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his bloody dagger, and congratulated the senate, and Cicero in particular, on the recovery of liberty; but the greater part of the senators fled in dismay from Rome, or shut themselves up in their houses; and as the conspirators had formed no plans of future action, the minds of the citizens were in the utmost suspense; but tranquillity prevailed until the day appointed by the senate for the funeral Then Mark Antony, who had hitherto urged conciliation, ascended the rostrum to deliver the funeral oration. After he had wrought upon the minds of the people in a most artful manner by enumerating the great exploits and noble deeds of the murdered Cæsar, he lifted up the bloody robe, and showed them the body itself, 'all marred by traitors.' The multitude were seized with such indignation and rage, that while some, tearing up the benches of the senate-house, formed of them a funeral pile and burnt the body of Cæsar, others ran through the streets with drawn weapons and flaming torches, denouncing vengeance against the conspirators. Brutus and Cassius, and their adherents, fled from Rome, and prepared to defend themselves by force of arms.

XIV. THE

42. Antony, assisted by Lep' idus, now sought to place himself at the head of the State; but he found a rival in the young Octavius Cæsar, the grandson of Cæsar's sister Julia, and principal heir of the murdered dictator. The senate adhered to the interests of Octavius, and declared Antony a public enemy, and several battles had already been fought between the opposing parties in the north of Italy and Gaul, when the three leaders, Antony, Lep' idus, and Octavius, having met in private conference on a small island of the SECOND TRI- Rhine, agreed to settle their differences, and take upon UMVIRATE. themselves the government of the republic for five yearsthus forming the Second Triumvirate. (B. C. 43.) A cold-blooded proscription of the enemies of the several parties to the compact folAntony yielded his own uncle, and Lep' idus his own brother, while Octavius, to his eternal infamy, consented to the sacrifice of the virtuous Cicero to satisfy the vengeance of his colleagues. Cicero was betrayed to the assassins sent to dispatch him, by one of his own domestics; but, tired of life, he forbade his servants to defend him, and yielded himself to his fate without a struggle.

43. Brutus and Cassius, at the head of the republican party had by this time made themselves masters of Macedónia, Greece, and the Asiatic provinces; and Octavius and Antony, as soon as they had settled the government at Rome, set out to meet them. At

Philip' pi,' a town in Thrace, two battles were fought, and fortune, rather than talent, gave the victory to the triumvirs. (B. C. 42.) Both Cassius and Brutus, giving way to despair, destroyed themselves; their army was dispersed, and most of the soldiers afterwards entered the service of the victors. Octavius returned with his legions to Italy, while Antony remained as the master of the Eastern provinces.

44 From Greece Antony passed over into Asia Minor, where he caused great distress by the heavy tribute he exacted of the inhabitants. While at Tarsus,' in Cilicia, the celebrated Cleopátra came to pay him a visit; and so captivated was the Roman with the charms and beauty of the Egyptian queen, that he accompanied her on her return to Alexandria, where he lived for a time in indolence, dissipation, and luxury, neglectful of the calls of interest, honor, and ambition. In the meantime a civil war had broken out in Italy; for the brother of Antony, aided by Fulvia, the wife of the latter, had taken up arms against Octavius; but it was not until the rebellion had been quelled, and Octavius was everywhere triumphant, that Antony saw the necessity of returning to Italy.

45. On his way he met at Athens his wife Fulvia, whom he blamed as the cause of the recent disasters, treated her with the utmost contempt, and leaving her on her death-bed hastened to fight Augustus. All thought that another fierce struggle for the empire was at hand; but the rivals had a personal interview at Brundúsium,' where a reconciliation was effected. To secure the permanence of the peace, Antony married Octavia, the half-sister of Octavius. A new division of the empire was made; Antony was to have the eastern provinces beyond the Ionian sea; Octavius the western, and Lep'idus Africa;

1. Philip' pi, a city in the western part of Thrace, afterwards included in Macedónía, was about seventy-five miles north-east from the present Saloniki. In addition to the victory gained here by Antony and Octavius, it is rendered more interesting from the circumstance of its being the first place where the Gospel was preached by St. Paul, (see Acts, xvi.,) and also from the Epistle addressed by him to the Philippians. The ruins of the city still retain the name of Filibak, pronounced nearly the same as Philippi. (Map No. I.)

