Cleopatra by aweceina

/lDafter6 ot Ibfstorg

Cleopatra

JACOB ABBOTT WITH ENGRAVINGS

NEW YORK AND LONDON

HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS 1904

Entered, according to Act of Congress,

m the year one thousand

eight hundred and fifty-one, by

Hakper & Brothers, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District

New

York.

^c:HÂť7rtHU>

PREFACE. In selecting the subjects for the successive volumes of this series it has been the object of the author to look for the names of those great

personages

whose

histories

constitute

use-

and not merely entertaining, knowledge. There are certain names which are familiar, and every person as names, to all mankind who seeks for any degree of mental cultivation feels desirous of informing himself of the leading outlines of their history, that he may know, in brief, what it was in their characters or their doings which has given them so widely-extended a fame. This knowledge, which it seems incumbent on every one to obtain in ful,

;

respect to such personages as Hannibal, Alex-

ander, Caesar, Cleopatra, Darius, Xerxes, Al-

William the Conqueror, Queen Elizaand Mary, queen of Scots, it is the design and object of these volumes to communicate, in a faithful, and, at the same time, Conseif possible, in an attractive manner. fred,

beth,

Preface.

viii

quently, great historical names alone are selected

;

and

has been the writer's aim to

present the prominent and leading traits in their characters,

and

all

the important events

in their lives, in a bold and free manner, and

yet in the plain and simple language which

80 obviously required in works which

permanent and

practical usefulness.

aim

CONTENTS. Page

Chapter I.

n. III.

IV.

V. VI. VII. VIII.

IX.

X. XI. XII.

THE VALLEY OF THE NILE THE PTOLEMIES :~. ALEXANDRIA Cleopatra's father ACCESSION TO THE THRONE CLEOPATRA AND C^SAR THE ALEXANDRINE WAR CLEOPATRA A QUEEN THE BATTLE OFPHILIPPI CLEOPATRA AND ANTONY THE BATTLE OP ACTIUM THE END OP CLEOPATRA

35 61

87 112 132 157 181

200 225 256 286

ENGRAVINGS. FfOTitispiece. MAP, SCENE OF cleopatra's HISTORY 21 map, the rainless region 29 map, the delta of the nile 50 the birth-day present 107 antony crossing the desert â&#x20AC;¢cleopatra entering the palace of ciesar 135 view of alexandria 162 Cleopatra's sister in the triumphal proces-

sion

190

entertainments at tarsus 242 THE raising of ANTONY TO THE UPPER WINDOW OF THE TOMB 303 -the

CLEOPATRA. Chapter

The Valley

of the Nile.

The parentage and

rflHE -- It

birth of Cleopatn.

story of Cleopatra

a story of crime.

a narrative of the course and the oon-

eeqtiences of unlawful love.

romantic history

In her strange and

see this passion portrayed

with the most complete and graphic all its influences

impulses,

mad

its

career,

and

effects

;

its

fidelity in

uncontrollable

intoxicating joys, its reckless and

and the dreadful remorse and

mate despair and ruin

which

ulti-

always and

inevitably ends.

Cleopatra was by birth an Egyptian oestry and descent she

was a Greek.

;

by f d

while Alexandria and the delta of the Nile fo

a r

ed the scene of the most important events and it was the blood of Maoedon which flowed in her veins. Her oharaoter and action are marked by the genius, the

incidents of her history,

Cleopatra.

OleoiMtn'i reddflBM in K(ypt

Ttpkatl

m^mI if KcTP*

â&#x20AC;˘onrage, the originality, and the impalsivenest

pertaining to the stook from which she sprung

The

events of her history, on the other hand,

and the peculiar character of her adventures, her sufferings, and her sins, were determined by the circumstances with which she was surrounded, and the influences which were brought to bear upon her in the soft and voluptuoua clime where the scenes of her early

life

were

laid.

Egypt has always been considered

as physio-

ally the most remarkable country on the globe. It is a long and narrow valley of verdure and fruitfnlness, completely insulated from the rest It is more completely of the habitable world. insulated, in fact, than any literal island could be, inasmuch as deserts are more impassable

than seas.

The very

existence of

Egypt

most extraordinary phenomenon. If we could but soar with the wings of an eagle into the air, and look down upon the scene, so as to observe the operation of that grand and yet simple pro-

by which this long and wonderfol valley, teeming so profusely with animal and vegetable afe, has been formed, and is annually revivified oess

and renewed, in the midst of surrounding wastes of silence, desolation, and death, we should gaze

Thb Valley

op the Nile.

Thfl eagla'i wtaigi

and Mlaiioe.

upon it with never-ceasing admiration and pleasWe have not the wings of the eagle, but ure. the generalizations of soienoe furnish us with

a sort of substitute

for

them.

The

long series

of patient, careful, and sagacious observations,

which have been continued now

for two thouby means of which, through our powers of mental conception, we may take a comprehensive survey of the whole scene, analogous, in some respects, to that which direct and actual vision would afford us, if we could look down upon it from the eagle's point of view. It is, however, somewhat humiliating

sand years, bring us

results,

to our pride of intellect to reflect that long-con-

tinued philosophical investigations and learned

73 scientific v:

after

all,

research are, in such a case as this, in

wings.

some

sense, only a sort of substitute

human mind

connected with a wings would have solved the mystery of Egypt in a week whereas science, philosophy, and research, confined to the surface of the ground, have been occupied for twenty cenfor

pair of eagle's

;

turies in accomplishing the undertaking. It is

Egypt

found at last that both the existence of itself,

and

its

strange insulation in the

midst of boundless tracts of dry and barren sand,

Spend npon certam remarKable

results of the

Clbopatra. Phyrieal iwct H

wWm rf Egypt mmuMtai with

genera, laws of rain.

tfa«

kwt

The water which

of wta.

taken

np by the atmosphere from the surface of th« sea and of the land by evaporation, falls again, under certain circumstances, in showers of rain, the frequency and copiousness of which vary

much in different portions of the earth. As a general principle, rains are much more fre-

very

quent and abundant near the equator than in temperate climes, and they grow less and less so as

approach the poles.

urally have been expected

;

This might nat^ under the burn-

for,

ing sun of the equator, the evaporation of water

must

necessarily go on with immensely greater rapidity than in the colder zones, and all the

water which

taken up must, of course, again

come down. It is not, however, wholly by tha latitude of the region in which the evaporation takes place that the quantity of rain which falls from the

atmosphere is determined for the condition on which the falling back, in rain, of the water which has been taken up by evaporation mainly ;

depends,

tum which

the cooling of the atmospheric stra-

contains it and this effect is produced in very various ways, and many different causes operate to modify it. Sometimes the «tratum is cooJ«d by being wafted over ranges ;

The Valley

of the Nilb.

aÂŤiwral lawi of rain.

sometimes by encountering and of mountains becoming mingled with cooler currents of air and sometimes, again, by being driven in winds ;

toward a higher, and, consequently, cooler tude.

If,

on the other hand^

cold mountains toward

warm

air

lati-

moves from

and sunny

plains,

from higher latitudes to lower, or if, among the various currents into which it falls, it beor

comes mixed with

air

warmer than

itself, its

capacity for containing vapor in solution

is in-

creased, and, consequently, instead of releasing its

hold

upon the waters which it has already becomes thirsty for more. It

in possession, it

moves over a country, under these circumstanUnder a reces, as a warm and drying wind. verse of circumstances it would have formed drifting mists, or, perhaps, even copious showers

of rain. It will

be evident, from these considerations,

that the frequency of the showers, and the quantity of the rain

which

will fall, in the various

regions respectively which the surface of the

must depend on the combined many causes, such as the warmth

earth presents, influence of

of the climate, the proximity and the direction of mountains and of seas, the character of the prevailing winds, lft-2

and the

reflecting qualities of

Cleopatra.

18 Caoaet

the

whkh

modtfj die quantity of rain.

These and other similar causes,

soil.

found, do, in fact, produce a vast difference in

the quantity of rain which gions.

falls in different re-

In the northern part of South America,

where the land

bordered on every hand by

vast tropical seas, which load the hot and thirsty air

with vapor, and where the mighty Cordillera

of the Andes rears

its

icy

summits

to chill

and

precipitate the vapors again, a quantity of rain

amounting

more than ten

ular height falls in a year.

feet in perpendic-

St. Petersburg,

on the other hand, the quantity thus

falling in

more than one foot. The deluge which immense pours down from the clouds in South America would, if the water were to remain where it fell, wholly submerge a year

but

little

and inundate the country. off

it is, in

flowing

through the valleys to the sea, the united

torrents form the greatest river on the

Amazon

globeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;

and the vegetation, stimulated by the the heat, and nourished by the abundant and ;

incrs.sant supplies of moisture,

and

li>ads

matttHl

becomes so rank

the earth with such an entangled and

mass

of trunks,

wreaths and vines, that from the scene.

The

and stems, and twining

man

almost excluded

boundless forests become

a vast and almost impenetrable jungle, abaik*

The Vauby SbUdag

of the Nile.

RAinlew regloB*

contrasts.

doned to wild beasts, noxious

and huge

reptiles,

and ferocious birds of prey.

Of course, the its icy its

winter,

district of St. Petersburg,

its

with low and powerless sun, and

twelve inches of annual rain, must necessa-

rily present, in all its

and animal

phenomena of vegetable

a striking contrast to the exu-

life,

berant prolificness of New Grenada. ever, after

treme. fiice

it is

all,

how-

It is,

not absolutely the opposite ex-

There are certain regions on the

of the earth that are actually rainless

sui

and

;

these which present us with the true and

real contrast to the luxuriant vegetation

and

Amazon.

teeming

life

of the country of the

these rainless regions desolation,

animal can

all is

and death.

necessarily silence,

plant can

grow

no and hopeIf the exuberant abundance

Man,

live.

lessly excluded.

;

too, is forever

life shut him out, in some measure, from regions which an excess of

of animal and vegetable

heat and moisture render too absence of them

home

still

in these.

prolific,

the total

more effectually forbids him

They become,

therefore, vast

wastes of dry and barren sands in which no

can find nourishment, and of dreary rooks which not even a lichen can cling. The moot extensive and remarkable raWenf

root to

Cleopatra,

Oreat rainleH region of Aiia and Afrtoa.

region on the earth

a vast tract extending

through the interior and northern part of Africa,

and the southwestern part of Asia.

Red Sea

The

penetrates into this tract from the

south, and thus breaks the outline and continu-

however, altering, or

'ty of its form, without,

essentially modifying its character. it,

It divides

however, and to the different portions which

this division forms, different

given.

The

Asiatic portion

names have been is

called Arabia

Deserta; the African tract has received the

name

of Sahara^ while between those two, in

the neighborhood of Egypt, the barren region called simply the desert.

The whole

marked, however, throughout, with one vading character

is is

all-per-

the absence of vegetable, and,

consequently, of animal

absence of rain.

tract

The

life,

on account of th?

rising of a range of loftj

mountains in the center of it, to produce a pre oipitation of moisture from the air, would probably transform the whole of the vast waste into

and fertile, and populous a region any on the globe.

as verdant, an

it is,

there are no such mountains.

whole tract

nearly

level,

and so

ted above the sea, that, at the distance of

hundred mile* in the

The

little eleva-

many

interior, the land rises enl>

Thb Vallby

of the Nile

nuAaOm.

Map of the

to the height of

less

rainleM ngloB

a few hundred feet above the

surface of the Mediterranean

Grenada, at

;

whereas in

New

than one hundred miles from

the sea, the chain of the

Andes

rises to eleva-

Such an ascent as that of a few hundred feet in hundreds of miles would be wholly imperceptible to

tions of from ten to fifteen thousand feet.

any ordinary mode of observation rainless reorion,

is,

;

and the great

accordingly, of Africa and Asia

a})pears to the traveler,

a thousand miles wide and

five

one vast plain,

thousand miles

Clbopatka.

tor of^iM NOa. long,

TtoRadSM

with only one considerable interruption

monotony which reigns, with that exevery where over the immense expanse

the dead eeption,

and

fruitfulness

There

The

and solitude.

of silence

are,

life is

single interval of

the valley of the Nile.

however, in

fact, three interrup-

though only

tions to the continuity of this plain,

cne of them constitutes any considerable interruption to its barrenness. valleys, extending

ing side by side.

They

from north

are

all

of them

and

to south,

The most

ly-

easterly of these

valleys is so deep that the waters of the ocean

flow into

narrow

from the south, forming a long and

inlet called the

Red

Sea.

this inlet

communicates freely with the ocean,

ways nearly of the same oration from it

it is

does not even

level,

it is

al-

and as the evap-

not sufficient to produce rain, fertilize its

own

shores.

Its

presence varies the dreary scenery of the landscape, look all.

it Ls

true,

by giving us surging waters to

upon instead of driving sands

With

;

but

this is

the exception of the spectacle of an

Rnglish steamer passing, at weary intervals, ever

its

dreary expanse, and some raoldering re-

mains of ancient cities on its eastern shore, it affords scarcely any indications of life. It does cry little, therefore, to relieve the monotonous

The Valley

op the Nile.

2i5

Omk.

nieoaaes.

aspect of solitude and desolation which reigu over the region into which

The most westerly of which we have alluded is

has intruded.

the three valleys to

only a slight depres-

sion of the surface of the land

The

of oases.

depression

marked by a

linÂŤ

not sufficient to

admit the waters of the Mediterranean, nor are there any rains over

which

any portion of the valley

forms sufficient to

a stream.

make

the bed of

Springs issue, however, here and

from the ground, and,

there, in several places,

percolating through the sands along the valley,

give fertility to

little dells,

long and narrow,

which, by the contrast that they form with the

surrounding desolation, seem to the traveler to possess the verdure and beauty of Paradise.

There

a line of these oases extending along

this westerly depression,

of considerable extent.

and some of them are oasis of Siweh, on

The

which stood the far-famed temple of Jupiter miles in extent, and was

Ammon, was many

said to have contained in ancient times a population of eight thousand souls. Thus, while the most easterly of the three valleys which we have named was sunk so low as to admit the ocean to flow freely into it, the most westerly was so slightly depressed that it gained only a

Clbcpafra.

24 MonntalMoftheMooa

ThalUrflrin

oiroumscribed and limited

fertility

throngh tlU

springs, which, in the lowest portions of it, oozed

from the ground. ta-al

The

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;remains now

one

The

third valley

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

the oen-

to be described.

reader will observe, by referring once

map, that south of the great rainwhich we are speaking, there lie groups and ranges of mountains in Abyssinia, called the Mountains of the Moon. These mountains are near the equator, and the relation which they sustain to the surrounding seas, and to currents of wind which blow in that quarmore

to the

less region of

ter of the world, is such, that

they bring down

from the atmosphere, especially in certain seasons of the year, vast and continual torrents rain.

The water which

thus

falls

drenches the

and deluges the valleys. There is a great portion of it which can not flow to the southward or eastward toward the sea, aa

mountain

sides

the whole country consists, in those directions, of continuous tracts of elevated land.

The rush

of water thus turns to the northward, and, press-

ing on across the desert through the great central valley

finds

which we have

referred to above,

outlet, at last, in the Mediterranean,

a point two thousand miles distant from the

place

where the immense condenser drew

The Valley

of the Nile.

Inwidation of the Nile

incesBaat i^na.

from the skies Nile.

It is

The

river thus created is the

formed, in a word, by the surplus

waters of a district inundated with rains, in their progress across a rainless desert, seeking the sea If the surplus of water upon the Abyssinian mountains had been constant and uniform, the

stream, in

its

passage across the desert, would

have communicated very barren sands which diate

little

fertility to

the

The imme-

traversed.

banks of the river would have, perhaps,

been fringed with verdure, but the influence of the irrigation would have extended no further

than the water

itself

could have reached, by per-

colation through the sand.

water

But the

flow of the

not thus uniform and steady.

In a

certain season of the year the rains are inces-

and they descend with such abundance and profusion as almost to inundate the districts where they fall. Immense torrents stream down the mountain sides; the valleys are deluged; plains turn into morasses, and morasses into lakes. In a word, the country becomes half submerged, and the accumulated mass of wa-

sant,

ters

wou.d rush with great

down

force

and violence

the central valley of the desert, which

forms their only outlet, row, and

if it

made any

the passage were nar-

considerable descent in

Cleopatra.

26 'CtmtmmtHmitrm. its

8abÂŤidenoeorttM iÂťalHÂť

course to the sea.

row, and the descent

It is

ia,

however, not nar-

very small.

The

de-

pression in the surface of the desert, through

which the water flows, wide, and, though it

from

nearly two thousand

five to

ten miiee

miles from the rainy district across the desert to the sea, the country for the is

almost

level.

There

Boent, especially for the last

whole distance

only sufficient de-

thousand miles, to

determine a very gentle current to the north-

ward in the waters of the stream. Under these circumstances, the immense quantity of water which falls in the rainy district in these

inundating tropical showers, ex-

pands over the whole valley, and forms

for

time an immense lake, extending in length across the whole breadth of the desert.

lake

is,

This

of course, from five to ten miles wide,

and a thousand miles long. The water in it is shallow and turbid, and it has a gentle current toward the north. The rains, at length, in a but it requires some great measure cease months for the water to run off and leave the ;

As soon as it is gone, there springs up from the whole surface of the ground which valley dry.

has been thus submerged a most rank and luxuriant vegetation.

Thb Vallkv Lczwijutt

of the Nile.

Tegfstatio&.

Absence of foraabi.

This vegetation, now wholly regulated and by the hand of man, must have been,

controlled

in its original

and primeval

Quliar character.

state, of a

must have

very pe-

consisted of

Buoh plants only as could exist under the condition of for a

having the

soil in

which they grew

laid,

quarter of the year, wholly under water.

This circumstance, probably, prevented the valley of the Nile tile

from having been,

tracts of land,

like other fer-

encumbered, in

its

native

For the same reason, wild beasts could never have haunted it. There were no forests to shelter them, and no refuge or retreat for them but the dry and barren desert,

state,

with

forests.

daring the period of the annual inundations.

This most extraordinary valley seems thus to have been formed and preserved by Nature herthe special possession of man. She herseems to have held it in reserve for him from the very morning of creation, refusing admission into it to every plant and every animal that might hinder or disturb his occupancy and control. And if he were to abandon it now for a thousand years, and then return to it once more, he would find it just as he left it, ready for his immediate possession. There would be no wild

self for

self

beasts that he

must

first expel,

and no tangW

Clbopatka.

38 ttqy^ynf ggypt

Onati

forests first

BarmoniMOBlK

would havo sprung up, that his ax Inus^ Nature is the husbandman who

remove.

keeps this garden of the world in order, and the

means and machinery by which she

operates

aie the grand evaporating surfaces of the seas, the

beams

of the tropical sun, the lofty

summits

of the Abyssinian mountains, and, as the prod-

act and result of

instrumentality, great

all this

summer

periodical inundations of

rain.

some other rcEisons Egypt has been occupied by man from the most remote anFor these

tiquity.

made

The

oldest records of the

as ancient then,

only

human

race,

three thousand years ago, speak of Egypt

when they were

written.

Not

Tradition silent, but even Fable herself

does not attempt to

tell

the story of the origin

Here stand the

oldest and most enduring monuments that human power

of her population.

has ever been able to

somewhat humiliating

raise.

It is,

however,

to the pride of the race

to reflect that the loftiest

and proudest, as well

as the most permanent and stable of all the works which man has ever accomplished, are

but the incidents and adjuncts of a thin stra-

tum

of alluvial fertility, left

the subsiding waters of

upon the sands by

summer

showers.

The most important portion of the alluvion

The Valley TbÂŤ Delta of the

Nila.

of the Nile

valJey widens

of the Nile.

^ Map

the northern portion, where the

and opens toward the

sea, form-

ing a triangular plain of about one hundred

miles in length on each of the sides, over which the waters of the river flow in a great

number

and channels. The whole area forms a vast meadow, intersected everywhere with slow-flowing streams of water, and presenting on its surface the most enchanting ef separate creeks

pictures

of fertility, abundance, and beauty

This region

called the Delta of the Nile

Cleopatra.

30 The

The tile

Delttk

w aeen from the Ma.

sea upon th^ coast

shallow, and the fer-

country formed by the deposits of the river

seems

have projected somewhat beyond the

line of the coast

;

although, as the land has not

advanced perceptibly red years,

may

eighteen hund-

for the last

be somewhat doubtful wheth-

er the whole of the apparent protrusion

not

due to the natural conformation of the coast, rather than to any changes made by the action of the river.

The Delta little

of the Nile

so level

itself,

and so

raised above the level of the Mediterra-

nean, that the land seems almost a continuation of the

same surface with the

sea, only, instead

of blue waters topped with white-crested waves,

we have broad tle

tracts of

waving

grain,

and gen-

swells of land crowned with hamlets and

villages.

In approaching the coast, the navi-

gator has no distant view of all this verdure and

beauty.

It lies so

low that

neath the horizon until the ship the shore.

The

first

continues beis close

landmarks, in

fact,

upon

which

the seaman makes, are the tops of trees grow-

ing apparently out of the water, or the sum-

mit of an obelisk, or the capital of a

marking the ted oity.

site of

some ancient and

pillar,

dilapida-

The Valley fBlwiÂŤe mnuth of the

The most

of the Nile.

The CaiiopK mouth

Nile.

easterly of the channels

is called,

by which

way through

the waters of the river find their

the Delta to the sea,

will be seen

marked upon the map, the Pelusiao branch. forms almost the boundary of the of the Delta on the eastern side.

ancient city of

region

There was an

named Pelusium near

the

mouth

Egyptian reached by those who arrived by land from

it.

city

fertile

This was, of course, the

first

the eastward, traveling along the shores of the

Mediterranean Sea.

account of

its

thus

marking the eastern frontier of the country, it became a point of great importance, and is often mentioned in the histories of ancient times.

The westernmost mouth of the Nile, on the other hand, was called the Canopio mouth. The distance along the coast from the Canopic mouth to Pelusium was about a hundred miles. The outline of the coast was formerly, as it still con tinues to be, very irregular, and the water shal-

low

Extended banks of sand protruded

the sea, and the sea

itself,

into

if in retaliation,

and la^ goons in the land. Along this irregular and uneertain boundary the waters of the Nile and the surges of the Mediterranean kept up an eternal war, with energies so nearly equal, that now, formed innumerable creeks, and

inlets,

Cleopatra.

Tne Pyramlda

AneioDt Egypt

after the lapse of eighteen

hundred years sincÂŤ

the state of the contest began to be recorded, neither side has been found to have gained any

The

perceptible advantage over the other.

brings the sands down, and the sea drives

river

them

incessantly back, keeping the whole line of the

shore in such a condition as to ly dangerous It will

and

man.

formed a country which

in ancient times isolated

a very striking manner, from world.

extreme-

be obvious, from this description of the

valley of the Nile, that

was

make

difficult of access to

was wholly shut and the

and secluded,

all

the rest of the

deserts,

and sandbars, and other dangers of navigation which marked the line of the coast, seemed to forbid every side, by land

approach by sea.

;

Here

ages, under the rule of its kings.

Its population

trious.

Its scholars

was

shoals,

remained

own

for

many

native ancient

peaceful and indus-

were famed throughout the

world for theii learning, their science, and their It was in these ages, before othe*' had intruded upon its peaceful seolueion, that the Pyramids were built, and the enormous monoliths carved, and those vast temples reared whose ruined columns are now the wonder of mankind. During these remote ages.

vhLosophy.

nations

B.C.323.J

The Vallev

of the Nile. 33

He Ptolemiea

ConquesU of the Peraians and Macedoniana.

too,

Egypt was,

as now, the land of perpetual

and abundance. There would always bo corn in Egypt, wherever else famine might fertility

The neighboring

rage.

nations and tribes in

Arabia, Palestine, and Syria, found their to

it,

ern side,

way

accordingly, across the deserts on the east-

way

when

driven by want, and thus opened

of communication.

length the Per-

sian monarchs, after extending their empire

westward to the Mediterranean, found access by the same road to Pelusium, and thence overran and conquered the country. At last, about two hundred and fifty years before the time of Cleopatra, Alexander the Great,

when he

sub-

verted the Persian empire, took possession of

Egypt, and annexed

among the other Perown dominions. At tha

it,

sian provinces, to his

division of Alexander's empire, after his death,

one of his generals, named Ptol-

Egypt

fell to

emy.

Ptolemy made

it,

his

at his death, to his heirs.

ereigns succeeded him,

kingdom, and

known

dynasty of the Ptolemies

left

A long line of sovin history as the

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Greek

ing over an Egyptian realm.

princes, reign-

Cleopatra was

che daughter of the eleventh in the line.

The

capital of the Ptolemies

was Alexandria Egypt

Until the time of Alexander's conquest,

16â&#x20AC;&#x201D;2

Cleopatea.

had no

sea-port.

[B.C. 323 The Pbanw.

Founding of Alexandria.

There were several landing-

places along the coast, but no proper harbor.

In fact Egypt had then so

little

commercial

in-

tercourse with the rest of the world, that she scarcely needed any.

Alexander's engineers,

however, in exploring the shore, found a point not far from the Canopic mouth of the Nile where the water was deep, and where there was an anchorage ground protected by an island. Alexander founded a city there,which he called by his own name. He perfected the harbor by artificial excavations and embankments. A lofty light-house was reared, which formed a landmark by day, and exhibited a blazing star

by night to guide the galleys of the Mediterra-

nean

in.

A canal was made to connect the

port

with the Nile, and warehouses were erected tc In a word, contain the stores of merchandise. Alexandria became at once a great commercial capital.

was the

seat, for several centuries,

of the magnificent government of the Ptolemies

and

so well

was

its

situation chosen for the pur-

poses Intended, that

it still

continues, after the

lapse of twenty centuries of revolution

and

change, one of the principal emporiums of tha

eoiameroe of the East.

The Ptolemies.

B.C.35a]

86 toftmiidw

nM^jraaaQrof flMPtolemlM.

Chapter

II.

The Ptolemies. fllHE

founder of the dynasty of the Ptole-

-- mies

dom

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

ruler into

^the

Egypt

whose hands the king-

as has already been stated,

fell,

at the death of Alexander the Great

Macedonian general

in Alexander's

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;was a

army. The

circumstances of his birth, and the events which led to his entering into the service of Alexander,

were somewhat

name was

peculiar.

Arsinoe,

companion of

was a

Philip,

His mother, whose personal favorite and

king of Macedon, the

noe in marriage to a certain

named Lagus.

man

of his court

very short time after the

marriage, Ptolemy was born. the child with the

fa-

Philip at length gave Arsi-

ther of Alexander.

Philip treated

same consideration and

favor

that he had evinced toward the mother.

The

boy was called the son of Lagus, but his

posi-

tion ir the royal court of

Macedon was

as high

and honorable, and the attentions which he re* oeived were as great, as he could have expected to enjoy if

he had been in reaUty a son of the

CLEOPATaA-

[B.C.

PUlip of Maoedon.

Alexandoa

As he grew up, he

king.

358

attained to official sta-

tions of considerable responsibility

and power.

In the course of time, a certain transaction occurred,

by means of which Ptolemy involved

himself in serious difficulty with Philip, though

by the same means he made Alexander very strongly his friend.

There was a province of

the Persian empire called Caria, situated in the

southwestern part of Asia Minor.

had

or of this province

The

govern-

offered his daughter

Philip as the wife of one of his sons

named

AridsBUs, the half brother of Alexander.

Alex-

ander's mother,

was

dseus,

who was

not the mother of Ari-

jealous of this proposed marriaga

She thought that

was part

of a scheme for

bringing Aridaeus forward into public notice, and finally

making him

the heir to Philip's throne

whereas she was very earnest that

tiiis

inheritance should be reserved for her

splendid

own

son.

Accordingly, she proposed to Alexander that

they should send a secret embassage to the Persian governor, and represent to him that

would be much

better, both for

him and

for hi*

daughter, that she should have Alexander insteEid of

him,

Aridseus for a husband, and induce

if possible, to

ihould

make

demand

the change.

of Philip that ha

The Ptolemies.

B.C. 336.] Tke

intrigue dlBoorered.

87 Ptolemy baniched.

Alexander entered readily into this scheme,

Ptolemy among the rest, undertook to aid him in the accomplishment of The embassy was sent. The governor of it. Caria was very much pleased with the change which they proposed to him. In fact, the whole and various

courtiers,

plan seemed to be going on very successfully its accomplishment, when, by some means or other, Philip discovered the intrigue. He went immediately into Alexander's apart-

toward

ment, highly excited with resentment and an-

He had never intended to make AridsBUS, whose birth on the mother's side was obscure and ignoble, the heir to his throne, and he re-

ger.

proached Alexander in the bitterest terms

for

being of so debased and degenerate a spirit as to desire to

governor; a

marry the daughter of a Persian man who was, in fact, the mere

lave, as he said, of a barbarian king. Alexander's scheme was thus totally defeat-

;

and so displeased was his father with the who had undertaken to aid him in the

officers

execution of

it,

the kingdom. decree,

try for

that he banished

them

all

from

Ptolemy, in consequence of thia

wandered about an exile from his counsome years, until at length the death of

Philip enabled Alexander to recall him.

Alex-

Cleopatea.

38 Accession of Alexander.

[B.C. 336 Ptolemy's elevation.

andor sucoeeded his father as King of Maoedont

and immediately made Ptolemy one of his prinPtolemy rose, in fact, to a very

cipal generals.

command

high

in the

Macedonian army, and

distinguished himself very greatly in

the

all

celebrated conqueror's subsequent campaigns.

In the Persian invasion, Ptolemy

commanded

one of the three grand divisions of the army,

and he rendered repeatedly the most signal services to the cause of his master

He was

employed on the most distant and dangerous enterprises,

and was often intrusted with the

management of affairs of the utmost importHe was very successful in all his under-

ance.

takings. resses,

conquered armies, reduced

fort-

negotiated treaties, and evinced, in a

word, the highest degree of military energy

and

skilL

once saved Alexander's

life

discovering and revealing a dangerous conspir-

acy which had been formed against the king.

Alexander had the opportunity to requite this favor,

through a divine interposition vouchsafed

was said, for the express purpose of enabling him to evince his gratitude. Ptolemy had been wounded by a poisoned arrow, and when all the remedies and antidotes of the physicians had failed, and the patient was ap to

him,

The Ptolemies.

B.C. 323.]

Ptolemy becomes King of Egypt.

Death of Alexander.

parently about to die, an efEectual means of

cure was revealed to Alexander in a dream,

and Ptolemy, in his turn, was saved.

when AlexPtolemy was ander's conquests were completed, honored with a golden crown, and he was married, with great pomp and ceremony, to Arta-

the ^reat rejoicings at Susa,

cama, the daughter of one of the most distinguished Persian generals.

length Alexander died suddenly, after &

night of drinking and carousal at Babylon.

had no son old enough to succeed him, and

hia

immense empire was als.

divided

among

his gener-

Ptolemy obtained Egypt for his share. He immediately to Alexandria, with a

repaired

great army, and a great

number

tendants and followers, and there

of Greek atcommenced a

reign which continued, in great prosperity and splendor, for forty years. tians

The

were reduced, of course,

bondage.

native

Egyp-

to subjection

and

All the oiSices in the army, and

stations of trust

and

responsibility in civil

ali

life,

were filled by Greeks. Alexandria was a Greek city, and it became at once one of the most important commercial centers in

all

those seas.

Greek and Roman travelers found now a language spoken in Egypt which they could nn*

Cleopatra.

B.C. 323.

The Alezaadrtui

Oharacter of Ptolemy'a reign.

library

derstand, and philosophers and scholars could gratify the curiosity felt,

which they had so long and monu-

in respect to the institutions,

ments, and wonderful physical characteristiot of the country,

with safety and pleasure.

In a

word, the organization of a Greek government over the ancient kingdom, and the establishment of the great commercial relations of the city of

Alexandria, conspired to bring its

Egypt out from

concealment and seclusion, and to open

some measure bring it more

to the intercourse, as well as to fully

under the observation, of

the rest of mankind.

Ptolemy, in

fact,

made

a special object of

his policy to accomplish these ends.

invit-

ed Greek scholars, philosophers, poets, and ists,

in great

and

make

his capital thoir abode.

immense

lected an

col-

which subsequently,

library,

under the name of the Alexandrian

came one

art-

numbers, to come to Alexandria,

library, be-

of the most celebrated collections of

books and manuscripts th"* was ever made.

shall

have occasion to

larly to this library in the

rafer

particu-

next chapter.

Besides prosecuting these splendid schemot for the

aggrandizement of Egypt, King Ptole-

my was

engaged, during

p''"'^ÂŤrt

the whole pÂŠ-

B.C. 283.J

The Ptolemies.

Ptolemj PhQadelphua

AbdlcatloB of Ptolemy.

riod of his reign, in

waging incessant wars with

the surrounding nations.

engaged

in these

wars, in part, for the purpose of extending the

boundaries of his empire, and in part for

self-

defense against the aggressions and encroach-

ments of other powers. He finally succeeded in establishing his kingdom on the most stable and permanent basis, and then, when he was drawing toward the

close of his

fact over eighty years of age,

life,

being in

he abdicated hia

throne in favor of his youngest son, whose

was

also

Ptolemy.

Ptolemy the

founder of the dynasty,

name

father, the

known commonly

by the name of Ptolemy Soter. His son is called Ptolemy Philadelphus. This son though the youngest, was preferred to his broth history

ers as heir to the throne

on account of his being

the son of the most favored and beloved of the

monarch's wives. to abdicate the

The determination

of Soter

throne himself arose from his

wish to put this favorite son in secure possession of

before his death, in order to prevent the

older brothers from disputing the succession.

The

coronation of Philadelphus

of the most magnificent nies that royal

Two

was made one

and imposing ceremo-

pomp and parade

ever arranged

years afterward Ptolemy the father died,

Cleopatra.

[B.C.

283

8abaeqÂŤent degeneracy of the Ptolemies

OmIIi of Ptolamy.

and was buried by

his son with a

almost equal to that of his

own

magniRcenoe

coronation.

His

body was deposited in a splendid mausoleum,

^hich had been built for the remains of Alexander and so high was the veneration which ;

was

felt

ploits

by mankind

for the

and the splendor of

greatness of his ex-

his reign, that divine

honors were paid to his memory.

Such was

the origin of the great dynasty of the Ptolemies.

Some

of the early sovereigns of the line

fol

lowed in some degree the honorable example set

them by the distinguished founder of it; but this example was soon lost, and was succeeded by the most extreme degeneracy and debase-

The

ment. to live

successive sovereigns began soon

and to reign

of their

own

solely for the gratification

sensual propensities and passions.

Sensuality begins sometimes with kindness, but it

ends always in the most reckless and intoler-

able cruelty.

The Ptolemies became,

the

end, the most abominable and terrible tyrants that the principle of absolute and irresponsible

power ever produced. There was one vice in particular, a vice which they seem to have adopted from the Asiatic nations of the Persian empire, that resulted in the most awful oonse qaences.

ThiÂŤ vioe

vrtif

tnpest.

The

B.C. 170.]

Pt,olemies.

Incestuouf inarringM of the Ptolemy family.

The law

of God, proclaimed not only in tho

Scriptures, but in the native instincts of the hu-

man

among

soul, forbids intermarriages

those

The

connected by close ties ot consanguinity. necessity for such a

law

which can not here be

on considerations

rests

They

fully explained.

are considerations, however," which arise from >

causes inherent in the very nature of social being,

and insurmountable

petual,

as a

To guard

force.

his creatures against the deplorable ces,

man

and which are of universal, perconsequen

both physical and moral, which result from

Aumind

the practice of such marriages, the great thor of

Nature has implanted

in every

an instinctive sense of their criminality, powerful enough to give effectual warning of the danger, and so universal as to cause a distinct

condemnation of them to be recorded

almost

every code of written law that has ever been

The Persian

promulgated among mankind.

sovereigns were, however, above all law, and

every species of incestuous marriage was practice':'

by them without shame.

The Ptolemies

foLowed their example.

One

of the most striking exhibitions of the

nature of incestuous domestic forded

life

which

is af-

by the whole dismal panorama of pagan

Cleopatra

44 Plol— y FbfMOB.

vice

[B.C. 170 Origin of

and crime,

fala

n«in«>

presented in the history of

the great-grandfather of the Cleopatra the principal subject of this narrative.

who

He was

Ptolemy Physoon, the seventh in the line. It necessary to give some particulars of his history and that of his family, in order to explain the circumstances under which Cleopatra herself came upon the stage. The name Physoon, which afterward became his historical designation, was originally given him in contempt and derision. He was very small of stature in respect to height, but his gluttony and sensuality had made him immensely corpulent in body, so that he looked more like a monster than a man. The term Physcon was a Greek word, it is

which denoted opprobiously the ridiculous

fig-

ure that he made.

The circumstances

of Ptolemy Physoon's ac-

oession to the throne afford not only a striking illustration of his character,

though

but a very faithful

manners and morhad been engaged in a

terrible picture of the

als of the times.

long and cruel

war with

his brother,

who was

king before him, in which war he had perpetrated

all

imaginable atrocities,

when

at length

his brother died, leaving as his survivors his

wife,

who was

also his sister,

and a son wh»

The Ptolemies.

B.C. 170.J

45 Cleopatra

CIreTmiitancef of Phyacon'a acceMion.

was yet a

child.

This son was properly the

heir to the crown.

brother,

name

of the

in fact,

Physoon himself, being ^

had no claim, as against a queen was

a very

common name among

cesses of the Ptolemaic line. sides her son,

also Cleopatra.

niece, as her

The

the prin-

Cleopatra, be-

had a daughter, who was at

time a young and beautiful

was

The

son.

This was,

Cleopatra.

She was, of

mother was the

this

Her name

girl.

course, the

sister, of

Physcon.

plan of Cleopatra the mother, after her

husband's death, was to

make

her son the king

and to govern herself, as regent, unhe should become of age. The friends and

of Egypt, til

adherents of Physcon, however, formed a strong

party in his favor.

They

sent for

him

come

to Alexandria to assert his claims to the throne.

He came,

and a new civil war was on the point between the brother and sister,

of breaking out

when

was settled by a which it was stipulated that PhyscÂťn should marry Cleopatra, and be king; but that he should make the son of Cleopatra by her former husband his heir. This treaty was at length the dispute

treaty, in

oanied into

effect so far as the celebration of

the marriage with the mother

was concerned,

the establishment of Physcon upon the

Cleopatra.

Be manie*

Phjieoii'* brntal perfidy

throne.

[B.C.

But the

his wife's

170

danghtw

perfidious mcoster, instead of

keeping his faith in respect to the boy, determ ined to murder him; and so open and brutai

were

his habits of violence

and cruelty, that he

undertook to perpetrate the deed himself, in

The boy

open day. er's

arms

and

killed

fled shrieking to

for proteqtion,

him

the moth-

and Physcon stabbed

there, exhibiting the spectacle

of a newly-married husband murdering the son

arms what sort of affection between a husband and a wife after

of his wife in her very

It is easy to conceive

would exist

such transactions as these.

fact, there

had

been no love between them from the beginning

The marriage had been solely a political arrangement.

Physcon hated

his wife,

dered her son, and then, as

and had mur-

if to

complete the

exhibition of the brutal lawlessness and capri-

oiousness of his passions, he ended with falling in love with her daughter.

The

beautiful girl

looked upon this heartless monster, as ugly and

deformed in body as he was in mind, with absolute horror.

But she was wholly in

his power.

compelled her, by violence, to submit to hit

will.

repudiated the mother, and forced

beoome his wife. Physoon diaplayed the same qualities of bm

the daughter to

The Ptolemies.

B.C. 170.J

AtrocitleB of Physcon.

His

fllgfat

tyranny and cruelty in the treatment of

tal

hia

subjects that he manifested in his

own domestic

we can

not here give^

The

relations.

particulars

but can only say that his atrocities became at length absolutely intolerable, and a revolt so

formidable broke out, that he fled from the

In fact, he barely escaped with his

country. life,

mob had surrounded

as the

were setting

tyrant himself and

crimes together. to

make

the palace and

fire,

intending to burn the

all

the accomplices of his

Physcon, however, contrivei

his escape.

fled to the island of

Cyprus, taking with him a certain beautifu boy, his son by the Cleopatra

vorced

;

for

whom

before the divorce, to have a son.

of this boy

away on

him as a hostage ior.

di-

The name

was Memphitis.

very tenderly attached to took him

he had

they had been married long enough,

His mother was him, and Physcon

this very account, to

for his

fancied that,

might possibly attempt

when he was to

keep

mother's good behavgone, she

resume possession

the throne.

His expectations

The

in this respect

were

realized.

people of Alexandria rallied around Cleo-

patra,

and called upon her to take the crown.

She did

so, feeling,

perhaps,

some misgivings

CLBOFATRi

48 Otoopatra

[B.C.

uMmM the gorernaMit

130

Hot btilb-day

respect to the danger which such a step might possibly bring

upon her absent boy.

She

quiet-

ed herself, however, by the thought that he was in the

hands of his own

eould not possibly After some

come

little

father,

and that he

to haroL

time had elapsed, and Cle-

opatra was beginning to be well established ir her possession of the supreme power at Alex-

and arrangements were made for celebrating it in the most magnificent manner. When the day arrived, the whole city was given up to festivities and

andria, her birth-day approached,

Grand entertainments were given

rejoicing.

the palace, and games, spectacles, and plays in

every variety, were exhibited and performed in all

quarters of the city.

Cleopatra herself waa

enjoying a magnificent entertainment, given to the lords and ladies of the court and the officers of her army, in one of the royal palaces.

