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

and afterwards with Mark Antony-who married
her, forgetful his connexion with Octavia, the Sis
ter of Augustus. This behavior produced rupture
between Antony and Augustus, which resulted in
the defeat and death of the former We extract from
the American Monthly Magazine brief account of
the unhappy death of the beautiful queen on hear
ing of the defeat and disgrace of her adored Antony
whose body was brought to her palace with the sad
news She destroyed herself with the bite of an
Asp-and her maids who attended her person, also
committed suicide on the same occasion with their
beloved MISTRESS"
Shortly after the arrival of the sad news of An
tony's defeat, came the bearer Of his corpse. Bnt
CIeopatra was not moved. Her hands we're folded
in her lap, the fingers unconscousy playing with
chain of mingled strands Of golden thread and hair Of
a dark auburn hue. Her face very pale, and
cold, almost stern in its passonless rgidity-the
eye was cast downwards, immoveably riyeted upon
the countenance of the mighty dead but from the
long dark lashes there hung no tear-all was com
posed, silent, selfrcstrained grief; an occasional
shver crcpt as it were, electrically through her en-
tire frame, and and now and then her lips moved,
as though she communng with some viewless
form, but beyond this there was no motion and no
sound. At a distance beyond from the miserable
mistress sat group of woman attlred, as has been
said most gorgeously, but their sad and couded as
poets bore fearful contrast to their sumpuous gar
ments; them, and on the table of the richest
porphyry, neggently srewn with instruments of
music-the Grecian lutte, the Egyptian systruIn, and
the Italian pipe; with jcwclled tiaras, perfumes and
cosmetics, and all the luxuries of regal toilet,
drinking cups of agate, and TASKS of crystal, there
stood plain and country looking basket, woven of
the slender reeds that grew besides the lake Of
MGris, filled with the dark and glossy leaves and
purple fruits of the fig tree To a casual glance 1t
might have seemed that there nothing in the
position or contents of that basket but the simple
offering of some grateful rustic to the palate of his
queen but a view, there might be seen
upon the foliage, long Shiny trails, twining hither
and thher, if left by the passage of some loath-
some reptile. AT times, too, there was n light rust
ling sound, motion of the leaves, not waving reg
ularly if shaken by the breeze, but hcavng up Mt
intervals from the lifelike struggles of something
lurking beneath and now a scay back,-a small
black head, with eyes. glowing like sparks of fire,
and an arrowy tongue quvering and dartlng about
like u lambent flamc--it the deadly aspic OF
the Nile, the fatal, the most desperately veno-
nous of all the serpents of Africa. Deeply, fear
fully skilled, in the dark of poisoning and
incantaton, the wife and sister of the Ptoemles had
chosen this abhorred mode of avenging the wrongs
Of Antony of battling cool malignant hate of the
little minded man whom Romes adulaon had
even then begun to style tho AUGUST. Already
had the news been conveyed to her-the stunning
news, that, save the name, she more queen
but the rumor had fallen deaf or unregarding
ear. After the first burst of agony over-when
the sef-immoatcd victim was born to her in place of
the burning, feeling, living lover-she had caused
those hated reptiles to he brought to the tomb which
she had entered, while yet alive IN the very rcck-
lessness of dissmulation and caprice she had ap-
piled them to her delicate bosom, and thrill of
triumphant ccstacy had rushed through her Frame
rs she felt the keen pang of their yenomcd tangs
piercing her flesh, and imbuing the very sources of
life with the ingredients of death
And now she sat in patient expectation broodlng
the ruin she had wrought; calmly awaiting the
agony that she well knew must convulse her limbs,
and distort her features from their calm serenity
while her attendant maidcns with strange and unac
countable DEVOTION had hecdlessy followed the ex
ample of her, whom they were determined to accom-
pany faithfully not merely to the portals of the tomb
but in the dark regions of fuurity. Soon, however
the wreched girls, repcnted of their rashness, yet
their anguish, esits expression should
augment that of her, for whom they had cast life
away, aud for whom even now-whilc the love of
earth was uppermost in all their feeling-they felt
that they should away again, could it be again
redcemcd-thc stiffness of that gorgeous room,--thc
hateful reptiles crawling and kissing among the
frus,-thc sunshine without, andth gloom
within-all uniting to form combination of Incl
dents, rs painter would term them, that no pain
ter's imagination, how vivid sovever it might be-
could have created. Ii was, however, scene that
was rapidly drawing to its conclusion; the girl on
whose frame the of the aspc had taken the
strogest effect had already sunk upon the floor, and
it seemed by the long and gasping efforts with which
she caught her breath, that her minutes were num-
bered. Notwithstanding the miserable plight in
which she rolled over and over in great agony, so
callous had the feelings of her companions been by
the immediate of their own caamlties that
tender and delicate beings as they with
hearts ever melting Mt the slightest indication of
row,--each one retained her stations, wholly absor-
bed by her own heavy thoughts, and careless of all
besides
1t was at this crisis that shrill and prolonged
flourish of trumpets almost painfully upon the
cart was Roman trumpet. There was pause