my lasciuious Courte Fertile in euer-fresh and new-choyce pleasure Affoorded me so bountiful disport That I to thinke on loue had neuer leysure My vagabond desires no limits found For lust is endlesse pleasure hath no bound Thou comming from the strictnes of thy Citty The wanton pompe of Courts yet neuer learnedst Inur'd to wairs in womans wiles vnwittie Whilst others fayn'd thou fell'st to loue in earnest Not knowing women like them best that houer And make least reckning of a doting Louer And yet thou earn'st but in my beauties waine When new-appearing wrinkles of declining Wrought with the hand of yeeres seem'd to detaine My graces light as now but dimly shining Euen in the confines of mine age when I Fayling of what I was and was but thus VVhen such as wee doe deeme in iealosie That men loue for them-selues and not for vs Then and but thus thou didst loue most sincerely O Anthony that best deseru'dst it better Thys Autumne of my beauty bought so deerely For which in more then death I stand thy debter VVhich I will pay thee with most faithfull zeale And that ere long no Caesar shall detaine me My death my loue and courage shall reueale The which is all the world hath left t' vnstaine me And to the end I may deceiue best Caesar Who dooth so eagerly my life importune I must preuaile mee of this little leisure Seeming to sute my minde vnto my fortune Whereby I may the better mee prouide Of what my death and honor best shall fit A seeming base content must warie hide My last disseigne till I accomplish it That heereby yet the world shall see that I Although vnwise to liue had wit to die Exit CHORVS BEhold what Furies still Torment their tortur'd brest Who by their doing ill Haue wrought the worlds vnrest Which when being most distrest Yet more to vexe their sp'rit The hidious face of sinne In formes they most detest Stands euer in their sight Their Conscience still within Th eternall larum is That euer-barking dog that calls vppon theyr miss No meanes at all to hide Man from himselfe can finde No way to start aside Out from the hell of mind But in himselfe confin'd Hee still sees sinne before And winged-footed paine That swiftly comes behind The which is euer more The sure and certaine gaine Impietie doth get And wanton loose respect that dooth it selfe forget And CLEOPATRA now Well sees the dangerous way Shee tooke and car'd not bow Which led her to decay And likewise makes vs pay For her disordred lust Th' int'rest of our blood Or liue a seruile pray Vnder a band vniust As others shall thinke good This hath her riot wonne And thus shee hath her state her selfe and vs vndunne Now euery mouth can tell What close was muttered How that shee did not well To take the course shee did For now is nothing hid Of what feare did restraine No secrete closely done But now is vttered The text is made most plaine That flattry glos'd vpon The bed of sinne reueal'd And all the luxurie that shame would haue concealed The scene is broken downe And all vncou'red lyes The purple Actors knowne Scarce men whom men despise The complots of the wise Proue imperfections smoake And all what wonder gaue To pleasure-gazing eyes Lyes scattered dasht all broke Thus much beguiled haue Poore vnconsider at wights These momentary pleasures fugitiue delights ACTVS SECVNDVS CAESAR PROCVLEIVS KIngdoms I see we winne we conquere Climates Yet cannot vanquish harts nor force obedience Affections kept in close-concealed limits Stand farre without the reach of sword or violence Who forc'd doe pay vs duety pay not loue Free is the hart the temple of the minde The Sanctuarie sacred from aboue Where nature keepes the keyes that loose and bind No mortall hand force open can that doore So close shut vp and lockt to all mankind I see mens bodies onely ours no more The rest anothers right that rules the minde Behold my forces vanquisht haue this Land Subdu'de that strong Competitor of mine All Egipt yeelds to my all-conquering hand And all theyr treasure and themselues resigne Onely this Queene that hath lost all this all To whom is nothing left except a minde Cannot into a thought of yeelding fall To be dispos'd as chaunce hath her assign'd But Proculei what hope doth shee now giue Will shee be brought to condiscend to liue Proc. My Lord what time being sent from you to try To win her foorth aliue if that I might From out the Monument where wofully Shee liues inclos'd in most afflicted plight No way I found no meanes how to surprize her But through a Grate at th' entry of the place Standing to treate I labour'd to aduise her To come to Caesar and to sue for grace Shee saide shee crau'd not life but leaue to die Yet for her children prayd they might inherite That Caesar would vouchsafe in clemency To pitty them though shee deseru'd no merite So leauing her for then and since of late With Gallus sent to try another time The whilst hee entertaines her at the grate I found the meanes vp to the Tombe to climbe Where in discending in the closest wise And silent manner as I could contriue Her