latter being thrown among serpents at once or having serpents laid upon their swaddling-clothes.  In such cases the poisonous creatures do not harm the child and are benumbed by its clothing.  This is the nature of their function.  But Caesar, when he could not in any way resuscitate Cleopatra, felt admiration and pity for her and was himself excessively grieved, as much as if he had been deprived of all the glory of the victory.

[-15-] So Antony and Cleopatra, who had been the authors of many evils to the Egyptians and to the Romans, thus fought and thus met death.  They were embalmed in the same fashion and buried in the same tomb.  Their spiritual qualities and the fortunes of their lives deserve a word of comment.

Antony had no superior in comprehending his duty, yet he committed many acts of folly.  He was distinguished for his bravery in some cases, yet he often failed through cowardice.  He was characterized equally by greatness of soul and a servile disposition of mind.  He would plunder the property of others, and still relinquish his own.  He pitied many without cause and chastised even a greater number unjustly.

Consequently, though he rose from weakness to great strength, and from the depths of poverty to great riches, he drew no profit from either circumstance, but whereas he had hoped to hold the Roman power alone, he actually killed himself.

Cleopatra was of insatiable passion and insatiable avarice, was ambitious for renown, and most scornfully bold.  By the influence of love she won dominion over the Egyptians, and hoped to attain a similar position over the Romans, but being disappointed of this she destroyed herself also.  She captivated two of the men who were the greatest Romans of her day, and because of the third she committed suicide.

Such were these two persons, and in this way did they pass from the scene.  Of their children Antyllus was slain immediately, though he was betrothed to the daughter of Caesar, and had taken refuge in his father’s hero-shrine which Cleopatra had built.  Caesarion was fleeing to Ethiopia, but was overtaken on the road and murdered.  Cleopatra was married to Juba the son of Juba.  To this man, who had been brought up in Italy and had been with him on campaigns, Caesar gave the maid and her ancestral kingdom, and he granted them the lives of Alexander and Ptolemy.  To his nieces, children of Antony by Octavia and reared by her, he assigned money from their father’s estate.  He also ordered his freedmen to give at once to Iullus, the child of Antony and Fulvia, everything which by law they were obliged to bequeath him at their death. [-16-] As for the rest who had until then been connected with Antony’s cause, he punished some and released others, either from personal motives or to oblige his friends.  And since there were found at the court many children of potentates and kings who were being supported, some as hostages and others for the display of wanton