Sardou's Cleopatra — page 29: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

VA a SARDOU’S CLEOPATRA. Lepidus was only a puppet, a plaything. In the triumvirate he was simply a name, he counted for nothing. Without Antony, Octavius would be _ dangerous; to have the power shared by them maintained the equilibrium. If Antony were to fall a victim to the wiles of the royal siren, two dangers would threaten Rome: Hither the queen would bend Antony to her will, in which case the Orient would command the Occident, or the war- rior would be lulled to sleep in the soft embraces — of love, and the Senate would fall into the power _of Octavius. Rome would be either at the mercy -. of Cleopatra or at the mercy of Ceesar. Ventidius turned again to the Egyptian ambas- sador. Diomedes had arrived two days before at ‘Tarsus and had been confided to the care of the honest old Roman. ‘The latter, with all his blunt frankness, was a keen judge of men, and he soon saw that Cleopatra’s messenger was not too loyal to his queen, and, for some reason or other, would be glad to ingratiate himself with the Romans. ‘May it not be impossible for the queen to come, as she has promised?” he asked. “Did you not tell me that her people were conspiring against her, and were discontented with her rule? May she not be forced to remain?” comicbooks.co