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Authors: Mary Macgregor

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He, pushing aside the leaves that lay on the top, showed them the figs. The men admired their size, and bade him take them to the queen.

But at the foot of the basket, although the guards did not suspect it, there lay concealed under the fruit, an asp, whose bite was deadly poison.

When Cleopatra had the basket safe in her possession, she wrote to Cæsar to beg that she might be buried beside Antony. Then she bade her women array her in her royal robes and set her diadems upon her head.

And when this was done she lifted the asp from the basket and placed it upon her arm.

No sooner did the queen's letter reach Cæsar, than he sent in great haste to the mausoleum, for he feared that Cleopatra had found a way to die, although she had neither poison nor a dagger in her possession.

When Cæsar's messengers reached the guards, they asked if all was well. "All is well," answered the soldiers, but "when they had opened the door they found Cleopatra stark-dead, laid upon a bed of gold, attired and arrayed in her royal robes, and one of her women, called Iras, dead at her feet, but her other woman, called Charmian, half dead and trembling, trimming the diadem which Cleopatra wore upon her head.

One of the soldiers seeing her, angrily said unto her, "Is this well done, Charmian?"

"Very well," she said again, "meet for a princess descended from the race of so many noble kings." She said no more, but fell down dead, hard by the bed.

The queen's last request was granted, for she was buried with royal splendour by the side of Antony.

CHAPTER CXXV

The Emperor Augustus

T
HE
Roman Republic came to an end after the Battle of Actium.

Henceforth until his death Cæsar ruled over the great Roman Empire, and he was now known as the Emperor Augustus. His reign began in 30
B
.
C
.
, and ended in 14
A
.
D
.

If he did not add much to his great dominions, he saw to it that, during his long reign of forty-four years, those within his realm were able to live at peace with each other and with foreign peoples. Once again, and for the third time since Romulus built the city of Rome, the gates of the temple of Janus were closed.

The Emperor came to be adored by the people of Rome, because his rule was kind and just. His magistrates were not allowed to oppress or rob the poor, while his merchants' ships were able to ply their trade without fear of pirates.

At one time Augustus was away from Italy for three years. His people longed for his return. Here are the very words in which the poet Horace expressed their desire.

"O best guardian of the race of Romulus," he wrote, "return . . . your country calls for you with vows and prayers . . . for when you are here the ox plods up and down the fields in safety; Ceres and bounteous blessing cheers our farms; our sailors speed o'er seas infested by no pirate; credit is kept unspotted; crime is checked, family life purified, none fears the invasion of the Parthian or German . . . each man closes a peaceful day on his native hills, trains his vines to the widowed trees, and home returning, light of heart, quaffs his wine and blesses you as his god."

When Augustus knew that the people really believed what the poet said in language more beautiful than they could frame, he must surely have felt rewarded for all the labours which he had undertaken for the sake of his country.

The Emperor died in 14
A
.
D
.
His wife Livia was with him to the end, and as he kissed her for the last time he said, "Good-bye, never forget our married life." Nor was she likely to do so, for Cæsar had ever loved her well, and treated her with respect. His adopted son, Tiberius, succeeded him.

Thus from the single city founded by Romulus in the Palatine Hill in 753
B
.
C
.
there grew up through struggle and victory, the mighty Empire, over which Augustus first ruled as Emperor. And this mighty Empire held within its bounds the whole of Europe south of Germany and the Danube, Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt, as well as a large part of the northern district of Africa.

"Thine, Roman, be the task to rule the nations with thy sway. These shall be thine arts—to impose the laws of peace, to spare the humbled and to crush in war the proud."

 

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Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter I.   The Lady Roma

