SCENE I. Messina. POMPEY's house. Antony and Cleopatra  Shakespeare homepage  |  Antony and Cleopatra  | Act 2, Scene 1 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE I. Messina. POMPEY's house. 

 Enter POMPEY, MENECRATES, and MENAS, in warlike manner  POMPEY  If the great gods be just, they shall assist 

 The deeds of justest men. 

 MENECRATES  Know, worthy Pompey, 

 That what they do delay, they not deny. 

 POMPEY  Whiles we are suitors to their throne, decays 

 The thing we sue for. 

 MENECRATES  We, ignorant of ourselves, 

 Beg often our own harms, which the wise powers 

 Deny us for our good; so find we profit 

 By losing of our prayers. 

 POMPEY  I shall do well: 

 The people love me, and the sea is mine; 

 My powers are crescent, and my auguring hope 

 Says it will come to the full. Mark Antony 

 In Egypt sits at dinner, and will make 

 No wars without doors: Caesar gets money where 

 He loses hearts: Lepidus flatters both, 

 Of both is flatter'd; but he neither loves, 

 Nor either cares for him. 

 MENAS  Caesar and Lepidus 

 Are in the field: a mighty strength they carry. 

 POMPEY  Where have you this? 'tis false. 

 MENAS  From Silvius, sir. 

 POMPEY  He dreams: I know they are in Rome together, 

 Looking for Antony. But all the charms of love, 

 Salt Cleopatra, soften thy waned lip! 

 Let witchcraft join with beauty, lust with both! 

 Tie up the libertine in a field of feasts, 

 Keep his brain fuming; Epicurean cooks 

 Sharpen with cloyless sauce his appetite; 

 That sleep and feeding may prorogue his honour 

 Even till a Lethe'd dulness! 



 Enter VARRIUS  How now, Varrius! 

 VARRIUS  This is most certain that I shall deliver: 

 Mark Antony is every hour in Rome 

 Expected: since he went from Egypt 'tis 

 A space for further travel. 

 POMPEY  I could have given less matter 

 A better ear. Menas, I did not think 

 This amorous surfeiter would have donn'd his helm 

 For such a petty war: his soldiership 

 Is twice the other twain: but let us rear 

 The higher our opinion, that our stirring 

 Can from the lap of Egypt's widow pluck 

 The ne'er-lust-wearied Antony. 

 MENAS  I cannot hope 

 Caesar and Antony shall well greet together: 

 His wife that's dead did trespasses to Caesar; 

 His brother warr'd upon him; although, I think, 

 Not moved by Antony. 

 POMPEY  I know not, Menas, 

 How lesser enmities may give way to greater. 

 Were't not that we stand up against them all, 

 'Twere pregnant they should square between 

 themselves; 

 For they have entertained cause enough 

 To draw their swords: but how the fear of us 

 May cement their divisions and bind up 

 The petty difference, we yet not know. 

 Be't as our gods will have't! It only stands 

 Our lives upon to use our strongest hands. 

 Come, Menas. 



 Exeunt  Shakespeare homepage  |  Antony and Cleopatra  | Act 2, Scene 1 

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