CLEOPATRA. 



CLEBC, JEAN I.E. 



than TOO men a* prisoners to Athena. ProMedio.- with 

 111! T' eooftdeoos ia his own military power., be stationed I 

 a* Eton oo the 84171000, and delayed UM attack on Ampliipolis till ho 

 hiring U>U interval he made fruiUow 



needed in bis attack on Qalepsu*. Tb 



I of hM'soldiere. who horn the first had not teen pleased with 

 Clean's beinf appointed to the command, soon induced him to more 

 towards Aapkipolb with a view of reooanoitring. bat not of fighting. 



ir. who was in Anphipolis, did not choose to let him 

 off so oastty : he made a sadden sally out of the place, while Cleon, 

 who was quite unprapand for an attack, and bad not the least intention 

 to fight, was giving orders for a retreat. In the battle that ensued both 

 UM Uosdwnonian and UM Athenian generals fell, ac. 428. Cleon, 



i (with a half malioioas ooolnees), who had never had 



any idem of keeping hi* ground from the first, was caught ai he ran 

 away. u>d killed by a MyrdnUn targetoer. The remain! of the 

 Athenian army returned home. 



If GUon fQssmni aoy qualifications at all ai a statesman, they con- 

 silted not in rapcriority of talent or in political knowledge (for he had 

 liule of either), bat in a singular facility of (peaking and a great 



of words, which, combined with low manners, unsparing 

 i of those who were better than himself, and a coarso vehement 

 of delivery, rendered him acceptable to the mob. Whatever 

 nee he gained with the more considerate citizens seems to have 

 i from the reputation which be gained for blunt honesty in tho 

 declaration of bis sentiments, and a general promptness in action. 

 The real qualities which he contrived to get so favourably inter- 

 preted appear to have been impudence and rashness. The indignation 

 of UM comic poet (Aristophanes) was at last roused to endeavour to 

 suppress what seemed to defy all other opposition. Aristophanes 

 levelled at Cleon the shafts of his satire, and held him up to publio 

 ridicule in the most ridiculous colours. On one occasion (in the 

 ' Aoharnsnsse '), alluding to the demagogue's former occupation, he 

 threatens to " cut him into shoe-leather," and the comedy of ' The 

 Knights' (hnrijf) was composed with the express object of destroying 

 his authority, which had been raised to so extraordinary a pitch by 

 bis saeeess in the affair of Pylos. The victory at Spbacteria took 

 " es B.C. 425, and ' the Knighta ' was represented ac. 424. Such was 

 dread of offending Cleon, that not an actor was to be found bold 

 _~i to personate him on the stage, while the mask-maker refused 

 to give a representation of his face, and Aristophanes was obliged to 

 set in that character himself, supplying the want of a mask by 

 smearing his face with the lees of wine. [BiusiDAS; ABIBTOPBANES.] 



(Thncyd., iii., 30 ; iv., 21-40, Ac. ; v., L'-10 ; Aristoph., fguitet; and 

 Tliirlwall, Grttct, voL iii. ; but see also Grote, Hut. of Greece, vol. vl, 

 for an extended and elaborate, though, as we think, unsuccessful 

 sifmi to remove from Cleon the odium which almost every other 

 historian has concurred in attaching to his name ; Mr. Grote' a theory 

 being that Cleon was in fact the resolute champion of popular rights, 

 and that Thueydidee and Aristophanes from whom the received 

 opinions respecting Cleon are derived were his personal enemies, 

 while Thucydides was further animated by strong party spirit.) 



CLEOPATRA (KAfovoVpi), a daughter of Ptolemy Auletes, king of 

 Egypt, was born about B.C. 69. Her father, who died B.C. 51, left 

 two sons called Ptolemy, besides Cleopatra and her sister Arsiuoe. 

