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feited lands among the foldiers. He was alfo involved in a 

 civil war by the violence of Fulvia, and of Lucius the 

 brother of Antony, which was terminated by the fiirrender 

 and capitulation of Pcrufia. On this occafion, Oftavianiis 

 cxcrcifed the mod inhuman barbarity. SeePERUSiA. Af- 

 ter the conclufion of this war, a partition was made of the 

 Roman empire between Antony (fee Antony) and Ocla- 

 vianus : Rome and the well being afligned to the latter. 

 The next and moll; important event tliat engaged the atten- 

 tion of the triumvirs, was the war with Sextus Pompey. 

 Whilll Oftavianus was preparing for this war, he was cap- 

 tivated bv the pcrfonal and mental charms of Livia, 

 then the wife of Claudius Tiberius Nero. In order to 

 obtain poffcfrion of her, lie divorced his own wife Scribonia, 

 and caufed Livia to be divorced from her hufband, though 

 fhe w-as at the time far advanced in her pregnancy, and 

 was, within three montlis after he married her, delivered of 

 a fon, who was named Tiberias, and who was afterwards 

 emperor. The war with Pompey, though at firfl; difaftrous, 

 was foon concluded by a general engagement, m which 

 Pompey was entirely defeated. 



Upon the depofition of Lepidus from his authority as 

 one of the triumvirs, the Roman ftate was governed by a 

 duumvirate ; which was not likely to be of long duration. 

 Antony, advancing to old age, and yet additled to youth- 

 ful follies, gave OAavianus advantages, which he had 

 difcernment to perceive, and of which he availed himfelf 

 by his political wifdom. Whilft he ingratiated himfelf with 

 the people by feveral popular afts, and was invefted with 

 the dignity of perpetual tribune of the people, which ren- 

 dered his perfon facred and inviolable, he contributed by 

 .various charges to degrade Antony in the public eftima- 

 tion. The commencement and termination of the civil 

 "war, in which Antony and Oftavianus v.'ere engaged, have 

 been already related under the article Antony. It will 

 be fuflicient here to fay, that it was the fuccefs gained by 

 Oftavianus, for which he was chiefly indebted to the con- 

 duft of his admiral Agrippa, at the famous battle of Aflium, 

 fouo-ht in the year B.C. 31, which made him mafter of 

 the Roman world. Having followed his rival into Egypt, 

 and there terminated the war, he remained in the tafb two 

 years, and fettled all the affairs of Egypt, Greece, Syria, 

 Afia Minor, and the illands. 



Upon his return to Rome, he triumphed for three fuc- 

 cefiive' days with great fplcndor. Having attained the 

 fummit of his ambition, it now remained with him to deter- 

 mine under what title, and in what mode he fhould exereife 

 the fnpreme authority which he had acquired. That he 

 ever ferioufly intended to furrender the power which he 

 poffefTed, and to which he had made fuch facrifices, is not 

 at all probable ; and yet it is by no means unlikely that 

 he fliould have conferred with his confidential friends, 

 Msecenas and Agrippa, in the mar.ner which hiftcrians have 

 recorded. Agrippa, a man no lefs famous for his probity 

 than his valour, recommended a generous refignation ; re- 

 prefented the inevitable dangers which attend monarchy, 

 infupportable to a free people and to men educated in a 

 common-wealth ; ponrtrayed the examples of Sylla and 

 Cxfar ; and clufed his fpeech with exhorting Oftavianus 

 to convince the world, by relloring liberty to his country, 

 that the only motive for his taking up arms was to revenge 

 his father's death. Miecenas, a man of great penetration, 

 and generally efteemed the moll refined politician of his 

 ao-e, urged, that he had gone too far to recede ; that he 

 could be fafe only o-n the throne ; and that it was abfolutely 

 neeelTary for the welfare and tranquillity of the republic, 

 that the fovereigii power fhould be lodged in one p^rfou, 



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and not divided among many individuals, whofe ambitious 

