Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1872-11-22
6erOme's Cleopatra,

IL Cleopatn's nose had been a quarter of
an inch longer, says shrewd writer, the
history OF the world would be written differ
entity Bat Cleopatra's nose preserved the
regular proportions, and the historian, poet -.
and painter have another chapter of woman
beauty, WIT, and wiles, playing fast and
loose with hearts and kingdoms
Pompey-And have heard AppoIodorus carries
What, pray youl
Ehooarnns-A certain queen To Caesar in a mattress
drfony and Cleopatra.
In this manner Plutarch explains the
allusion. After relating how Caesar pursued
Pompey into Egypt, and the latters death.
he says that Caesar sent for Cleopatra private
y, and she, only taking Apollodorus of all
her friends, took little ooat and went away
with him in the night and came and landed
at the foot Of the castle. Then. having no
means TO come into the court without being
known, she laid herself down upon mat
tress, which Appollodorus tied and bound
together like bundle with leather thong.
and 50 took her on his back and brought her
thus hampered in the fardle unto Caesar.
hose poet-partners, Beaumont and Fetch
er, have also dexterouslv woven the incident
into the play of " The False One
Gerome, in his great painting, soon to be
exhibited at GoupiEs, has treated the subject
with more dignity than have the dramat-
is;s.
The painter has restored to Us the buried
ages. Here Is the palace Of the Ptolemies,
with its mysterious figures, whose meaning
lies hidden IN the graves of the conquered
Egyptians. Rome sits within its walls.
Caesar rests from his victory over Pompey,
and pursues his studies in the memorable
city on the banks of the Nile. and under the
shadows of it> lofty columns Near him are
his four scribes. As they write, Apollodo-
rus enters, bearing present to the conquer
or
The Sicilian unrolls the web and reveals
Cleopatra in royal loveliness To the unSu--
pecting Cesar, who has raised his hands in
astonishment and admiration. The fonr
scrlbes tgn To look back upon her Apollo
dorous kneels by her, holding back, with ,ne
hand, the carpet.
Her beauty disdain- concealment The
brown hair, gathered lower on the forehead.
is ornamented with the ieweled peacock with
It's gltitering plumage, and bound back with
clrclet OF blue enamel. On her neck Is the
deep Egyptian collar, with it, pendants.
over her shoulders gilded bands are drawn.
framing her breasts. Her arms are cncir-
cled with wrought gold bands, and about
her torso is a gilded belt claSped with pearls,
from which depends the flowing gauze, part
ing to reveal her softly moulded limbs. The
right hand hangs loosely by her side, its
ieweled fingers idle. The left hand rests
upon the brown shoulders Of Apollodorus
supporting the queenly attitude which only
waits To charm. She is the queen in her
easy. careless grace She Is the daughter of
kings. 1t j., her habit Otherwise She
come not as royal Cleopatra. but a. q wo-
man, armed with the Irresistible power of
woman'~ beauty. never the more powerful
than when She is a Suppliant She does not
demand. She curhs thar impetuouS blood that
once made her fell the messenger 90 her feet.
She re1yriin~ her queenlv in-i-tence- She
woo- row as woman. and woman conf
dent Of success She neither moves nor
speaks words are unnecessary. She only
thinks