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The Psylli are men, for a woman is not naturally constituted to have this power, and they are able to suck out all venom of every reptile, before the one who was bitten or wounded dies, and both to not be harmed themselves and to heal the one who has been poisoned. They are born from one another, and they test their offspring either by placing them among serpents, or by placing their swaddling clothes upon some venomous creatures; for they neither harm the child at all and they are benumbed by its clothing. Caesar, then, was both grieved at the woman's death and admired her nobility, and he ordered that she be buried with Antony lavishly and royally. And her handmaidens also obtained an honorable burial by his command. Cleopatra died at the age of thirty-nine, having reigned for twenty-two of these years, and having ruled jointly with Antony for more than fourteen. As for Antony, some say he exceeded fifty by six years, others by three. Caesar killed Antony's son Antyllus by Fulvia, and Cleopatra's son Caesarion. Thus, then, Antony and Cleopatra departed this life; And Caesar saw the body of Alexander the king and touched it. But the bodies of the Ptolemies, although the Alexandrians wished to show these to him also, he was not willing to see, saying, "I desired to see a king, but not dead men." Nor was he persuaded to visit Apis, saying, "I am accustomed to worship gods, but not cattle." He made Egypt a tributary, and he found very great sums of money and took away everything. And having arranged affairs there as seemed best to him, he departed for Asia through Syria 2.435 and spent the winter there. And the Romans, both then and previously, when he won the naval battle, voted many honors for him. And around summertime, he crossed over to Greece and to Italy. And when he entered the city, the Romans offered sacrifices and the consul sacrificed an ox, which had not yet happened before for anyone else. And he celebrated his victories for three days. And all the processions were magnificent; for so much spoil was gathered as to be sufficient for them all. And an image of Cleopatra on a couch was also carried past, having an asp clinging to her arm, and along with the other captives her children, Alexander, also called Helios, and Cleopatra, also called Selene. And after all of them Caesar rode. And spectacles were held for many days. And Marcus Crassus during these times, having been sent to Macedonia and to Thrace and to Greece, warred against many nations, and some he conquered, others he won over. These nations were anciently called both Mysians and Getae, inhabiting all the land between the Haemus and the Ister, but as time went on some of them were also called by other names. And after this, all the territory which the river Savus, emptying into the Ister, separates from Pannonia above Dalmatia and Macedonia and Thrace, has come under the name of Moesia. And among them are many other nations and the so-called Triballi and the so-called Dardanians. 