him a share
of my leadership, married my sister to him, and granted him legions. Even
after this I felt so kindly, so affectionately toward him that I was
unwilling to wage war on him because of his insulting my sister, or
because he neglected the children she had borne him, or because he
preferred the Egyptian woman to her, or because he bestowed upon the
former's children practically all your possessions, or, in fine, for any
other reason. The cause is that, first of all, I did not think it proper
to assume the same attitude toward Antony as toward Cleopatra. I deemed
her by the very fact of her foreign birth to be at the outset hostile to
his career, but I believed that he, as a citizen, could be corrected.
Later I entertained the hope that if not voluntarily at least reluctantly
he might change his mind as a result of the decrees passed against her.
Consequently I did not declare war upon him. He, however, has looked
haughtily and disdainfully upon my efforts and will neither be released,
though we would fain release him, nor be pitied though we try to pity
him. He is either unreasonable or mad,--and this which I have heard I
do believe, that he has been bewitched by that accursed female,--and
therefore pays no heed to our kindness or humaneness, but being in
slavery to that woman he undertakes in her behalf both war and needless
dangers which are both against our interests and against those of his
country. What else, then, is our duty except to fight him back together
with Cleopatra? [-27-]Hence let no one call him a Roman but rather an
Egyptian, nor Antony but rather Serapio. Let no one think that he was
ever consul or imperator, but only gymnasiarch. He has himself of his own
free will chosen the latter title instead of the former, and casting away
all the august terms of his own land has become one of the cymbal players
from Canopus.[65] Again, let no one fear that he can give any unfavorable
turn to the war. Even previously he was of no ability, as you know
clearly who conquered him near Mutina. And even if once he did attain to
some capacity through campaigning with us, be well assured that he has
now ruined all of it by his changed manner of life. It is impossible for
one who leads an existence of royal luxury and coddles himself like a
woman to think any valorous thoughts or do valorous deeds, because it is
quite inevitable that a person takes the impress of the practices with
which he comes in contact. A pro