woman mee descri'd and out shee cryes Poore Cleopatra thou art tane aliue With that the Queene raught frō her side her knife And euen in acte to stab her martred brest I stept with speed and held and sau'd her life And forth her trembling hand the blade did wrest Ah Cleopatra why should'st thou said I Both iniurie thy selfe and Caesar so Barre him the honour of his victory VVho euer deales most mildly with his foe Liue and relye on him whose mercy will To thy submission alwaies ready be With that as all amaz'd shee held her still Twixt maiestie confus'd and miserie Her proud grieu'd eyes held sorrow and disdaine State and distresse warring within her soule Dying ambition dispossest her raigne So base affliction seemed to controule Like as a burning Lampe whose liquor spent With intermitted flames when dead you deeme it Sendes foorth a dying flash as discontent That so the matter failes that should redeeme it So shee in spight to see her low-brought state When all her hopes were now consum'd to nought Scornes yet to make an abiect league with Fate Or once discend into a seruile thought Th' imperious tongue vnused to beseech Authority confounds with prayers so Words of commaund conioyn'd wish humble speech Shew'd shee would liue yet scorn'd to pray her foe Ah what hath Caesar heere to doe said shee In confines of the dead in darknes liuing Will hee not graunt our Sepulchers be free But violate the priuiledge of dying What must hee stretch forth his ambitious hand Into the right of Death and force vs heere Hath misery no couert where to stand Free from the storme of pryde i st safe no where Cannot my land my gold my Crowne suffise And all what I held
Victors lenitie Th' inheritaunce of mercy from him take Of whom thou hast thy fortune and thy name Great Caesar mee a Queene at first did make And let not Caesar now confound the same Reade heere these lines which still I keep with me The witnes of his loue and fauours euer And God forbid this should be said of thee That Caesar wrong'd the fauoured of Caesar For looke what I haue beene to Anthony Thinke thou the same I might haue been to thee And heere I doe present thee with the note Of all the treasure all the Iewels rare That Egipt hath in many ages got And looke what Cleopatra hath is there Seleu. Nay there 's not all set down within that roule I know some things shee hath reseru'd a part Cle. What vile vngreateful wretch dar'st thou cōtroule Thy Queene soueraine caitiue as thou art Caes. Hold holde a poore reuenge can worke so feeble Cle. Ah Caesar what a great indignitie hands Is this that heere my vassale subiect stands T' accuse mee to my Lord of trechery If I reseru'd some certaine womens toyes Alas it was not for my selfe God knowes Poore miserable soule that little ioyes In trifling ornaments in outward showes But what I kept I kept to make my way Vnto thy Liuia and Octauias grace That thereby in compassion mooued they Might mediat thy fauour in my case Caes. Well Cleopatra feare not thou shalt finde What fauour thou desir'st or canst expect For Caesar neuer yet was found but kinde To such as yeeld and can themselues subiect And therefore giue thou comfort to thy minde Relieue thy soule thus ouer-charg'd with care How well I will intreate thee thou shalt find So soone as some affayres dispatched are Til whē farewel Cl. Thanks thrise-renowned Caesar Poore Cleopatra rests thine owne for euer Dol. No meruaile Caesar though our greatest sp'rits Haue to the powre of such a charming beautie Beene brought to yeeld the honour of their merits Forgetting all respect of other dutie Then whilst the glory of her youth remain'd The wondring obiect to each wanton eye Before her full of sweet with sorrow wain'd Came to the period of this misery If still euen in the midst of death and horror Such beauty shines thorow clowds of age sorow If euen those sweet decayes seeme to plead for her Which from affliction mouing graces borrow If in calamity shee could thus moue What could she do adorn'd with youth loue VVhat could she do then when as spreading wide The pompe of beauty in her glory dight When arm'd with wonder shee could vse beside Th' engines of her loue Hope and Delight Beauty daughter of Meruaile ô see how Thou canst disgracing sorrowes sweetly grace VVhat power thou shew'st in a distressed brow That mak'st affliction faire giu'st teares their grace VVhat can vntressed locks can torne rent haire A weeping eye a wailing face be faire I see then artlesse feature can content And that true beauty needes no ornament Caes. What in a passion Dolabella what take heede Let others fresh examples be thy warning What mischiefes these so idle humors breed VVhilst error keepes vs from a true discerning Indeed I saw shee labour'd to impart Her sweetest graces in her saddest cheere Presuming on the face that knew the arte To moue with what aspect so eu'r it were But all in vaine shee takes her ayme amisse The ground and marke her leuel much deceiues Time now hath altred all for neither is Shee as shee was nor