2. Tarsus, the capital of Cilicia, was situated on the river Cydnus, about twelve miles from the Mediterranean. It was the birth-place of St. Paul, of Antip' ater the stoic, and of Athenodorus the philosopher. It is still a village of some six or seven thousand inhabitants, and some remains of its ancient magnificence are still visible. The visit of Cleopatra to Antony→ herself attired like Venus, and her attendants like cupids, in a galley covered with gold, whose sails were of purple, the oars of silver, and cordage of silk-is finely described in Shakspeare's play of Antony and Cleopátra, Act II. scene 2. (Map No. IV.)

3. Brundusium, now Brindisi, one of the most important cities of ancient Italy, and the port whence the intercourse between Italy and Greece and the East was usually carried on, was situated on the coast of Apulia, about three hundred miles south-east from Rome. I once had an excellent harbor, which is now nearly filled up. (Map No. VII.)

and soon after, Sextius Pompey, who had long maintained himself in Sicily against the triumvirs, was admitted into the partnership, and assigned Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, and Achaia.

46. The peace thus concluded was of short duration. Octavius, without any reasonable pretext for hostilities, quarrelled with Sextius Pompey and drove him from his dominions. Pompey fled to Phrygia, where he was slain by one of Antony's lieutenants. Lep' idus and Octavius next quarrelled about the possession of Sicily; but Octavius corrupted the soldiers of Lep' idus, and induced them to desert their general, who was compelled to surrender his province to his rival. Antony, in the meantime, had been engaged in an unsuccessful expedition against the Parthians; after which, returning to Egypt, he once more became enslaved by the charms of Cleopátra, upon whom he conferred several Roman provinces in Asia. When his wife Octavia set out from Rome to visit him he ordered her to return, and afterwards repudiated her, pretending a previous marriage with Cleopatra.

47. After this insult Octavius could no longer keep peace with him, and as the war had long been anticipated, the most formidable preparations were made on both sides, and both parties were soon in readiness. Their fleets met off the promontory of Ac' tium,' in the Iónian sea, while the hostile armies, drawn up on opposite sides of the strait which enters the Ambracian Gulf, were spectators of the battle. (B. C. 31.) While the victory was yet undecided, Cleopátra, who had accompanied Antony with a large force, overcome with anxiety and fear, ordered her galley to remove from the scene of action. A large number of the Egyptian ships, witnessing her flight, withdrew from the battle; and the infatuated Antony, as soon as he saw that Cleopátra had fled, apparently losing his self-possession, hastily followed her in a quick-sailing vessel, and being taken on board the galley of Cleopátra, became the companion of her flight. The fleet of Antony was annihilated, and his land forces, soon after, made terms with the conqueror.

48. Octavius, after first returning to Italy to tranquillize some disturbances there, pursued the fugitives to Egypt. Antony endeavored to impede the march of the victor to Alexandria, but seeing all his efforts fruitless, in a paroxysm of rage he reproached Cleopátra with being the author of his misfortunes, and resolving never to fall alive into the hands of his enemy, he put an end to his own life. When

1. The promontory of Ac' tium was a small neck of land at the north-western extremity of Acarnania, at the entrance of the Ambracian Gulf, now Gulf of Arta.

Cleopátra, who had shut herself up in her palace, found that Octavius designed to spare her only to adorn his triumph, she caused a poisonous viper to be applied to her arm, and thus followed Antony in death. (B. C. 30.) Egypt immediately submitted to the sway of Octavius, and became a province of the Roman empire.

