ess or ingress, and had all but brought
Decimus to starvation, finding himself about to be besieged, put his
troops into motion, and attacked those who were attacking him. Then was
fought the battle in which Antony was beaten, and Pansa, one of the
Consuls, so wounded that he perished soon afterward. Antony retreated to
his camp, but was again attacked by Hirtius and Octavian, and by
Decimus, who sallied out of the town. He was routed, and fled, but
Hirtius was killed in the battle. Suetonius tells us that in his time a
rumor was abroad that Augustus, then Octavian, had himself killed
Hirtius with his own hands in the fight--Hirtius having been his
fellow-general, and fighting on the same side; and that he had paid
Glyco, Pansa's doctor, to poison him while dressing his wounds.[220]
Tacitus had already made the story known.[221] It is worth repeating
here only as showing the sort of conduct which a grave historian and a
worthy biographer were not ashamed to attribute to the favorite Emperor
of Rome.

It was on the receipt of the news in Rome of the first battle, but
before the second had been fought, that the last Philippic was spoken.
Pansa was not known to have been mortally wounded, nor Hirtius killed,
nor was it known that Decimus had been relieved; but it was understood
that Antony had received a check. Servilius had proposed a supplication,
and had suggested that they should put away their saga and go back to
their usual attire. The "sagum" was a common military cloak, which the
early Romans wore instead of the toga when they went out to war. In
later days, when the definition between a soldier and a civilian became
more complete, they who were left at home wore the sagum, in token of
their military feelings, when the Republic was fighting its battles near
Rome. I do not suppose that when Crassus was in Parthia, or Caesar in
Gaul, the sagum was worn. It was not exactly known when the distant
battles were being fought. But Cicero had taken care that the sagum
should be properly worn, and had even put it on himself--to do which as
a Consular was not required of him. Servilius now proposed that they
should leave off their cloaks, having obtained a victory; but Cicero
would not permit it. Decimus, he says, has not been relieved, and they
had taken to their cloaks as showing their determination to succor their
General in his distress. And he is discontented with the language used:
"You have not even yet called Antony a