RULING WOMEN.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 139, 14 June 1932, Page 6

RULING WOMEN.

In his latest book * Mr. Sidney Dark has declared that his readers should be. neither scholarly nor sophisticated but possess an intelligent curiosity. Therefore, if this cap fits, you may thoroughly enjoy his biographies of ruling women of days gone by, beginning with Cleopatra of Egypt. Our knowledge of Cleopatra is generally gained from Shakespeare alone, and Mr. Dark, with cold precision, tells us of a daring, scheming woman, not so beautiful that there were not many yet more beautiful, and she whose silver barge with poop of beaten gold "burned on the water" is reduced almost to the "woman who came in a boat." However, Mr. Dark's Cleopatra is still magnificent, although she attained to Caesar by a trick, being carried to his room in a "bed sack," a most undignified proceeding for a highly-intelligent, powerful and wealthy queen. This account of the "maddest and most terrible of love stories" is now told in the manner of an English journalist's report. Cleopatra was a "cultured Greek lady, subtle-minded, unmoral, extremely gifted . . . an anticipation of Mary Queen of Scots." Poor Cleopatra! She was a great linguist, knowing conversationally eight or ten languages, and she had, that .priceless possession, a most beautiful voice. Caesar is said to have first been charmed by her daring ill being carried to him in a bag, and his enslavement as her lover followed. She captured the two greatest men of her time, and when the first was killed she contrived to marry the second, Mark Antony, who already had a wife, living. Both before and after the marriage she had done —as ail women must who wish to hold a man— many things she disliked in order to please him. Mark Antony was a rough soldier, conceited, as are most successful men, and a trying husband for any intellectual woman. When Antony showed signs of being tired of her Cleopatra resorted to "slimming" in order to convince him she was "wasting away" from love. Jericho and Cyprus were Antony's wedding present to her. and she was afterwards proclaimed as "Queen of Kings," probably the only woman so entitled. Cleopatra was present at the battle of Actiuni, where Antony, with 200 ships as an Egyptian fleet, met a similar armada representing Oetavius of Home. She became weary and ordered her ship home, and Antony, seeing this, withdrew from the battle to follow her, and lost the fight. We wonder could Beattv or Jellicoe have been drawn away by an English lass in similar circumstances. Antony committed suicide, and Cleopatra soon followed him, killing herself.

Many years away, but not so widely different in fortune, was that "merry slut," pretty, intelligent, world-experienced Nell owynne, daughter of a vegetable hawker and a hopelessly drunken mother. Nell Gwynne was bronze-haired, twink-ling-eyed, snub-nosed, with a jolly laugh and a jest for everyone, who, from selling fish in the street was promoted to selling oranges in the theatres and later invited to be one. of the very first women to appear upon the stage, where her immediate success was due to her thorough appreciation of the comic element. Her bright and happy temperament and natural love of fun enabied her to reach the hearts of her audience, and she was popular with the people long before she was "honoured"' by the attentions of King Charles 11. Her bronze-red hair, perfect teeth, and sapphire-blue eyes and beautiful, fresh complexion, together with her buxom figure, brought her as much attention as her ready wit. and men of' all ages flocked round "Sweet Nell of Old Drury." She was seventeen when invited to supper with the King, whom she "mightily amused." The ex-orange girl became a great ladv. She had her private coach, and a pearl necklace costing £4000 and was made one of the Queen's ladies-in-waitiffip,'. She was most kind-hearted and never failed in kindness to those in trouble. Charles is said to have had the "harem habit," and Nell was not without rivals, none of which had Nell's popularity. Indeed the public seemed to resent any threat against her position. Once she was mistaken for one of her rivals in the King's affections, and the people hooted her coach, whereupon she put out her head and said. "Pray, good neople be civil. I am the Protestant mistress." It was not until the King was dead that Nell felt the pressure of trouble. She was then thirtyfive, and, as far as we as outsiders can judge, had had a splendid, almost regal, reign. It was she who founded the Chelsea Pensioners' Hospital, and she left many records of kindnesses done. She was thirty-seven when she died, and there are. few writers of her day who do not make some favourable mention of this good bad girl. As loner as kings had wealth and power and had the willing or unwilling support of their subjects, their emotions and affections were reflected in (he laws, manners and customs of the nation tliev ruled, and amongst the feminine influences —the effect of which filtered down through the social planes—none was greater or more lasting than those produced by female favourites. Tn the history of Egypt and of Koine, and in that of our England, can be found the sign manual of women of pleasure. * "Twelve More Ladies," by Sidney Dark. (Hodilcr and Stougliton.)