PREFACE.
If the author should be told that the sentimental love of our day wasunknown to the pagan world, he would not cite last the two lovers, Antonyand Cleopatra, and the will of the powerful Roman general, in which heexpressed the desire, wherever he might die, to be buried beside the womanwhom he loved to his latest hour. His wish was fulfilled, and thelove-life of these two distinguished mortals, which belongs to history,has more than once afforded to art and poesy a welcome subject.
In regard to Cleopatra, especially, life was surrounded with an atmosphereof romance bordering on the fabulous. Even her bitterest foes admire herbeauty and rare gifts of intellect. Her character, on the contrary,presents one of the most difficult problems of psychology. The servilityof Roman poets and authors, who were unwilling frankly to acknowledge thelight emanating so brilliantly from the foe of the state and theImperator, solved it to her disadvantage. Everything that bore the name ofEgyptian was hateful or suspicious to the Roman, and it was hard toforgive this woman, born on the banks of the Nile, for having seen JuliusCæsar at her feet and compelled Mark Antony to do her bidding. Otherhistorians, Plutarch at their head, explained the enigma more justly, andin many respects in her favour.
It was a delightful task to the author to scan more closely thepersonality of the hapless Queen, and from the wealth of existinginformation shape for himself a creature in whom he could believe. Yearselapsed ere he succeeded; but now that he views the completed picture, hethinks that many persons might be disposed to object to the brightness ofhis colours. Yet it would not be difficult for the writer to justify everyshade which he has used. If, during his creative work, he learned to lovehis heroine, it was because, the more distinctly he conjured before hismind the image of this wonderful woman, the more keenly he felt and themore distinctly he perceived how fully she merited not only sympathy andadmiration,