2.436 These things, then, in the time of the kingdom and the republic and the triumvirates, in seven hundred and twenty-five years, the Romans both did and suffered, and from this time they began again to be ruled strictly by a monarch, although Caesar was deliberating about laying down his arms and entrusting affairs to the senate and the people. However, having shared his intention with Agrippa and Maecenas, to whom he entrusted his secrets, he found Agrippa's opinion to be one that dissuaded him from monarchy; but Maecenas advised entirely the opposite, saying that he had already administered the monarchy for a long time, and that one of two things was necessary: either to remain in the same position or to perish by giving these things up. For those who have once been monarch, it is impossible to live safely as a private citizen. And he also laid down a plan how he might rule safely and justly, and furthermore without giving offense, delivering a long speech on the subject. And on top of all this he added these words: "If whatever you would wish another ruling over you to do, these things

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ψύλλοι ανδρες εἰσί, γυνὴ γὰρ τὴν δύναμιν ταύτην εχειν οὐ πέφυκεν, δύνανται δὲ πάντα ἰὸν παντὸς ἑρπετοῦ, πρὶν θανεῖν τὸν δεδηγμένον η τετρωμένον, ἐκμυζᾶν, καὶ αὐτοί τε μὴ βλάπτεσθαι καὶ τὸν πεφαρμαγμένον θεραπεύειν. φύονται δὲ ἐξ ἀλλήλων, καὶ δοκιμάζουσι τὰ γεννηθέντα η μετὰ οφεων ἐμβληθέντα, η καὶ τῶν σπαργάνων αὐτῶν ἐπιβληθέντων ἰοβόλοις τισίν· ουτε γὰρ τῷ παιδί τι λυμαίνονται καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς ἐσθῆτος αὐτοῦ ναρκῶσιν. ̔Ο μὲν ουν Καῖσαρ ἐπὶ τῇ τῆς γυναικὸς τελευτῇ καὶ ἠχθέσθη καὶ τὴν εὐγένειαν αὐτῆς ἐθαύμαζε, καὶ συνταφῆναι τῷ ̓Αντωνίῳ ἐκέλευσε πολυτελῶς καὶ βασιλικῶς. ἐντίμου δὲ καὶ αἱ θεράπαιναι ταφῆς ετυχον ἐκείνου προστάξαντος. ἐτελεύτησε δὲ Κλεοπάτρα μὲν τεσσαρακοντοῦτις ἑνὸς δέοντος, τούτων δύο καὶ εικοσι βασιλεύσασα, πλείω δὲ τῶν δεκατεσσάρων ̓Αντωνίῳ συνάρξασα· ̓Αντώνιον δὲ οἱ μὲν εξ, οἱ δὲ τρισὶν ὑπερβαλεῖν φασι τὰ πεντήκοντα. τὸν δὲ τοῦ ̓Αντωνίου υἱὸν Αντυλλον τὸν ἐκ τῆς Φουλβίας καὶ τὸν τῆς Κλεοπάτρας τὸν Καισαρίωνα ἀπέκτεινεν ὁ Καῖσαρ. ̓Αντώνιος μὲν ουν καὶ Κλεοπάτρα ουτως ἀπήλλαξαν· Καῖσαρ δὲ τὸν τοῦ ̓Αλεξάνδρου τοῦ βασιλέως νεκρὸν ειδε καὶ προσήψατο αὐτοῦ. τὰ δὲ τῶν Πτολεμαίων σώματα, καίτοι τῶν ̓Αλεξανδρέων δεῖξαί οἱ καὶ ταῦτα βουληθέντων, ἰδεῖν οὐκ ἠθέλησεν, εἰπὼν οτι "βασιλέα, ἀλλ' οὐ νεκροὺς ἰδεῖν ἐπεθύμησα." οὐδὲ τῷ Απιδι