Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans
be desirous may go and hang yourselves before I cut it down."
He died and was buried at Halae, near the sea, where it so
happened that, after his burial, a land-slip took place on the
point of the shore, and the sea, flowing in, surrounded his
tomb, and made it inaccessible to the foot of man. It bore this
inscription: --
Here am I laid, my life of misery done.
Ask not my name, I curse you every one.
And this epitaph was made by himself while yet alive; that which
is more generally known is by Callimachus: --
Timon, the misanthrope, am I below.
Go, and revile me, traveler, only go.
Thus much of Timon, of whom much more might be said. Canidius
now came, bringing word in person of the loss of the army before
Actium. Then he received news that Herod of Judaea was gone
over to Caesar with some legions and cohorts, and that the other
kings and princes were in like manner deserting him, and that,
out of Egypt, nothing stood by him. All this, however, seemed
not to disturb him, but, as if he were glad to put away all
hope, that with it he might be rid of all care, and leaving his
habitation by the sea, which he called the Timoneum, he was
received by Cleopatra in the palace, and set the whole city into
a course of feasting, drinking, and presents. The son of Caesar
and Cleopatra was registered among the youths, and Antyllus, his
own son by Fulvia, received the gown without the purple border,
given to those that are come of age; in honor of which the
citizens of Alexandria did nothing but feast and revel for many
days. They themselves broke up the Order of the Inimitable
Livers, and constituted another in its place, not inferior in
splendor, luxury, and sumptuosity, calling it that of the Diers
together. For all those that said they would die with Antony
and Cleopatra gave in their names, for the present passing their
time in all manner of pleasures and a regular succession of
banquets. But Cleopatra was busied in making a collection of
all varieties of poisonous drugs, and, in order to see which of
them were the least painful in the operation, she had them tried
upon prisoners condemned to die. But, finding that the quick
poisons always worked with sharp pains, and that the less
painful were slow, she next tried venomous animals, and watched
with her own eyes whilst they were applied, one creature to the
body of another. This was her daily practice, and she pretty
well satisfied herself that nothing was comparable to the bite
of the asp, which, without convulsion or groaning, brought on a
heavy drowsiness and lethargy, with a gentle sweat on the face,
the senses being stupefied by degrees; the patient, in
appearance, being sensible of no pain, but rather troubled to be
disturbed or awakened, like those that are in a profound natural
sleep.
At the same time, they sent ambassadors to Caesar into Asia,
Cleopatra asking for the kingdom of Egypt for her children, and
Antony, that he might have leave to live as a private man in
Egypt, or, if that were thought too much, that he might retire
to Athens. In lack of friends, so many having deserted, and
others not being trusted, Euphronius, his son's tutor, was sent
on this embassy. For Alexas of Laodicea, who, by the
recommendation of Timagenes, became acquainted with Antony at
Rome, and had been more powerful with him than any Greek, and
was, of all the instruments which Cleopatra made use of to
persuade Antony, the most violent, and the chief subverter of
any good thoughts that, from time to time, might rise in his
mind in Octavia's favor, had been sent before to dissuade Herod
from desertion; but, betraying his master, stayed with him, and,
confiding in Herod's interest, had the boldness to come into
Caesar's presence. Herod, however, was not able to help him,
for he was immediately put in chains, and sent into his own
country, where, by Caesar's order, he was put to death. This
reward of his treason Alexas received while Antony was yet
alive.
Caesar would not listen to any proposals for Antony, but he made
answer to Cleopatra, that there was no reasonable favor which
she might not expect, if she put Antony to death, or expelled
him from Egypt. He sent back with the ambassadors his own
freedman Thyrsus, a man of understanding, and not at all
ill-qualified for conveying the messages of a youthful general
to a woman so proud of her charms and possessed with the opinion
of the power of her beauty. But by the long audiences he
received from her, and the special honors which she paid him,
Antony's jealousy began to be awakened; he had him seized,
whipped, and sent back; writing Caesar word that the man's busy,
impertinent ways had provoked him; in his circumstances he could
not be expected to be very patient: "But if it offend you," he
added, "you have got my freedman, Hipparchus, with you; hang him
up and scourge him to make us even." But Cleopatra, after this,
to clear herself, and to allay his jealousies, paid him all the
attentions imaginable. When her own birthday came, she kept it
as was suitable to their fallen fortunes; but his was observed
with the utmost prodigality of splendor and magnificence, so
that many of the guests sat down in want, and went home wealthy
men. Meantime, continual letters came to Caesar from Agrippa,
telling him his presence was extremely required at Rome.
And so the war was deferred for a season. But, the winter being
over, he began his march; he himself by Syria, and his captains
through Africa. Pelusium being taken, there went a report as if
it had been delivered up to Caesar by Seleucus not without the
consent of Cleopatra; but she, to justify herself, gave up into
Antony's hands the wife and children of Seleucus to be put to
death. She had caused to be built, joining to the temple of Isis,
several tombs and monuments of wonderful height, and very
remarkable for the workmanship; thither she removed her
treasure, her gold, silver, emeralds, pearls, ebony, ivory,
cinnamon, and, after all, a great quantity of torchwood and tow.
