Since Cleopatra had ascertained that no poison caused a less painful death than the fangs of the asp, she had resolved that the bite of one of these reptiles should release her from the burden of life.  The clever Ethiopian had thought of inducing her friend Pyrrhus to procure the adder, but it had required all Aisopion’s skill in persuasion, and the touching manner in which she understood how to describe the Queen’s terrible situation and severe suffering, to conquer the reluctance of the upright man.  At last she succeeded in persuading him to measure a queen by a different standard from a woman of the people, and inducing him to arrange the manner and time of conveying the serpent into the well-guarded palace.  A signal was to inform him when the decisive hour arrived.  After that he was to be ready with the asp in the fish-market every day.  Probably his service would soon be claimed; for Octavianus’s delay was scarcely an indication of a favourable decision of Cleopatra’s fate.

True, she was permitted to live in royal state at Lochias, and had even been allowed to have the children, the twins, and little Alexander sent back to her with the promise that life and liberty would be granted them; but Caesarion—­whose treacherous tutor Rhodon lured him from the journey southward back to Alexandria by all sorts of representations, among them the return of Barine—­was held prisoner in his father’s temple, where he had sought refuge.  This news, and the fact that Octavianus had condemned to death the youth who bore so striking a resemblance to Caesar, had not remained concealed from the unhappy mother.  She was also informed of the words in which the philosopher Arius had encouraged Caesar’s desire to rid himself of the son of his famous uncle.  They referred to the Homeric saying concerning the disadvantage of having many rulers.

Everything which Cleopatra desired to know concerning events in the city reached her ears; for she was allowed much liberty-only she was closely watched day and night, and all the servants and officials to whom she granted an audience were carefully searched to keep from her all means of self-destruction.

True, it was very evident that she had closed her account with life.  Her attempt to take no food and die of starvation must have been noticed.  Threats directed against the children, through whom she could be most easily influenced, finally induced her to eat again.  Octavianus was informed of all these things, and his conduct proved his anxiety to keep her from suicide.

Several Asiatic princes vied with each other in the desire to honour Mark Antony by a magnificent funeral, but Octavianus had allowed Cleopatra to provide the most superb obsequies.  In the time of her deepest anguish it afforded her comfort and satisfaction to arrange everything herself, and even perform some offices with her own hands.  The funeral had been as gorgeous as the dead man’s love of splendour could have desired.