XV. OCTA

MASTER OF THE ROMAN

49. The death of Antony had put an end to the Triumvirate; and Octavius was now left sole master of the Roman world. While taking the most effectual measures to secure his power, he dissembled his real purposes, and talked of restoring VIUS SOLE the republic; but it was evident that a free constitution could no longer be maintained; the most eminent citi- WORLD. zens besought him to take the government into his own hands, and at the beginning of the 28th year before the Christian era, the history of the Roman Republic ends. All the armies had sworn allegiance to Octavius; he was made pro-consul over the whole Roman empirehe gave the administration of the provinces to whomsoever he pleased and appointed and removed senators at his will. In the 27th year B. C. the senate conferred upon him the title of AUGUSTUS, or "The Divine," and of Imperator, or "chief governor," for ten years, and gave his name to the sixth month of the Roman year, (August) as that of Julius Cæsar had been given to the fifth, and four years later he was made perpetual tribune of the people, which rendered his person sacred. Although without the title of a monarch, and discarding the insignia of royalty, his exalted station con ferred upon him all the powers of sovereignty, which he exercised, nevertheless, with moderation, seemingly desirous that the triumvir Octavius should be forgotten in the mild reign of the emperor Augustus.

50. After a series of successful wars in Asia, Africa, and in Spain, and the subjugation of Aquitánia, Pannónia, Dalmátia, and Illy' ria, by the Roman arms, a general peace, with the exception of some trifling disturbances in the frontier provinces, was established throughout the vast dominions of the empire, which now extended on the east from the cataracts of the Nile to the plains of Scythia, and on the west from the Libyan deserts and the pillars of Hercules to the German ocean.a The temple of Jánus was now closed b for the third time since the foundation of Rome. It was at this auspicious period that Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah, was born; and thus, literally, was his advent the herald of "peace on earth, and good will toward men."

a. (B. C. 10. See Map No. IX.)

b. (B. C. 10.)

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ROMAN HISTORY CONTINUED, FROM THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE CHRISTIAN ERA, TO THE OVERTHROW OF THE WESTERN EMPIRE OF THE ROMANS, A. D. 1, TO A. D. 476.

SECTION I.

ROMAN HISTORY FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE CHRISTIAN ERA TO THE DEATH

OF DOMITIAN, THE LAST OF THE TWELVE CÆSARS, A. D. 96.

ANALYSIS. 1. Earlier and LATER HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE COMPARED.-2. The empire at the end of the first century of the Christian era. The feeling with which we hurry over the closing scenes of Roman history. Importance of the history of the "decline and fall" of the empire. Subjects of the present chapter.

3. JULIUS CESAR. Commencement of the Roman empire.-4. The reign of Augustus. Rebellion of the Germans.-5. Grief of Angustus at the loss of his legions. The danger of invasion averted.-6. The accession of TIBE' RIUS. The selection of future sovereigns.-7. Character of Tiberius, and commencement of his reign.-8. German wars-German' icus.—9. Sejánus, the minister of Tiberius. [Cápreæ.]-10. The death of Sejánus. Death of Tiberius. Crucifixion of the Saviour.-11. CALIG'ULA. His character, and wicked actions.-12. His follies. His extravagance. His death.-13. CLAUDIUS proclaimed emperor. His character.-14. His two wives. His death.-15. Foreign events of the reign of Claudius.-16. NERO. The first five years of his reign. Death of Agrippina, and of Burrhus, Seneca, and Lucan. Conflagration of Rome.-17. Persecutions of the Christians. Nero's extravagances.-18. The provinces pillaged by him. His popularity with the rabble. Revolts against him. His death.-19. Foreign events of the reign of Nero. [Druids. The Icéni London.] 20. End of the reign of the Julian family. Brief reign of GALBA.-21. Character, and reign of OTHо.-22. Character, and reign of VITEL' LIUS. Revolt in Syria.-23. Vitel' lius, forced to resist, is finally put to death by the populace.-24. Temporary rule of Domitian. Character, and reign of VESPASIAN.-25. Beginning, and causes of the JEWISH WAR.-26. Situation of Jerusalem, and commencement of the siege by the Roman army. Expectations of Titus.—27. Promises made to the Jews. Their strange infatuation.-28. The horrors of the siege.-29. Dreadful mortality in the city. The fall of Jerusalem.-30. The number of those who perished, and of those made prisoners. Fate of the prisoners. Destruction of the Jewish nation-31. Completion of the conquest of Britain. The enlightened policy of Agric' ola. [Caledonia.]—32. TITUS succeeds Vespasian. His character. Events of his brief regn. [Vesuvius. Herculaneum. Pompeii.]-13. DOMITIAN. His character, and the character of his reign. Persecut ons.—34.

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