ich was no doubt instantly sent to him,
seems to have understood at once that he must either vanquish Cicero or
be vanquished by him. He appreciated to the letter the ironically
cautious language in which his conduct was exposed. He had not chosen to
listen to Cicero, but was most anxious to get Cicero to listen to him.
Those "advocates" of whom Cicero had spoken would be around him, and at
a nod, or perhaps without a nod, would do to Cicero as Brutus and
Cassius had done to Caesar. The last meeting of the Senate had been on
the 2d of September. When it was over, Antony, we are told, went down to
his villa at Tivoli, and there devoted himself for above a fortnight to
the getting up of a speech by which he might silence, or at any rate
answer Cicero. Nor did he leave himself to his own devices, but took to
himself a master of eloquence who might teach him when to make use of
his arms, where to stamp his feet, and in what way to throw his toga
about with a graceful passion. He was about forty at this time,[201] and
in the full flower of his manhood, yet, for such a purpose, he did not
suppose himself to know all that lessons would teach him in the art of
invective. There he remained, mouthing out his phrases in the presence
of his preceptor, till he had learned by heart all that the preceptor
knew. Then he summoned Cicero to meet him in the Senate on the 19th.
This Cicero was desirous of doing, but was prevented by his friends, who
were afraid of the "advocates." There is extant a letter from Cicero to
Cassius in which he states it to be well known in Rome that Antony had
declared that he, Cicero, had been the author of Caesar's death, in order
that Caesar's old soldiers might slay him.[202] There were other
Senators, he says, who did not dare to show themselves in the
Senate-house--Piso, and Servilius, and Cotta. Antony came down and made
his practised oration against Cicero. The words of his speech have not
been preserved, but Cicero has told us the manner of it, and some of the
phrases which he used. The authority is not very good, but we may
imagine from the results that his story is not far from the truth. From
first to last it was one violent tirade of abuse which he seemed to
vomit forth from his jaws, rather than to "speak after the manner of a
Roman Consular." Such is Cicero's description.

It has been said of Antony that we hear of him only from his enemies. He
left behind him no friend to speak for him, and we h