The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-05-10

far, far back into the days Of 1000
years ago. Plutarch, the prince of
biographers, is Of course, our
principal witness, but Suetonius and
others have something to say. of
modern writer's, two of the most
brilliant are the FrenchMan, Hanri
Houssaye, and the American Edgar
Saltus, in his Historic Amoris."
Cleopatra was the name of sew,
eral queens and princesses of Egypt
of the family of the Ptolemies, The
most famous Of them, Cleopatra
VI, the daughter of Ptolemies XIII,
Aulotes, who was horn In b. g,
So or 68, is the one with whom we
and Mark Antony, incidentally
are concerned,
Succeeds To Throne.
Her father died in 81, leaving a
will appointing as his successors
his daughter, Cleopatra, and his
son. Ptolepyr and requesting the
Roman people to see to 1t that this
was carried into effect. The viii
was ratified by the Roman Senate
and Cleopatra, then about seven.
teen years old, and her brother,
then only twelve, succeeded jointly
Owing to the fact that the rulers
OF Egypt were supposed to be of
divine blood and could not, there.
fore. marry mere mortals, it became
incumbent upon Cleopatra to marry
her younger brother. In the third
year of their reign, Ptolemy, upon
the advice of his lieutenants, as
summed supreme control and drove
Cleopatra into exile.
She promptly gathered an army
in Syria, but was unable to make
good her claims and it was only by
aid of julius Caesar, who, to
avenge the murder of Pompey by
Ptolemy's followers, triumphed over
the Egyptian forces and slew
Ptolemy, that she again regained
the throne. The great Caesar
yielded to Cleopatra's brilliant Sc.
ductiveness and Wooed her ardently,
with the result that Cleopatra, after
settling her kingdom upon a SECURE
basis, accompanied him to Rome
and lived with him as his mistress
until the time of his murder in
B. G. A..
Returned TO Egypt.
After the death of Caesar, Cleo,
patra returned to Egypt and mount.
ed the throne with her son, Caesar
ion. During the civil war following
hard upon Caesars death she took
| no part and was called to account
| by Mark Antony, after the battle of
Philippi, In az B. c., at Tarsus.
in Cilicia.
Cleopatra, now about twenty.
| eight years old, had reached the
time when her beauty was most
brilliant and she was at the acme
of her intellectual power. She
sailed up the river Cydnus to meet
Antony In golden barge with
purple sails, Rowers with silver
inlaid oars sped it along to the
sound Of lutes, pipes and flutes.
The queen reclined beneath a. can,
opy spangled with gold, adorned
like Venus Aphrodite, with boys
as Cupids to fan her with peacock
feathers. In the guise of Nereids
| ana Graees, her maidens were
grouped about her. Wondrous odors
from incense burners were diffused
along the shores.
Remarkably Beautiful.
| Antony, the powerful and martial
Roman triumVir, fell a victim to
her overpowering charms, as she
had anticipated. Cleopatra, in ad,
dition to being a remarkably beau.
tiful woman, was characterized bv
a voice and conversational ability
of ''irresisaible magic" and her very
presence la said TO have stimulated
as with wine. Her voice was mar.
velously pure and sweet and she
could talk In any of the tongues in
1
common use IN those days, rarely
needing an interpreter in dealing
with even the harbarians, whether
Philippians, TregIedytes, Hebrews,
Arabians. syrians, Modes or Par.
thians,
Such q quick capture did she
| make of Antony that, while his
wife in Rome was warning with
| Octavian in defense Of his own
interests and Parthian army was
lowering ever Mesopotamia, ne let
Cleopatra hurry him OF 10 Aiexr