6

66.

Hereupon Caesar went incontinently into Italy with his army, which made Cicero say in his Philippides: "That, as Helen was cause of the war of Troy, so was Antonius the author of the civil wars;" which indeed was a stark lie. For Caesar was not so fickle-headed, nor so easily carried away with anger, that he would so suddenly have gone and made war with his country, upon the sight only of Antonius and Cassius, being fled to him in miserable apparel, and in a hired coach, had he not long before determined it with himself. But sith indeed Caesar looked of long time but for some color, this came as he wished, and gave him just occasion of war.

But to say truly, nothing else moved him to make war with all the world as he did, but one self cause which first procured Alexander and Cyrus also before him, to wit, an insatiable desire to reign, with a senseless covetousness to be the best man in the world; the which he could not come unto, before he had first put down Pompey and utterly overthrown him. Now after that Caesar had gotten Rome at his commandment, and had driven Pompey out of Italy, he purposed first to go into Spain against the legions Pompey had there, and in the mean time to make provision for ships and marine preparation, to follow Pompey. In his absence, he left Lepidus, that was Praetor, governor of Rome; and Antonius, that was tribune, he gave him charge of all the soldiers and of Italy.

Then was Antonius straight marvelously commended and beloved of the soldiers, because he commonly exercised himself among them, and would oftentimes eat and drink with them, and also be liberal unto them, according to his ability.

But then in contrary manner, he purchased divers other men's evil wills, because that through negligence he would not do them justice that were injured, and dealt very churlishly with them that had any suit unto him: and besides all this, he had an ill name to intice men's wives. To conclude, Caesar's friends, that governed under him, were cause why they hated Caesar's government (which indeed in respect of himself was no less than tyranny) by reason of the great insolencies and outrageous parts that were committed: amongst whom Antonius, that was of greatest power, and that also committed greatest faults, deserved most blame.