Upon which Caesar began to fear lest she should, in a desperate
fit, set all these riches on fire; and, therefore, while he was
marching towards the city with his army, he omitted no occasion
of giving her new assurances of his good intentions. He took up
his position in the Hippodrome, where Antony made a fierce sally
upon him, routed the horse, and beat them back into their
trenches, and so returned with great satisfaction to the palace,
where, meeting Cleopatra, armed as he was, he kissed her, and
commended to her favor one of his men, who had most signalized
himself in the fight, to whom she made a present of a
breastplate and helmet of gold; which he having received, went
that very night and deserted to Caesar.
After this, Antony sent a new challenge to Caesar, to fight him
hand to hand; who made him answer that he might find several
other ways to end his life; and he, considering with himself
that he could not die more honorably than in battle, resolved to
make an effort both by land and sea. At supper, it is said, he
bade his servants help him freely, and pour him out wine
plentifully, since tomorrow, perhaps, they should not do the
same, but be servants to a new master, whilst he should lie on
the ground, a dead corpse, and nothing. His friends that were
about him wept to hear him talk so; which he perceiving, told
them he would not lead them to a battle in which he expected
rather an honorable death than either safety or victory. That
night, it is related, about the middle of it, when the whole
city was in a deep silence and general sadness, expecting the
event of the next day, on a sudden was heard the sound of all
sorts of instruments, and voices singing in tune, and the cry of
a crowd of people shouting and dancing, like a troop of
bacchanals on its way. This tumultuous procession seemed to
take its course right through the middle of the city to the gate
nearest the enemy; here it became loudest, and suddenly passed
out. People who reflected considered this to signify that
Bacchus, the god whom Antony had always made it his study to
copy and imitate, had now forsaken him.
As soon as it was light, he marched his infantry out of the
city, and posted them upon a rising ground, from whence he saw
his fleet make up to the enemy. There he stood in expectation
of the event; but, as soon as the fleets came near to one
another, his men saluted Caesar's with their oars; and, on their
responding, the whole body of the ships, forming into a single
fleet, rowed up direct to the city. Antony had no sooner seen
this, but the horse deserted him, and went over to Caesar; and
his foot being defeated, he retired into the city, crying out
that Cleopatra had betrayed him to the enemies he had made for
her sake. She, being afraid lest in his fury and despair he
might do her a mischief, fled to her monument, and letting down
the falling doors, which were strong with bars and bolts, she
sent messengers who should tell Antony she was dead. He,
believing it, cried out, "Now, Antony, why delay longer? Fate
has snatched away the only pretext for which you could say you
desired yet to live." Going into his chamber, and there
loosening and opening his coat of armor, "I am not," said he,
"troubled, Cleopatra, to be at present bereaved of you, for I
shall soon be with you; but it distresses me that so great a
general should be found of a tardier courage than a woman." He
had a faithful servant, whose name was Eros; he had engaged him
formerly to kill him when he should think it necessary, and now
he put him to his promise. Eros drew his sword, as designing to
kill him, but, suddenly turning round, he slew himself. And as
he fell dead at his feet, "It is well done, Eros," said Antony;
"you show your master how to do what you had not the heart to do
yourself;" and so he ran himself into the belly, and laid
himself upon the couch. The wound, however, was not immediately
mortal; and the flow of blood ceasing when he lay down,
presently he came to himself, and entreated those that were
about him to put him out of his pain; but they all fled out of
the chamber, and left him crying out and struggling, until
Diomede, Cleopatra's secretary, came to him, having orders from
her to bring him into the monument.
When he understood she was alive, he eagerly gave order to the
servants to take him up, and in their arms was carried to the
door of the building. Cleopatra would not open the door, but,
looking from a sort of window, she let down ropes and cords, to
which Antony was fastened; and she and her two women, the only
persons she had allowed to enter the monument, drew him up.
Those that were present say that nothing was ever more sad than
this spectacle, to see Antony, covered all over with blood and
just expiring, thus drawn up, still holding up his hands to her,
and lifting up his body with the little force he had left. As,
indeed, it was no easy task for the women; and Cleopatra, with
all her force, clinging to the rope, and straining with her head
to the ground, with difficulty pulled him up, while those below
encouraged her with their cries, and joined in all her effort
and anxiety. When she had got him up, she laid him on the bed,
tearing all her clothes, which she spread upon him; and, beating
her breasts with her hands, lacerating herself, and disfiguring
her own face with the blood from his wounds, she called him her
lord, her husband, her emperor, and seemed to have pretty nearly
forgotten all her own evils, she was so intent upon his
misfortunes. Antony, stopping her lamentations as well as he
could, called for wine to drink, either that he was thirsty; or
that he imagined that it might put him the sooner out of pain.