Cleopatra having circulated a rumour of her death, Antony stabbed himself with his sword, and Cleopa tra, who was soon afterwards taken prisoner, perished by her own hands.* After settling the affairs of Egypt, Octavianus left Alexandria in the beginning of September, and passing through Syria and other provinces of Asia Minor, he spent the winter in adjusting their various political concerns. In the beginning of the following spring, he went into Greece, and arrived in Rome in the month Sextilis, afterwards called August, when his victories were celebrated by three triumphs, which lasted for three successive clays.
The undisputed sovereign of the whole Roman em pire, Octavianus had now attained the summit of his wishes. Great as his ambition undoubtedly was, and numerous as the dangers were through which he reached the pinnacle of earthly greatness, he yet seems to have compared with the wisdom of a philosopher the honours and the dangers of imperial power. He recollected the aversion of the Romans to a kingly go vernment; he saw before him his illustrious uncle, basely murdered on the seat of almost omnipotent power, and he dreaded that another assassin might attack him also upon the throne. On the other hand, he recollected the fate of Sylla. He admired his mo deration in divesting himself of that supreme power which it had cost him so many lives to usurp; and he remembered that this monster of cruelty was allowed to die peacefully in his bed in the midst of men whose relatives he had murdered, and in the neighbourhood of a city which he had inundated with blood. In the dilemma in which Octavianus was thus placed, be tween his love of power and his dread of treason, he consulted his friends Agrippa and Maecenas, in whose wisdom and honour he placed the firmest reliance.
Agrippa was deeply impressed with the same views which had forced themselves upon the fears of Octa vianus; and he earnestly intreated him to restore liberty to his country, and to leave behind him the re putation of having taken up arms with no other view than that of revenging the death of Cxsar. Mxcenas, on the other hand, represented to him the danger of renouncing his authority. He impressed it upon his notice, that the tranquillity of the state depended on the indivisibility of the sovereign power. He urged it upon him as the golden rule in government, to go vern others as he would wish to be governed had it been his destiny to obey; and he suggested to him that under the title of Caosar or Imperator, he might enjoy all the influence of a king without offending the prejudices of his countrymen.
Octavianus thus supported in his natural attachment to power, followed the advice of Mxcenas. He paid the greatest attention to the people, and amid the cheapness and abundance of provisions, the shows and games with which they were amused, they were not sensible of the authority which was exercised over them. He made a census of the people in his sixth
consulship, and found the number of men fit to bear arms to be 463,000. He abrogated the iniquitous laws which had been created during the triumvirate. He erected many public edifices; he repaired those which had gone into decay; he ornamented the city in various ways, and by attending to the details of bu siness, by reforming abuses, and by appearing in per son at the public amusements, he fixed himself deeply in the affections of the people.
Having entered upon his seventh consulship, he went to the senate house, and by the advice. of Agrip pa and Mxcenas, he offered to resign his authority into the hands of the people as under the old com monwealth. The senators besought him to take upon himself the sovereign authority; but though he reluc tantly accepted of this request, he refused to hold it for more than ten years. A new name was thought necessary to characterize this new power, and though the name of Romulus was considered by many as the most appropriate, yet that of ./Iugustus proposed by Ma nutius Plancus was preferred and adopted. Thus ter minated the commonwealth of Rome, and thus com menced the greatest monarchy that the world had ever seen. The Roman empire now extended over a length of 4000 miles, and a breadth of nearly 2000, and in cluded the greater part of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Its annual revenue amounted to about forty millions of our money. The people were rich and in comfort able circumstances, and the great body of the popula tion were sunk in luxury and effeminacy.
Having gained completely the affections of the peo ple, Augustus used every means to render permanent the attachment which already existed between him and his soldiers. He maintained a standing army of twenty-three legions, of which seventeen were sta tioned in Europe, viz. eight on the Rhine, four on the Danube, three in Spain, and two in Dalmatia. The other eight were placed in Asia and Africa, four on the Euphrates, two in Egypt, and two in ancient Car thage. This army amounted in all to 170,650 men. The emperor's guard consisted of twelve cohorts, or about 10,000 men, who were stationed in the vicinity of Rome. The navy of Augustus consisted of two powerful fleets, one of which was stationed at Raven na on the Adriatic, and the other at Misenum in the Mediterranean. The senators of Rome, like the peo ple, soon felt that they were under absolute dominion. They were on all occasions consulted by Augustus, and were so highly satisfied with his conduct, that they added to his other titles that of Father of his Country.