wee as shee conceiues And therefore now t were best she left such badnes Folly in youth is sinne in age t is madnes And for my part I seeke but t' entertaine In her some feeding hope to draw her forth The greatest Trophey that my trauailes gaine Is to bring home a prizall of such worth And now sith that shee seemes so well content To be dispos'd by vs without more stay Shee with her chyldren shall to Rome be sent Whilst I by Syria thither take my way CHORVS O Fearefull frowning NEMESIS Daughter of IVSTICE most seuere That art the worlds great Arbitresse And Queene of causes raigning heere Whose swift-sure hand is euer neere Eternill iustice righting wrong Who neuer yet-deserrest long The proudes decay the weakes redresse But through thy powre euery where Doost raze the great and raise the lesse The lesse made great doost ruine to To shew the earth what heauen can doe Thou from dark-clos'd eternitie From thy black clowdy hidden seate The worlds disorders doost discry Which when they swell so proudly great Reuersing th' order nature set Thou giu'st thy all-confounding doome Which none can know before it come Th' ineuitable destinie Which neyther wit nor strength can let Fast chayn'd vnto necessitie In mortall things doth order so Th' alternate course of weale or wo O low the powres of heauen do play With trauailed mortalitie And doth their weakenes still betray In theyr best prosperitie When beeing listed vp so hie They looke beyond themselues so farre That to themselues they take no care Whilst swift confusion downe doth lay Theyr late proude mounting vanitie Bringing theyr glory to decay And with the ruine of theyr fall Extinguish people state and all But is it iustice that all wee Th' innocent poore multitude For great mens faults should punisht be And to destruction thus pursude O why should th' heauens vs include Within the compasse of theyr sall Who of themselues procured all Or doe the Gods in close decree Occasion take how to extrude Man from the earth with crueltie Ah no the Gods are euer iust Our faults excuse theyr rigor must This is the period Fate set downe To Egipts fat prosperity Which now vnto her greatest growne Must perrish thus by course must die And some must be the causers why This reuolution must be wrought As borne to bring theyr state to nought To change the people and the crowne And purge the worlds iniquitie Which vice so farre hath ouer-growne As wee so they that treate vs thus Must one day perrish like to vs ACTVS QVARTVS SELEVCVS RODON Sel. NEuer friend Rodon in a better howre Could I haue met thee then eu'en now I do Hauing affliction in the greatest powre Vpon my soule and none to tell it to For t is some ease our sorrowes to reueale If they to whom wee shall impart our woes Seeme but to feele a part of what wee feele And meete vs with a sigh but at a cloze Rod. And neuer friend Seleucus found'st thou one That better could beare such a part with thee Who by his owne knowes others cares to mone And can in like accord of griefe agree And therefore tell th' oppression of thy hart Tell to an eare prepar'd and tun'd to care And I will likewise vnto thee impart As sad a tale as what thou shalt declare So shal we both our mournful plaints combine I le waile thy state and thou shalt pitty mine Sel. Well then thou know'st how I haue liu'd in
good and pleasant No no sayd they goe beare them to thy Queene Thinking mee some poore man that brought a Present Well in I went where brighter then the Sunne Glittering in all her pompous ritch aray Great Cleopatra sate as if she' had wonne Caesar and all the world beside this day Euen as shee was when on thy cristall streames O CYDNOS shee did shew what earth could shew VVhen Asia all amaz'd in wonder deemes VENVS from heauen was come on earth below Euen as shee went at first to meete her Loue So goes shee now at last againe to finde him But that first did her greatnes onely proue This last her loue that could not liue behind him Yet as shee sate the doubt of my good speed Detracts much from the sweetnes of her looke Cheere-marrer Care did then such passions breed That made her eye bewray the care shee tooke But shee no sooner sees mee in the place But straight her sorrow-clowded brow shee cleeres Lightning a smile from out a stormy face Which all her tempest-beaten sences cheeres Looke how a stray'd perplexed trauailer When chas'd by thieues and euen at poynt of taking Discrying suddainly some towne not far Or some vnlookt-for ayde to him-ward making Cheeres vp his tired sp'rits thrusts forth his strength To meete that good that comes in so good houre Such was her ioy perceiuing now at length Her honor was t' escape so proude a powre Foorth from her seate shee hastes to meet the present And as one ouer-ioyd shee caught it straight And with a smyling cheere in action pleasant Looking among the figges findes the deceite And seeing there the vgly venemous beast Nothing dismayde shee stayes and viewes it well At length th' extreamest of her passion ceast VVhen shee began with words