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However, he soon changed his manner, when he found himself in no
danger from the ministers' attempts: and declared, that, being a Roman
consul, it was his duty to settle the succession of the Egyptian
crown.
9. There were at that time two pretenders to the crown of Egypt;
Ptol'emy, the acknowledged king, and the celebrated Cleopa'tra, his
sister, to whom, by the custom of the country, he was married; and
who, by his father's will, shared jointly in the succession. 10. Not
contented with the participation of power, Cleopa'tra aimed at
governing alone; but being opposed in her views by the Roman senate,
who confirmed her brother's title to the crown, she was banished into
Sy'ria, with Arsin'oe, her younger sister. 11. Caesar gave her new
hopes of aspiring to the kingdom, and sent both to her and her brother
to plead their cause before him. But Photi'nus, the young king's
guardian, disdaining to accept this proposal, backed his refusal by
sending an army of twenty thousand men to besiege him in Alexandria.
12. Caesar bravely repulsed the enemy; but finding the city of too
great extent to be defended by so small an army as his, he retired to
the palace, which commanded the harbour, and there purposed to make
his stand. 13. Achil'las, who commanded the Egyptians, attacked him
with great vigour, and aimed at making himself master of the fleet
that lay before the palace. 14. Caesar, however, too well knew the
importance of those ships in the hands of an enemy; and therefore
burnt them all, in spite of every effort to prevent him. He next
possessed himself of the isle of Pha'ros, by which he was enabled to
receive supplies; and, in this situation, determined to withstand the
united force of the Egyptians.[1]
15. In the mean time, Cleopa'tra, having heard of the present turn in
her favour, resolved to depend on Caesar's patronage for gaining the
government, rather than on her own forces. But no arts, as she justly
conceived, were so likely to influence Caesar as the charms of her
person, which were irresistible. 16. She was now in the bloom of youth
and beauty, while every feature borrowed grace from the lively turn of
her temper. To the most enchanting address she joined the most
harmonious voice. With all these accomplishments, she possessed a
great share of the learning of the times, and could give audience to
the ambassadors of seven different nations without an interpreter. 17.
The difficulty was, how to gain admission to Caesar, as her enemies
were in possession of all the avenues that led to the palace. For this
purpose she went on board a small vessel, and, in the evening, landed
near the palace; where, being wrapt up in a coverlet, she was carried
as a bundle of clothes into the very presence of Caesar. 18. Her
address instantly struck him; her wit and understanding fanned the
flame; but her affability entirely brought him over to second her
claims.
19. While Cleopa'tra was thus employed in forwarding her own views,
her sister, Arsin'oe was also strenuously engaged in the camp, in
pursuing a separate interest. She had found means, by the assistance
of one Gan'ymede, her confidant, to make a large division in the
Egyptian army in her favour; and, soon after, by one of those sudden
revolutions which are common in barbarian camps to this day, she
caused Achil'las to be murdered, and Gan'ymede to take the command in
his stead, and to carry on the siege with greater vigour than before.
20. Gan'ymede's principal effort was by letting in the sea upon those
canals which supplied the palace with fresh water; but this
inconvenience Caesar remedied by digging a great number of wells. His
next endeavour was to prevent the junction of Caesar's twenty-fourth
legion, which he twice attempted in vain. He soon after made himself
master of a bridge which joined the isle of Pha'ros to the
continent, from which post Caesar was resolved to dislodge him. 21. In
the heat of the action, some mariners, partly through curiosity, and
partly through ambition, came and joined the combatants; but, being
seized with a panic, instantly fled, and spread a general terror
through the army. All Caeesar's endeavours to rally his forces were in
vain, the confusion was past remedy, and numbers were drowned or put
to the sword in attempting to escape. 22. Now, therefore, seeing the
irremediable disorder of his troops, he fled to a ship, in order to
get to the palace that was just opposite; but he was no sooner on
board, than such crowds entered after him, that being apprehensive of
the ship's sinking, he jumped into the sea, and swam two hundred paces
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