190 ANTONY. of that punishment being inflicted on a king), yet nothing stung the Romans hke the shame of these honors paid to Cleopatra. Their dissatisfaction was augmented also by his acknowledging as his own the twin children he had by her, giving them the name of Alexander and Cleo- patra, and adding, as their surnames, the titles of Sun and Moon. But he, who knew how to put a good color on the most dishonest action, would say, that the greatness of the Roman empire consisted more in giving than in taking kingdoms, and that the way to carry noble blood through the world was by begetting in every place a new line and series of kings ; his own ancestor had thus been born of Hercules; Hercules had not limited his hopes of progeny to a single womb, nor feared any law like Solon's, or any audit of procreation, but had freely let natiu-e take her will in the foundation and first com- mencement of many families. After Phraates had killed his father Hyrodes, and taken possession of his kingdom, many of the Parthians left their country; among the rest, Monaeses, a man of great dis- tinction and authority, sought refuge with Anton}'^, who, lookino; on his case as similar to that of Themistocles, and likening his own opidence and magnanimity to those of the former Persian kings, gave him three cities, Larissa, Are- thusa, and Hierapolis, which was formerly called Bambyce. But when the king of Parthia soon recalled him, giving him his word and honor for his safety, Antony was not unwil- ling to give him leave to return, hoping thereby to surprise Phraates, who would believe that peace would continue ; for he only made the demand of him, that he should send back the Roman ensigns which were taken when Crassus was slain, and the prisoners that remained yet alive. Thia done, he sent Cleopatra into Egypt, and marched through Arabia and Armenia ; and, when his forces came together, and were joined by those of his confederate kings (of
