While the Roman patriots were skulking in the ca pitol with their daggers at their sides, and nuclei. the protection of armed criminals, Antony and Lepidus were straining every nerve to gain the sovereign au thority.
Lepidus and Antony took possession of the forum with a band of soldiers, and, after seizing all Caesar's papers and money, they assembled the senate to deter mine whether Caesar was an usurper or a legal magis trate, and what should be the fate of those who slew him. In such a crisis, where their lives and properties were exposed to two infuriated parties, the senate ap proved of all the acts of Cxsar, and at the same time granted a general pardon to the conspirators.
Though dissatisfied with the decree, Antony is said to have induced Cxsar's secretary to alter his will, and insert in it many liberal benefactions to the Roman people. Ile then demanded that Cxsar's funeral obsequies should be performed; and carrying the body with great pomp and solemnity into the forum, he pronounced a funeral oration, which excited the feel ings, and roused against the conspirators the hatred of all who heard it. At the beginning of the oration, Antony read aloud Cxsar's will, in which he left Octa vian, his sister's grandson, as his heir; Brutus was to inherit three-fourths of his private fortune. The gar dens on the other side of the Tiber were bequeathed to the Roman people, and to every citizen there was left 300 sestercia. After many eloquent appeals to their sympathy, the people cried out for revenge, and, armed with flaming brands from the funeral pile, they ran to set fire to the houses of the conspirators, who found it prudent to retire from the city. Divine honours were then granted to the memory of Cmsar, an altar was erected on the site of the funeral pile, and a monument was afterwards raised on the same spot, and inscribed To the Father of his Country. Having thus secured the affections of the people, Antony en deavoured to bring over the senate, and forgetting his vow to revenge the death of Cxsar, his only object was to consolidate that power, which, by a combination of circumstances and expedients, he had contrived to acquire.
Octavius, or Octavianus Cxsar, the grand nephew, and the adopted son of Caesar, was now at Apollonia where he had been sent to the study of Greek litera ture. Though only in the 13th year of his age, he re solved to return to Rome to claim the inheritance which Cxsar had bequeathed to him, and to revenge the death of his kinsman and benefactor. From
Antony, in whom he expected an ardent abettor, he met with the coldest reception, and, instead of paying him the fortune bequeathed him by Cxsar, he brought forward every pretence for delaying a settlement. In order to pay the legacies which Caesar had left, parti cularly the one due to the people, Octavianus sold his own patrimonial estate, and thus gained the highest popularity. Handsome in his personal appearance, insinuating in his address, fluent and well informed in his conversation, and above all, bearing the name of Cxsar, a name dear to the Roman people, Octavianus soon became a favourite, and crowds of his uncle's followers flocked to his standard. He was soon joined by some of the legions of Mark Antony, who cherished the desire, which was universal among the Roman army, to inflict vengeance on the conspirators. From these causes the Roman empire was divided into three parties, that of Octavianus, successor of Cxsar; of Antony, who aimed at absolute power; and of the con spirators, whose avowed object was to restore the rights of the senate.
While Antony was besieging Mutina, in Cisalpine Gaul, into which Brutus had retired with his forces, Octavianus returned to Rome with 10,000 men, and having, through the eloquence of Cicero, attached the senate to his cause, a decree was passed, commanding Antony to raise the siege of Mutina, to evacuate Cisal pine Gaul, and to await on the banks of the Rubicon the farther commands of the senate. As this order was treated with contempt, the two consuls Hirtius and Pansa joined their forces to those of Octavianus. After sonic battles of no importance they brought Antony to a general engagement, in which he was defeated, and fled for protection to Lepidus, in Farther Gaul.— In this battle the two consuls were mortally wounded; and Pansa, having called Octavianus to his death-bed, advised him to join Antony, as the object of the senate was to ruin both. Perplexed with this advice, and being soon after refused a triumph, Octavianus resolv ed to join Antony and Lcpidus; and this resolution was fixed by their refusing him the consulship. Antony and Lepidus cheerfully agreed to the scheme suggest ed by Palma, and crossing the Alps at the head of an army of seventeen legions, they threatened destruction to all who opposed them.