Alexandria. Caesar's camp.
 Enter CAESAR, AGRIPPA, DOLABELLA, MAECENAS, GALLUS, PROCULEIUS,
 with his Council of War.

Caesar	Go to him, Dolabella, bid him yield.
	Being so frustrate, tell him, he mocks
	The pauses that he makes.

Dolabella								Caesar, I shall.
													[Exit.

                 Enter DECRETAS with the sword of ANTONY.

Caesar	Wherefore is that? And what art thou that dar'st
	Appear thus to us?

Decretas						I am called Decretas;
	Mark Antony I served, who best was worthy
	Best to be served. Whilst he stood up and spoke,
	He was my master, and I wore my life
	To spend upon his haters. If thou please
	To take me to thee, as I was to him
	I'll be to Caesar; if thou pleasest not,
	I yield thee up my life.

Caesar							What is't thou sayst?

Decretas	I say, O Caesar, Antony is dead.

Caesar	The breaking of so great a thing should make
	A greater crack. The round world
	Should have shook lions into civil streets,
	And citizens to their dens. The death of Antony
	Is not a single doom; in the name lay
	A moiety of the world.

Decretas							He is dead, Caesar,
	Not by a public minister of justice,
	Nor by a hird knife; but that self hand
	Which writ his honour in the acts it did
	Hath, with the courage which the heart did lend it,
	Splitted the heart. This is his sword;
	I robbed his wound of it: - behold it stained
	With his most noble blood.

Caesar					[Weeping.] Look you, sad friends,
	The gods rebuke me; but it is tidings
	To wash the eyes of kings.

Agrippa									And strange it is
	That nature must compel us to lament
	Our most persisted deeds.

Maecenas							His taints and honours
	Waged equal with him.

Agrippa						A rarer spirit never
	Did steer humanity; but you gods will give us
	Some faults to make us men. Caesar is touched.

Maecenas	When such a spacious mirror's set before him
	He needs must see himself.

Caesar									O Antony,
	I have followed thee to this. But we do lance
	Diseases in our bodies. I must perforce
	Have shown to thee such a declining day,
	Or look on thine: we could not stall together
	In the whole world. But yet let me lament
	With tears as sovereign as the blood of hearts
	That thou, my brother, my competitor
	In top of all design, my mate in empire,
	Friend and companion in the front of war,
	The arm of mine own body, and the heart
	Where mine his thoughts did kindle - that our stars,
	Unreconciliable, should divide
	Our equalness to this. Hear me, good friends-

                            Enter an EGYPTIAN.

	But I will tell you at some meeter season;
	The business of this man looks out of him;
	We'll hear him what he says. Whence are you?

Egyptian	A poor Egyptian yet. The queen my mistress,
	Confined in all she has, her monument,
	Of thy intents desires instruction,
	That she prepardly may frame herself
	To th' way she's forced to.

Caesar								Bid her have good heart.
	She soon shall know of us, by some of ours,
	How honourable and how kindly we
	Determine for her; for Caesar cannot live
	To be ungentle.

Egyptian					So the gods preserve thee!
													[Exit.
Caesar	Come hither, Proculeius. Go and say
	We purpose her no shame. Give her what comforts
	The quality of her passion shall require,
	Lest, in her greatness, by some mortal stroke
	She do defeat us; for her life in Rome
	Would be eternal in our triumph. Go,
	And with your speediest bring us what she says,
	And how you find of her.

Proculeius								Caesar, I shall.
													[Exit.
Caesar	Gallus, go you along.
													[Exit GALLUS.
								Where's Dolabella,
	To second Proculeius?

All							Dolabella!

Caesar	Let him alone, for I remember now
	How he's employed; he shall in time be ready.
	Go with me to my tent, where you shall see
	How hardly I was drawn into this war,
	How calm and gentle I proceeded still
	In all my writings. Go with me, and see
	What I can show in this.
													[Exeunt.

