PLUTARCHI'S LIVES. ANTONY. THE grandfather of Mark Antony was Antony the orator, who followed the faction of Sylla, and was put to death by Marius *. His father was Antony furnamed the Cretan, a man of no figure or confequence in the political world †, but diftinguifhed for his integrity, benevolence, and liberality; of which the following little circumftance is a fufficient proof: His for tune was not large, and his wife therefore, very prudently, laid fome reftraint on his munificent difpofition. An acquaintance of his, who was under fome pecuniary difficulties, applied to him for affiftance: Antony, having no money at command, ordered his boy to bring him a filver bafon full of water, under a pretence of fhaving. After the boy was difmiffed, he gave the bafon to his friend, and bade him make what use of it he thought proper. The disappearance of the bafon occafioned no fmall commotion in the family; and Antony finding his wife prepared to take a severe account of his fervants, begged her pardon, and told her the truth. His wife's name was Julia. She was of the family of the Cæfars, and a woman of diftinguished merit and modefty. Under her aufpices Mark Antony received his education; when, after the death of his father, the married Cornelius Lentulus, whom Cicero put to death for engaging in the confpiracy of Catiline. This was * Valerius Maximus fays, that Antony the orator was put to death by the joint order of Cinna and Marius: But Cicero mentions Cinna as the immediate caufe.-Cic. Philip. 1. + Neverthelefs he conducted the war in Crete, and from thence was called Cretenfis. Vol. VII. A the origin of that lafting enmity which fubfifted between Cicero and Antony. The latter affirmed, that his mother Julia was even obliged to beg the body of Cicero's wife for interment: But this is not true; for none of those who fuffered on the fame occafion, under Cicero, were refufed this privilege. Antony was engaging in his person, and was unfortunate enough to fall into the good graces and friendship of Curio, a man who was devoted to every fpecies of licentiousness, and who, to render Antony the more dependent on him, led him into all the exceffes of indulging in wine and women, and all the expenfes that fuch indulgences are attended with. Of course, he was soon deeply involved in debt, and owed at least two hundred and fifty talents while he was a very young man. Curio was bound for the payment of this money; and his father, being informed of it, banished Antony from his houfe. Thus difmiffed, he attached himself to Clodius, that peftilent and audacious tribune, who threw the ftate into fuch dreadful disorder; till, weary of his mad measures, and fearful of his opponents, he paffed into Greece, where he employed himself in military exercises, and the study of eloquence. The Afiatic ftyle was then much in vogue, and Antony fell naturally into it; for it was correfpondent with his manners, which were vain, pompous, infolent, and assuming. In Greece he received an invitation from Gabinius, the proconful, to make a campaign with him in Syria †. This invitation he refused to accept as a private man; but, being appointed to the command of the cavalry, he attended him. His firft operation was against Aristobulus, who had excited the Jews to revolt. He was the firft who fcaled the wall; and this he did in the *Cicero, in his Brutus, mentions two forts of ftyle called the Afiatic. Unum fententiofum et argutum, fententiis non tam gravibus et feveris quam concinnis et venuftis. Aliud autem genus eft non tam fententiis frequentatum quam verbis voluere, atque incitatum; quali nunc eft Afia tota, nec flumine folum orationis, fed etiam exornato et faceto genere verborum. Aulus Gabinius was conful in the year of Rome 695; and the year following he went into Syria. |