Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, -30 B.C.; Egypt -- History -- 332-30 B.C. -- Biography; Queens -- Egypt -- Biography
Very soon after Cleopatra had come to him, Caesar sent for the young
Ptolemy, and urged upon him the duty and expediency of restoring
Cleopatra. Ptolemy was beginning now to attain an age at which he might
be supposed to have some opinion of his own on such a question. He
declared himself utterly opposed to any such design. In the course of
the conversation he learned that Cleopatra had arrived at Alexandria,
and that she was then concealed in Caesar's palace. This intelligence
awakened in his mind the greatest excitement and indignation. He went
away from Caesar's presence in a rage. He tore the diadem which he was
accustomed to wear in the streets, from his head, threw it down, and
trampled it under his feet. He declared to the people that he was
betrayed, and displayed the most violent indications of vexation and
chagrin. The chief subject of his complaint, in the attempts which he
made to awaken the popular indignation against Caesar and the Romans, was
the disgraceful impropriety of the position which his sister had assumed
in surrendering herself as she had done to Caesar. It is most probable,
however, unless his character was very different from that of every
other Ptolemy in the line, that what really awakened his jealousy and
anger was fear of the commanding influence and power to which Cleopatra
was likely to attain through the agency of so distinguished a protector,
rather than any other consequences of his friendship, or any real
considerations of delicacy in respect to his sister's good name or his
own marital honor.
However this may be, Ptolemy, together with Pothinus and Achillas, and
all his other friends and adherents, who joined him in the terrible
outcry that he made against the coalition which he had discovered
between Cleopatra and Caesar, succeeded in producing a very general and
violent tumult throughout the city. The populace were aroused, and began
to assemble in great crowds, and full of indignation and anger. Some
knew the facts, and acted under something like an understanding of the
cause of their anger. Others only knew that the aim of this sudden
outbreak was to assault the Romans, and were ready, on any pretext,
known or unknown, to join in any deeds of violence directed against
these foreign intruders. There were others still, and these, probably,
far the larger portion, who knew nothing and understood nothing but that
there was to be tumult and a riot in and around the palaces, and were,
accordingly, eager to be there.
Ptolemy and his officers had no large body of troops in Alexandria; for
the events which had thus far occurred since Caesar's arrival had
succeeded each other so rapidly, that a very short time had yet elapsed,
and the main army remained still at Pelusium. The main force, therefore,
by which Caesar was now attacked, consisted of the population of the
city, headed, perhaps, by the few guards which the young king had at his
command.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account