Greece -- Biography -- Early works to 1800; Rome -- Biography -- Early works to 1800
and groaning, one island for many days resounded with pipes and stringed
instruments, and the theatres were filled and the chori were vying with
one another. Every city also joined in the celebration by sending an ox,
and kings rivalled one another in giving entertainments and presents. So
that it went abroad and was said, how will persons behave in the
rejoicings after a victory, who make such costly banquets to celebrate
the preparations for war?
LVII. After these amusements were over, Antonius gave to the theatrical
company Priene for their dwelling; and sailing to Athens he again gave
himself up to pleasure and theatres. Cleopatra, who was jealous of the
honours that had been paid to Octavia in the city, for Octavia was very
much beloved by the Athenians, attempted to gain the popular favour by
many acts of liberality. The Athenians after voting to her honorable
distinctions, sent a deputation to her residence to carry the record of
the vote, and Antonius was one of them, as being an Athenian citizen;
and coming before her he went through an harangue on behalf of the
city. He sent persons to Rome to eject Octavia from his house; and it is
said that when she left it, she took all the children of Antonius with
her except the eldest of the children by Fulvia, for he was with his
father, and that she wept and lamented that she too would be considered
one of the causes of the war. And the Romans pitied not her, but they
pitied Antonius, and those chiefly who had seen Cleopatra, a woman who
had not the advantage over Octavia either in beauty or in youth.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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