A few days later, Cæsar himself came to see the queen. She, grown wise since the visit of Proculeius, deceived him, making him believe that she had now no desire save to live. So artful was she that she told Cæsar that she had kept some of her treasures that she might have gifts to bestow on Livia his wife and on Octavia his sister, when she went to Rome. Then Cæsar left her, satisfied that she would yet adorn his triumph. Now by the queen’s desire, a basket of figs was brought to her from the country. The guards stopped the countryman who brought it to the gate of the mausoleum, asking to see the contents of his basket. He, pushing aside the leaves that lay on the top, showed them the figs. The men admired their size, and bade him take them to the queen. But at the foot of the basket, although the guards did not suspect it, there lay concealed under the fruit, an asp, whose bite was deadly poison. When Cleopatra had the basket safe in her possession, she wrote to Cæsar to beg that she might be buried beside Antony. Then she bade her women array her in her royal robes and set her diadems upon her head. And when this was done she lifted the asp from the basket and placed it upon her arm. No sooner did the queen’s letter reach Cæsar, than he sent in great haste to the mausoleum, for he feared that Cleopatra had found a way to die, although she had neither poison nor a dagger in her possession. When Cæsar’s messengers reached the guards, they asked if all was well. ‘All is well,’ answered the soldiers, but ‘when they had opened the door they found Cleopatra stark-dead, laid upon a bed of gold, attired and arrayed in her royal robes, and one of her women, called Iras, dead at her feet, but her other woman, called Charmian, half dead and trembling, trimming the diadem which Cleopatra wore upon her head. One of the soldiers seeing her, angrily said unto her, ‘Is this well done, Charmian?’ ‘Very well,’ she said again, ‘meet for a princess descended from the race of so many noble kings.’ She said no more, but fell down dead, hard by the bed. The queen’s last request was granted, for she was buried with royal splendour by the side of Antony. CHAPTER CXXV THE EMPEROR AUGUSTUS The Roman Republic came to an end after the Battle of Actium. Henceforth until his death Cæsar ruled over the great Roman Empire, and he was now known as the Emperor Augustus. His reign began in 30 B.C., and ended in 14 A.D. If he did not add much to his great dominions, he saw to it that, during his long reign of forty-four years, those within his realm were able to live at peace with each other and with foreign peoples. Once again, and for the third time since Romulus built the city of Rome, the gates of the temple of Janus were closed.