Meanwhile volunteers from each party went over to both sides, senators as well as others, and Lucius Messius was caught as a spy by Caesar.  He released the man in spite of his being one of those previously captured at Perusia, but first showed him all his power.  To Antony Caesar sent a letter, bidding him either withdraw from the sea a day’s journey on horseback, and grant him the free privilege of coming to him by boat on condition that they should meet within five days, or else to cross over to Italy himself on the same terms.  Antony made a great deal of fun of him and said:  “Who will be our arbitrator, if the compact is transgressed in any way?” And Caesar did not expect that his demands would receive compliance, but hoped to inspire his own soldiers with courage and his opponents with terror by this act.

[B.C. 31 (a. u. 723)]

[-10-] As consuls for the next year after this Caesar and Antony had been appointed at the time when they settled the offices for eight years at once[59]; and this was the last year of the period:  and as Antony had been deposed,—­a fact which I stated,[60]—­Valerius Messala, who had once been proscribed by them,[61] became consul with Caesar.  About this time a madman rushed into the theatre at one of the festivals, seized the crown of the former Caesar and put it on, whereupon he was torn to pieces by the bystanders.  A wolf that darted into the temple of Fortune was caught and killed, and at the hippodrome during the very contest of the horses a dog overpowered and devoured another dog.  Fire also consumed a considerable portion of the hippodrome, the temple of Ceres, another shrine dedicated to Spes, besides a large number of other structures.  The freedmen were thought to have caused this.  All of them who were in Italy and possessed property worth five myriads[62] or more had been ordered to contribute an eighth of it.  The result was numerous riots, murders, and firing of buildings on their part, and they were not brought to order until they were subdued by armed force.  After this the freedmen who held any land in Italy grew frightened and kept quiet:  they had been ordered, too, to give a quarter of their annual income, and though they were on the point of rebelling against this extortion, they were not bold enough after the demonstration mentioned to show further insubordination, but reluctantly made their contribution without disputing the matter.  Therefore it was believed that the fire was due to a plot originated by the freedmen:  yet this did not prevent it from being recorded among the great portents, because of the number of buildings burned.