Ugh wholly unworthy to be made the serious business of life by personages

on whom such exalted duties rightfully
devolved. They made various excursions upon the Nile, and arranged parties of pleasure to go out on the water in the harbor, and to various rural
retreats in the environs of the city. Once they went
out on a fishing-party, in boats, in the port. Antony was unsuccessful; and feeling chagrined that Cleopatra should witness his ill-luck,
he made a secret arrangement with some of the fishermen

to dive down, where they
could do so unobserved, and fasten fishes to his hook under the water. By
this plan he caught very large and fine fish very fast. Cleopatra, however, was too wary to be easily deceived by such a stratagem as this. She observed
the maneuver,
but pretended not to observe it; she expressed, on the other hand, the greatest surprise and delight at Antony's
good luck, and the extraordinary skill which it indicated.
The next day she wished to go a fishing again, and a party was accordingly
made as on the day before. She had, however, secretly instructed another fisherman to procure a dried and salted fish from the market, and, watching his opportunity, to get down into the water
under the boats and attach it to the hook,
before Antony's divers could get there. This plan succeeded, and Antony, in the midst of a large
and gay party that were looking on, pulled out an
excellent fish, cured and drie d, such as was known to every one as an imported article, bought in the market. It was a fish of
a ki