Near Misenum
Flourish. Enter POMPEY and MENAS at one door, with drum and trumpet;
at another, CAESAR, ANTONY, LEPIDUS, ENOBARBUS, MAECENAS,
AGRIPPA, with soldiers marching POMPEY Your hostages I have, so have you mine;
And we shall talk before we fight.
CAESAR Most meet
That first we come to words; and therefore have we
Our written purposes before us sent;
Which if thou hast considered, 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 mov'd pale Cassius to conspire? and what
Made the all-honour'd honest Roman, Brutus,
With the arm'd rest, courtiers of 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 burden
The anger'd ocean foams; with which I meant
To scourge th' ingratitude that despiteful Rome
Cast on my noble father.
CAESAR Take your time.
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 pleas'd to tell us-
For this is from the present- how you take
The offers we have sent you.
CAESAR There's the point.
ANTONY Which do not be entreated to, but weigh
What it is worth embrac'd.
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.
ALL That's our offer.
POMPEY Know, then,
I came before you here a man prepar'd
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.
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.
ANTONY The beds i' th' East are soft; and thanks to you,
That call'd me timelier than my purpose hither;
For I have gained by't.
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.
CAESAR That's the next to do.
POMPEY We'll feast each other ere we part, and let's
Draw lots who shall begin.
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.
ANTONY You have heard much.
POMPEY I have fair meanings, sir.
ANTONY And fair words to them.
POMPEY Then so much have I heard;
And I have heard Apollodorus carried-
ENOBARBUS No more of that! He did so.
POMPEY What, I pray you?
ENOBARBUS A certain queen to Caesar in a mattress.
POMPEY I know thee now. How far'st thou, soldier?
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 behaviour.
ENOBARBUS Sir,
I never lov'd you much; but I ha' prais'd ye
When you have well deserv'd 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?
ALL Show's the way, sir.
POMPEY Come.
Exeunt all but ENOBARBUS and MENAS MENAS [Aside] Thy father, Pompey, would ne'er have made this
treaty.- You and I have known, sir.
ENOBARBUS At sea, I think.
MENAS We have, sir.
ENOBARBUS You have done well by water.
MENAS And you by land.
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.
ENOBARBUS Yes, something you can deny for your own safety: you
have been a great thief by sea.
MENAS And you by land.
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.
ENOBARBUS But there is never a fair woman has a true face.
MENAS No slander: they steal hearts.
ENOBARBUS We came hither to fight with you.
MENAS For my part, I am sorry it is turn'd to a drinking.
Pompey doth this day laugh away his fortune.
ENOBARBUS If he do, sure he cannot weep't back again.
MENAS Y'have said, sir. We look'd not for Mark Antony here. Pray
you, is he married to Cleopatra?
ENOBARBUS Caesar's sister is call'd Octavia.
MENAS True, sir; she was the wife of Caius Marcellus.
ENOBARBUS But she is now the wife of Marcus Antonius.
MENAS Pray ye, sir?
ENOBARBUS 'Tis true.
MENAS Then is Caesar and he for ever knit together.
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.
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?
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.
ENOBARBUS I shall take it, sir. We have us'd our throats in Egypt.
MENAS Come, let's away.
Exeunt