ANTONY         My being in Egypt, Caesar, what was’t to you?

CAESAR          No more than my residing here at Rome

Might be to you in Egypt. Yet if you there

Did practise on my state, your being in Egypt

Might be my question.

ANTONY                     How intend you ‘practised’?

CAESAR          You may be pleased to catch at mine intent

By what did here befall me. Your wife and brother

Made wars upon me, and their contestation

Was theme for you. You were the word of war.    (2.2.36-44)

Antony ups the ante somewhat. My being in Egypt, Caesar, what was’t to you? Why should you care, what business is it of yours where I choose to spend my time? Caesar’s ready for this, and he’s smooth: well, no more than my residing here at Rome might be to you in Egypt. (Residing is particularly good, metrically smooth but also—especially to a modern ear—formal and a little officious, ordinarily resident for taxation purposes.) Then he turns the screws a little: yet if you there did practice on my state, your being in Egypt might be my question. Well it’s an issue if, while you’re in Egypt, you practise on my state, undermine me, plot against my position. Say you were to do that—the reason for your being in Egypt might be my question. If you were to do such a thing. Not saying you did, of course, not in so many words. Antony is prepared for this and pushes back, forensically, like a tutor with a pupil. How intend you ‘practised’? what exactly do you mean by that? Do you want to explain? Oh, you know perfectly well, Caesar doesn’t quite say, but rather, you’ll be able to work it out by what’s been going on here (which you are already perfectly well aware of), by what here befell me. Your wife and brother made wars upon me, and their contestation was theme for you. You were the word of war. They attacked me, raised an army against me and said it was on your behalf, in your name; you were the theme and word of war. (In effect: they were your proxies, they were doing it for you, and the implication is, that Antony knew exactly what they were doing and gave them his blessing and encouragement, running a campaign against Caesar by remote control from Egypt.) What do you say to that?