In the midst of this scene of festivity and pleasure,

was announced

to the

large box had arrived for her.

brought into the apartment.

queen that a

The bcx wat had the appear-

ance of containing some magnificent present, sent in a^ that time by

some

friend in honor of

The curiosity of the queen waa the occasion. ÂŤxoited to know what the mysterious coffer

The Ptolemies.

B.C. 130.]

Barbarity of Physcon.

51 (irlf^

of Cleopatra

might contain. She ordered it to be opened; and the guests gathered around, each eager to obtain the

first

raised,

when,

Tha

glimpse of the contents.

Hi was removed, and a cloth beneath

waÂŤ aL

to the unutterable horror of

who witnessed

the spectacle, there was seen the

head and hands of Cleopatra's beautiful boy, ying among masses of

human

The head had been

flesh,

which con-

body cut into pieces.

sisted of the rest of his

left entire,

that the wretch-

ed mother might recognize in the pale and less features the

countenance of her son.

life-

Phys-

con had sent the box to Alexandria, with orders that

should be retained until the evening of

the birth-day, and then presented publicly to

Cleopatra in the midst of the festivities of the

The

icene.

shrieks and cries with which she

the apartments of the palace at the

filled

first

sight of the dreadful spectacle, and the agony of long-continued

followed,

and inconsolable

grief

which

showed how well the cruel contrivance

of the tyrant It gives

was

fitted to

accomplish

its

end.

us no pleasure to write, and we arc

can give our readers no pleasure to

sure

rase,

such shocking stories of bloody cruelty as

these.

It is necessary,

pe.

however, to a just ap-

r'floiation of the character of the great subject

Cleopatra

(B.C. 117

Oeoeral elukracter of tha Ptolemy family.

of this history, that

should understand

tkt>

nature of the domestic influences that reigned in the family from it is

which she sprung.

fact,

due, as a matter of simple justice to her,

that

should

know what

these influences

were, and what were the examples set before her in her early

life

y since the privileges

and

advantages which the young enjoy in their ear ly years, and,

on the other hand, the

evil influ

ences under which they suffer, are to be taken

very seriously into the account nassing judgment upon the

when we

follies

which they subsequently fall. The monster Physcon lived,

and

it is

are

sins into

true,

two

three generations before the great Cleopatra;

but the character of the intermediate generations, until

much tion,

the time of her birth, continued

the same.

In fact, the cruelty, corrup-

and vice which reigned

in every

branch of

the royal family increased rather than diminished.

The

beautiful niece of Physcon, who, at

the time of her compulsory marriage with nim, evinced such an aversion to the monster, hai

become, at the period of her husband's death, aa great a monster of ambition, selfishness, and cruelty as he.

Alexander

She had two

sons,

Lathyrus and

Physcon, when he died,

loft

the

The Ptolemibs.

B.C.117.]

Terrfbla qoarreU wltfa hla motiier

Lathynu.

kingdom of Egypt

to her

will, authorizing

her to associate with her in the government

whichever of these two sons she might choose.

The

oldest

was

best entitled to this privilege,

by his priority of birth

;

but she preferred the

own power would be more absolute in reigning in conjunction with him, since he would be more completely under her control. The leading powers, youngest, as she thought that her

however, in Alexandria, resisted this plan, and msisted on Cleopatra's associating her oldest son, Lathyrus, with her in the

the realm.

They compelled

government of

her to recall Lath-

yrus from the banishment into which she had sent him, and to put throne.

him nominally upon the

Cleopatra yielded to this necessity, but

she forced her son to repudiate his wife, and to take, instead, another

she could

woman, whom she

make more

The mother and

fancied

subservient to her will.

the son went on together for a

Lathyrus being nominally king, though

time,

her determination that she would rule, and his struggles to resist her intolerable tyranny, their

wretched household the scene of

and perpetual

quarrels.

last

made

terrible

Cleopatra seiz-

ed a number of Lathyrus's servants, the eu-

anohs

who were employed

in various offices

Cleopatra.

(B.C.

CrneldM ÂŤf Clitopatra.

A/exander kOU bet

about the palace, and after wounding and mu-

them in a horrible manner, she them to the populace, saying that

tilating

exhib>

ited

Lathyrus that had

was

inflicted the cruel injuries

npon the sufferers, and calling upon them to arise and punish him for his crimes. In this and in other similar ways she awakened among the people of the court and of the city such an

animosity against Lathyrus, that they expelled

him from the

There followed a long series of cruel and bloody wars between the mother and the son, in the course of which each country.

party perpetrated against the other almost ev-

ery imaginable deed of atrocity and crime.

was

exander, the youngest son, terrible mother, that

he did not dare to remain

in Alexandria with her, but

banishment of

his

finally returned to

Al-

so afraid of his

own

went

into a sort of

He, however, His mother imme-

accord.

Egypt.

diately supposed that he

was intending

to dis-

turb her possession of power, and resolved to destroy him. designs, and,

He became

acquainted with her

grown desperate by the

long-con-

tinued pressure of her intolerable tyranny, he resolved to bring the anxiety and terror in which

he lived to an end by killing and then

fled the

country

her.

This he

did,

Lathyrus. his broth*

The

B.C.n?.!

l^TOLEMiEs.

66 Her two davgbteia

Cleopatra a type of the family.

er,

then returned, and reigned

his

day? in a tolerable degree of quietness and

peace.

kingdom

for

the rest of

length Lathyrus died, and

to his son,

the

left

Ptolemy Auletes, who was

the great Cleopatra's father.

can not soften the picture which

hibited to our

view

in the history of this cele-

brated family, by regarding the mother of letes, in

ex-

Au-

the masculine and merciless traits and

which she displayed

principles

so energetically

throughout her terrible career, as an exception to the general character of the princesses

who

appeared from time to time in the

am-

bition, selfishness,

line.

unnatural and reckless cru-

and utter disregard of every virtuous prinand of every domestic tie, she was but tha type and representative of all the rest. She had two daughters, for example, who wert the consistent and worthy followers of such a

elty,

ciple

mother.

passage in the lives of these sisters

illustrates very forcibly the

fection

which prevailed

Ptolemies.

The

case

kind of sisterly

af-

in the family of the

was

this

There were two princes of Syria, a country lying northeast of the Mediterranean Sea, and so not. very far from Egypt, who, though they wer others, were in a state of most deadly

Cleopatra.

TrypheiM'i hatred of her

Onnatonl war.

hostility to

[B.C. 101

each other.

One had attempted war had Syria was

poison the other, and afterward a

cen out between them, and

all

fering from the ravages of their armies.

of the sisters, of

whom we

suf.

One

have been speaking,

married one of these princes.

Tryphena.

bro-

Her name was

After some time, but yet while the

unnatural war was

still

raging between the two

brothers, Cleopatra, the other sister

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

^the

same

Cleopatra, in fact, that had been divorced from

Lathyrus at the instance of his motherâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;espoused the other brother. Tryphena was exceedingly incensed against Cleopatra for mar-

rying her husband's mortal

foe,

and the implac-

able hostility and hate of the sisters

was thence-

added to that which the brothers had beexhibited, to complete the display of unnat-

forth fore

ural

and

parricidal passion

which

this

shameful

contest presented to the world.

In feel

Tryphena from this time seemed to a new and highly-excited interest in the fact,

from her eager desire to revenge heron her sister. She watched the progress of it, and took an active part in pressing forward the active prosecution of the war. The party of her husband, either from this or soma other causes, seemed to be gaining the day contest, self

The Ptolemies.

B.C. 101.]

Cleopatra

raking of Andoch.

flees to

a tempi*

The husband of Cleopatra was driven from one part of the country to another, and at length; in order to provide for the security of his wife,

her in Antioch, a large and strongly

left

where he supposed that she would while he himself was engaged in prose-

fortified city,

be safe,

cuting the war in other quarters where his pres-

ence seemed to be required.

learning that her sister

was

at Antioch.

Tryphena urged her husband to attack the place.

accordingly advanced with a strong detach-

army, and besieged and took the Cleopatra would, of course, have fallen

ment

of the

city.

into his fate,

hands as a captive

;

but, to escape this

she fled to a temple for refuge.

was considered, tuary.

The

in those days,

A temple

inviolable sano

soldiers accordingly left her there.

Tryphena, however, made a request that her

husband would deliver the unhappy fugitive

She was determined, she said, Her husband remonstrated with

into her hands. to kill her.

her against this atrocious proposal.

" It would

be a wholly useless act of cruelty," said he, " to destroy her

life.

She can do us no

possible

in the future progress of the war, while to

harm mur-

der her under these circumstances will only exaspera*.e her

husband and her

friends,

and nsrve

Cleopatra.

Her reKntment

Joaloiuy of Tiyphen*.

them with new strength the contest.

And

for the

inereaae*

remainder of

then, besides, she has taken

refuge in a temple taary,

(B.C. 101

and

;

shall incur,

violate that sanc-

by such an act of

sacri-

Conyou to

lege, the implacable displeasure of heaven. Bider, too, that kill

she

your

sister,

and

for

her would be to,commit an unnatural and

wholly inexcusable crime."

So saying, he commanded Tryphena to say for he would on no

no more upon the subject,

account consent that Cleopatra should

suffer

any injury whatever. This refusal on the part of her husband

comply with her request only inflamed Tryphena's insane resentment and anger the more.

with which he espoused and the interest which he her fate, aroused Tryphena's

fact, the earnestness

her

sister's cause,

seemed

to feel in

She believed, or pretended to believe, husband was influenced by a sentiment that her of love in so warmly defending her. The object of her hate, from being simply an enemy, became now, in her view, a rival, and she re-

jealousy.

solved that, at

all

hazards, she should be de-

She accordingly ordered a body of soldiers to break into the temple and desperate

stroyed.

seize her.

Cleopatra fled in terror to the

altar.

The Ptolemies.

BC.90.J

CniÂŤl and laciitegloaa murder.

and clung

with such convulsive force that

the soldiers cut her hands off before they could tear her

sistance

away, and then, maddened by her reand the sight of blood, they stabbed her

again and again upon the floor of the temple,

where she

The

fell.

appalling shrieks with

which the wretched victim first

moments

sided, as

her

filled

the air in the

of her flight and her terror, sub-

ebbed away, into the most

life

awful imprecations of the judgments of heaven

upon the head of the unnatural sister whose Implacable hate had destroyed her. Notvnthstanding the specimens that

we have

thus given of the character and action of this extraordinary family, the government of this dynasty, extending, as thirteen sovereigns

did,

through the reigns of

and over a period of nearly

three hundred years, has always been considered

one of the most perous of

shall

all

liberal, enlightened,

and pros-

the governments of ancient times

have something to say in the next

chapter in respect to the internal condition of the throne. In the

men were upon mean time, we will here only

add, that whoever

the country while these violent

inclined, in observing the

ambition, the selfishness, the party

spirit,

the

Cleopatra.

[BC.90

nw moral â&#x20AC;˘ondltkm of numklnd not daÂ§eaeratlng. unworthy

intrigues,

and the

irregularities of

moral conduct, which modern rulers and states-

men sometimes exhibit to mankind

in their per*

sonal and political career, to believe in a retrogression and degeneracy of national character as the world advances in age, will be very effeotually full

undeceived by reading attentively a

history of this celebrated dynasty,

flecting, as

and

re-

he reads, that the narrative presents

on the whole, a

fair

and honest exhibition of the

general character of the eient times, the world

men by whom,

was governed.

in an-

Alexandria.

lalMmal adminlttration of the PtolamlM.

Chapter HI.

Alexandria.

mnst not be imagined by the reader that *- the scenes of vicious indulgence, and reckless

cruelty and crime, which were exhibited

with such dreadful frequency, and carried to

such an enormous excess in the palaces of the

Egyptian kings, prevailed

to the

same extent

throughout the mass of the community during the period of their reign.

The

internal admin-

government, and the institutions by which the industrial pursuits of the mass of the

istration of

people were regulated, and peace and order pre-

and justice enforced between man and man, were all this time in the hands of men

served,

well qualified, on the whole, for the trusts com-

mitted to their charge, and in a good degree faithful in the

performance of their duties

;

and

thus the ordinary affairs of government, and the general routine of domestic and social

life,

went

on, notwithstanding the profligacy of the kings, in

a course of very tolerable peace, prosperity,

aad happinem.

Daring every onÂŠ of the three

Olbopatka.

63 tednaby of the

peoplft.

Itt

h*ppy

effects

hundred years over which the history of thfl Ptolemies extends, the whole length and breadth of the land of

Egypt

exhibited, with

compara

tively few interruptions, one wide-spread scene

of busy industry.

The

inundations

came

and then regularly reThe boundless fields which the waters tired. had fertilized were then every where tilled. The lands were plowed the seed was sown their appointed season,

;

which ramified

the canals and water-courses,

from the river in

every direction

over

the

ground, were opened or closed, as the case required, to regulate the irrigation.

The

inhab-

tants were busy, and, consequently, they were

And

virtuous. or never

as the sky of

Egypt

seldom

darkened by clouds and storms, the

scene presented to the eye the same unchanging aspect of smiling verdure and beauty, day after day,

and month after month, until the

rip-

ened grain was gathered into the store-houses,

and the land was cleared

for

another inundation

say that the people were virtuous be-

cause they were busy of political

;

for

economy more

there

that vice in the social stat«

symptom of idleness.

no principle

fully established is

than

the incident and

prevails

•lasses of every great oopulation

always

who

in thostj

are eithe»

Alexandria. An

(dleness the parent of vice.

tiJj

Idle aristocracy generdlljr TiclooA

released bj- the possession

of fixed and un-

changeable wealth from the necessity, or ex. oluded by their poverty and degradation from the advantage, of useful employment. that is free, trol,

and subject

"Wealth

to its possessor's con-

occupy himself

so that he can, if he will,

management of it, while it sometimes may make individuals vicious, does not generally corrupt classes of men, for it does not make them idle. But wherever the institutions of a the

country are such as to create an aristocratic

whose incomes depend on entailed estates and permanent annuities, so that the capital on which they live can not afford them any mental occupation, they are doomed necesclass,

or on fixed

sarily to inaction

and

Vicious pleas-

idleness.

ures and indulgences are, with such a class as a whole, the inevitable result

;

for the

innocent

enjoyments of man are planned and designed by

Author of nature only for the intervals of and repose in a life of activity. They are always found wholly insufficient to satisfy one who makes pleasure the whole end and aim of the

rest

tiis

being.

In the same manner,

if,

either

from the

infia-

ence of the social institutions of a country, or from the operation

natural causes which hu-

Clbopatka.

64 Degradation and rloe.

EnplojriBent a core for bo(^

man power is anable to oontrol, there is a class men too low, and degraded, and miserable tc

be reached by the ordinary inducements to daily toil,

so certain are they to

grow corrupt and

praved, that degradation has become in

guages a term almost synonymous with

There are many exceptions,

Many active men

general laws.

;

it is

de-

all lan-

vice.

true, to these

are very wick-

and there have been frequent instances of

the most exalted virtue Still,

as a general law,

that vice

among nobles and it is

the incident of idleness

sphere of vice, therefore,

bottom of society

which

employment.

nity virtuous,

gradations of

it is it,

at the top

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;those being the

idleness reigns.

for vice is

kings.

unquestionably true

and the and at the ;

regions in

The great remedy, too, To make a commu-

essential that all ranks

cmd

from the highest to the lowest,

ÂŤhould have something

to do.

In accordance with these principles,

ob-

â&#x20AC;˘erve that, while the most extreme and abom> inable wickedness

seemed

to hold continual

and

sway in the palaces of the PtolemieSi and among the nobles of their courts, the workabsolute

ing ministers of state, and the

men on whom

the actual governmental functions devolved, dis-

charged their duties with wisdom and

fidelity,

A.LEXANDRIA.

65 Sltnadon of its port

OreÂŤtneM of AlexÂŤndrla.

and throughout

all

the ordinary ranks and gra-

dations of society there prevailed generally a

very considerable degree of industry, prosperity,

This prosperity prevailed not

and happiness.

only in the rural districts of the Delta and along the valley of the Nile, but also chants,

among

the mer-

and navigators, and artisans of Alex-

andria.

Alexandria became, in it

fact,

Many

things conspired to

make

great commercial emporium. it

very soon after

was founded, a very great and busy

was the depot

In the

first place,

of export for all the surplus

grain and other agricultural produce which raised in such valley.

city

at once a

was

abundance along the Egyptian

This produce was brought down in

boats to the upper point of the Delta, where the

down The city was

branches of the river divided, and thence the Canopio branch to the

city.

lot, in fact, situated directly

upon

this branch,

but upon a narrow tongue of land, at a distance from to enter the

it,

near the sea.

little

was not easy

channel directly, on account of the

bars and sand-banks at its mouth, produced by

the eternal conflict between the waters of the river

and the surges of the

sea.

The water

wblH deep, however, as Alexander's engineers

16â&#x20AC;&#x201D;6

Clbopatra.

66 Warehotuo* an J

BoalanM of Otm pun.

granariea.

had discovered, at the place whore the city waÂť built, and, by eetablisliing the port there, and then cutting a canal across to the Nile, the>

were enabled

to bring the rivei

and the sea

once into easy communication.

The produce of the valley was thus brought down the river and, through the canal to the Here immense warehouses and granaries city. were erected

for its reception, that it

safely preserved until the ships that tb*^

port were ready to take

ships

came from

Syria, from

all

might be

came

away.

the coasts of

Greece, and from

Asia Minor, from

into

These

Rome

They brought the agricultural productions of their own countries, as well as articles of manufaoture of various kinds

;

these they sold to

the merchants of Alexandria, and purchased the productions of

The

Egypt

in return.

port of Alexandria presented thus a con-

and animation.

ships were continually coming

Merchant and going, or

lying at anchor in the roadstead.

Seamen were

lant picture of

life

hoisting sails, or raising anchors, or rowing their

capacious galleys through the water, singing, as

Within was the same ceaseless activity. Hare groups of men were unloading the canal

they pulled, to the motion of the oars. the city there

Alexandria. BeeaM

within the

The

city.

ti7

natlTeg protected in their Indoitr;

There

boats which had arrived from the river.

were transporting bales of merchandise sacks of giain from a warehouse to a pier,

from one landing to another.

porters

The

occasion-

al parading of the king's guards, or the arrival

and departure of ships of war to land or to take away bodies of armed men, were occurrences that sometimes intervened to interrupt, or as

perhaps the people then would have said, to

adorn this scene of useful industry

and then, cations

for

;

and now

a brief period, these peaceful avo-

would be wholly suspended and

by a revolt or by a

set aside

war, waged by rival

civil

brothers against each other, or instigated by the conflicting claims of

a mother and

interruptions, however,

These

son.

were comparatively few,

and, in ordinary cases, not of long continuance. It

was

for

the interest of

royal line to do as

little

all

branches of the

injury as possible to the

commercial and agricultural operations of the In

realm.

fact, it

was on

the prosperity of those

operations that the revenues depended. rulers

were well aware of

and

this,

implacably two rival princes

so,

The

however

may have

hated

one another, and however desperately each party

may have batants

struggled to destroy

whom

all

active com-

they should find in arms tgainÂŤt

Olbopatra.

Tha

Pabllo «difloe*.

Il«ht^oiu>

them, they were both under every possible in

duoement

to spare the private property

the

This popula*

lives of the peaceful population.

tion, in fact,

and

engaged thus in profitable Indus,

try, constituted,

with the avails of their

labors,

the very estate for which the combatants were contending.

Seeing the subject in this

Egyptian

light, the

sovereigns, especially Alexander and the earlier

Ptolemies,

made every

power

effort in their

promote the commercial greatness of Alexan-

They

dria.

built palaces,

also built warehouses. sive

and celebrated of

reared

was the

ready alluded

One all

true,

but they

of the most expen-

the edifices that they

light-house which has been al-

to.

This light-house was a

tower, built of white marble.

was

lofty

situated

upon the island of Pharos, opposite to the city, and at some distance from it. There was a sort of isthmus of shoals and sand-bars connectOver these shaling the island with the shore. iows a pier or causeway was built, which finalThe ly became a broad and inhabited neck. principal part of the ancient city, ho tsrever,

was

on the main land.* *

See

Map

of the Delta of the Nile, p«ge 39

«f Alexandria, page 162.

k1k> lh«

View

Alexandria.

B.C. 28'J.] Fame of the

Ugfat-hotua.

The curvature

Iti

69 ooiiBplcaoui potttloa

of the earth requires that a

light-house on a coast should have a considerable elevation, otherwise its

summit would not

appear above the horizon, unless the mariner

were very near.

To attam

this elevation, the

architects usually take advantage of some hill or cliif,

eminence near the

or rocky

shore.

was, however, no opportunity to do this ros

;

for

There at Pha-

the island was, like the main land, level

The

and low.

requisite elevation could only be

by the masonry of an ediand the blocks of marble necessary for the

attained, therefore, fice,

work had

to be brought from a great distance.

The Alexandrian

was reared

light-house

in the

time of Ptolemy Philadelphus, the second monarch in the

line.

pains or expense were

The edifice, when was considered one of the seven wonders of the world. It was indebted for its fame, however, in some degree, undoubtedly to tho spared in

its

construction.

completed,

oonspicuousness of its situation, rising, as

did,

at the entrance of the greatest commercial

em-

porium of

its

time, and standing there, like a

cloud by day and of

fire by night, to welcome gaze of every wandering mariner whose ship came within its horizon, and to awaken his gratitude by tendering him its guidanoe and dispollinfir his fears

pillar of

attract the

Cleopatra.

Mode of lighting the tower.

The

light at the top of the

[B.C. 28*3 Modern method

tower was pro

duoed by a fire, made of such combustibles ttt This fire would emit the brightest flame. burned slowly through the day, and then w&m kindled up anew when the sun went down, and was continually replenished through the night with fresh supplies of fuel. In modern times, a much more convenient and economical mode is

adopted to produce the requisite illumina-

tion.

great blazing lamp burns brilliantly

in the center of the lantern of the tower, all

and

that part of the radiation from the flame

which would naturally have beamed upward, or downward, or laterally, or back toward the

by a curious system of reand polyzonal lenses, most ingeniously contrived and very exactly adjusted, as to be thrown forward in one broad and thin, but brilliant sheet of light, which shoots out where its

land, is so turned flectors

radiance

needed, over the surface of the sea.

Before these inventions were perfected, far the largest portion of the light emitted by the illu-

mination of light-house towers streamed wastefully in landward directions, or

among the stars. Of course, the fice

away

was

lost

glory of erecting such an edi-

as the Pharos of Alexandria, and of mais>

Alexandria.

B.C. 283.J

n* architect of the Pharo*. taining

Ingenlons

ttnUgem

in the performance of its functions,

was very great

;

the question might, however,

very naturally arise whether this glory was

through whose scienwork was actually accomplished, or to the monarch by whose power and resources the architect was sustained. The name of the architect was Sostratus. He was a Greek. The monarch was, as has already been stated, the second Ptolemy, called commonly Ptolemy Philadelphus. Ptolemy ordered that, in com-

due

justly

to the architect

dfis skill the

pleting the tower, a marble tablet should be built into the wall, at a suitable place near the

summit, and that a proper inscription should be carved upon it, with his name as the builder of the edifice conspicuous thereon.

preferred inserting his

ingly

made

own name.

the tablet and set

Sostratus

accord

in its place.

cut the inscription upon the face of

Greek

characters, with his

Author of the work.

own name

it,

as the

did this secretly, and

then covered the face of the tablet with an artificial

composition,

made with

lime, to imitate

the natural surface of the stone.

this outer

new inscription, in which he name of the king. In process of

surface he cut a inserted the

tWie the lime moldered away, the king's

in-

Cleopatra.

[B.C. 283. The Alezandiian

BaintoftfasPhuo*.

and

Boription disappeared,

libraiy

his own, which thence-

forward continued as long as the building en-

came out to view. The Pharos was said to have been four hnnd It was famed throughout the rod feet high.

dured,

world

many centuries; nothing, however, it now but a heap of useless and

for

remains of

unmeaning

ruins.

Besides the light that beamed from the sum-

mit of this

was another

lofty tower, there

cen-

and illumination in ancient Alexandria, which was in some respects still more conspicuous and renowned, namely, an im-

ter of radiance

mense

library

and

museum

established

maintained by the Ptolemies.

which was

first established,

might now imply, a

was

and

The Museum, name

not, as its

collection of curiosities, but

an institution of learning, consisting of a body of learned

men, who devoted

their

osophical and scientific pursuits. tion

was

richly endowed,

time to

The

phil-

institu-

and magnificent build-

its use. The king who began immediately to make a collection of books for the use of the members of

ings were erected for established

the institution.

This was attended with great

expense, as every book that

was added

to the

oolleotion required to be transcribed with a pen

Alexandria bnmenM magnitude of the

73 Tba Btnfloa

library.

on parchment or papyrus, with infinite labor and care

Great numbers of

scribes

were constant*

work at the Museum. The kings who were most interested in forming this library would seize the books that were possessed by individual scholars, or that were deiy

employed upon

this

posited in the various cities of their dominions,

and then, causing beautiful copies of them to be made by the scribes of the Museum, they would retain the originals for the great Alexandrian

Library, and give the copies to the cities that

men

had been thus despoiled.

or the

In the

same manner they would borrow, as thev it,

from

all travelers

who

visited

called

Egypt, any

valuable books which they might have in their possession, and, retaining the

them back

originals, give

copies instead.

In process of time the library increased to four hundred thousand volumes.

There was

then no longer any room in the buildings of the

Museum

for

further additions.

however, in another part of the

temple called the Serapion. a very magnificent

and history of

markable

The

group of

The

or-

temple were very

re-

the god Serapis.

this

a great

This temple was

edifice, or, rather,

edifices, dedicated to

igin

There was, city,

legend wag this

Cleopatra.

The SanpU of GreecÂŤ

The SerspU of Egypt

seems that one of the ancient and long

venerated gods of the Egyptians

named

Serapis.

was a

deity

had been, among other

vinities, the object of

di-

Egyptian adoration ages

was built or the Ptolemies reigned. There was also, by a curious coincidence, a statue of the same name at a great commercial town named Sinope, which was before Alexandria

upon the extremity of a promontory which projected from Asia Minor into the Euxine

built

Sinope was, in some sense, the Alexan-

Sea.*

dria of the north, being the center

great portion of the

commerce

and seat of a

of that quarter

of the world.

The

was considered as the

Serapis of Sinope

protecting deity of seamen, and

who came and went to and sacrifices to

tlie

navigators

froni the city

made

him, and offered him oblations and

prayers, believing that they were, in a great

measure, dependent upon 8omÂŤ mysterious and inscrutable power which he exercised for theii safety in stornus. af his

name, and

They

carried the

tales of his

knowledge

imaginary

positions, to all the places that

inter-

they visited

;

and thus the fame of the god became extended; first,

to all the coasts of the *

See map;

fir

Euxine Sea, and

mtispiece.

Alexandria. Importance of the 8tataÂť

Ptolemy's dream.

subsequently to distant provinces and kingdoms.

The Serapis

of Sinope began to be considered

sviry where as the tutelar god of seamen.

when

Accordingly,

was forming

the

first

of the Ptolemies

his various plans for adorning

and

aggrandizing Alexandria, he received, he said, one night, a divine intimation in a dream that he

was

to obtain the statue of Serapis

nope, and set

from Si-

up in Alexandria, in a suitable was in the mean time to erect

temple which he

in honor of the god.

It is obvious that

very

great advantages to the city would result from the accomplishment of this design. place,

new

In the

first

a temple to the god Serapis would be a

distinction for

in the

minds of the rural

who would undoubtedly suppose that the deity honored by it was their own ancient god. Then the whole maritime and nautical population,

interest of the world,

which had been accustom-

ed to adore the god of Sinope, would turn to Alexandria as the great center of religious attraction, if their

venerated idol could be carried and

placed in a

new and

expressly for

him

magnificent temple built

there.

Alexandria could nev-

er be the chief naval port ÂŤÂŤrurld,

unless

and station of the

contained the sanctuary and

shrine of the god of seamen

Cleopatra.

Hit HhiBÂťÂŤÂŤ

ftcimmj't propoMl to the King of Staope.

noeeM

Ptolemy sent accordingJy to the King of Sinope and proposed to purchase the

idol.

embassage was, however, unsuccessful.

The

king refused to give up the god.

The The

negotia-

were continued for two years, but all in vain. At length, on account of some failure in the regular course of the seasons on that coast, there was a famine there, which became finally so severe that the people of the city were induced to consent to give up their deity to the EgypPtoletians in exchange for a supply of corn. my sent the corn and received the idol. He tions

then built the temple, which, when finished, surpassed in grandeur and magnificence almost

every sacred structure in the world. It

was

in this temple that the successive ad

ditions to the Alexandrian library

when

ited,

came

were depos-

Museum

be-

In the end there were four hundred

full.

thousand

the apartments at the

rolls or

volumes

Museum, and Serapion. The

in the

throe hundred thousand in the

former was called the parent library, and the latter, being, as it

was

called the

were, the offspring of the

first,

daughter

Ptolemy Philadelphus, who interested himself very greatly in oollecting this library,

make

a oorrplete oolleotion

oi all

wished

the bookt

Alexandria.. Mode of obtaining

The JewUh

booka.

in the world.

77 Bcriptire*

employed scholars to read

and study, and travelers

make

tours, for the purpose of learning

extensive

what books

among all the surrounding nations and, when he learned of their existence, he spared existed

;

no pains or expense

attempting to procure

either the originals themselves, or the fect

and authentic copies of them.

most

per-

sent to

Athens and obtained the works of the most celebrated Greek historians, and then causing, as

most beautiful transcripts to be made, he sent the transcripts back to Athens, and a very large sum of money with them as an equivalent for the difference of value between originals and copies in such an exchange. In the course of the inquiries which Ptolemy in other cases,

made

into the literature of the surrounding na-

search for accessions to his library,

tions, in his

he heard that the Jews had certain sacred

vn-it-

ings in their temple at Jerusalem, comprising

a minute and extremely interesting history of

from the

heir nation

many

earliest periods,

and also

other books of sacred prophecy and poo-

These books, which were, in fact, the Hebrew Scriptures of the Old Testament, were

try.

unknown to all nations except the among the Jews were known onl^

then wholly Jews, and

Cleopatra.

78 SedoahNi of the Jews.

to priests

InterMt

They were kept saorea The Jews would have consid-

and scholars.

at Jerusalem.

them

ered

as profaned in being exhibited to the

view of pagan nations.

men

felt In their Bcrlpturee.

fact,

the learned

of other countries would not have been

able to read

them

Belves so closely

;

for

the

from the

Jews secluded

rest of

thein-

mankind, that

language was, in that age, scarcely ever

their

heard beyond the confines of Judea and Galilee.

Ptolemy very naturally thought that a copy of these sacred books would be a great acc|uisi-

They

tion to his library.

constituted, in fact,

the whole literature of a nation which was, in

eome

respects, the

most extraordinary that ever Ptolemy conceived the

existed on the globe.

idea, also, of not only

adding to his library a

copy of these writings

in the original

Hebrew,

but of causing a translation of them to be made into

Greek, so that they might easily be read Roman scholars who were

by the Greek and

drawn

in great

libraries

numbers

and the learned institutions

bad established fected,

however,

plans,

was

anthoritiefl.

there. in

by the which he

to his capital

Thr

first

thing to be

ef-

accomplishing either of these

to obtain the consent of the

They would probably

Jewish

object to giv-

ing up any copy of their saored writings at

all

Alexandria.

lewlth tiaves In Egypt

Ptolemy** derigiu

There was one circumstance which led Ptolemy to imagine that the Jews would, at that time particularly, be averse to granting any

ro'

quest of such a nature coming from an Egyptian king,

and that was, that during certain

wars which had taken place in previous reigns, a considerable

number

of prisoners had been ta-

ken by the Egyptians, and had been brought to as captives, where they had been sold to the inhabitants, and were now scattered over

Egypt

the land as slaves.

They were employed

servile laborers in tilling the fields, or in turn-

ing enormous wheels to the Nile.

pump up water

from

The masters of these hapless bond-

men conceived, like other slave-holders, that they had a right of property in their slaves. This was in some respects true, since they had bought them of the government at the close of the war and though they obviously for a consideration ;

derived from this circumstance no valid proprietary right or claim as against the

men

person-

would seem that it gave them a just claim against the government of whom they bought, in case of subsequent nanumi*'

ally, it certainly

eion.

Ptolemy

or his minister, for

can not now

M known who was the real actor in these tranÂť

Cleopatra.

80 Ptolamy IttMratM

tiie

ndr naaoa pitld

tlaTM.

actions, determined on liberating these slaves and sending them back to their native land, as

a means of propitiating the Jews and inclining them to listen favorably to the request which he was about to prefer for a copy of their sacred writings. He, however, paid to those who held the captives a very liberal sum for ransom. The ancient historians, who never allow the interest of their narratives to suffer for want of a proper amplification on their part of the scale on which

the deeds which they record were performed,

say that the number of slaves liberated on this occasion

was a hundred and twenty thousand,

and the sum paid the owners, six

was

for

six

them, as compensation to

hundred

hundred thousand

talents, equal to

dollars.*

was only a preliminary expense

way

for

And

yet this

pave the

the acquisition of a single series of

books, to add to the variety of the

immense

eolleotion.

After the liberation and return of the oap* It will

be aufficientlj accurate for the general reader of comider the Greek talent, referred to in such tran*ctiona as these, aa equal in Engliih money to two hondred nd fifty poands, in American to a thousand dollars. It it curious to observe that, large as the total was that was paid tar the liberation of these slaves, the amount paid for each in biitory to

Aividoal vi*m, after

all,

only a

sum equal

about five dollars

B.C. 298-285.J

Alexandria.

81 The SeptKaftal

Ptolemy's luccesf.

Ptolemy sent a splendid embassage

tives,

Jerusalem, with very respectful letters to the

high

priest,

and with very magnificent

pres-

The embassadors were received with the highest honors. The request of Ptolemy thai ents.

he should be allowed to take a copy of the sa3red books

for

library

his

was very

readily

i^ranted.

The in the

made

priests caused copies to be

most magnificent

didly illuminated with

Jewish government designated a

all

These copies were executed

the sacred writings.

style,

also, at

company

and were splen-

The

letters of gold.

Ptolemy's request,

Hebrew

scholars, six

—men learned both the Greek and Hebrew languages— proceed Alexanfrom each tribe

dria,

and there, at the Museum,

ful translation \.a

of the

make

Hebrew books

into

a care-

G reek.

there were twelve tribes, and six translators

chosen from each, there were seventy-two translators in all. it

was

They m^de

their translation,

and

called the Septuagint, from the Latin

^eptuaginta duo, which means seventy-two.

Although out of Judea there was no feeling of reverence for these 'ii

Hebrew Scriptures as books was still a strong in-

divine authority, there

terest felt in

16—6

them as very entertaining and

cu-

Clbopatra. [B.G.29d-28a

wlf o»|riM of the Septnaglnt rious

works of

Roman

history,

the Greek and

all

who frequented Alexandria t« Museum. Copies were accord-

scholars

study at the ingly

Preaent aopl«*

made

of the Septuagint translation, and

were taken to other countries

;

and

there, io

process of time, copies of the copies were made,

work became extensively

until at length the

circulated throughout the whole learned world.

When,

finally, Christianity

Roman

over the

became extended

empire, the priests and monkr

looked with even a stronger interest than th«

ancient scholars had

felt

lation of so important

Scriptures.

upon

this early trans

a portion of the sacred

They made new

monasteries, and colleges

was

;

copies for abbeys,

and when, at length,

work which the magic powei of typography was tried. The original manuscript made by the scribes of the seventy two, and all the early transcripts which were mad» the art of printing

discovered, this

was one

of the first on

from

have long since been

it,

but, instead of them,

lost or

we have now

destroyed

hundredfl ol

thousands of copies in compact printed volumesi 8oatt<3red

among

of Christendom. of

two thousand

tuagint

may

the public and private librariet

fact,

now,

after the lapse

years, a copy of Ptolemy's Sep-

be obtained of any oonsidorsbV

Alexandria

B.C.29ÂŤ-285.J

Sc Meani

VaricHU other plsna of the Ptolemies.

bookseller in

any country of the

and though

the accounts are true,

more than a million of

obtain

may

it, it

now by two

world

civilized

required a national embassage,

and an expenditure, of

of ralslag waaamj

dollars, originally to

be procured without

days'

difficult}

wages of an ordinary

laborer.

Besides the building of the Pharos, the

Mu-

seum, and the Temple of Serapis, the early Ptolemies formed and executed a great

many

erection of

same ends which the these splendid edifices was designed

to secure,

namely, to concentrate in Alexan-

other plans tending to the

dria all possible cial, literary,

means

and

of attraction,

oity the great center of interest,

mon

resort for all

mense revenues

mankind.

commer-

make

religious, so as to

the

and the com-

They

raised im-

and other purposes by taxing heavily the whole agricultural produce for these

of the valley of the Nile.

The

inundations, by

the boundless fertility which they annually pro-

duced, supplied the royal treasuries.

Thus

the

Abyssinian rains at the sources of the Nile built the Pharos at

its

mouth, and endowed the Al-

exandrian library.

The

taxes laid upon the people of

Egypt

supply the Ptolemies with funds were, in

heavy, that only the bare means of

fact,

subftist-

Cleopatra.

64 HesTy

Pormtr of the peopl*

taxet.

enoe were

left to

ry of the

the

mass of the

agricultural

In admiring tne greatness and

population.

was a gloomy counterpart

.hat there

glo-

we must remembei

city, therefore,

itÂŤ

splendor in the very extended destitution and

poverty to which the mass of the people were Âťvery of

where doomed.

wretched

huttj

in order that

They

lived in hamlets

along the banks of the river,

the capital might be splendidly

adorned with temples and palaces.

They

pass-

ed their lives in darkness and ignorance, that

seven hundred thousand volumes of expensive

manuscripts might be enrolled at the for

Museum

the use of foreign philosophers and scholars.

The

policy of the Ptolemies was, perhaps, on

the whole, the best, for the general advance-

ment and ultimate welfare of mankind, which could have been pursued in the age in which

they lived and acted

;

but, in applauding the re-

which they attained, we must not wholly forget the cost which they incurred in attaining

sults

them.

the

same

cost,

we could,

3nt day, far surpass them.

at the pres-

If the people of the

Cnited States will surrender the comforts and

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

conveniences which they individually enjoy the farmers scattered in their comfortable

on the

bill-sides

^if

homes

and plains throughout the land

Alexandria. Aaeient and modern capltali.

will give

Liberality

-jf tfas

Ptolemiei.

their houses, their furniture, theii

and the privileges of their and then withholding from the produce of their annual toil only a sufficient reser vationto sustain them and their families through carpets, their books,

—

children,

the year, in a

life like

that of a beast of burden,

spent in some miserable and naked hovel the rest to

some hereditary sovereign

upon the Atlantic

sea-board, that he

—send

residing

may

with the proceeds a splendid capital, they

have an Alexandria now that will

build

may

infinitely ex-

ceed the ancient city of the Ptolemies in splendor and renovni.

The

such a case, pay

for its

nation, too, would, in

metropolis the

price, precisely, that the ancient

same

Egyptians paid

for theirs.

The Ptolemies expended they raised liberal

the revenues which

this taxation

mainly in a ver^

and enlightened manner,

for

the accom-

plishment of the purposes which they had in view.

The

building of the Pharos, the removal

of the statue of Serapis, and the

the

Museum

and the

libreury

endowment

were great ooncop-

and they were carried into effect in the most complete and perfect manner. All the tions,

other operations which they devised and exe<*»it«d for

the extension and aggrandizement of

Clbopatra. Bar grMt rtrti

9plaBd«r mad ranown of AlaxandrU.

the city were conceived and executed in th«

same

spirit of scientific

ity.

Streets were opened

and enlightened liberaU ;

the most splendid

palaces were built; docks, piers, and breakwaters

were constructed, and

fortresses

and towers

were armed and garrisoned. Then every meann was employed to attrtict to the city a great concourse from

all

then existing.

the most highly-civilized nations

The

highest inducements were

offered to merchants, mechanics, to

make

the city their abode.

and artisans

Poets, painters,

and scholars of every nation and degree were made welcome, and every facility sculptors,

was

afforded

them

various pursuits.

nently successful.

for

the prosecution of their

These plans were

all

emi

Alexandria rose rapidly to

the highest consideration and importance

—

;

and,

bom

to preside

over this scene of magnificence and

^leudor—

at the time

oame upon

when Cleopatra

the stage, the city had but one rivai

in the world.

Tliat rival

was Rome.

B.C. 80.]

Cleopatra's Father.

(be rlrtl of Alezaadrl*.

Bxteat of thalr raik

Chapter IV Clkopatra's Father.

V/C7"HEN

the time was approaching in which " ~ Cleopatra appeared upon the stage, Rome

was perhaps the only

city that could be consid-

ered as the rival of Alexandria, in the estimation of

mankind, in respect

tractiveness as a capital.

was

to interest

and

In one respect,

at-

Rome

vastly superior to the Egyptian metropolis,

and that was in the magnitude and extent of the military power which

nations of the earth.

wielded

among

the

Alexandria ruled over

Egypt, and over a few of the neighboring coasts and islands but in the course of the three cen turies during which she had been acquiring her â&#x20AC;˘

;

greatness and fame, the

tended world. to

itself

Egypt had

empire had ex-

been, thus far, too remote

but the affairs of Egypt became involved at length with the opera^

be directly reached

itself

Roman

over almost the whole civilized

tions of the

Roman

;

power, about the time of

Cleopatra's birth, in a very striking and peonliar

manner

;

and as the consequences of the

Cleopatra.

