Greece -- Biography -- Early works to 1800; Rome -- Biography -- Early works to 1800
XXI. The dominion of the three was in most respects hateful to the
Romans; but Antonius had most of the blame, as he was older than Cæsar,
and had more influence than Lepidus, and threw himself without restraint
into his former luxurious and intemperate habits as soon as he had
shaken off all trouble about affairs. There was added to his general bad
repute the hatred against him on account of the house that he inhabited,
which had been the house of Pompeius Magnus, a man no less admired for
his temperance and his orderly and citizenlike mode of life than for his
three triumphs. For they were vexed to see his house generally closed to
commanders, magistrates and ambassadors, who were insolently thrust from
the doors, while it was filled with mimi and jugglers and drunken
flatterers, upon whom was expended most of the money which was got by
the most violent and harsh means. For the three not only sold the
substance of those who were murdered, bringing false charges against
their kinsmen and wives, and tried all kinds of imposts; but hearing
that there were deposits[361] with the Vestal Virgins made both by
strangers and citizens, they went and seized them. Now as nothing was
enough for Antonius, Cæsar claimed to share the money with him; and they
also distributed the army between them, and both went together into
Macedonia to oppose Brutus and Cassius; and they intrusted Rome to
Lepidus.
XXII. Crossing over the sea they commenced the campaign and encamped by
the enemy, Antonius being opposed to Cassius, and Cæsar to Brutus,[362]
wherein no great deed was performed on the part of Cæsar, but it was
Antonius who gained all the victory and had all the success. In the
first battle, Cæsar, being completely routed by Brutus, lost his camp
and narrowly escaped from his pursuers; but, as he says in his Memoirs,
he retired before the battle in consequence of one of his friends having
had a dream. But Antonius defeated Cassius; though some have written
that Antonius was not in the battle, but came up after the battle to
join in the pursuit. Pindarus, one of the faithful freedmen of Cassius,
killed him at his request and order, for Cassius did not know that
Brutus was victorious. After an interval of a few days they fought a
second battle, in which Brutus being defeated killed himself, and
Antonius carried off the chief credit of the victory, inasmuch as Cæsar
was sick. Standing over the corpse of Brutus he upbraided it gently for
the death of his brother Caius,[363] for Brutus had put Caius to death
in Macedonia to revenge Cicero; but declaring that he blamed Hortensius
more than Brutus for the murder of his brother, Antonius ordered him to
be massacred on his tomb; and he threw over the body of Brutus his own
purple cloak, which was of great value, and commanded one of his
freedmen to look after the interment. He afterwards found out that this
fellow did not burn the cloak with the corpse and that he had purloined
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