Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1874-02-04
feet, aud together tLey

him again at her feet, and together tLey
planed measures for resisting Octavius.
Cleopatra iu the meantime had not been
idle. She collected all her treasures and
sent them 10 a mausoleum she had built in
splendid style near the Temple of Isis.
She also stored quantity OF combusti.
bes in the lower part Of the monument,
determined to burn herself aud her treas
ures rather than fall into the hands Of
Caesar. She now passed ker time in max
ing experiments with various poisoDs, and
trying their effects on her prisoners, 80 AS
TO see which kind of death was the least
painful. Antony was troubled and dis
turbed at these experiments. His foolish
fonduess was mixed now with jealousy and
distrust. Cleopatra perceived this, and
one.day when they sat at supper she pulled
the flowers from her cbapIet and stepped
them in her wine, playfully desiring him
to do the same. Antony complied AID
raised tho cup to bis lips. She suatched
it away and told him it was poisoned with
the flowers.
See now, my love-" she cried, 'how
useless it is for you to doubt aud watch
me. If it were possible fer Me to exist
without you, how easy and how many are
the ways to destroy you!"
She then, to prove her words, gave the
poison to slave, who died in torture be-
fore their eyes.
At last the Roman army reached Alex
andria, investing it on every side.
Anton. made a gallant attack and re-
pulsed his enemies, but the DETECTION of
the feet, which he attributed to Cleopa.
tra's treachery, lost the battle and filed
him with despair. Full of rage be few
to the palace to destroy her whom he looked
upon as the cause Of his ruin. The queen,
foreseeing bis anger, fed to the monument
and sent him word she Was dead. He
passed Immediately from the excess Of
rage to the most violent transport Of grief.
Antony, why dost thou delay2" he
cried What is life to these when it Is
taken from her for whom alone thou
couldst wish to live2 | am not distressed,
Cleopatra, thou art gone before me, for l
shall soep be with thee; but | grieve to
think that |. so distinguished general,
am inferior in magnanmitity TO womsn."
He begged Eros, his servant, to kill
him; but when that faithful creature
stabbed himself instead, Antony was ov.
e.come at the greatness of the action, and,
drawing his sword, plunged it into h;v
body. At that moment messenger came
TO tell him Cleopatra was not dead. Dy-
ing as he was, he implercd to be taken to
hcr, and she hoisted him up into her mon
umeIt through one Of the windows. They
bore him exhausted to couch and Geo.
patra gave way to the most passion
ate grief, beating her breast, tearing her
hair, calling him "lord, life, husband"
Antony besought her to be calm, but her
lamentations lent the air. She covered
him with tears and kisses. and he expired
in her arms. In the meantime Caesar sent
Proculeus to TIE gate of the monument to
try and parley with her. Nothing would
induce her to open the door, but, while
she was III conversation with Gallus, Pro-
culeus entered at the window through
which Cleopatra and her women had drawn
the dying Antony, The screams of her
women warned her she was betrayed.
She tried to stab herself, but was pre-
vented by Proculeus.
Octavlus entered the city in great splen-
dor and pomp, sending messages Of com.
icrt to the 1retched queen and giving her
permission to bury her beloved Antony as
she desired. This she did with the most
magnificent ceremonies, embalming his
body with exquisite perfumes and placing
it IN the tombs Of the kings of Egypt.
When the first days of her mourning were
over Caesar visited her. 1t was no longer
the beautiful Cleopatra he beheld, but 3.
woman prematurely worn and haggard;
her eyes swollen with weeping, her face
dis6gured. Afraid she would kill her.
self with grief and SO spoil his Roman
triumph, he threatened to destroy every one
of her children if she did not obey the
orders Of her physician. The mothers
heart prevailed over the self.love. The
frantic, distracted woman became patient
and calm She threw herself at the feet
Of her conquerer, begging for mercy and
offering nim list of all her treasures
One Of her officers declared the list was
not complete, and the wretcheI Cleopatra
suog to rage by this insult irem ncni-
al, assaulted him violently, and was only
paciied by Octavius declaring she might
keep all she had reserved.
Octavius continued to treat her in tho
most honorable and courteous manner;
but, when she received notice to arrange
for her departure to Syria in three days,
she knew what the end of that journey
would be. Dissembliog her fears, she
begged permission to visit once more her
Astony's tomb. Covering it with chap
lets and garands of flowers, Offering OBJ
a,ions and incense, weeping and lament
ing her lovers death, she addressed his
names -
at is not long, my Antony, since with
these hands | buried thee. Hide me.
hide me With thee IN the grave; for lie,
, since thou hast left it, has been a misery
to me-"
On her return to her monument she or
, dered magnificent supper, and dressed
herself in the splendid robes she wore
, when queen. A countrynan came to tho
door with some figs in basket and the
guards allowed him to pass After sup
per she dismissed all her attendants save
: her favoriie women, Iras and CHAIRMAN,
, and sent letter hy n sal1ier IN Cmvor