Page:Antony and Cleopatra (1921) Yale.djvu/147

Antony and Cleopatra How this Herculean Roman does become The carriage of his chafe. How becomingly this descendant of Hercules displays his irritation. Cleopatra is teasing Antony.

O! my oblivion is a very Antony, And I am all forgotten. My memory deserts me like Antony; or, perhaps, 'I forget myself in thinking of Antony.'

foils. Many editors have substituted the word soils, with the same meaning.

arm-gaunt. No very satisfactory explanation of this word has been offered. It is, perhaps, a misprint, possibly for 'rampaunt.'

That sleep and feeding may prorogue his honour Even till a Lethe'd dulness! That with too much sleeping and eating any thought of his honor may be deferred until it sinks into dull forgetfulness. Lethe was the river of forgetfulness.

Were I the wearer of Antonius' beard, I would not shave 't to-day. I would permit Cæsar to 'beard me,' that is, to defy me, if he dared.

I should do thus. Apparently Antony either embraced, or shook hands with, Cæsar.

Your wife and brother Made wars upon me, and their contestation Was theme for you, you were the word of war. The passage is probably corrupt. Was theme'd for you, and Was then for you have been suggested as emendations. The context indicates that the meaning is, 'their contestation drew its cause from you; you were the excuse for their going to war.' See especially ll. 98–102 of the present scene.

The third o' the world is yours, which with a snaffle You may pace easy, but not such a wife. You may control your share of the world as