S8 Eztaniton of the

[B.C.

Rommn empire.

Cleopatra's

blhm

means of turning the whole

transaotion were the

course of the queen's subsequent history, a narration of

necessary to a proper understand,

it is

ing of the circumstances under which she com-

menced her

career.

sion of the

Roman

was the exten-

fact, it

empire to the limits of

Egypt, and the connections which thence arose

between the leading

Roman

generals and the

Egyptian sovereign, which have made the story of this particular queen so much more conspicuous, as an object of interest and attention to

mankind, than that of any other one of the ten Cleopatras

who

rose successively in the

same

royal line.

Ptolemy Auletes, Cleopatra's haps, in personal character, the

degraded, and corrupt of the dynasty.

and debauchery.

ment

was per-

the sovereigns in

spent his whole time in vice

The

only honest accomplish-

that he seemed to possess

playing upon the flute

all

father,

most dissipated

;

was his skill in was very vain.

of this he

instituted musical contests, in

which the

musical performers of Alexandria played prizes

and crowns

tomed to enter the petitor.

The

;

foi

and he himself was accus> lists

with the rest as a com-

people of Alexandria, and the

world in general, considered such pursuits aa

B.C. 58.]

Cleopatra's Father.

CasMr and Pompey

Ptolemy'i ignoble birth.

these wholly

i>9

unworthy the attention of the

rep.

rosentative of so illustrious a line of sovereigns

and the abhorrence which they

felt for the mon. and crimes was mingled with a feeling of contempt for the meanness of his ambi-

arch's vices

tion.

There was a doubt

in respect to his title to

the crown, for his birth, on the mother's side,

was

irregular

and

sion of

Instead, however,

ignoble.

of attempting to confirm

and secure

his posses-

power by a vigorous and prosperous ad-

ministration of the government, he wholly aban-

doned

all

concern in respect to the course of

public affairs

;

and then,

guard against the

danger of being deposed, he conceived the plan of getting himself recognized at of the allies of the

Roman

people.

once done, he supposed that the

Rome

as one

If this

were

Roman govern-

ment would feel under an obligation to sustair him on his throne in the event of any threat ened danger.

The Roman government was a sort of repuband the two most powerful men in the state at this time were Pompey and Caesar. Csesar lic,

was

in the ascendency at

that

Ptolemy made

ance.

Rome

at the tima

his application for

Pompey was absent

Asia Minor,

alli-

bo-

Cleopatra.

00 Flotoiy pwehaae*

the

aUUnM

Roma.

[B.C.

TaxM to

rake

ibÂŤiÂŤ7

war with Mith* who was at

ing engaged in proseouting a

ludates, a very powerful monarch,

that time resisting the

Roman

was very deeply involved over, very relief

much

in debt,

power.

Caesar

and was, more

need of money, not only

foj

from existing embarrassments, but as a

moans

of subsequent expenditure, to enable

to accomplish certain great political

him

schemof

which he was entertaining. After many negoand delays, it was agreed that Ceesai would exert his influence to secure an alliance

tiations

between the dition that

Roman people and Ptolemy, on conPtolemy paid him the sum of six

thousand talents, equal to about six millions of

dollars.

part of the money, CeBsar said,

was

Pompey.

for

The

title

of ally

was

undertook to raise the

conferred, and

Ptolemy

money which he had

promised by increasing the taxes of his kingdom.

The measures, however, which he thus cd

for

adopt

the purpose of making himself the more

fleoure in his possession of the throne, proved

to be the

means

of overthrowing him.

The

dis-

content and disaffection of his people, which had been strong and universal before, though suppressed and concealed, broke out now into open violence.

That there should be

laid

upon

theaif

Cleopatra's Father.

B.C. 68.] RiTfttH

in addition to all their other

endured before, and exacted not to be endured.

for

such a purpose

be compelled

Roman people was

sufficiently hard to bear

price of the transfer,

was

Alexandria commenced a

;

but

and pay the

to be forced to raise, themselves,

man

new

burdens, these

country sold on any terms to the

to see their

not a

Dif^

than those whibh they had

ojjpressions, heavier

too, W81S

Ptolemy't

AlMundrlft.

absolutely intolerable.

Ptolemy was

revolt.

such a dem-

to act decidedly against

onstration, or, in fact, to evince either calmness

courage in any emergency whatever.

first

save his his

His

thought was to escape from Alexandria to

way

ple to

life.

come

His second, to make the best of to call upon the Roman peo-

Rome,

to the succor of their ally

children behind him in his was the Princess Berenice, flight. who had already reached maturity. The second was the great Cleopatra, the subject of this

Ptolemy

left five

The

history.

eldest

Cleopatra was, at this time, about

eleven years old.

There were

but they were very young.

also

One

named Ptolemy. The Alexandrians determined on

two sons, them was

raising Ber-

enice to the throne in her father's place, as soon *.ÂťÂť

his flight

was known.

Thev thought

that

Cleopatra.

BÂŤraBlM

[li.C.58

Her ourrUft with Baleseni

the sons were too

young

such an emergency, as

to attempt to rei^n in it

was very probable

that Auletes, the father, would attempt to re-

cover his kingdom.

Berenice very readily ao-

cepted the honor and power which were offered to her.

She

established herself in her father's

and began her reign in great magnificence and splendor. In process of time she thought that her position would be strengthened palace,

by a marriage with a royal prince from some neighboring realm. to

make

She

first

sent embassadors

proposals to a prince of Syria

The embassadors came

Antiochus.

named

back, bring-

ing word that Antiochus

was dead, but that he had a brother named Seleuous, upon whom the Berenice then sent them back same offers to him. He accepted the proposals, came to Egypt, and he and Berenice were married. After trying him for a while, Berenice found that, for some reason or other, she did not like him as a husband, and, accordingly, she caused him to be strangled. succession to

make

fell.

the

At length, after various much secret management,

other intrigues and

Berenice succeeded

a second negotiation, and married a prince, or a pretended prince, from some country of in

Asia Minor, whose

name was

Archelaus.

Sht

B.C

Cleopatra's Father.

58.]

Cleopatra's early

was

Ptolemy aa object of contempt

life.

better pleased with this second

husband

and she began, at last, to feel somewhat settled and ostablishftd on her throne, and to be prepared, as she than she had been with the

first,

thought, to offer effectual resistance to her father in case he

should ever attempt to re-

turn. It

was

in the midst of the scenes,

and

sur-

rounded by the influences which might be expected to prevail in the families of such a father

and such a years of

During

all

sister,

that Cleopatra spent those

which the character is formed. these revolutions, and exposed to all

life

these exhibitions of licentious wickedness, and

and crime, she was growand beaubut indulged and neglected child,

of unnatural cruelty

ing

tiful,

in the royal palaces a spirited

""fii the

mean

went character and

time, Auletes, the father,

on toward Rome. his story

So far as his were known among the surrounding

nations, he

was the

object of universal obloquy,

both on account of his previous career of de-

grading vice, and now, ble flight

from the

still

more,

difficulties in

for this igno-

which

his viceÂŤ

and crimes had involved him.

stopped,

RhfKles.

c>n

the way, at the island of

happened that Cato, the great Ro"

Cleopatra.

[B.C. 58

PtoleniT'i tnterriew with Cato.

man

Chwaetnr of Cito

philosopher and general,

this time.

ing virtue,

was

Rhodes

Cato was a man of stem, unbendand of great influence at that period

Ptolemy sent a messenger

in public affairs.

iiform Cato of his arrival, supposing, of course, that the

Roman

general would hasten, on hear-

ing of the fact, to pay his respects to so great a

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;a Ptolemy

personage as he, a king of Egypt

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;though

suffering under a temporary reverse

of fortune.

messenger to

Ca!to directed the

ply that, so far as he

was aware, he had no

re-

par-

" Say, how" that, if he heis ever, to the king," he added, ticular business

with Ptolemy.

any business with me, he if

may call

and see me,

he pleases."

Ptolemy was obliged to suppress his resentment and submit. He thought it very essential to

the success of his plans that he should

see Cato,

and secure, if possible, his interest and and he consequently made prepa-

co-operation

;

rations for paying, instead of receiving, the via it,

intending to go in the greatest royal state

that he could

command.

accordingly ap-

peared at Cato's lodgings on the following day, magnificently

many

dressed,

attendants.

and

Cato,

accompanied

who was

dressed in

^e plainest and most simple maimer, and

whosÂŤ

B.C

Cleopatra's Father.

58.]

Cato â&#x20AC;˘ adrlee to

*>toiemy's receptioB.

apartment was furnished

him

a style correspond-

ing with the severity of his character, did not

even

rise

when

the king entered the room.

simply pointed with his hand, and bade the itor

He vis-

take a seat.

Ptolemy began to make a statement of his case, with a view to obtaining Gate's influence with the Roman people to induce them to interpose in his behalf.

Cato, however, far from

evincing any disposition to espouse his visitor's cause, censured him, in the plainest terms, for

having abandoned his proper position in his

own

kingdom, to go and make himself a victim and a prey said,

the insatiable avarice of the

for

leaders.

"You

" but by the influence of bribes

the resources of satisfy the

Roman

can do nothing at Rome," he

Egypt

Roman

;

and

ai^

enough

will not be

greediness for money."

concluded by recommending him to go back

Alexandria, and rely for his hopes of extrication

from the

difficulties

the exorcise of his

which surrounded him on

own energy and

resolution

there.

Ptolemy was greatly abashed at but,

this rebnlS^

on consultation with his attendants and

followers, it

return.

was decided

The whole

to be too late

now

party accordingly re-ena-

Cleopatra.

96 Ptolemy •rrlrea

Rom«.

[B.C.5b

Hla application to

Pompey

barked on board their galleys, and pursued theii

way

to Rome. Ptolemy found, on his arrival at the city, that Cojsar was absent in Gaul, while Pompey, on the other hand, who had returned victorious from his campaigns against Mithradates, was

now

the great leaded of influence and power at

the Capitol.

This change of circumstances was

not, however, particularly unfavorable

emy was on

;

for Ptol-

Pompey, as he had been with Caesar. He had assisted him in his wars with Mithradates by sending him a friendly terms with

squadron of horse, in pursuance of his policy of cultivating friendly relations with the

people by every

means

in his power.

Roman Besides,

Pompey had

received a part of the money which Ptolemy had paid to Csesar as the price of the Roman alliance, and was to receive his share of the rest in case Ptolemy should ever bo restored.

Pompey was

accordingly interested in

favoring the royal fugitive's cause.

ceived

him

in his palace, entertained

He him

re-

magnificent style, and took immediate measures for bringing his cause before the

Roman

upon that body the adoption of immediate and vigorous measures hr effecting

•enatO; urging

•w

restoration,

ally

whom

thev wer^*

Cleopatra's Father.

B.C.58.]

AsdoD of the Roman lenato

Plant for restoring Ptolenj

bound to protect against his rebellions snbjeots.

There was at

Roman

first

some opposition

in the

senate against espousing the cause of

â&#x20AC;˘uch a man, but

was soon put down, being

overpowered in part by Pompey's authority,

by Ptolemy's promises and

EUid in part silenced

The

bribes.

senate determined to restore the

king to his throne, and began to

ments

The Roman Cilioia

make

carrying the measure into

for

provinces nearest to

arrange-

effect.

Egypt were

and Syria, countries situated on the east-

ern and northeastern coast of the Mediterranean

The

Sea, north of Judea.

forces stationed in

these provinces would be, of course, the most

convenient for furnishing the necessary troops for

The province of Cilicia was command of the consul Lentulus.

the expedition.

under the

Rome he had some temporary purprovince and the troops sta-

Lentulus was at this time at

;

repaired to the capital for pose, leaving his

tioned there under the

command, for the time, named Gabinius.

af a sort of lieutenant general It

was concluded

Syrian

that this Lentulus, with his

forces, should

instating

While J6â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Ptolemy on

undertake the task of

re-

his throne.

these olans and arrangements were

Cleopatra.

[B.C. 57, Oer emoufago

Meaaare* of Berenlca.

Âťo

Rom*

yet immature, a circumstance occurrfd which threatened, for a time, wholly to defeat them.

seems that when Cleopatra'a father first left Egypt, he had caused a report to be oirculateJ It

tiÂŤere

The

that he had been killed in the revolt

was to cover and The government of Berenice

object of this stratagem

conceal his

flight.

soon discovered the truth, and learned that the fagitive

had gone

They immediately to

appeal to the

Roman people

determined that,

man

in the direction of

inferred that he

Rome

was going

for aid,

and they

that wore the case, the Ro-

people, before deciding in hie favor, should

have the opportunity to hear their side of the story as well as

his.

They

accordingly

made

preparations at once for sending a very impos-

ing embassage to Rome.

The

deputation con-

more than a hundred persons. The object of Berenice's government in sending so large a number was not only to evince their respect for the Roman people, and their sense of the magnitude of the question at issue, but aiso to guard against any efforts that Ptolemy might make to intercept the embassage on the way, or to buy off the members of it by bribes. The number, however, large a* it was, proved sisted of

iasnHioient to accomplish this purpose.

The

B.C. 57.]

Cleopatra's Father.

Ptolemy't treachery.

whole

Roman

Iti

Hi?

eonaeqoenoM

world was at this time in such a

condition of disorder and violence, in the hands

oi the desperate and reckless military leaders

who then bore sway, that there were every where abundant

the commission of any Ptolemy contrived, with the

facilities for

conceivable crime.

assistance of the fierce partisans

who had

es-

poused his cause, and who were deeply interested in his success on account of the rewards

which were promised them,

stroy a large proportion of this

company

Some were

they reached Rome.

some were poisoned and bought off by

waylay and

de-

before

assassinated

some were tampered with bribes. A small remnant

;

Rome; but they were so intimidated by the dangers which surrounded them, that they did not dare to take any public action in respect to the business which had been committed to their charge, Ptolemy began to conreached

gratulate himself on having completely circum-

rented his daughter in her eiforts to protect herself against his designs.

Instead of that, however,

soon proved'

the effect of this atrocious treachery ly the contrary of

what

its

was

perpetrators

tliat

exact-

had

ox-

The knowledge of the facts beotme spradnaily extended among the people of Rome peoted

Cleopatra.

100 Oppoddon to

and

party

The prophaey

Ptolemjr.

awakened a universal

[B.C. 57

who had been

indignation.

ThÂŤj

originally opposed to Ptol

emy's cause seized the opportunity to renew their

opposition

;

and they gained so muoh

strength from the general

odium which

Ptol-

emy's crimes had awakened, that Pompey found it

almost impossible to sustain his cause.

length

the

party opposed to Ptolemy

found, or pretended to find, in certain sacred books, called the Sibylline Oracles,

which were

kept in the custody of the priests, and were sup-

posed to contain prophetic intimations of the will of

Heaven

lio affairs,

in respect to the conduct of pub

the following passage

If a king of Egypt should apply to you for aid, treat him in a friendly manner, but do not furnish him with troops ; for if you do, you '^

wilt incur great danger."

This made friends.

They

new

difficulty

attempted, at

for

first,

Ptolemy's

to evade this

by denying the reality of it There was no such passage to be found, they inspired injunction

Âťaid. It was all an invention of their enemiea This point seems to have been overruled, and

then they attempted to give the passage soma other than the obvious interpretation.

they maintained that, although

Finally prohibited

B.C. 55.J

Clbopatri's Fathee,

4nMapU to evade

101

Gablniiu undertake* the eavac

the oracle.

Ptolemy himself with troops, i! an armed force into Egypt under leaders of their own. That they oould certainly do and then, when the rebellion was suppressed, and Berenice's government their furnishiug

did not forbid their sending

;

overthrown, they could invite Ptolemy to return to his

kingdom and resume

peaceful manner.

his

crown

in a

This, they alleged, would not

bÂŤ "furnishing him with troops," and, of course,

would not be disobeying the

oracle.

These attempts to evade the direction of the oracle on the part of Ptolemy's friends, only

made

the debates and dissensions between them and his enemies more violent than ever. Pompey made every effort in his power to aid Ptolemy's cause but Lentulus, after long hesitation and delay, decided that it would not be safe ;

for

him

embark

it.

Gabinius, the lieutenant Syria,

was induced

At length, however, who commanded in

to undertake the enterprise

certain promises

which he received from

Ptolemy, to be performed in case he succeeded,

and with a certain encouragement, not very legal or regular, which Pompey gave him, in re-

employment of the Roman troops under his command, he resolved to march to Egypt. His route, of cciurse, would lav along

spect to the

Clkopatra.

lOa Itefc AatDo^.

the

[B.C.Oi

HlÂŤ blMtcnj and charaetor

shores

of the

Mediterranean

Sea,

through the desert, to Pelusium, which has

and al.

ready been mentioned as the frontier town on

Egypt. From Pelusium he was to march through the heart of the Delta to Alex-

this side of

andria, and, if successful in his invasion, over-

throw the governmertt of Berenice and Aroheand then, inviting Ptolemy to return, ro-

laus,

mstate him on the throne. In the prosecution of this dangerous enterprise,

Gabinius

relied strongly

on the

assist-

ance of a very remarkable man, then his second in

command, who afterward acted a very im-

portant part in the subsequent history of Cleo-

His name was Mark Antony.

patra.

Antony Rome, of a very distinguished famfather died when he was very young,

was born

ily, but his and being left subsequently much to himself, he became a very wild and dissolute young man.

He wasted left

him

the property which his father had

and vice

in folly

desperately in the

anormous

debts,

same

and then goins on

and involved himself,

quence, in inextricable itors continually

;

career, he soon incurred

difficulties.

harassed

in conse-

His cred-

him with importuni-

money, and with suits at law to compel payments whiob Ire had no means of makinj^ ties

f<Mr

Cleopatra's Father.

B.C.55.] inUmj

He Joins

In Qreeoe.

He was

Okbinlns.

likewise incessantly pursued by the

hostility of the in

103

many

enemies that he had made

the city by his violence and his crimes.

length he absconded, and went to Greece.

Here Gabinius, when on his way to Syria, met him, and invited him to join his army rather than to remain where he was in idleness Antony, who was as proud and destitution and lofty in spirit as he was degraded in morals and condition, refused to do this unless GaGabinius binius would give him a command. reckless daring and energy which saw in the Antony manifested the indications of the class of qualities which in those days made a successful soldier,

and acceded

to his terms.

gave him the command of his cavalry.

Antony

distinguished himself in the Syrian campaigns

that followed, and

was now

full of

eagerness to

Egyptian enterprise. In fact, it and enthusiasm to embark in the undertaking which was the means of de ciding Gabinius to consent to Ptolemy's proengage in

this

was mainly

his zeal

Dosals.

The danger and

difficulty

which they con-

sidered as most to be apprehended in the whole

expedition

Pelnsinm.

was the getting In

fact,

across the desert tc

the great protection of

Cleopatra.

.04

^B.C.55 Armie* diwtRqred

Danger of crouing the deaerto.

Egypt had always been her

The

isolation.

trackless and desolate sands, being wholly destitute of water,

ersed, even

and utterly

void, could be trav-

by a caravan of peaceful

travelers,

For ax

only with great difficulty and danger.

army

to attempt to cross them, exposed, as th«

troops would necessarily be, to the assaults of

enemies who might advance to meet them ou the way, and sure of encountering a terrible opposition from fresh and vigorous bands

when

—wayworn and exhausted by hardships of the way— the

they should arrive the physical

ders of the inhabited country,

Many

undertaking.

bor-

was a desperate

instances occurred in an-

which vast bodies of troops, in attempting marches over the deserts by which

cient times in

Egypt was surrounded, were wholly destroyed by famine or

thirst, or

overwhelmed by storms

of sand.*

These

and dangers, however, did Mark Antony, The anticipation, in fact, of the glory of surmounting them was one of the main inducements which not at

led ils * faiF

difficulties

all

him

intimidate

embark

in the enterprise.

The

per-

of the desert constituted one of the charmt For an account of one of these diMiton, with an engr>«Y UlostntiTe of the scene lee the Histort ov

Ctics

B.C

Cleopatra's Father.

58.]

Mark Antony'i character

106

Hi* perKaal t^earaaeei

which made the expedition so

attractive.

placed himself, therefore, at the head of his troop of cavalry,

and set

off across the sands in

advance of Gabinius, to take Pelusium, in der thus to open a

army

into

way

for the

With

or-

of the

Ptolemy accompanied An-

Egypt.

Gabinius was to

tony.

main body

follow.

them by no sename, Mark Antony possessed certain

verer

all

his faults, to call

He was ardent,

great excellences of character.

but then he was cool, collected, and sagacious

and there was a certain frank and manly gener> osity continually evincing itself in his conduct

and character which made him a great favorite

among

his

men.

He was

twenty-eight years

old,

at this time about

of a tall and

manly

form, and of an expressive and intellectual cast of countenance.

His forehead was high,

his

nose aquiline, and his eyes full of vivacity and

He was accustomed to dress in a very and careless manner, and he assumed an air of the utmost familiarity and freedom in his intercourse with his soldiers. He would join life.

plain

them

in their sports, joke

with them, and good-

naturedly receive their jokes in return; and take his meals, standing with their

rude tables, in the open

them around Such hab-

field.

Clbopatka.

i06 liarali

Pelaaiiuii takea

men

of intercourse with his

its

[B.C.

aeroM the daMrt.

in a

commander

of ordinary character would have been fatal to his

ascendency over them; but in Mark An.

tony's case, these frank

seemed only

and familiar manners

make the military genius and

the

power which he possessed the more conspicuous and the^more universally admired. intellectual

Antony conducted

troop of horsemen

his

across the desert in a very safe and speedy

The

manner, and arrived before Pelusium. city

was not prepared

to resist him.

It surren-

dered at once, and the whole garrison

f^sll

into

hands as prisoners of war.

his

manded killed.

ought

that they should all

They were to be

put

rebels,

Ptolemy de* be immediately

he said, and, as such,

to death.

Antony, however,

as might have been expected from his character,

absolutely refused to allow of any such bar-

barity.

Ptolemy, since the po^er was not yet

his hands,

was compelled

to submit,

and to

postpone gratifying the spirit of vengeance which

had so long been slumbering future day.

mit

to this necessity, since it

day of

his

complete and

daughter and .agh at hand.

all

in his breast to

could the more patiently sub-

final

appeared that the

triumph over

her adherent* was

now

hif

verj

B.C. 55.]

Cleopatra's Fathee.

March â&#x20AC;˘erow the

Delta.

fact,

109

Saooeu of the Romana

Berenice and her government,

when

they heard of the arrival of Antony and Ptol-

emy

at Pelusium, of the fall of that city,

of the approach of Gabinius with

whelming

force of

soldiers,

an over-

were struck

Archelaus, the husband of Bere-

with dismay. nice,

Roman

and

had been, in former years, a personal friend

of Antony's.

Antony

they were friends

still,

considered, in fact, that

though required by what

the historian calls their duty to light each other

the possession of the kingdom.

for

ment

The

govern-

an army. Archelaus took command of it, and advanced to meet the enemy. In the mean time, Gabinius arrived with the main body of the Roman troops, and of Berenice raised

commenced

his

march, in conjunction with An-

tony, toward the capital. to

make

As they were obliged

a circuit to the southward, in order to

avoid the inlets and lagoons which, on the north-

em coast of Egypt, penetrate into the land, their course led

heart of the Delta. the

Many battles were

Romans every where

The Egyptian

for some distance them through the

fought,

gaining the victory.

soldiers were, in fact, discon*

tented and mutinous, perhaps, in part, because

they considered the government on the side of t^hieh they

were compelled

engage

as, after

Clkopatka.

110

\R.C.M fate of Arobakni

Berenle* • pri«on«r.

a usurpation.

all,

tle

was

length a great final bat-

fought, which settled the controversy.

Arohelaus was slain upon the nice

was taken

prisoner

;

their

field,

and Bert-

government wa«

wholly overthrown, and the

way was opened

Roman

armies to Alexan-

for

the

march

of the

dria.

Mark Antony, when judged by our was

standards,

certainly, as well as Ptolemy, a depraved

and vicious man; but his depravity was of a very different type from that of Cleopatra's father.

spect,

The difference in the men, in one rewas very clearly evinced by the objects

toward which their interest and attention were respectively

turned

after

this

great

battle.

While the contest had been going on, the king and queen of Egypt, Archelaus and Berenice, wore, of course, in the view both of Antony and Pt«>lemy, the two most conspicuous personag*^ in the array of their

enemies; and while

tony would naturally watch with the greatest interest the fate of his friend, the king, Ptole-

my, would as naturally

follow with the highest

concern the destiny of his daughter.

when

was

Accord-

mind Ptolemy might, as we should naturally expeot, be chiefly oooupied by the fact that hi« ingly,

the battle

over, while the

Cleopatra's Father.

B.C.55.|

Ill

Unnatural Joy of Ptolemy

Orlof of Antony.

daughter was made a captive, Antony's, we might suppose, would be engrossed by the tidings that his friend had been slain.

The one

and the other mourned the body of his friend on the

rejoiced

Antony sought field of battle,

for

and when

was

found, he gave

himself wholly to the work of providing for .Host magnificent burial. neral, to

lament the death of

rade with real and unaffected

seemed, at the fuhis ancient grief.

com-

Ptolemy,

on the other hand, was overwhelmed with joy at finding his daughter his captive.

The

long-

wished-for hour for the gratification of his re-

venge had come at he

made

last,

session of

and the

first

use which

when he wj^s put in posAlexandria wrf to order hki

of his power

daughter to be beheaded

Cleopatra.

112

Chapter

[B.C. 50.

Accession to the Thrgnr.

T the

time wheij the unnatural quarrel bo-

tween Cleopatra's father and her sister was working its way toward its dreadful termination, as related in the last, chapter, she herself

was

dria,

Fortunately

teen. to take

tention.

than

residing at the royal palace in Alexan-

a blooming

bftfliitifnl^ girl

for her,

she

of about

was

too

fif-

young

any active part personally in the conHer two brothers were still younger

They

herself.

all

three remained, there-

fore, in the royal palaces, quiet spectators of the

revolution, without being either benefited or in-

jured by

It is singular that the

it.

name

was Ptolemy. The excitement in the city of Alexandria was intense and universal when the Roman army

both the boys

entered

his throne.

to reinstate Cleopatra's father

Avery

upon

large portion of the inhabit

ants were pleased with having the former king restored.

fact, it appears,

the history of kings, that

by a retrospect

when

a legitimate hÂť

The Accession.

B.C. 55.]

113

AeqiilMc«nc« of tha people.

Ptidfltny reetored

is deposed and exby a rebellious population, no matter how

reditary sovereign or dynasty pelled

may have

intolerable

been the tyranny, or how

by which the patience of was exhausted, the lapse of a very

atrocious the crimes

the subject

few years

ordinarily sufficient to produce a

very general readiness to acquiesce in a restoration

;

and

in this particular instance there

had

been no such superiority in the government of Berenice, during the period while her power continued, over that of her father, which she

had displaced, as to make

this case

an excep-

The mass of the peoall those, especially, who had tak-

tion to the general rule. ple, therefore

—

en no active part in Berenice's government were ready to welcome Ptolemy back to his cap-

Those who had taken such a part were summarily executed by Ptolemy's orders. There was, of course, a great excitement

ital.

all

throughout the city on the arrival of the

army.

All the

foreign influence

Roman

and power

which had been exercised in Egypt thus far, and almost all the officers, whether civil or military, had been Greek. The coming of the Ro-

mans was the interest to

introduction of a

menta which animated the 1&-8

new element of

add to the endless variety of excit^v capital.

Cleopatra.

114

[B.C.56 Popnlulty of AnUmj

fMtlTltlM

The

Ptolemy was celebrated

restoration of

with games, spectacles, and

festivities of

every

kind, and, of course, next to the king himself,

the chief center of interest and attraction in

these public rejoicings would

all

the distin-

guished foreign generals by whose instrument-

end had been gained.

ality the

Mark Antony was

a special object of public

regard and admiration at the time. tric

manners, his frank and honest

man

His eccenair, his

simplicity of dress and demeanor,

him conspicuous

;

Ro-

made

and his interposition to save

the lives of the captured garrison of Pelusiura,

and the interest which he took

in rendering

such distinguished funeral honors to the enemy

whom

his

army had

slain in battle, impressed

Ine people with the idea of a certain nobleness

and magnanimity in ffpite

eral

his character, which, in

made him an object of genadmiration and applause. The very faults of his faults,

oT such a

man assume

often, in the eyes of the

world, the guise and semblance of virtues.

example,

related of

time in the course of his

make a

Antony life,

For

that, at one

having a desire

present of some kind to a certain per-

son, in requital for a favor

which he had

re-

ceived from him, he ordered his treasurer t^ send

The Accessiow.

B.C. 55.]

115 AaaedotK

iakmj't gcBcrodty.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

A sum of money to his friend and named for the snm to be sent an amount considerably greater

than was really required under the circum-

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;acting

stances of the case did,

thus, as he often

under the influence of a blind and uncai-

The

culating generosity.

treasurer,

more pru-

dent than his master, wished to reduce the

amount, but he did not dare directly a reduction laid it in

;

to propose

so he counted out the money, and

pile in

a place where Antony was

when Antony saw the it was too great. Antony, in passing by, asked what money that was. The treasurer said that it was the suni to pass,

thinking that

amount, he would perceive that

that he had ordered to be sent as a present to

such a person, naming the individual intended.

Antony was quick

to perceive the object of the

treasurer's maneuver.

that

all ?

He immediately replied, thought the

sum

named

would make a better appearance than that; â&#x20AC;˘end him double the amount."

determine, under such circumstances as

these, to double

an extravag mce merely

for

the

purpose of thwarting the honest attempt of a

made, too, in so cautious and delicate a way, is most certainly But it is one of those faults for which a fanlt faithful servant to diminish

it,

Cleopatra.

116 Aatony

Antony return*

Cleop*tra.

the world, in

all

[B.C.

to Ilr>ma

ages, will persist in admiring

and praising the perpetrator. In a word, Antony became the object of general attention

and favor during his continuance

et Alexandria.

Whether he

particularly at-

tracted CleopatraV attention at this time or not

does not appear.

She, however, strongly at-

He admired

tracted his.

her blooming beauty,

her sprightliness and wit, and her various ac-

She was still, however, so young being but fifteen years of age, while Antony was nearly thirty ^that she probably made no very serious impression upon him. A short time after this, Antony went back to Rome, and did not see Cleopatra again for complishments.

—

many

—

years.

When

the two

Roman

from Alexandria, they

generals

left

went away

a considerable por-

army behind them, under Pi olemy's him in keeping possession of throne. Antony returned to Rome. Ho

tion of the

command, his

to aid

had acquired great renown by his march across the desert, and by the successful accomplish* ment of the invasion of Egypt and the restoraHis funds, too, were replenby the vast sums paid to him and to Ga> biaiu« by Ptolemy. The amount which Ptol* tion of Ptolemy.

ished

The Accession.

B.0.55,] ndftaxj't

emy

mwdan.

117 Pompey and Cnaar

said to have agreed to

of his restoration

pay as the

price

was two thousand talentsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

equal to ten millions of dollars a sum which shows on how great a scale the operations of this celebrated campaign were conducted. Ptolemy raised a large portion of the money re quired for his payments by confiscating the estates belonging to those friends of Berenice's

government

whom

he ordered to be

slain.

numbers were very much increased of those that were condemned to die, by Ptolemy's standing in such urgent need of their property to meet his obligations.

was

said, in fact, that the

Antony, through the results of this campaign, found himself suddenly raised from the position of a disgraced and homeless fugitive to that of

one of the most wealthy and renowned, and, consequently, one of the most powerful person-

ages in Rome.

The

great civil

war broke out

about this time between Cecsar and Pompey.

Antony espoused the cause

mean

of Ca53ar.

war between CsBsar and Pompey was raging, Ptolemy succeeded in maintaining his seat on the throne, by the aid of the Roman soldiers whom Antony and Gabinius had left him, for about throa years. When he found himself drawing toward In the

time, while the civil

Clbopatra.

118 CloM

of Ptolemy'a reign.

the Close of to

whom

patra

life,

[B.C. 51

S«ttlement of the cue

mind

the question arose to his

he should leave his kingdom.

was the

oldest child, and she

Cleo»

was a

prin^

oess of great promise, both in respect to mental

endowments and personal charms.

Her

broth-

were considerably younger than she. The claim of a son, though younger, seemed to be

ers

naturally stronger than that of a daughter

the

commanding talents and

Cleopatra appeared to it

would be safe

make

difliculties

way

were usually surmounted

emy family. He

but

doubtful whether

to pass her by.

settled the question in the

;

rising influence of

The

father

which 9u6h in the Ptx)l-

ordained that Cleopatra should

marry the oldest of her brothers, and that they two should jointly occupy the throne. Adhering also,

still,

to the idea of the alliance of

Egypt with Rome, which had been

the leading

principle of the whole policy of his reign, he sol-

emnly committed the execution of his will and the guardianship of his children, by a provision of the instrument

The

itself,

to the

Roman

senate.

senate accepted the appointment, and ap-

pointed

Pompey

as the agent, on their part, to

The attention trust. Pompey w«is, immediately after that time, too mnoh engrossed by the civil war waged he>

perform the duties of the of

The Accession.

BO.61-48.] AcÂŤ*Mioo

She

o( Cleopatra.

tween himself and Caesar,

119

married

to take

her brotbei

any active

steps in respect to the duties of his appointment. It

seemed, however, that none were necessary,

for all parties in

Alexandria appeared disposed,

after the death of the king, to acquiesce in the

arrangements which he had made, and to join in carrying

them

He was

boy.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

yet,

govern

;

true, only a

it is

about ten years

herself about eighteen.

young

Cleopatra was

into effect.

married to her brother

She was

old.

They were both

too

The

they could only reign.

kingdom were, accordingly, conducted by two ministers whom their father had designated. These ministers were Pothinus, a eunuch, who was a sort of secretary of state, and Achillas, the commander-in-chief of the araffairs of the

mies.

Thus, though Cleopatra, by these events, became nominally a queen, her real accession to the throne was not yet accomplished.

were

still

many

difficulties

There

and dangers

to be

passed through, before the period arrived when

she became really a sovereign. herself,

She did

make any immediate attempt

this period,

not,

to hasten

but seems to have acquiesced, on

the other htind, very quietly, for a time, in tht

arrangements which her father had made.

Cleopatra.

120

[B.C.43

Hi* obar*oter and

Potfainiu the eanucJi.

He had

Pothinns was a ennuch.

goTenunnt

been, for ÂŤ

long time, an officer of government under Ptol-

emy, the father. He was a proud, ambitious, and domineering man, determined to rule, and very unscrupulous in respeot to the means which he adopted to accomplish his ends. He had been accustomed to regard Cleopatra as a

mere

child.

Now

that she

was queen, he was

/ery unwilling that the real power should pass

The

into her hands

felt

jealousy and

ill

will

which

toward her increased rapidly as he found,

in the course of the first

two

or three years aft-

er her father's death, that she

was advancing

rapidly in strength of character, and in the in-

was acquirHer beauty, her ac-

fluence and ascendency which she

ing over

all

around

complishments,

her.

and

charm which pervaded

certain all

indescribable

her demeanor, com-

bined to give her great personal power.

But,

while these things awakened in other minds feelings of interest in Cleopatra to her,

of Pothinus. val.

her.

and attachment

they only increased the jealousy and envy Cleopatra was becoming his

overbearing manner, in order to keep her to

ri-

He endeavored to thwart and circumvent He acted toward her in a haughty and

what he considered her proper place

down as hlf

The Accession.

B.C. 43.]

Cleopatrm

Maehinatloiu of Pothlntu.

ward

;

fot

121 U sxpellad

he was yet the guardian both of Cle-

opatra and her husband, and the regent of the realm.

Cleopatra had a great deal of what

times

called spirit,

somÂŤ-

and her resentment was

aroused by this treatment.

Pothinus took pains

young husband, Ptolemy, on his Ptolemy was side, as the quarrel advanced. younger, and of a character much less marked and decided than Cleopatra. Pothinus saw that he could maintain control over him much more easily and for a much longer time than over Cleopatra. He contrived to awaken the young to enlist her

Ptolemy's jealousy of his wife's rising influence^

and to induce him to join

in efforts to

thwart

and counteract it. These attempts to turn her husband against her only aroused Cleopatra's resentment the more. Hers was not a spirit to be coerced.

The

palace

sensions of the rivals.

was

filled

with the

dis-

Pothinus and Ptolemy

began to take measures for securing the army on their side. An open rupture finally ensued, and Cleopatra was expelled from the kingdom. She went to Syria. Syria was the nearest place of refuge, and then, besides,

was the

country from which the aid had been furnished

by which her father had been restored

to the

Cleopatra.

122

[B.C.43 Apprwchlnf eoatMt

Cleoyatn'i anny.

throne

when he had been expelled, many years before. Her

manner, true,

had gone

first to

Rome

which he had negotiated Cleopatra hoped Syria

for

;

in a similar father, it is

but the succors

had been sent fiom

to obtain the

same

as-

sistance by going directly there.

Nor was she disappointed. She obtained an army, and commenced her march toward Egypt, following the same track which Antony and Gabinius had pursued in coming to reinstate her father. Pothinus raised an army and went forth to meet her. He took Achillas as the commander of the troops, and the young Ptole-

as the nominal sovereign

young

;

while he, as the

king's guardian and prime minister, ex-

ercised the real power.

advanced to Pelusium. forces of Cleopatra

The

troops of Pothinus

Here they met the

coming from the east

The

armies encamped not very far from each other,

and both sides began to prepare for battle. The battle, however, was not fought. It was prevented by the occurrence of certain great

and unforeseen events which at this crisis suddenly burst upon the scene of Egyptian history, and turned the whole current of affairs into new and unexpected channels. The breaking out of the civil war between the great Roman gener

The Accessioh

B.C. 43.^ V.mt»r and PoBtpaj.

als Ceesar

tisans,

123 Battle of PharsalU.

and Pompey, and their respective par-

has already been mentioned as having

occurred soon after the death of Cleopatra's !her,

fa-

and as having prevented Pompey from

undertaking the

office

of executor of the wiJL

This w^ar had been raging ever since that time with terrible fury.

Its distant

thundering had

it was too reawaken there any special alarm. The immense armies of these two mighty conquerors had moved slowly like two ferocious birds

been heard even in Egypt, but

mote

—

of prey, flying through the air,

they

fly

—

and fighting as and from

across Italy into Greece,

Greece, through Macedon, into Thessaly, contending in dreadful struggles with each other as

they advanced, and trampling

down and de At length

stroying every thing in their way.

a great final battle had been fought at Pharsalia.

had

Pompey had been fled to

totally defeated.

the sea-shore, and there, with a few

^hips and a small number of followers, he had pushed out upon the Mediterranean, not knowIng whither to fly, and overwhelme*! with

wretchedness and despair. in eager pursuit.

Csesar followed him

had a small

leys with him, on board of

fleet of gal-

which he had embarked two or three thousand men. This was

CLEOPATRiL

124 fompej

|B.C.4a TrMcbery of PotUnu

at Pelniliun.

suitable, perhaps, for the pursuit of a

foror

fugitiYe,

but wholly insufficient

any other

for

design.

Pompey thought of Ptolemy. He remembermade for the eause of Ptolemy Auletes, at Rome, and the ed the efforts which he himself had

success of those efforts in securing that mon* arch's restoration

alone the

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; an

event through which

young Ptolemy had been enabled

attain the crown.

came, therefore, to Pe-

lusium, and, anchoring his

little

shore, sent to the land to ask

Ptolemy

fleet off

the

to receive

who was really the commander in Ptolemy's army, made answer to this application that Pompey should be reand protect him.

Pothinus,

ceived and protected, and that he would send

out a boat to bring him to the shore. felt

some misgivings

hospitality,

but he

Pompey

in respect to this proffered

finally

concluded to go to the

shore in the boat which Pothinus sent for him.

soon as he landed, the Egyptians, by Pothi*

nos's orders, stabbed and beheaded sand.

him on the

Pothinus and his council had decided

that this would be the safest course.

were would be made

to receive

receive him.

Pompey, they reasoned, their

Pompey

enemy

;

If they CeEtsar

they refased to

himself would be offend-

B.C

The Accession

43.J

126 HU dangÂŤr.

OaMar's pursuit of Pcmpey.

and they did not know which of the two

ed,

would be safe to displease;

know

what way,

they did not

for

both the generals were

live, the war would ultimately " But by killing Pompey," they said, " we

be allowed to

end. shall

be sure to please Caesar, and

Pompey him-

self will lie still"

In the

what part

mean time, Csesar, not knowing to of Egypt Pompey had fled, pressed

on directly to Alexandria. to great

his

danger in so doing,

command were

in case of his

exposed himself

for the forces

under

not sufficient to protect him

becoming involved in

with the authorities there.

difficulties

Nor could

he,

when

once arrived on the Egyptian coast, easily go

away again

;

for,

at the season of the year

ifa

which these events occurred, there was a periedical wind which blew steadily toward that part of the coast, and, while for

fleet of ships to

made

very easy

go to Alexandria, rendered

for them to return. was very little accustomed to shrink horn danger in any of his enterprises and plans, though still he was usually prudent and oir-

almost impossible Caesar

onmspeot.

In this instance, however, his ar-

dent interest in the pursuit of Rilwl

ail

Pompey

oonsiderations of personal safety.

over-

HÂŤ

Cleopatra.

12b Cmmr at Alexmadite.

(B.C.4a

Aitoolahment of the EgyptlMM

arrived at Alexandria, but he found that

pey was not there.

