s
renewed the fight, when he was routed, fled, and hid himself, but after
some hours put himself to death, as did his wife Porcia when she heard
of his end.

After this, Octavianus went back to Italy, while Antonius stayed to
pacify the East. When he was at Tarsus, the lovely queen of Egypt came,
resolved to win him over. She sailed up the Cydnus in a beautiful
galley, carved, gilded, and inlaid with ivory, with sails of purple silk
and silvered oars, moving to the sound of flutes, while she lay on the
deck under a star-spangled canopy arrayed as Venus, with her ladies as
nymphs, and little boys as Cupids fanning her. Antonius was perfectly
fascinated, and she took him back to Alexandria with her, heeding
nothing but her and the delights with which she entertained him, though
his wife Fulvia and his brother were struggling to keep up his power at
Rome. He did come home, but only to make a fresh agreement with
Octavianus, by which Fulvia was given up and he married Octavia, the
widow of Marcellus and sister of Octavianus. But he could not bear to
stay long away from Cleopatra, and, deserting Octavia, he returned to
Egypt, where the most wonderful revelries were kept up. Stories are told
of eight wild boars being roasted in one day, each being begun a little
later than the last, that one might be in perfection when Antonius
should call for his dinner. Cleopatra vowed once that she would drink
the most costly of draughts, and, taking off an earring of inestimable
price, dissolved it in vinegar and swallowed it.

[Illustration: ALEXANDRIA.]

In the meantime, Octavianus and Lepidus together had put down Decimus,
and Lepidus had then tried to overcome Octavianus, but was himself
conquered and banished; for Octavianus, was a kindly man, who never shed
blood if he could help it, and, now that he was alone at Rome, won every
one's heart by his gracious ways, while Antonius' riots in Egypt were a
scandal to all who loved virtue and nobleness. So far was the Roman
fallen that he even promised Cleopatra to conquer Italy and make
Alexandria the capital of the world. Octavia tried to win him back, but
she was a grave, virtuous Roman matron, and coarse, dissipated Antonius
did not care for her compared with the enticing Egyptian queen. It was
needful at last for Octavianus to destroy this dangerous power, and he
mustered a fleet and army, while Antonius and Cleopatra sailed out of
Alexandria with their ships and gave battle off the