252 The Republic. R 0 
offer his army for this expedition, in order to revenge hig 
own private injuries, before he undertook those of the 
public. The two consuls, Hirtiusaud Pansa, joined all their 
forces; and, thus combined, they marched at the head of a 
numerous army, against Antony, into Cisalpine Gaul. After 
one or two ineffectual conflicts,both armies came to a general 
engagement; in which Antony was defeated, and compelled 
to fly to Lepidus, who commanded a body of forces in 
Further Gaul. This victory, however, which promised the 
senate so much success, produced effects very different from 
their expectations. The two consuls were mortally wounded, 
but Pansa, previous to his death, called Octavianus to his bed¬ 
side, and advised him to join with Antony, telling him, that 
the senate only desired to depress both, by opposing them 
to each other. The advice of the dying consul sunk deep on 
his spirits; so that from that time he only sought a pretext 
to break with them. Their giving the command of a party 
of his army to Decimus Brutus, and their denying him a 
triumph soon after, served to alienate his mind entirely from 
the senate, andmadehim resolve tojoin Antonyand Lepidus. 
He was willing, however, to try the senate thoroughly, before 
he came to an open rupture ; wherefore he sent to demand 
the consulship, which was-refused him. He then thought 
himself obliged to keep no measures with that assembly, but 
privately sent to sound the inclinations of Antony and 
Lepidus, concerning a junction of forces, and found them as 
eager to assist as the senate was to oppose him. Antony was, 
in fact, the general of both armies, and Lepidus was only 
nominally so, for his soldiers refused to obey him upon the 
approach of the former. But being assured of the assistance 
of Octavianus upon their arrival in Italy, they soon crossed 
the Alps with an army of 17 legions, breathing revenge 
against all who had opposed their designs. 
The senate now began, too late, to perceive their error in 
disobliging Octavianus; and therefore gave him the consul¬ 
ship which they had so lately refused, and, to prevent his 
joining with Antony, flattered him with new honours, 
giving him a power superior to all law’. The first use 
Octavianus made of his new authority was to procure a law 
for the condemnation of Brutus and Cassius; after which, 
he joined his forces with those of Antony and Lepidus. 
The meeting of these three usurpers of their country’s 
freedom was near Mutina, upon a little island of the river 
Pauarus. Their mutual suspicions were the cause of their 
meeting in this place. Lepidus first entered, and, finding all 
things safe, made the signal for the other two-to approach. 
Octavianus began the conference, by thanking Antony for 
his zeal in putting Decimus Brutus to death; who, being 
abandoned by his army, was taken as he was designing to 
escape into Macedonia, and beheaded by Antony’s com¬ 
mand. Their conference lasted for three days; and the 
result of it was, that the supreme authority should be lodged 
in their hands, under the title of the triumvirate, i'or the 
space of five years; that Antony should have Gaul; Lepi¬ 
dus, Spain; and Octavianus, Africa, and the Mediterranean 
islands. As for Italy, and the eastern provinces, they were 
to remain in common, until their general enemy was entirely 
subdued. But the last article of their union was a dreadful 
oue. It was agreed that all their enemies should be de¬ 
stroyed; of which each presented a list. In these were com¬ 
prised not only the enemies, but the friends of the trium¬ 
virate, since the partisans of the one were often found among 
the Opposers of the other. Thus Lepidus gave up his bro¬ 
ther Paulus to the vengeance of his colleague; Antony per¬ 
mitted the proscription of his uncle Lucius; and Octavianus 
delivered up the great Cicero. The most sacred rights of 
nature were violated; 300 senators, and above 2000 knights, 
were included in this terrible proscription; their fortunes 
were confiscated, and their murderers enriched with the 
spoil. Rome soon felt the effects of this infernal union, 
and the horrid cruelties of Marius and Sylla were renewed. 