Pom-

anchored his vessels

the port, landed his troops, and established himâ&#x20AC;˘elf in

These two events, the assaÂť

the city.

aination of one of the great

Roman

generals on

the eastern extremity cf the coast, and the arrival of the other, at the

same moment,

at Al-

exandria, on the western, burst suddenly upon

Egypt

together, like

thunder. try

The

simultaneous claps of

tidings struck the whole coun-

with astonishment, and immediately en-

grossed universal attention.

the canvps both

of Cleopatra and Ptolemy, at Pelusium,

excitement and wonder.

all

was

Instead of thinking of

a battle, both parties were wholly occupied in speculating on the results which were likely to accrue, to one side or to the other, under the totally

new and unexpected

lic affairs

aspect which pub-

had assumed.

Of course

the thoughts of

ward Alexandria.

all

seeded to the city, taking with king.

were turned to

Pothinus immediately pra

him the young

Achiilas, too, either accompanied them,

They carried with them the head of Pompey, which they had cut off om the shore where they had killed him, and or followed soon afterward.

also

a seal which thev took from his

finarer

The Accession.

B.C. 43.1

127 Pompey't m«)

Catmr preiented with Pompey'i head.

When they arrived head, wrapped

at Alexandria, they sent th«

in a cloth,

presents to Ceesar.

fcs

and

also the seal,

Accustomed as they

were to the brutal deeds and heartless

cruelties

of the Ptolemies, they supposed that Caesar

would exult at the spectacle of the dissevered

and ghastly head of his great rival and enemy. Instead of this, he was shocked and displeased, and ordered the head

to be buried with the

solemn and imposing funeral ceremonies. however, accepted and kept the vice engraved

sword

in his

upon

paw

—

it fit

seal.

most He,

The

de-

was a lion holding a emblem of the charac-

men, who, though in many respects magnanimous and just, had filled the whole world with the terror of their quarrels. ters of the

The army his

of Ptolemy, while he himself and immediate counselors went to Alexandria,

was

left

at Pelusium, under the

command

other officers, to watch Cleopatra.

Cleopatra

would have been pleased, also, to repair and appeal to Ctesar, if it had been in her power to do so; but she was be. yond the confines of the country, with a powerherself

to Alexandria

ful

army

of her enemies ready to intercept hei

on any attempt

to enter or pass

through

it.

She remained, therefore, at Pelusium, uncer tain what to do.

Cleopatra.

128

[B.C.43

HtaatkmorOaMr.

In the in a

Hlid>nnndÂť

mean

time, Csesar soon found himseli

somewhat embarrassing

andria.

situation at Alex-

had been accustomed,

for

manj

years, to the possession and the exercise of the

most absolute and despotic power, wherever he might be and now that Pompey, his great ri;

val,

was

dead, he considered himself the

arch and master of the world.

mon-

had not,

however, at Alexandria, any means sufficient

and enforce such pretensions, and yet he was not of a spirit to abate, on that account, in the slightest degree, the advancing of to maintain

them.

established himself in the palaces of

Alexandria as

moved, in

state,

he were himself the king.

through the streets of the city,

at the head of his guards, and displaying the

customary emblems of supreme authority used at Rome. He claimed the six thousand talents

which Ptolemy Auletes had formerly promisee him for procuring a treaty of alliance with Rome, and he called upon Pothinus to pay the balance due.

said,

will of Auletes the

moreover, that hy the

Roman

people had been

made the executor and that it devolved upon him as the Roman consul, and, consequently, ;

the representative of the

Roman

people, to as-

trnne that trust, and in the discharge of

The Accession.

B.C. 43.]

12Âť

Condnot of PotUnu.

Qnanelt.

between Ptolemy and Cleopatra and he called upon Ptolemy to prepare and lay before him a statement of his claims,

settle the dispute ;

and the grounds on which he maintained

his

right to the throne to the exclusion of Cleopatra.

On as

the other hand, Pothinus,

little

who had been

accustomed to acknowledge a superior

as CsBsar, though his supremacy and domination

had been exercised on a somewhat hum-

bler scale,

was

obstinate and pertinacious in re-

demands, though the means and methods which he resorted to were of a character corresponding to his weak and ignoble mind. He fomented quarrels in the streets between the Alexandrian populace and Caesar's

sisting all these

soldiers.

thought that, as the number of

troops under Csesar's

of vessels in the port,

command in was

the city, and

small, he could tease

and worry the Romans with impunity, though he had not the courage openly to attack them

pretended to be a friend,

or, at least,

not an

enemy, and yet he conducted toward them in an overbearing and insolent manner. He had agreed to

make arrangements

for

supplying

them with food, and he did this by procuring damaged provisions of a most wretched quality a^nd when the soldiers remonstrated, he said ta ttfâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Cleopatra

130

[B.C.43.

PoHey of Pothiniu.

ContentloDi

them, that thoy

who

lived at other people's cost

had no right to complain of their caused wooden and earthen vessels and

in the palace,

said, in explanation, that

had been compelled to

sell all

the gold and silver

plate of the royal household to tions of Caesar

faro.

to be used

meet the exac-

Jbusied himself, too, about

the city, in endeavoring to excite

odium against

CaBsar's proposal to hear and decide the question at issue

between Cleopatra and Ptolemy.

Ptolemy was a sovereign, he said, and was not amenable to any foreign power whatever. Thus, without the courage or the energy to attempt

any open, manly, and tility,

effectual

system of hos-

he contented himself with making

difficulty in his

all

the

power, by urging an incessant

pressure of potty, vexatious, and provoking, but

demands may have been unjust, but they were bold, manly, and undisguised. The eunuch may have been right in resisting them but the mode was so mean and contemptible, that mankind have always taken part with Caesar in the sentiments which they have formed as spectators of the useless

annoyances.

CeDsar's

;

contest.

With It his

the very small force which Caesar had

command, and shut up

as he

was

in thÂŤ

B.C. 43.]

The Accession. Cesar sends

131

to Sjrla for addidonal troops.

midst of a very great and powerful

city, in

which both the garrison and the population were

growing more and more

hostile to

was beginning

day, he soon found his situation to

him every

be attended with very serious danger.

oould not retire from the scene.

would not have

retired if he could

probably

have done

so.

remained, therefore, in the city, conducting

all

the time with prudence and circumspection,

but yet maintaining, as at

first,

the

same

air of

confident self-possession and superiority which

always characterized his demeanor. ever,

dispatched

He, how-

a messenger forthwith into

Syria, the nearest country under the

Roman

sway, with orders that several legions which

were posted there should be embarked and

warded celerity.

to Alexandria

for^

with the utmost possible

Cleopatra.

132

81m ratoirM

Oleopstn'i perplezit7.

Chapter

[J3.C.4« to

go to Al«zuidTl«

VI.

Cleopatra and C^sar. time, the events related in IN the mean chapter were taking place -v^hile

at Alex-

the last

andria, Cleopatra remained anxious and uneasy

camp, quite uncertain, for a time, what She wished to be at it was best for her to do. Alexandria. She knew very well that CiEsar*8 in her

power in controlling the course of affairs in Egypt would necessarily be supreme. She was, of course, very earnest in her desire to be able to present her

cause before him.

was,

Ptolemy and Pothinus were in communication arbiter, and, for aught she knew, as-

with the

siduously cultivating his favor, while she waf far away, her cause unheard, her wrongs unknown, and perhaps even her existence forgotOf course, under such circumstances, she ten.

was very earnest

But how

to get to Alexandria

was a She could net march at the head of an army, for the army of to accomplish this purpose

source of great perplexity. thither

the king

was

otrongly intrenched at Pelnsinm^

li.C.48.] Olaopatn'i

and

Cleopatra and C^bsar.

meMage

Csmt.

ISH

Caaar'a reply

effectually barred the

way.

She could not

attempt to pass alone, or with few attendants, through the country,

was occupied with

for

every town and village

garrisons and officers under

the orders of Pothinus, and she

would be certainly intercepted. She had no fleet, and could not, therefore, make the passage by sea. Besides, even if she could by any means reach the gates of Alexandria,

how was

she to pass safely

through the streets of the city to the palace

where Caesar

resided, since the city, except in

CsBsar's quarters,

was wholly

Pothinus's government ?

way

in the hands of

The difficulties in the

of accomplishing her object

seemed thus

almost insurmountable.

She was, however, resolved to make the atShe sent a message to Ceesar, asking permission to appear before him and plead her own cause. Csesar replied, urging her by all means to come. She took a single boat, and with the smallest number of attendants possi-

tempt.

ble, Iria.

made her way along the The man on whom she

coast to Alexanprincipally relied

in this

hazardous expedition was a domestic

named

Apollodorus.

She had, however, somo

other attendants besides.

When the party reach-

f^ Alexandria, they waited until night, and then

Cleopatra.

134 ipoDodorua't tratagem.

[B.C. 38. Cleopatra and

Cmar.

advanced to the foot of the walls of the citadel Here ApoUodorus rolled the queen up in a piece of carpeting, and, covering the whole package

with a give

cloth,

with a thong, so as to

tied it

the appearance of a bale of ordinary mer-

chandise, and then throwing the load across his shoulder, he advanced into the city.

was

Cleopatra

at this time about

twenty -one years of age, but she was of a slender and graceful form, and the burden was, consequently, not very heavy. ApoUodorus came to the gates of the palace where Ceesar was residing. The guards at the

rying. sar.

him what

was that he was was a present for So they allowed him to pass, and' the

gates asked

said that

tended porter carried his package safely

When

was

car-

Cbb-

unrolled,

pre-

in.

and Cleopatra came

out to view, Cecsar was perfectly charmed with the spectacle.

fact,

the various conflicting

emotions which she could not but

feel

under

such circumstances as these, imparted a double interest to her beautiful

and

and expressive manners.

to her naturally bewitching

face,

She by the adventure through which she had passed, and yet pleased with her narrow escape from its dangers. The curiosity and interest which she felt on the one hand, io

was

excited

B.C.48.J Cli!,opatra

and C^sar.

First imprestloiu.

Oeetar't

137 attMhineni

respect to the great personage into whose pres*

ence she had been thus strangely ushered, was very strong; but then, on the other,

wa>

chastened and subdued by that feeling of timidity

new and unexpected

which, in

like these,

situations

and under a consciousness of being

the object of eager observation to the other sex, is in separable

The

from the nature ofj&oman.

conversation which Ceesar held with Cle-

opatra deepened the impression which hei

appearance had made upon him.

Her

first

intelli-

gence and animation, the originality of her ideas,

and the point and pertinency of her mode of expressing them,

made

her, independently of her

personal charms, an exceedingly entertaining

and agreeable companion. pletely

won

She, in fact, com-

the great conqueror's heart; and,

through the strong attachment to her which ha

immediately formed, he became wholly disqual]

ified to

act impartially between her and her

brother in regard to their respective rights to

the crown. er

;

Wo call Ptolemy Cleopatra's broth-

though he was also, in fact, her husband, as he was only ten or twelve years of age

for,

still,

at the time of Cleopatra's expulsion from Alexandria, the marriage ed,

thus

far,

had been probably regard-

only as a mere matter of form.

Cleopatra.

13>J Canr*!

wtfeu

[B.C.

Ifia

was now about named Calpurnia,

fondneM for Cleopatru

Csesar

fifty-two.

wife,

married about ten years.

whom

had a

he had been

She was

living, at

an unostentatious and quiet man She was a lady of an amiable ner at Rome. this time, in

and gentle character, devotedly attached to her husband, patient and forbearing in respect to his faults,

and

often anxious

and unhappy

the thought of the difficulties and dangers in

which

his ardent

and unbounded ambition

often involved him.

Csesar immediately began to take a very strong interest in Cleopatra's cause.

treat-

ed her personally with the fondest attention,

and it was impossible for her not to reciprocate in some degree the kind feeling with which he It was, in fact, something altoregarded her. gether new to her to have a warm and devoted firiend,

espousing her cause, tendering her pro-

tection,

and seeking

in every

way

promote

Her father had all his life negHer brother, of years and under-

her happiness. lected her.

standing totally inferior to hers,

whom

she had

been compelled to make her husband, had become her mortal enemy. It is true that, in depriving her of her inheritance and expelling hei from her native land, he had been only the

tool

Cleopatra amd CiKSAR

B.C. 48.1

I3b

She oommlu her oauae to Cwaar

CtoopÂŤtrm'* tboa.

and instrument of more designing men. This, howe /er, far from improving the point of view fror^ which she regarded him, made him appear not only hateful, but contemptible too. officeis of

government,

All the

the Alexandrian

also, in

oeurt had turned against her, because they had

supposed that they could control her brother

easily if she

and implacable

Thus she had

were away.

always been surrounded by foes.

selfish,

Now,

mercenary,

for the first time,

A protector

she seemed to have a friend.

had

suddenly arisen to support and defend her

man

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

of very alluring person and manners, of a

very noble and generous highest station.

spirit,

and of the very

loved her, and she could

not refrain from loving

him

in return.

She

committed her cause entirely into his hands, confided to him all her interests, and gave her-

up wholly into his power. Nor was the unbounded confidence which she reposed in him undeserved, so far as related to self

his efforts to restore her to her throne.

The

gions which Caesar had sent for into Syria had

aot yet arrived, and his situation in Alexandria

was

still

very defenseless and very precarious.

did not, however,

this account, abate in

the least degree the loftiness

and self-oonfidenoe

Cleopatra.

140

[B.C. He woda

OsMur's pratetuloDt.

for Ptolemy.

of the position which he had assumed, but ho

commenced immediately the work Cleopatra's restoration.

and power

of the right

of securing

This quiet assumption to arbitrate

and decide

such a question as that of the claim to the throne, in a country

where he had accidentally

landed and found rival claimants disputing the succession, while he tute of the

means

was

still

for

wholly desti-

of enforcing the superiority

which he so coolly assumed, marks the immense ascendency which the Roman power had attained at this time in the estimation of kind,

and

is,

man

besides, specially characteristic o/

the genius and disposition of CsBsar.

Very soon

after Cleopatra

had come to him,

Caesar sent for the young Ptolemy, and urged

upon him the duty and expediency of restoring Ptolemy was beginning now to attain an age at which he might be supposed to have some opinion of his own on such a ques-

Cleopatra.

tion.

declared himself utterly opposed to

any such design.

In the course of the conver-

sation he learned that Cleopatra had arrived at

Alexandria, and that she was then concealed in

This intelligence awakened in mind the greatest excitement and indignaHo wont away from Cssar's presence in tion.

CfiBsar's palace.

his

Cleopatra and Caesar.

B.C. 48.J

Ptolemy's indignation.

a rage.

tore the

141

oooipUlBti agmlnBt CsMur

diadem which he was

ao-

oastomed to wear from his head in the streets, threw it down, and trampled it under his feet

He declared to the people that he was betrayed, and displayed the most violent indications of yexation and chagrin. The chief subject of his complaint, in the attempts which he made to awaken the popular indignation against CsBsar and the Romans, was the disgraceful impropriety of the position which his sister had assumed

m surrendering herself as

she had done to Csbmost probable, however, unless his character was very different from that of every other Ptolemy in the line, that what really awak-

sar.

It is

ened his jealousy and anger was fear of the

commanding influence and power to which Cleopatra was likely to attain through the agency of Ro distinguished a protector, rather than

any

real

other consequences of his friendship, or

considerations of delicacy in respect to his sister's

good

name

However

or his

this

may

own be,

marital honor.

Ptolemy, togethei

with Pothinus and Achillas, and friends rible

all his

and adherents, who joined him

outcry that he

made

other

in the ter-

against the coalition

which he had discovered between Cleopatra and CÂťsar, succeeded in producing a very general

Cleopatra.

143 Oraat tamnlt tn tiw

[B.C. 48

Exoltenrant cf Um

tAtj.

popolam

and violent tumult throughout the city. The populace were aroused, and began to assemble in great crowds, ger.

and

Some knew

something

of their anger.

full of

indignation and an-

the facts, and acted under

an understanding of the cause Others only knew that the aim

was to assault the Romans, and were ready, on any pretext, known or unknown, to join in any deeds of violence

of this sudden outbreak

directed against these foreign intruders.

were others

still,

larger portion,

and these, probably,

who knew nothing and

stood nothing but that there

and a

riot in

was

to be

There far the

under-

tumult

and around the palaces, and were,

accordingly, eager to be there.

Ptolemy and

his officers

troops in Alexandria

;

for

had no large body of

the events which had

thus far occurred since Ceesar's arrival had suc-

ceeded each other so rapidly, that a very short

time had yet elapsed, and the main army

mained

still

therefore,

at Pelusium.

by which Caesar

re-

The main force, was now attacked,

consisted of the population of the city, heade<l,

perhaps, by the few guards which the

young

king had at his command. CÂŤB8ar,

his part,

had but a small portion

â&#x20AC;˘f his forces at the palaos where he

was attaok

B.C.

4ti.]

Cleopatra and Cjsbar.

Ptolemy made priaolm

CaMT'i fbroM.

The

ed.

14<)

rest

were scattered about the

city.

He, however, seems to have felt no alarm. He did not even confine himself to acting on the defensive.

diers

him

sent out a detachment of his

sol-

with orders to seize Ptolemy and bring

in a prisoner.

Soldiers trained, disciplined,

and armed as the

Roman

veterans were, and

nerved by the ardor and enthusiasm which

seemed always

animate troops which were

under CsBsar's personal command, could accom-

any undertaking against a mero numerous or however furiously excited they might be. The soldiers sal-ied out, seized Ptolemy, and brought him in. The populace were at first astounded at the daring presumption of this deed, and then explish almost

populace, however

asperated at the indignity of

it,

considered as a

violation of the person of their sovereign.

tumult would have greatly increased, had been that Ccesar his ends in thus

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;who

The it

not

had now attained

all

having brought Cleopatra and

Ptolemy both within

his

power

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; thought

most expedient to allay it. He accordingly ascended to the window of a tower, or of some other elevated portion of his palace, so high that missiles from the

him, and began to his

wish to address

mob below could not reaoh make signals expressive oi +''ero.

Cleopatra.

144

[B.C.4^.

Oam'i addnM to Hm peopls.

When

silence

was

obtained, he

effacfta.

made them

speech well calculated to quiet the excitement.

told

them

that he did not pretend to anj

light to judge between Cleopatra and Ptolemy us their superior, but only in the performance

of the duty solemnly assigned by Ptolemy letes,

the father, to the

representative he was.

Roman

people,

Other than

Au-

whose

this

claimed no jurisdiction in the case; and his only wish, in the discharge of the duty which devolved upon

him

to consider the cause,

settle the question in

was

a manner just and equi-

table to all the parties concerned, and thus arrest the progress of the civil war, which, if not

arrested, threatened to involve the country in

the

most

terrible

calamities.

counseled

them, therefore, to disperse, and no longer disHe would immeturb the peace of the city. diately take measures for trying the question

between Cleopatra and Ptolemy, and he did not doubt but that they would all be satisfied with hiB decision.

This speech, made, as it was, in the eloquejil and persuasive, and yet dignified and imposing manner for which CcDsar's harangues to turbulent assemblies like these were so famed, oro-

duced a great

effect.

Some were

convinced.

B.C. 4Âť.J The mob

Cleopatra and Caesar.

145

Cesar conrenei la aMembly

dltperaed.

and those whose resentment and anger were not appeased, found themselves deprived of their power by the pacification of the rest. The mob was dispersed, and Ptolemy remained with Cleopatra in Cajsar's others were silenced

;

custody.

The next day, ise,

CsBsar, according to his

prom

convened an assembly of the principal peo-

and officers of state, and then brought out Ptolemy and Cleopatra, that he ple of Alexandria

might decide their cause. The original will which Ptolemy Auletes had executed had been deposited in the public archives of Alexandria,

and carefully preserved copy of

had been sent

there. to

Rome.

authentic

Csesar caus-

ed the original will to be brought out and read to the assembly.

fectly explicit

and

The

provisions of it were per-

clear.

required that Cle-

opatra and Ptolemy should be married, and then settled the sovereign

as king and queen.

power upon them

jointly,

It recognized the

Roman

commonwealth as the stituted the

ally of

Egypt, and con-

Roman government

the executa

of the will, and the guardian of the king and

In fact, so clear and explicit was this document, that the simple reading of it seemed

queen.

be of itself a decision of the question. 16â&#x20AC;&#x201D;10

Whea

Cleopatra.

146 CMMT't

\B.C.48

SadsflicdoB of the

deelaioii.

therefore, Caesar

announced

imeinMy

that, in his judg-

ment, Cleopatra was entitled to share the prenie power with Ptolemy, and that

duty, as the representative of the

and the executor of the

sii-

was

hit

Roman power both the

will, to protect

king and the queen in their respective rights, there seemed to be nothing that could

bÂŤ>

said

against his decision.

Besides Cleopatra and Ptolemy, there were

two other children of Ptolemy Auletes

One was a

royal family at this time.

named

The

Arsinoe.

in tha girl,

other, a boy, was, singu-

enough, named, like his brother, Ptolemy. These children were quite young, but Caesar thought that it would perhaps gratify the Alex andrians, and lead them to acquiesce more read larly

ily in

his decision, if he

were

royal provision for them.

make som*

accordingly pro

posed to assign the island of Cyprus as a realn for

them.

was

This was

at this time a

literally

Roman

gift, for

The whole assembly seemed this decision

Cypnu

possession.*

except Pothinus.

satisfied

with

had been so

determined and inveterate an enemy to Cleopatra, that, * ttoM

as he

was

For the poaition

well aware, her restoration

ot this island in respect to

neigfaboring ooantriec, tee map, froatismnc*.

Egypt and

Cleopatka and C^sar.

B.C.48.] Festivals

and

rejoicings.

147

Pothinus and Achilias.

must end in his downfall and min. He went away from the assembly moodily determining that he would not submit to the decision, but would immediately adopt efficient measures to prevent

its

being carried into

effect.

Caesar made arrangements for a series of festivals and celebrations, to commemorate and

confirm the re-establishment of a good understanding between the king and the queen, and

Suck would have great influence in removing any remaining animosities from the minds of the people, and restore the dominion of a kind and friendly feeling throughthe consequent termination of the war.

celebrations, he judged,

The people

out the city.

fell in

with these

measures, and cordially co-operated to give

them

effect

;

but Pothinus and Achillas, though

they suppressed content,

made

all

outward expressions of

dis-

incessant efforts in secret to or-

ganize a party, and to form plans for overthrow-

ing the influence of Caesar, and making Ptole-

again the sole and exclusive sovereign.

Pothinus represented to induce to

was

listen to

him

all

whom

he could

that Caesar's real design

make Cleopatra queen

alone, and to de-

pose Ptolemy, and urged them to combine with

him to

resist a policy

which would end

in bring-

Clfopatra.

148 Ho* of PoOUnof and

ing

Eacape of AchUlaa

Achilla*.

Egypt under the dominion also

las, for

[B.C.

of a

woman.

formed a plan, in connection with Achil*

ordering the

army back from Pelusium.

The army consisted of thirty thousand men. If that army could be brought to Alexandria and kept under Pothinus's orders, Caesar and three thousand

Roman

soldiers

would

his

be, they

thought, wholly at their mercy.

There was, however, one danger

army

ward the

to be guard-

march toand that was, that Ptolemy,

ed against in ordering the capital,

while under Caesar's influence, might open com-

munications with the

command

officers,

and so obtain

of its movements, and thwart all the

conspirators' designs.

prevent

this, it

was

arranged between Pothinus and Achillas that the latter should dria, proceed

make

his escape

sium, resume the

command

and conduct them himself that in

all

from Alexan-

immediately to the camp at Peluof the troops there, to the capital

;

and

these operations, and also subse-

quently on his arrival, he should obey no orlers unless they

came

him through Pothinua

aimself.

Although sentinels and guards wore probably stationed at the gates and avenues leading from the oity, Achillas cortrived to efleot his escapt

B.C. 48.]

Clkopatra and C^sar.

March of the Egyptian army.

and

to join the

head of the

Heaaorea of Cntar

He placed

army.

forces,

toward the capital.

149

himself at the

and commenced ÂŤ

his

Pothinus remained

march all

the

time within the city as a spy, pretending to acquiesce in Caesar's decision, and to be on friendly terms with him, but really plotting for his overthrow,

which

and obtaining

order that he

all

him

the information

command, in might co-operate with the army

his position enabled

and Achillas when they should arrive. All these things were done with the utmost secrecy, and so cunning and adroit were the conspirators plots, that

forming and executing their

Caesar seems to have had no knowl-

edge of the measures which his enemies were taking, until he suddenly heard that the

main

body of Ptolemy's army was approaching the city, at least twenty thousand strong. In the

mean

time, however, the forces which he had

sent for from Syria had not arrived, and no ternative

was

left

al-

but to defend the capital and

himself as well as he could with the very small force

which he had at

his disposal-

determined, however,

fect of orders sent

bid the approach of the effioers

first,

to try the

out in Ptolemy's

army

name to

to the city.

ef-

for

Two

were accordingly intrusted with thes*

Clbopatra

150

[B.C.48 latmlaaa of AcfafflM

Harder of tiwmaMeiigera.

orders,

and sent out to oommnnicate them

Achillas.

The names

of these officers were Di-

and Serapion. shows in a very striking point of view to I* what an incredible exaltation the authority and

oeoorides

oonsequence of a sovereign king rose in those ancient days, in the minds of men, that Achillas,

at the

moment when

these

men made

their

appearance in the camp, bearing evidently some

command from Ptolemy it

more prudent

to kill

in the city, considered

them

at once, without

hearing their message, rather than to allow the orders to be delivered and then take the responsibility of

disobeying them.

he could suc-

ceed in marching to Alexandria and in taking possession of the city, and then in expelling

Csesar and Cleopatra and restoring Ptolemy to the exclusive possession of the throne, he

ery

knew

well that the king would rejoice in the re-

and would overlook all irregularities on his part in the means by which he had accomplishsult,

it,

short of absolute disobedience of a

command.

known

Whatever might be the commands

that these messengers were bringing him, he

supposed that they doubtless originated, not in Ptolemy's Vktfd

own

free will,

but that they were

by the authority of Caesar.

dio-

Still, thejf

Cleopatra and C^sar.

B.C.4SJ

151

Advance of Aehlilat.

Oold-blooded MisMtnatlon.

would be commands coming in Ptolemy's name and the universal experience of officers serving under the military despots of those ancient days

showed

that, rather

than to take the responsi*

bility of directly disobeying

received,

was

a royal order once

safer to avoid receiving

murdering the messengers. Achillas therefore directed the officers to be seized

and

slain.

They were

and speared by the

accordingly tak-

and then the however, it was found, had not done their work effectually. There was no interest for them in such a cold-blooded assassination, and perhaps en

off

bodies were borne away.

something

like a

men were

died.

The

soldiers,

sentiment of compassion

strained their hands.

the

soldiers,

At any

rate,

re-

though both

desperately wounded, one only

other lived

and recovered.

Achillas continued to advance toward the city.

Ceesar, finding that the crisis

which was

approaching was becoming very serious in

its

command make the best

character, took, himself, the whole

within the capital, and began to

nrrangements possible under the circumstances of the case to defend himself there.

hen were

His nam-

altogether too small to defend thÂŤ

whole city against the overwhelming force which

[B.C AS

Cleopatra.

152 C*nr't arruigementf

was advancing

Cleopatra and Ptokmy.

for defenae.

to assail

it.

accordingly in-

trenched his troops in the palaces and in the citadel,

and in such other parts of the city as

leomed practicable to defend. He all the streets and avenues leading

barricaded

points,

and

fortified

while thus doing insufficient

the gates.

all in his

means

power

Nor to

to thes«

did he,

employ the

of defense already in his

hands to the best advantage, neglect the proper exertions for obtaining succor from abroad.

sent off galleys to Syria, to Cyprus, to Rhodes,

and to every other point accessible from AlexRoman troops might be expected

andria where

be found, urging the authorities there to forward re-enforcements to him with the utmost to

possible dispatch.

During all this time Cleopatra and Ptolemy remained in the palace with CsBsar, both ostensibly oo-operating with him in his councils and measures for defending the city from Achillas, Cleopatra, of course, in this co-operation

the

;

was

sincere

and

in earnest

but Ptolemy's adhesion to

common cause was

very

little to

be relied

Although, situated as he was, he wa« compelled to seem to be on Caesar's side, h« upon.

must have

secretly desired that Achillas shrnld

•aooeed and Ccesar's plans be overthrown

B.C. 48.]

Cleopatra and CiESAR. He

Double dealing at Pothlnna.

was more

thinus

active,

though not

tious in his hostility to them.

153 iÂŤ

detected

less

cau-

opened a

se-

cret communication with Achillas, sending him information, from time to time, of what took place within the walls, and of the arrangements

made

there for the defense of the city against

him, and gave him also directions ceed.

He was

how

to pro-

very wary and sagacious in

all

these movements, feigning all the time to be on Ceesar's side.

pretended to be very zealous-

employed in aiding Csesar to secure more effectually the various points where attacks were

be expected, and in maturing and completing

the arrangements for defense.

But, notwithstanding

all his

cunning, he was

detected in his double dealing, and his career

was suddenly brought to a close, before the great final conflict came on. There was a barber in Caesar's household, who, for some cause or other, began to suspect Pothinus and, having little else to do, he employed himself in watching the eunuch's movements and reporting them to ;

Caesar

Csesar directed the barber to continue

his observations.

did so;

his suspicions

were soon confirmed, and at length a

letter,

which Pothinus had written to Achillas, waÂŤ This fur intoroepted ana brou^nt to Ceesar.

Clbopatra.

154

[B.C.48 Anlnol and Ouijmeda

rotJUnaa behe«ded.

nished the necessary proof of what they called his guilt,

and Csesar ordered him to be

be-

headed This circumstance produced, of course, a great excitement within the palace, for Pothi-

nus had been

for

minister of state

many

—the

years the great ruling

king, in fact, in all but

name. His 'execution alarmed a great man} others, who, though in Caesar's power, were se cretly wishing that Achillas might prevail in

Among those most disturbed by these fears wa. a man named Ganymede. He was the officer who had charge

of Arsinoe, Cleopatra's sister.

The arrangement which Csesar had proposed

for

establishing her in conjunction with her brother

Ptolemy over the island of Cyprus had not gone for, immediately after the decision

into effect

;

of CsBsar, the attention of all concerned had

been wholly engrossed by the tidi2gs of the ad-

vance of the army, and by

thfe

which were required on

tions

all

busy preparahands

for the

impending contest. Arsinoe, therefore, with hei governor Ganymede, remained in the peilaoe.

Ganymede had joined Pothinus in »nd when Pothinus was beheaded, he that

would be

safest for

him

accordingly resolved to

his plots;

concluded

to fly.

make

hi» escape

B.C. 48.] fUÂŤ[ht of

She

Aninot.

from the a

Cleopatra and Cmsar.

city,

155

proclaimed queen by the army

taking Arsinoe with him.

wai

very hazardous attempt, but he succeeded

Arsinoe was very willing

accomplishing

it.

was now beginning

enough to feel the impulse of that insatiable and reckless ambition which seemed to form such an esgo, for she

to be old

sential element in the character of every son

whole Ptolemaic line. She and powerless where she was, but at the head of the army she might become immediately a queen. It resulted, in the first instance, as she had

and daughter

was

in the

insignificant

anticipated.

army received Under Ganymede's in-

Achillas and his

her with acclamations.

fluence they decided that, as bers of the royal family

all

were

the other

mem-

in durance, being

held captive by a foreign general,

who had by

chance obtained possession of the capital, and

were thus incapacitated for exercising the royal power, the crown devolved upon Arsinoe and ;

they accordingly proclaimed her queen.

Every thing was now- prepared rate

and determined contest

for

a despe-

the crown be-

tnreen Cleopatra, with Caesar for her ministei

and general, on the one side, and Arsinoe, with Ganymede and Achillas for her chief officers, on the other.

The young Ptolemy,

in the

me^^

Clecpatra.

166

[B.C.

Perplexity of the young Ptolemy.

time, remained Ccesar's prisoner, confused with

which the quarrel had become involved, and scarcely knowing now what to the intricacies in

wish in respect to the issue of the contest.

was very be best

difficult to foresee

for

whether

him that Cleopatra

hoiild succeed.

would

or that Arsinoe

B.C. 47.]

The Alexandrine War. ForoM

Tha Alexandrine war.

157 at Ckmv

Chapter VII.

The Alexandrine War. rriHE war '-

which ensued as the result of thk intrigues and maneuvers described in the in the history of

Rome

and Julius Caesar as the Alexandrine war.

The

last

chapter

known

events which occurred during the progress of it,

and

its

termination at last in the triumph of

CaBsar and Cleopatra, will form the subject of this chapter.

Achillas had greatly the advantage over Caesar at the outset of the contest, in respect to

command. him only a detachment

the strength of the forces under his Caesar, in fact, had with of three or four

troops

thousand men, a small body of

which he had hastUy put on board a

squadron of Rhodian galleys

for

pey across the Mediterranean. sail

from

ti.e

it is

he set

this incon-

probable that he had no ex-

pectation even of landing in

mach

When

European shores with

siderable fleet,

little

pursuing Pom-

Egypt

all,

and

less of being involved in great military

mndertakings there.

Achillas,

on the othe*

Cleopatra

158

[B.C.47

Tkb EfTptlan •my.

!««

FngldTe

hand, was at the head of a force of twenty thou-

sand of a

His troops were,

men.

effective

somewhat miscellaneous

they were

it is

true,

character, but

veteran soldiers, inured to the

all

cli-

mate of Egypt, and skilled in all the modes of warfare which were suited to the character of Some- of them were Roman solthe country. diers, men who had come with the army of Mark Antony from Syria when Ptolemy Auletes,

Cleopatra^s father,

was

reinstated on the

and had been left in Egypt, in Ptole* my's service, when Antony returned to Rome Some were native Egyptians. There was alsa throne,

in the

army

gitive slaves

of Achillas a large

—

^refugees

number

who had made

of fu-

their es-

cape from various points along the shores of the Mediterranean, at different periods, and had

been from time Egy]>tian army.

time incorporated into the

These

fugitives

were

all

men

of the most determined and desperate character

Achillas had also in his

two thousand made him, of

horse.

command

a force of

Such a body of cavalry

course, perfect master of all the open country outside the city walls. At the bead of these troops Achillas gradually advanced ti the very gates of Alexandria, in\ested the

•ity

on every

side,

and shut Csesar closely

in.

B.C. 47,] Da&geroua

The Alexandrine

iltuatioii

159

Preaence of Cibmk

of CasMur.

The danger

Wa.r.

of the situation in which Csesar

was placed was extreme

;

but he had been so

accustomed to succeed in extricating himself from the most imminent himself nor his

any concern personally

perils,

army seem

that neither he

to have experienced

in respect to the result.

felt

encountering the difficulties

now beset him, because to witness his

Caesar

and pleasure in and dangers which

a special pride

Cleopatra was with him

demeanor, to admire his energy

and courage, and to reward by her love the forts and sacrifices which he was making in

ef-

es-

She confided every thing to him, but she watched all the proceedings with the most eager interest, elated with hope in respect to the result, and proud of the champion who had thus volunteered to defend her In a word, her heart was full of gratitude, admiration, and love. The immediate effect, too, of the emotions which she felt so strongly was greatly to height-

pousing her cause.

en her natural charms. The native force and 7 energy of her character were softened and sub- J daed. Her voice, which always possessed a cercharm, was endued with new weetness through the influence of affection Her oonntenanoe beamed with -fresh aniruatioo tain inexpressible

Cleopatra.

160 bflueDoa of CleopÂŤirÂŤ.

fB.C.47 Flrtt

meainrai of pasar

and beauty, and the sprightliness and vivacity of her character,

of her

life

which became at

later periodi

boldness and eccentricity,

now being

softened and restrained within proper limits by

the respectful regard with which she looked

made

upon

CsBsar,

ion.

Caesar was,

her an enchanting oompan> in,

fact, entirely intoxicated

with the fascinations which she unconsciously display ei.

Under other circumstances than

these, a per-

sonal attachment so strong, formed by a mili-

tary ice,

commander while engaged might have been expected

in active servto interfere in

some degree with the discharge of his duties but in this case, since it was for Cleopatra's sake and in her behalf that the operations which CsBsar had undertaken were to be prosecuted, his love for her only stimulated the spirit

and

energy with which he engaged in them.

The

first

measure

adopted was, as

Csesar plainly perceived, to concentrate and strength en his position in the city, so that he

might be able

to defend himself there against

Achillas until he should receive re-enforcements

from abroad.

For

this purpose he selected a

certain group of palaces and citadels which lay togcth<)r

near the head of the long pier or cause-

Thb Alexandrine War.

B.C. 47 .j CÂŤsu't

MlUtary engine*

itores.

way which his troops

lished

16J

led to the Pharos, and,

from

them

all

there.

withdrawing

other parts of the city, estab-

The

quarter which he thus

occupied contained the great city arsenals and public granaries.

Csesar brought together

the arms and munitions of

all

war which he could and

find in other parts of the city,

also all the

corn and other provisions which were contained either in the public depots or in private ware-

houses, and stored the whole within his lines.

then inclosed the whole quarter with strong

The avenues

defenses.

were bar-

Houses

in the vi-

leading to

ricaded with walls of stone.

which might have afforded shelter to an enemy were demolished, and the materials used in constructing walls wherever they were needcinity

ed, or in

strengthening the barricades.

gious military engines, stones,

made

Prodi-

throw heavy

and beams of wood, and other ponderous

were ÂŤet up within his lines, and openwere made in the walls and other defenses

missiles,

ings

of the citadel, wherever necassary, to facilitate

the action of these machines*

There was a strong

fortress situated at the

head of the pier or mole leading Pharos, which still

in the

16â&#x20AC;&#x201D;11

was without

to the island of

Caesar's lines, and

nands of the Egyptian authorities.

162 The

Cleopatra.

[B.C.

View of Alexandria

mole.

The Egyptians thus commanded the entrance The island itself, also, with the fortress at the other end of the pier, was still in to the mole.

the possession of the Egyptian authorities, who seemed disposed to hold it for Achillas. The mole was very long, as the island was nearly a mile from the shore. There was quite a little town upon the island itself, besides the fortress

View of Alexandria. or castle built there to defend the place.

garrison of this castle

was

habitants of the town, too,

strong,

and the

The in-

constituted a some-

B.C.47.]

The Alexandeine War. Egyptian

Necessity of taking possession of the mole.

what formidable population,

163 fleet.

as they consisted

of fishermen^ sailors, wreckers, and such other

desperate characters as usually congregate about

such a spot.

Cleopatra and Csesar, from the

windows of their palace within the city, looked out upon this island, with the tall light-house it and the castle at its and upon the long and narrow isthmus

rising in the center of base,

connecting

ed that

with the main land, and conclud-

was very

essential that they should

get possession of the post, commanding, as

did, the entrance to the harbor.

In the harbor, too, which, as will be seen from the engraving, was on the south side of the

mole, and, consequently, on the side opposite to that

from which Achillas was advancing toward

the city, there were lying a large

number of

some dismantled, and others manned and armed more or less effectively. These vessels had not yet come into Achiilas'shands, but it would be certain that he would take possession of them as soon as he should gain admittance to those parts of the city which Egyptian

vessels,

Caesar had abandoned.

important to prevent fleet, especially if

;

This

was extremely

for, if Achillas held this

he continued to

island of Pharos, he

command

the

would be perfect master of

Cleopatra.

164

[B.C. 47.

C«Mr bona the Upplag. all

Th» fort

the approaohes to the city on the side of the

tea.

could then not only receive re-enforoe-

ments and supplies himself from that quarter, but he could also effectually out off the

army from became,

all possibility

Roman

of receiving any.

therefore, as Caesar thought, imperi-

ously necessary that he should protect himself

from this danger.

an expedition

This he did by sending out

burn

all

the shipping in the

same time, to take possession fort upon the island of Pharos which

harbor, and, at the of a certain

commanded

the entrance to the port.

This

undertaking was abundantly successful.

The

troops burned the shipping, took the fort, expelled the

Roman

Egyptian

soldiers

garrison into

from

instead,

turned in safety within Csesar's tra witnessed these exploits

windows with tion for the

it,

and put a

and then

lines.

re-

Cleopa-

from her palace

feelings of the highest admira^

energy and valor which her Romsui

protectors displayed.

The burning of the Egyptian tion, sar,

however fortunate

for

ships in this ac-

Cleopatra and Cae-

was attended with a catastrophe which hat

ever since been lamented by the whole civilized world.

Some

of the burning ships were driven

by the wind to th« shore. wh«re they set

fire tr

The Alexandrine War.

i3,C.47.J

Burning of Alexandria.

Achlllu behekdeA

the buildings which were

The

water.

165

contiguous to th*

flames spread and produced an

extensive conflagration, in the course of which

was

de-

This library was the only general

col-

the largest part of the great library stroyed.

lection of the ancient writings that ever

had

been made, and the loss of it was never repaired.

The

destruction of the Egyptian fleet result-

ed also in the downfall and ruin of Achillas.

From

the time of Arsinoe's arrival in the

camp

there had been a constant rivalry

and jealousy between himself and Ganymede, the eunuch who had accompanied Arsinoe in her flight.

Two parties had been

formed in the army, some

declaring for Achillas and some for

Ganymede.

Arsinoe advocated Ganymede's interests, and

when, at length, the

fleet

was burned, she

charged Achillas with having been, by his neglect or incapacity, las

was

tried,

that time

the cause of the

loss.

condemned, and beheaded.

Ganymede assumed

Achil-

From

the administra-

government as her minister of and the commander-in-chief of her armies About the time rhat these occurrences took placÂŤ, the Egypli^i army advanced into those

tion of Arsinoe's

state

parts of the city from

which Csesar had with-

drawn, producing those terrible scenes of Dania

Clbopatea.

