke on't. In me 'tis villainy:

In thee't had been good service. Thou must know
'Tis not my profit that does lead mine honour:

Mine honour, it. Repent that e'er thy tongue
Hath so betray'd thine act. Being done unknown,

I should have found it afterwards well done,
But must condemn it now. Desist, and drink.

MENAS. [Aside] For this,
I'll never follow thy pall'd fortunes more.

Who seeks, and will not take when once 'tis offer'd,
Shall never find it more.

POMPEY. This health to Lepidus!
ANTONY. Bear him ashore. I'll pledge it for him, Pompey.

ENOBARBUS. Here's to thee, Menas!
MENAS. Enobarbus, welcome!

POMPEY. Fill till the cup be hid.
ENOBARBUS. There's a strong fellow, Menas.

[Pointing to the servant who carries off LEPIDUS]
MENAS. Why?

ENOBARBUS. 'A bears the third part of the world, man; see'st not?
MENAS. The third part, then, is drunk. Would it were all,

That it might go on wheels!
ENOBARBUS. Drink thou; increase the reels.

MENAS. Come.
POMPEY. This is not yet an Alexandrian feast.

ANTONY. It ripens towards it. Strike the vessels, ho!
Here's to Caesar!

CAESAR. I could well forbear't.
It's monstrous labour when I wash my brain

And it grows fouler.
ANTONY. Be a child o' th' time.

CAESAR. Possess it, I'll make answer.
But I had rather fast from all four days

Than drink so much in one.
ENOBARBUS. [To ANTONY] Ha, my brave emperor!

Shall we dance now the Egyptian Bacchanals
And celebrate our drink?

POMPEY. Let's ha't, good soldier.
ANTONY. Come, let's all take hands,

Till that the conquering wine hath steep'd our sense
In soft and delicate Lethe.

ENOBARBUS. All take hands.
Make battery to our ears with the loud music,

The while I'll place you; then the boy shall sing;
The holding every man shall bear as loud

As his strong sides can volley.
[Music plays. ENOBARBUS places them hand in hand]

THE SONG
Come, thou monarch of the vine,

Plumpy Bacchus with pink eyne!
In thy fats our cares be drown'd,

With thy grapes our hairs be crown'd.
Cup us till the world go round,

Cup us till the world go round!
CAESAR. What would you more? Pompey, good night. Good brother,

Let me request you off; our graver business
Frowns at this levity. Gentle lords, let's part;

You see we have burnt our cheeks. Strong Enobarb
Is weaker than the wine, and mine own tongue

Splits what it speaks. The wild disguise hath almost
Antick'd us all. What needs more words? Good night.

Good Antony, your hand.
POMPEY. I'll try you on the shore.

ANTONY. And shall, sir. Give's your hand.
POMPEY. O Antony,

You have my father's house- but what? We are friends.
Come, down into the boat.

ENOBARBUS. Take heed you fall not.
Exeunt all but ENOBARBUS and MENAS

Menas, I'll not on shore.
MENAS. No, to my cabin.

These drums! these trumpets, flutes! what!
Let Neptune hear we bid a loud farewell

To these great fellows. Sound and be hang'd, sound out!
[Sound a flourish, with drums]

ENOBARBUS. Hoo! says 'a. There's my cap.
MENAS. Hoo! Noble Captain, come. Exeunt

ACT III. SCENE I.
A plain in Syria

Enter VENTIDIUS, as it were in triumph, with SILIUS
and other Romans, OFFICERS and soldiers; the dead body

of PACORUS borne before him
VENTIDIUS. Now, darting Parthia, art thou struck, and now

Pleas'd fortune does of Marcus Crassus' death
Make me revenger. Bear the King's son's body

Before our army. Thy Pacorus, Orodes,
Pays this for Marcus Crassus.

SILIUS. Noble Ventidius,
Whilst yet with Parthian blood thy sword is warm

The fugitive Parthians follow; spur through Media,
Mesopotamia, and the shelters whither

The routed fly. So thy grand captain, Antony,
Shall set thee on triumphant chariots and

Put garlands on thy head.
VENTIDIUS. O Silius, Silius,

I have done enough. A lower place, note well,
May make too great an act; for learn this, Silius:

Better to leave undone than by our deed
Acquire too high a fame when him we serve's away.

Caesar and Antony have ever won
More in their officer, than person. Sossius,

One of my place in Syria, his lieutenant,
For quick accumulation of renown,

Which he achiev'd by th' minute, lost his favour.
Who does i' th' wars more than his captain can

Becomes his captain's captain; and ambition,
The soldier's virtue, rather makes choice of loss

Than gain which darkens him.
I could do more to do Antonius good,

But 'twould offend him; and in his offence
Should my performance perish.

