EGYPT. 



- - 



liralcd with 



death. 



Antony in 

 power. 



waibul in the eleventh year of hi* ape ; mid, according 

 to OK? acciir-e- i soon 



Hi- \oiinger 



\r-inoo was sent t.> Rome, that she might ac. 



rder 

 in 1 



ntinucd in !'.:>. pt with the 



professed intention of settling it- but his re- 



mnining at AlcMtndri.i after I leopatra was seated firmly 

 ii|H(ii the throne, cleaily IH travel an illicit and <! 

 ing uttm-hu'i lit to the queen. In various ]>arts of the 

 n dominion*, the power of Cirsar w.i- threatened; 

 but ho could not l>e induced to leave Cleopatra till his 

 fortune set mod to tx-upon the verge of de.-pair. Then 

 . tivity it turned, and from place to plate he 

 carried victory and triumphs. Having suppressed the 

 insurrections in s.\,; iU ],,. hMtened to Africa, and over- 

 threw the parti-ans of C.ito, and the king of Numidia, 

 in the celebrated battle of Thapsus. Then, having con- 

 qiupfl the remainder of Pompey's party iii Spain, he 

 n-turiud !: IJome, and enjoyed for a while the fruit of 

 hi- triumphs, liut still his affections centered in Cleo- 

 patra ; and it is .slid that he had taken some step - to 

 remove an obstacle, which the Roman law placed in 

 his way, for making her his wife. But the Roman 

 people were still dissatisfied with arbitrary power ; and 

 Capsar having become more unpopular, by repeated acts 

 of licentiousness and severity, was murdered in the 

 sen.tte house. 



A scene of confusion now ensued at Rome, and it 

 was difficult to say what hardships were to be endured, 

 or what form of government was then to be adopted. 

 Antony. I.epidus, and Octavius, who had assumed the 

 name of Octavianus, formed a coalition, with the pro- 

 i intention of avenging Cirsar's death ; but chiefly 

 with the view of a.spiring separately to the sovereign 

 power. Consequently the triumvirate was soon bro- 

 ken, and I.epidus falling into neglect, Antony and Oc- 

 tavianus strove for the mastery. But Antony was |>e- 

 culiarly conspicuous at the battle of Philippi, where 

 the cause of tlie republicans was lost, with the lives of 

 Brutus and Cassius. 



Victorious and full of lope, Antony departed to Sy- 

 ria; and viewing himself as the master of Itom<>, IIP 

 travelled into Syria, which, with the other provinces 

 of the East, was committed to his government; and 

 having arrived at Tarsus, he commanded Cleopatra to 

 leave Egypt, and appear before him. 



Though the kingdom of the Ptolemies had lately 

 been secured to her by the interest of Rome, yet it is 

 obvious that she did not obey the commands of An- 

 tony to acknowledge his authority, but perhaps to pay 

 respect to the avenger of Csesar ; and who knows, but 

 the licentiousness of Cleopatra might induce her to ex- 

 pect another admirer in tlie Roman hero? The meet- 

 ing of Antony and Cleopatra was splendid beyond ex- 

 ample ; they indulged in costly presents, and their 

 feastings were numerous and extravagant. At her so- 

 licitation, and to remove every fear of a rival, her sister 

 Arsinoe was put to death. Like Ca -ar, Antony w;us 

 lost amidst the fascinating manners of Cleopatra ; and 

 he divorced his wife Octavia, the most virtuous of wo- 

 men, to remove the jealousy, and enjoy the favours of 

 the abandoned Cleopatra. Having subdued his ene- 

 mies in the East, he returned towards Rome to o, 

 the growing power of Octavianus, which his own mis- 

 conduct had tended to enlarge. 



Had Antony marched directly to Rome, the power 

 of Octavianus might have been overthrown; but being 



enervated with effeminate pleasures, he listened to the ^Humy- 

 'oopttra rather tl. .n the * < V "^Y~' 



battle near Ac- 



tium, his t' nquMicd. and he fled first to l.\ - 



bi.i. an;l : I'.ut he wa-. not to be 



l( il b\ the pvi-- -nd the e... 



OUSIH--S of her own errors ili-i|iiu ted the mind of that 

 ambiv n. >iu l!i-d from the presence of An- 



tony, :r,,l retired to a sepulchral monument near the 



- to tin'-. Oct.n i Mills h::<! 



followed lij) his triumph* over Antony, and a- thel" 

 iu> in the city of Alexandria. Relieving a re- 

 port .that C'leopatra had put an end to her life, an ! 

 inj,' hin, self upon the point of falling into the k.nd-. of 

 l:is rival and inveterate toe, he fell upon his suord. 

 liut not havini: instantly expired, and finding that ' 

 patra was >till in life, he was conveyed to her n tl 

 and after an atftrting farewell, immediately r\].i 



Cleopatra could no longer escape the power of Oc- 

 ta\iamis. ;i nd she attempted to win his heart, and gain 

 her liberty ; but her attempt was ineH'ecUial: and though 

 she was treated with many marks of apparent respect, 

 yet .-he was still ditained a prisoner, and she had good 

 reason to believe, that the Roman conqueror intended 

 her to complete his triumphs at Rome. She maintain- 

 ed an appearance of confidence and good spirits; but 

 she had taken her resolution, and was determined to 

 die. Although this WHS suspected, and she was strict- 

 ly watched, yet she found means to obtain an aspic, by 

 the sting of which her iife was taken away. 



Thus died Cleopatra, who, to the beauty and grace- Cleopatra's 

 fulness of her person, added the charms of wit, ex- ik-ath. 

 tensive knowledge, and affable manners. She was the 

 patron of letters, and added a valuable collection to the 

 libraries of Alexandria. She was licentious and vain ; 

 but she was born in the midst of a dissipated court, 

 and placed in circumstances peculiarly seductive. While. 

 we reprobate her conduct, we regret tlwt her lot was 

 not more favourable to virtue, and that qualities which 

 might have been pure and illustrious in another situa- 

 tion, had exposed her conduct to the reprobation and 

 dislike of every virtuous mind. See \1aneth, Herodotus, 

 Plutarc'i, Diot. Siculus, Dio Cassias, Bruce's Trnvil". 

 Browne, Hornmun, Ren.Geog., Arrian, I.nrti'i, (}.('tir- 

 .'(.'/)/, - I'.,/,,,- Maxim., Prideatuc, Justin, Joseplius, 

 Cicero, and Caesar, 



By the death of Cleopatra, the dynasty of the Ptolc- Egypt a 

 mies was finished after it had lasted alxmt . province of 



and Egypt was converted into a province of Rome. ltomo - 

 That the people of that country might continue united 

 to the Roman government, none of the noblemen were 

 allowed to have intercourse with the Egyptian people. 

 The kingdom of the Ptolemies was to be subject to a 

 governor ; and that office was conferred upon Cornelius 

 (iallus, who was a person of e<|iu-trian rank. And. 

 further to restrain the ambitious views of Egypt, it 

 not allowed to be under the direction of a propnetor as 

 the more favoured provinces were; but the govern- 

 ment was under a prefect, nor had he the power of life 

 and death i nor the command of public money. His 

 ollice was continued but for one year, and all the in- 

 tciv>ts of Egypt were jealously watched by the eye of 

 Octavianus. 



But all these precautions did not prevent disorders in 

 Egypt, (iallus, the first governor, enriched himself by 

 oppressing the people ; and by inscribing his own name 

 and deed.- upon the pyramids and other public build- 

 ings, he fell under the suspicion of Octavianus; and. 



3 