16A

[fiC.47 Bb vifoipu «•»«

ftmt at Qtmjwmim.

and oonfusion which always attend a sudden

and violent change of military possession withia

Ganymede brought up

the precincts of a city. his troops

on every side to the walls of Ceesar's

and intrenchments, and

citadels

closely in.

cut off

to CsBsar's lines

ous preparations ed engines

for

all

and commenced

land,

for

hemmed

an assault.

battering

hira

avenues of approach

down

vigor-

He constructHe

the walls.

opened shops and established forges in every part of the city for the manufacture of darts, spears, pikes, ery.

and

all

kinds of military machin-

built towers supported

wheels, with the design of

filling

upon huge them with

armed men when finally ready to make his assault upon CsBsar'a lines, and moving them up to the walls of the citadels and palaces, so as to give to his soldiers the advantage of a lofty

elevation in

making

their attacks.

levied

eontributions on the rich citizens for the neces-

sary funds, and provided himself with pressing

all

the artisans, laborers, and

pable of bearing arms into his service.

men men

by ca-

He sent

messengers back into the interior of the country, in

every direction,

arms, and calling

and military stores

for

summoning

the people

contributions

:>{

tnone;?

The Alexandrine War.

B.C. 47.]

MaMengen of Qanyineda.

Their

167

Initructloiiai

The.se messengers were instructed to urge

apon the people that, unless CsBsar and

his

army

were at onoe expelled from Alexandria, there

imminent danger that the national inde-

ÂŤraf

pendence of Egypt would be forever destroyed.

The Romans, they were

to say,

had extended

their conquests over almost all the rest of the

They had

world.

sent one

army

into

Egypt

under the command of Mark Antony,

before,

under the pretense of restoring Ptolemy Auletes to the throne.

Now

another commander, with

another force, had come, offering some other pretexts for interfering in their affairs.

Roman say,

would end

Egypt

These

encroachments, the messengers were to

in the complete subjugation of

a foreign power, unless the people

the country aroused themselves to

meet the

danger manfully, and to expel the intruders.

Caesar had possession of the island of

Pharos and of the harbor, out of

him

off from receiving

men and arms

ments

for

Ganymede

could not

such re-enforcementa

as he might

make

obtaining beyond the sea

;

arrange-

nor could

he curtail his supply of food, as the granaries

and magazines within Caesar's quarter of the city contained almost inexhaustible stores of

oom.

There was* one remaining point

essential

Cleopatra.

168 eanpned* eoU

off CaMi'iropply of water.

to the subsistence of

[B.C.

Pauls of the aoldlan

an army besieged, and that

was an abundant supply of water. The palaces and citadels which CsBsar occupied were supplied with water by means of numerous subterranean aqueducts, which conveyed the water from the Nile to yast cisterns built under ground, whence

was

raised by buckets and

In reflecting upon

hydraulic engines

for use.

this circumstance,

Ganymede

si^

conceived the de-

of secretly digging a canal, so as to turn

means of

*he waters of the sea by

aqueducts.

into these

This plan he carried into

effect

The consequence was, that the water in the was gradually changed. It became more and more salt and bitter, until, at length, it was wholly impossible For some time the army within to use it.

cisterns first

brackish, then

c<uild

not understand these changes

at length, they discovered

tlie

;

and when,

cause, the soldiers

were panic-stricken at the thought that they were now apparently wholly at the mercy of their enemies, since,

they

must

tidered out,

all

without supplies of water,

immediately perish.

hopeless to attempt

and urged Caesar

embark on board

They

any longer

evacuate the

his galleys,

and proceed

cÂŤn-

to hold city,

to sea

Instead of doing this, however, Ceesar, order

B.C.47.J

The Alexandrine War

CÂť8ÂŤr't wella.

169

Arrival of the trautports

ing all other operations to be suspended,

ployed the whole laboring force of his

em-

command,

under the direction of the captains of the several

companies, in digging wells in every part

Fresh water, he

of his quarter of the city.

said,

was almost invariably found, at a moderate upon

depth, in

sea-coasts, even

upon ground lying

very close proximity with the sea.

gings were successful.

Thus

abundance, was found. passed,

and the men's

The

dig-

Fresh water, in great this

danger was

fears effectually relieved.

short time after these transactions occur-

red, there

came

into the harbor one day, from

along the shore west of the city, a small sloop,

bringing the intelligence that a squadron of transports had arrived

upon the coast

to th6

westward of Alexandria, and had anchored there, being unable to come up to the city on account of an easterly wind which prevailed at that season of the year.

This squadron was

one which ha^ been sent across the Mediter-

ranean with arms, ammunition, and military stores for Caisar, in

he had

The

answer

made immediately

to requisitions

after he

which

had landed.

transports being thus wind-bound on the

ooast,

and having nearly exhausted their supwater, were in distress and they ac-

plies of

;

Cleopatra.

170

[B.C. Lowseu

Tlie tnuuporti in itWiiM,

ai itM

mmI

oordingly sent forward the sloop, which

make known

their

probably propelled by oars, to

situation to Ceesar, and to ask for succor.

CtB-

gar immediately went, himself, on board of one

of his galleys, and ordering the remainder of his little fleet to

harbor,

follow him, he set sail out of the

and then turned

to the

westward, with

a view of proceeding along the coast to the place

where the transports were lying. The land All this was done secretly. low

in the vicinity of Aloxandria that boats or

galleys are out of sight from

distance from the shore.

at a very short

fact, travelers

say

coming upon the coast, the illusion produced by the spherical form of the surface of the water and the low and level character of the coast is such that one seems actually to descend from the sea to the land. Ceesar might therethat, in

fore

have easily kept his expedition a secret,

had it not been that, in order to be provided with a supply of water for the transports immediately on reaching them, he stepped at a solitary part of the coast, at

some distance from little way mto

Alexandria, and sent a party a

the interior in search for water.

This party

were discovered by the country people, and were intercepted by a troop of hors« and

made

»ri»

B.C. 47.]

The Alkxandrine War.

171

Cmtu raeeaMftd

A ooMbNt

From

oners.

these prise nei-s the Egyptians

learned that CsBsar himself

was on the coast The tidings

with a small squadron of galleys. spread in gether

all directions.

frorr.

The

every quarter.

people flocked to-

They

hastily col-

and vessels which could be obtained at the villages in that region and from lected all the boats

the various branches of the Nile. time, Caesar had

In the

mean

gone on to the anchorage

ground of the squadron, and had taken the transports in

tow

to bring

them

galleys, being propelled

to the city

;

for

the

were in a meas-

oars,

ure independent of the wind.

his return,

he found quite a formidable naval armament

assembled to dispute the passage. ,

severe conflict ensued, but Caesar

torious.

The navy which

was

vic-

the Egyptians had

so suddenly got together w;as as suddenly de-

Some

of the vessels were burned, othand others captured and Caesar returned in triumph to the port with his transports and stores. He was welcomed with the acclamations of his soldiers, and, still more warmly, by the joy and gratitude of Cleopatra, who had been waiting during his absence in

stroyed.

ers sunk,

;

great anxiety and suspens-e to of the expedition,

know

the result

aware as she wa.s that

hei

Clbopatsa.

173 Sanynede Mpdpa â&#x20AC;˘

hero

[B.C. 47 A aaTal

fleet

was exposing himself in

to the

oonfltei

most im-

minent personal danger.

The

arrival of these re-enforcements greatly

Improved Caesar's condition, and the circumstance of their coming forced upon the mind of

Ganymede

a sense of the absolute necessity that

he should gain possession of the harbor tended to keep Caesar in check. ly

according-

determined to take immediate measures

forming a naval

force.

in-

for

sent along the coast,

and ordered every ship and galley that could ba found in

all

the ports to be sent immediately to

Alexandria. possible in

He employed

many men

and around the city in building more

unroofed some of the most magnificent edi-

fices to

procure timber as a material

benches and oars.

When

all

was

for

making

ready, he

made

a grand attack upon Caesar in the port,

and a

terrible contest

ensued

for

the possession

of the harbor, the mole, the island, and the cit-

adels

and

from the

fortresses sea.

commanding the entrances knew that this ocn-

Caesar well

would be a decisive one in respect to the war, and he accordingly went forth himself to take an active and personal part test

final result of the

in the conflict.

felt

doubtless, too, a strong

emotion of pride and pleasure in exhibiting

hit

B.C. 47.] Cesar

The Alexandrine War.

173

Another Tletory

In danger.

who

prowess in the sight of Cleopatra,

could

watch the progress of the battle from the palace windows, full of excitement at the dangers which he incurred, and of admiration at the and valor which he performed,

feats of strength

During or

was

He wore

ger. rial

this battle the life of the great conquer

several times in the

purple,

for his

most imminent dan-

a habit or mantle of the impe-

which made him a conspicuous mark and, of course, wherever he

enemies

;

went, in that place was the hottest of the

fight.

Once, in the midst of a scene of most dreadful confusion and din, he leaped from an overloaded

boat into the water and

swam

for his life, hold-

ing his cloak between his teeth and drawing

through the water after him, that fall

into the

at the

hands of his enemies.

same time,

as he

swam,

might not

carried,

certain valuable

papers which he wished to save, holding

them

above his head with one hand, while he propelled

himself through the water with the

other.

The

was another Not only were the

result of this aontest

â&#x20AC;˘ive victory for Caesar

deoi-

ships

which the Egyptians had collected defeated and destroyed, but the mole, with the fortrefses at

â&#x20AC;˘ach extremity of

it,

and the

island, with the

Cleopatra.

174

rhe Egyptians discouraged.

light-house and the

[B.C. 47. Secret messengera.

town of Pharos,

all fell

into

Caesar's hands.

The Egyptians now began to be discouraged. The army and the people, judging, as mankind always do, of the virtue of their military com-

manders solely by the criterion of success, began to be tired of the rule of Ganymede and Arsinoe. They sent secret messengers to Caesar avowing their discontent, and saying that, who, it will be if he would liberate Ptolemy

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

recollected,

had been

time held as a sort

all this

of prisoner of state in Caesar's palaces

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;they

thought that the people generally would receive

him

as their sovereign, and that then an arrangement might easily be made for an amicable adjustment of the whole controversy. Caesar was strongly inclined to accede to tins pro-

posal.

accordingly called Ptolemy into his pres-

him kindly by the hand, informed him of the wishes of the people of Egypt, and gave him permission to go. Ptolemy, howHe professever, begged not to be sent away. ence, and, taking

ed the strongest attachment to Caesar, and the utmost confidence in him, and he very much preferred, he said, to remain under his protection.

Caesar rep'-.ed that,

those were his sen-

fl.C 47.]

The Alexandrine War.

175

Arrival of Mithrtdata*.

DiMimalftdon of Ptolemy.

timerts, the separation would not be a lasting

one.

shall soon

these and similar

he endeavored to encourage th

assurances

young

part as friends," he said, "

meet again."

prince,

and then sent him away.

Ptol

emy

wa.^ received

joy,

and was immediately placed at the head of

the government.

by the Egyptians with great Instead, however, of endeav-

oring to promote a settlement of the quarrel

with Caesar, he seemed to enter into personally, with the

gan

at once to

by sea and land

rations both

ecution of the war.

What

for

now him-

a vigorous pros-

the result of these

operations would have been can

known,

utmost ardor, and be make the most extensive prepa-

self,

now

not be

the general aspect of affairs was,

soon after these transactions, totally changed

by the occurrence of a

new and very important

event which suddenly intervened, and which

turned the attention of

all parties,

both Egyp-

and Romans, to the eastern quarter of the kingdom The tidings arrived that a large army, under the command of a general named tians

Mithradates,

whom

Asia

purpose, had suddenly appeared at

for this

Csesar had dispatched into

Pelusium. had captured that

now ready

city,

to '^* rch to Alexandria.

and wejÂŤ

Cleopatra.

176

[B.C 47 Terror and confaakiA

Defeat of Ptolemy.

The Egyptian army immediately broke up encampments in the neighborhood of Alexmarched to the eastward to meet Caesar followed them with these new invaders. its

andria, and

all

the forces that he could safely take

from the

city.

left

the city in

tl"^

away night

and unobserved, and, moved across the country with such celerity that he joined Mithradates before the forces of

Ptolemy had

arrived.

After

various marches and maneuvers, the armies met,

The Egyptians Ptolemy's camp was taken. were defeated. As the Roman army burst in upon one side of

and a great battle was fought.

it, the guards and attendants of Ptolemy fled upon the other, clambering over the ramparts The forein the utmost terror and confusion. most fell headlong into the ditch below, which was thus soon filled to the brim with the dead and the dying; while those who came behind

pressed on over the bridge thus formed, trampling remorselessly, as they fled, their comrades,

who

and shrieking beneath escaped reached the

on the bodies of

lay writhing, struggling,

Those who They crowded to-

their feet.

river.

gether into a boat which lay at the bank and

from the shore.

poshed

off*

loaded,

and

The

sank as soon as

boat

it left

was

over-

the land

B.C.47.J Dmth

The ALEXA^fDRINE War.

177

Cloopatn queen

of Ptolemy.

The Romans drew

the bodies which floated tc

the shore up upon the bank again, and they

among them one, which, by the royal was upon it, the customary badge and armor of the Egyptian kings, they knew to found

cuirass which

be the body of Ptolemy.

The

victory which Csesar obtained in this

and the death of Ptolemy ended the war. Nothing now remained but for him to place battle

himself at the head of the combined forces and

march back to Alexandria. The Egyptian forces which had been left there made no resistance, and he entered the city in triumph. He took Arsinoe prisoner.

decreed that Cleo-

patra should reign as queen, and that she should

marry her youngest brother, the other Ptolemy

—a boy A

at this time about eleven years of age

marriage with one so young was, of course,

a mere form.

Cleopatra remained, as before,

the companion of Caesar.

CsBsar had, in the

mean

time, incurred great

censure at Rome, and throughout the whole

Roman world, for having thus turned aside from his own proper duties as the Roman consul, and the commander-in-chief of the armies of tha r ipire,

to embroil himself in the quarrels of a

»mote and secluded kingdom, with which the 16—12

Cleopatra.

178

[B.C. 47

Q«aeral tOMpprobatlon of C«m

interests of the

Roman commonwealth were His friends and the au-

so little connected.

Rome were

thorities at

continually urging

They were

to return.

him

especially indignant at

his proti acted neglect of his

own

proper duties,

from knowing that he was held in Egypt by a guilty attachment to the queen

—thus not only

violating his obligations to the state, but like-

wise inflicting upon his wife Calpurnia, and his family at

Rome, an

But

intolerable wrong.

Caesar was so fascinated by Cleopatra's charms,

and by the mysterious and unaccountable

in-

fluence which she exercised over him, that he

paid no heed to any of these remonstrancea

Even

after the

some months society.

company,

He in

war was ended he remained Egypt to enjoy his favorite's

would spend whole nights in her He made a feasting and revelry.

splendid royal progress with her through after the

war was

ous train of for

over, attended

Roman

guards.

Egypt

by a numerformed a plan

taking her to Rome, and marrying her there;

and he took measures

for

having the laws

oity altered so as to enable

him

r f

the

to do so, thcngb

he was already married. All these things produced great discontent

and disaffection among Csesa^'s friend*

%«»d

B.C. 4/.J

The Alexandrine Wak.

Public opinion of her eoadnet

Cteopatra'i ion Casarion.

throughout the son

tlie

Roman army.

The Egyptian*

strongly censured the conduct of Cleopatra

too,

179

was born

to her

about this time, whona

Alexandrians named, from his father, CsesaCleopatra

rion.

lation of mother,

was regarded

in the

new

re-

which she now sustained, not

with interest and sympathy, but with feelings of reproach and condemnation.

Cleopatra was all this time growing more and more accomplished and more and more beautibut her vivacity and spirit, which had been ful so. charming while it was simple and childlike, now began to appear more forward and bold. ;

It is

the characteristic of pure and lawful love

to soften

and subdue the heart, and infuse a

gentle and (luiet spirit into

all its

action

;

while

which breaks over the barriers that God and nature have marked out for it, tends to make woman masculine and bold, to indurate that

all

her sensibilities, and to destroy that gentle-

ness and timidity of demeanor which have so

great an influence in heightening her

charma

Cleopatra was beginning to experience these

ef-

She was indifferent to the opinions of hei â&#x20AC;˘nbjects, and was only anxious to maintain as fects.

long as CsPHar

possible

her guilty ascendency over

Cleopatra.

180 Cmur departs

fbr

[B.C.

HÂŤ Ukm Antaol wtik Ui^

Eobm.

Osesar, however, finally determined to set out

on his return to the capital. tra,

Leaving Cleopa

accordingly, a sufficient force to secure the

continuance of her power, he embarked the

mainder of leys,

and

re-

and galtook the unhappy

his forces in his transports

sailed

away.

Axsinoe with him, intending to exhibit her as a

trophy of his Egyptian victories on his arrival at

Rome.

B.C. 47.]

n»

Cleopatra

AInxMidrlne war rery ihort

Tti

Chapter Cleopatra f

181

a (c^uesn.

llHE war

•ztBBi

VIII. a

Queen.

by which CsBsar reinstated Cleo-

was not one of very long duration. CsBsar arrived in Egypt in pursuit of Pompey about the 1st of August the war was ended and Cleopatra established in se-*-

patra upon the throne

;

cure possession by the end of January the conflict, violent as

was very

brief,

was while

;

so that

continued,

the peaceful and commercial

pursuits of the Alexandrians having been inter-

rupted by

Nor

only for a few months.

war itself, or the derangements consequent upon it, extend very far into did either the

the interior of the country.

andria

itself

The

city of Alex-

and the neighboring coasts were

the chief scenes of the contest until Mithradates arrived at Pelusiura.

He,

ed across the Delta, and the

it is

true,

fought in the interior of the country.

however, after

all,

wa«

It was,

but a very small portion of

the Egyptian territory that ed by the war.

march-

final battle

The

was

directly affect-

great mass of the people.

Cleopatra.

182

[B.C. 4? The dtf

lUidiiui of Egypt.

occupying the lich and dered the

fertile tracts

repatrM)

which

bor-

arious branches of the Nile, and the

long and verdant valley which extended so into the heart of the continent,

ÂŠf the conflict

far

knew nothing

but by vague and distant rumors.

The

pursuits of the

went

on,

agricultural population

the time, as steadily and prosper-

all

ously as ever

;

so that

when

was

the conflict

ended, and Cleopatra entered upon the quiet

and peaceful possession of her power, she found that the resources of her empire were very

little

impaired.

She availed

herself, accordingly, of the reve-

nues which poured in very abundantly upon her, to enter

upon a career of the greatest

ury, magnificence, and splendor.

which had been done

The

to the palaces

public edifices of Alexandria by the

lux-

injuries

and other

fire,

and by

the military operations of the siege, were repaired. The bridges which had been broken down were rebuilt. The canals which had been 'jbstructed were opened again. The sea- water

was shut

off from the palace cisterns

;

the rub-

bish of demolished houses was removed

;

the

barricades were cleared from the streets; and the injuries

which the palaces had

suffered, ei-

ther from the violence of military engines or tht

Cleopatra

B.C. 47.]

Queen.

A new

file library rebnflt

rough occupation of the

183

cc41ection of man\uerlptk

Roman

stored once more, so far

The

former order and beauty.

five

which had been burned, could

be restored

;

reits

hundred

thousand manuscripts of the Alexandrian ry,

were

soldiery,

was speedily as was possible, to

In a word, the city

repaired.

libra-

not, indeed,

but, in all other respects, the city

soon resumed in appearance

Even in made an effort

dor.

all its

former splen-

respect to the library, Cleopatra to retrieve the loss.

She

repair-

ed the ruined buildings, and afterward, in the course of her said, in a

life,

manner

she brought together,

two hundred thousand

was

rolls

of manuscripts,

commencement of a new collection.

The

library, however, never acquired the

fame

as the

new

hereafter to be described, one

and distinction that had pertained

The former

to the old.

sovereigns of Egypt, Cleopatra's

ancestors, had generally, as has already been

shown, devoted the immense revenues which they extorted from the agriculturalists of the valley of the

Nile to purposes of amb"tion.

Cleopatra seemed in

now

disposed to expend

luxury and pleasure.

them

They, the Ptolemies,

had employed their resources in erecting vast structures, or founding magnificent institution* at Alexandria, to

add

to the glory of the city,

Cleopatra.

184 Lvnuy

and

knd ipla&dor.

[B.C.45

Deterioratlom of Claopatn'i

widen and extend

their

own

ohanetK

fame.

Cle-

opatra, on the other hand, as was, perhaps, nat-

urally to be expected of a young, beautiful, and

woman, suddenly

unpulsive

nous a position, and

unbounded wealth

raised to so conspio-

to the possession of

aiid

such

power, expended her

royal revenues in plans of personal display, and in scenes of festivity, gayety,

She adorned her barges

for

palaces,

and

built

magnificent

pleasure excursions on the Nile, and

expended enormous sums ges,

and enjoyment.

for

fact, so lavish

for dress, for

equipa-

sumptuous entertainments. In were her expenditures for these

and similar purposes during the early years of her reign, that she ried the

considered as having car-

extravagance of sensual luxury and

personal display and splendor beyond the limits that had ever before or have ever since been

attained

Whatever gentleness

of simplicity of character, and of

and kindness of

spirit

she might

have possessed in her earlier years, of course gradually disappeared under the influences of life as she now was leading. She was beautiful and fascinating still, but she began to grow selfish, heartless, and designing. Her littla brother he was but eleven years o/

Buch a course of

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Cleopatra

8.C.45.]

Rm young Ptolemy. age,

the marriage between

to take

when

them

He was

jea'ousy to her.

young

185

Cleopatra assassinatei him.

will be reoollected,

Queen.

CaBsar arranged

—was an

object of

now, of course, too

any actual share

in the exercise

of the royal power, or to interfere at all in his sister's

plans or pleasures.

growing

older.

But then he was

In a few years he would be

—which was the

upon by Caesar's arrangements, and, in fact, by the laws and usages of the Egyptian kingdom when he was to come into possession of power as king, and as the husband of Cleopatra. Cleopatra was extremely unwilling that the change in her relations to him and to the government, which this period was to bring, should take fifteen

place.

period of life fixed

Accordingly, just before the time ar-

rived, she

caused him to be poisoned.

His

death released her, as she had intended, from all

restraints,

reign alone.

life,

so far

and thereafter she continued

During the remainder of her as the enjoyment of wealth and

power, and of

all

other elements of external

prosperity could go, Cleo})atra's career

was one

She had no consciinterfere with the most full

»f uninterrupted success.

entious scruples to

and unrestrained indulgence of every propensity j( her heart,

and the means of indulgence were

Clbopatka.

LS6

[B.C.4&

EQa rapid ooorw of eoiH|ÂŤMl

Oareer at Csaar.

before her in the

The

most unlimited profusion.

only bar to her happiness

was the

impossibility

of satisfying the impulses and passions of thd

human

soul,

when they once break over the God and of na

bounds which the laws both of

:nre ordain for restraining them.

In the

mean

time, while Cleopatra

ing the early years of her reign in

was spend

all this lux-

ury and splendor, Caesar was pursuing his career, as the conqueror of the world, in the most

successful manner.

the death of Pompey,

he would naturally have succeeded at once to the enjoyment of the supreme power ; but hia delay in Egypt, and the extent to which

was

k^own that he was entangled with Cleopatra, encouraged and strengthened his enemies in various parts of the world.

which broke out

was

fact,

a revolt

Asia Minor, and which

absolutely necessary that he should proceed

was the immediate cause of Other plans foi his leaving Egypt at last. making head against CeBsar's power wore formed at once to quell,

\n Spain, in Africa, ÂŤkill

and

in Italy.

His military

and energy, however, were so great, and

the ascendency which he exercised over the

minds of men by his personal presence was so unbounded, and so astonishing, moreover, whs

BC.45.1

Clbopatra

Cleopatra doterBibiM to go to

the celerity with

Ron*.

Queen

187

FÂŤeUzgs of

ttie

which he moved from

HomaiM

conti-

nent to continent, and from kingdom to king-

dom,

tliat in

a very short period from the time

of his leaving Egypt, he had conducted most

and successful campaigns in

brilliant

all

the

three quarters of the world then known, had put

down

effectually all opposition to his power,

then had returned to

Rome

master of the world. course,

watched

and

the acknowledged

Cleopatra,

who

had, of

his career during all this

time

with great pride and pleasure, concluded, at last, to

go to

Rome and make

a visit to him

there.

The

people of

Rome

were, however, not pre-

pared to receive her very cordially.

was an

age in which vice of every kind was regarded with great indulgence, but the moral instincts of

mankind were

too strong to be wholly blind-

ed to the true character of so conspicuous an

example of w^ickedness as

Rome,

too,

this.

Arsinoe was

during this period of Ceesar's

had brought her there,

it will

life.

be recollected,

on his return from Egypt, as a prisoner, and as a trophy of his victory. to reserve her as

His design was,

a captive to grace his

in fact,

iumph.

A triumph, according to the usages of the ancient

Romans, waÂť a grand

celebration decreed

Cleopatra.

188 OtoMi'i

fow trinmpha.

by the senate

[B.C.4^

Nature of triumphal proceMlona

to great military oomn:an(ierÂŤ

of the highest rank,

when they returned from made

distant campaigns in which they had

great conquests or gained extraordinary victories.

Ceesar concentrated

one.

They were

Rome

for

triumphs into t-o

the last time, after having completed

the conquest of the world. this

all his

celebrated on his return

The

triumph occupied four days.

processions of

fact,

there

were four triumphs, one on each day for the four The wars and conquests which these

days.

ovations were intended to celebrate were those of Gaul, of Egypt, of Asia, and of Africa

;

and

the processions on the several days consisted of endless trains of prisoners, trophies, arms, banners, pictures, images, convoys of wagons load-

ed with plunder, captive princes and princesses, animals, wild and tame, and every thing else which the conqueror had been able to bring

home with him from

his

campaigns, to excite

the curiosity or the admiration of the people of the city, and illustrate the magnitude of his exploits.

course, the

Roman

generals,

when

engaged in distant foreign wars, were ambitioiu

back as many distinguished oaptivet and as much public plunder as they were able of bringing

to obtain, in order to add to the variety and

Cleopatra

B.C. 45.]

a (^ueen.

191

Sympathy of the ^oman paopto

ArslnoS.

iplendor of the triumphal procession their victories

were

by which

to be honored on their re-

was with this view that Ca3sar brought Arsinoe from Egypt and he had retained her

turn.

;

as his captive at

Rome

until his conquests

completed and the time

for

his

were

triumph

ar-

She, of course, formed a part of the

rived.

triumphal train on the Egyptian day.

She

walked immediately before the chariot in which She was in chains, like any other Caesar rode. captive, though her chains, in honor of her lofty

rank, were

The lation

made

effect,

of gold.

however, upon the

of seeing the

unhappy

Roman

popu-

princess, over-

whelmed as she was with sorrow and chagrin, moved slowly along in the train, among the other emblems and trophies of violence and plunder, proved to be by no means favorable tc Caesar. The populace were inclined to pity her, as she

and to sympathize with her in her sufferings.

sight of her distress recalled, too, to theli

minds the dereliction from duty of which Csesar

had been guilty of in his yielding to the enticements of Cleopatra, and remaining so long in

Egypt

Roman

to cho neglect of his proper duties as a

minister of state.

In a word, the tide

of admiration for Caesar's military exploits

whiob

Cleopatra.

192 Cmtv

[B.C.

FeMti and foadval*

overaoti hit part

aad been setting so strongly in his favor, seem ed inclined to turn,

and the city was

with

filled

aiurmurs against him even in the midst of

hif

triumphs In fact, the pride and vainglory which led

make his triumphs more splendid and mposing than any former conqueror had evei /njoyed, caused him to overact his part so as tc >8Bsar to

'^oduce elfects the reverse of his intentions

The case

of Arsinoe

was one example

of this

Instead of impressing the people with a sense oi the greatness of his exploits in Egypt, in depoÂť-

ing one queen and bringing her captive to in order that

Rome,

he might place another upon the

throne in her stead,

only reproduced

anew

the

censures and criminations which he had deserved by his actions there, but which, had

been

for

not

the pitiable spectacle of Arsinoe in the

might have been forgotten. There were other examples of a similar char act^r. There were the feasts, for instance. From the plunder which Caesar had obtained in his various campaigns, he expended the most

train,

enormous sums for

making

feasts

and spectacles

the populace at the time of his triumph.

large portion of the populace true,

was

pleased,

with the boundless indolgenoes thus

A it is

offer-

B.C. 45.J

Cleopatra

C^ueen.

Uot aad debauchery.

5d to

people

193 Pnbllc •ombAti.

them but the better part of the Roman were indignant at the waste and extrav;

tgance which were every where displayed.

many

days the whole city of

Rome

For

presented to

the view nothing but one wide-spread scene of riot

The

and debauchery.

people, instead of

being pleased with this abundance, said that

must have practiced the most extreme and lawless extortion to have obtained the vast CsBsar

amount of money necessary to enable him to supply such unbounded and reckless waste. There was another way, too, by which Caesar turned public opinion strngly against himself,

by the very means which he adopted ing a sentiment in his favor.

for creat-

The Romans,

among the other barbarous amusements which were practiced in the city, were specially fond of combats. These combats were of various kinds. They were fought sometimes between ferocious beasts of the cies, as

same

or of different spe-

dogs against each other, or against bulls,

lions, or tigers.

Any

animals, in fact, were

ployed for this purpose, that could be teased or

and ferocity in a fight Sometimes men were employed in these combats—captive soldiers, that had been taken in war, and brought to Rome to fight in the an>-

goaded into anger

16—13

Cleopatra.

194 The

[B.C.4A. Cjinbat spaa

wtlflclal lake.

phitheaters there

gladiators.

These meD

were compelled to contend sometimes with wild beasts, and sometimes with one another. Cap-

knowing how highly the Roman assemblies enjo /ed such scenes, determined to afford them the indulgence on a most magnificent scale, supposing, of course, that the greater and the more dreadful the fight, the higher would be the pleasure which the spectators would enjoy Id Accordingly, in making prepawitnessing it. ear;

rations for the festivities attending his triumph,

he caused a large

artificial

lake to be formed

at a convenient place in the vicinity of

where

of the city, for

Rome,

could be surrounded by the populace

and there he made arrangements

a naval battle.

great

number of galleys

were introduced into the lake. They were of the usual size employed in war. These galleys were manned with numerous soldiers. Tyrian

were put upon one side, and Egyptian upon the other and when all was ready, the two squadrons were ordered to approach and captives

;

fight

a real naval battle

for

the

amusement

enormous throngs of spectators that were assembled around. As the nations firom which the combatants in this conflict were respective* ly taken were hostile to each other, and as the the

B.C. 45.]

Cleopatra

Queen.

men

195

Tha paopla tbocked

Land combaU.

fought, of course, for their lives, the en-

gagement was attended with the usual horrors of a desperate naval encounter. Hundreds were slain.

The dead

bodies of the combatants

from the galleys into the lake,

fell

and the water*

it were dyed with their blood. There were land combats, too, on the same grand scale. In one of them five hundred foot

soldiers,

twenty elephants, and a troop of thirty This com-

horse were engaged on each side.

was an action greater, in respect to the number of the combatants, than the famous battle of Lexington, which marked the commencement of the American war and in respect to the slaughter which took place, it was bat, therefore,

;

The horror much even for

very probably ten times greater. ")f

these scenes proved to be too

the populace, fierce and merciless as

which they were intended

amuse.

was,

Csesar,

in his eagerness to outdo all former exhibitions

and shows, went beyond the limits within which the seeing of men butchered in bloody combats

agony and despair would serve for The people were a pleasure and a pastime. shocked and condemnations of Caesar's cruelty and dying

;

were added to the other suppressed reproaohet and eriminationa which every where arose.

Cleopatra.

196 Cleopatra's rlilt

[B.C.

Ceaai'* plan* for makliig himtelf

Uag

Cleopatra, during her visit to

Rome,

lived

openly with Caesar at his residence, and this excited very general displeasure.

fact,

while

the people pitied Arsinoe, Cleopatra, notwilh*

standing her beauty and her thousand persona*

accomplishments and charms, was an object

general displeasure, so far as public attention at all. The public mind much engrossed by the great pomovements made by Caesar and the ends

was turned toward her was, however, litical

Men

toward which he seemed to be aiming.

made a king and against him and

accused him of designing to be Parties

were formed

though

men

for

;

did not dare openly to utter their

sentiments, their passions became the more violent in proportion to the external force

Rome

at this time.

sar's cause,

He warmly espoused

and encouraged

ing himself king.

by which

Mark Antony was

they were suppressed.

his design of

mak-

once, in fact, offered to

place a royal diadem upon Caesar's head

â&#x20AC;˘ome public lic

celebration

Cae-

;

but the marks of pub-

disapprobation which the act elicited caused

him to desist. y^ At length, however, the time

arrived

when

Ctesar determined to cause himself to be pro-

alaimed king.

took advantasre of a certain

B.C. 44.]

Cleopatra

Queen. He

Conspiracy against Cesar.

remarkable conjuncture of public

197 is

ascaasinated

affairs,

which

can not here be particularly described, but which

seemed to him specially to favor his designs, and arrangements were made

for

having him

Invested with the regal power by the senate.

The murmurs and

the discontent of the people

at the indications that the time for the realiza-

was drawing nigh, became more and more audible, and at length a conspiracy was formed to put an end to the danger tion of their fears

by destroying the ambitious aspirant's life. Two stern and determined men, Brutus and Cassius, were the leaders of this conspiracy. They matured their plans, organized their band of associates, provided themselves secretly with

arms, and

day

when

the senate convened, on the

which the decisive vote was

have been

passed, Caesar himself proriding, they

boldly around

him

came up

in his presidential chair,

and

murdered him with their daggers. Antony, from whom the plans of the conspirators had been kept profoundly secret, stood by, kx>king on stupefied and confounded while the '^

deed wÂťs done, but utterly unable to render his friend ^

any

protection.

Cleopatra immediately returned to

Egypt

fled

from the city and

Cleopatra.

198 Anlaot raleaMd.

CalpomU monnii

[B.C. her

Arsinoe had gone away before.

hubuKTi dMdk

CaBsar,

ei-

ther taking pity on her misfortunes, or impelled,

perhaps, by the force of public sentiment,

which seemed inclined

to take part

with hei

against him, set her at liberty immediately

aftei

the ceremonies of his triumph were over.

would

not, however, allow her to return into

for fear, probably, that she might in some way or other be the means of disturbing She proceeded, the government of Cleopatra. acoordingly, into Syria, no longer as a captive, but still as an exile from her native land. We shall hereafter learn what became of her there. Calpurnia mourned the death of her husband with sincere and unaffected grief. She bore the wrongs which she suffered as a wife with a very patient and unrepining spirit, and loved her husband with the most devoted attachment to the Nothing can be more affecting than the end. proofs of her tender and anxious regard on the

Egypt,

night immediately preceding the assassination

There were certain slight and obscure indioa^ tions of danger which her watchful devotion tc her husband led her to observe, though they eluded the notice of

all

Caesar's other/riends,

and they filled her with apprehension and anxÂŤ and when at length the bloody body 'ÂŤty ;

U.C.44.]

Cleopatra

Calpumia looks

Queen.

Mark Antony

199

as her protector.

brought home to her from the senate-house, she

was overwhelmed with grief and despair. She had no children. She accordingly lookÂť ed upon Mark Antony as her nearest friend and protector,

and

in the confusion

prevailed the next

day

and

terror

which

in the city, she hastily

packed together the money and other valuables contained in the house, and

all

her husband's

books and papers, and sent them to Antony safe keeping.

foi

Cleopatra.

200

[B.C.44

Rome

Gontteinadoii at

CeMi'i

Chapter

The Battle

WHEN

IX.

of Philippl

the tidings of the assassination of

Caesar were

first

announced

to the

peopU

men werÂŤ consternation. No amazement and struck with one knew what to say or do. A very large and

Rome,

all

ranks and classes of

community had been was equally certain that

influential portion of the

CsBsar's friends.

there

was a very powerful

hitn.

interest opposed to

one could foresee which of these two

would now carry the day, and, of course, for a time, all was uncertainty and indecision. Mark Antony came forward at once, and asparties

sumed the

position of Caesar's

representative

and the leader of the party on that

side.

will was found among Caesar's effects, and when the will was opened it appeared that large sums of money were left to the Roman people, and other large amounts to a nephew of the deceased, named Octavius, who will be more particularly gpoken of hereafter. Antony was named in the will as the

executor of

it.

This and other

oir-

The Battle

B.C. 44]

of I^hilippi. 201

Brutua aud Cassiua.

Partlea

formeA

cumstances seemed to authorize him to oome forward as the head and the leader of the Caesar party.

Brutus and Cassius, who remained

openly in the city after their desperate deed had

been performed, were the acknowledged leaders of the other party

were at

first

;

while the mass of the people

so astounded at the

magnitude

and suddenness of the revolution which the open

and public assassination of a Roman emperor by a RomEin senate denoted, that they knew not what to say or do. In fact, the killing of Juliui* Caesar, considering the exalted position

which

he occupied, the rank and station of the

who

men

perpetrated the deed, and the very extra-

ordinary publicity of the scene in which the act

was performed, was, doubtless, the most conspicuous and most appalling case of assassination that has ever occurred.

The whole popu-

lation of Rome seemed for some days to be amazed and stupefied by the tidings. At length, however, parties began to be more distinctly formed. The lines of demarkation between ^hem were gradually drawn, and men began to arrange themselves more and more unequivo-

cally on the opposite sides.

For a

short time the

â&#x20AC;˘ver the Caesar party

was

supremacy of Antony readily acquiesced Ui

Cleopatra.

202 OeUrtiu uid Lepldna.

[B.C.44 Character of Octerlna

and allowed. At length, however, and before hia arraHgements were finally matured, he found that he had two formidable competitors upon his

â&#x20AC;˘wn

These were Octavius and Lepidus. who was the nephew of Caesar, already alluded to, was a very accomplished and slegant young man, now about nineteen years side.

Ootavius,

of ago.

He had nnole.

He was the son of Julius Caesar's niece.* always been a great favorite with his

Every

possible attention

to his education,

had been paid

and he had been advanced by

Caesar, already, to positions of high importance in public

his son,

life.

Caesar, in fact, adopted

and made him

was

of Caesar's death he

his heir.

command

with him,

for

The

troops under

march at once Rome, and avenge Octavius, after some hesita-

concluded that

him

there offered to

he wished

his uncle's death. tion,

him

the time

at Apollonia, a city of

Qlyricum, north of Greece. his

it,

would be most prudent

to proceed thither first himself, alone,

as a private person, and

demand

his rights as

* Thu Octavius od hia sahseqaent elevation to imperia power, received the name of Aagustiu Ccesar, and it is by thia name that he is generally known in history. He was,

however, called Octavius and, to avoid confusion, this

name

to the

at the

we shall

end of our

commencement

of his career,

continue to designate him by

narrativa.

The Battlb

B.C.44.J

OcUrlut proceed*

of Philippl 203 HÂŤ

Konw.

elainu hlÂŤ rl|hU

m htlr.

his uncle's heir, according to the provisions of

the will.

on his

accordingly did

so.

found,

arrival, that the will, the property, the

and parchments, and the substantial power of the government, were ail in Antony's Antony, instead of putting Octavius hands. into possession of his property and rights, found books

various pretexts for evasion and delay. vius

was

weighty too

too

yet, he said, to

assume such

He was

himself also

responsibilities.

much

fairs to

young

Octa-

pressed with the urgency of public af-

attend to the business of the will.

With

these and similar excuses as his justification,

Antony seemed

inclined to pay no regard what-

ever to Octavius's claims.

Octavius, young as he was, possessed a character that spirit,

was marked with great

and resolution.

powerful friends in the city

Roman

intelligence,

made many of Rome and among soon

tion

became a serious queswhether he or Antony would gain the great-

est

ascendency in the party of Caesar's friends.

the

The

senate.

contest for this ascendency was, in fact,

protracted for

two

and

civil

and led to a and maneuvers,

or three years,

vast complication of intrigues,

wars, which can not, however, be here

particularly detailed.

Cleopatra-

f04 t^fUmn

Ukm eommand

The

(B.C. 44 Tbs

of tbe *rmy.

other competitor which

Antony had

â&#x20AC;˘ontend with was a distinguished eral

named

of the army,

I^epidus.

triuravirat*

Roman

Lepidus was an

in very high

command

gen-

officer

at the timo

He was present in the senate of Csesar's death. chamber on the day of the assassination. He stole secretly away when he saw that the deed was done, and repaired to the camp of the army without the city and immediately assumed the command of the forces. This gave him great power, n^d in the course of the contests which

subsequently ensued between Antony and Oo-

an active part, and held in some measure the balance between them. At length the contest was finally closed by a coalition of Finding that they could not the three rivals. either of them gain a decided victory over the others, they combined together, and formed the celebrated triumvirate, which continued after

tavius, he took

ward

mand

for

some time

in the

to wield the

Roman

world.

supreme com-

In forming this

league of reconciliation, the three rivals held their conference on an island situated in one of

the branches of the Po, in the north of Italy.

They manifested extreme jealousy and of each other 'n

bridges ware

suspicion

coming to this interview.

Two

built leading to the island, onÂŤ

B.C. 43

The Battle

of Philippi. 20S

Conference between Octarlua, Lepidoa, and Antony.

from each bank of the stream. The army of Antony was drawn up upon one side of the river,

and that of Octavius upon the other. Lepiduf went first to the island by one of the bridges. A-fter

examining the ground

himself sure that

carefully, to

make

contained no ambuscade,

he made a signal to the other generals, who then came over, each advancing by his own bridge,

and accompanied by three hundred guards, who remained upon the bridge to secure a retreat for their

master in case of treachery.