Chapter II.   The She-Wolf

Chapter III.   The Twin Boys

Chapter IV.   Numitor Recognises His Grandsons

Chapter V.   The Sacred Birds

Chapter VI.   The Founding of Rome

Chapter VII.   The Sabine Maidens

Chapter VIII.   The Tarpeian Rock

Chapter IX.   The Mysterious Gate

Chapter X.   The King Disappears

Chapter XI.   The Peace-Loving King

Chapter XII.   Horatius Slays His Sister

Chapter XIII.   The Pride of Tullus Hostilius

Chapter XIV.   The King Who Fought and Prayed

Chapter XV.   The Faithless Friend

Chapter XVI.   A Slave Becomes a King

Chapter XVII.   The Cruel Deed of Tullia

Chapter XVIII.   The Fate of the Town of Gabii

Chapter XIX.   The Books of the Sibyl

Chapter XX.   The Industry of Lucretia

Chapter XXI.   The Death of Lucretia

Chapter XXII.   The Sons of Brutus

Chapter XXIII.   Horatius Cocles, or the One-Eyed

Chapter XXIV.   Gaius Mucius Burns His Right Hand

Chapter XXV.   The Divine Twins

Chapter XXVI.   The Tribunes

Chapter XXVII.   Coriolanus and His Mother Veturia

Chapter XXVIII.   The Roman Army in a Trap

Chapter XXIX.   The Hated Decemvirs

Chapter XXX.   The Death of Verginia

Chapter XXXI.   The Friend of the People

Chapter XXXII.   Camillus Captures the City of Veii

Chapter XXXIII.   The Statue of the Goddess

Chapter XXXIV.   The Schoolmaster Who Proved a Traitor

Chapter XXXV.   The Battle of Allia

Chapter XXXVI.   The Sacred Geese

Chapter XXXVII.   The City Is Rebuilt

Chapter XXXVIII.   Camillus Sets the Camp of the Volscians on Fire

Chapter XXXIX.   The Battle on the Banks of the Anio

Chapter XL.   The Curtian Lake

Chapter XLI.   The Dream of the Two Consuls

Chapter XLII.   The Caudine Forks

Chapter XLIII.   The Disgrace of the Caudine Forks Avenged

Chapter XLIV.   Fabius among the Ciminian Hills

Chapter XLV.   The Battle of Sentinum

Chapter XLVI.   The Son of Fabius Loses a Battle

Chapter XLVII.   Pyrrhus, King of the Epirots

Chapter XLVIII.   The Elephants at the Battle of Heraclea

Chapter XLIX.   Pyrrthus Tries to Frighten Fabricius

Chapter L.   Pyrrhus Is Defeated

Chapter LI.   The Romans Build a Fleet

Chapter LII.   The Battle of Ecnomus

Chapter LIII.   The Roman Legions in Africa

Chapter LIV.   Regulus Is Taken Prisoner

Chapter LV.   The Romans Conquer the Gauls

Chapter LVI.   The Boy Hannibal

Chapter LVII.   Hannibal Prepares to Invade Italy

Chapter LVIII.   Hannibal Crosses the Alps

Chapter LIX.   The Battle of Trebia

Chapter LX.   The Battle of Lake Trasimenus

Chapter LXI.   Hannibal Outwits Fabius

Chapter LXII.   Fabius Wins Two Victories

Chapter LXIII.   The Battle of Cannae

Chapter LXIV.   The Despair of Rome

Chapter LXV.   The Defeat of Hasdrubal

Chapter LXVI.   Livius and Claudius Enjoy a Triumph

Chapter LXVII.   The Capture of New Carthage

Chapter LXVIII.   Scipio Sails to Africa

Chapter LXIX.   The Romans Set Fire to the Camp of the Numidians

Chapter LXX.   Hannibal Leaves Italy

Chapter LXXI.   The Battle of Zama

Chapter LXXII.   Scipio Receives a Triumph

Chapter LXXIII.   Flamininus Is Covered with Garlands

Chapter LXXIV.   The Death of Hannibal

Chapter LXXV.   The Hatred of Cato for Carthage

Chapter LXXVI.   The Stern Decree

Chapter LXXVII.   The Carthaginians Defend Their City

Chapter LXXVIII.   The Destruction of Carthage

Chapter LXXIX.   Cornelia, the Mother of the Gracchi

Chapter LXXX.   Tiberius and His Friend Octavius

Chapter LXXXI.   The Death of Tiberius Gracchus

Chapter LXXXII.   The Death of Gaius Gracchus

Chapter LXXXIII.   The Gold of Jugurtha

Chapter LXXXIV.   Gaius Marius Wins the Notice of Scipio Africanus

Chapter LXXXV.   Gaius Marius Becomes Commander of the Army

Chapter LXXXVI.   The Capture of Jugurtha's Treasure Towns

Chapter LXXXVII.   The Capture of Jugurtha

Chapter LXXXVIII.   Jugurtha Is Brought to Rome in Chains

Chapter LXXXIX.   Marius Conquers the Teutones

Chapter XC.   Marius Mocks the Ambassadors of the Cimbri

Chapter XCI.   Metellus Is Driven from Rome

Chapter XCII.   Sulla Enters Rome with His Troops

Chapter XCIII.   The Flight of Marius

Chapter XCIV.   The Gaul Dares Not Kill Gaius Marius

Chapter XCV.   Marius Returns to Rome

Chapter XCVI.   The Orator Aristion

Chapter XCVII.   Sulla Besieges Athens

Chapter XCVIII.   Sulla Saves Rome from the Samnites

Chapter XCIX.   The Proscriptions of Sulla

Chapter C.   The Gladiators' Revolt

Chapter CI.   The Pirates

Chapter CII.   Pompey Goes to War with Mithridates

Chapter CIII.   Cicero Discovers the Catilinarian Conspiracy

Chapter CIV.   The Death of the Conspirators

Chapter CV.   Julius Caesar Is Captured by Pirates

Chapter CVI.   Caesar Gives up His Triumph

Chapter CVII.   Caesar Praises His Tenth Legion

Chapter CVIII.   Caesar Wins a Great Victory over the Nervii

Chapter CIX.   Caesar Invades Britain

Chapter CX.   Caesar Crosses the Rubicon

Chapter CXI.   Caesar and the Pilot

Chapter CXII.   The Flight of Pompey

Chapter CXIII.   Cato Dies Rather Than Yield to Caesar

Chapter CXIV.   Caesar Is Loaded with Honours

Chapter CXV.   The Nobles Plot against Caesar

Chapter CXVI.   The Assassination of Caesar

Chapter CXVII.   Brutus Speaks to the Citizens

Chapter CXVIII.   Mark Antony Speaks to the Citizens

Chapter CXIX.   The Second Triumvirate

Chapter CXX.   The Battle of Philippi

Chapter CXXI.   The Death of Brutus

Chapter CXXII.   Antony and Cleopatra

Chapter CXXIII.   The Battle of Actium

Chapter CXXIV.   Antony and Cleopatra Die

Chapter CXXV.   The Emperor Augustus

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