The fortunes of Antony and Cleopatra, from this peri od, became so inseparably connected, that their history must be joined, though we should be forced to repeat some circumstances mentioned in a former article of our work. Previously to Antony's setting out a second time against the Parthians, he bestowed on Cleopatra, Cyrene, Cyprus, Cmlo-Syria, Sturea, and Phcnicia, with a great part of Cilicia and Crete. Having taken Artabazes, king of Armenia, prisoner, contrary to the most solemn oaths and promises, he entered Alexandria in triumph, which gave great offence to the Romans, as they regard. ed a triumph as peculiar to the city of Rome.
The measure of Antony's follies was now nearly com plete : he ordered Cleopatra to assume the name of Isis, whilst he took that of Osiris, and after that they always affected to appear in public in the dress peculiar to these deities.
Octavianus artfully improved all these follies to his own advantage, and the Roman people became at last so exasperated, that he sought only a fair opportunity of declaring war. With this view he sent his sister Oc tavia to join her husband, intending to make his rejec tion of her, which he anticipated, the ground of an open quarrel. This produced the effect intended : as soon as Cleopatra heard of her approach, (for she had arrived at Athens on her way to Syria), she affected the utmost despondency, that she might make Antony believe she was dying of love for him. She shed tears, that he might sec her distress, and pretended to wipe them away in haste, as if she wished to conceal them and prevent him from being sharer in her pain. These artifices succeed ed, and Octavia was ordered back to Rome.
These, with other causes of grievance, completed the rupture between Antony and his rival ; and each party now began to prepare vigorously for war. Antony and Cleopatra hastened to Ephesus, where eight hundred vessels were collected to support his cause. His friends now represented the necessity of sending home Cleopa tra, to wait the event of the war. But she, afraid of an accommodation between the two rivals, and of her own exclusion from the affections of Antony by the reception of Octavia, used every effort to defeat this measure, and at last succeeded in bribing Canidius, one of Antony's chief advisers, to recommend her continuance with the army.
She now became jealous of all his friends, and was con stantly employed either in undermining their influence, or in endeavouring to drive them from his presence, by the imperious haughtiness of her manners. In this she succeeded so well, that many of his principal friends, dis gusted with her conduct, and afraid for their safety under such dangerous influence, openly went over to the side of Octavianus. This wily politician conducted himself in the whole of this affair with his usual address : finding himself prepared for declaring war, it was proclaimed, not against Antony, but against Cleopatra, as having bewitched him with charms and potions, so as to deprive him of his senses, and make him compromise the dignity of the Roman people.
At last the armies of the two contending parties were drawn up on opposite sides of the Ambracian Gulf: their fleets covered the sea between ; and the result of victory was to be the empire of the world. But here the evil genius of Antony prevailed : contrary to the ad vice of his most experienced officers, and contrary to the conviction of his own mind, he listened to the arguments of Cleopatra, who had an eve to her own escape in case of discomfiture, and ventured to commit his fortunes to the issue of a sea fight. The Egyptian queen, who ad vised the measure, was the chief cause of its failure. She became terrified at the noise of the fight, and fled, with sixty large ships, before she was in the smallest danger.
Antony, like a person deprived of reason, followed her, and by his flight decided the fate of the bat tle, which till that time had been doubtful. lie was sen sible that he had lost every thing by her misconduct, and for some time refused to see her ; but they were soon reconciled by the interference of her maids, and he be came her devoted slave as much as ever. Cleopatra, suspecting that her subjects might not receive her, were her disgrace and misfortunes known, entered the harbour of Alexandria with crowns and garlands on the prows of her ships, as if she had been returning from a victory : i being thus admitted into the town, she immediately put to death all whom she suspected of disaffection to her person or government.
She now engaged in a very extraordinary enterprize, which perhaps indicated more energy thanjudgment.