28

For the senate protected the murderers of Caesar as champions of the common liberty; but the consul Antony, joining with those who were aggrieved by Caesar's death, devised every way to oppress and destroy the men; and he did not let up until he had made Brutus and his associates fugitives from the city. For they withdrew, fearing the power of Antony as he stirred up the populace against them. But the senate offered offices and honors to the men, having decreed that they should govern Syria and Macedonia. But with the city in a state of turmoil, the senate declared Antony, who was committing many lawless acts, an enemy, and for the purpose of arresting the man, who had already departed from the city with his own forces, it sent out the consuls Pansa and Hirtius, appointing Octavius, who was still young, as a third commander with them. Look in **. 75 Exc. De virt.: That Fulvia, the wife of Antony, after cutting off the head of Cicero the orator, and taking it upon her knees, heaped many insults upon it and spat on it. Finally, opening her own mouth, she pulled out his tongue and pierced it with the pin from her hair, uttering many foul words, and ordered it to be placed on the rostra, so that from where he was heard declaiming against her, from there he might also be seen. Only those were saved at that time from whom they received more than they had hoped to find upon their death. And so that the spaces in the men's registers might not be empty, Caesar and Lepidus and Antony wrote in others in their place. Such things happened concerning the massacres, but many also concerning the property of others; and yet Caesar granted the dowries to the wives of the slain, and to their children a tenth part of their property. Thus everything was plundered with impunity. For the owners were deprived of all their rental income, and half of their revenues. And they even turned over their dowries to the soldiers. And being required again to contribute a tenth of their revenues, they themselves with difficulty reaped a tenth part. For since a great increase of taxes had occurred, and they were compelled to provide slaves for the navy, they sometimes even bought and gave them. And they repaired the roads at their own expense. And only those bearing arms grew rich. For some both asked for and received the entire estates of the deceased, while others forced their way into the families of the still-living elderly and childless. For they proceeded to such a degree of greed and shamelessness, that someone even asked Caesar himself for the estate of Attia, Caesar's mother, who had died at that time and had been honored with a public funeral. Such things did the three men, Caesar and Lepidus and Antony, do. 76 Exc. De ins.: That after Augustus Caesar killed Brutus and Cassius, the murderers, and divided the rule by lot, the consul Antonius decided to stir up civil war against Italy. Now this man was the brother of Marcus Antonius, who fought with Caesar against Brutus and Cassius. And not much time later in Perusia, a Tyrrhenian city, being hard pressed by a very great lack of necessities, he was captured, but not killed, but was driven from Rome by Caesar, together with Fulvia, the wife of Antonius; Caesar drove them out as revolutionaries and meddlers. 77 Exc. De virt.: That after the treaty, they say that both Caesar (Julius) and Antony were dining with Pompey, the son of Pompey, who had prepared the dinner on his flagship. For he said this was the only ancestral home left to him. And while they were inside and the party was in full swing, Menas the pirate, who served Pompey in matters of the greatest importance, then approached him quietly, and said, “Do you want me, by cutting the ship’s anchors, to make you master not of Sicily and Sardinia, but of the Roman empire?” And Pompey answered: “You should have done this, O Menas, without

