Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans
charges against him, and had no reason ever to complain, in the
employments he gave him in the war, of any want of courage,
energy, or military skill. He himself, going aboard at
Brundusium, sailed over the Ionian Sea with a few troops, and
sent back the vessels with orders to Antony and Gabinius to
embark the army, and come over with all speed into Macedonia.
Gabinius, having no mind to put to sea in the rough, dangerous
weather of the winter season, was for marching the army round by
the long land route; but Antony, being more afraid lest Caesar
might suffer from the number of his enemies, who pressed him
hard, beat back Libo, who was watching with a fleet at the mouth
of the haven of Brundusium, by attacking his galleys with a
number of small boats, and, gaining thus an opportunity, put on
board twenty thousand foot and eight hundred horse, and so set
out to sea. And, being espied by the enemy and pursued, from
this danger he was rescued by a strong south wind, which sprang
up and raised so high a sea, that the enemy's galleys could make
little way. But his own ships were driving before it upon a lee
shore of cliffs and rocks running sheer to the water, where
there was no hope of escape, when all of a sudden the wind
turned about to south-west, and blew from land to the main sea,
where Antony, now sailing in security, saw the coast all covered
with the wreck of the enemy's fleet. For hither the galleys in
pursuit had been carried by the gale, and not a few of them
dashed to pieces. Many men and much property fell into Antony's
hands; he took also the town of Lissus, and, by the seasonable
arrival of so large a reinforcement, gave Caesar great
encouragement.
There was not one of the many engagements that now took place
one after another in which he did not signalize himself; twice
he stopped the army in its full flight, led them back to a
charge, and gained the victory. So that not without reason his
reputation, next to Caesar's, was greatest in the army. And what
opinion Caesar himself had of him well appeared when for the
final battle in Pharsalia, which was to determine everything,
he himself chose to lead the right wing, committing the
charge of the left to Antony, as to the best officer of all that
served under him. After the battle, Caesar, being created
dictator, went in pursuit of Pompey, and sent Antony to Rome,
with the character of Master of the Horse, who is in office and
power next to the dictator, when present, and in his absence is
the first, and pretty nearly indeed the sole magistrate. For on
the appointment of a dictator, with the one exception of the
tribunes, all other magistrates cease to exercise any authority
in Rome.
Dolabella, however, who was tribune, being a young man and eager
for change, was now for bringing in a general measure for
canceling debts, and wanted Antony, who was his friend, and
forward enough to promote any popular project, to take part with
him in this step. Asinius and Trebellius were of the contrary
opinion, and it so happened, at the same time, Antony was
crossed by a terrible suspicion that Dolabella was too familiar
with his wife; and in great trouble at this, he parted with her
(she being his cousin, and daughter to Caius Antonius, the
colleague of Cicero), and, taking part with Asinius, came to
open hostilities with Dolabella, who had seized on the forum,
intending to pass his law by force. Antony, backed by a vote of
the senate that Dolabella should be put down by force of arms,
went down and attacked him, killing some of his, and losing some
of his own men; and by this action lost his favor with the
commonalty, while with the better class and with all well
conducted people his general course of life made him, as Cicero
says, absolutely odious, utter disgust being excited by his
drinking bouts at all hours, his wild expenses, his gross
amours, the day spent in sleeping or walking off his debauches,
and the night in banquets and at theaters, and in celebrating
the nuptials of some comedian or buffoon. It is related that,
drinking all night at the wedding of Hippias, the comedian, on
the morning, having to harangue the people, he came forward,
overcharged as he was, and vomited before them all, one of his
friends holding his gown for him. Sergius, the player, was one
of the friends who could do most with him; also Cytheris, a
woman of the same trade, whom he made much of, and who, when he
went his progress, accompanied him in a litter, and had her
equipage, not in anything inferior to his mother's; while every
one, moreover, was scandalized at the sight of the golden cups
that he took with him, fitter for the ornaments of a procession
than the uses of a journey, at his having pavilions set up, and
sumptuous morning repasts laid out by river-sides and in groves,
at his having chariots drawn by lions, and common women and
singing girls quartered upon the houses of serious fathers and
mothers of families. And it seemed very unreasonable that
Caesar, out of Italy, should lodge in the open field, and, with
great fatigue and danger, pursue the remainder of a hazardous
war, whilst others, by favor of his authority, should insult the
citizens with their impudent luxury.
All this appears to have aggravated party quarrels in Rome, and
to have encouraged the soldiers in acts of license and rapacity.
And, accordingly, when Caesar came home, he acquitted Dolabella,
and, being created the third time consul, took, not Antony, but
Lepidus, for his colleague. Pompey's house being offered for
sale, Antony bought it, and, when the price was demanded of him,
loudly complained. This, he tells us himself, and because he
thought his former services had not been recompensed as they
deserved, made him not follow Caesar with the army into Libya.
