e as Isis. He gave the title of kings to Alexander
and Ptolemy, his sons by Cleopatra. The Egyptian queen already dreamed
of reigning over the Roman world.

While Antony was disgusting the Romans and alienating his friends and
supporters by his senseless follies, Octavian had been restoring order
to Italy, and, by his wise and energetic administration, was slowly
repairing the evils of the civil wars. In order to give security to the
frontiers and employment to the troops, he attacked the barbarians on
the north of Italy and Greece, and subdued the Iapydes, Pannonians, and
Dalmatians. He carried on these wars in person, and won the affection of
the soldiers by sharing their dangers and hardships.

The contrast between the two Triumvirs was sufficiently striking, but
Octavian called attention to the follies of Antony. Letters passed
between them full of mutual recriminations, and both parties began to
prepare for the inevitable struggle. Toward the end of B.C. 32 the
Senate declared war against Cleopatra, for Antony was regarded as her
slave.[72] The five years of the Triumvirate had expired on the last day
of this year; and on the 1st of January, B.C. 31, Octavian, as Consul of
the Republic, proceeded to carry on the war against the Egyptian queen.
The hostile fleets and armies assembled on the western coasts of Greece.
Antony's fleet was superior both in number and size of the ships, but
they were clumsy and unmanageable. They were anchored in the Ambraciot
Gulf, in the modern _Bay of Prevesa_. (See Plan, P.) The army was
encamped on the promontory of Actium (Plan, 3), which has given its name
to the battle. The fleet of Octavian consisted of light Liburnian
vessels, manned by crews which had gained experience in the wars against
Sextus Pompey. It was under the command of the able Agrippa, who took up
his station at Corcyra, and swept the Adriatic Sea. Octavian in person
took the command of the land forces, which were encamped on the coast of
Epirus opposite Actium, on the spot where Nicopolis afterward stood.
(Plan, 1.) The generals of Antony strongly urged him to fight on land;
but the desertions among his troops were numerous; Cleopatra became
alarmed for her safety; and it was therefore resolved to sacrifice the
army, and retire with the fleet to Egypt. But Agrippa was on the watch,
and Antony had no sooner sailed outside the strait than he was compelled
to fight. The battle was still undecided and equally favorabl