Learn some Second Sophistic Greek in Plutarch's Antony from English words and Latin cognates
λέγεται [cf. the word "lecture" from Latin] δὲ τὴν ἀσπίδα [asp] κομισθῆναι σὺν τοῖς σύκοις ἐκείνοις καὶ τοῖς θρίοις ἄνωθεν ἐπικαλυφθεῖσαν [Calypso, eucalyptus, apocalypse], οὕτω γὰρ τὴν Κλεοπάτραν κελεῦσαι, μηδὲ αὐτῆς [automatic] ἐπισταμένης [static] τῷ σώματι [psychosomatic] προσπεσεῖν τὸ θηρίον [cf. the word "fierce" from the Latin]: ὡς δὲ ἀφαιροῦσα [heretic] τῶν σύκων εἶδεν [idea], εἰπεῖν: ‘ἐνταῦθα ἦν ἄρα τοῦτο:’ καὶ τὸν βραχίονα [brachiosaurus] παρασχεῖν τῷ δήγματι γυμνώσασαν [gymnasium]. [2] οἱ δὲ τηρεῖσθαι μὲν ἐν ὑδρίᾳ [hydrology] τὴν ἀσπίδα καθ̔ειργμένην φάσκουσιν [euphemism], ἠλακάτῃ δέ τινι χρυσῇ [chrysalis] τῆς Κλεοπάτρας ἐκκαλουμένης αὐτὴν καὶ διαγριαινούσης ὁρμήσασαν [hormone] ἐμφῦναι [physics] τῷ βραχίονι. τὸ δὲ ἀληθὲς [Alethea] οὐδεὶς οἶδεν: ἐπεὶ καὶ φάρμακον [pharmacy] αὐτὴν ἐλέχθη φορεῖν [pheromone] ἐν κνηστίδι κοίλῃ, τὴν δὲ κνηστίδα κρύπτειν [cryptography] τῇ κόμῃ: πλὴν οὔτε κηλὶς ἐξήνθησε τοῦ σώματος οὔτε ἄλλο [allegory] φαρμάκου σημεῖον [semantic]. [3] οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τὸ θηρίον ἐντὸς ὤφθη, συρμοὺς δέ τινας αὐτοῦ παρὰ θάλασσαν [thalassocracy], ᾗ τὸ δωμάτιον [cf. "dominion" from the Latin] ἀφεώρα [panorama] καὶ θυρίδες ἦσαν, ἰδεῖν ἔφασκον. ἔνιοι δὲ καὶ τὸν βραχίονα τῆς Κλεοπάτρας ὀφθῆναι δύο νυγμὰς ἔχοντα λεπτὰς καὶ ἀμυδράς: οἷς ἔοικε πιστεῦσαι καὶ ὁ Καῖσαρ [Caesar, Czar, Kaiser, Cesare]. ἐν γὰρ τῷ θριάμβῳ [triumph] τῆς Κλεοπάτρας αὐτῆς εἴδωλον [idol] ἐκομίζετο καὶ τῆς ἀσπίδος ἐμπεφυκυίας. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν οὕτω λέγεται γενέσθαι [genealogy].
It is said that the asp was brought with those figs and leaves and lay hidden beneath them, for thus Cleopatra had given orders, that the reptile might fasten itself upon her body without her being aware of it. But when she took away some of the figs and saw it, she said: "There it is, you see," and baring her arm she held it out for the bite. But others say that the asp was kept carefully shut up in a water jar, and that while Cleopatra was stirring it up and irritating it with a golden distaff it sprang and fastened itself upon her arm. But the truth of the matter no one knows; for it was also said that she carried about poison in a hollow comb and kept the comb hidden in her hair; and yet neither spot nor other sign of poison broke out upon her body. Moreover, not even was the reptile seen within the chamber, though people said they saw some traces of it near the sea, where the chamber looked out upon it with its windows. And some also say that Cleopatra's arm was seen to have two slight and indistinct punctures; and this Caesar also seems to have believed. For in his triumph an image of Cleopatra herself with the asp clinging to her was carried in the procession. These, then, are the various accounts of what happened. (Translation Perrin.)