 By her father's will Cleopatra and her elder brother were to be joint 

 sovereigns, bnt they soon dingreed, and Cleopatra was obliged to take 

 refuge In Syria. In B.C. 48, Julias Cssear arriving in Syria in pursuit 

 of Pompey, who had fled from the battle of Pharsalia, determined to 

 carry the will of Ptolemy into effect, and to settle tho dispute between 

 Cleopatra and her brother. The youthful queer* who probably knew 

 UM sbaraotor of the Dictator, contrived to get herself privately con- 

 veyed into his presence, and by her fascinating manners completely 

 Rained his favour. Though not remarkable for beauty, according to 

 the testimony of snci. nt writers, which is confirmed by her medals, 

 j. 1 grss* natural abilities, which had been carefully culti- 



She is said to have spoken with facility several languages 

 besides bar native Greek ; a circumstance in iteelf well calculated to 

 give an artful woman a great ascendancy over all with whom she 

 came in contact (.'wear decided that Cleopatra should be restored to 

 her equal share of power. This decision giving dissatisfaction to the 

 young prince and his advisers, led to an attack upon Cwar's quarter* 

 under Achillas, the commander of the king's troops. After a blockade 

 of some months Gajsar received reinforcement*, and completely 

 defeated UM party of the king, who was drowned in the Nile. The 

 power was now given by Cnsar, in conformity with the 

 of Ptolemy's will, to Cleopatra and her Younger brother 

 . On Canal's return to Home, Cleopatra nhortly after 

 fallowed him, ami remained there till bis assassination (B.C. 44), when 

 she hastily quitted the city and returned to Egypt (Cic. ' Ep. ad 

 Alt,' xiv. 8.) 



In the fourth year of tJ.eir joint reign Cleopatra murdered her 

 brother Ptolemy. Her connection with Karc Antony commenced 

 after UM battle of Philippi, about He. 40, with the interview at Tarsus 

 in CUieia, of which Plutarch (' Anton.,' 25-27) has given a min.it. 

 description, and which Shaksprre, in bis play of 'Antony and 

 Cleopatra,' ha. turned into a glowing picture. Antony bad no doubt 

 earn Cleopatra during her residence at Itome, but, according to 



Appian, be was first struck with her charms hi Egypt (u.c. 65) when 

 he accompanied Oabinius, who was commissioned to restore Ptolemy 

 Auletes to his throne. Cleopatra at this their first interview was 

 only in her fifteenth year. From the time of the meeting at Tarsus 

 the destinies of Antony and Cleopatra were united. The voluptuous 

 queen, whose love of pleasure was unbounded, found in Antony a 

 companion to her taste ; and she spared no pains to attract him by all 

 the allurements that her inventive talents could devise. Her influence 

 over him seems to have continued uudiminished to the end of his life. 

 If we may believe the extant authorities, Antony was even prevailed 

 upon by Cleopatra to order her sister Arsinoe, who had taken sanctuary 

 in the temple of Diana at Kphesus, to be put to death. 



The return of Antony to Italy, and his marriage with OcUvi.i, the 

 lialf-sUter of Uctaviauus, for a time separated him from the Queen of 

 Kgypt ; but they met again in Syria (B.C. 36) previous to the unsuc- 

 cessful Parthian expedition of that year, after which Antony renounced 

 his wife for the charms of Cleopatra. Cleopatra was present at the 

 decisive battle of Actium, and set the example of flight, which was 

 followed by Antony. On the death of Antony, Cleopatra committed 

 suicide in order to avoid tho humiliation of being led in the triumphal 

 procession of Octavianus. Host probably she took poison. According 

 to the story in Plutarch, she was closely watched by the orders of 

 Octavianus, who suspected her designs, but she procured a poisonous 

 serpent to be introduced in a basket of figs. The queen, after using 

 the bath, and partaking of a sumptuous repast, applied the deadly 

 serpent to her arm. Two of her female attendants died with her. 

 The emissaries of Augustus, who had received a letter from Cleopatra 

 declaring her intention, came too late to save her for a Roman 

 triumph. They found her body lying on a golden couch in her royal 

 robes, with one of her attendants dead l:y her side, and the other 

 with just strength enough remaining to fix the diadem on the head of 

 her mistress. Cleopatra at the time of her death was in her thirty- 

 ninth year. She was buried by order of Octavianus with royal honours 

 in the same tomb with Antony. With Cleopatra ended (B.C. 30) the 

 dynasty of the Greek kings of Egypt, which commenced with 

 Ptolemams, the son of Lagus, B.C. 323. 