The

con-

ference lasted three days, at the expiration of

which time the

articles

were

all

agreed upon

and signed. This league being formed, the three confederates turned their united force against the par-

ty of the conspirators.

and CassJus were

The

still

this party Brutofl

at the head.

scene of the contests between Octavius,

Antony, and Lepidus had been chiefly Italy and the other central countries of Europe.

Brutus

and Cassius, on the other hand, had gone across the Adriatic Sea into the East immediately after Cfcsar's assassination.

They were now

Asia Minor, and were employed in concentrating their forces, forming alliances with the vs rious Eastern powers, raising troops, briusing

Cleopatha

206 BmbsMage

[B.C. 41. Her imet^cm

to Cleopatrs.

over to their side the

Roman legions which were

stationed in that quarter of the world, seizing

magazines, and exacting contributions from

who

could

b*)

\.mong other embassages which they

went

Egypt

all

induced to favor their cause.

demand

one

sent,

aid from Cleopatra.

Cleopatra, however, -was resolved to join the other side in the contest.

â&#x20AC;˘he should

and

feel grateful to

was natural

that

Caesar for his efforts

sacrifices in her behalf,

and that she should

be inclined to favor the cause of his friends. Accordingly, instead of sending troops to aid

Brutus and Cassius, as they had desired her to do, she immediately fitted out an expedition to proceed to the coast of Asia, with a view of rendering

all

the aid in her power to Antony's

cause.

Cassius, on his part, finding that Cleopatra

was determined on

joining his enemies,

diately resolved on proceeding at once to

immeEgypt

and taking possession of the country.

also

stationed a military force atTaenarus, the south-

promontory of Greece, to watch

for

tercept the fleet of Cleopatra as soon as

appear on the European plans,

however

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; both

shores.

and

in-

should

All these

those which Cleopatra

formerl against Cassius,

and those which CaÂť

B.C. 41.]

The Battlb

CmsIiu abandoDB

Approach of the triamrln

hit design*.

sins formed against her

ment.

207

of Philippi.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

failed of accomplish-

Cleopatra's fleet encountered a terrible

Btorm, which dispersed and destroyed

it.

was driven upon the coast of which could As be made available for the purpose intended small remnant

Africa, but nothing could be saved

for Cassius's

intended expedition to Egypv,

was not carried into effect. The dangers which began now to threaten him from the direction of Italy

Rome were

and

so imminent, that, at

Brutus's urgent request, he gave up the Egyptian plan,

and the two generals concentrated

meet the armies of the triumviwere now rapidly advancing to at-

their forces to

rate which

They passed

tack them.

for this

purpose across

the Hellespont from Sestos to Abydos, and entered Thrace.*

After various marches and countermarches,

and a long succession of those maneuvers by which two powerful armies, approaching a contest,

endeavor each to gain some position of ad-

vantage against the other, the various bodies of troops belonging, respectively, to the ers,

came

two pow-

into the vicinity of each other near

Brutus and Cassius arrived here first. There was a plain in the neighborhood of the

Philippi.

SeÂŤ map,

at the fruntispiece.

Cleopatra.

ÂŤ08

[B.C.4L

Hw â&#x20AC;˘rmtM meet at PbtllppL city,

flkkiMiM of OetaT^M

with a rising ground in a certain portion Brutti

it.

took possession of this elevation,

and intrenched himself

there.

Cassius posted

his forces about three miles distant, near the

There was a line of intrench men ts besea. tween the two camps, which formed a chain of communication by .which the positions of the two commanders were connected. The armies were thus very advantageously posted. They had the River Strymon and a marsh on the left of the ground that they occupied, while the plain

was

before them, and the sea behind.

Here they awaited the arrival of their foes. Antony, who was at this time at Amphipolis, a city not

far distant

from Philippi, learning

that Brutus and Cassius had taken their positions in anticipation of an attack, advsnced im-

mediately and encamped upon the plain.

Oc-

was detained by sickness at the city of Dyrrachium, not very far distant. Antony

tavins

waited

for

came.

him.

was ten days

before he

length he arrived, though in coming

be had to be borne upon a eiok to travel in

litter,

being

any other way.

proached, and established his

camp

still

Antony

too

ap-

opposite to

that of Cassius, near the sea, while Ootaviut

took post opposite to Brutus.

The

four armies

B.C. 41.]

Thl Battle

of Philippi.

Differ«nce of opinion between Brutus and CaMiuB.

209

Council of war.

then pansed, contemplating the probable result*

engagement that was about to ensue The forces on the two sides were nearly

of the

equal

but on the Republican

;

side, that is,

the part of Brutus and Cassius, there

was great

want

of a suffi-

inconvenience and suffering for

cient supply of provisions and stores.

was some

difference of opinion

and Cassius

them enemy

in respect to

since,

what

was

Brutus was inclined

to do.

battle.

There

between Brutus best for

to give the

Cassius was reluctant to do

so,

under the circumstances in which they

were placed, he considered as they necessarily

must

unwise

do, the

to hazard,

whole success

of their cause to the chances of a single battle A.

council of war

officers

was convened, and the various

were asked

this conference,

ommended

to give their opinions.

one of the

officers

to postpone the conflict to the next

winter, Brutus asked

him what advantage he

hoped to attain by such delay ing

else,**

much

having rec-

" If I gain noth>

replied the officer, " I shall live so

This answer touched Casand military sense of honor. Rather than concur in a counsel which was thus, on the longer."

•ius's pride

the part of one of its ad\rocat«s at least, dictated

by what he considered an inglorious love of life, 16—14

Cleopatra,

210

[B.C.41 Bmtoa

ftacision of the connclL.

he preferred to retract his opinion. agreed by the council that the

maintain

The

its

officers

ground and give the

greatiy elated

was

army shonid enemy battle.

then repaired to their respectiTe

camps.

Brutus was greatly pleased at this decision. fight the battle had been his original desire, and as his counsels had prevailed, he was, of

course, gratified with the prospect for the mor-

row.

arranged a sumptuous entertainment

in his tent,

and invited all the officers of his diarmy to sup with him. The party

vision of the

spent the night in convivial pleasures, and in

mutual congratulations at the prospect of the victory which, as they believed, awaited them on the morrow. Brutus entertained his guests with brilliant conversation

io^ired them with his

all

own

the evening, and

confident anticij:ÂŤ-

tions of success in the coniiict

which was

camp

ensue.

Cassias, on the other hand, in bis

and desponding. He sapped privately with a few intimate friends. On risthe sea,

was

silent

ing from the table, he took one of his officer* aside, and, pressing his hand, said to

felt

him that

great misgivings in respect to the resalt

â&#x20AC;˘f the contest.

It is against

my judgment.'

The Bittle

B.C.41.]

FreparaUons for battU

Deapoodeocy of CawliM.

said he, " that

Rome on

thus hazard the liberty of

the event of one battle, fought under

Whatever

such circumstances as these. result, I

that I

of Philippi.

wish you to bear

was

forced into this

measure by circum

stances that I could not control.

however, that

ought

thÂŤ

witness hereafter

suppose,

to take courage, notwith-

standing the reasons that

have

these

for

gloomy forebodings. Let us, therefore, hope for the best and come and sup with me again tomorrow night. To-morrow is my birth-day." ;

The next morning,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

the scarlet mantle

customary signal displayed

Roman camps

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;was seen

the morning of a day of battle tops of the tents of the

the

at the

two commanding gen-

waving there in the air like a banner. While the troops, in obedience to this signal, were preparing themselves for the conflict, the two generals went to meet each other at a point midway between their two encampments, for a final consultation and agreement in respect to

erals,

the Eurrangements of the day.

ness

When

this busi-

was concluded, and they were about

own Brutus what Cassius asked he

separate, in order to proceed each to his

sphere of duty,

intended to do in case the day should go against them. " hope for the best," said he, " Bad

Cleopatra.

2V^ KeMlntioa of Bmtu* to

this

Similar retolTe of

die.

pray that the gods

IB.C.41

may

most momentous

CaMlnj

grant us the victory

But we must

crisis.

in re-

member that it is the greatest and the most momentous of human affairs that are always the most uncertain, and we can not foresee what is

to-day to be the result of the battle.

goes against us,

what do you intend

do ?

you intend to escape, or to die ?" " When I was a young man," said Brutus, in reply, " and looked at this subject only as a question of theory, I thought it wrong for a man ever to take his evils that

own

However great

life.

rate his condition, I considered live,

and

wait ))atiently

his

which

the subject in a different light.

gain the battle this day,

duty

I shall

possibility of saving

am,

consider

But

for better times.

now, placed in the position

and

the

threatened him, and however despe-

see

do not all

hope

our country forever

gone, and I shall not leave the field of battle alive."

Cassius, in his despondency, had

tame

made

the

and he wsls Brutus utter these sentiments.

resolution for himself before,

rejoiced to hear

He grasped

his colleague's

hand with a ooun-

tenanoe expressive of the greatest animation

and pleasure, and bade iiim farewell, Ba3nrg

The Battle

B.C. 41.]

of Philippl 213 Their Influence npon CaMitMb

Omen*.

We will go out boldly to face the enemy.

For

we are certain either that we shall conquer thenij »r that we shall have nothing to fear from their Yictory over us."

Cassius's dejection, and the tendency of his

mind

view of the prospects

to take a despairing

of the cause in which he

was engaged, were

owing, in some measure, to certain unfavorable

omens which he had

These omens,

observed.

though really frivolous and wholly unworthy of

seem

attention,

have had great influence upon

him, notwithstanding his general intelligence,

and the remarkable strength and energy of hia character.

They were

as follows

In offering certain sacrifices, he was to wear, according to the usage prescribed on such occasions, a garland of flowers, and

that the officer

who brought

mistake or accident, presented before.

happened

the garland, by it

wrong

side

Again, in some procession which was

formed, and in which a certain image of gold,

made

in honor of him,

was

borne, the bearer of

and the image was thrown upon the ground. This was a very dark preThen a great sage of impending calamity. number of vultures and other birds of prey wer« it

stumbled and

•eeuj

fi>r

fell,

a number of days before the

battle,

Cleopatra.

n0 awBiuu of bÂŤM.

V^aratiifi raeetred

hovering over the

ewarms

[RC.41

Roman army; and

by Brnta*

several

of bees were found within the precincta

of the camp.

So alarming was

this last indi-

cation, that the officers altered the line of the

intrenchments so as to shut out the ill-omened

These and other such had great influence upon the mind of Cassius, in convincing him that some great disaster was impending over him. . Nor was Brutus himself without warnings of this character, though they seem to have had leae power to produce any serious impression upon his mind than in the case of Cassius. The most extraordinary warning which Brutus respot from the camp.

things

ceived, according to the story of his ancient historians,

was by a supernatural

apparition which

he saw, some time before, while he was in Asia Minor.

He was encamped near th^ city of SarHe was always accustomed

dis at that time.

to sleep very little,

when was still,

and would

all his officers

sit

had

often, it

retired,

was said

and the camp

alone in his tent, sometimes readÂŤ

and sometimes revolving the anxious cares which were always pressing upon his mind

ing,

One night he was thus alone in his tent, with m small lamp burning before him, sitting lost fad thought, when he suddenly heard a n>-*

The Battle

B.C. 41.] Tbe

apirit

Men by

op Philippi. 215 HI* conTerMdon with

Brutua

some one entering the tent. He saw a strange, unearthly, and monstrous shape, which appeared to have just entered the door and was coming toward him. The spirit gazed upon him as it advanced, but

ment

as of

looked up, and

did not speak.

who was

Brutus,

not

much accustomed

demanded of the apparition who and was, and what had brought it there.

fear, boldly

what

shall

your

spirit," said the apparition.

evil

meet you

at Philippi."

" Then,

seems," said Brutus, " that, at any rate, I shall

The

â&#x20AC;˘ee you again." this,

spirit

made no

reply to

but immediately vanished.

Brutus

arose,

went

to the door of his tent,

summoned

the sentinels, and

diers that

were sleeping

Had seen nothing

;

awakened the

near.

The

sol-

sentinels

and, after the most diligent

search, no trace of the mysterious visitor could

be found.

The next morning Brutus

related to Cassioa

the occurrence which he had witnessed. sias,

though very sensitive,

fluence of

omens

Cas-

seems, to the

affecting himself,

was

in-

quite

philosophical in his views in respect to those of

He argued very rationally with Brutos to convince him that the vision whiob

other men.

Cleopatra.

216

[B.C.4i DefcM of OeteTtu

IUttl« of PhillppL

he had seen was only a phantom of sleep, tak ing

its

form and character from the ideas and

images which the situation in which Brutus was then placed, and the fatigue and anxiety

which he had endured, would naturally impress

upon

his

But

mind.

Brutus fought

to return to the battle.

•gainst Octavius

;

while Cassius, two or three

miles distant, encountered Antony, that hav-

ing been, as will be recollected, the disposition of the respective armies and their

upon the

plain.

encampments

Brutus was triumphantly suc-

His troops de-

cessful in his part of the field.

army of Octavius, and got possession camp. The men forced their way into

feated the of his

Ootavius's tent, and pierced the

litter in

which

they supposed that the sick general was lying

But was not

through and through with their spears. the object of their desperate hostility

had been borne away by his guards a few minutes before, and no one knew what bad become of him. there.

The

result of the battle was, however, unfoi

tnnately for those whose adventures

more particularly

we are now

following, very different in

Cassius's part of the

field.

When Brutus, after

oompleting the conquest of his

own immediat«

B.C. 41.]

The Battle

of Philippi. Brntu* goei to

Defeat of CbmIqji.

foes,

217 hU

aid

returned to his elevated camp, he looked

toward the camp of Cassius, and was surprised to find

that the tents had disappeared.

Soma

weapons glan* oing and glittering in the sun in the place where Brutus now Cassius's tents ought to appear. suspected the truth, which was, that Cassius had been defeated, and his camp had fallen into He immediately colthe hands of the enemy. lected together as large a force as he could command, and marched to the relief of his colof the officers around perceived

league.

found him, at

last,

posted with a

small body of guards and attendants upon the

which he had fled Cassius saw the troop of horsemen for safety. which Brutus sent forward coming toward him, top of a small elevation to

and supposed that it was a detachment from Antony's army advancing to capture him. He, however, sent a messenger forward to meet

them, and ascertain whether they were friends or foes.

The

name was TiThe horsemen recognized

messenger, whose

tinius, rode dovra.

Titinius, and, riding

up eagerly around

iiim,

they dismounted from their horses to congratulate

him on

his safety,

and to press him with

inquiries in respect to the result of the battl*

And the

fate of his master.

Cleopatra-

218

[B.C.41 Orief of BrvtoA

Death of Caaalwa.

Cassius, seeing distinctly,

all this,

but not seeing

very

supposed that the troop of horsemen

were enemies, and that they had surrounded Titinius, and had cut him down or made him

prisoner.

that

all

considered

was now

finally lost.

certain, therefore,

Accordingly, in

execution of a plan which he had previously formed, he called a servant,

whom

named Pindarus,

he directed to follow him, and went into

When Brutus and horsemen came up, they entered the tent.

a tent which was near. his

They found no

living person within

;

but the

dead body of Cassius was there, the head being totally dissevered

from

Pindarus was never

it,

afterward to be found.

Brutus was overwhelmed with grief at thÂŠ death of his colleague

;

he was also oppressed

with a double burden of responsibility and

care, since

now

the whole conduct of affairs de-

volved upon him alone.

rounded with

found himself sur-

which became more

difficulties

and more embarrassing every day. he

was compelled

to fight

details of the contest itself

the result of

a second battle.

we can

length

The

not give, but

was, that, notwithstanding the

most unparalleled and desperate exertions made by Brutus to keep his men to the work, and to

B.C. 41.]

The Battle

op Philippi. 219 His retreat

Defeat of Bratu*.

maintain his ground, his troops were borne down

and overwh^med by the irresistible onsets of his enemies, and his cause was irretrievably and hopelessly ruined.

When

Brutus found that

all

lowed hinnself to be conducted

was

lost,

small body of guards, who, in their

broke through the ranks of the

off the field

al-

by a

retreat,

enemy on a

side

where they saw that they should meet with the

They

least resistance.

were, however, pursued

by a squadron of horse, the horsemen being

make Brutus a prisoner. In this emerone of Brutus's friends, named Luciliua,

eager to gency,

conceived the design of pretending to be Brutusi, and, as suoh^ surrendering himself a prisoner

This plan he carried into

effect.

When

the

came up, he called out for quarter, said that he was Brutus, and begged them to spare his life, and to take him to Antony. The men troop

did so, rejoiced at having, as they imagined, se-

cured so invaluable a prize. In the

mean

time, the real Brutus pressed

oa to make his escape.

which came

in his

crossed a brook

way, and entered

into a little

which promised to afford a hiding-place, since it was encumbered with precipitous rock* and shaded with trees. A few friends and f\f&

dell,

Clkopatba

220 fittoAtlait

of Brutal ia

The helmet of watet

glen.

oers

accompanied Brutus in

80on

came

on,

[B.C.41

Night

his flight.

and he lay down in a

little

recess

under a shelving rock, exhausted with fatigue

and

Then, raising his eyes to heaven,

suffering.

he imprecated, in lines quoted from a Greek poet, the just

who were

judgment of God upon the foes what he

at that hour triumphing in

considered the ruin of his country.

then, in his anguish and despair,

enumerated by name the several friends and companions

whom

he had seen

mourning the the

mean

loss of

fall

that day in battle,

each with bitter

time, night

was coming

grief.

party, concealed thus in the wild dell, titute

and unsheltered.

and the were des-

on,

Hungry and

thirsty,

and spent with fatigue as they were, there

seemed

be no prospect

number

for

them

of either rest

Finally they sent one of their

or refreshment.

to steal softly

back to the rivulet which

they had crossed in their retreat, to bring them

some water.

The

soldier took his

helmet

in, for want of any other vessel. While Brutus was drinking the water which they brought, a noise was heard in the opposite

bring the water

direction.

Two

of the officers

eertain the cause.

porting that there

were sent

They came back was a party of

the

to as-

soon, re-

enemy

B.C. 41.]

The Battle

of Philippi. 221

Bmtui Burrounded.

that quarter.

Propoaal of StatDitu

They asked where

which had been brought. that

had

all

was them

the water

Brutus

told

been drank, but that he would

send immediately

for

more.

The messenger

went accordingly to the brook again, but he came back very soon, wounded and bleeding, and reported that the enemy was close upon them on that side too, and that he had narrowly escaped with his

life.

The

apprehensions of

Brutus's party were greatly increased by these tidings

must

able to

was evident that

all

hope of being

remain long concealed where they were

fast disappear.

One

of the officers,

posed to

make

of .the snare in

He would avoiding

named

Statilius, then pro-

the attempt to find his

way

out

which they had become involved.

go, he said, as cautiously as possible, all parties

of the enemy, and being

by the darkness of the night, he hoped some way of retreat. If he succeeded, he would display a torch on a distant elevation which he designated, so that the party in the glen, on seeing the light, might be assured of his safety. He would then return and guide all through them the danger, by the way which favored

to find

ae should have discovered.

This plan was approved, and Statilius

ao-

Clkopatra.

222 Anxtoty and auapenfe.

[B.C. 41 RÂŤÂŤoluiion of

oordingly departed.

BnUsA

In due time the light wag

seea burning at the place which had been point ed out, and indicating that Statilius had accom-

Brutus and hLs party were greatly cheered by the new hope which They began to watoh this result awakened.

plished his undertaking.

and listen for their messenger's return. They watched and waited long, but he did not come. On the way back he was intercepted and slain. When at length all hope that he would return was finally abandoned, some of the party, in the course of the despairing consultations

which the unhappy fugitives held with one anmust not remain any longer where they were, but must make their escape

other, said that they

from that spot at Brutus,

"we must

all

hazards.

indeed

from our present situation,

" Yes," said

make our escape but we must do it

with our hands, and not with our feet"

lie

meant by this that the only means now left to them to evade their enemies was self-destruction.

was

When his

his friends understood that this

meaning, and that he was resolved

put this design into execution in

his

own

they were overwhelmed with sorrow.

casei,

Brutus

took them, one by one, by the hand and bade

them farewell. Ho thanked them

for their fidel-

The Battle

B.C. 41.]

of Philippi. 223 The

Brntna's farewell to hia friends.

ity in

adhering to his cause to the

last

dwj>

and said

last,

was a source of great comfort and satisfaction to him that all his friends had proved so that

and true. " I do not complain of hard fate," he added, " so far as I myself faithful

concerned

mourn only for my unhappy coun-

As to myself, I think that my condition now is better than that of my enemies;

try.

even Qir,

my am

though

I die, posterity will

justice,

and I shall enjoy forever the honor which virtue and integrity deserve while they, though they ;

only to reap the bitter fruits of injus-

live, live

tice

and

of tyranny.

" After

gone," he continued, addressing

" think no longer of me,

his friends, as before,

Antony,

but take care of yourselves. will be satisfied

will not

tively

am sure,

with Cassius's death and mine.

be disposed to pursue you vindic-

any longer.

Make

peace with him on

the best terms that you can."

Brutus then asked

first

other of his friends to aid

one and then an-

him

in the last duty,

as he seems to have considered his

life

;

it,

of destroying

but one after another declared that

they could not do any thing to assist him in carrying into effect so dreadful a determination. Finally, he tool with

him an

old

and long-tried

Clejfatra-

224

B.U. 41

Death of Brnto*.

friend

Bitnatlon of Anton j

named

Strato,

apart from the rest.

and went away a little, Here he solicited onoc

more the favor which had been refused him beforeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;begging that Strato would hold out his sword. Strato still refused. Brutus then called

Upon

one of his slaves.

this Strato declared

that he would do ^ny thing rather than that

Brutus should die by the hand of a

slave.

took the sword, and with his right hand held

extended in the

air.

With

the

left

hand he

covered his eyes, that he might not witness the horrible

spectacle.

point of the

fell

Brutus rushed upon the

weapon with such

fatal force that

and immediately expired. the great and famous

Thus ended

battle ol

marking the termination of the great conflict between the friends and the enemies of Cassar, which agita> Philippi, celebrated in history as

tod the world so deeply after the conqueror's death.

This battle established the ascendencj

of Antony, and

made him

for

a time the mcml

eonspiouous man, as Cleopatia was the moti ecnspicnous

woman,

in the world.

Cleopatra and Antony.

B.C. il.]

Glaopwn eaponaw Antony's ea«M.

226

Her mottre*.

Chapter

Cleopatra and Antony.

HOW

was

far Cleopatra

influenced, in het

determination to espouse the cause of An-

tony rather than that of Brutus and Cassius, the civil

war described

in the last chapter, by

gratitude to Caesar, and

how

far,

on the other

hand, by personal interest in Antony, the reader

must judge.

Cleopatra had seen Antony,

some years before, during Egypt, when she was a young girl.

will be recollected, his visit to

She was doubtless well acquainted with his It was a character peculiarly fitted, in some respects, to captivate the imagination

character.

of a

woman

as Cleopatra

and impulsive, and bold

so ardent,

was

Antony had,

fast

becoming.

in fact,

made himself an

object

of universal interest throughout the world, by his wild

and eccentric manners and

recklesJl

conduct, and by the very extraordinary

tudes which had marked his career. character he

praved as 16—15

was was

In moral

as utterly abandoned possible to be.

vicissi-

and

In early

deIif(».

Cleopatra.

226 Aotony** early

[6.C.41 Bla character

life.

as has already been stated, he plunged into such

a course of dissipation and extravagance that

he became utterly and hopelessly ruined rather, he

would have been

so,

had he

or,

;

not,

the influence of that magic power of fascination

which such characters often

possess, succeeded

young immense fortune, named Curio, who for a time upheld him by becoming surety for hia in gaining a great -ascendency over a

man

This resource, however, soon

debts.

failed,

and

Antony was compelled to abandon Rome, and some years as a fugitive and exile, in During all dissolute wretchedness and want. to live for

the subsequent vicissitudes through which he

passed in the course of his career, the same

when-

habits of lavish expenditure continued,

ever he had funds at his

command.

in his character took the

noble generosity.

This

In his campaigns, the plun-

der which he acquired he usually divided his sokliers, reserving

made and

his

led

virtue,

rive

men

them

nothing

for

among

himself

This

enthusiastically devoted to him, to consider his prodigality as

even when they did not themselves de-

any direct advantage from it. were always in circulation

stories

trait

form sometimes of a

A thousand in

camp

acts on his part illustrating his reckless disre*

Cleopatra and Antony.

B.C. 41.]

Penonal biabiu of Antony

H]a

227

drsM and manoMna

gard of the value of money, some Indiorons, and eooentrio and strange.

all

In his personal habits, too, he

self

was

ent as possible from other men.

as differ-

prided him-

on being descended from Hercules, and he

affected a style of dress

manner

and a general

air

and

in accordance with the savage charac

His features nose was arched and prominent,

ter of this his pretended ancestor.

were sharp,

his

and he wore

his hair

and beard very long

make them grow.

ong, in fact, as he could

These peculiarities imparted to his countenance a very wild and ferocious expression. He adopted a style of dress, too, which, judged of with reference to the prevailing fashions of the time,

gave to

his

whole appearance a rough, savage,

and reckless

air

His manner and demeanor

corresponded with his dress and appearance.

lived in habits of the

most unreserved

miliarity with his soldiers. ly

fa-

associated free-

with them, ate and drank with them in the

open

sdr,

and joined in

rude and boisterous

their noisy mirth

hilarity.

His

and

commandmg

poweis of mind, and the desperate recklessness of his courage, enabled

him

to do all this with-

out danger.

These

minds of the

soldiers a feeling of profound re>

qualities

inspired in the

Cleopatra.

228

[8.0.41 PnbUo

Vldoiu tatdoIgencM of Antony.

commander and this good opinwas enabled to retain, notwithstanding

speot for their ion he

eoodeninatlaik.

;

such habits of familiarity with his inferiors as

would have been

fatal to the influence of

cr-

dinary man. In the most prosperous portion of Antony's career

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

for

example,' during the period imme-

diately preceding the death of Caesar

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; he

ad-

dicted himself to vicious indulgences of the most

open, public, and shameless character.

around him a sort of court, formed of

jesters,

had

tumblers, mountebanks, play-actors, and other similar characters of the lowest and most dis-

reputable class.

Many

of these companions

were singing and dancing

girls,

and very highly accomplished but

their respective* professions,

rupt and depraved.

but

it is

tion of a

The

condemned

people were pagans,

it is

this

true,

a mistake to suppose that the forma-

moral sentiment in the community

against such vices as these

Christianity alone can perform. o<*

all totally cor-

Public sentiment, even in

that age and nation, strongly conduct.

very beautiful, in the arts of

a work which There is a law

nature, in the form of an instinct universal

ui the race, imperiously enjoining that the oon-

aection of the sexes shall consist of

thÂŤ)

^nion

B.C

41.]

'Cleopatra and Antony.

Tieet of the great

of one

man

his wife,

229

CaodldateB for offica

with one woman, and that

woman

and very sternly prohibiting every

otli-

So that there has probably never been a community in the world so corrupt, that a man er.

could practice in

such vices as those of An-

tony, without not only violating his

own

of right and wrong, but also bringing

upon him-

sense

condemnation of those around

self the general

him. Still,

the world are prone to be very tolerant

in respect to the vices cf the great.

alted personages as

Antony seem

ex-

common men. where those who occupy of trust or of power are actually standard from

by a

different

Even

in the countries

high stations

Such

to be judged

selected, for the purpose of being placed there,

by the voices of

their fellow-men, all inquiry

into the personal character of a candidate

condemned and improper, and they

often suppressed, such inquiry being as wholly irrelevant

who

succeed in attaining to power enjoy im-

munities in their elevation which are denied to

common men. But, notwithstanding the influence of An-

tony's rank

and power

in shielding

him from

public censure, he carried his excesses to such

an extreme that

his

conduit was very loudly

Cleopatra.

230 Aatany't

BSa loxory and extrarafanea

exeoMW^

very generally condemned.

and

spend

all

(B.C.41

would

the night in carousals, and then, the

aext day, would appear in public, staggering in

Sometimes he would enter the

the streets.

bunals

was

for

the transaction of business

so intoxicated that

tri-

when he

would be necessary

come to his assistance to conduct him away. In some of his journeys in the neighborhood of Rome, he would take a troop of companions with him of the worst possible character, and travel with them openly and without shame. There was a certain actress, named Cytheride, whom he made his companion on one such occasion. She was borne upon for friends to

litter in his train,

and he carried about with

him a vast collection and of splendid table

of gold and silver plate, furniture, together with

an endless supply of luxurious articles of food and of wine, to provide for the entertainments and banquets which he was to celebrate with He would sometimes stop her on the journey.

by the road

side, pitch his tents, establish his

kitchens, set his cooks at feast,

spread his tables, and

banquet of the most

work

to prepare a

make a sumptuous

costly, complete,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

and

cer-

emonious character all to make men wonder at the abundance and perfection of the means

B.C. 41.]

Cleopatra and Antonf.

Hia powers of endiiraDca

Antony's energy.

of luxury which he could carry with

ever he might go. to feel

231

fact,

him wher-

he always seemed

a special pleasure in doing strange ind

extraordinary things in order to excite surprise.

Once on a journey he had lions harnessed to hia carts to draw his baggage, in order to create a cionsation.

Notwithstanding the heedlessness with which

Antony abandoned himself

to these luxurious

Rome, no man could endure exposure and hardship better when in camp or

pleasures

on the

when

field.

In fact, he rushed with as

much

headlong precipitation into difficulty and danger

when when

abroad, as into expense and dissipation at home.

During

his contests

with Oo-

tavius and Lepidus, after Caesar's death, he Mice

had occasion to pass the Alps, which, with his

customary recklessness, he attempted to traverse without

means

any proper supplies of stores or He was reduced, on

of transportation.

the passage, together with the troops under his

command,

most extreme destitution and to feed on roots and herbs, and finally on the bark of trees and they barely preserved themselves, by these means, from actual starvation. Antony seemed, however, to eare nothing for all this, but pressed on through

distress.

to the

They had

;

Cleopatra.

232

Antoay'i vMiaitodes.

Inveigle*

[R.CAl

away the troops of Lepldna

the difficulty

and danger, manifesting the same

daring and determined unconcern to the end.

same campaign he found himself

In the

at one

time reduced to extreme destitution in respect to

men.

away

His troops had been gradually wasted

until his situation

perate.

had become very des-

conceived, under these

circum-

most extraordinary idea of going over alone to the camp of Lepidus and enticing stances, the

Âťway

his rival's troops

from under the very eyes

commander.

This bold design was suc-

of their

Antony advanced

cessfully executed.

aloiie,

clothed in wretched garments, and with

his

matted hair and beard hanging about

his breast

and shoulders, up to Lepidus's

The men,

who knew him mations

;

well, received

lines.

him with

and pitying the sad condition

accla-

which

saw that he was reduced, began to listen Lepidus, who could to what he had to say. not attack him, since he and Antony were not they

time in open

at that

were only

rival

'ordered the

make a of

hostility to

commanders

same army,

trumpeters to sound, in order to

noise which should prevent the words

Antony from being heard.

the negotiation; but the ifuised

each other, but

in the

two of

their

This interrupted

men immediately

number

di>

in female apparal

B.C. 41.] Antony't

Cleopatra and Anton*.

murUge.

233

Fnlvla'* charmctM

and sent them to Antony to make arrange-

ments with him

for

putting themselves under

command, and offering, at the same time, murder Lepidus, if he would but speak the word. Antony charged them to do Lepidus no injury. He, however, went over and took possession of the camp, and assumed the command of the army. He treated Lepidus himself, personally, with extreme politeness, and retained him as a subordinate under his command. Not far from the time of Caesar's death, Antony was married. The name of the lady was Fulvia. She was a widow at the time of her marriage with Antony, and was a woman of very marked and decided character. She had led a wild and irregular life previous to thii his to

ime, but she conceived a very strong attach* .nent to her to

new husband, and

him from the time

most constant

devoted herself

of her marriage with the

fidelity.

She soon acquired a

very great ascendency over him, aiid was thÂŤ

means

of effecting a very considerable reform in

She was an ambiand aspiring woman, and made many very efficient and successful efforts to promote the

his

conduct and character.

tious

elevation and aggrandizement of her husband.

She appeared,

also, to

take a great pride and

Cleopatra.

234 Palrb't liiflaÂŤiMe

ÂŤ>TÂŤr

{B.C. 41 The

Anttmj.

curddeti

ratan.

pleasure in exercising over him, herself, a great

personal control.

She succeeded

in these at-

tempts in a manner that surprised every body. It

seemed astonishing

to all

mankind that such

a tiger as he had been could be subdued by any

human

was

by gentleness and mildness that Fulvia gained such power over power.

her husband.

Nor,

She was

of a very stern and

masculine character, and she seems to have

mastered Antony by surpassing him in the use of h is

own weapons.

In fact, instead of attempt

ing to soothe and mollify him, she reduced him, it

seems, to the necessity of resorting to various

contrivances to soften and propitiate her. for

Once,

example, on his return from a campaign in

which he had been exposed to great dangers, he disguised himself and came home at night in the garb of a courier bearing dispatches.

causal himself to be ushered, muffled and

dis*

guised as he was, into Fulvia's apartments,

where he handed her some pretended letters, which, he said, were from her husband and ;

while Fulvia was opening them

in great ex-

citement and trepidation, he threw off his guise,

and revealed himself

to her

dis-

by clasping

her in his arms an i kissing her in the midsi of her

amazement.

B.C. 41.j Changa

Cleopatra anp Antont.

235

HIa genarodty

In Antony*! character.

Antony's marriage with Fulvia, besides being the

means of reforming

his

manners.

assumed a litical

his morals in

some

de-

and civilized him in re?pect to His dress and appearance now

gree, softened

different character.

fact, his po-

elevation after Caesar's death soon

became

very exalted, and the various democratic arts

by which he had sought being in

now no

to raise himself to

it,

longer necessary, were, as usual

such case? gradually discarded.

lived

and splendor when at Rome, and when absent from home, on his military campaigns, he began to exhibit the same pomp and

in great style

parade in his equipage and in his arrangements as

were usual

in the

camps

of other

Roman

generals.

After the battle of Philippi, described in the

—

Antony who, with all his faults, was sometimes a very generous foe as soon as the tidings of Brutus's death were brought to him, repaired immediately to the spot, and appeared to be quite shocked and concerned at

last chapter,

the sight of the body.

He took

—

off his

own

mil-

—which was a very magand garment, being enriched with many expensive ornaments— and spread over

itary cloak or nificent

mantle

costly

the corpse.

then gave directions to one of

Clkopatra.

236

[B.C. 41 Antony*! morÂŤmeatÂť

Foneral eeremonlea of Brutaa.

the officers of his household to

ments

for funeral

make

arrange-

ceremonies of a very impooing

character, as a testimony of his respect for the

memory it

In these ceremonies

of the deceased.

was the duty

of the officer to have burned

the military cloak which

Antony had

appropri-

ated to the purpose of a pall, with the body

The

did not, however, do so.

very valuable, he reserved also,

;

for the

cloak being

and he withheld,

a considerable part of the

had been given him neral.

money which

expenses of the

fu-

supposed that Antony would proba-

bly not inquire very closely into the details of

the arrangements

made

for

the funeral of his

most inveterate enemy. Antony, however, did inquire into them, and when he learned what the officer had done, he ordered him to be killed. The various political changes which occurred, and the movements which took place among the several armies after the battle of Philipf i,

can not be here detailed.

It is sufficient to

say

that Antony proceeded to the eastward through

Asia Minor, and in the course of the following year

came

into Cilicia.

sent a messenger to

moning her

From

Egypt

this place he

sumThere were

to Cleopatra,

to appear befrre him.

charges, he said, against her, of having aided

B.C.41.] intony'i

Cleopatra and Antony.

summons

The

to Cleopatra.

23'3

meg8eiii;er Oelliiia

Cassius and Brutus in the late war instead of

Whether

rendering assistance to him.

there

were any such charges, or whether they were only fabricated by Antony as pretexts for seeing Cleopatra, the fame of whose beauty was really

very widely extended, does not certainly appear.

However

this

may

queen to come to him. senger

was

summon the The name of the mes-

be, he sent to

whom Antony dispatched

with him at

on this errand

was not She had been left be.

Fulvia, Antony's wife,

Dellius.

this time.

hind at Rome.

Egypt and appeared at The queen was at this time

Dellius proceeded to Cleopatra's court.

about twenty-eight years ful,

very

was

much

but more beauti-

old,

than ever before.

said,

Dellius

was

struck with her beauty, and with a

and conversation, which her ancient biographers often speak as

certain fascination in her voice of

one of the most

irresistible of

told her that she It

was

into

might be against

in a very

few days

her.

what chargShe would find

after she

had entered

Antony's presence, she would be in great

favor. ins:,

of no consequence, he said,

es there *ihat,

her charms.

need have no fear of Antony.

She might

rely, in fact,

he said, on gain-

very speedily, an unbounded ascendono}

Ulkopatra

238

Hnr preparaOofM

Cleopatra raaolve* to go to Antony.

over the general.

[B.C.41

advised her, therefore, to

proceed to Cilicia without fear, and to present

much pomp and could command- He would

Antony

herself before

magnificence as she answer, he said,

for

in as

the result.

Cleopatra determined to follow this advice. In fact, her ardent and impulsive imagination

was' fired with the idea of making, a second time, the conquest of the greatest general and

highest potentate in the world. mexliately to

She employed pnwuring

means

make all

for

She began im-

provision for the voyage.

the resources of her kingdom herself the

most magnificent and splenornaments of

of display, such as expensive

did dresses, rich services of plate,

precious stones and of gold, and presents in

great variety and of the most costly description for

Antony.

She appointed, also, a numerous accompany her, and, in

retinue of attendants to a.

word,

made a^

an expedition

the arrangements complete

most imposing and mag-

ol the

nificent character.

for

While

these preparations

were going forward, she received new and

fre.

qnent communications from Antony, urging her to hasten her departure

fslt

;

but she paid very

lit-

was evident that she quite independent, and was intending tf

tle attention to

Jte bnr

own

them.

tiiamÂť

Cleopatra, and Antony.

B.C.41.]

Ctoopatra enten the

Her

Cjdmu.

length, however, all

was

239

iplendid barge.

ready, and Cle-

She crossed the Mediterranean mouth of the River CydAntony was at Tarsus, a city upon the au8. Cydnus, a small distance above its mouth. When Cleopatra's fleet had entered the river, she embarked on board a most magnificent barge which she had constructed for the occasion, and had brought with her across the sea. This barge was the most magnificent and highopatra set

sail.

Sea, and entereii the

ly-ornamented vessel that had ever been It

built.

was adorned with carvings and decorations

of the finest workmanship, and elaborately gilded.

The

were

inlaid

sails

were of purple, and the oars

and tipped with

silver.

Upon

the

deck of this barge Queen Cleopatra appeared,

ander a canopy o{ cloth of gold.

She was dressed

very magnificently in the costume in which Venus, the goddess of Beauty,

was then generally

She was surrounded by a company of beautiful boys, who attended upon her in the form of Cupids, and fanned her with their wings, and by a group of young girls represent"

represented.

Nymphs and the Graces. There was band of musicians stationed upon the deck. This music guided the oarsmen, as they kept ing the a

time to

in their

rowing

;

and, soft as the mÂŤl.

Cleopatra.

240 A aeene of enchantment

[B,C.4l

Antony*! InTltation refnaed

ody was, the strains were heard

and wide

far

over the water and along the shores, as the beautiful vessel advanced on its way.

The

performers were provided with flutes, lyres, viols,

and

all

the other instruments customarily

used in those times to produce music of a gen-

and voluptuous ,kind. In fact, the whole spectacle seemed like a vision of enchantment. Tidings of the approach tle

of the barge spread rapidly around,

people of the country

came down

the shores of the river to gaze upon ration as

glided slowly along.

and the

crowds

admi-

the time

Antony was engaged giving a public audience at some tribunal in

of its arrival at Tarsus, in

body ran to see Cleopatra and the barge, and the great triumvir was hift his palace, but every

consequently alone,

few

official

or,

at least, with only a

attendants near him.

on arriving at the

city, landed,

pitch her tents on the shores.

messenger

to bid her

Cleopatra,

and began

Antony sent a

welcome, and to invite her

come and sup with him. She declined the invitation, saying that it was more proper .nat She wou.d he should come and sup with her. accordingly expect him to come, she said, and

hÂŤr tents would be ready at the proper- hour

B.C'.

411

ANTO^r and Cleopatra.

Antony ontdon*.

Cleopatra's recieption of Antony.

Antony complied with her to her

entertainment.

243

proposal,

He was

and oamÂŤ

received with a

magnificence and splendor which amazed him.

Tne

where the entertain-

tents and pavilions

ment was made were illuminated with an immense number of lamps. These lamps were arranged in a very ingenious and beautiful

manner, so as

produce an illumination of the

and beauty.

The

variety, too, of the

meats

and wines, and of the vessels of gold and

silver,

moi*t surprising brilliancy

immense number and

with which the tables were loaded, and the magnificence and splendor of the dresses worn

by Cleopatra and her attendants, combined to render the whole scene one of bewildering en

ohantment.

The next

day, Antony invited Cleopatra to

oome and return

his visit

;

but, though he

made

every possible effort to provide a banquet as

sumptuous and as sumptuouslv served as he

failed entirely in this

hers,

attempt, and acknowl-

edged himself completely outdone.