However, Caesar, by dealing gently with his errors, seems to
have succeeded in curing him of a good deal of his folly and
extravagance. He gave up his former courses, and took a wife,
Fulvia, the widow of Clodius the demagogue, a woman not born for
spinning or housewifery, nor one that could be content with
ruling a private husband, but prepared to govern a first
magistrate, or give orders to a commander-in-chief. So that
Cleopatra had great obligations to her for having taught Antony
to be so good a servant, he coming to her hands tame and broken
into entire obedience to the commands of a mistress. He used to
play all sorts of sportive, boyish tricks, to keep Fulvia in
good-humor. As, for example, when Caesar, after his victory in
Spain, was on his return, Antony, among the rest, went out to
meet him; and, a rumor being spread that Caesar was killed and
the enemy marching into Italy, he resumed to Rome, and,
disguising himself, came to her by night muffled up as a servant
that brought letters from Antony. She, with great impatience,
before she received the letter, asks if Antony were well, and
instead of an answer he gives her the letter; and, as she was
opening it, took her about the neck and kissed her. This little
story of many of the same nature, I give as a specimen.
There was nobody of any rank in Rome that did not go some days'
journey to meet Caesar on his return from Spain; but Antony was
the best received of any, admitted to ride the whole journey
with him in his carriage, while behind came Brutus Albinus, and
Octavian, his niece's son, who afterwards bore his name and
reigned so long over the Romans. Caesar being created, the
fifth time, consul, without delay chose Antony for his
colleague, but, designing himself to give up his own consulate
to Dolabella, he acquainted the senate with his resolution. But
Antony opposed it with all his might, saying much that was bad
against Dolabella, and receiving the like language in return,
till Caesar could bear with the indecency no longer, and
deferred the matter to another time. Afterwards, when he came
before the people to proclaim Dolabella, Antony cried out that
the auspices were unfavorable, so that at last Caesar, much to
Dolabella's vexation, yielded and gave it up. And it is
credible that Caesar was about as much disgusted with the one as
the other. When someone was accusing them both to him, "It is
not," said he, "these well fed, long-haired men that I fear, but
the pale and the hungry looking;" meaning Brutus and Cassius, by
whose conspiracy he afterwards fell.
And the fairest pretext for that conspiracy was furnished,
without his meaning it, by Antony himself. The Romans were
celebrating their festival, called the Lupercalia, when Caesar,
in his triumphal habit, and seated above the Rostra in the
market-place, was a spectator of the sports. The custom is,
that many young noblemen and of the magistracy, anointed with
oil and having straps of hide in their hands, run about and
strike, in sport, at everyone they meet. Antony was running
with the rest; but, omitting the old ceremony, twining a garland
of bay round a diadem, he ran up to the Rostra, and, being
lifted up by his companions, would have put it upon the head of
Caesar, as if by that ceremony he were declared king. Caesar
seemingly refused, and drew aside to avoid it, and was applauded
by the people with great shouts. Again Antony pressed it, and
again he declined its acceptance. And so the dispute between
them went on for some time, Antony's solicitations receiving but
little encouragement from the shouts of a few friends, and
Caesar's refusal being accompanied with the general applause of
the people; a curious thing enough, that they should submit with
patience to the fact, and yet at the same time dread the name as
the destruction of their liberty. Caesar, very much discomposed
at what had past, got up from his seat, and, laying bare his
neck, said, he was ready to receive the stroke, if any one of
them desired to give it. The crown was at last put on one of
his statues, but was taken down by some of the tribunes, who
were followed home by the people with shouts of applause.
Caesar, however, resented it, and deposed them.
These passages gave great encouragement to Brutus and Cassius,
who, in making choice of trusty friends for such an enterprise,
were thinking to engage Antony. The rest approved, except
Trebonius, who told them that Antony and he had lodged and
traveled together in the last journey they took to meet Caesar,
and that he had
let fall several words, in a cautious way, on purpose to sound
him; that Antony very well understood him, but did not encourage
it; however, he had said nothing of it to Caesar, but had kept
the secret faithfully. The conspirators then proposed that
Antony should die with him, which Brutus would not consent to,
insisting that an action undertaken in defense of right and the
laws must be maintained unsullied, and pure of injustice. It
was settled that Antony, whose bodily strength and high office
made him formidable, should, at Caesar's entrance into the
senate, when the deed was to be done, be amused outside by some
of the party in a conversation about some pretended business.
So when all was proceeded with, according to their plan, and
Caesar had fallen in the senate-house, Antony, at the first
moment, took a servant's dress, and hid himself. But,
understanding that the conspirators had assembled in the
Capitol, and had no further design upon anyone, he persuaded
them to come down, giving them his son as a hostage. That night
Cassius supped at Antony's house, and Brutus with Lepidus.
Antony then convened the senate, and spoke in favor of an act of
oblivion, and the appointment of Brutus and Cassius to
provinces. These measures the senate passed; and resolved that
all Caesar's acts should remain in force. Thus Antony went out
of the senate with the highest possible reputation and esteem;