| LIVES OF THE NOBLE | | |
| | | |
MARCUS | length and never clypt it, that it was marvelous long, and | |
ANTONIUS | the heare of his heade also without koming: and besides all | |
| this, he went in a mourning gowne, and after this sort came | |
| hard to the trenches of Lepidus campe. Then he beganne | |
| to speake unto the souldiers, and many of them their hartes | |
| yerned for pitie to see him so poorely arrayed, and some also | |
| through his wordes beganne to pitie him: insomuch that | |
| Lepidus beganne to be affrayd, and therefore commaunded | |
| all the trompetts to sownd together to stoppe the souldiers | |
| eares, that they should not harken to Antonius. This not- | |
| withstanding, the souldiers tooke the more pitie of him, and | |
| spake secretly with him by Clodius and Laelius meanes, | |
| whom they sent unto him disguised in womens apparel, and | |
| gave him counsel that he should not be affraid to enter into | |
| their campe, for there were a great number of souldiers that | |
| would receive him, and kill Lepidus, if he would say the | |
| word. Antonius would not suffer them to hurt him, but | |
| the next morning he went with his army to wade a ford, at | |
| a litle river that ranne betweene them: and him selfe was | |
| the foremost man that tooke the river to get over, seeing | |
| a number of Lepidus campe that gave him their handes, | |
| plucked up the stakes, and layed flat the bancke of their | |
Antonius wan | trenche to let him in to their campe. When he was come | |
all Lepidus | into their campe, and that he had all the army at his | |
army from | commaundement: he used Lepidus very curteously, imbraced | |
him. | him, and called him father: and though in deede Antonius | |
| did all, and ruled the whole army, yet he alway gave | |
| Lepidus the name and honor of the Captaine. Munatius | |
| Plancus, lying also in campe hard by with an armye: under- | |
| standing the report of Antonius curtesie, he also came and | |
| joined with him. Thus Antonius being a foote againe, and | |
| growen of great power, repassed over the Alpes, leading | |
| into Italy with him seventeene legions, and tenne thowsand | |
| horsemen, besides six legions he left in garrison amonge the | |
Varius, | Gaules, under the charge of one Varius, a companion of his | |
surnamed | that would drinke lustely with him, and therefore in mockery | |
Cotylon. | was surnamed Cotylon: to wit, a bibber. So Octavius | |
| Caesar would not leane to Cicero, when he saw that his | |
| whole travail and endevor was onely to restore the common | |
| 18 | |