ABSTRACT
Plutarch's Lives of Noble Grecians and Romanes 35 When this was tolde Cleopatra, she requested C.esar that it would please him to suffer her to offer the last oblations of the dead, unto the soule of Antonius. This being graunted her, she was caried to the place where his tombe was, and there falling downe on her knees, imbracing the tombe with her women, the teares running downe her cheekes, she began to speake in this sortel : '0 my deare Lord 'Antonius, not long sithence I buried thee here, being a free woman: 'and now I offer unto thee the funerall sprinklinges and oblations, 'being a captive and prisoner, and yet I am forbidden and kept 'from tearing and murdering this captive body of mine with blowes, 'which they carefully gard and keepe, onely to triumphe of thee: 'looke therefore henceforth for no other honors, offeringes, nor sacri-'fices from me, for these are the last which Cleopatra can geve thee, 'sith nowe they carie her away. Whilest we lived together, nothing 'could sever our companies: but now at our death, I feare me they 'will make us chaunge our contries. For as thou being a Romane, 'hast bene buried in £gypt: even so wretched creature I, an '£gyptian, shall be buried in Italie, which shall be all the good that 'I have received by thy contrie. If therefore the gods where thou art 'now have any power and authoritie, sith our gods here have forsaken 'us: suffer not thy true frend and lover to be caried away alive, that 'in me, they triumphe of thee: but receive me with thee,2 and let me 'be buried in one selfe tombe with thee. For though my griefes and 'miseries be infinite, yet none hath grieved me more, nor that I 'could lesse beare withall: then this small time, which I have bene 'driven to live alone without thee.' Then having ended these doleful plaints, and crowned the tombe with garlands and sundry nosegayes, and marvelous lovingly imbraced the same: she commaunded they should prepare her bath, and when she had bathed and washed her selfe, she fell to her meate, and was sumptuously served.3 Nowe whilest she was at dinner, there came a contrieman, and brought her a basket. The souldiers that warded at the gates, asked him straight what he had in his basket. He opened the basket, and tooke out the leaves that covered the figges, and shewed them that they were figges he brought. They all of them marvelled to see so goodly figges. The contrieman laughed to heare them, and bad them take some if they would. They beleved he told them truely, and so bad him carie them in. 4 After Cleopatra had dined, she sent a certaine table written and sealed unto C.esar, 5 and commaunded them all to go out of the tombes where she was, but the two women, then she
3 shut the dores to her. Cresar when he received this table, and began to read her lamentation and petition, requesting him that he would let her be buried with Antonius, founde straight what she ment, and thought to have gone thither him selfe: howbeit he sent one before in all hast that might be, to see what it was.1 Her death was very sodaine.2 For those whom Cresar sent lInto her ran thither in all hast possible, and found the souldiers standing at the gate, mistrusting nothing, nor understanding of her death. But when they had opened the dores, they founde Cleopatra starke dead, layed upon a bed of gold, attired and araied in her royall robes, and one of her two women, which was called Iras, dead at her feete: and her other woman called Charmion halfe dead, and trembling, trimming the Diademe which Cleopatra ware upon her head.3 One of the souldiers seeing her, angrily sayd unto her: Is that well done Charmion? Verie well sayd she againe, and meete for a Princes discended from the race of so many noble kings. She sayd no more, but fell downe dead hard by the bed. Some report that this Aspicke was brought unto her in the basket with figs, and that she had commaunded them to hide it under the figge leaves, that when she shoulde thinke to take out the figges, the Aspicke shoulde bite her before she should see her: howbeit, that when she would have taken away the leaves for the figges, she perceived it, and said, Art thou here then? And so, her arme being naked, she put it to the Aspicke to be bitten.4 Other say againe, she kept it in a boxe, and that she did pricke and thrust it with a spindell of golde, so that the Aspicke being angerd withal!, lept out with great furie, and bitte her in the arme. Howbeit fewe can tell the troth. For they report also, that she had hidden poyson in a hollow raser which she caried in the heare of her head: and yet was there no marke seene of her bodie, or any signe discerned that she was poysoned, neither also did they finde this serpent in her tombe. But it was reported onely, that there were seene certeine fresh steppes or trackes where it had gone, on the tombe side toward the sea, and specially by the dores side. I; Some say also, that they found two litle pretie bytings in her arme, scant to be discerned: the which it seemeth Cresar him selfe gave credit unto, bicause in his triumphe he caried Cleopatraes image, with an Aspicke byting of her arme6• And thus goeth the report of her death.