Antcny

was, moreover, at these interviews, perfectly fascinated with Cleopatra's charms. ty,

Her beau-

her wit, her thousand accomplishments, and,

above

all,

vession

the tact, and adroitness, and self-posh

which she displayed

assuming at onoe

Cleopatra.

;J44 Murder ÂŤf Ardnol.

80 boldly,

[B.C. 41

Cleopatra's

and carrying out so

manner

of Ufa at

Tamw

adroitly, the idea

of her social superiority over him, that he yield-

ed his heart almost immediately to her undis*

puted sway.

The first use which Cleopartra made of hei power was to ask Antony, for her sake, to order her sister Arsinoe to be slain.

had gone,

Arsinoe

Rome,

will be recollected, to

grace Caesar's triumph there, and had afterward

where she was now living an exile. Cleopatra, either from a sentiment of past revenge, or else from some apprehensiona retired to Asia,

of future danger,

should quest.

happy

now

desired that her sister

Antony readily acceded He sent an officer in search

to her re-

die.

princess.

The

officer

of the un-

slew her where he

found her, within the precincts of a temple to

which she had fled, supposing it a sanctuary which ao degree of hostility, however extreme, would have dared to violate. Cleopatra remained at Tarsus for some time, revolving in an incessant round of gayety and pleasure, and living in habits of unrestrained

intimacy with Antony. to

She was accustomed

spend whole days and nights with him in

feasting

and

revelry.

oenoe of these

The immense

magnifi-

entertainments, especially on

B.C. 41.]

Antony and Cleopatra.

245

Story of the peult

CTleopatra'i mnnlflcenoe.

Cleopatra's part, were the wonder of the world

She seems

have taken special pleasure in ex-

citing Antony's surprise

by the display of her

wealth and the boundless extravagance in which

At one of her banquets, Antony was expressing his astonishment at the vast number of gold cups, enriched with jewels, that she indulged.

were displayed on " they are nothing

all sides.

you

" Oh," said she,

them, you shall So saying, she ordered her servants to carry them to Antony's house. The next day she invited Antony again, with a large number of the chief officers of his army and The table was spread with a new servcourt. ice of gold and silver vessels, more extensive and splendid than that of the preceding day^ and at the close of the supper, when the company was about to depart, Cleopatra distribu;

have them aU."

ted

all

these treasures

among

the guests that

lad been present at the entertainment.

an-

other of these feasts, she carried her ostentation

and display

to the astonishing

extreme of tak-

im mense value and dissolving it in a cup of vinegar,* which she afterward made into a drink, ing off from one of her ear-rings a pearl of

* Pearls, being of the natore of shell in their compositioa

od â&#x20AC;˘tmctnre,

are lolable in certain acids.

Cleopatra.

246

{B.CAl Her nudety and

fDaitt>B ol Fiilvta.

diatraM

such as was customarily used in those day?,

and then drank it. She was proceeding to do the same with the other pearl, when some of the

company

arrested the proceeding, and took

the remaining pearl away.

mean

In the

wasting

his

time, while

Antony was thus

time in luxury and pleasure with

Cleopatra, his public duties were neglected, and

every thing was getting into confusion.

Fulvia

Her position and her character gave her a commanding political influence, and she exerted herself in a very energetic man> remained

in Italy.

ner to sustain, in that quarter of the world, the interests of her husband's cause.

rounded with tails of

which

difficulties

can. not,

She was

sur-

and dangers, the de-

however, be here partio-

She wrote continually to Antony, urgently entreating him to come to Rome, and displaying in her letters all those marks of agitation and ditstress which a wife would natunlarly described.

rally feel

under the circumstances in which she

The thought that her husband had been so completely drawn away from her by the guilty arts of such a woman, and led by ber to abandon his wife and his family, and leavo in neglect and confusion concerns of such niorn<3ntoas nuignitude as those wLMsh demand was

placed.

Antony and Cieopatra-

H.C.41.J

Uitony propose* to go to Romn.

247

Hi* plana frustrated by Cleopatra

ed his attention at honne, produced an excite-

ment

in her

mind bordering upon phrensy

An*

tony was at length so far influenced by the ur-

gency of the case that he determined to return.

He broke up

his quarters at

south toward Tyre, which

Tarsus and moved was a great naval

port and station in those days.

with him.

They were

She was Rome.

embark there

least that

not Cleopatra's.

Cleopatra went

to separate for

Tyre

Egypt, and he

for

was Antony's plan, but it was She had determined that An-

tony should go with her to Alexandria.

might have been expected, when the time came for

Her

the decision, the flatteries,

prevailed.

woman

gained the day.

her arts, her caresses, her tears,

After a brief struggle between the

sentiment of love on the one hand and those of ambition and of duty combined on the other,

Antony gave up the every thing

else,

to Cleopatra's control,

Alexandria.

contest.

Abandoning

he surrendered himself wholly

and went with her

spent the winter there, giving

himself up with her to every species of sensual

indulgence that the most remorseless license oould tolerate, and the most unbounded wealth procure.

Cleopatra.

248

|B.C.41. FaMttng and rarvliy

Antony'i InfttnatlOB.

There seemed,

in fact, to be

no bounds to the

extravagance and infatuation which Antony displayed during the winter in Alexandria. patra devoted herself to night, filling

new form

him

incessantly,

Cleo-

day and

up every moment of time with some

of pleasure, in order that he might

have no time to think of his absent wife, or to Usten to the reproaches of his conscience.

An-

tony, on his part, surrendered himself a willing

victim to these wiles, and entered with

all his

heart into the thousand plans of gayety and

merry-making which Cleopatra devised. They had each a separate establishment in the city, which was maintained at an enormous cost, smd they made a regular arrangement by which each

was the guest These

visits

of the other on alternate days.

were spent

tacles, feasting,

riot, irregularity,

games,

sports, spec-

dnnking, and in every species

and

curious instance

excess.

afforded of the acci-

dental manner in which intelligence in respect to

the scenes and incidents of private

ihose ancient days

life

sometimes obtained, in a

circumstance which occurred at this time at It seems that there was a young medical student at Alexandria that winter, named Philotas, who happen^, in some

Antony's court.

B.C. 41.]

Antony and Cleopatra. The ttory of the

PhUotM.

way

or other, to

249

eight bourn

have formed an acquaintance

Under went one day

with one of Antony's domestics, a cook. the guidance of this cook, Philotas into the palace to see

what was to be

seen.

The

cook took his friend into the kitchens, where, to Philotas's great surprise, infinite

number and

tions, eight

he saw, among an

variety of other prepara-

wild boars roasting before the

fires,

â&#x20AC;˘ome being more and some less advanced in the Philotas asked what great company process. was to dine there that day. The cook smiled at this question, and replied that there was to be no company at all, other than Antony's ordinary party. tion,

" But," said the cook, in explana-

" we are obliged always to prepare several

suppers, and to have

them ready

at different hours, for no one can

in succession tell

what

time they will order the entertainment to be served.

Sometimes, when the supper has been

Antony and Cleopatra will some new turn of their diver-

actually carried in,

get engaged in

and conclude not to sit down just then tc the table, and so we have to take the eupper away, and presently bring in another." Antony had a s^n with him at Alexandria at

sions,

this time, the child of his wife Fulvia.

DAme

The

of the son, as well as that of the father,

Cleopatra.

250 Aatooy't

[B.C.41

mm.

The

garrnloiu

guMi

was Antony. He was old enough to feel some sense of shame at his father's dereliction from duty, and to manifest some respectful regard for the rights

and the honor of

his mother.

In-

stead of this, however, he imitated his father's

example, and, in his

own way, was as The same

and as extravagant as he.

who

reckless

Philotas

above referred to was, after a time, ap-

some office or other in the young Ante ^y's household, so that he was accustomed to sit at his table and share in his convivial enpointed to

joyments.

relates that once, while they

were feasting together, there was a guest present, a physician, who was a very vain and conoeited man, and so talkative that no one elso had any oppprtunity to speak.

All the pleas-

ure of conversation was spoiled by his excessive garrulity.

Philotsw, however, at length

puz-

zled him so completely with a question of logic

-â&#x20AC;&#x201D;of a kind similar

tx)

those often discussed with

great interest in ancient days for

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

as to silence aim

a time; and young Antony was so rauch

delighted with this feat, that he gave Philotas all

was upon home to blm, telling him to

the gold and silver plate that there

the table, and sent

the articles

entertainment was over, mark and stamp upon them, and

after the

put his

all

*hem up.

look

B.C.41.] The

Cleopatra and Antony. The

pvxxis.

The

251

gold and inTer pkte retttmÂťd.

question with which Philotaa puzzled

the self-conceited physician

was

this.

be premised, however, that in those days

must was

considered that cold water in an intermittent fever

was extremely dangerous, except in some and in those the effect was good.

peculiar oases,

Philotas then argued as follows

a certain kind tient in

it is

an ague.

of a certain kind.

" In cases of

best to give water to a pa

All cases of ague are cases

Therefore

it is

eases to give the patient water."

best in

all

Philotas hav-

ing propounded his argument in this way, chal-

lenged the physician to point out the fallacy of it;

and while the physician sat perplexed and

puzzled in his attempts to unravel the intricacy of

it,

the

company enjoyed a temporary

respite

from his excessive loquacity. Philotas adds, in his account of this affair, that he sent the gold and silver plate back to

young Antony again, being afraid to keep them Antony said that perhaps it was as well that this should

be done, since

many

of the vessels

were of great value on account of their rare and antique workmanship, and his father might posmiss them and wish to know what had become of them. As there were no limits, on the one hand, tc

sibly

Cleopatra.

252 Dabaafaig

[B.C.41

Antony and Clecpatn

pleunrM.

In diagala*

the loftiness and grandeur of the pleasures to

which Antony and Cleopatra addicted themwere none to the low and debasing tendencies which characterized them on selves, so there

Sometimes, at midnight, after hav-

the other.

ing been spending-

many

revelry in the palace,

hours in mirth and

Antony would

disguise

himself in the dress of a slave, and sally forth inl» the streets, excited with wine, in search of

adventures.

many

cases, Cleopatra herself,

would go out with him. On these excursions Antony would take pleasure in similarly disguised,

involving himself in

dangers

—

all sorts

in street riots,

of difficulties and

drunken brawls, and

—

desperate quarrels with the populace Cleopatra's

amusement and

his

own.

all

for

Stories

of these adventures would circulate afterward

among the

people,

some of whom would admire

the free and jovial character of their eccentric visitor,

and others would despise him as a prince

degrading himself to the level of a brute.

Some of the amusements and pleasures which Antony and Cleopatra pursued were innocent in themselves, though wholly unworthy to be made the serious business of life by personages en ed.

whom

such exalted duties rightfully devolv-

They made

various excursions uocn

th**

Cleopatra and Antomy.

B.C.41.]

Stratagem*.

n*hixi( exourtlona.

and arranged parties of pleasure

Nile,

253

go out

on the water in the harbor, and to various rural

Once they went out on a fishing-party, in boats, in the port. Antony was unsuccessful; and feeling retreats in the environs of the city.

chagrined that Cleopatra should witness his luck, he

made a

secret

ill

arrangement with some

down, where they could

of the fishermen to dive

do so unobserved, and fasten fishes to his hook

By this

under the water. large

and

ever,

was

fine fish

too

wary

very

Cleopatra, how-

by such She observed the maneu-

to be easily deceived

a stratagem as this. ver,

plan he caught very

fast.

but pretended not to observe

;

she ex-

pressed, on the other hand, the greatest surprise

and delight at Antony's good luck, and

the extraordinary skill which

The

indicated.

next day she wished to go a fishing

again, and a party

the day before.

was accordingly made

She had, however,

as on

secretly m-

struoted another fisherman to procure a dried

and salted

fish

from the market, and, watching

his opportunity, to get

down

der the boats and attach

into the

water un-

to the hook, before

Antony's divers could get there.

This plan

succeeded, and Antony, in the midst of a large

ÂŤnd gay party that were looking on, palled ant

Cleopatra.

254

FtdTla*! plana for

an excellent

Known

fish,

(B.C. 41

oompeUin| Antony

to retnra.

cured and dried, such as waf

eve-y one as an imported

bought in the market. that

was brought

The

boats,

was a

iKsh of

article,

a kind

originally from Asia Minor.

and the water

all

around them,

re-

sounded with the shouts of merriment and laughter which this incident occasioned.

In the

mean

time, while

Antony was thus

spending his time in low and ignoble pursuits

and

in guilty pleasures at Alexandria, his wife

Fulvia, after exhausting

all

other

means

of in

ducing her husband to return to her, became desperate,

and took measures

for

fomenting an

open war, which she thought would compel him to return.

The

extraordinary energy, influ-

and talent which Fulvia possessed, enabled her to do this in an effectual manner She organized an army, formed a camp, placed

ence,

herself at the head of the troops, tidings to

Antony

of the dangers

and sent such

which threat-

ened his cause as greatly alarmed him.

same time news came

the

of great disasters in Asia

Minor, and of alarming insurrections among the provinces which had been committed to hiÂť

charge there.

Antony saw that he must arouse

himself from the spell which had enohantej

B.C. 41.

Cleopatra and Antony

Departore of Antony.

Chagrin of Cleopatra

him and break away from Cleopatra,

or that he

would be wholly and irretrievably ruined.

made, accordingly, a desperate

256

effort to get free.

bade the queen farewell, embarked hastily

in a fleet of galleys,

and

sailed

away

to Tyre,

leaving Cleopatra in her palace, vexed, disappointed,

and chagrined.

Cleopatra

256

[B.C 31 Hla

rMrpIazttr or ABtany.

w wrtlin

with

TmMk

Chapter XT

The Battle

CLEOPATRA',

op Actium.

in parting

with Antony as

described in the last chapter, lost

two

or three years.

During

this

him

foi

time Antony

himself was involved in a great variety of

diffi-

and dangers, and passed through many eventful scenes, which, however, can not here

onlties

be described in

detail.

His

life,

during this

was full of vicissitude and excitement, and was spent probably in alternations of re-

period,

morse

for

the past and anxiety for the future.

landing at Tyre, he was at

first

extremelj

perplexed whether to go to Asia Minor or to

Rome.

His presence was imperiously demandThe war which Fulvia had

ed in both places.

fomented was caused, in part, by the rivalry of Octavius, and the collision of his interesta

with those of her husband. Antony was very angry with her for having managed his affairs After in such a way as to bring about a war. Fuia time Antony and Fulvia met at Athens. ver\ to that city, and was na had retreated

The Battlb

B.C. 31.]

Ibeting of Antony

md FoItU.

of Actium.

Reconciliation of

257

Antony and OetaylB*

seriously sick there, either from bodily disease, or from the influence of long-continued anxiety,

vexation, and distress.

else

They had a stormy

Neither party was disposed to exei'

meeting.

any mercy toward the other. Antony left and roughly, after loading her

his wife rudely

with reproaches.

A short time

afterward, she

sank down in sorrow to the grave.

The death

of Fulvia

was an event which

proved to be of advantage to Antony. the

way

to a reconciliation

Ootavius.

opened

between him and

Fulvia had been extremely active

in opposing Octavius's designs,

zing plans for resisting him.

and in organi-

He felt, therefore,

a special hostility against her, and, through her, against Antony. dead, the

for

Now, however, that she waa in some sense open-

way seemed to be

a reconciliation.

Ootavius had a the wife of a

sister,

Roman

who had been named MarceUus.

Octavia,

general

She was a very beautiful and a very aooomplishea woman, and of a spirit very different from that of Fulvia. She was gentle, affeo* tionate, and kind, a lover of peace and harmony, and not at all disposed, like Fulvia, to assort and maintain her influence over others by an â&#x20AC;˘verbearing and violent demeanor. 16â&#x20AC;&#x201D;1/

Octavia't

Cleopatra.

258

[B.C.31. fiÂŤr marriage to

Oetavta

husband died about

Antoa/

this time, and, in the coursa

movements and negotiations between Antony and Octavius, the plan was proposed of a marriage between Antony and Ootavia, which, it was thought, would ratify and confirm the reconciliation. This proposal was finally agreed upon. Antony was glad to find so easy a mode The people of Rome, of settling his difficulties. too, and the authorities there, knowing that the peace of the world depended upon the terms on which these two men stood with regard to each of the

other,

were extremely desirous that

this

rangement should be carried into effect. There was a law of the commonwealth forbidding the marriage of a widow within a specified period after the

had

death of her husband.

That

not, in Octavia's case, yet expired.

peritd

There

was, however, so strong a desire that no obstacle should be allowed to prevent this proposed

union, or even to occasion delay, that the law altered expressly for this case, and Antony and Ootavia were married. The empire was divided between Octavius and Antony, Octa-

was

vius receiving the western portion as his share,

while the eastern was assigned to Antony. It is

not probable that Antony

strong affection for his

new

folt

any very and

wife, beautiful

B.C. 31.]

The Battle

op Actium.

259

Octaria't inflnence orer her hniband and her brother

gentle as she was. Ifcd

man,

in fact,

who had

such a hfe as his had been, must have be

come by

this

time incapable of any strong and

He, however, was pleased

pure attachment.

with the novelty of his acquisition, and seemed to forget for

a time the

loss,

of Cleopatra.

remained with Octavia a year.

After that he

went away on certain military enterprises which He returned kept him some time from her. All this time again, and again he went away. Octavia's influence over him and over her brother was of the most salutary ana excellent character. She soot'-ed their animosities, quieted their suspicions and jealousies, and at

one time,

when they were on

the brink of open

war, she effected a reconciliation between them by the most courageous and energetic, and at

same time, gentle and unassuming efforts. At the time of this danger she was with her husband in Greece but she persuaded him to send her to her brother at Rome, saying that she was confident that she could arrange a setAntony tlement of the difficulties impending. allowed her to go She proceeded to Rome, and procured an interview with hrt brother in thÂŤ preeenoe of his two principal officers of statOb Here she pleaded her husband's eanse with the

;

Cleopatra.

260 OeUvia pleada

for

DUBovItiM

Anteoy

tears in her eyes plaine>i

[B.C. 31

MttM

she defended his conduct, ex-

;

what seemed

to be against him,

and en-

treated her brother not to take such a course

as should oast her

women

piest of

down from being

to being the

the hap-

most miserable.

"Consider the circusmtances of my case," said " The eyes of the world are upon me. Of

she.

two most powerful men

the

the wife of one and the you allow rash counsels

in the world, I

sister of another.

go on and war

am hopelessly ruined for, whichever is conquered, my husband or my brother, mv own

ensue, I

;

happiness will be for ever gone."

Octavius sincerely loved his

was

so far softened

sister,

and he

by her entreaties that he

consented to appoint an interview with Antony in order to see if their difTiculties could be settled.

This interview was accordingly

held.

came to a river, where, at the opposite banks, each embarked in a boat, and, being rowed out toward each other, they met in

The two

generals

the middle of the stream. at

which

time at

all

least,

after

tired of his wife,

ouoe more.

for a

very happily arranged.

Antony, however,

oome

A conference ensued,

the questions at issue were,

left

and

a time, began to beto sigh for Cleopatra

Octavia at

Rome

and

pro-

B.C. 31.] Antony

tired

The Battle

of Actium.

261

He goes

of hi* wife.

Egypt

Deeded to the eastward, under pretense of at

tending to the affairs of that portion of the empire

;

bul;,

instead of doing this, he

went

to Al-

exandria, and there renewed again his former

intimacy with the Egyptian queen.

Octavius was very indignant at

this.

His

former hostility to Antony, which had been in

a measure appeased by the kind influence of Octavia,

now broke

forth

anew, and was height-

ened by the feeling of resentment naturally

awakened by

his sister's wrongs.

Public sen-

was setting very strongLampoons were written Antony. against ly against him to ridicule him and Cleopatra, and

timent in Rome,

the

most decided censures were passed upon

conduct. the

too,

his

Octavia was universally beloved, and

sympathy whiih was every where

her increased and heightened very

popular indignation which was

felt

felt for

much

the

against

th*'

man who could wrong so deeply such sweetness, and gentleness, and affectionate fidelity as hers. After remaining for some time in Alexandria, and renewing his connection and intimacy with Cleopatra,

Antony went away

again, crossing

the sea into Asia, with the intention of pros-

ecuting certain military undertakings there

whioh impel iously demanded

his

attention

Cleopatra.

262 intony (â&#x20AC;˘ia

wMt

Cleopatn.

[B.C. Effect

on hU ehanelw

His plan was to return as soon as possible

Egypt

tfl

after the object of his expedition should

oe accomplished.

found, however, that he

ODuld not bear even a temporary absence from

His mind dwelled so much upon her, and upon the -pleasures which he had enjoyed with her in Egypt, and he longed so

Cleopatra.

much fit

for

to see her again, that he

was wholly un-

the discharge of his duties in the camp.

He became

timid, inefficient, and remiss, and

almost every thing that he undertook ended disastrously.

The army, who

understood per-

commander's r^ were extremely indignant at his conduct, and the camp was filled with suppressed murmurs and com-

fectly well the reason of their

missness and consequent

plaints.

ill

Antony, however,

in his situation,

was

tions of dissatisfaction

disregarded them

fortune,

like other persona

blind to ;

all

these indica-

probably he would have

he had observed them.

length, finding that he could bear his absenoo

from his mistress no longer, he set out to march across the country, in the depth of the winter,

where he had sent The army for Cleopatra to come to join him. endured incredible hardships and exposures in When Antony had once ooÂŤn this march.

to the sea-shore, to a point

The Battle

B.C.31.J TIm march

op Actium.

263

Suffering of the troop*.

to Sldon.

menoed the journey, he was

so impatient to get

forward that he compelled his troops to advance

mth

would

greater

rapidity

bear.

They

with! proper tents or

They were

vision.

er a long to

than their strength

were, besides, not provided

with proper supplies of prooften obliged, therefore, aft-

and fatiguing march during the day,

bivouac at night in the open

air

among

the

mountains, with scanty means of appeasing their

hunger, and very

cold rain, or

Eight thousand cold, fatigue,

little

shelter from the

from the storms of driving snow

men

died on this march, from

and exposure

;

perhaps, than had ever been

a greater

made

sacrifice,

before to the

mere ardor and impatience of a lover. When Antony reached the shore, he advanced to a certain sea-port, near Sidon, where Cleopatra

was

to land.

At the time army was

a small part of his

men

of his arrival but left,

and the few

that survived were in a miserably desti-

tute condition.

Antony's eagerness to see Cle-

opatra became more and more excited as the

time drew nigh.

She did not come

so soon as

he had expected, and during the delay he seemed to pine sorrow.

ÂŤad

away under

He was

the influence of love and

silent,

had lo thoughts

absent-minded, and for

any thing but the

Cleopatra.

264

8hÂŤ bring* suppUe*

Airiral of Cleopatra.

ooming

of Cleopatra,

other plans.

and

felt

watched

and would sometimes leave ble, in

[B.C. 81 for the

uny

no interest in any

for

her incessantly,

his place at the ta-

the midst of the supper, and go

down

alone to the shore, where he would stand gaz-

ing out upon the sea, and saying mournfully to does not she come ?" The anihimself, "

Why

mosity and the ridicule which these things

awakened against him, on the part of the army, were extreme but he was so utterly infatuated ;

that he disregarded

all

the manifestations of

public sentiment around him, and continued to

allow his

mind

to be wholly engrossed

with the

single idea of Cleopatra's coming.

She

arrived at last.

She brought a great

supply of clothes and other necessaries

for the

use of Antony's army, so that her coming not snly gratified his love, but afforded him, also, a

very essential

relief, in

respect to the military

which he was involved. After some time spent in the enjoyment ot the pleasure which being thus reunited to Cl^ opatra afforded him, Antony began again to think of the affairs of his government, which

difficulties in

every month more and more imperiously de-

manded

his attention.

began

to receive ur-

gent calls from various quarters, urging hin

The Batile

B.C. 31.1

been

mean

In the

all this

iety at

time, Octavia

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;who had

while waiting in distress and anx-

Rome, hearing continually the mosi

gloomy accounts of her husband's the

265

She bringi him re-enforcementk

Octavla intercedea for Antony.

aotion.

of Aciium.

most humiliating tidings

infatuated devotion to Cleopatra

make one more

effort to save

affairs,

and

in respect to his

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

him.

resolved to

She

inter-

ceded with her brother to allow her to raise troops to the

and

to collect supplies,

and then proceed

eastward to re-enforce him.

consented to

this.

He, in

Octavius

fact, assisted

Octavia

making her preparations. It is said, however, that he was influenced in this plan by his in

confident belief that this noble attempt of his sister to

that,

reclaim her husband would

by the

in the

failure of

it,

fail,

and

Antony would be put

wrong, in the estimation of the

Roman

more absolutely and hopelessly than over, and that the way would thus be prepared for his complete and final destruction. Octavia was rejoiced to obtain her brother'i

people,

aid to her undertaking, whatever the motive

might be which induced him

to afford

She

it.

accordingly levied a considerable body of troops, raised a large

and

tents,

when

all

sum

of money, provided clothes,

and military stores

was

for the

rearly, she left Italy

army

;

and

and put

Cleopatra.

266

[B.C. 31 Bar »rli

CSI*«p«tn'i alana.

having previously dispatched a messenger

sea,

to her

husband

to inform

him that she waa

coming. Cleopatra began

Antony

now

to be afraid that she

was

to lose

gan

to resort to the usual artifices

again, and she at once be-

employed

power over nothing, out assumed the aphim. She said pearance of one pining under the influence of such

oases, in order to retain her

•ome

secret suffering or sorrow.

to be often surprised in tears.

She contrived In such cases

she would hastily brush her tears away, and as-

sume a countenance of smiles and good humor, as if making every effort to be happy, though heavy burden of anxiety

really oppressed with a

and

grief.

When

Antony was near her she

would seem overjoyed at his presence, and gaze upon him with an expression of the most devoted fondness.

When

absent from him, she

spent her time alone, always silent and dejected,

and often in tears

;

and she took care that

the secret sorrows and sufferings that she en-

dured should be duly made known to Antony,

and that he should understand that they were ail occasioned by her love for him, and by the danger which she apprehended that he waa •bont to leave her.

B.C. 31.]

The Battle

of Activm.

267

Their rapraMnUtloii* to Antony

Cleopatn't Morat agenta.

The friends and secret agents of Cleopatra, who reported these things to Antony, made, moreover, direct representations to him,

purpose of incHning his mind in her favor.

for

the

They

had, in fact, the astonishing audacity to argue

upon Antony for a conlove were paramount to those

that Cleopatra's claims

tinuance of his

She, that

of Octavia.

is,

Octavia, had been his

wife, they said, only for a very short time.

Cle-

opatra had been most devotedly attached to him for

many

Octavia was married to him,

years.

they alleged, not

from

political

under the impulse of love, but

considerations alone, to please

her brother, and to ratify and confirm a cal league

made with him.

politi-

Cleopatra, on the

other hand, had given herself

him

in the

most absolute and unconditional manner, under the influence solely of a personal affection which

She had surrendered For him she

ÂŤhe could not control.

and sacrificed every thing to him.

had

lost her

good name, alienated the

of her subjects,

made

proach and censure to

she had

him

left

all

mankind, and now come and join

her native land to

in his adverse fortunes.

much

atfectioiiB

herself the object of re-

Considering

how

she had done, and suffered, and sacrificed

(or his

sake,

w^uld be extreme and unjusti

Cleopatra.

268

[B.C. 31.

Antony' â&#x20AC;˘

Cleopatra't raooets.

him

owMage

to Octarla.

now. She an abandonment. Her whole soul was so wrapped up in him, that she would pine away and die if he were now to fiable cruelty in

to forsake her

never would survive such

forsake her.

Antony was distressed and agitated beyond measure by the entanglements in which he His duty, his infound that he was involved. clination perhaps, certainly his ambition, and

every dictate of prudence and policy, required that he should break

away from

once and go to meet Octavia. that bound

He He

him was

too

mighty

these snares at

But

the spell

to be dissolved.

yielded to Cleopatra's sorrows and tears

dispatched a messenger to Octavia,

who had

by this time reached Athens, in Greece, directOctavia, who ing her not to come any farther, seemed incapable of resentment or anger against her husband, sent back to ask what she should do with the troops, and money, and the military Antony directstores which she was bringing.

ed her to leave them in Greece. Octavia did 80, and mournfully returned to her home.

soon as she arrived at Rome, Octavius,

her brother, whose indignation was

now

thor-

oughly aroused at the baseness of Antony, sent to hiÂŤ sister to say that she must leave Antony's

B.C.31.]

The Battle

of Actium.

Derottan of Oetaria.

269

Indlpuitlon against

house and come to him.

A proper

Antoay

self-respect,

he said, forbade her remaining any longer under the roof of such a

man.

Octavia replied that

she would not leave her husband's house.

That

house was her post of duty, whatever her hus-

band might d), and there she would remain. She accordingly retired within the precincts of her old home, and devoted herself in patient and uncomplaining sorrow to the care of the family

and the

children.

Among

these children

was

one young son of Antony's, born during his

marriage with her predecessor Fulvia.

mean

time, while Octavia

though mournfully

was thus

fulfilling

In the

faithfully

her duties as wife

and mother, in her husband's house at Rome,

Antony himself had gone with Cleopatra to Alexandria, and was abandoning himself once more to a life of guilty pleasure there. The greatness of mind which this beautiful and devoted wife thus displayed, attracted the admiration of all

mankind.

It produced,

however,

which Octavia must have greatj deprecated. It aroused a strong and universal feeling of indignation against the unworthy ne othei

effect,

object toward

whom

this extraordinary

magna-

nimity was displayed. In the

mean

time,

Antony gave himself up

Cleopatra.

270 lleMiirM of Antonj.

(B.C.

Accuaation* tgalnst

hln

wholly to Cleopatra's influence and control, and

managed

all

the affairs of the

Roman

empira

East in the way best fitted to promote her aggrandizement and honor. He made Alex in the

andria his capital, celebrated triumphs there,

arranged ostentatious expeditions into Asia and Syria with Cleopatra and her train, gave her

whole provinces as presents, and exalted her

two

sons,

Alexander and Ptolemy, children

during the period of his

first

her, to positions of the highest rank

and

own acknowledged

The

as his

sons.

station,

oonse-

qnences of these and similar measures at

were

fatal to

bom

acquaintance with

Rome

Antony's character and standing.

Ootavius reported every thing to the senate and people, and

Roman

made Antony's misgov-

ernment and his various misdemeanors the ground of the heaviest accusations against him. Antony, hearing of these things, sent his agents to Rome and made accusations against Octavius but these counter accusations were of no Public sentiment was very strong and avail decided against him at the capital, and Octaius began to preoare for war. ;

Antony percei\ed that he must prepare defend himself.

Cleopatra entered

into tha

planr which he formed for this purpose with

B.C. 31.]

The Battle

of Actium.

AMilitance of Cl6opatr%

Antony's preparation*.

great ardor.

271

Antony began

to levy troops,

and

and equip galleys and ships of war, and make requisitions of money and military

collect to

stores from all the eastern provinces

Cleopatra put

doms.

all

and king*

the resources of Egypt

She furnished him with im mense sums of money, and with an inexhaustible supply of corn, which she procured for this

at his disposal.

purpose from her dominions in the valley o^ the

The various divisions of the immense armament which was thus provided for were or-

Nile.

dered to rendezvous at Ephesus, where Antony

and Cleopatra were awaiting

to receive

them,

having proceeded there when their arrange-

ments

Egypt were completed, and they were

ready to commence the campaign.

When sail

all

was ready for the expedition to set it was Antony's judgment

from Ephesus,

that

would be best

for

Cleopatra to return to

Egypt, and leave him to go to

meet Octavius

alone.

forth

with the

fleet

Cleopatra was, how-

She did not few that in some way or other a peace would be effected between himself and Octavius, whiob would result in his returning to Octavia and abandoning her. She accordingly contrived U ever,

determined not to go away.

dare to leave Antony at

all to

himself, for

Cleopatra.

272

[B.C. 31

Hto adiiee in ragwd to Ctoupalim

0ÂŤnldtaa bribed.

persuade Antony to retain her with him, by brilMng his chief counselor to advise

him

to do

His counselor's name was Canidius. Caaidins, having received Cleopatra's money,

80.

while yet he pretended to be wholly disinter-

Antony that would not be reasonable to send Cleopatra away, and deprive her of all participation in the glory of the war, when she was defraying so

ested in his advice, represented to it

large a part of the expense of

large portion of the

army

Besides, a

it.

consisted of Egyptian

troops,

who would

ened

Cleopatra were to leave them, and would

feel

discouraged and disheart-

probably act far less efficiently in the conflict

than they would do of their queen.

ÂŤ8 Cleopatra

if animated by the presence Then, moreover, such a woman

was not

women would

be,

source of care to

to be considered, as

many

an embarrassment and a a military expedition which

she might join, but a very efficient counselor

and

aid to

She was, he

it.

cious, energetic,

tomed

said,

a very saga-

powerful queen, accus.

command

to the

management

and

of armies and to the

of affairs of state, and her aid in

the conduct of the expedition might be expected to

oondnoe very materially to

Antony was

ea.si]y

its success.

won by such

persuasion*

B.C.31.] The

fleet at

The Battle

of Actium.

Antony'a Infatnatloa,

Samoa.

as these,

and

273

was

at length decided that Cle-

opatra should accompany him.

Antony then ordered the fleet to move forward to the island of Samos.* Here it was brought to anchor and remained for some time, waiting for the coming in of new re-enforcements, and for the completion of the other arrangements. Antony, as if becoming more and more infatuated as he approached the brink of his ruin, spent his

time while the expedition

remained at Samos, not in maturing his plans

and perfecting his arrangements for the tremendous conflict which was approaching, but in festivities, games, revelings, and every species of and dissolute excess.

riot

surprising.

Men

This, however,

almost always,

uation analogous to

when

not

in a sit-

means of some small degree,

his, fly to similar

protecting themselves, in

from the pangs of remorse, and from the

fore-

bodings which stand ready to terrify and tor-

ment them

at every instant in which these gloomy specters are not driven away by intoxication and revelry. At least Antony found it 80. Accordingly, an immense company of play-

and mountebank* were ordered to assemble at Samos, and to detumblers,

ers,

8ee map 16â&#x20AC;&#x201D;18

fools, jesters,

for the rtuation of

Ephesas and of Bamoa

Cleopatra.

274 lUot and rarelry.

Antony and Cleopatra

vote themselves with of

[B.C. 31

all

amusement was one uni-

zeal to the

The

Antony's court.

at Athena

island

and revelry.

People were

eistonisned at such celebrations

and displays,

versal scene of riot

wholly unsuitable, as they considered them, to the occasion.

If such are the rejoicings, said

Antony celebrates before going into what festivities will he contrive on

they, which

the battle,

his return, joyous

ure

enough

to express his pleas*

he shall gain the victory

After a time, Antony and Cleopatra, with a

magnificent train of attendants, and, passing across the

^gean

left

Samos,

Sea, landed in

Greece, and advanced to Athens; while the fleet,

proceeding westward from Samos, passed

around Tsenarus, the southern promontory of Greece, and then moved northward along the

western coast of the peninsula. ed to go to Athens

for

Cleopatra wish-

a special reason.

was

there that Octavia had stopped on her journey

toward her husband with re-enforcements and aid; and while she was there, the people of Athens, pitying her sad condition, and admir. ing the noble

spirit of

mind which she displayed

in her misfortunes, had paid her great attention,

and during her stay among them had bestowed

apon her many honors.

Cleopatra

now

wished

The Battle

B.C. 41.]

of Actium.

Uonon bestowed o& her

Ottentatlon of Cleopatra.

275

go to the same place, and

triumph over

her rival there, by making so great a lisplay of her wealth and magnificence, and of her*asoend-

enoy over the mind of Antony, as should entirely transcend

and outshine the more unas-

She was not unhappy wife wronged even the pos-

suming pretensions of Octavia.

willing, it seems, to leave to the

whom

she had so cruelly

session of a place in the hearts of the people of this foreign city,

but must go and enviously

strive to efface the impression

which injured

innocence had made, by an ostentatious exhibition of the

triumphant prosperity of her own

She succeeded well in amazed and bewildered at the immense magnificence that Cleopatra exhibited before them. She dis-

shameless wickedness. her plans.

The

tributed vast

The

*'-

people of Athens were

sums

money among the

people.

most exalted honors. They sent a solemn embassy to her to present her with these decrees. Antony in return, decreed to her the

himself, in the character of a citizen of Athens,

was one

of the embassadors.

Cleopatra receiv-

ed the deputation at her palace.

The

reception

was attended with the most splendid and imposing ceremonies. Ctne would have supposed thai Cleopatra**

276

Clbopatjia. I

[B.C.31

of Antony.

Approach of Octariu

cruel and unnatural hostility to Ootavia might

now have been tony, while he

satisfied

was

;

but

Cleopatra's instigation, sent

Rome

was

not.

at Athens, and doubtless ai

a messenger to

with a notice of divorcement to Octavia,

and with an order that she should leave his house. Octavia obeyed. She went forth from her home, taking the children with her, and bit terly

lamenting her cruel destiny.

In the

mean

time, while

all

these events had

been transpiring in the East, Octavius had been

making his preparations for the coming crisis, and was now advancing with a powerful fleet across the sea. He was armed vnth authority from the

Roman

senate and people, for he had

them a decree deposing Antony power. The charges made against

obtained from

from his

him

all

related to

misdemeanors and

offenses

arising out of his connection with Cleopatra.

Octavius contrived to get possession of a will

which Antony had written before leaving Rome, and which he had placed there in what he sup-

The ons* who had it in charge replied to Octa> vins, when he demanded it, that they would not posed a very sacred place of deposit. todians

giro

to him,

but

would not hinder him

he wished to take

they

Octavius then took thÂŤ

The Battle

B.C.dl.]

of Actilm.

Aakmy's wiU.

will,

Charges agalnit

and read

vided,

among

to the

hould be ;

Roman

senate.

It pro-

other things, that at his death,

happen at Rome,

his death should

opatra

277

body

his

sent to Alexandria to be given to CIÂŠ,

and

evinced in other ways a degree

Egypwas considered wholly una Roman chief magistrate. Antony

of subserviency and devotedness to the tian queen which

worthy of

was accused, too, provinces to

of having plundered cities and

make

presents to Cleopatra

;

having sent a library of two hundred thousand

volumes to her from Pergamus, to replace the one which Julius Ceesar had accidentally burned

;

of having raised her sons, ignoble as their

birth was, to high places of trust

the

Roman

and power

many a Roman offi-

government, and of having in

ways compromised the dignity of cer by his unworthy conduct in reference to her. He used, for example, when presiding at a judicial tribunal, to receive love-letters sent him from Cleopatra, and then at once turn

off his

attention from the proceedings going forward before

him

to read the letters.*

Sometimes he

accordance with the scale of expeoM and extravagance on which Cleopatra determined that every thing relating to herself and Antony should be done, were *

These

letters, in

engraved on tablets made of onyx, at

and imcioiu

stones.

crystal, or sther

hard

Cleopatra

278

MaadncoTltefaali

Aatowy'tMilMtorUidatiai.

did this

when

[13C.31

sitting in the chair of state, giv-

ing audience to embassadors and princes.

CleÂť

â&#x20AC;˘patra probably sent these letters in at saoh

times under the influence of a wanton disposi*

show her power.

tion to

At one

time, as Oo-

tavius said in his arguments before the senate,

Roman

Antony was hearing a cause

of the great-

and during a time

in the prog-

est importance,

when one of the principal orators of the city was addressing him, Cleopatra came passing by, when Antony suddenly arose, ress of the cause

and, leaving the court without any ceremony,

ran out to follow her. similar tales exhibited

These and a thousand Antony in so odious a

light, that his friends forsook his cause,

enemies gained a complete triumph. cree

was passed

his

The

de-

against him, and Octavius

authorized to carry ingly, while

and

into effect

Antony, with

;

his fleet

was

and accordand army,

was moving westward from Samos and the .^Bgean Sea, Octavius was coming eastward and southward down the Adriatic to meet himi In process of time, after various maneuvers

and delays, the two armaments came

into the

vicinity of each other at a place called

Aotium,

which

will be found

upon the map on the west-

ÂŠrn coast cf Epirus, north of Greece.

Both

B.C. 31.J

The Battle

op Actium.

Opinions at the counoQ.

279

Cleopatra'i wlahea,

the commanders had powerful fleets at sea, and

Antony was that of Octavius, and he was him-

both had great armies upon the land.

was strongest inferior to

in land troops, but his fleet

remain on the land and

self inolined to

fight the

But Cleopatra would She urged him to give The motive which inat sea.

principal battle there.

not consent to

this.

Octavius battle

duced her to do this has been supposed her wish to provide a more sure in case of

an unfavorable issue

She thought that sail at

way

of escape

to the conflict.

in her galleys she could

make

once across the sea to Alexandria in

case of defeat, whereas she

would become of her

army on the

knew

not what

beaten at the head of an

The ablest counselors and army urged Antony very trust himself to the sea. To all

land.

chief officers in the

strongly not to their

arguments and remonstrances, however,

Antony turned a deaf

ear.

Cleopatra must be

allowed to have her way.

On the morning

of the battle,

when the

ships

were drawn up in array, Cleopatra held the

command

Egyptian vessels, which were all completely manned, and well equipped with masts and sails. She of a division of fifty or sixty

took good care to have every thing in perfect

Cleopatra.

280 Batiie

of Acttnm.

A 31

PUght of Clft.ÂŤ|Mttm

order for flight, in case flight should prove 1 1 bÂŤ necessary.

