The Republic. R 0 
therefore the senate had ratified all Caesar’s acts without 
distinction, he formed a scheme upon this of making him rule 
■when dead as imperiously as when he had done when 
.living. Being, as was said, possessed of Caesar’s bdoks of 
accounts, he so far gained upon his secretary as to make him 
insert whatever he thought proper. By these means, great 
sums of money, which Caesar never would have bestowed, 
were here distributed among the people; and every man 
■who was averse to republican principles was here sure of 
finding a gratuity. He then demanded that Caesar's funeral 
obsequies should be performed, which the seriate now could 
not decently forbid, as they had never declared him a tyrant. 
Accordingly, the body was brought forth into 'the forum 
with the utmost solemnity; and Antony began his operations 
. upon the passions of the people, by the prevailing motives of 
private interest. He first read Caesar’s will, in which he had 
left Octavius, hissister’sgrandson, his heir, permitting him to 
take the name of Caesar ; and three parts of his private for¬ 
tune Brutus was to inherit in case of his death. The Roman 
people were left the gardens which he had on the other side 
the Tiber, and every citizen, in particular, was to receive 
• 300 sesterces. This last bequest not a little contributed to 
increase the people’s affection for their late dictator; they 
now began to consider Caesar as a father, who, not satisfied 
•-with doing them the greatest good while living, thought of 
. benefiting them after his death. As Antony continued read¬ 
ing, the multitude began to be moved, and sighs and lamen¬ 
tations were heard from every quarter. Antony, seeing the 
audience favourable to his designs, now began to address the 
assembly in a more pathetic strain he presented before them 
Caesar’s bloody robe, and as he unfolded it, took care they 
should observe the number of stabs in it: he then displayed 
an image, v.hich to them appeared the body of Caesar, all 
covered with wounds. The people could now no longer 
contain their indignation; they unanimously cried out for 
revenge: all the old soldiers who had fought under him, 
burnC with his body, their coronets, and other marks of con- 
. quest with which he had honoured them. A great number of 
the first matrons in the city threw' in their ornaments also, 
till at length, rage succeeding to sorrow, the multitude ran 
with flaming brands from the pile to set fire to the con¬ 
spirators’ houses. In this rage of resentment, meeting with 
• one Cinna, whom they mistook for another of the same name 
.who w'as in the conspiracy, they tore him in pieces. The 
conspirators themselves, however, being w'ell guarded, repulsed 
the multitude wnth no great trouble; but perceiving the rage 
of the people, they thought it safest to retire to the city. 
Divine honours were then granted to Caesar; and an altar was 
erected on the place where his body w'as burnt, to which 
afterwards was added a column inscribed, “ To the father of 
his country.” 
In the mean time Antony, who had excited this flame, 
resolved to make the best of the occasion. Having gained 
the people by his zeal in Caisar’s cause, he next endeavoured 
to bring over the senate, by a seeming concern for the freedom 
of the state. He therefore proposed to recal Sextus, Pompey’s 
only remaining son, who had concealed himself in Spain 
since the death of his father, and to grant him the command 
of all the fleets of the empire. His next step to their confi¬ 
dence, was a quelling the sedition of the people, who rose 
to revenge the death of Caesar, and putting their leader 
Amathusdo death, who pretended to be the son of Marius. 
He after this pretended to dread the resentment of the multi¬ 
tude, and demanded a guard for the security of his person. 