ἐντυχεῖν ἐπείσθη, λέγων οτι "θεούς, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ βοῦς προσκυνεῖν ειθισμαι." τὴν δ' Αιγυπτον ὑποτελῆ ἐποίησε, χρήματά τε πάμπολλα ευρε καὶ πάντα ἀφείλετο. καὶ τὰ ἐκεῖ ὡς αὐτῷ ἐδόκει διοικησάμενος εἰς τὴν ̓Ασίαν διὰ τῆς Συρίας ἀπῆλθε 2.435 καὶ ἐκεῖ παρεχείμασεν. οἱ δὲ ̔Ρωμαῖοι καὶ τότε καὶ πρότερον, οτε τὴν ναυμαχίαν ἐνίκησε, πολλὰ ἐς τιμὴν αὐτῷ ἐψηφίσαντο. κατὰ δὲ τὸν τοῦ θέρους καιρὸν ἐς τὴν ̔Ελλάδα καὶ ἐς τὴν ̓Ιταλίαν ἐπεραιώθη. καὶ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν πόλιν εἰσελθόντος εθυσαν οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι καὶ ὁ υπατος ἐβουθύτησεν, ο μήπω πρότερον ἐπ' αλλῳ ἐγένετο. ἑώρτασε δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τρισὶν ἡμέραις τὰ νικητήρια. καὶ ἐπιφανεῖς αἱ πομπαὶ πᾶσαι γεγόνασι· τοσαῦτα γὰρ ἠθροίσθησαν λάφυρα ωστε πάσαις ἐπαρκέσαι. παρεκομίσθη δὲ καὶ στήλη τῆς Κλεοπάτρας ἐπὶ κλίνης, ἀσπίδα ἐμπεφυκυῖαν εχουσα τῷ βραχίονι, καὶ μετὰ τῶν αλλων αἰχμαλώτων καὶ οἱ ἐκείνης παῖδες, ο τε ̓Αλέξανδρος ὁ καὶ Ηλιος καὶ Κλεοπάτρα ἡ καὶ Σελήνη. ἐφ' απασι δ' ὁ Καῖσαρ ἐσήλασε. καὶ θεωρίαι ἐπὶ πολλὰς ἡμέρας ἐγένοντο. Καὶ ὁ Κράσσος ὁ Μάρκος κατὰ τούτους τοὺς χρόνους εἰς τὴν Μακεδονίαν καὶ εἰς τὴν Θρᾴκην καὶ εἰς τὴν ̔Ελλάδα πεμφθεὶς πολλοῖς ἐπολέμησεν εθνεσι, καὶ τὰ μὲν ἐνίκησε, τὰ δὲ προσηγάγετο. τὰ δ' εθνη ταῦτα πάλαι μὲν Μυσοί τε καὶ Γέται ἐκέκληντο, πᾶσαν τὴν μεταξὺ τοῦ τε Αιμου καὶ τοῦ Ιστρου ουσαν νεμόμενοι, προϊόντος δὲ τοῦ χρόνου τινὲς αὐτῶν καὶ αλλοις ὀνόμασιν ἐπεκλήθησαν. καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πάνθ' οσα ὁ ποταμὸς ὁ Σαῦος εἰς τὸν Ιστρον ἐμβάλλων ὑπὲρ τῆς ∆αλματίας καὶ τῆς Μακεδονίας τῆς τε Θρᾴκης ἀπὸ τῆς Παννονίας ἀφορίζει, εἰς τὸ τῆς Μυσίας προκεχώρηκεν ονομα. καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς αλλα τε πολλά εἰσιν εθνη καὶ οἱ Τριβαλλοὶ προσαγορευθέντες οι τε κεκλημένοι ∆αρδάνιοι. 2.436 Ταῦτα μὲν ουν εν τε τῇ βασιλείᾳ καὶ τῇ δημοκρατίᾳ ταῖς τε δυναστείαις πέντε καὶ εικοσι καὶ ἑπτακοσίοις ετεσιν επραξάν τε ̔Ρωμαῖοι καὶ επαθον, ἐκ δὲ τούτου μοναρχεῖσθαι αυθις ἀκριβῶς ηρξαντο, καίτοι τοῦ Καίσαρος τά τε οπλα καταθέσθαι βουλευομένου καὶ τῇ γερουσίᾳ καὶ τῷ δήμῳ ἐπιτρέψαι τὰ πράγματα. τὴν μέντοι γνώμην τῷ ̓Αγρίππᾳ καὶ τῷ Μαικήνᾳ, οις ἐπίστευε τὰ ἀπόρρητα, κοινωσάμενος, τὴν μὲν ̓Αγρίππου γνώμην ἀποτρέπουσαν αὐτὸν τῆς μοναρχίας ευρηκεν· ὁ δὲ Μαικήνας τοὐναντίον συνεβούλευεν απαν, εἰπὼν ηδη τὴν μοναρχίαν ἐπὶ πολὺ διοικῆσαι αὐτόν, καὶ ἀναγκαῖον ειναι δυεῖν θάτερον, η μεῖναι ἐπὶ τῶν αὐτῶν η ἀπολέσθαι ταῦτα προέμενον. τοῖς γὰρ απαξ μοναρχήσασιν ἀσφαλῶς ἰδιωτεῦσαι ειναι ἀδύνατον. ὑπέθετο δὲ καὶ οπως ἀσφαλῶς τε καὶ δικαίως αρξει, πρὸς δὲ καὶ ἀνεπαχθῶς, πολὺν κατατείνας λόγον περὶ τῆς ὑποθέσεως. ἐπὶ πᾶσι δὲ ταῦτα ἐπήγαγεν "εἰ οσα ετερόν τινα αρξαντά σου ποιεῖν ἐβούλου, ταῦτα