gh she pretended to urge them
strongly to do so.

[-10-] At the news about Pelusium Antony returned from Paraetonium and in
front of Alexandria met Caesar, who was exhausted from travel; he joined
battle with him, therefore, with his cavalry and was victorious. From
this success Antony gained courage, as also from his being able to shoot
arrows into his rival's camp carrying pamphlets which promised the men
fifteen hundred denarii; so he attacked also with his infantry and was
defeated. Caesar himself voluntarily read the pamphlets to his soldiers,
reproaching Antony the while, and led them to feel ashamed of treachery
and to acquire enthusiasm in his behalf. They gained by this in zeal,
both through indignation at being tempted and through their attempt to
show that they would not willingly gain a reputation for baseness. Antony
after his unexpected setback took refuge in his fleet and prepared to
have a combat on the water, or in any case to sail to Spain. Cleopatra
seeing this caused the ships to desert and she herself rushed suddenly
into the mausoleum pretending that she feared Caesar and desired by some
means to destroy herself before capture, but really as an invitation to
Antony to enter there also. He had an inkling that he was being betrayed,
but his infatuation would not allow him to believe it, and, as one might
say, he pitied her more than himself. Cleopatra was fully aware of this
and hoped that if he should be informed that she was dead, he would not
prolong his life but meet death at once. Accordingly, she hastened into
the monument with one eunuch and two female attendants and from there
sent a message to him to the effect that she had passed away. When he
heard it, he did not delay, but was seized with a desire to follow her in
death. Then first he asked one of the bystanders to slay him, but the
man drew a sword and despatched himself. Wishing to imitate his courage
Antony gave himself a wound and fell upon his face, causing the
bystanders to think that he was dead. An outcry was raised at his deed,
and Cleopatra hearing it leaned out over the top of the monument. By a
certain contrivance its doors once closed could not be opened again, but
above, near the ceiling, it had not yet been completed. That was where
they saw her leaning out and some began to utter shouts that reached the
ears of Antony. He, learning that she survived, stood up as if he had
still the power to live; but a great gush of blood f