by some fatal stroke, she should defeat him of his purpose; for, he said, to take her alive to Rome would be an eternal triumph.

When Proculeius approached the gates of the Monument and gave the queen Cæsar's greeting, she asked him his name; and when she learned it, she was well disposed towards the soldier, for it was of him that Antony had well spoken. She told him that if his master would have a queen for his beggar, majesty, to keep decorum, must beg for no less than a kingdom, and that if he pleased to give her conquered Egypt for her son, she would kneel to him with thanks.

Proculeius prayed her to be of good cheer, for she had fallen into princely hands; and, after bandying backward and forward many gracious messages, the queen said she would gladly look Cæsar in the face. Proculeius started to convey this wish to his master, when Gallus, who accompanied him, secretly pointed out how easily the queen might be surprised in her stronghold. They then procured ladders, and, placing them against a window, ascended to where Cleopatra was. Once within, they came behind the queen and her attendants, and, having made sure of them, they unbarred and opened the gates below. Thus, without bloodshed, the stronghold was taken, and Proculeius and some of his guard kept watch till Cæsar came.

The queen was dismayed with affright and anger so to be entrapped, and she drew her dagger and would have slain herself on the instant

had not Proculeius promptly disarmed her. She vowed, then, that she would eat no meat; nor would she drink, nor sleep, but would ruin that mortal house that hemmed her in, do Cæsar what he could. Rather than be hoisted up to the shouting varletry in Cæsar's triumph she said she would make her country's high pyramids her gibbet, and be hung in chains.

Upon this Dolabella, another of Cæsar's officers, came up and replaced Proculeius by his master's orders; and this Dolabella, though a mighty soldier, had a soft heart, for he revealed Cæsar's purposes to the queen, telling her that what she feared was true, for the conqueror meant to lead her in triumph through Rome.

But now Cæsar himself approached the Monument with his royal train, and when he was entered he asked, "Which is the queen of Egypt?" Cleopatra knelt before him; but he bid her arise, saying she should not kneel; yet he told her imperiously that if she sought, by taking Antony's course, to force him to do her a cruelty, she would bereave herself of his good purposes and put her children to destruction. Having uttered this threat, he said he would take his leave; and she answered that he might through all the world, for it was his, and she and hers, his 'scutcheons and signs of conquest, would hang in what place he pleased. She then offered him an account of the money, plate, and jewels she was possessed of, saying it was valued exactly, for only petty things were omitted; and

Seleucus, her treasurer, being summoned, she bid him say, upon his peril, that she had reserved nothing to herself. "Madam," said the honest treasurer, "I had rather seal my lips, than, to my peril, speak what is not." The queen was incensed at this, and challenged him to reveal what she had kept back. He said it was enough to purchase what she had made known. Cæsar pitied her, a royal queen, thus put to shame, and said he approved her wisdom in the deed; but she was sore wounded thus to be robbed of her majesty, and besought the conqueror to behold how pomp was served. Then she broke forth in rage against the ingrate treasurer. "Say, good Cæsar," quoth she, "that I have reserved some lady trifles, and say I have kept some nobler token apart for Livia and Octavia, to induce their mediation, must I be betrayed by one that I have bred?" and pointing an imperious finger to the door, she commanded the treasurer to go hence in shame.

Cæsar assured her that all she had should be hers to bestow at her pleasure, and bidding her to fear nothing, he made his adieu, and went forth with all his train.

Cleopatra instantly called Charmian to her side and whispered in her ear some directions, which the attendant went forth to fulfil. After a brief absence Charmian returned, and the queen then bid her women go fetch her best attires, for she would array herself as when she sailed for Cydnus of old to meet Mark Antony. "Now, noble Char

mian, we'll despatch indeed," she exclaimed; "and when thou hast done this errand I'll give thee leave to play till doomsday."

But there was at this moment a noise withoutdoors, and a guard entered, saying that there was a rural fellow at the gate who would not be denied the queen's presence, for he brought her a basket of figs. Cleopatra commanded the guard to admit him, and presently a talkative clown came in to her, bearing a basket. She asked him if he had the pretty worm of the Nile that kills and gives no pain; and, with many precautions against its deadly bite, he told her he had, and showed her where it lay among the fig-leaves.

When the queen had received the little asp and had dismissed the rustic who brought it, she began to put on her regal robes and crown, for she said she had immortal longings in her. "Methinks I hear Antony call; I see him rouse himself to praise my noble act; I hear him mock the luck of Cæsar;" then with a great outburst of love she cried, "Husband, I come!" and she wished that her courage might prove her title to call him by that name. am fire and air,” she said; I give to baser life;" then, tenderly kissing her women and with a long farewell, she applied the asp to her breast, bidding it with its sharp teeth untie the intricate knot of life. She passed softly into a state like waking-sleep, and, placing another asp upon her arm, fell across her bed in a dying

swoon.

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The guard suspecting that all was not right, and fearing that Cæsar's victim might slip from their grasp, now rushed in; but Charmian bid them speak softly and wake her not. She also, now, took up one of the asps, and before they could prevent her applied it to her arm; so that when at last one of the guard had called in Dolabella, both queen and maid were dead. "Cæsar, thy thoughts have proven true,' mused Dolabella. "Thou, thyself, art coming to see performed the dreaded act which thou so sought'st to hinder." And, on the very heels of his officer, the conqueror arrived with a host of attendants, who thronged into the Monument to behold the beautiful queen dead. "Bravest at the last," said Cæsar, provoked to admiration at this proof of her courage. "She foresaw our purposes, and, being royal, took her own way."

He asked the manner of their deaths, for he did not see them bleed, and after diligent search one of the guard discovered an aspic's trail, such as this little snake leaves on the caves of the Nile, upon the fig-leaves, whereat Cæsar said it was most probable that so the queen and Charmian had died, for Cleopatra's physician had told him that she pursued infinite conclusions of easy ways to die.

He commanded the attendants to take up the dead queen's bed and bear her from the Monument, for she should be buried by her Antony; and he said truly, that no grave upon the earth