Reframes reformes it selfe and stealingly Retakes his force and rebecomes more great For of thy Queene the lookes the grace the words Sweetnes alurements amorous delights Entred againe thy soule and day and night In watch in sleepe her Image follow'd thee Not dreaming but of her repenting still That thou for warre hadst such a goddes left Thou car'st no more for Parth nor Parthian bow Sallies assaults encounters shocks alarmes For ditches rampiers wards entrenched grounds Thy only care is sight of Nilus streames Sight of that face whose gilefull semblant doth Wandring in thee infect thy tainted hart Her absence thee besottes each hower each hower Of staie to thee impatient seemes an age Enough of conquest praise thou deem'st enough If soone enough the bristled fields thou see Of fruitfull Aegipt and the stranger floud Thy Queenes faire eyes another Pharos lights Returned loe dishonoured despisde In wanton loue a woman thee misleades Sunke in foule sinke meane while respecting nought Thy wife Octauia and her tender babes Of whome the long contempt against thee whets The sword of Caesar now thy Lord become Lost thy great Empire all those goodly townes Reuerenc'd thy name as rebells now thee leaue Rise against thee and to the ensignes flocke Of conqu'ring Caesar who enwalles thee round Cag'd in thy hold scarse maister of thy selfe Late maister of so many Nations Yet yet which is of griefe extreamest griefe Which is yet of mischiefe highest mischiefe It 's Cleopatra alas alas it 's she It 's she augments the torment of thy paine Betraies thy loue thy life alas betraies Caesar to please whose grace she seekes to gaine With thought her crowne to saue and fortune make Onely thy foe which common ought haue beene If her I alwaies lou'd and the first flame Of her heart-killing loue shall burne me last Iustly complaine I she disloyall is Nor constant is euen as I constant am To comfort my mishap despising me No more then when the heauens fauour'd me But ah by nature women wau'ring are Each moment changing and rechanging mindes Vnwise who blinde in them thinkes loyaltie Euer to finde in beauties companie Chorus The boyling tempest still makes not Sea waters fome nor still the Northern blast disquiets quiet streames Nor who his chest to fill sayles to the morning beames on waues winde tosseth fast still kepes his ship from home Nor Ioue still downe doth cast inflam'd with bloudie ire on man on tree on hill his darts of thundring fire nor still the heat doth last on face of parched plaine nor wrinkled colde doth still on frozen furrowes raigne But still as long as we in this low world remaine mishapps our daily mates our liues doe intertaine and woes which beare no dates still pearch vpon our heads none go but straight will be some greater in their steads Nature made vs not free When first she made vs liue When we began to be To be began our woe Which growing euermore As dying life doth growe Do more and more vs greeue And tire vs more and more No stay in fading states For more to height they retch Their fellow miseries The more to height do stretch They cling euen to the crowne And threatning furious wise From tirannizing pates Do often pull it downe In vaine on waues vntride To shun them go we should To Scythes and Massagetes Who neere the Pole reside In vaine to boiling sandes Which Phaebus battry beates For with vs still they would Cut seas and compasse landes The darknes no more sure To ioyne with heauy night The light which guildes the days To follow Titan pure No more the shadow light The body to ensue Then wretchednes alwaies Vs wretches to pursue O blest who neuer breath'd Or whome with pittie mou'de Death from his cradle reau'de And swadled in his graue And blessed also he As curse may blessing haue Who low and liuing free No princes charge hath prou'de By stealing sacred fire Prometheus then vnwise prouking Gods to ire the heape of ills did sturre and sicknes pale and colde our ende which onward spurre to plague our hands too bolde to filch the wealth of skies In heauens hate since then of ill with ill enchain'd we race of mortall men ful fraught our brests haue borne and thousand thousand woes our heau'nly soules now thorne which free before from those no! earthly passion pain'd Warre and warrs bitter cheare now long time with vs staie and feare of hated foe still still encreaseth sore our harmes worse dayly grow lesse yesterday they were then now and will be more to morrow then to day Act. 2. Philostratus What horrible furie what cruell rage O Aegipt so extremely thee torments Hast thou the Gods so angred by thy fault Hast thou against them some such crime conceiu'd That their engrained hand lift vp in threats They should desire in thy heart bloud to bathe And that their burning wrath which noght cā quēch Should pittiles on vs still lighten downe We are not hew'n out of the monst'rous masse Of Giantes those which heauens wrack conspir'd Ixions race false prater of his loues Nor yet of him who fained lightnings found Nor cruell Tantalus nor bloudy Atreus Whose cursed banquet