The Girls' Book of Famous QueensFarmer, Lydia Hoyt
History
The Girls' Book of Famous Queens
Farmer, Lydia Hoyt
Queens -- Biography -- Juvenile literature
From henceforth in her history we can no longer think of her as the
lovely lotus of the Nile, the very flower of womanly loveliness, as she
appeared upon her enchanting barge, sailing in the glowing sunshine,
over the shining waters of the Cydnus; but she becomes more like a
beautiful tiger, or, as Shakespeare calls her, “that old serpent of the
Nile,” charming the unwary victims by her glistening eyes and alluring
wiles, only to crush them at last within the encircling coils of her
irresistible spell. Antony had sent for her as her master, but he was
now her slave.
One day the queen of Egypt accompanied him on a fishing excursion.
Antony, having caught nothing, was much chagrined; and to appear
successful in the eyes of Cleopatra, he ordered a fisherman to dive
beneath the water and fasten to his line one of the large fish which
the fisherman had just caught. This having been done, Antony drew in
his line with much satisfaction, and displayed the fine trophy he had
so skilfully ensnared. Cleopatra, however, was not ignorant of this
artifice, but she affected much admiration for Antony’s successful
angling, and she arranged for another fishing party the next day.
Accordingly, when they once again set sail in the fishing-boats, she
ordered one of her servants to dive below the water when Antony should
throw his line, and fasten to his hook a large salt fish which had
been brought from the province of Pontus. Again Antony drew in his
line in triumph, which was quickly changed to intense mortification as
he beheld the salt fish dangling from his hook. Amidst the uproarious
laughter which this amusing incident occasioned, Cleopatra exclaimed,
“Leave the line, good general, to us, the kings and queens of Pharos
and Canopus; your business is to fish for cities, kingdoms, and kings.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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