With

in reserve,

and

these ships she took a station

a time remained there a

for

quiet witness of the battle.

The

ships of Oo-

tavius advanced to the attack of those of Antony, and the

men

fought from deck to deck with

spears, boarding-pikes, flaming darts,

and everj

other destructive missile which the military art

had then devised.

Antony's ships had to con-

tend against great disadvantages.

They were

not only outnumbered by those of Octavius,

but were

by them

far surpassed

in the efficien-

cy with which they were manned and armed. Still, it

tra,

was a very

obstinate conflict.

however, did not wait to see

how

As Antony's

be finally decided.

Cleopait

was

forces did not ]

immediately gain the victory, she soon began to yield to her fears in respect to the result, and, finally^ fell into

a panic and resolved to

She ordered the oars to be hoisted,

to be

manned and

and then forcing her

the sails

way through

as she passed, she succeeded in getting to sea,

coast to

tlie

on,

under

southward.

perceived that she

was

full sail,

down

fly^

a portion of the fleet that was engaged in the contest, and throwing the vessels into confusion

and then pressed

the

Antony, as soon as he

going, abandoning everv

B.C.31.]

The Battle

of Actium. He

Antony followi Cleopatra.

381

gains her galley

other thought, and impelled by his insane de-

votedness to her, hastily called up a galley of five

banks of

oars, and, leaping

on board of

ordered the oarsmen to pull with

it,

all their force

alter Cleopatra's flying squadron.

Cleopatra, looking back from the deck of hei vessel,

saw

this swift galley pressing

on toward

She raised a signal at the stern of the which she was in, that Antony might know for which of the fifty flying ships he was to steer. Guided by the signal, Antony came up to the vessel, and the sailors hoisted him up Cleopatra had the side and helped him in. however, disappeared. Overcome with shams and confusion, she did not dare, it seems, to meet the look of the wretched victim of her arts whom she had now irretrievably ruined. Anher.

vessel

He did not speak a He went forward to the prow of the ship,

tony did not seek her. word.

and, throwing himself

down

there alone, press

ed his head between his hands, and seemed stun-

ned and stupefied, and utterly overwhelmed with horror and despair.

was, however, soon aroused from his stu-

por by an alarm raised on board his galley that

they were pursued.

rose from his seat,

neized appear, and, on ascending to the quarter-

Cleopatra.

282

[B.C. A

AntoDT punned.

deck,

saw that

there were a

men and

aerera eonlilc*

number

of small

coming ap behind them, and gaining rapidly upon his gal* Antony, now free for a moment from his ley. enchantress's sway, and acting onder the impulse of his own indomitable boldness and decision, instead of urging the oarsmen to press forward more rapidly in order to make good their escape, ordered the helm to be put about, and thus, turning the galley around, he faced Jiis pursuers, and drove his ship into the midst light boats, full of

of them.

of arms,

A violent conflict ensued, the din and

was increased by the shocks between the boats and the galley. In the end, the boats were beaten off", all excepting one that one kept still hovering near, and the commander of it, who stood upon the confusion of which

and

collisions

aim at Antony, and seeking eagerly an opportunity to throw it, seemed by his attitude and the expression 3f his countenance to be animated by some peculiarly bitter feeling of hostility and hate. Andeck, poising his spear with an

who he was, that dared so him. The man replied by name, and saying that he came to

tony asked him

fiercely to threaten

giving his

avenge the death of his he was the son of a

father.

proved that

man whom Antony

had

The Battle

B.C.31.] The arenger

of Actium.

283

Antony*! angalah

of a father.

a previous time, on

some account

other,

caused to be beheaded.

There followed an obstinate contest between Antony and this fierce assailant, in the end of which the latter was beaten off. The boats then, having succeeded in making some prizes from Antony's

fleet,

though they had

failed in

capturing Antony himself, gave up the pursuit

and returned. place, sat

down

Antony then went back

to hia

in the prow, buried his face in

and sank into the same condition of hopeless distress and anguish as before. When husband and wife are overwhelmed

his hands,

with misfortune and^ suffering, each instinctively seeks a refuge in the

port of the other.

is,

sympathy and sup-

however, far otherwise

with such connections as that of Antony and Cleopatra.

remains calm

Conscience, which

and quiet in prosperity and sunshine,

rises

with sudden and unexpected violence as soon as the hour of calamity comes

;

and thus,

in-

stead of mutual comfort and help, each finds in the thoughts of the other only the

means of

adding the horrors of remorse to the anguish of disappointment and despair.

Antony's

So extreme was

distress, that for three

Cleopatra neither

saw nor spoke

days he and to

each other

Cleopatra.

284

Antony tad Cleopatra ihnn each other.

[B.aSl. Arriral at

Tsnanuk

She was overwhelmed with confusion and chaand he was in such a condition of mental

grin,

excitement that she did not dare to approach In a word, reason seemed to have wholly

him. lost its

sway

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

his

his insanity, rising

mind, in the alternations of

sometimes to

fearful excite-

ment, in paroxysms of uncontrollable rage, and then sinking again for a time into the stupor of despair.

In the

down

mean

time, the ships were passing

as rapidly as possible on the western coast

of Greece.

When

they reached Taenarus, the

southern promontory of the peninsula,

was

necessary to pause and consider what was to be done.

Cleopatra's

women went

Antony and

They brought They persuaded him to see Cleopatra. great number of merchant ships from the

attempted to quiet and calm him.

him food.

ports along the coast gathered around Antony'3

and offered their services. His cause, was by no means desperate. The army on the land had not been beaten. It was not even certain that his fleet had been oon>

little fleet

they

said,

quered. They endeavored thus to revive the mined commander's sinking courage, and to urge him to make a new effort to retrieve his fortunes. But all was in vain. Antony waÂť

B.C. 31.]

The Battle Antony and Cleopatra

fly

op Actiwm. together to

sank in a hopeless despondency.

285

Egypt

Cleopatra was

determined on going to Egypt, and he must go too.

distributed

at his disposal

and

friends,

among

what treasure remained his

immediate follower f

and gave them advice about the

means of concealing themselves

make peace with all

Octavius.

until they could

Then, giving up

as lost, he followed Cleopatra across the seÂť

to Alexandria.

Cleopatra.

286

[B.C.

Hlf Milj â&#x20AC;˘hanela*

Iwftfillnw of Aa>uÂŤy.

Chapter XII.

The End

of Cleopatra.

fllHE

case of Mark Antony affords one of tho -* most extraordinary examples of the power

of unlawful love to lead its deluded and infatu-

ated victim into the very jaws of open and rec-

Cases

ognized destruction that history records. similar in character occur

mon more

life

by thousands

com-

but Antony's, though perhaps not

;

striking in itself than a great multitude

of others have been,

the most conspicuous in-

stance that has ever been held up to the observation of mankind.

In early

life,

Antony was remarkable, as we

have a-ready seen,

for

a certain savage rugged-

ness of character, and for a stern and indomitable recklessness of vdll, so great that

impossible that any thing to

tame him.

He was

human

seemed

should be able

under the

control, too,

of an ambition so lofty and aspiring that

peared to

and

ap-

;

taken possession reer,

know no bounds and yet we find him of, in

the very midst of his oa-

in the height of his prosperity

and

B.C.30.]

The End

Cleopatra.

287

Powerful Influence of Cleopatra oTer Antonjr

.^_

success,

by a woman, and so subdued by her

and fascinations as to yield himself wholly and allow himself to be led about by her entirely at her will. She displaces whatever there might have been that was noble arts

to her guidance,

and generous for

her

own

in his heart,

and substitutes thereand cruelty.

principles of malice

She extinguishes

all

the

fires of his

originally so magnificent in its

ambition,

aims that the

world seemed hardly large enough to afford ?icope,

and instead of

this lofty passion,

fills

his

soul with a love of the lowest, vilest,

and most

him

to betray

ignoble pleasures.

She

leads

every public trust, to alienate from himself

all

the affections of his countrymen, to repel most

and devotedness of a beauand faithful wife, and, finally, to expel this wife and all of his own legitimate family from his house and now, at last, she conducts him cruelly the kindness

tiful

;

away

most cowardly and ignoble flight from the field of his duty as a soldier he knowin a

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

ing, all the time, that she is

hurrying him to

disgrace and destruction, and yet utterly with-

out power to break from the control of his invisible chains.

The

indignation which Antony's base aban-

Cleopatra.

2ÂŤ8

bullgnmtlon at Antonj'i eondoet

[B.C.

Plant at Cleopatra

Jonment of his fleet and army at the battle of Aotium excited, over all that part of the empire which had been under his command, was extreme. There was not the slightest possible excuse

such a

for

flight.

his greatest strength lay,

and evon

his fleet

was not

His army, in which remained unharmed, defeated.

The

ships

continued the combat until night, notwithstanding the betrayal of their cause by their com-

They were at length, however, subThe army, also, being discouraged, and

mander. dued.

losing all motive for resistance, yielded too.

a rery short time the whole country went over ta Ootavius's side.

In the

mean

'iieir first

ÂŤide

time, Cleopatra and Antony, on

return to Egypt, were completely be-

themselves with

terror.

Cleopatra formed

% plan for having all the treasures that she t5ould save,

ficient for

and a certain number of galleys

suf-

the transportation of these treasures

and a small company of friends, carried across the isthmus of Suez and launched upon the Red Sea, in order that she might escape in that direction,

and

safe retreat

find

some remote hiding-place and

on the shores of Arabia or India,

beyond the reach of OctaArius's dreaded power.

She actually commenced

this undertaking, and

B.C. 5U.]

The End

of Cleopatra.

28S

niÂŤ hut on the bland of Pharos

Antony becomes a misanthrope.

sent one or two of her galleys across the isth*

mus but the Arabs ;

seized

them as soon as they

reached their place of destination, and killed or captured the

men

them in charge, so was soon abandoned.

that had

that this desperate scheme

She and Antony then

finally

concluded to estab-

themselves at Alexandria, and

lish

made

prep-

aration, as well ds they could, for defending

themselves against Oclavius there.

Antony, when the subsided, began to

first

effects of his panic

grow mad with vexation and

resentment against

all

mankind.

med that he would have nothing

determ-

to do with Cle-

opatra or with any of her friends, but went off in a

fit

of sullen rage, and built a hermitage in

% lonely place on the island of Pharos, where he

and his wretchand uttering the bitterest invectives against all who had been concerned in it. Here

Jived for a time, cursing his folly

fate,

tidings

came continually

in,

informing him of

the defection of one after another of his armies,

Greece and Asia Minor, and of the irresistible progress which Ootavius was now making toward universal dominion. The tidings of these disasters coming

of the

fall

of his provinces in

incessantly

upon him kept him and rage.

iever of resentment

16â&#x20AC;&#x201D;19

in a oontinua.

Cleopatra.

290

Antony'* recondllaticn with Cleopatra.

last

[B.C. 30. Seenea of rerelry

he became tired of his misanthropic

Bolitude, a sort of reconciliation

ensued between

himself and Cleopatra, and he went back again

Here he joined himself once more what re-

to the city.

to Cleopatra, and, collecting together

mained of

their J9int resources, they plunged

again into a

life

of dissipation and vice, with

the vain attempt to drown in mirth and wine the bitter regrets and the anxious forebodings

which filled their souls. They joined with them a company of revelers as abandoned as themselves, and strove very hard to disguise and conceal their cares in their forced and unnatural

They

gayety.

this purpose.

could not, however, accomplish

Octavius was gradually advan-

cing in his progress, and they

knew very

well

that the time of his dreadful reckoning with

them must soon come

;

nor

was

there any place

on earth in which they could look with any hope of finding a refuge in

from his vindictive

hostility.

Cleopatra,

warned by dreadful presentiments

of what would probably at last be her

amused ons

fate,

herself in studying the nature of pois-

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;not

theoretically,

but practically

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;making

experiments with them on wretched prisoners

and captives

whom

she compelled to take them*

B.C.SO.]

The End

of Cleopatra.

Claopatra makes a eoUectlon of poisons.

Her exporimenti

ii91 wifii

theoh

and Antony might see the efwhich they produced. She made a ooUeo*

in order that she fects

tion of all the poisons

which she could procure,

and administered portions of them all, that she might see which were sudden and which were slow in their effects, and also learn which produced the greatest distress and suffering, and which, on the other hand, only benumbed and stupefijd the faculties, and thus extinguished life wit'.i

the least infliction of pain.

These

ex-

periments were not confined to such vegetable

and mineral poisons as could be mingled with the food or administered in a potion.

Cleopa-

an equal interest in the effects of the She bite of venomous serpents and reptiles. procured specimens of all these animals, and tra took

men

tried

them upon her

to be

stung and bitten by them, and then watch-

prisoners, causing the

ing the effects. These investigations were made,

not directly with a view to any practical use

which she was

make

of the

knowledge thus

acquired, but rather as an agreeable occupation, to divert her mind, and to

her guests. isressions

tims

The

amuse Antony and

variety in the forma and ex-

which the agony of her poisoned

vio-

assumedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;their writhings, their cries, their

oonvulsions, and the distortions of thear features

CiEOPATRA.

292 Aotony't Misplcloiu.

when

[B.C aO Cl«op«tra's

(

struggling with death, furnished exactly

the kind and degree of excitement which sh

needed to occupy and amuse her mind.

Antony was not

entirely at ease, however,

during the progress of these terrible expert

His

ments.

foolish

and

childish fondness foi

Cleopatra was mingled with jealousy, suspicion,

and distrust and he was so afraid that Cleopatra might secretly poison him, that he would ;

never take any food or wine without requiring that she should taste

before him.

length,

one day, Cleopatra caused the petals of some flowers to be poisoned, and then had the flowers to

woven into the chaplet which Antony was wear at supper. In the midst of the feast,

she pulled

own

off"

the leaves of the flowers from her

chaplet and put

them

playfully into her

wine, and then proposed that Antony should do the

same with

and that they should it would be, and the perfume of the flowers.

his chaplet,

then drink the wine, tinctured, as

with the color

Antony entered very readily into this proposal and when he was about to drink the wine, <he arrested his hand, and told him that it was poisoned

see now," said she, " how vain it watch against me. If it were po».

You

is for

you

iblo

tor

to live

without you,

how

easy

B.C.aO.j Tbe

The End

of Cleopatra. Cleopatra's

bite of the asp.

would be kill

for

293

to devise

tomb

ways and means

Then, to prove that her words were

you."

true, she ordered one of tne servants to drink

Antony's wine.

did so, and died before

their sight in dreadful agony.

The experiments which Cleopatra thus made on the nature and

effects of poison

were not,

however, wholly without practical result. opatra learned from them, bite of the asp

mode

of death.

was the

The

easiest

is said,

and

effect of the

Cle-

that the

least painful

venom

of that

animal appeared to her to be the lulling of the sensorium into a lethargy or stupor, which soon

ended in detth, without the intervention of pain This knowledge she seems to have her

mind

The thoughts of Cleopatra much disposed, at

have been in

laid

for future use.

gloomy channels,

for

appear, in fact, to this time, to flow

she occupied herself a

great deal in building for herself a sepulchral

monument city

in a certain sacred portion of the

This monument had, in

menced many years

fact,

been com-

ago, in accordance with a

custom prevailing among Egyptian sovereigns, of expending a portion of their revenues during their life-time in building and decorating their own tombs. Cleopatra now turned her mind

Cleopatra.

894

PropoMl of ABtony

PragTMa of Oolaflus.

with

[B.C.80

new interest to her own mausoleum.

finished

it,

ble bolts

and

preparing

In the

provided

She

with the strongest possi

bars, and, in a word,

seemed

to be

in all respects for occupation.

mean

time, Ootavius, having

himself master of

all

made

the countries which lad

formerly been under Antony's sway,

now

ad-

vanced, meeting none to oppose him, from Asia

Minor into Syria, and from Syria toward Egypt. Antony and Cleopatra made one attempt, while he was thus advancing toward Alexandria, tÂŤ avert the storm which was impending over them, by sending an embassage to ask for some terms of peace. Antony proposed, in this embassage, to give

up every thing

dition that he

to his conqueror

might be permitted

on con-

to retire un-

molested with Cleopatra to Athens, and allowed to

spend the remainder of their days there in

peace

;

and that the kingdom of Egypt might

descend to their children. that he could not

Octavius replied

make any terms with Antony,

though he was willing to consent to any thing that

was reasonable in behalf of Cleopatra.

The

messenger who came back from Octavius with this reply spent

some time

riews with Cleopatra, jealousy and anger.

in private inter-

This aroused Antony't

accordingly ordered

B.C. aO.]

The End

of Cleopatra.

Octaviua at Peliuiom.

295

Cleopatra's troaiuret.

the unfortunate messenger to be scourged and

then sent back to Octavius,

all

lacerated with

wounds, with orders to say to Octavius that it

displeased

him

have one of his servants

thus punished, he might revenge himself by scourging a servant of Antony's,

who was

then,

happened, in Octavius's power.

The news

at length suddenly arrived at Alex-

andria that Octavius had appeared before Pe-

lusium, and that the city had fallen into his

The next thing Antony and Cleopatra knew would be, that they should see him

hands. well

Neither Antony

at the gates of Alexandria.

nor Cleopatra had any means of resisting his progress,

could

fly.

and there was no place to which they Nothing was to be done but to await,

in consternation itable

and

terror, the sure

doom which was now

Cleopatra gathered together

and sent them

to her tomb.

and inev-

so near. all

her treasures

These treasures

consisted of great and valuable stores of gold, filver,

oost,

precious stones, garments of the highest

and weapons, and vessels of exquisite

workmanship and great value, the hereditary Egyptian kings. She also â&#x20AC;˘ent to the mausoleum an immense quantity possessions of the

of flax, tow, torches, and other ooralustibles

Cleopatra.

296 Pmn of Oetaviiu.

[BC.SO He

arrires at Alexandria

These she stored in the lower apartments cf the monument, with the desperate determination of burning herself and her treasures together rather than to

fall

into the

hands of the

Romans. In the

mean

army of Octavius march across the desert

time, the

steadily continued

its

from Pelusium to Alexandria.

the way,

Octavius learned, through the agents in com-

munication with him from within the city what were the arrangements which Cleopatra had made for the destruction of her treasure whenever the danger should become imminent He was extremelj of its falling into his hands. unwilling that this treasure should be sides its intrinsic value,

mense importance it

for

him

was an

to get possession of

the purpose of carrying

trophy of his triumph.

Be-

lost.

object of im-

Rome

as a

accordingly sent

eecret messengers to Cleopatra, endeavoring tc

separate her from Antony, and to

mind with the

amuse her

profession that he felt only friend-

ihip for her, and did not

mean

do her any

injury, being in pursuit of Antony only.

These

negotiations were continued from day to day

while Octavius was advancing.

Roman army it

on every

last the

reached Alexandria, and invested

side.

The End

B.C.30.J The

of Cleopatra. The

laDy.

As soon as Octavius was camp under the walls of planned a

sally,

297

nnfaithfol eaptaliL

established in his

the

Antonj

city,

and he executed

in fact,

it,

with considerable energy and success.

is-

sued suddenly from the gates, at the head of as strong a force as he could

command, and

tacked a body of Octavius's horsemen. succeeded in driving these horsemen their position,

his turn,

but he was soon driven back in

back

city,

his pursuers.

extremely elated at the success of this

skirmish.

tenance

away from

and compelled to retreat to the

fighting as he fled, to beat

He was

at-

He came

full of

to Cleopatra

with a coun-

animation and pleasure, took her

arms and kissed her, all accoutered for he was, and boasted greatly of the exHe praised, too, ploit which he had performed. in his

battle as

in the highest terms, the valor of one of the officers

and

who had gone out with him to he had now brought to the

whom

suit of

prowess with a magnificent

armor made of

this reward,

ama

all

gold.

however, the

that very night, and

Almost

palace to

Cleopatra rewarded tho

present to Cleopatra. faithful captain's

the fight,

Notwithstanding

man deserted Antony

went over

to the

enemy

of Antony's adherents were in the

ÂŤtate of mind.

They would have

gladly

[BC.30

Clisopatra.

298 DIaaffection of Antony'i

men.

Deaertlon of tfa*

gone over to the camp of Octavius, have found an opportunity to do

flea*

they could

so.

when the final battle was fought, tho was decided by a grand <Jefection in the fleet, which went over in a body to the side of Octavius. Antony was planning the operaIn

fact,

fate of it

and reoonnoitering the movements of the enemy from an eminence which he occupied at the head of a body of foot soldiers all the land forces that now remained to him and looking off from the eminence on which he stood toward the harbor, he observed a movement among the galleys. They were going out to meet the ships of Octavius, which were lyAntony ing at anchor not very far from them. supposed that his vessels were going to attack those of the enemy, and he looked to see what They advanced exploits they would perform. toward Octavius's ships, and when they mot them, Antony observed, to his utter amazement, that, instead of the furious combat that he had expected to see, the ships only exchanged friendly salutations, by the use of the customary naval and then his ships, passing quietly signals tions of the day,

— —

;

round, took their positions in the lines of the

The two fleets had tho« become fleet. mereed and mingled into ooa other

The End

B.C.30.] Falae

ramor of Cleopatra'i

of Cleopatra.

299

Antony's deipalr-

death.

Antony immediately decided that this was She had made peace with Dotavius, he thought, and surrendered the fleet Antony to him as one of the conditions of it. ran through the city, crying out that he was Cleopatra's treason.

betrayed, and in a phrensy of rage sought the

She took

Cleopatra fled to her tomb.

palace.

with her one or two attendants, and bolted

and barred the doors, securing the fastenings with the heavy catches and springs that she had previously

women had

made

She then

ready.

directed her

to call out through the door that she

killed herself within the tomb.

The tony. .spair.

tidings of her death

were borne to An-

changed his anger to grief and de-

His mind,

to all balance

in fact,

and

was now wholly

control,

and

lost

passed from

the dominion of one stormy passion to another

with the most capricious

with the most mourning, he

bitter

facility.

cried oat

expressions

of sorrow,

much

Cleopatra's

said, not

death, for he should soon follow and join her, as

the fact that she had proved herself so superior to

him

in courage at last, in having thus an.

tioipated

him

He was

in the

work of

self-destruction.

at this time in one of the chambers

ÂŤf the palace, whither he

had

fled in his despair

Cleopatra.

300

[B.C.

Antonj's attempt to

Broa.

kill

hlnueli

and was standing by a fire, for the morning y/u oold He had a favorite servant named Eros,

whom

he greatly trusted, and

made to take an h,

should become necessary for

should

him.

kill

whom

he had

oath long before, that whenever

him

to die,

Eros

This Eros he now called to

him, and telling him that the time was come,

or-

dered him to take the sword and strike the blow.

Eros took the sword while Antony stood up Eros turned his head aside as if

before him.

wishing that his eyes should not see the deed

which

his

hands were about to perform.

stead, however, of piercing his master vÂŤdth

In it,

he plunged it into his own breast, fell down at Antony's feet, and died. Antony gazed a moment at the shocking spectacle, and then said, " I thank thee for this, noble Eros. Thou hast set me an example. I must for myself what thou couldst not do for me." So saying, he took the sword from his servant's

hands, plunged

into his body,

bed that was near,

and staggering

over upon it had received mortal wound. a \n The pressure, however, which was produced by the position in which he lay upon the bed, stanched the wound a little and stopped the flow to

little

a swoon.

of blood.

fell

Antony came presently

to hinoself

The End

B.C.SO.] Antony taken

of Cleopatra. She refuses

to Cleopatra.

301

open the door

again, and then began to beg and implore those

around him to take the sword and put him out of his misery.

But no one would do

lay for a time suffering great pain,

it.

and moan-

ing incessantly, until, at length, an officer

came

apartment and told him that the story which he had heard of Cleopatra's death was not true that she was still alive, shut up in her monument, and that she desired to see him This intelligence was the source of new there. into the

;

Antony implored

excitement and agitation.

the

him to Cleopatra, that he might see her once more before he died. They shrank from the attempt but, after some hesiby-standers to carry

;

tation and delay, they concluded to undertake to

remove him.

they bore him

marking

So, taking

him

along, faint

their track

in thefr arms,

and dying, and

with his blood, toward the

Jomb. Cleopatra would not open the gates to party

The

in.

city

was

all in

let

the

uproar and con-

fusion through the terror of the assault

Ootavius was making upon

know what therefore

ting

which and she did not

treachery might be intended.

went up

down

it,

to a

window

above, and

She let-

ropes and chains, she directed those

below to fasten the dying body to them, that

Clkopatra.

302 Antodj taken

in at tlw

window.

she and the two

Cleopatra'a grlel

women

with her might draw Those who witnessed

This was done.

up.

[B.C.

was a most piteous sight to behold â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Cleopatra and her women above exhausting their strength in drawing the wounded and bleeding sufferer up the wall, while he, when he said that

approached the window, feebly raised his arms to

them, that they might

women had

him

lift

in.

The

hardly strength sufficient to draw

At one time

the body up.

attempt would have opatra reached

seemed that the

abandoned

to be

down from

the

;

but Cle-

window

as far as

she could to get hold of Antony's arms, and thus,

by dint of great

last in

taking him

effort,

in.

they succeeded at

They

bore

him

to a

couch which was in the upper room from which the

window opened, and laid him down, while wrung her hands, and tore her hair,

Cleopatra

and uttered the most piercing lamentations and cries. She leaned over the dying Antony, crying out incessantly with the most piteous exalamations of grief. She bathed his face, which

was covered with to stanch his

blood,

and vainly endeavored

wound.

Antony urged her to be oalir, and not to mourn his fate. He asked for some wine. They brought

to him,

and he drank

it.

then

B.C. 30.]

The End

of Cleopatra.

Death of Aatony.

Cleopatra

entreated Cleopatra to save her sibly could do so,

and

nude

305 piiaonet',

she pos-

life, if

make some terms

other with Octavius, so as to continue to

Very soon

after this

live.

he expired.

mean time, Octavius had heard of tlia mortal wound which Antony had given himIn the

one of the by-standers had seized the aword the moment that the deed was done, and had hastened to carry it to Octavius, and to anself ; for

nounce

him the death

enemy.

of his

Octa-

vius immediately desired to get Cleopatra into his power.

the tomb,

with her.

sent a messenger, therefore, to

who attempted to open

a parley there

Cleopatra talked with the messen-

ger through the keyholes or crevices, but could

not be induced to open the door.

The messen-

ger reported these facts to Octayius.

then sent another

man with

Octavius

the messenger, and

while one was engaging the attention of Cleopatra and her

women

at the door below, the

other obtained ladders, and succeeded in gain-

ing admission into the tra

was warned

window

above.

Cleopa-

of the success of this stratagem

by the shriek of her woman, who saw the officer coming down the stairs. She looked around, and observing at a glance that she was betrayed,

and that the 16â&#x20AC;&#x201D;20

officer

was coming to

seize her,

Cleopatra.

806 Treatment of Cleopatra.

she drew a

Octarltu take* poaaeaslon of Alexandria

dagger from her robe, and waÂŤ

little

about to plunge

the blow.

into her breast,

grasped her

officer

[1VC.30

arm

when

the

just in time to prevent

took the dagger from her, and

then examined her clothes to see that there

were no other secret weapons concealed there. The capture of the queen being reported to Octavius, he appointed an officer to take her

This

into close custody.

officer

was charged

treat her with all possible courtesy, but to keep

a close and constant watch over her, and par-

guard against allowing her any pos-

ticularly to sible

means

In the

or opportunity for self-destruction.

mean

time, Octavius took formal pos-

session of the city, his troops

parade. rated,

was

marching

in at the

head of

with the most imposing pomp end chair of state, magnificently deco-

set

a public square

;

for

him on a high

and here he

sat,

elevation in

with circles

of guards around him, while the people of the city, assermbled before

him

in the dress of sap-

and kneeling upon the pavement, begged forgiveness, and implored him to spare the

pliants,

his

city.

These

petitions the great conqueror gra-

ciously condescended to grant.

Many

of the princes and generals

ei-ved under

Antony came next

who

*-dd

beg the \y^y

B.C. 30.]

The End

of Cleopatra. Cleopatra'

latoay't fnnermL

307

wretched aoadiltak

commander, that they might give it an honorable burial. These requests, however, Oo tavins WDuld not accede to, saying that he could He, not take the body away from Cleopatra.

of their

make such

however, gave Cleopatra leave to

arrangements fit,

for

the obsequies as she thought

and allowed her

money from

she desired.

such sums

to appropriate

her treasures for this purpose as

Cleopatra accordingly

made

the

necessary arrangements, and superintended the

execution of

them

;

not, however,

with any de-

gree of calmness and composure, but in a state,

on the contrary, of extreme agitation and tress.

fact,

she had been living

now

dis-

so long

under the unlimited and unrestrained dominion of caprice

and passion, that reason was pretty and all self-control was

effectually dethroned,

gone.

She was now nearly

forty years of age,

and, though traces of her inexpressible beauty

remained, her bloom was faded, and her countenance was

wan with

the effects of weeping,

She was, in a word, both in body and mind, only the wreck and ruin oi what she once had been. anxiety, and despair.

When the burial ceremonies were and she found that

was

forever gone,

all

was over

performed,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that Antony

and she herself hopelessly and

Cleopatra.

808 Cleopatra's

wounda and braUea.

irremediably ruined

She rasoWea

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;she gave

perfect phrensy of grief.

and scratched and

[B.C. 30. to atarre

heraaV

to a

herself

She beat her

breast,

tore her flesh so dreadfully,

which she made to kill herself, in the paroxysms of her despair, that she was soon covered with contusions and wounds, which, becoming inflamed and swelled, made her a shocking spectacle to see, and threw her into a fever. She then conceived the idea of pretending to be more sick than she was, and so refusing food and starving herself to death. in the vain efforts

She attempted

She reremedy that was offered and would not eat, and lived thus some to execute this design.

jected every medical her,

days without

food.

Octavius, to

thing relating to his captive

whom

every

was minutely

re-

ported by her attendants, suspected her design.

He was

very unwilling that she should

die,

having set his heart on exhibiting her to the

Roman his

people, on his return to the capital, in

triumphal procession.

accordingly sent

her orders, requiring that she should

submit to

the treatment prescribed by the physician, and

take her food, enforcing these his

commands

with a certain threat which he imagined might have some influence over her.

And what threat

dofs the reader imagine could possibly he de>

The End

B.C. 30.] nurmU

of Cleopatra.

609

Their effect

of OcUtIiu.

mind so sunk, so desperate, sc Every thing seemed already and life was only an insupportable

vised to reach a

wretched as hers ? lost

but

life,

What interests,

burden.

then, had she

still re-

maining upon which a threat could take hold ? Octavius, in looking for some avenue by

which he could reach

her, reflected that she

was

Caesarion, the son of Julius Cassar,

a mother.

and Alexander, Cleopatra, and Ptolemy, Antony's children, were still alive. Octavius imagined that in the secret recesses of her wrecked and ruined soul there might be some lingering principle of maternal affection remaining which he could goad into

word

ingly sent

to the physician kill

life

and action.

accord-

to her that, if she did not yield

and take her

food,

he would

every one of her children.

The threat produced its effect. and frantic patient became calm. ed her food.

Under

crazed

She

receiv-

to the physician.

treatment her wounds began to heal,

his

the fever

She submitted

The

was

allayed,

and at length she appear-

ed to be gradually recovering.

When

Octavius learned that Cleopatra had

become composed, and seemed

to be in

some

sense convalescent, he resolved to pay her a vis^ It.

As he

entered the room where she

was con

Clbopatra.

310 Octarlai

tMu

rB.C.30 Her wretched condltloa

Cleopatrk.

which seems to have been still the upper chamber of her tomb, he found her lying on a low and miserable bed, in a most wretched condition, and exhibiting such a spectacle of disease and wretchedness that he was shocked at beholding her. She appeared, in fact, almost fined,

wholly bereft of reason. in,

When Octavius came

she suddenly leaped out of the bed, half nak-

ed as she was, and covered with bruises and

wounds, and crawled miserably along

to her

conqueror's feet in the attitude of a suppliant.

Her

hair was torn from her head, her limbs were swollen and disfigured, and great bandages appeared here and there, indicating that there

were

worse injuries than these concealed.

still

From

the midst of

ery there

still

all this

squalidness and mis-

beamed from her sunken eyes a

great portion of their former beauty, and her voice

still

possessed

the

same

inexpressible

oharm that had characterized it so strongly in Octavius made her go the days of her prime. back

to her bed again

and

lie

down.

Cleopatra then began to talk and excuse her â&#x20AC;˘elf for

blame

what she had of

done, attributing

her conduct to Antony.

all

the

Octavius,

however, interrupted her, and defended Antony

from her criminations, saying lo hei that

wai

The End

B.C.30.J The

of Cleopatra.

Mm InTontory.

311

Cleopatra tn a

much

not his fault so

as hers.

ra^

She then sud-

denly changed her tone, and acknowledging her sins,

piteously implored mercy.

She begged

now she

Ootavius to pardon and spare her, as

were afraid of death and dreaded

instead of

desiring

the victim dissimilar

In a word, her mind,

as a boon.

and the prey alternately of the most and inconsistent passions, was now

overcome by

and delivered

fear.

brought out a

list

named

propitiate Octavius, she

all

her private treasures,

him as a complete inventory

of all that she had.

however,

One

Zeleucus,

of her treasurers,

who was

by, said to Octavius that that plete.

list

standing

was not com-

Cleopatra had, he alleged, reserved sev-

eral things of great value,

put

it,

down upon

which she had not

it.

This assertion, thus suddenly exposing her duplicity,

threw Cleopatra into a violent rage.

She sprang from her bed and assaulted her retary in a most furious manner.

the others

who were

there interposed, and com-

pelled Cleopatra to lie did, uttering all the

down

again, which she

time the most grievous com-

plaints at the wretched degradation to

ihe

was reduced,

â&#x20AC;˘ervant.ÂŤ4

sec-

Octavius and

to be insulted thus

at such a time

If she

which

by her own

had

reservtnJ

Cleopatra.

312 Ootarlo* deoetred.

[B.C. 30

Cleopatra's detennlnatloa

any thing, she said, of her private treasures, it was only for presents to some of her faithful friends, to induce them the more zealously to intercede with Octavius in her behalf.

Octa-

vius replied by urging her to feel no concern

on the subject whatever. he

said, all that she

gave

freely

her,

had reserved, and he prom-

ised in other respects to treat her in the most-

honorable and courteous manner.

Octavius was this interview.

much pleased at the It was obvious, as it

to him, that Cleopatra

die

;

live,

had ceased

result of

appeared

to desire to

that she now, on the contrary, wished to

and that he should accordingly succeed

his desire of taking her with

triumph at Rome. arrangements

him

to grace his

accordingly

made

his

and Cleopatra was three days she was to set out,

for departure,

notified that in

together with her children, to go into Syria.

Octavius said Syria, as he did not wish to alarm Cleopatra by speaking of Rome.

She, however

understood well where the journey,

once com-

menced, would necessarily end, and she was fully

determined in her

own mind

would never go there. She asked to be allowed Âťl>it

Antony's tomb.

that she

pay one parting This request waÂŤ

B.C. 30.J Clecpatrm

The End of Cleopatra

tIsIUi

Her composure on her

Antony's tomb.

313 retttm.

and she went to the tomb with a few attendants, carrying with her chaplets and gar-

granted

;

lands of flowers. forth

the

tomb her

anew, and was as violent as

grief broke ever.

She

bewailed her lover's death with loud cries and lamentations, uttered while she

was placing the

garlands upon the tomb, and offering the oblations

and incense, which were customary in " These," " the offerings, are the last

those days, as expressions of grief said she, as she

made

tributes of affection that I can ever pay thee,

dearest, dearest lord.

can not join thee,

am a captive and a prisoner, and they will not let me die. They watch me every hour, and are going to bear me far away, to exhibit me to thine enemies, as a badge and trophy of their triumph over thee. Oh intercede, dearest for I

Antony, with the gods where thou art now, since those that reign here on earth have utterly

forsaken

me; implore them

this fate,

and

let

me die

and be buried by thy

When

to save

here in

from

native land,

side in this tomb."

Cleopatra returned to her apartment

again after this melancholy ceremony, she seem-

ed to be more composed than she had been before.

She went to the bath, and then she athandsomely for supper. She had

tired herself

Cleopatra.

814 GVseiMtra'i

[B.C.

MppÂŤr.

Tha bukat

of &gi.

ordered supper that night to be very sumptn-

onsly served.

at liberty to

make these

the restrictions

npon her

She was

arrangements,

for

movements, which had been imposed at first, were now removed, her appearance and demeanor having been for some time such as to lead Ootavius to suppose that there

was no

longer any danger that she would attempt

self-

Her entertainment was arranged, according to her directions, in a man-

destruction. therefore,

ner corresponding with the customs of her court

when

She had many

she had been a queen.

among them were two

attendants, and

of her

These women were long-tried and servants and friends.

own women. faithful

man came

to the

door with a basket, and wished to enter.

The

While she was

at supper, a

guards asked him what he had in his basket.

opened it to let them see and, lifting up some green leaves which were laid over the top, he showed the soldiers that the basket was filled ;

with

figs.

said that they

The

patra's supper.

pearance of the fine

and

to take

figs,

beautiful.

soldiers

man

for

Cleo-

saying that they were very

The man asked

some of thenL

allowed the

were

admired the ap-

pass

the soldiers

This they declined, but in.

When

the supper

The End

B.C. 30.]

of Cleopatra. Btm

Claopatrm'a letter to Ootarla*.

was ended, Cleopatra sent all away except the two women. After a

little

out with a

of her attendants

They remained. women oame

letter for

Octavius, which Cleopatra

had written, and which she wished

One

was

ingly dispatched to carry the letter.

was given

to him,

was customary

was

in those days,

accord-

Octavius,

opened the envelope

at once and read the letter, which

tablet of metal.

hare im-

of the soldiers from

the guard stationed at the gates

U facad dead.

time, one of these

mediately delivered.

when

315

found that

written,

on a small

was a

brief

but urgent petition from Cleopatra, written evidently in agitation

and excitement, praying

that he would overlook her offense, and allow her to be buried with Antony.

Octavius imhad destroyed hersent off some messengers at once, with

mediately inferred that she self.

orders to go directly to her place of confinement

and ascertain the truth, intending to follow them himself inuuediately.

The

messengers, on their arrival at the gates,

found the sentinels and soldiers quietly on guard before the door, as if all

were

well.

enter-

ing Cleopatra's room, however, they beheld a

shocking spectacle.

upon a couch.

One

Cleopatra was lying dead of her

women was upon

Cleopatra.

316

[B.C. 30.

Amaiement of the tiy-tUnden

Deatk of ChMrwi/M.

the floor, dead too.

was Charmion, was

The

other,

whose name

sitting over the

body of her

mistress, fondly caressing her, arranging flowers in her hair,

and adorning her diadem.

The

messengers of Octavius, on witnessing this spectacle,

were overcome with amazement, and de"It of Charmion what it could mean. "Cleopatra has right," said Charmion.

manded is all

acted in a manner worthy of a princess descend-

ed from so noble a line of kings."

As Charmion

said this, she began to sink herself, fainting,

upon the bed, and almost immediately expired. The by-standers were not only shocked at the spectacle which was thus presented before them, but they were perplexed and confounded in their attempts to discover by what means Cleopatra

and her

women had

succeeded in effecting their

They examined

design.

the bodies, but

marks

of violence were to be discovered.

looked

all

They

around the room, but no weapons, and

Qo indication of any means of poison, were to be found.

They

discovered

something that a]>

peared like the slimy track of an animal on the

window, which they thought might have been produced by an asp ; but the animal itself was nowhere to be seen. They examined the boov with great care, but no

wall, toward a

B.C.30.]

The End

VHioÂŤ* eoiOectare*

marks

any

of Cleopatra.

317

u to the cause of Cleopatra'i death.

bile or sting

were

to be found, ex-

cept that there were two very slight and scarcely-discernible punctures on the arm,

which some

persons fancied might have been so caused.

The means and manner

of her death

seemed

be involved in impenetrable mystery.

There were various rumors on the subject subsequently in circulation both at Alexandria

and at Rome, though the mystery was never

Some said that there was an asp among the figs which the servant man

fully solved.

concealed

brought in in the basket

;

that he brought

it in

that manner, by a precohcerted arrangement

between him and Cleopatra, and that, when she received it, she placed the animal on her arm. Others say that she had a small

ment

like a needle,

steel instru-

with a poisoned point, which

she had kept concealed in her hair, and that she

with that, without producing any wound. Another story was, that she had an asp in a box somewhere in her apartment, which she had reserved for this occasion, and killed herself

visible

when

the time finally came, that she pricked

and teased

with a golden bodkin to

angry, and then placed received

its sting.

either of them,

were

Which

upon her

make

flesh

of these stories,

true, could never be

and if

knowr

Cleopatra.

318

[B.C. 30.

OpUon or OetaTtoi.

Hlj Moaaptk

It has, however, been generally believed among mankind that Cleopatra died in some way or other by the self-inflicted sting of the asp, and paintings and sculptures without number ha^e been made to illustrate and commemorate the

Boene.

This supposition' in respect her death

is,

to the

in fact, confirmed

mode

by the action

of Octavius himself on his return to Rome, which furnishes a strong indication of his opinion of the manner in which his captive at last

eluded him.

Disappointed in not being able to

exhibit the queen herself in his triumphal train,

he caused a golden statue representing her to be made, with an image of an asp upon the of

it,

and

this sculpture

conspicuously before

arm

he caused to be borne

him in his grand triumphal

entry into the capital, as the token and trophy of the final downfall of the

unhappy Egyptian

qaecQ.

The End.

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