insatiable passions and blood-thirsty vengeance.
The victor landed in Egypt, while the lovers abandoned themselves to
despair. Antonius, on the rumor of Cleopatra's death, gave himself a
mortal wound, but died in the arms of her for whom he had sacrificed fame,
fortune, and life. Cleopatra, in the interview which Octavius sought at
Alexandria, attempted to fascinate him by those arts by which she had led
astray both Caesar and Antonius, but the cold and politic conqueror was
unmoved, and coldly demanded the justification of her political career,
and reserved her to grace his future triumph. She eluded his vigilance,
and destroyed herself, as is supposed, by the bite of asps, since her dead
body showed none of the ordinary spots of poison. She died, B.C. 30, in
the fortieth year of her age, and was buried as a queen by the side of her
lover. Her son Caesarion, by Julius Caesar, was also put to death, and then
the master of the world "wiped his blood-stained sword, and thrust it into
the scabbard." No more victims were needed. No rivalship was henceforth to
be dreaded, and all opposition to his will had ceased.

Octavius reduced Egypt to the form of a Roman province, and after
adjusting the affairs of the East, among which was the confirmation of
Herod as sovereign of Judea, he returned to Rome to receive his new
honors, and secure his undivided sovereignty. Peace was given to the world
at last. The imperator dedicated temples to the gods, and gave games and
spectacles to the people. The riches of all previous conquests were his to
dispose and enjoy--the extent of which may be conjectured from the fact
that Caesar alone had seized an amount equal to one hundred and seventy
million pounds, not reckoning the relative value to gold in these times.
Divine honors were rendered to Octavius as the heir of Caesar. He assumed
the praenomen of imperator, but combined in himself all the great offices
of the republic which had been overturned. As censor, he purged and
controlled the Senate, of which he was appointed _princeps_, or chief. As
consul he had the control of the armies of the State; as perpetual
proconsul over all the provinces of the empire, he controlled their
revenues, their laws, their internal reforms, and all foreign relations.
As tribune for life, he initiated legal measures before the Comitia of the
tribes; as Pontifex Maximus, he had the regulation of all religious
ceremonials. All these great offices were voted him