282 Pearls. 



height of her pride and wanton braverie (as being 

 a noble curtezan, and a queene withall), began to 

 debase the expense and provision of Antonie, and 

 made no reckoning of all his costly fare. When he 

 thereat demaunded againe how it was possible to 

 goe beyond this magnificence of hi"S ; she answered 

 againe, that she would spend upon him in one 

 supper 100 hundred thousand sestertij. Antonie, 

 who would needs know how that might bee (for 

 hee thought it was unpossible), laid a great wager 

 with her about it, and she bound it againe and 

 made it good. The morrow after, when this was to 

 be tried, and the wager either to bee won or lost, 

 Cleopatra made Antonie a supper (because she 

 would not make default, and let the day appointed 

 to passe), which was sumptuous and roiall ynough ; 

 howbeit, there was no extraordinarie service seene 

 upon the bourd, whereat Antonie laughed her to 

 scorne, and by way of mockerie, required to see a 

 bill with the account of the particulars. She againe 

 said, that whatsoever had been served up alreadie, 

 was but the overplus above the rate and proportion 

 in question, affirming still that shee would yet in 

 that supper make up the full summe that she was 

 seazed at ; yea, herselfe alone would eat above that 

 reckoning, and her owne supper should cost 600 

 hundred thousand sestertij : and with that commanded 

 the second service to be brought in. The servitours 



