As soon as she arrived at Rome, Octavius, her brother, whose indignation was now thoroughly aroused at the baseness of Antony, sent to his sister to say that she must leave Antony’s house and come to him.  A proper self-respect, he said, forbade her remaining any longer under the roof of such a man.  Octavia replied that she would not leave her husband’s house.  That house was her post of duty, whatever her husband might do, and there she would remain.  She accordingly retired within the precincts of her old home, and devoted herself in patient and uncomplaining sorrow to the care of the family and the children.  Among these children was one young son of Antony’s, born during his marriage with her predecessor Fulvia.  In the mean time, while Octavia was thus faithfully though mournfully fulfilling her duties as wife and mother, in her husband’s house at Rome, Antony himself had gone with Cleopatra to Alexandria, and was abandoning himself once more to a life of guilty pleasure there.  The greatness of mind which this beautiful and devoted wife thus displayed, attracted the admiration of all mankind.  It produced, however, one other effect, which Octavia must have greatly deprecated.  It aroused a strong and universal feeling of indignation against the unworthy object toward whom this extraordinary magnanimity was displayed.

In the mean time, Antony gave himself up wholly to Cleopatra’s influence and control, and managed all the affairs of the Roman empire in the East in the way best fitted to promote her aggrandizement and honor.  He made Alexandria his capital, celebrated triumphs there, arranged ostentatious expeditions into Asia and Syria with Cleopatra and her train, gave her whole provinces as presents, and exalted her two sons, Alexander and Ptolemy, children born during the period of his first acquaintance with her, to positions of the highest rank and station, as his own acknowledged sons.  The consequences of these and similar measures at Rome were fatal to Antony’s character and standing.  Octavius reported every thing to the Roman Senate and people, and made Antony’s misgovernment and his various misdemeanors the ground of the heaviest accusations against him.  Antony, hearing of these things, sent his agents to Rome and made accusations against Octavius; but these counter accusations were of no avail.  Public sentiment was very strong and decided against him at the capital, and Octavius began to prepare for war.

Antony perceived that he must prepare to defend himself.  Cleopatra entered into the plans which he formed for this purpose with great ardor.  Antony began to levy troops, and collect and equip galleys and ships of war, and to make requisitions of money and military stores from all the eastern provinces and kingdoms.  Cleopatra put all the resources of Egypt at his disposal.  She furnished him with immense sums of money, and with an inexhaustible supply of corn, which she procured for this purpose from her dominions in the valley of the Nile.  The various divisions of the immense armament which was thus provided for were ordered to rendezvous at Ephesus, where Antony and Cleopatra were awaiting to receive them, having proceeded there when their arrangements in Egypt were completed, and they were ready to commence the campaign.