3!2 E G 
was now employed in ftirring lip the Romans againd him ; 
and at the fame time lent a divorce to OCtavia, whom 
lie ordered to be driven forcibly from his houfe at Rome. 
His preparations for the war were fo far advanced, that an 
immediate attack upon his adverfary would in all proba¬ 
bility have been attended with fuccefs, as Octavius was 
not then in a condition to withftand his forces either by 
fea or land ; but in-this, as in every other affair of im¬ 
portance, he was immerfed in misfortune through his ill- 
fated pallion ; for, indead of leading liis folSiers to the 
field while they might reafonably have expected the vic¬ 
tory, he continued to revel in the arms of Cleopatra, as 
if in the mod: peaceable times. Whenever he appeared 
in public Hie .was with him ; even'in the adminihration 
of juftice in the forum die was feated by his fide ; he al¬ 
ways • ddreffed her with the title of queen and fovereign ; 
and frequently followed her on foot among the eunuchs, 
while ihe was drawn through the city in a ftaie'ly chariot. In 
fhort, (lie had gained fo entire an afcendancy over him, that 
flic entertained the hope of becoming queen of Rome. 
In the year before Chrift 31, OCtavius, having prepared 
a powerful fleet and army, declared war againd the queen 
of Egypt ; and as foon as the feafon would permit, the 
two armies prepared for engagement, and the fleets put 
to fea. After feveral encounters, Antony was perfuaded 
by Cleopatra to put the whole to the ifl'ue of a fea fight, 
though Canidius remonflrated on the impolicy of fuch a 
rilk. This-memorable battle was fought at the mouth 
of the Ambracian gulf, near the city of ACtium, in fight 
of both armies. The victory, being difputed with great 
vigour and refolution, was for fome time doubtful ; but 
the timidity of Cleopatra induced her to draw off the 
whole Egyptian fquadroo, confiding of fixty large veflels, 
in the middle of the engagement ; and her ill-fated lovef 
immediately followed her, to the aftonifhment of all the 
fpe&ators. Next day OCtavius detached a fquadron of 
his bell (hips in purfuit of the fugitives, but they foon 
returned to the fleet without executing their commifiion, 
and Cleopatra and Antony arrived fafely at Taenarus in 
Laconia. Octavius caufed the war to be declared oniy 
againft Cleopatra, to avoid offending Antony’s friends, 
w ho were very numerous and powerful at Rome. Cleo¬ 
patra now left Antony, and returned to Alexandria ; but 
fearing left the knowledge of her misfortunes thould ex¬ 
cite her fubjects to a revolt, Hie entered the harbour with 
emblematical ornaments on her fliips, as if (lie had ob¬ 
tained a fignal victory ; and when by this artifice fhe had 
obtained admiffion into her metropolis, (lie iffued orders 
for tire execution of all thofe perfons who were averfe to 
her measures. 
From Taenarus Antony failed to Lybia, where he had 
left Pinarius Scarpus, with a confiderable body of troops, 
to defend the Egyptian frontier on that fide ; but on his 
landing, he had the mortification to find that Scarpus, 
and all the forces under his command, had revolted to 
OCtavius. The only refolution therefore he could now 
take', was to follow Cleopatra to Alexandria: where lie 
found her engaged in a very extraordinary undertaking.- 
To avoid falling into the hands of Octavius, who, the 
was well aware, would follow her into-Egypt, (lie com¬ 
manded all her fliips in the Mediterranean to be carried 
to the Red Sea, over an ifthmusof feventy miles, for the 
purpofe df tranfporting herfelf and all her treasures be¬ 
yond the enemy’s reach. But the Arabians who inha¬ 
bited that coalt having burnt all the veflels, the was 
obliged to relinquifh her defign. The extremity to which 
flie was thus reduced, effected a total change in her pro¬ 
jects; and the inftantly formed the bafe refolution of fa- 
crifjcing Antony to his inveterate foe, whom flie now re¬ 
garded as her conqueror. She accordingly prevailed on 
her deluded lover to fend propofals of peace to OCtavius, 
and joined her deputies in the fame embalfy, but gave 
them private indruCtions to treat feparately for herfelf. 