28

Τοὺς μὲν γὰρ αὐθέντας τοῦ Καίσαρος, οἷα τῆς κοινῆς ἐλευθερίας προστάτας, περιεῖπε τὸ συνέδριον· ὅ γε μὴν ὕπατος Ἀντώνιος, τοῖς ἀχθομένοις τῇ τοῦ Καίσαρος τελευτῇ προσθέμενος, πιέζειν τοὺς ἄνδρας καὶ καταναλίσκειν ἐκ παντὸς ἐπενόει τρόπου· καὶ οὐ καθῆκεν ἄχρις οὗ φυγάδας τῆς πόλεως τοὺς περὶ τὸν Βροῦτον κατέστησεν· οἱ μὲν γὰρ ὑπεξῆλθον, δείσαντες τὴν τοῦ Ἀντωνίου δύναμιν δημαγωγοῦντος κατ' αὐτῶν τὸ πλῆθος. Ἡ δὲ βουλὴ ἀρχάς τε καὶ τιμὰς τοῖς ἀνδράσι προσένειμεν, ἄρχειν Συρίας τε καὶ Μακεδονίας ψηφισαμένη. Ταραχθείσης δὲ τῆς πόλεως ἐν ἑαυτῇ, πολλά τε καὶ ἔκνομα τὸν Ἀντώνιον διαπραττόμενον, πολέμιον ἀνεῖπεν ἡ βουλὴ, ἐπί τε τῇ συλλήψει τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἤδη τῆς πόλεως σὺν ταῖς οἰκείας δυνάμεσιν ἀπεληλυθότος, Πάνσαν τε καὶ Ἴρτιον τοὺς ὑπάτους ἐκπέμπει, τρίτον ἡγεμόνα τούτοις ἐπιτάξασα τὸν Ὀκταούιον, ἔτι νέον ὄντα. Ζήτει ἐν **. 75 Exc. De virt.: Ὅτι Φολουία ἡ Ἀντωνίου γυνὴ Κικέρωνος τοῦ ῥήτορος ἀποτεμοῦσα τὴν κεφαλὴν, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς γόνασι λαβοῦσα, πολλὰ μὲν ἐς αὐτὴν ἐξυβρίσαι καὶ ἐμπτῦσαι. Τέλος δὲ τὸ αὐτῆς διανοίξασα στόμα, ἐκείνου τε τὴν γλῶτταν ἐξελκύσαι καὶ τῇ βελόνῃ τῇ κατὰ τὴν κεφαλὴν κατακεντῆσαι, πολλά τε καὶ μιαρὰ προσφθεγξαμένη, ἐπὶ τὸ βῆμα τεθῆναι προσέταξεν, ἵν' ὅθεν κατ' αὐτῆς δημηγορῶν ἠκούετο, ἐκεῖθεν καὶ ὁρῷτο. Οὗτοί γε μόνοι ἐσώθησαν τότε, παρ' ὧν γε πλείονα ἔλαβον ἤπερ τελευτησάντων εὑρεῖν ἤλπισαν. Καὶ ἵνα μὴ κεναὶ ἐν τοῖς λευκώμασι τῶν ἀνδρῶν αἱ χῶραι ὦσιν, ἑτέρους ἀντέγραψαν ὅ τε Καῖσαρ καὶ Λέπιδος καὶ Ἀντώνιος. Τοιαῦτα μὲν περὶ τὰς σφαγὰς, πολλὰ δὲ καὶ περὶ τὰς τῶν ἄλλων οὐσίας συνέβαινε· καίτοι ταῖς τε γυναιξὶν τῶν ἀναιρουμένων τὰς προῖκας, καὶ τοῖς τέκνοις τὸ δέκατον τῆς οὐσίας μέρος παρεῖχεν ὁ Καῖσαρ. Ἐπορθεῖτο γοῦν πάντα ἀδεῶς. Τῶν μὲν γὰρ ἐνοικίων οἱ κτήτορες τὸ ὅλον ἀφῃροῦντο, τῶν δὲ προσόδων τὸ ἥμισυ. Καὶ πρός γε τοὺς στρατιώτας ἀπέτρεφον προῖκα. ∆εκάτας τε αὖθις εἰσφέρειν τῶν προσόδων ἐπιτραπέντες μόλις αὐτοὶ δέκατον ἐκαρποῦντο μέρος. Αὐξήσεως γὰρ τῶν τελῶν πολλῆς γενομένης, καὶ πρὸς ἀνάγκης ἐς τὸ ναυτικὸν ἀπαιτούμενοι παῖδας, ἔστιν ὅτε καὶ ὠνούμενοι ἐδίδοσαν. Τάς τε ὁδοὺς οἰκείοις δαπανήμασιν ἐπεσκεύαζον. Μόνοι δὲ οἱ τὰ ὅπλα ἔχοντες ἐπλούτουν. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ τὰς οὐσίας τῶν τελευτησάντων ὅλας καὶ ᾔτουν καὶ ἐλάμβανον, οἱ δὲ καὶ ἐς τὰ τῶν ζώντων ἔτι γερόντων τε καὶ ἀτέκνων γένη ἐσεβιάζοντο. Ἐς τοσοῦτον γὰρ ἀπληστίας καὶ ἀναισχυντίας ἐχώρησαν, ὥστε τινὰ καὶ τὴν τῆς Ἀττίας τῆς τοῦ Καίσαρος μητρὸς ἀποθανούσης τότε καὶ δημοσίᾳ ταφῇ τιμηθείσης οὐσίαν παρ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Καίσαρος αἰτῆσαι. Τοιαῦτα οἱ τρεῖς ἄνδρες ἐποίουν Καῖσαρ καὶ Λέπιδος καὶ Ἀντώνιος. 76 Exc. De ins.: Ὅτι μετὰ τὸ ἀνελεῖν Βροῦτον καὶ Κάσσιον τοὺς αὐθέντας Καίσαρα τὸν Αὔγουστον καὶ διαλαχεῖν κλήρῳ τὴν ἀρχὴν, Ἀντώνιος ὁ ὕπατος πόλεμον ἔγνω κινεῖν κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν ἐμφύλιον. Ἦν δὲ οὗτος ἀδελφὸς Μάρκου Ἀντωνίου, τοῦ σὺν Καίσαρι Βρούτῳ καὶ Κασσίῳ συμπολεμήσαντος. Οὐ πολλῷ γε μὴν χρόνῳ ἐν Περουσίᾳ πόλει Τυρρηνικῇ σφόδρα τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἐνδείᾳ πιεσθεὶς, ἥλω μὲν, οὐ μὴν ἀνῃρέθη, ἀλλ' ἐξηλάθη τῆς Ῥώμης πρὸς τοῦ Καίσαρος, σὺν τῇ γαμετῇ τοῦ Ἀντωνίου Φολουίᾳ· οὓς ὁ Καῖσαρ ἤλασεν ὡς νεωτεροποιοὺς καὶ πολυπράγμονας. 77 Exc. De virt.: Ὅτι μετὰ τὰς σπονδάς φασι δειπνεῖν παρὰ τῷ Πομπηίῳ τῷ παιδὶ Πομπηίου τόν τε Καίσαρα (Ἰούλιον) καὶ Ἀντώνιον, ἐν τῇ στρατηγίδι νηὶ παρασκευασαμένῳ τὸ δεῖπνον. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἔφη αὐτῷ μόνον καταλελεῖφθαι πατρῷον οἶκον. Ἤδη δὲ ἔνδον ὄντων καὶ τῆς συνουσίας ἀκμαζούσης Μηνᾶν τὸν πειρατὴν τὰ πλείστου ἄξια τῷ Πομπηίῳ ὑπηρετοῦντα, καὶ τότε προσελθεῖν τε αὐτῷ ἡσυχῆ, καὶ, «Βούλει, φάναι, τὰς ἀγκύρας τῆς νεὼς ὑποτεμὼν ποιήσω σε μὴ Σικελίας καὶ Σαρδῶνος, ἀλλὰ τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίας κύριον;» Τὸν δὲ Πομπήιον ἀποκρίνασθαι· «Ἔδει σε, ὦ Μηνᾶ, τοῦτο πεποιηκέναι μὴ