Plutarch, Lives: Caius Martius Coriolanus: Julius Caesar: Marcus Brutus: Marcus Antonius: Octavius Caesar Augustus: Theseus: Alcibiades (ed. Thomas North)

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[p. 153]

The Life of Marcus Antonius

• I. Parentage of ANTONIUS.
• 2. His early acts.
• 3. He sides with JULIUS CAESAR.
• 4. His valorous deeds, and good service at the battle of PHARSALIA.
• 5. His dissolute manner of life.
• 6. How he was the unwitting cause of the conspiracy against CAESAR.
• 7. Murder of CAESAR.
• 8. Arrival of OCTAVIUS at Rome.
• 9. Patient bearing of ANTONIUS under adversity.
• 10. The first triumvirate.
• 11. Death of BRUTUS and CASSIUS.
• 12. Evil Influence of Grecian manners.
• 13. ANTONIUS falls in love with CLEOPATRA; description of her magnificence.
• 14. Extravagance of ANTONIUS.
• 15. Sportiveness of CLEOPATRA.
• 16. Death of FULVIA, and marriage of ANTONIUS with OCTAVIA.
• 17. Some account of SEXTUS POMPEIUS.
• 18. Inferiority of ANTONIUS to OCTAVIUS CAESAR.
• 19. War against the PARTHIANS and triumph of VENTIDIUS.
• 20. Quarrel between ANTONIUS and OCTAVIUS.
• 21. ANTONIUS indulges his love for CLEOPATRA, to his own great loss.
• 22. He besieges PHRAATA, and encounters the PARTHIANS.
• 23. The PARTHIANS harass his retreat.
• 24. Great sufferings of the ROMANS during their retreat.
• 25. Advice of MITHRIDATES the PARTHIAN.
• 26. The ROMANS still retreat, and cross the ARAXES.
• 27. ANTONIUS returns to CLEOPATRA.
• 28. Wars between the PARTHIANS and MEDES.
• 29. OCTAVIA comes to ATHENS. Wily conduct of CLEOPATRA.
• 30. ANTONIUS bestows kingdoms on his sons.
• 31. OCTAVIUS excites the Romans against him.
• 32. ANTONIUS and CLEOPATRA arrive et SAMOS. He divorces his wife OCTAVIA.
• 33. The preparations of OCTAVIUS for War.
• 34. Signs and omens.
• 35. The battle of ACTIUM.
• 36. Flight of CLEOPATRA.
• 37. Events after the battle.
• 38. ANTONIUS follows the example of TIMON OF ATHENS.
• 39. CLEOPATRA makes experiments with poisons.
• 40. Negociations with OCTAVIUS.
• 41. Death of ANTONIUS.
• 42. OCTAVIUS captures CLEOPATRA, and takes ALEXANDRIA.
• 43. ANTONIUS is buried by CLEOPATRA.
• 44. Interview between, CLEOPATRA and OCTAVIUS.
• 45. Death of CLEOPATRA.
• 46. The children of ANTONIUS.

I.

Antonius' parentage.

Antonius, grandfather was that famous orator whom Marius slew because he took Sylla's part. His father was another Antonius surnamed Cretan ¹ , who was not so famous, nor bare any great sway in the commonwealth: howbeit other wise he was an honest man, and of a very good nature, and [p. 154] specially very liberal in giving, as appeareth by an act he did. He was not very wealthy, and therefore his wife would not let

The liberality of Antonius' father.

him use his liberality and frank nature. One day a friend of his coming to him to pray him to help him to some money, having great need, Antonius by chance had no money to give him, but he commanded one of his men to bring him some water in a silver basin, and after he had brought it him, he washed his beard as though he meant to have shaven it, and then found an arrand ² for his man to send him out, and gave his friend the silver basin, and bade him get him money with that. Shortly after' there was a great stir in the house among the servants, seeking out of this silver basin. Insomuch as Antonius, seeing his wife marvellously offended for it, and that she would examine all her servants one affair another about it, to know what was be come of it, at length he confessed he had given it away, and prayed her to be contented.

¹ Because that by his death he ended the war which he unfortunately made against those of Creta.

² errand.

This text is based on the following book(s):
Plutarch. Rev. Walter W. Skeat. Shakespeare's Plutarch: being a selection from the lives in North's Plutarch which illustrate Shakespeare's plays. Macmillan and Co. 1875. London.