out advantage on either side, except from a small
appearance of disorder in the centre of Antony's fleet. 21. But, all
on a sudden, Cleopa'tra determined the fortune of the day. She was
seen flying from the engagement with her sixty sail, struck, perhaps,
with the terrors natural to her sex; and, to increase the general
amazement, Antony himself precipitately followed, leaving his fleet at
the mercy of the conquerors; while the army on land submitted, being
thus abandoned by their general.

22. When Cleopa'tra fled, Antony pursued her in a quinquireme,[17] and
coming alongside her ship, entered it without any desire of seeing
her. She was in the stern, and he went to the prow, where he remained
silent and melancholy. In this manner he continued three whole days,
during which, either through indignation or shame, he neither saw nor
spoke to Cleopa'tra. The queen's female attendants, however,
reconciled them, and every thing went on as before. 23. Still he had
the consolation to suppose his army continued faithful to him, and
accordingly despatched orders to conduct it into Asia. But he was soon
undeceived when he arrived in Africa, where he was informed of their
submission to his rival.[18] 24. This so transported him with rage,
that with difficulty he was prevented from killing him self. At
length, at the entreaty of his friends, he returned to Alexandria. 25.
Cleopa'tra seemed to retain that fortitude in her misfortunes, which
had utterly abandoned her admirer. Having amassed considerable riches,
by means of confiscations and other acts of violence, she formed a
very singular and unheard of project.

[Illustration: Sea-fight, near Actium.]

26. This was to convey her whole fleet over the Isthmus of Su'ez into
the Red Sea, and thereby save herself, with all her treasures, in
another region beyond the power of Rome. 27. Some of her vessels were
actually transported thither, pursuant to her orders; but the Arabians
having burnt them, and Antony dissuading her from the design, she
abandoned it for the more improbable scheme of defending Egypt against
the conqueror. 28. She omitted nothing in her power to put this in
practice, and made all kinds of preparations for war, hoping, at
least, by these means to obtain better terms from Augustus. In fact,
she had been more in love with Antony's fortune than his person; and
if she could have fallen upon any method of saving herself, though
even at his expense, there is little do