Near Misenum.
 Flourish.
 Enter POMPEY and MENAS at one door, with SOLDIERS, DRUM and TRUMPET;
 at another, CAESAR, LEPIDUS, ANTONY, 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 moved pale Cassius to conspire? And what
	Made the all-honoured honest Roman, Brutus,
	With the armed 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 angered 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'ercount thee.

Pompey										At land indeed
	Thou dost o'ercount 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.

Caesar									There's the point.

Antony	Which do not be entreated to, but weigh
	What it is worth embraced.

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 unhacked edges, and bear back
	Our targes undinted.

Caesar, 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.

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 called 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 sealed 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 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 bated thee. I have seen thee fight,
	When I have envied thy behaviour.

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?

Caesar, Antony &
Lepidus						Show's the way, sir.

Pompey										Come.
							 						[Exeunt.
									 [Manet ENOBARBUS and MENAS.

Menas	[Aside.] Thy father, Pompey, would ne'er have made this 
	treaty. [To POMPEY.] 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 turned to a drinking. Pompey 
	doth this day laugh away his fortune.

Enobarbus	If he do, sure he cannot weep't back again.

Menas	You've said, sir. We look not for Mark Antony here. Pray 
	you, is he married to Cleopatra?

Enobarbus	Caesar's sister is called 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 used our throats in Egypt.

Menas	Come, let's away.
													[Exeunt.

