s the staff at the table.
Caesar gives Cleopatra his seat, which she takes.

CLEOPATRA (quickly, seeing Pothinus). What is HE doing here?

CAESAR (seating himself beside her, in the most amiable of tempers).
Just going to tell me something about you. You shall hear it. Proceed,
Pothinus.

POTHINUS (disconcerted). Caesar-- (He stammers.)

CAESAR. Well, out with it.

POTHINUS. What I have to say is for your ear, not for the Queen's.

CLEOPATRA (with subdued ferocity). There are means of making you speak.
Take care.

POTHINUS (defiantly). Caesar does not employ those means.

CAESAR. My friend: when a man has anything to tell in this world, the
difficulty is not to make him tell it, but to prevent him from telling
it too often. Let me celebrate my birthday by setting you free.
Farewell: we'll not meet again.

CLEOPATRA (angrily). Caesar: this mercy is foolish.

POTHINUS (to Caesar). Will you not give me a private audience? Your life
may depend on it. (Caesar rises loftily.)

RUFIO (aside to Pothinus). Ass! Now we shall have some heroics.

CAESAR (oratorically). Pothinus--

RUFIO (interrupting him). Caesar: the dinner will spoil if you begin
preaching your favourite sermon about life and death.

CLEOPATRA (priggishly). Peace, Rufio. I desire to hear Caesar.

RUFIO (bluntly). Your Majesty has heard it before. You repeated it to
Apollodorus last week; and he thought it was all your own. (Caesar's
dignity collapses. Much tickled, he sits down again and looks roguishly
at Cleopatra, who is furious. Rufio calls as before) Ho there, guard!
Pass the prisoner out. He is released. (To Pothinus) Now off with you.
You have lost your chance.

POTHINUS (his temper overcoming his prudence). I WILL speak.

CAESAR (to Cleopatra). You see. Torture would not have wrung a word from
him.

POTHINUS. Caesar: you have taught Cleopatra the arts by which the Romans
govern the world.

CAESAR. Alas! They cannot even govern themselves. What then?

POTHINUS. What then? Are you so besotted with her beauty that you do not
see that she is impatient to reign in Egypt alone, and that her heart is
set on your departure?

CLEOPATRA (rising). Liar!

CAESAR (shocked). What! Protestations! Contradictions!

CLEOPATRA (ashamed, but trembling with suppressed rage). No. I do not
deign to contradict. Let him talk. (She sits down again.)

POTHINUS. From her own lips I have heard it. You are to be her catspaw:
you are to tear the crown fro