[11] The Egyptian, says Florus forcibly, demanded as the price of her favors, the Roman Empire from a drunken emperor: “Mulier ægyptia ab ebrio imperatore pretium libidinum Romanum Imperium petit.” [12] These verses were written after the battle of Actium, 31 B. C., but they no less indicate the sentiments of the Romans at the commencement of the war. If this indignation and hatred obtained with such violence after the victory, what must they have been in the very hour of danger? Lucan says: “This woman, the reproach of Egypt, the fatal Erinys of Latium, incestuous daughter of the Ptolemies; who made the Capitol tremble with her sistra.” [13] It therefore seems probable that it was in the autumn of 32 B. C. that Antony must have married Cleopatra. [14] Dion says that Cleopatra betrayed Antony at Alexandria, as at Pelusium, and that she sent him word of her death that he might be urged to commit suicide, and his body given up to Octavius. Once for all, we take for authority Plutarch, who seems much more worthy of credit. The taking of Alexandria was on August 1, 30 B. C. [15] The peculiar force of this verb in the passive form cannot be fitly rendered in a translation. It is, word for word, “I will not be triumphed.” [16] Cleopatra died the 15th of August, 30 B. C. Transcriber’s Notes Punctuation and spelling were made consistent when a predominant preference was found in this book; otherwise they were not changed. Simple typographical errors were corrected. Ambiguous hyphens at the ends of lines were retained. Table of Contents added by Transcriber and placed into the Public Domain. The illustrations are decorative; the ones at the beginning of each chapter are headpieces. Page 53: “the war of Persia” was printed that way. Page 65: “ἐρω.μένην” was printed with the period. Page 103: “Οἰ θριαμβεúσομαι” was printed that way. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Cleopatra, by Henry Houssaye