38 HISTORY AND ETHNOLOGY. 



of preferring a petition, tore ofFliis mantle, and pierced him with twentj-three 

 wounds. When Caesar saw among his murderers his friend Brutus, he covered 

 his face with his mantle, and expired near the base of Pompey's statue. 

 ; Instead of joy and freedom, the republic was now pervaded by new 

 terrors and anarchy. The senate fled ; but the new consuls approved the 

 murder. Marcus Antonius, however, aroused the indignation of the 

 citizens, and the assassins were compelled to fly for their lives. 

 Antonius strove to become Caesar's successor, but he found a powerful 

 competitor in the young Caius Octavianus, the nephew and heir of Caesar. 

 Antonius wanted to withhold his inheritance from him, but he w^as supported 

 by the senate. The people also adhered to him, and Cicero and the army 

 were soon won. So Antonius left Rome, and went to the Cis-Rhenish 

 Gallia, with the intention of wresting this province from Decimus Brutus, 

 ,44 B.C. Cicero declared him a traitor to his country. The consuls 

 Hirtius and Pansa were sent to meet him ; they conquered, but fell, at 

 Mutina, 43 B.C. Antonius fled to Trans-Bhenish Gallia. Octavianus led the 

 army in triumph back to Pome, and claimed the consulship. His ambitious 

 views now began to be apparent, but still he actually, in 43 B.C., formed 

 a new triumvirate, with Antonius and Lepidus. The latter was a man of 

 little worth, but had risen high by favorable circumstances. They resolved 

 to divide the provinces among them, to avenge the murder of Julius 

 Caesar, and in fact to destroy the republican party. To obtain money 

 proscriptions followed. Lepidus even sacrificed his brother ; Antonius his 

 uncle ; and Octavianus his former protector Cicero, who received the 

 death-blow, 42 B.C. 



Brutus and Cassius had gone from Asia to Macedonia. Antonius made 

 a successful onset upon Cassius. Brutus, however, quickly compelled 

 Octavianus to retreat. Cassius, taking the horsemen of Brutus who 

 hastened to his succor to be enemies, and supposing all was lost, killed 

 himself. At the end of twenty days, Brutus risked a new battle, but 

 losing it, committed suicide. Thus the last republicans died one after 

 another. The youngest son of Pompey had also fallen shortly previous 

 in the war of Sicily. 



The triumvirs now turned their arms against each other. Lepidus at 

 first supported Octavianus, and therefore laid claim to increase of power ; 

 but the latter easily persuaded his army to desert him, and succeeded in 

 expelling him from the triumvirate. 



Antonius, the conqueror at Philippi, crippled the strength of Asia, made 

 Herodes tetrarch of Judea, and bade Cleopatra appear before his court in 

 Sicily, to defend herself against the charge of having befriended Cassius ; 

 but when she appeared in most luxuriant apparel at Tarsus, he became a 

 . slave to her charms, sent his wife back to her brother Octavianus, and gave 

 away entire kingdoms to the Egyptian queen. This induced the senate to 

 declare war, ostensibly against her, but really against Antonius. 



To this expedition Octavianus was chosen. After disciplining his 

 warriors by several victories over the Pannonians and Dalmatians, 

 .35-33 B.C., he set out against his brother-in-law. The rival armaments at 

 210 



