Ant. When I beheld you first, it was in Egypt.
Ere Cæsar saw your eyes, you gave me love,
And were too
young to know it; that I settled
Your father in his throne, was for your sake;
I left the acknowledgment for
time to ripen.
Cæsar stept in, and, with a greedy hand,
Plucked the green fruit, ere the first blush of red,
Yet
cleaving to the bough. He was my lord,
And was, beside, too great for me to rival;
But, I deserved you
first, though he enjoyed you.
When, after, I beheld you in Cilicia,
An enemy to Rome, I pardoned you.
Cleo. I cleared myself
Ant. Again you break your promise.
I loved you still, and took your weak excuses,
Took you into my bosom,
stained by Cæsar,
And not half mine: I went to Egypt with you,
And hid me from the business of the world,
Shut
out inquiring nations from my sight,
To give whole years to you.
Vent. Yes, to your shame bet spoken.
[Aside.
Ant. How I loved.
Witness, ye days and nights, and all ye hours,
That danced away with down upon your
feet,
As all your business were to count my passion!
One day passed by, and nothing saw but love;
Another
came, and still twas only love:
The suns were wearied out with looking on,
And I untired with loving.
I saw
you every day, and all the day;
And every day was still but as the first,
So eager was I still to see you
more.
Vent. Tis all too true.
Ant. Fulvia, my wife, grew jealous
(As she indeed had reason), raised a war
In Italy, to call me back.
Vent. But yet
You went not.
Ant. While within your arms I lay,
The world fell mouldering from my hands each hour.
And left me scarce
a graspI thank your love fort.
Vent. Well pushed: that last was home.
Cleo. Yet may I speak?
Ant. If I have urged a falsehood. yes; else, not.
Your silence says, I have not. Fulvia died
(Pardon, you
gods, with my unkindness died);
To set the world at peace, I took Octavia,
This Cæsars sister; in her pride
of youth,
And flower of beauty, did I wed that lady,
Whom blushing I must praise, because I left her.
You
called; my love obeyed the fatal summons:
This raised the Roman arms; the cause was yours.
I would
have fought by land, where I was stronger;
You hindered it: yet, when I fought at sea,
Forsook me fighting; and
(O stain to honour!
O lasting shame!) I knew not that I fled;
But fled to follow you.
Vent. What haste she made to hoist her purple sails!
And, to appear magnificent in flight,
Drew half our
strength away.
Ant. All this you caused.
And, would you multiply more ruins on me?
This honest man, my best, my only
friend,
Has gathered up the shipwreck of my fortunes;
Twelve legions I have left, my last recruits.
And you
have watched the news, and bring your eyes
To seize them too. If you have aught to answer,
Now speak,
you have free leave.
Alex. [aside]. She stands confounded:
Despair is in her eyes.
Vent. Now lay a sigh in the way to stop his passage:
Prepare a tear, and bid it for his legions;
Tis like
they shall be sold.