for Thyestes plague Made the beholding Sunne for horrour turne His backe and backward from his course returne And hastning his wing-footed horses race Plunge him in sea for shame to hide his face While sulleine night vpon the wondring world For mid-daies light her starrie mantle cast But what we be what euer wickednesse By vs is done Alas with what more plagues More eager torments could the Gods declare To heauen and earth that vs they hatefull holde With souldiors strangers horrible in armes Our land is hidde our people drown'd in teares But terror here and horror nought is seene And present death prising our life each hower Hard at our ports and at our porches waites Our conquering foe harts faile vs hopes are dead Our Queene laments and this great Emperour Somtime would now they did whom worlds did fear Abandoned betraid now mindes no more But from his euils by hast'ned death to passe Come you poore people ti'rde with ceasles plaints With teares and sighes make mournful sacrifice On Isis altars not our selues to saue But soften Caesar and him piteous make To vs his praie that so his lenitie May change our death into captiuitie Strange are the euils the fates on vs haue brought O but alas how far more strange the cause Loue loue alas who euer would haue thought Hath lost this Realme inflamed with his fire Loue playing loue which men say kindles not But in soft hearts hath ashes made our townes And his sweet shafts with whose shot none are kill'd Which vlcer not with deaths our lands haue fill'd Such was the bloudie murdring hellish loue Possest thy hart faire false guest Priams sonne Firing a brand which after made to burne The Troian towers by Graecians ruinate By this loue Priam Hector Troilus Memnon Deiphaebus Glancus thousands mo Whome
redd Scamanders armor clogged streames Roll'd into Seas before their dates are dead So plaguie he so many tempests raiseth So murdring he so many Citties raiseth When insolent blinde lawles orderles With made delights our sence he entertaines All knowing Gods our wracks did vs fortell By signes in earth by signes in starry Sphaeres Which should haue mou'd vs had not destinie With too strong hand warped our miserie The Comets flaming through the scat'red clouds With fiery beames most like vnbroaded haires The fearfull dragon whistling at the bankes And holy Apis ceasles bellowing As neuer erst and shedding endles teares Bloud raining down frō heau'n in vnknow'n showers Our Gods darke faces ouer cast with woe And dead mens Ghosts appearing in the night Yea euen this night while all the Cittie stood Opprest with terror horror seruile feare Deepe silence ouer all the sounds were heard Of diuers songs and diuerse instruments Within the voide of aire and howling noise Such as madde Bacchus priests in Bacchus feasts On Nisa make and seem'd the company Our Cittie lost went to the enemie So we forsaken both of Gods and men So are we in the mercy of our foes And we henceforth obedient must become To lawes of them who haue vs ouercome Chorus Lament we our mishaps Drowne we with teares our woe For Lamentable happes Lamented easie growe and much lesse torment bring then when they first did spring We want that wofull song wherwith wood-musiques Queen doth ease her woes among fresh springtimes bushes greene on pleasant branch alone renewing auntient mone We want that monefull sound that pratling Progne makes on fields of Thracian ground or streames of Thracian lakes to empt her brest of paine for Itys by her slaine Though Halcyons do still bewailing Ceyx lot the Seas with plainings fill which his dead limmes haue got not euer other graue then tombe of waues to haue And though the bird in death that most Meander loues so sweetly sighes his breath when death his fury proues as almost softs his heart and almost blunts his dart Yet all the plaints of those nor all their tearfull larmes cannot content our woes nor serue to waile the harmes in soule which we poore we to feele enforced be Nor they of Phaebus bredd in teares can doo so well they for their brother shedd who into Padus fell rash guide of chariot cleere surueiour of the yeare Nor she whom heau'nly powers to weping rocke did turne whose teares distill in showers and shew she yet doth mourne wherewith his toppe to Skies mount Sipylus doth rise Nor weping drops which flowe from barke of wounded tree that Mirrhas shame doth showe with ours compar'd may be to quench her louing fire who durst embrace her fire Nor all the howlings made on Cybels sacred hill By Eunukes of her trade Who Atys Atys still with doubled cries resound which Eccho makes rebound Our plaints no limits stay nor more then do our woes both infinitely straie and neither measure knowes In mea sure let them plaine Who measured griefes sustaine Cleopatrra Eras. Charmton Diomede Cleopatra That I haue thee betraide deare Antonie My life my soule my sunne I had such thought That I haue thee betraide my Lord my King That I would breake my vowed faith to thee I aue thee deceiue thee yeelde thee to the rage Of mightie foe I euer had that hart