ROMAN E M P I K R. 



405 



n< rrn 



elected CUD- 

 tul. 



A law pas- 

 A! against 

 Itrutus and 

 Cauiut. 

 Triumvi- 

 rate of 

 Octavius, 

 Antony, 

 Mid Lepi- 

 dui. 



Brutus 

 besieges 



Xaiithus. 



IWtleof 

 1'hilippL 



neral engagement, in which he was defeated, and fled 

 tor protection to I.epidus, in F.irthrr (fan). In this 

 battle the two consuls were mortally wounded ; and 

 having called Octavianus to his death-bed, ad- 

 \IMI| him to pin Antony, as the oSjcct of the senate 

 was to ruin both. Perplexed with this advice, and be- 

 ing 1 soon nfter refused a triumph, Octavianus resolved 

 t.> join Antony and Lepidus; and this resolution was 

 fixed hy their refusing him the consulship. Antony 

 nnd Lepidus cheerfully agreed to the scheme suggested 

 by Pansa, and crossing the Alp-t at the head of'an army 

 of seventeen legions, they threatened destruction to all 

 who opposed them. 



Discovering the error which they had committed, the 

 senate now elected Octavianus consul, and held out to 

 him the prospect of new honours. By means of this 

 newly acquired influence, he obtained a law for the con- 

 demnation of Brutus and Cassius, and then he united 

 his army with that of Antony. 



At a conference, which lasted for three days, Octa- 

 vianus, Antony, and Lepidus established themselves 

 into a triumvirate for five years, during which Octavi- 

 anus should have Africa and the Mediterranean, Antony 

 Gaul, and Lepidus Spain. They agreed that their ene- 

 mies should be destroyed ; and in the lists which they 

 gave in, were comprehended the names even of the 

 friends of the triumvirs. Above 300 senators, among 

 whom were Cicero, Paulus the brother of Lepidus, and 

 Lucius, the uncle of Antony, and above 2000 knights, 

 were included in the fatal list, and their estates divided 

 among their murderers. In consequence of these cruel- 

 ties many Romans fled to the army of Brutus, and 

 others sought for protection from Pompey, whose fleet 

 now covered the Mediterranean. Having satiated their 

 vengeance and their avarice, the triumvirs announced 

 to the senate that their cruelties were at an end ; and 

 leaving Lepidus with the charge of Rome, Octavianus 

 and Antony marched into Asia to meet the conspi- 

 rators. 



Brutus having raised a powerful army in Macedonia, 

 and Cassius another in Syria, they united their forces 

 with the view of attacking Cleopatra, who was prepar- 

 ing to assist their opponents, when they received in- 

 formation of the advance of Octavianus and Antony at 

 the head of forty legions. Brutus was desirous of pass- 

 ing over into Macedonia to meet the enemy ; but Cas- 

 sius insisted upon first reducing the Rhodians and Ly- 

 dians, who had withheld their contributions. The un- 

 fortunate Rhodians were stripped of every thing but 

 their lives; andtheLydians, having shut themselves up 

 in the city of Xanthus, and set fire to the town, threw 

 themselves into the flames rather than surrender to 

 Brutus. The Roman general exhibited great genero- 

 sity during the siege. He not only entreated his sol- 

 diers to extinguish the fire; but gave his personal as- 

 sistance to save the infatuated Lydians, and even offered 

 a reward to every soldier who should save a Lydian 

 from the flames. 



Having met at Sardis, Brutus and Cassius were, af- 

 ter much altercation, reconciled to each other. Cassius 

 entertained Brutus in his tent ; and it was after the 

 return of the latter from this entertainment, that he 

 saw the spectre of which we have already given an 

 account in our life of BRUTUS, vol. V. p. 22. This 

 event was immediately followed by the battle of Phi- 

 lippi, in which the conspirators were defeated, and 

 Cassius killed, as already described in the article now 

 quoted. 



Having assembled the dispersed troops of Cassius, 



recompensed them for their lossei, and encouraged 

 them \vrli hpe of success, Brutus resolved, if pot. 

 Bible, to starve his enemies, who were in great want 

 of provision*. Hs troops, however, could not brook 

 this specie* of warfare, and forced their general to try 

 the fortunes of war. The force of the triumvirate, was 

 directed solely against the person of Brutus, and when 

 the ranks of the confederates were giving way, orders 

 were given not to permit the general to escape. Thus 

 singly exposed as the prize of battle, the fate of Brutus 

 seemed inevitable. In this emergency his friend 

 Lucilius threw himself before a body of Thracian horse, 

 who were closely pursuing Brutus, and on the point 

 of seizing him, and called out that he was Brutus. The 

 Thracians, overjoyed with their success, sent notice of 

 it to Antony ; but when that general received from 

 Lucilius an acknowledgment of the deceit, he treated 

 him with kindness, and sought the friendship of a 

 roan who had thus done honour to their common nature. 



Brutus escaped with a small number of his follow- 

 ers ; and seating himself beneath a rock which con- 

 cealed him from the enemy, he saw no prospect of es- 

 cape, and throwing himself upon his sword, he in- 

 stantly expired. The head of Brutus was sent to Rome, 

 to be thrown at the foot of Caesar's statue, and his 

 ashes were sent to his wife Portia, who killed herself 

 by swallowing burning coals. Thus fell the last of 

 the enemies of Caesar ; and it has been affirmed, that 

 not one of those died a natural death who were con- 

 cerned in the murder of that great man. 



Elated with success, and dazzled with the pomp 

 and consequence of his exalted station, Antony sought 

 for the gratification of his vanity from a variety of 

 sources. At Athens he courted the society of the phi- 

 losophers, and assisted at their conversations and de- 

 bates. In Asia he travelled from one state to another, 

 receiving homage, exacting contributions, conferring 

 favours, and distributing crowns, with insolent and 

 capricious liberality. To Sysenes he gave the king- 

 dom of Cappadocia, in consequence of the beauty of 

 his mother Glaphyra. He settled Herod in the king- 

 dom of Juden, and on Cleopatra he showered down 

 the greatest favours. 



As this celebrated queen had given succours to the 

 conspirators, Antony commanded her to clear herself 

 in person from this imputation of infidelity. She accord- 

 ingly resolved to appear before him at Tarsus in Cilicia, 

 which was situated at the mouth of the river Cydnus. 

 Cleopatra made the most magnificent preparations for the 

 visit. Her galley, equipped with sails of purple, shone 

 with burnished gold, and the silver oars which impelled 

 it kept time to the soft music of flutes and cymbals. Cleo- 

 patra herself lay reclined on a couch, adorned with 

 stars of gold, and decked with all the emblems of the 

 queen of love. Two boys, in the costume of Cupids, 

 fanned her by turns, while the most beautiful women, 

 in the character of Nereids and Graces, were placed in 

 groupes around her. Perfumes were burnt on the 

 banks of the river, while the galley descended the 

 Cydnus, and arrived, in the midst of thousands of 

 spectators, in the palace of Antony. Charmed, as 

 might have been anticipated, with the loveliness of the 

 Egyptian queen, Antony forgot to decide upon her 

 cause, and neglecting all his affairs, abandoned him- 

 self to the licentiousness of love, and soon afterwards 

 followed her into Egypt. 



Octavianus having undertaken to conduct his vete- 

 ran soldiers into Italy, and to settle them in the lands 

 which he had promised as a recompense for their Ser- 



if rran 

 Kmptr*. 



Death of 



Bruiui. 



pnoliih 

 conduct of 



Antony. 



Hit inter. 

 view with 

 Cleopatra. 



