Plutarch, Antony, ed. Bernadotte Perrin, 79

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[1] ὡς δὲ κατιδὼν τὸν τόπον ἀπήγγειλε Καίσαρι, Γάλλος μὲν ἐπέμφθη πάλιν ἐντευξόμενος αὐτῇ· καὶ πρὸς τὰς θύρας ἐλθὼν ἐπίτηδες ἐμήκυνε τὸν λόγον. ἐν τούτῳ δὲ Προκλήϊος κλίμακος προστεθείσης διὰ τῆς θυρίδος εἰσῆλθεν ᾗ τὸν Ἀντώνιον αἱ γυναῖκες ἐδέξαντο. καὶ πρὸς τὰς θύρας αὐτὰς¹ εὐθύς, αἷς ἡ Κλεοπάτρα παρειστήκει προσέχουσα τῷ Γάλλῳ, κατέβαινεν ὑπηρέτας ἔχων δύο μεθʼ αὑτοῦ.

[2] τῶν δὲ συγκαθειργμένων τῇ Κλεοπάτρᾳ γυναικῶν τῆς ἑτέρας ἀνακραγούσης, τάλαινα Κλεοπάτρα, ζωγρεῖ, μεταστραφεῖσα καὶ θεασαμένη τὸν Προκλήϊον ὥρμησε μὲν αὑτὴν πατάξαι· παρεζωσμένη γὰρ ἐτύγχανέ τι τῶν λῃστρικῶν ξιφιδίων· προσδραμὼν δὲ ταχὺ καὶ περισχὼν αὐτὴν ταῖς χερσὶν ἀμφοτέραις ὁ Προκλήϊος, ἀδικεῖς, εἶπεν, ὦ Κλεοπάτρα, καὶ σεαυτὴν καὶ Καίσαρα, μεγάλην ἀφαιρουμένη χρηστότητος ἐπίδειξιν αὐτοῦ, καὶ διαβάλλουσα τὸν πρᾳότατον ἡγεμόνων ὡς ἄπιστον καὶ ἀδιάλλακτον.

[3] ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὸ ξίφος αὐτῆς παρείλετο, καὶ τὴν ἐσθῆτα, μὴ κρύπτοι τι φάρμακον, ἐξέσεισεν. ἐπέμφθη δὲ καὶ παρὰ Καίσαρος τῶν ἀπελευθέρων Ἐπαφρόδιτος, ᾧ προσετέτακτο ζῶσαν αὐτὴν φυλάττειν ἰσχυρῶς ἐπιμελόμενον, τἆλλα δὲ² πρὸς τὸ ῥᾷστον ἐνδιδόναι καὶ ἥδιστον.

Antony. Plutarch. ed. Bernadotte Perrin. Medford, MA. Perseus 4.0.

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Ἀντώνιος (Greek) (Plutarch. Plutarch's Lives, Vol. IX. Perrin, Bernadotte, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1920.)

Translations (1)

Antony Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarch's Lives, Vol. IX. Perrin, Bernadotte, translator. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1920.) — 79 focus

[1] After Proculeius had surveyed the place, he brought back word to Caesar, and Gallus was sent to have another interview with the queen; and coming up to the door he purposely prolonged the conversation. Meanwhile Proculeius applied a ladder and went in through the window by which the women had taken Antony inside.

[2] Then he went down at once to the very door at which Cleopatra was standing and listening to Gallus, and he had two servants with him. One of the women imprisoned with Cleopatra cried out, Wretched Cleopatra, thou art taken alive, whereupon the queen turned about, saw Proculeius, and tried to stab herself; for she had at her girdle a dagger such as robbers wear. But Proculeius ran swiftly to her, threw both his arms about her, and said: O Cleopatra, thou art wronging both thyself and Caesar, by trying to rob him of an opportunity to show great kindness, and by fixing upon the gentlest of commanders the stigma of faithlessness and implacability.

[3] At the same time he took away her weapon, and shook out her clothing, to see whether she was concealing any poison. And there was also sent from Caesar one of his freedmen, Epaphroditus, with injunctions to keep the queen alive by the strictest vigilance, but otherwise to make any concession that would promote her ease and pleasure.

Notes on the current edition

Antony

1. αὐτὰς bracketed by Bekker.

2. τἆλλα δὲ Bekker, after Solanus: τἆλλα.

Plutarch Antony 79

ed. Bernadotte Perrin

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