.The senate granted his request; and under this pretext, he 
drew round him a body of 6000 resolute men, attached to his 
interest, and ready to execute his commands. Thus he con¬ 
tinued every day making rapid strides to absolute power; all 
the authority of government w’as lodged in his hands and 
those of his two brothers alone, who shared among them the 
consular, tribunitian, and praetorian power. His vows to 
revenge Caesar’s death semed either postponed, or totally 
forgotten ; and his only aim seemed to confirm himself in 
that power which he had thus artfully acquired. But an 
M E. The Republic. 251 
obstacle to his ambition seemed to arise from a quarter on 
which he least expected it. This was from Octavius of 
Octavianus Ccesar, afterwards called Augustus, who was the 
grand-nephew and adopted son of Caesar, and was at Apollonia 
when his kinsman was slain. He was then about 18 years 
old, and had been sent to that city to improve himself in the 
study of Grecian literature. Upon the news of Caesar’s death 
notwithstanding the earnest dissuasions of all his friends, he 
resolved to return to Rome, to claim the inheritance, and 
revenge the death of his uncle. From the former professions 
of Antony, he expected to find him a warm assistant to his 
aims; and he doubted not, by his concurrence, to take signal 
vengeance on all who had a hand in the conspiracy. How¬ 
ever, he was greatly disappointed. Antony, whose projects 
w'ere all to aggrandize himself, gave him but a very cold 
reception, and, instead of granting him the fortune left him 
by the will, delayed the payment of it upon various pretences, 
hoping to check his ambition by limiting his circumstances. 
But Octavianus, instead of abating his claims, even sold his 
own patrimonial estate, to pay such legacies as Caesar had 
left, and particularly that to the people. By these means he 
gained a degree of popularity, which his enemies vainly 
laboured to diminish, and which in fact he had many other 
methods to procure. His conversation was elegant and 
insinuating, his face comely and graceful, and his affection 
to the late dictator so sincere, that every person was charmed 
either with his piety or his address. But what added still 
more to his interest was the name of Caesar, which he had 
assumed, and, in consequence of which, the former followers 
of his uncle now flocked in great numbers to him. All these 
he managed with such art, that Antony now began to 
conceive a violent jealoiisy for the talents of his young- 
opponent, and secretly laboured to counteract all his designs. 
In fact, he did not want reason; for the army near Rome, 
that had long wished to see the conspirators punished, began 
to turn from him to his rival whom they saw more sincerely 
bent on gratifying their desires. Antony having procured 
also the government of Hither Gaul from the people, two of 
his legions that he had brought home from his former govern¬ 
ment of Macedonia, went over to Octavianus, notwithstand¬ 
ing all his remonstrances to detain them. This produced, as 
usual, interviews, complaints, recriminations, and [pretended 
reconciliations, which only tended to widen the difference; 
so that, at length, both sides prepared for war. Thus the 
state was divided into three distinct factions; that of Octavia¬ 
nus, who aimed ar procuring Caesar’s inheritance, and re¬ 
venging his death; that of Antony, whose sole view wa? 
to obtain absolute power; and that of the conspirators, 
who endeavoured to restore the senate to its former authority. 
Antony being raised by the people to his new govern¬ 
ment of Cisalpine Gaul, contrary to the inclinations of the 
senate, resolved to enter upon his province immediately, and 
oppose Brutus, who commanded a small body of troops there, 
while his army was yet entire. He accordingly left Rome, 
and marching thither, commanded Brutus to depart. Brutus, 
being unable to oppose him, retired with his forces; but 
being pursued by Antony, he was at last besieged in the city 
of Mutina, of which he sent word to the senate. 
In the mean while, Octavianus, who by this time had 
raised a body of 10,000 men, returned to Rome; and being 
resolved, before he attempted to take vengeance on the 
conspirators, if possible to diminish the power of Antony, 
began by bringing over the senate to second his design's. In 
this he succeeded by the credit of Cicero, who had long hated 
Antony because he thought him the enemy of the state. 
Accordingly, by means of his eloquence, a decree was passed, 
ordering Antony to raise the siege of Mutina, to evacuate 
Cisalpine Gaul, and to await the further orders of the senate 
upon the banks of the Rubicon. Antony treated the order 
with contempt; and instead of obeying, began to show his 
displeasure at being hitherto so submissive. Nothing now 
therefore remained for the senate but to declare him an enemy 
to the state, and to send Octavianus, with the army he had 
raised, to curb his insolence. The latter was very ready to 
offer 