Rather sharpe lightning lighten on my head Rather may I to deepest mischiefe fall Rather the opened earth deuoure me Rather fierce Tigers feed them on my flesh Rather ô rather let our Nilus send To swallow me quicke some weeping Crocodile And didst thou then suppose my royall heart Had hatcht thee to ensnare a faithles loue And changing minde as Fortune changed cheare I would weake thee to winne the stronger loose O wretch ô caitiue ô too cruell happe And did not I sufficient losse sustaine Loosing my Realme loosing my libertie My tender of-spring and the ioyfull light Of beamy Sunne and yet yet loosing more Thee Antony my care if I loose not What yet remain'd thy loue alas thy loue More deare then Scepter children freedome light So readie I to row in Charons barge Shall leese the joy of dying in thy loue So the sole comfort of my miserie To haue one tombe with thee is me bereft So I in shady plaines shall plaine alone Not as I hop'd companion of thy mone O height of griefe Eras why with Continuall cries Your griefull harmes doo you exasperate Torment your selfe with murthering complaints Straine your weake brest so ost so vehemently Water with teares this faire alablaster With sorrowes sting so many beauties wound Come of so many Kings want you the hart Brauely stoutly this tempest to resist Cl. My eu'lls are wholy vnsupportable No humain force can them withstand but death Eras. To him that striues nought is impossible Cl. In striuing lyes no hope of my mishapps Eras. All things do yeelde to force of louely face Cl. My face too louely caus'd my wretched case My face hath so entrap'd so cast vs downe That for his conquest Caesar may it thanke Causing that Antonie one army lost The other wholy did to Caesar yeld For not induring so his amorouse sprite Was with my beautie fir'de my shamefull flight Soone as he saw from ranke wherein he stoode In hottest fight my Gallies making saile Forgetfull of his charg as if his soule Vnto his Ladies soule had beene enchain'd He left his men who so couragiously Did leaue their liues to gaine him victorie And carelesse both of fame and armies losse My oared Gallies follow'd with his ships Companion of my flight by this base parte Blasting his former flourishing renowne Eras. Are you therefore cause of his ouerthrow Cl. I am sole cause I did it only I Er. Feare of a woman troubled so his sprite Cl. Fire of his loue was by my feare enflam'd Er. And should he then to warre haue led a Queene Cl. Alas this was not this offence but mine Antony ay me who else so braue a chiefe Would not I should haue taken Seas with him But would haue left me fearefull woman farre From common hazard of the doubtfull warre O that I had beleeu'd now now of Rome All the great Empire at our beck should bende All should obey the vagabonding Scythes The feared Germaines back-shooting Parthians Wandring Numidians Brittons farre remou'd And tawny nations scorched with the Sunne But I car'd not so was my soule possest To my great harme with burning iealousie Fearing least in my absence Antony Should leauing me retake Octauia Char. Such was the rigour of your desteny Cl. Such was my errour and obstinacie Ch. But since Gods would not could you do withall Cl. Alwaies from Gods good haps not harms do fall Ch. And haue they not all power on mens affaires Cl. They neuer bow so low as worldly cares But leaue to mortall men to be dispos'd Freely on earth what euer mortall is If we therein sometimes some faults
For she who feared captiue to be made And that she should to Rome in triumph goe Kept close the gate but from a window high Cast downe a corde wherein he was impackt Then by hir womens help the corps she rais'd And by strong armes into hir window drew So pittifull a sight was neuer seene Little and little Antony was pull'd Now breathing death his beard was all vnkempt His face and brest al bathed in his bloud So hideous yet and dieng as he was His eies half-clos'd vppon the Queene he cast Held vp his hands and holpe himselfe to raise But still with weaknes back his bodie fell The miserable ladie with moist eies With haire which careles on hir forhead hong With brest which blowes had bloudily benumb'd With stooping head and body down-ward bent Enlast hir in the corde and with all force This life-dead man couragiously vprais'd The bloud with paine into hir face did flowe Hir sinewes stiff her selfe did breathles grow The people which beneath in flocks beheld Assisted her with gesture speach desire Cride and incourag'd her and in thier soules Did sweate and labor no whit lesse then she Who neuer tir'd in labor held so long Helpt by her women and hir constant heart That Antony was drawne into the tombe And there I thinke of dead augments the summe The cittie all to teares and sighes is turn'd To plaints and outcries horrible to heare Men women children hoary-headed age Do all pell mell in house and streete lament Scratching their faces tearing of their haire Wringing their hands and martyring their brests Extreame their dole and greater misery In sacked townes can hardlie euer be