Octavius refufed to admit Antony’s ambaffadors to his 
{ P T. 
/ 
prefence, but Cleopatra’s were dllmlffed with a favour¬ 
able anfvyer. 
Antony, on Ills return from Lybia, was fo deeply over¬ 
whelmed with diftrefs by the treachery of Scarpus, that 
he was with difficulty prevented from ruffling into the 
arms of death ; and, on his landing, retired to a country- 
houfe on the banks of the Nile, in order to fequefler him- 
felf from Cleopatra, and all his former companions. But 
as nothing could erafe from his heart the recollection 
of his beloved miftrefs, he foon quitted his retreat, and 
returned to Alexandria, from whence he again lent de¬ 
puties to demand his life of OCtavius, upon the fliameful 
condition of reliding at Athens in the capacity of a pri¬ 
vate perfon ; provided Cleopatra and her children might 
retain the government of Egypt. This deputation prov¬ 
ing equally unfiiccefsful with the former, Antony feemed 
determined on extinguilhing the recollection of his paft 
troubles, a.nd the apprehenfion of his approaching def- 
tiny, by immoderate luxury and voluptuoufnefs : Cleo¬ 
patra and lie regaled each other alternately, and drove 
to exceed each fucceflive entertainment in fplendor and 
magnificence. 
OCtavius being anxious to get the queen of Egypt with¬ 
in his power, that lie might adorn his triumph with her 
perfon., and difeharge his debts with her i mine rife trea¬ 
sures, fent her feveral afl'tiranees of protection on condition 
that ihe would-kill Antony, whom he Ailed the author 
of all her misfortunes: Cleopatra peremptorily refufed 
to embrite her hands in the blood of Antony, but at the 
fame time- confented to deliver his perfon, and the king¬ 
dom of Egypt, into the enemy’s hand. In confequence 
of this prpmife the city of Pelufinm was betrayed to Oc¬ 
tavius, while Antony was gone to lay fiege to Peritonium, 
the key of Egypt on the weftern fide. Antony, frus¬ 
trated in his defigns, and defeated with the lofs of his 
whole fleet, hadened to Alexandria to defend the metro-, 
polis from the fury of Octavius. On his arrival he found 
Cleopatra employed in removing her jewels and mod va¬ 
luable effects to a monument which die was laid to have 
formerly built near the temple of Ills. Upon being ques¬ 
tioned refpeCtirig this removal of*her treafures, together 
with a great quantity of aromatic wood, flax, perfumes. 
See. die anfwered, that if the town fhould be taken, 
fhe would there raife a funeral pile and confume herfelf 
with Her riches in the flames, to difappoint the ejierny of 
his expectations. This, however, was a'mere dratagem 
to conceal her perfidy from Antony, and do obtain fur¬ 
ther affurances of favour from OCtavius. The enemy in 
the mean time encamped in the hippodrome, hoping foon 
to be mader of the, city, by means of the private intelli¬ 
gence which he held, with Cleopatra. Antony, who was 
(till ignorant of the queen’s intrigues, made a vigorous 
fally, and threw the bedegers into great diforder; but 
this was the lad effort of his expiring valour; for, in¬ 
dead of improving his advantage, or providing for his 
perfonal fafety, lie prefented himfelf in his arnfour be¬ 
fore Cleopatra, and, amidd the acclamations of the Alex¬ 
andrians, prodrated himfelf before her throne, recom¬ 
mending to her favour one of his foldiers who had dif- 
tinguifhed himfelf on that occadon in a very eminent 
manner. The queen immediately fent for the loldier, 
and, in the prefence of the whole people, prefented him 
with a fuit of armour and helmet of pure gold, with 
which he defected the fame night to OCtavius. Early 
the next morning Antony refolved to attack the invader 
by fea and land. He accordingly drew up his land army 
upon fome eminences within the city,'and from thence 
kept the galleys in view, which were failing out of the 
port to attack the enemy’s fleet. He waited in dlence 
the refult of the expected engagement; but the fignal 
was no fooner given, than Cleopatra’s admiral druck his 
flag and furrendered his whole force, in compliance with 
the orders of his royal midrefs. 
This treafon convinced Antony df the dneerity of tl\ofe 
friends 