SILIUS. Thou hast, Ventidius, that
Without the which a soldier and his sword

Grants scarcedistinction. Thou wilt write to Antony?
VENTIDIUS. I'll humblysignify what in his name,

That magical word of war, we have effected;
How, with his banners, and his well-paid ranks,

The ne'er-yet-beaten horse of Parthia
We have jaded out o' th' field.

SILIUS. Where is he now?
VENTIDIUS. He purposeth to Athens; whither, with what haste

The weight we must convey with's will permit,
We shall appear before him.- On, there; pass along.

Exeunt
SCENE II.

Rome. CAESAR'S house
Enter AGRIPPA at one door, ENOBARBUS at another

AGRIPPA. What, are the brothers parted?
ENOBARBUS. They have dispatch'd with Pompey; he is gone;

The other three are sealing. Octavia weeps

• height [hait] n.高度；顶点；卓越 (初中英语单词)
• shortly [´ʃɔ:tli] ad.立刻，马上；不久 (初中英语单词)
• description [di´skripʃən] n.描写 (初中英语单词)
• entertain [,entə´tein] vt.招待；娱乐；使高兴 (初中英语单词)
• vessel [´vesəl] n.容器；船；脉管 (初中英语单词)
• condemn [kən´dem] vt.谴责；定罪，判处 (初中英语单词)
• ashore [ə´ʃɔ:] ad.向岸上 (初中英语单词)
• pledge [pledʒ] n.信物；誓约vt.使发誓 (初中英语单词)
• egyptian [i´dʒipʃən] n.埃及人a.埃及的 (初中英语单词)
• celebrate [´selibreit] vt.庆祝；表扬；赞美 (初中英语单词)
• delicate [´delikət] a.精美的；微妙的 (初中英语单词)
• monarch [´mɔnək] n.君主；(大)王 (初中英语单词)
• disguise [dis´gaiz] vt.假装；隐瞒 n.伪装 (初中英语单词)
• flourish [´flʌriʃ] v.茂盛；挥动 n.挥舞 (初中英语单词)
• triumph [´traiəmf] n.胜利 vi.得胜，战胜 (初中英语单词)
• virtue [´və:tʃu:] n.美德；贞操；长处 (初中英语单词)
• offend [ə´fend] v.犯错误；违犯；犯罪 (初中英语单词)
• performance [pə´fɔ:məns] n.履行；行为；工作 (初中英语单词)
• scarce [skeəs, skers] a.缺乏的；稀有的 (初中英语单词)
• distinction [di´stiŋkʃən] n.差别；特征；卓越 (初中英语单词)
• convey [kən´vei] vt.运送；传达；转让 (初中英语单词)
• serpent [´sə:pənt] n.大毒蛇；阴险的人 (高中英语单词)
• goodly [´gudli] a.适意的；漂亮的 (高中英语单词)
• beseech [bi´si:tʃ] v.恳求，哀求 (高中英语单词)
• breadth [bredθ] n.宽度，幅面，广度 (高中英语单词)
• earthly [´ə:θli] a.地球的；世俗的 (高中英语单词)
• repent [ri´pent] v.后悔；悔改；悔悟 (高中英语单词)
• monstrous [´mɔnstrəs] a.怪异的；庞大的 (高中英语单词)
• battery [´bætəri] n.炮兵连；炮台；电池 (高中英语单词)
• fugitive [´fju:dʒitiv] n.逃亡者，亡命者 (高中英语单词)
• signify [´signifai] vt.表示 vi.有重要性 (高中英语单词)
• athens [´æθinz] n.雅典 (高中英语单词)
• contradiction [,kɔntrə´dikʃən] n.矛盾；反驳；抵触 (英语四级单词)
• forsake [fə´seik] vt.遗弃，抛弃，摒绝 (英语四级单词)
• forbear [fɔ:´beə, fə-] v.容忍；克制 n.祖先 (英语四级单词)
• neptune [´neptju:n, ´neptu:n] n.尼普顿(海神) (英语四级单词)
• triumphant [trai´ʌmfənt] a.胜利的；洋洋得意的 (英语四级单词)
• humbly [´hʌmbli] ad.恭顺地，谦卑地 (英语四级单词)
• pompey [´pɔmpi] n.庞培 (英语六级单词)
• holding [´həuldiŋ] n.保持，固定，存储 (英语六级单词)
• undone [,ʌn´dʌn] a.未完成的，没有做的 (英语六级单词)
• magical [´mædʒikəl] a.有魔术的，神奇的 (英语六级单词)