THE ANCIENTS. 17 



of the Queen, but to redeem his credit for skill he gave 

 directions to some of his attendants to dive into the 

 water, and fix several large fish on his baits. Cleopatra 

 discovered the trick ; and sent down one of her own slaves 

 to affix a large salted fish of the Euxine sea on his hook, 

 Antony was mortified at the exposure of his puerile vanity, 

 and manifested some degree of displeasure at being 

 duped in this manner. The artful Queen threw her 

 arms round his neck, exclaiming, "Kesign, dear general,' 

 this kind of sport to us petty princes of Pharos and 

 Canopus : your game is cities, provinces and kingdoms." 

 Gay, the poet, has rendered this story into verse as 

 follows : 



" What gudgeons are we men, 



Every woman's easy prey ; 

 Though we Ve felt the hook again, 



We bite and they betray." 



In the British Museum we have a figure of a Greek 

 fisherman, with fish in hand, and a fishing basket on the 

 other arm, evidently belonging to the early works of the 

 sculpture of Greece ; on another piece of Greek marble, 

 bearing the date of A. D. 334, we see the odd represen- 

 tation of a man turned into a fish ! 



The skin of the sole fish was, through the fertile fancy 

 of the Greeks, suggested as sandals for the Ocean nymphs. 



" They served those sandals of the foamy sea 

 Which nimble Nereids sent on errands fleet 

 Apply protective to their tender feet." 



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