Anthony and Cleopatra were fishing with a flotilla of smaller craft on the Nile. Many fish were caught. However, Anthony was the exception. He was unable to catch any fish. Humiliated in front of his mistress and determined not to be defeated again, he secretly arranged for fishermen to dive under water and place their fish on his hook. Unfortunately Cleopatra saw through his plan and devised her own ruse. The biter was bit; the swindler himself duped. To restore his reputation Cleopatra suggested that his forte was conquering Kingdoms, leaving fishing to fishermen. From Les Merveilles de la Science, published c. 1870.