 views would Hill occafion a perpetual lucccfiion of miferies 

 to the public. Oclavianus thanked them both for their 

 friendly advice, but avowed his purpofe, a purpofe without 

 doubt previouily formed, of adhering to the opinion of 

 McEcenas ; upon which this fage counfellor recommended 

 his governing otiiers as he would wifli to be governed him- 

 felf, if he had been born to obey and not to command ; 

 that he miglit then fecure fuccefs in all his undertakings, 

 happii-icfs during his life, and reputation after his deatli ; 

 adding, that if he dreaded the name of king, fo odious in 

 a common-wealth, he might content himfelf with the title 

 of " Cxfar," or " Impcrator," and under that appellation, 

 which was famihar to the Romans, enjoy all the authority 

 of a fovereign. Dio. CafTius, l.iii. p. 464. 



Oclavianus, having formed his purpofe, began to amufe 

 and gratify the people, to adorn the city by public build- 

 ings, to new-model the fenate by introducing his own parti- 

 fans, by annulling many unjud and fevere laws that had 

 been enaifted during tlie triumvirate, and by reforming a 

 variety of abufes. At length, in his 7th confulate, B. C. 

 27, in the 36th year of his age, he went to the fenatc- 

 houfe, and in a ftudied oration, which difplayed his patriotifm 

 and difguifcd his ambition, he propofed to abdicate his 

 authority. Thole who were in the fecret applauded ; 

 others were greatly embarraffed. But amidft this confufioii 

 of fentiments, the anfwer of the fenate was unanimous and 

 decifive. They refufed to accept his refignation, and con- 

 jured him not to defert the republic which he had faved. 

 After a decent refillance, the crafty tyrant fubmitted to 

 the orders of the fenate ; and confented to receive the go- 

 vernment of the provinces, and the general command of the 

 Reman armies, under the well-known names of " Pro- 

 conful" and " Imperator." But he would receive it only for 

 ten year?. At the motion of Munatius Planens, he alfo 

 affumed the title of jhigtiJJus. Tlie powers whicli he united 

 in himfelf, of which fome, indeed, were not conferred im- 

 mediately, were thofe of i." Lnperator" or " Emperor,"ex- 

 tended to fignify commander-in-chief of all the forces of 

 the ilate, arbiter of peace and war, and uncontrolled head 

 of the executive power, as well over the citizens as foldiers: 

 2. Of " Proconful," giving him the legal fupreraacy in 

 every province which he might vifit: 3. Of " Tribune," 

 rendering his perfon facred, and conferring upon him the 

 right oi veto on all public proceedings : 4. Of " Cenfor," 

 or fuperintendant of manners : 5. Of " Supreme Pontiff," 

 or the head of religion : 6. Of " Difpeniation" from ob- 

 ferving the laws, when he fliould think fit to exereife it. 

 To the preceding privileges of an abfolute prince was added 

 the venerable and refpectable charafter of " Father of his 

 Country," implying a kind of paternal relation to his 

 people. 



Augullus, befides the limitation of ten years which he 

 annexed to the pofTeffion of his autliority, flattered the 

 fenate by fliaring with it the government of the provinces, 

 referving to liimfelf thofe which were moll liable to tumults 

 and feditions, that he might thus have at his command all 

 the forces of the empire. He alfo contrived to retain an- 

 cient names, forms, and inilitutions ; and to commit a por- 

 tion of real authority to the fenate, the people, and officers 

 of Hate ; fo that his government was rather a monarchy 

 than a dcfpotifm. 



The full and chief care of Auguftus, after he had ob- 

 tained the dignity of abfolute mafter of the empire, was to 

 fatisfy his feldicrs, and attach them more firmly to his 

 intereft. With this view he difperfed them all over Italy 

 in 32 colonics, and thus tbsy might eafily be re-alTembled 



in 



