| [Flourish. Enter POMPEY and MENAS at one door, with drum and trumpet: at another, OCTAVIUS CAESAR, MARK ANTONY, LEPIDUS, DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS, MECAENAS, with Soldiers marching] |
|
| POMPEY | Your hostages I have, so have you mine; And we shall talk before we fight. |
| OCTAVIUS CAESAR | Most meet That first we come to words; and therefore have we Our written purposes before us sent; Which, if thou hast consider'd, let us know If 'twill tie up thy discontented sword, And carry back to Sicily much tall youth That else must perish here. |
| POMPEY | To you all three, The senators alone of this great world, Chief factors for the gods, I do not know Wherefore my father should revengers want, Having a son and friends; since Julius Caesar, Who at Philippi the good Brutus ghosted, There saw you labouring for him. What was't That moved pale Cassius to conspire; and what Made the all-honour'd, honest Roman, Brutus, With the arm'd rest, courtiers and beauteous freedom, To drench the Capitol; but that they would Have one man but a man? And that is it Hath made me rig my navy; at whose burthen The anger'd ocean foams; with which I meant To scourge the ingratitude that despiteful Rome Cast on my noble father. |
| OCTAVIUS CAESAR | Take your time. |
| MARK ANTONY | Thou canst not fear us, Pompey, with thy sails; We'll speak with thee at sea: at land, thou know'st How much we do o'er-count thee. |
| POMPEY | At land, indeed, Thou dost o'er-count me of my father's house: But, since the cuckoo builds not for himself, Remain in't as thou mayst. |
| LEPIDUS | Be pleased to tell us-- For this is from the present--how you take The offers we have sent you. |
| OCTAVIUS CAESAR | There's the point. |
| MARK ANTONY | Which do not be entreated to, but weigh What it is worth embraced. |
| OCTAVIUS CAESAR | And what may follow, To try a larger fortune. |
| POMPEY | You have made me offer Of Sicily, Sardinia; and I must Rid all the sea of pirates; then, to send Measures of wheat to Rome; this 'greed upon To part with unhack'd edges, and bear back Our targes undinted. |
| OCTAVIUS CAESAR MARK ANTONY LEPIDUS |
| | | That's our offer. | | |
| POMPEY | Know, then, I came before you here a man prepared To take this offer: but Mark Antony Put me to some impatience: though I lose The praise of it by telling, you must know, When Caesar and your brother were at blows, Your mother came to Sicily and did find Her welcome friendly. |
| MARK ANTONY | I have heard it, Pompey; And am well studied for a liberal thanks Which I do owe you. |
| POMPEY | Let me have your hand: I did not think, sir, to have met you here. |
| MARK ANTONY | The beds i' the east are soft; and thanks to you, That call'd me timelier than my purpose hither; For I have gain'd by 't. |
| OCTAVIUS CAESAR | Since I saw you last, There is a change upon you. |
| POMPEY | Well, I know not What counts harsh fortune casts upon my face; But in my bosom shall she never come, To make my heart her vassal. |
| LEPIDUS | Well met here. |
| POMPEY | I hope so, Lepidus. Thus we are agreed: I crave our composition may be written, And seal'd between us. |
| OCTAVIUS CAESAR | That's the next to do. |
| POMPEY | We'll feast each other ere we part; and let's Draw lots who shall begin. |
| MARK ANTONY | That will I, Pompey. |
| POMPEY | No, Antony, take the lot: but, first Or last, your fine Egyptian cookery Shall have the fame. I have heard that Julius Caesar Grew fat with feasting there. |
| MARK ANTONY | You have heard much. |
| POMPEY | I have fair meanings, sir. |
| MARK ANTONY | And fair words to them. |
| POMPEY | Then so much have I heard: And I have heard, Apollodorus carried-- |
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | No more of that: he did so. |
| POMPEY | What, I pray you? |
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | A certain queen to Caesar in a mattress. |
| POMPEY | I know thee now: how farest thou, soldier? |
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | Well; And well am like to do; for, I perceive, Four feasts are toward. |
| POMPEY | Let me shake thy hand; I never hated thee: I have seen thee fight, When I have envied thy behavior. |
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | Sir, I never loved you much; but I ha' praised ye, When you have well deserved ten times as much As I have said you did. |
| POMPEY | Enjoy thy plainness, It nothing ill becomes thee. Aboard my galley I invite you all: Will you lead, lords? |
| OCTAVIUS CAESAR MARK ANTONY LEPIDUS |
| | | Show us the way, sir. | | |
| POMPEY | Come. |
| [Exeunt all but MENAS and ENOBARBUS] | |
| MENAS | [Aside] Thy father, Pompey, would ne'er have made this treaty.--You and I have known, sir. |
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | At sea, I think. |
| MENAS | We have, sir. |
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | You have done well by water. |
| MENAS | And you by land. |
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | I will praise any man that will praise me; though it cannot be denied what I have done by land. |
| MENAS | Nor what I have done by water. |
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | Yes, something you can deny for your own safety: you have been a great thief by sea. |
| MENAS | And you by land. |
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | There I deny my land service. But give me your hand, Menas: if our eyes had authority, here they might take two thieves kissing. |
| MENAS | All men's faces are true, whatsome'er their hands are. |
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | But there is never a fair woman has a true face. |
| MENAS | No slander; they steal hearts. |
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | We came hither to fight with you. |
| MENAS | For my part, I am sorry it is turned to a drinking. Pompey doth this day laugh away his fortune. |
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | If he do, sure, he cannot weep't back again. |
| MENAS | You've said, sir. We looked not for Mark Antony here: pray you, is he married to Cleopatra? |
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | Caesar's sister is called Octavia. |
| MENAS | True, sir; she was the wife of Caius Marcellus. |
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | But she is now the wife of Marcus Antonius. |
| MENAS | Pray ye, sir? |
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | 'Tis true. |
| MENAS | Then is Caesar and he for ever knit together. |
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | If I were bound to divine of this unity, I would not prophesy so. |
| MENAS | I think the policy of that purpose made more in the marriage than the love of the parties. |
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | I think so too. But you shall find, the band that seems to tie their friendship together will be the very strangler of their amity: Octavia is of a holy, cold, and still conversation. |
| MENAS | Who would not have his wife so? |
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | Not he that himself is not so; which is Mark Antony. He will to his Egyptian dish again: then shall the sighs of Octavia blow the fire up in Caesar; and, as I said before, that which is the strength of their amity shall prove the immediate author of their variance. Antony will use his affection where it is: he married but his occasion here. |
| MENAS | And thus it may be. Come, sir, will you aboard? I have a health for you. |
| DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS | I shall take it, sir: we have used our throats in Egypt. |
| MENAS | Come, let's away. |
| [Exeunt] |