As many as could escape the cruelty of the triumvirs, fled 
into Macedonia to Brutus, or found refuge with young 
Pompey, who was now in Sicily, and covered the Mediter- 
M E. The Republic. 
ranean with his numerous navy. Their cruelties were not 
aimed at the men alone; but the softer sex were in danger 
of being marked as objects either of avarice-or resentment. 
They made out a list of 1,400 women of the best quality, 
and the richest in the city, who were ordered to give in an 
account of their fortunes, to be taxed in proportion. But 
this seemed so unpopular a measure, and was so firmly 
opposed by Hortensia, who spoke against it, that, instead of 
1,400 women, they were content to tax only 400. How¬ 
ever, they made up the deficiency, by extending the tax 
upon men; near 100,000, as well citizens as strangers, were 
compelled to furnish supplies to the subversion of their 
country’s freedom. At last,, both the avarice and vengeance 
of the triumviri seemed fully satisfied, and they went into 
the senate to declare that the proscription was at an end; 
and thus having deluged the city with blood, Octavianus 
and Antony, leaving Lepidus to defend Rome in their 
absence, marched with their army to oppose the conspi¬ 
rators, who were now at the head of a formidable army in Asia. 
Brutus and Cassius, the principal of these, upon the death 
of Caesar, being compelled to quit Rome, went into Greece, 
where they persuaded the Roman students at Athens, to 
declare in the cause of freedom; then parting, the former 
raised a powerful army in Macedonia and the adjacent 
countries, while the latter went into Syria, where he sooil 
became master of 12 legions, and reduced his opponent 
Dolabella to such straits as to kill himself. Both armies 
soon after joining at Smyrna, the sight of such a formidable 
force began to revive the declining spirits of the party, and 
to re-unite the two generals still more closely, between whom 
there had been some time before a slight misunderstanding. 
In short, having quitted Italy like distressed exiles, without 
having one single soldier or one town that owned their com¬ 
mand, they now found themselves at the head of a flourish¬ 
ing army, furnished with all the necessaries for carrying on 
the war, and in a condition to support a contest where the 
empire of the world depended on the event. This success in 
raising levies, was entirely owing to the justice, moderation, 
and great humanity of Brutus, who, in every instance, 
seemed studious of the happiness of his country. 
It was in this flourishing state of their affairs, that the 
conspirators had formed a resolution of going against Cleo¬ 
patra, who, on her side, had made great preparations to 
assist their opponents. However, they were diverted from 
this purpose by an information that Octavianus and Antony 
were now upon their march, with 40 legions to oppose 
them. Brutus now, therefore, moved to have their army- 
pass over into Greece and Macedonia, and there meet the 
enemy; but Cassius so far prevailed as to have the Rhodians 
and Lycians first reduced, who had refused their usual con¬ 
tribution. This expedition was immediately put in exe¬ 
cution, and extraordinary contributions were raised by that 
means, the Rhodians having scarce any thing left but their 
lives. The Lycians suffered still more severely; for having 
shut themselves up in the city of Xanthus, they defended 
the place against Brutus with such fury, that neither his art 
nor intreaties could prevail upon them to surrender. At 
length, the town being set on fire, by their attempting to 
burn the works of the Romans, Brutus, instead of laying 
hold on this opportunity to storm the place, made every 
effort to preserve it, intreating his soldiers to try all means 
of extinguishing the fire: but the desperate phrenzy of the 
citizens was not to be mollified. Far from thinking them¬ 
selves obliged to their generous enemy for the efforts which 
were made to save them, they resolved to perish in the flames. 
Wherefore, instead of extinguishing, they did all in their 
power to augment the fire, by throwing in wood, dry reeds, 
and all kinds of fuel. Nothing could exceed the distress of 
Brutus upon seeing the townsmen thus resolutely bent on 
destroying themselves: he rode about the fortifications, 
stretching out his hands to the Xanthians, and conjuring 
them to have pity on themselves and their city; but, insen¬ 
sible to his expostulations, they rushed into the flames with 
desperate obstinacy, and the whole soon became an heap, of 
undistinguishable 