Not if the fire had scal'de the highest towers That all things were of force and murther full That in the streets the bloud in riuers stream'd The sonne his sire saw in his bosome slaine The sire his sonne the husband and rest of breath In his wiues armes who furious runnes to death Now my brest wounded with their piteouse plaints I left their towne and tooke with me this sworde Which I tooke vp at what time Antony Was from his chamber caried to the tombe And brought it you to make his death more plaine And that thereby my words may credite gaine Cas. Ah Gods what cruell hap poore Antony Alas hast thou this sword so long time borne Against thy foe that in the end it should Of thee his Lord the cursed murth'rer be O Death how I bewaile thee we alas So many warres haue ended brothers frends Companions coozens equalls in estate And must it now to kill thee be my fate Ag. Why trouble you your selfe with bootles griefe For Antony why spend you teares in vaine Why darken you with dole your victory Me seemes your selfe your glory do enuie Enter the towne giue thanks vnto the Gods Cae. I cannot but his tearefull chaunce lament Although not I but his owne pride the cause And vnchast loue of this Aegiptian Agt. But best we sought into the tombe to get Lest she consume in this amazed case So much rich treasure with which happely Despaire in death may make hir feede the fire Suffring the flames hir Iewells to deface You to defraud hir funerall to grace Sende then to hir and let some meane be vs'd With some deuise so hold her still aliue Some faire large promises and let them marke Whither they may by some fine cunning slight Enter the tombes Caesar Let Proculeius goe And feede with hope hir soule disconsolate Assure hir soe that we may wholy get Into our hands hir treasure and her selfe For this of all things most I do desire To keepe her safe vntill our going hence That by hir presence beautified may be The glorious triumph Rome prepares for me Chorus of Romaine Souldiors Shall euer ciuile bate gnaw and deuour our state shall neuer we this blade our bloud hath bloudy made lay downe these armes downe lay as robes we weare alway but as from age to age so passe from rage to rage Our hands shall we not rest to bath in our owne brest and shall thick in each land our wretched trophees stand to tell posteritie what madd Impietie our stonie stomacks led against the place vs bred Then still must heauen view the plagues that vs pursue and euery wher descrie Heaps of vs scattred lie making the stranger plaines fat with our bleeding raines proud that on them their graue so many legions haue And without fleshes still Neptune his fishes fill and dronke with bloud from blue the sea take blushing hue as iuice of Tyrian shell when clarified well to wolle of finest fields a purple glosse it yeeldes But since the rule of Rome to one mans hand is come who gouernes without mate hir now vnited state late iointly rulde by three enuieng mutuallie whose triple yoke much woe on Latines necks did throwe I hope the cause of iarre and of this bloudie warre and deadly discord gone by what we last haue done our banks shall cherish now the branchie pale-hew'd bow of Oliue Pallas praise in stede of barraine baies And that his temple dore which bloudy Mars before held open now at last olde Ianus shall make fast and rust the sword consume and spoild of wauing plume The vseles morion shall on crooke hang by the wall At least if warre returne It shall not here soiourne to kill vs with those armes were forg'd for others harmes but haue their points addrest against the Germaines brest The Parthians fayned flight the Biscaines martiall might Olde Memory doth there painted on forehead weare our Fathers praise thence torne our triumphs baies haue worne therby our matchles Rome whilome of Shepeheards come rais'd to this greatnes stands the Queene of forraine lands Which now euen seemes to face the heau'ns her glories place nought resting vnder skies that dares affront her eies So that she needes but feare the weapons Ioue doth beare who angry at one blowe may her quite ouerthrowe Act. 5 Cleopatra Euphron Children of Cleopatra Charmion Eras. Cleop. O cruell fortune ô accursed lot O plaguy loue ô most detested brand O wretched ioyes ô beauties miserable O deadly state ô deadly roialtie O hatefull life ô Queene most lamentable O Antony by my faulte buriable O hellish worke of heau'n alas the wrath Of all the Gods at once on vs is falne Vnhappie Queene ô would I in this world The wandring light of day had neuer seene Alas of mine the plague and poison I The crowne haue lost my ancestors me left This Realme I haue to strangers subiect made And robd my children of their heritage Yet this is nought alas vnto the price Of you deare husband whome my snares intrap'd Of you whome I haue plagu'd whom I haue made With bloudy hand a guest of mouldie tombe Of you whome I destroied of you deare Lord Whome I of Empire honor life haue spoil'd O hurtfull woman and can I yet liue Yet longer liue in this Ghost-haunted tombe Can I yet breath can yet