﻿420 
  MR 
  ANDREW 
  COVENTRY'S 
  NOTICE 
  OF 
  

  

  founded 
  on 
  Antony 
  and 
  Cleopatra 
  (Shakspeare's 
  " 
  Antony 
  and 
  Cleopatra," 
  Dry- 
  

   den's 
  " 
  All 
  for 
  Love," 
  and 
  " 
  The 
  False 
  One" 
  of 
  Beaumont 
  and 
  Fletcher), 
  we 
  find 
  

   Octavia 
  brought 
  little 
  upon 
  the 
  stage, 
  as 
  if 
  so 
  much 
  worth 
  and 
  beauty 
  must 
  have 
  

   robbed 
  Cleopatra 
  of 
  dramatic 
  interest. 
  

  

  But 
  to 
  proceed. 
  The 
  first 
  thing 
  that 
  struck 
  me 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  bust 
  was 
  

   the 
  very 
  great 
  resemblance, 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  said, 
  which 
  it 
  has 
  to 
  the 
  young 
  Augustus. 
  

   It 
  is 
  really 
  most 
  remarkable. 
  The 
  same 
  gentle 
  rise 
  of 
  the 
  nose, 
  — 
  the 
  same 
  

   breadth 
  of 
  forehead, 
  in 
  contrast 
  with 
  a 
  tapering 
  chin 
  — 
  the 
  same 
  small 
  mouth, 
  — 
  

   and 
  the 
  same 
  low 
  setting 
  of 
  the 
  ears, 
  — 
  these 
  are 
  points 
  of 
  which 
  any 
  one 
  may 
  

   satisfy 
  himself 
  by 
  inspecting 
  the 
  antique 
  casts 
  in 
  the 
  adjoining 
  room. 
  Sue- 
  

   tonius,* 
  to 
  whom 
  we 
  owe 
  the 
  full 
  description 
  of 
  Augustus's 
  appearance, 
  spe- 
  

   cially 
  dwells 
  upon 
  the 
  delicacy 
  of 
  his 
  features 
  and 
  the 
  singularly 
  tranquil 
  and 
  

   serene 
  look 
  he 
  always 
  had 
  ; 
  and 
  Mr 
  Merivale 
  (2. 
  465) 
  following 
  him, 
  speaks 
  of 
  

   " 
  the 
  graceful 
  beauty 
  of 
  his 
  mouth, 
  and 
  chin 
  of 
  almost 
  feminine 
  delicacy." 
  Now, 
  

   curiously 
  enough, 
  these 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  obvious 
  peculiarities 
  of 
  this 
  bust. 
  The 
  pre- 
  

   cise 
  features 
  of 
  Octavia 
  herself 
  are 
  nowhere 
  given 
  that 
  I 
  can 
  find 
  ; 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  

   searched 
  Dion 
  Cassius, 
  Seneca, 
  Aurelius 
  Victor, 
  and 
  Plutarch, 
  besides 
  Sue- 
  

   tonius, 
  being 
  curious 
  to 
  trace 
  to 
  some 
  authentic 
  source, 
  if 
  it 
  were 
  possible, 
  the 
  

   round 
  face 
  and 
  the 
  low 
  brow 
  which 
  Shakspeare 
  has 
  given 
  to 
  his 
  Octavia. 
  

  

  2d, 
  Of 
  Octavia 
  there 
  was, 
  some 
  j^ears 
  ago, 
  a 
  bust 
  at 
  Rome 
  in 
  the 
  Capitol, 
  as 
  I 
  

   am 
  informed. 
  Two 
  friends 
  of 
  mine 
  who 
  had 
  often 
  seen 
  it 
  and 
  admired 
  it, 
  upon 
  

   visiting 
  the 
  bust 
  in 
  my 
  possession, 
  immediately 
  recognised 
  the 
  resemblance 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  the 
  two. 
  What 
  has 
  become 
  of 
  it 
  I 
  cannot 
  say 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  would 
  appear 
  that 
  

   it 
  must 
  have 
  changed 
  either 
  its 
  local 
  habitation 
  or 
  its 
  name, 
  there 
  being 
  no 
  bust 
  

   of 
  Octavia 
  there 
  now. 
  So 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  given 
  to 
  understand 
  by 
  a 
  young 
  friend 
  at 
  

   present 
  in 
  Italy 
  (Mr 
  James 
  Swinton) 
  ; 
  but, 
  of 
  course, 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  matter 
  to 
  be 
  further 
  

   inquired 
  into. 
  

  

  3d, 
  In 
  the 
  " 
  Signorum 
  Veterum 
  Icones" 
  of 
  Gerard 
  Reynst, 
  p. 
  26, 
  there 
  is 
  

   an 
  engraving 
  which 
  professes 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  Octavia 
  ; 
  and 
  it 
  certainly 
  is 
  not 
  of 
  Oc- 
  

   tavia 
  Augusta, 
  the 
  unfortunate 
  wife 
  of 
  Nero, 
  of 
  whom 
  a 
  portrait 
  follows 
  at 
  

   page 
  36. 
  Now, 
  it 
  has 
  the 
  hair 
  parted 
  in 
  the 
  middle, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  bust 
  in 
  my 
  posses- 
  

   sion, 
  — 
  the 
  same 
  short 
  upper 
  lip, 
  — 
  the 
  same 
  dimpled 
  chin, 
  — 
  and, 
  I 
  should 
  say, 
  the 
  

   same 
  low 
  brow. 
  The 
  engraving, 
  indeed, 
  gives 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  a 
  fuller 
  and 
  rather 
  a 
  

   coarser 
  face, 
  perhaps 
  the 
  fault 
  of 
  the 
  draftsman, 
  but 
  the 
  general 
  likeness 
  is 
  con- 
  

   siderable. 
  

  

  4th, 
  In 
  the 
  Dactyliotheca 
  (I., 
  67), 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  portrait 
  which 
  possesses 
  a 
  peculiar 
  

   kind 
  of 
  interest, 
  not 
  that 
  it 
  represents 
  Octavia, 
  but 
  Antonia 
  Augusta, 
  her 
  second 
  

   daughter 
  by 
  Marc 
  Antony 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  it 
  I 
  think 
  one 
  may 
  see 
  a 
  great 
  resemblance 
  to 
  

   the 
  bust. 
  This 
  was 
  her 
  favourite 
  daughter, 
  the 
  one 
  that 
  inherited 
  her 
  virtues 
  and 
  

  

  * 
  Suetonius, 
  voce 
  " 
  Octavius 
  ;" 
  and 
  Arnold's 
  Roman 
  Commonwealth, 
  II., 
  406. 
  

  

  