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Peace, peace, Iras Warburton: Cleopatra is fallen into a swoon; her maids endeavour to recover her by invoking her by her several titles. At length, Charmian says to the other, ‘Peace, peace, Iras’; on which Cleopatra comes to herself, and replies to these last words, ‘No, you are mistaken, I am a mere woman like yourself.’ Thus stands this senseless dialogue. But Shakespeare never wrote it so. We must observe then, that the two women call her by her several titles, to see which best pleased her; and this was highly in character; the Ancients thought, that not only men, but Gods too, had some names which, above others, they much delighted in, and would soonest answer to; as we may see by the hymns of Orpheus, Homer, and Callimachus. The Poet, conforming to this notion, makes the maids say, Sovereign Lady, Madam, Royal Egypt, Empress. And now we come to the place in question: Charmian, when she saw that none of these titles had their effect, invokes her by a still more flattering one: ‘Peace, peace, Isis!’ for so it should be read and pointed: i. e. peace, we can never move her by these titles: Let us give her her favourite name of the Goddess Isis. And now Cleopatra's answer becomes pertinent and fine: ‘No more but a mere woman,’ etc. i. e. I now see the folly of assuming to myself those flattering titles of divinity. My misfortunes, and my impotence in bearing them, convince me I am a mere woman and subject to all the passions of the meanest of my species. Here the Poet has followed history exactly, and what is more, his author Plutarch, who says, that Cleopatra assumed the habit and attributes of that Goddess, and gave judgements, or rather oracles to her people under the quality of the New Isis.—Johnson: Of this [foregoing note] it may be truly said, that it at least deserves to be right, nor can he, that shall question the justness of the emendation, refuse his esteem to the ingenuity and learning with which it is proposed. I suppose, however, that we may justly change the ancient copy thus, ‘No more, but e'en a woman.’ I am inclined to think that she speaks abruptly, not answering her woman, but discoursing with her own thoughts: ‘No more—but e'en a woman. I have no more of my wonted greatness, but am even a woman, on the level with other women; were I what I once was, it were for me to throw my scepter,’ etc. ‘Peace, peace, Iras,’ is said by Charmian, when she sees the Queen recovering, and thinks speech troublesome.

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