Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare
Act 3 - Scene 1
A plain in Syria.
Ventidius : Now, darting Parthia, art thou struck; and now
[p]Pleased fortune does
of Marcus Crassus' death
[p]Make me revenger. Bear the king's son's
body
[p]Before our army. Thy Pacorus, Orodes,
[p]Pays this for Marcus
Crassus.
Silius : Noble Ventidius,
[p]Whilst yet with Parthian blood thy sword is
warm,
[p]The fugitive Parthians follow; spur through
Media,
[p]Mesopotamia, and the shelters whither
[p]The routed fly: so
thy grand captain Antony
[p]Shall set thee on triumphant chariots
and
[p]Put garlands on thy head.
Ventidius : O Silius, Silius,
[p]I have done enough; a lower place, note
well,
[p]May make too great an act: for learn this, Silius;
[p]Better
to leave undone, than by our deed
[p]Acquire too high a fame when him
we serve's away.
[p]Caesar and Antony have ever won
[p]More in their
officer than person: Sossius,
[p]One of my place in Syria, his
lieutenant,
[p]For quick accumulation of renown,
[p]Which he achieved
by the minute, lost his favour.
[p]Who does i' the wars more than his
captain can
[p]Becomes his captain's captain: and ambition,
[p]The
soldier's virtue, rather makes choice of loss,
[p]Than gain which
darkens him.
[p]I could do more to do Antonius good,
[p]But 'twould
offend him; and in his offence
[p]Should my performance perish.
Silius : Thou hast, Ventidius,
[p]that
[p]Without the which a soldier, and his
sword,
[p]Grants scarce distinction. Thou wilt write to Antony!
Ventidius : I'll humbly signify what in his name,
[p]That magical word of war, we
have effected;
[p]How, with his banners and his well-paid
ranks,
[p]The ne'er-yet-beaten horse of Parthia
[p]We have jaded out
o' the field.
Silius : Where is he now?
Ventidius : He purposeth to Athens: whither, with what haste
[p]The weight we must
convey with's will permit,
[p]We shall appear before him. On there;
pass along!
Previous: Act 2 - Scene 7
Next: Act 3 - Scene 2