She had by Julius Caesar a son, Cassation, who was put to death by 

 Octavianus at Rome. By Antony she had three children, Alexander, 

 Ptolemams, and Cleopatra, all of whom adorned the triumph of 

 Octavianns at Rome. Cleopatra afterwards married Jnba, king of 

 Mauritania. [ANTONT; AUGUSTUS; C.KSAB.] 

 (Plutarch ; Appian ; Dion Casaius.) 



CLEKC, JEAN LK, bora at Geneva in 1657, was tho son of Etienne 

 le Clerc, and nephew to David le Clerc, a clergyman and professor of 

 Hebrew at Geneva, both known for several theological works. Jean 

 la Clerc early manifested great capabilities for learning joined to an 

 extraordinary memory. He travelled in France and England, and at 

 last settled at Amsterdan, where ho became professor of philosophy 

 and belles-lettres and of tho ancient languages. He wrote a vast 

 number of books, of very unequal merit, on all sorts of subjects. 

 Those which made most noise at the time concern Biblical history and 

 theological controversy, such as Latin commentaries on various books 

 of the Bible, 5 vols. fol., Amsterdam, 1710-31 ; ' Harmonia Evangelica,' 

 in Greek and Latin, fol., 1700; ' Traductiou du Nouveau Testament, 

 aveo des notes,' 4 to, 1703. These works pleased neither Catholic nor 

 Protestant divines, from their having a tendency to SocinianUui a 

 tendency made still more manifest by another work generally attri- 

 buted to him, entitled 'Sentimens de quelques Theologians de 

 Hollands touchant I'Histoire Critique du Vieux Testament.' followed 

 by a 'Defense' of the same work. 2 vols. Svo, 16S5. In these the 

 author openly attacks the inspiration of the Scriptures and tho very 

 foundation of Revelation. As a critic, Le Clerc published his ' At s 

 Critics,' 3 vols. Svo, 1712-30, a work which is much esteemed; and he 

 also edited the ' Bibliotheque Historique et Universelle,' a periodical 

 begun in 1687 and closed in 1693, making 26 vols. 12mo; the 'Biblio- 

 tbeque Choisie,' 1712-18, 28 vols. 12mo ; and the ' Bibliothcque 

 Ancienne ct Moderne,' 1726-30, 29 vols. 12mo. These literary journals 

 enjoyed a good reputation in their days. He also wrote 1, ' Parrha- 

 siana, ou I'ense'es divenes sur des matiores de Critique, d'Histoire, do 

 Morale, et de Politiquc,' 2 vols. 12mo, 1701, a compilation to which he 

 has added some hasty reflections, and many favourable comment* upon 

 his own works ; 2, ' Histoiro de* Provinces Unies des Pays Has,' from 

 16SO to 1728, 2 vols. fol., Amsterdam, 1738 ; 3, ' Histoiro du Cardinal 

 de Richelieu,' 2 vols. 12mo, 1714; 4, 'TraiUS de 1'IncnSdulite,' Svo, 

 1733, in which he examines and discusses the various motives and 

 reasons which occasion many to reject Christianity. He also wrote a 

 number of polemical works and pamphlets, moat of which were tinged 

 with bitterness and dogmatism. Le Clerc was one of the first critics 

 of his age, but it was an age in which the critical art had not attain*' .1 

 a high degree of excellence. He was learned, had quickness and 

 penetration, and a groat facility of composition ; but ho generally 

 wrote in haste and upon too many and various subjects, having at 

 times five or six works in hand at once. He published also a supple- 

 ment to ' Moreri's Dictionary,' and several editions of ancient classic*, 

 ninong others Livy, Ausonius, Sulpicius Suvenis, &c. Hi* edition of 

 Menander and Philemon's fragments was severely criticised by Dr. 

 Bentley. In 1728, while he was giving his lecture, Le Clerc suddenly 

 lost the use of his speech through a paralytic stroke. After lingering 



