The Project Gutenberg eBook, Cleopatra, by Jacob Abbott
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Title: Cleopatra
Author: Jacob Abbott
Release Date: February 8, 2004 [eBook #10992]
Language: English
Character set encoding: US-ASCII
***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CLEOPATRA***
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Makers of History
CLEOPATRA
BY
JACOB ABBOTT
[Illustration: CLEOPATRA.]
PREFACE
Of all the beautiful women of history, none has left us such convincing
proofs of her charms as Cleopatra, for the tide of Rome's destiny, and,
therefore, that of the world, turned aside because of her beauty. Julius
Caesar, whose legions trampled the conquered world from Canopus to the
Thames, capitulated to her, and Mark Antony threw a fleet, an empire and
his own honor to the winds to follow her to his destruction. Disarmed at
last before the frigid Octavius, she found her peerless body measured by
the cold eye of her captor only for the triumphal procession, and the
friendly asp alone spared her Rome's crowning ignominy.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I. THE VALLEY OF THE NILE
II. THE PTOLEMIES
III. ALEXANDRIA
IV. CLEOPATRA'S FATHER
V. ACCESSION TO THE THRONE
VI. CLEOPATRA AND CAESAR
VII. THE ALEXANDRINE WAR
VIII. CLEOPATRA A QUEEN
IX. THE BATTLE OF PHILIPPI
X. CLEOPATRA AND ANTONY
XI. THE BATTLE OF ACTIUM
XII. THE END OF CLEOPATRA
ILLUSTRATIONS
CLEOPATRA
MEETING OF CLEOPATRA AND ANTONY
CLEOPATRA TESTING THE POISON UPON THE SLAVES
[Illustration: Map--'Scene of CLEOPATRA'S HISTORY']
CHAPTER I.
THE VALLEY OF THE NILE.
The parentage and birth of Cleopatra.--Cleopatra's residence in
Egypt.--Physical aspect of Egypt.--The eagle's wings and
science.--Physical peculiarities of Egypt connected with the laws of
rain.--General laws of rain.--Causes which modify the quantity of
rain.--Striking contrasts.--Rainless regions.--Great rainless region of
Asia and Africa.--The Andes.--Map of the rainless region.--Valley of the
Nile.--The Red Sea.--The oases.--Siweh.--Mountains of the Moon.--The
River Nile.--In
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