188 ANTONY. tories obtained over the Partliians ; he was of obscure birtli, but, by means of Antony's friendship, obtained an opportunity of showing his capacity, and doing great things ; and his making such glorious use of it gave new credit to the current observation about Caesar and Anto- ny, that they were more fortunate in what they did by their heutenants than in their own persons. For Sossius, also, had great success, and Canidius, whom he left in Armenia, defeated the people there, and also the kings of the Albanians and Iberians, and marched victorious as far as Caucasus, by which means the fame of Antony's arms had become great among the barbarous nations. • He, however, once more, upon some unfavorable stones, taking offence against Csesar, set sail with three hundred ships for Italy, and, being refused admittance to the port of Brundusium, made for Tarentum. There his wife Oc- tavia, who came from Greece with him, obtained leave to visit her brother, she being then great with child, having already borne her husband a second daughter; and as she was on her way, she met Caesar, with his two friends Agrippa and Mascenas, and, taking these two aside, with great entreaties and lamentations she told them, that of the most fortunate woman upon earth, she was in danger of becoming the most unhappy ; for as yet every one's eyes were fixed upon her as the wife and sister of the two great commanders, but, if rash counsels should prevail, and war ensue, " I shall be miserable," said she, " without redress ; for on what side soever victory falls, I shall be sure to be a loser." Caesar was overcome by these en- treaties, and advanced in a peaceable temper to Tarentum, where those that were present beheld a most stately spec- tacle ; a vast army drawn up by the shore, and as great a fleet in the harbor, all without the occurrence of any act of hostility ; nothing but the salutations of friends, and other expressions of joy and kindness, passing from one
