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Enter OCTAVIUS,
ANTONY, and their army
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OCTAVIUS and ANTONY
enter with their army.
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OCTAVIUS Now, Antony, our hopes are answerèd.
You said the enemy would not come down
But keep the hills and upper regions.
It proves not so. Their battles are at hand.
5They mean to warn us at Philippi here,
Answering before we do demand of them.
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OCTAVIUS Now, Antony, our prayers have been answered. You said the enemy
wouldn’t come down but keep to the hills and upper regions.
It seems not. Their forces are nearby. They intend to challenge us
here at Philippi, responding to our challenge before we’ve
even challenged him.
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ANTONY Tut, I am in their bosoms, and I know
Wherefore they do it. They could be content
To visit other places, and come down
10With fearful bravery, thinking by this face
To fasten in our thoughts that they have courage.
But ’tis not so.
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ANTONY I know how they think, and I understand why they’re doing
this. They really wish they were somewhere else, but they want to
descend on us, looking fierce so we’ll think
they’re brave. But they aren’t.
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Enter a MESSENGER
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A MESSENGER
enters.
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MESSENGER Prepare you, generals.
The enemy comes on in gallant show.
Their bloody sign of battle is hung out,
15And something to be done immediately.
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MESSENGER Prepare yourselves, generals. The enemy approaches with great
display. They show their bloody heralds of battle, and something
must be done immediately.
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ANTONY Octavius, lead your battle softly on,
Upon the left hand of the even field.
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ANTONY Octavius, lead your forces slowly out to the left side of the
level field.
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OCTAVIUS Upon the right hand I. Keep thou the left.
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OCTAVIUS I’ll go to the right side. You stay on the left.
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ANTONY Why do you cross me in this exigent?
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ANTONY Why are you defying me in this urgent matter?
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