| GRECIANS AND ROMANS | |
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| Cicero on the other side being at that time the chiefest man | MARCUS |
| of authoritie and estimation in the citie, he stirred up al | ANTONIUS |
| men against Antonius: so that in the end he made the | Antonius |
| Senate pronounce him an enemy to his contry, and appointed | judged an |
| young Caesar Sergeaunts to cary axes before him, and such | enemy by |
| other signes as were incident to the dignitie of a Consul or | the Senate. |
| Praetor: and moreover sent Hircius and Pansa, then Consuls, | |
| to drive Antonius out of Italy. These two Consuls together | Hircius |
| with Caesar, who also had an armye, went against Antonius | and Pansa |
| that beseeged the citie of Modena, and there overthrew him | Consuls. |
| in battell: but both the Consuls were slaine there. Anto- | |
| nius flying upon this overthrowe, fell into great miserie all | Antonius |
| at once: but the chiefest want of all other, and that pinched | overthrowen |
| him most, was famine. Howbeit he was of such a strong | in battell by |
| nature, that by pacience he would overcome any adversitie, | the citie of |
| and the heavier fortune lay upon him, the more constant | Modena. |
| shewed he him selfe. Every man that feleth want or adver- | |
| sitie, knoweth by vertue and discretion what he should doe: | Antonius |
| but when in deede they are overlayed with extremitie, and | patient in |
| be sore oppressed, few have the harts to follow that which | adversitie. |
| they praise and commend, and much lesse to avoid that they | |
| reprove and mislike. But rather to the contrary, they yeld | |
| to their accustomed easie life: and through faynt hart, and | |
| lacke of corage, doe chaunge their first mind and purpose. | |
| And therefore it was a wonderfull example to the souldiers, | Antonius |
| to see Antonius that was brought up in all finenes and | hardnes in |
| superfluitie, so easily to drinke puddle water, and to eate | adversitie, |
| wild frutes and rootes: and moreover it is reported, that | notwithstand- |
| even as they passed the Alpes, they did eate the barcks of | ing his fine |
| trees, and such beasts, as never man tasted of their flesh | bringing up. |
| before. Now their intent was to joyne with the legions that | |
| were on the other side of the Mountaines, under Lepidus | |
| charge: whom Antonius tooke to be his friend, bicause he | |
| had holpen him to many things at Caesars hand, through | |
| his meanes. When he was come to the place where Lepidus | |
| was, he camped hard by him: and when he saw that no man | |
| came to him to put him in any hope, he determined to | |
| venter him selfe, and to goe unto Lepidus. Since the over- | |
| throw he had at Modena he suffred his beard to grow at | |
| | 17 | |