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Description of Cleopatra from the Life of Antony When Antony was making preparation for the Parthian war, he sent
to command Cleopatra to make her personal appearance in Cilicia,
to answer the accusation, that she had given great assistance, in
the late wars, to Cassius. Dellius, who was sent on this message,
had no sooner seen her face, and remarked her adroitness and
subtlety in speech, than he felt convinced that Antony would not
so much as think of giving any molestation to a woman like this;
on the contrary, she would be the first in favor with him. So he
set himself at once to pay his court to the Egyptia, and gave her
his advice, "to go," in the Homeric style, to Cilicia, "in her
best attire," and bade her fear nothing from Antony, the gentlest
and the kindest of soldiers. She had some faith in the words of
Dellius, but more in her own attractions, which, having formerly
recommended her to Caesar and the young Gnaeus Pompey, she did not
doubt might prove yet more successful with Antony. Their
acquaintance was with her when a girl, young, and ignorant of the
world, but she was to meet Antony in the time of life when women's
beauty is most splendid, and their intellects are in full
maturity, for she was now about twenty-eight years of age. She
made great preparation for her journey, of money, gifts, and
ornaments of value, such as so wealthy a kingdom might afford, but
she brought with her her surest hopes in her own magic arts and
charms. She received several letters, both from Antony and from his
friends, to summon her, but she paid no attention to these orders;
and at last, as if in mockery of them, she came sailing up the
river Cydnus, in a barge with gilded stern and outspread sails of
purple, while oars of silver beat time to the music of flutes and
fifes and harps. She herself lay stretched along under a canopy of
cloth of gold, dressed as Venus in a picture, and beautiful young
boys, like painted Cupids, stood on each side to fan her. Her
maids were dressed like Sea Nymphs and Graces, some steering at
the rudder, some working at the ropes. The perfumes diffused
themselves from the vessel to the shore, which was covered with
multitudes, part following the galley up the river on either bank,
part running out of the city to see the sight. The market-place
was quite emptied, and Antony at last was left alone sitting upon
the tribunal; while the word went through all the multitude, that
Venus had come to feast with Bacchus, for the common good of Asia.
On her arrival, Antony sent to invite her to supper. She thought
it fitter he should come to her; so, willing to show his good-
humor and courtesy, he complied, and went. He found the
preparations to receive him magnificent beyond expression, but
nothing so admirable as the great number of lights; for on a
sudden there were let down all together so great numbers of
branches with lights in them so ingeniously disposed, some in
squares, and some in circles, that the whole thing was a spectacle
that has seldom been equaled for beauty. The next day, Antony invited her to supper, and was very desirous
to outdo her as well in magnificence as contrivance; but he found
he was altogether beaten in both, and was so well convinced of it,
that he was himself the first to jest and mock at his poverty of
wit, and his rustic awkwardness. She, perceiving that his raillery
was broad and gross, and savored more of the soldier than the
courtier, rejoined in the same taste, and fell into it at once,
without any sort of reluctance or reserve. For her actual beauty,
it is said, was not in itself so remarkable that none could be
compared with her, or that no one could see her without being
struck by it, but the contact of her presence, if you lived with
her, was irresistible; the attraction of her person, joining with
the charm of her conversation, and the character that attended all
she said or did, was something bewitching. It was a pleasure
merely to hear the sound of her voice, with which, like an
instrument of many strings, she could pass from one language to
another; so that there were few of the barbarian nations that she
answered by an interpreter; to most of them she spoke herself, as
to the Aethiopians, Troglodytes, Hebrews, Arabians, Syrians,
Medes, Parthians, and many others, whose language she had learnt;
which was all the more surprising, because most of the kings her
predecessors scarcely gave themselves the trouble to acquire the
Egyptian tongue, and several of them quite abandoned the
Macedonian. Antony was so captivated by her that, leaving his troops assembled
in Mesopotamia, and ready to enter Syria, he suffered himself to
be carried away by her to Alexandria, there to keep holiday, like
a boy, in play and diversion, squandering and fooling away in
enjoyments that most costly, as Antiphon says, of all valuable,
time. They had a sort of company, to which they gave a particular
name, calling it that of the "Inimitable Livers." The members
entertained one another daily in turn, with an extravagance of
expenditure beyond measure or belief. Philotas, a physician of
Amphissa, who was at that time a student of medicine in
Alexandria, used to tell my grandfather, Lamprias, that, having
some acquaintance with one of the royal cooks, he was invited by
him, being a young man, to come and see the sumptuous preparations
for supper. So he was taken into the kitchen, where he admired the
prodigious variety of all things; but particularly, seeing eight
wild boars roasting whole, he exclaimed, "Surely you have a great
number of guests." The cook laughed at his simplicity, and told
him there were not more than twelve to sup, but that every dish
was to be served up just roasted to a turn, and if anything was
but one minute ill-timed, it was spoiled; "And," said he, "maybe
Antony will sup just now, maybe not this hour, maybe he will call
for wine, or begin to talk, and will put it off. So that," he
continued, "not one, but many suppers must be had in readiness, as
it impossible to guess at his hour." Plato admits four sorts of flattery, but Cleopatra had a thousand.
Were Antony serious or disposed to mirth, she had at any moment
some new delight or charm to meet his wishes. She played at dice
with him, drank with him, hunted with him; and when he exercised
in arms, she was there to see. At night she would go rambling with
him to disturb and torment people at their doors and windows,
dressed like a servant-woman, for Antony also went in servant's
disguise, and from these expeditions he often came home very
scurvily answered, and sometimes even beaten severely, though most
people guessed who it was. It would be trifling without end to be
particular in his follies, but his fishing must not be forgotten.
He went out one day to angle with Cleopatra, and, being so
unfortunate as to catch nothing in the presence of the queen, he
gave secret orders to the fishermen to dive under water, and put
fishes that had been already taken upon his hooks; and these he
drew so fast that the Egyptian perceived it. But, feigning great
admiration, she told everybody how dexterous Antony was, and
invited them next day to come and see him again. So, when a number
of them had come on board the fishing boats, as soon as he had let
down his hook, one of her servants was beforehand with his divers,
and fixed upon his hook a salted fish from Pontus. Antony, feeling
his line give, drew up the prey, and when, as may be imagined,
great laughter ensued, Cleopatra said, "Leave the fishing-rod,
general, to us poor sovereigns of Pharos and Canopus; your game is
cities, provinces, and kingdoms."
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