her ioy to tell O rarest Beast sayth shee that Affrick breedes How deerely welcome art thou vnto mee The fayrest creature that faire Nylus feedes Mee thinks I see in now beholding thee VVhat though the euer-erring world doth deeme That angred Nature fram'd thee but in spight Little they know what they so light esteeme That neuer learn'd the wonder of thy might Better then Death Deathes office thou dischargest That with one gentle touch canst free our breath And in a pleasing sleepe our soule inlargest Making our selues not priuie to our death If Nature err'd ô then how happy error Thinking to make thee worst shee made thee best Sith thou best freest vs from our liues worst terror In sweetly bringing soules to quiet rest VVhen that inexorable Monster Death That followes Fortune flyes the poore distressed Tortures our bodies ere hee takes our breath And loades with paines th'already weake oppressed How oft haue I begg'd prayd intreated him To take my life and yet could neuer get him And when he comes he comes so vgly grim That who is he if he could chuse would let him Therefore come thou of wonders wonder chiefe That open canst with such an easie key The dore of life come gentle cunning thiefe That from our selues so steal'st our selues away VVell did our Priests discerne something diuine Shadow'd in thee and therefore first they did Offrings and worshyps due to thee assigne In whom they found such misteries were hid Comparing thy sweet motion to the Sunne That mou'st without the instruments that moue And neuer waxing old but alwaies one Doost sure thy strange diuinitie approue And therefore to the rather vnto thee In zeale I make the offring of my blood Calamitie confirming now in mee A sure beliefe that pietie makes good Which happy men neglect or hold ambiguous And onely the afflicted are religious And heere I sacrifize these armes to Death That Lust late dedicated to Delights Offring vp for my last this last of breath The complement of my loues deerest rites With that shee bares her arme and offer makes To touch her death yet at the touch with-drawes And seeming more to speake occasion takes Willing to die and willing to to pause Looke how a Mother at her sonnes departing For some far voyage bent to get him fame Doth intertaine him with an idle parling And still doth speake and still speakes but the same Now bids farewell and now recalls him back Tells what was told and bids againe fare-well And yet againe recalls for still doth lack Something that loue would faine and cannot tell Pleas'd hee should goe yet cannot let him goe So shee although shee knew there was no way But this yet this shee could not handle so But shee must shew that life desir'd delay Faine would shee entertaine the time as now And now would faine that Death would seaze vpō her Whilst I might see presented in her brow The doubtfull combat tryde twixt Life and Honor Life bringing Legions of fresh hopes with her Arm'd with the proose of Time which yeelds we say Comfort and Help to such as doe refer All vnto him and can admit delay But Honor scorning Life loe forth leades he Bright Immortalitie in shyning armour Thorow the rayes of whose cleere glory shee Might see Lifes basenes how much it might harm her Besides shee saw whole Armies of Reproches And base Disgraces Furies fearefull sad Marching with Life and Shame that still incroches Vppon her face in bloody collours clad Which representments seeing worse then death Shee deem'd to yeeld to Life and therfore chose To render all to Honour hart and breath And that with speede least that her inward foes False flesh and blood ioyning with lyfe and hope Should mutinie against resolution And to the end shee would not giue them scope Shee presently proceeds to th' execution And sharply blaming of her rebell powres False flesh sayth shee and what dost thou cōspire With Caesar to as thou wert none of ours To worke my shame and hinder my desire Wilt thou retaine in closure of thy vaines That enemy Base life to let my good No know there is a greater powre constraines Then can be countercheckt with fearefull blood For to the minde that 's great nothing seemes great And seeing death to be the last of woes And life lasting disgrace which I shall get What doe I lose that haue but life to lose This hauing said strengthned in her owne hart And vnion of her selfe sences in one Charging together shee performes that part That hath so great a part of glory wonne And so receiues the deadly poysning touch That touch that tryde the gold of her loue pure And hath confirm'd her honor to be such As must a wonder to all worlds endure Now not an yeelding shrinke or touch of feare Consented to bewray least sence of paine But still in one same sweete vnaltred cheere Her honor did her dying thoughts retaine Well now this work is done saith she here ends This act of life that part of Fates assign'd mee What glory or disgrace heere this world lends Both haue I had and both I leaue behinde mee And now ô Earth the Theater where I Haue acted this witnes I