The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1835-03-25


to sleep, nor can your senseless camors awake him
TO the annihilation of your audacious frenzy"
Even as she spoke, the rattle Of the ladders, b.
which the cohorts Of the victor were scaling the por
coes of that fortress tomb, the shouts of the rud
veterans, and the clang of their brazcn harness
distinctly audible; and, ere her words were ended
the same wild sounds were heard echoing along tn
vaulted passages and spacious halls the story mex
beneath In another instant, their steps were hear
mounting the long slopng passages, which IL
Egyptian architecture affordng access to the uppe
chambers supplied the want of stairs. The door
formed like the walls of the apartment, Of polished
alabaster, and invisible when closed, was violently
forced, and a group of men, whose Italian complex
ions, and features, prominent and strongly marked
denoted them to be the vctors of the world the
men of Rome, stood on the threshold. All sheath
ed in complete armor, not decked like that of the sof
orientals, with golden sculptures or precious stones
but brass so brightly polished, that it reflected every
object; perfect in the exactness with which il wa.
adapted to their frames, facility OF motion Il
left to all their limbs and in its exquisite finish
with crested casques and CRIMSON tunes, 1t would
have been impossible to c)nceive more marital
figures. Foremost of ALL tie laurelled conquerer o
Actlum entered the arena OF his triumph; and, in
truth, although he could moi have sustained a mo-
ments comparison with th superb person of hi.
less fortunate rival, he looked at least if he was moi
the hero. No flush of exufaton tinged his com
plexion, insolence ofvictoy sparkled in his eye
but not the less did exultati'n, insolence, and
city live within his breast hat he sufficiently
versed in dissmuation to conceal his odious char
acter beneath a veil of stoical indifference and
mock magnanimity.
"Hail, Emperor cried the dying sovereign, from
ting him with a demeanor thousand times more
lofty than his own" Hail, eonquerOr" Her coun-
tenance alone would have expressed the scorn she
elt had not her very tones been such, that the
cold blooded despot wrhed beneath their lash.
CONTEST thou hither, pusant lord, noble success
sor of the mighty Julius,-tomest thou hither to
violate the ashes of the dead to prove thy maiden
valor on a weak woman! nacte tua virtue!-On
ON in the path of glory Why, dead Caesar was
to thee tyro to a Hercules We are no Amazons
to check thine impetuous yabr Out with thy fall
chion, Cesar-the August !l-and she laughed in
bitter scorn.
"Nay, by the faith of Joe, but would have
the lovely Cleopatra among our friends" replied
the imperial dlssember thou art still free-stil
queen of Egypt
"By the great gods, am-no is it in the pow
er of all Rome to make me dher. Free was born
and royal---free will die AMI royal! Caesar, scorn
your mercies, as defy yourmenaces My fathers
left me a crown and crownedwill go TO my fathers.
What-think you Cleopatra y a slave--a base cring-
ing slave-that she would regn by your permission,
or live at your bidding. Go tramplc on the subject
necks of Romans-the Egyptian spits at your proud
clemency. Why cling you not to your vaunting
motto ?-t the wont ofRomans
"Parcerc SUBJECTS ct dekare superbos."
And dare you think me subfct-or dare ye not to
mate by tamelcss pridel Ite you, Roman-you
can slay thousands by a wod-but, for your soul,
you cannot make woman live!-Away! dehle
me not with your vile, saysh hands. These are
my subjccts!' pointing to he dying girls around
her, still fond, still fathfui extremity" my
kingdom, this-the sepuchres of my forefathers,
who were kings and sagesHhen yours were thieves
and robbers And this-hat was but Yesterday II
man and now is nothing--this is my Idol, and
my God Away say One death like this, is
worth thousand abect l3e like thine, and one dead
Antony hundred living Crsars! If betrayed thee
in thy prime, thou mighty me most dearly have
rued thy fall--IfI sent tho before me- shrink not
from treading thy footsteps Names of the dead
rejoce--rejoice-ye are re'tnged!
Her eyes glared wildly,-the death sweat was al
ready darkcning her brow,--thc foam was on her
uuivcring lip She must have been devoured by the
fercest inward tortures, but he made them subject
to her: and the bold veterans of hundred battles
shrunk aghast before her doquence, keener and far
more cutting than the mortalsword She flung her
arm toward the astonished victor in defiance, folded
her garment decenty about lcr limbs, placed the
tique diadem of the Ptolenies on her raven locks
and without another word, stretched herself on
the couch beside the corpse of him, to whom she
had proved her love so fearully she closed her
eyes, but for lmany minutes TN heavings of her bo-
some, and her loud and painful breahings told that
the spirit was not yet extinct. One long and shud-
dering sigh-one spasm-the lark eyes opened, but
their orbs were glazed and litless-the jaw fell
and Egypt never more bowed to a native sovereign.
A MYSTERY.
The following singular incident, which occurred
recently, has made considerable noise in the saloons